Chapter 236 – Cat Dad Bullies Bird
The entire match was boring when both guilds did nothing but farm. Many spectators quit watching Xiaomao's match, but his true fans remained behind, waiting to see the surprises.
Xiaomao indeed prepared a surprise, but it was not for the viewers.
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At the 55th-minute mark, both sides collected enough ores and minerals that the craftsmen would be busy for months. Xiaomao and Cookie returned to the center of the battlefield. Vermilion and his friends also waited there.
Cookie's feathers were restored. He didn't look like a naked chicken anymore. However, his eyes were dull.
Xiaomao gave Vermilion 10 pieces of Cookie's breast meat as promised. Then, he released the phoenix.
Cookie turned around and glared at Xiaomao. Then, he looked at Vermilion.
GRAAA! (Shame on you both!)
"I'm so sorry, my boy," Vermilion reached out his hand to pet his bird, but Cookie swatted it away.
Xiaomao smiled at them. Then, he brought out the entity crystal and secretly touched Cookie's tail.
DING
Cookie suddenly trembled, sensing the changes inside him. He turned around and looked at Xiaomao.
The cat immediately brought out his flying sword and flew back to his castle. He didn't forget to show Cookie the paper that the bird had signed earlier.
"Your life is in your hands, munya! The choice is yours!"
Graa? (Hmm?)
Cookie was still confused about what the paper was for. Still, he knew for sure that the familiar brands that connected his soul to Vermilion's soul were gone.
"What the hell?!"
Vermilion suddenly received feedback that Cookie was no longer his familiar, and its name changed from green to white.
Cookie looked around and discovered that he no longer had the obligation to follow Vermilion around, he cheered.
GRA-GRA-GRA! (HAHAHAHA! GOODBYE, SUCKERS! I'M FREE!)
"NOOO!!" Vermilion screamed and chased after Cookie, trying to tame him again.
Cookie flew north, heading away from the battlefield. Vermilion's skill didn't reach him.
"COME BACK, COOKIE!"
GRAAA! (SCREW YOU BOTH! HASTA LA VISTA, BABY!)
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Xiaomao looked back and noticed that Cookie didn't come to him right away, he snickered.
"Good luck with your freedom, munya. If you don't pick your master soon, you will get stuck in this world for good. But you won't get stuck here anyway since you signed this."
Xiaomao snickered and looked at the paper scroll that Cookie had signed. It was a simple agreement that Cookie would be willing to be Xiaomao's tamed beast and serve him as his monster slave if he didn't choose a master by the end of the match.
The contract in itself held no power if Cookie only signed with ink. However, since Cookie used his blood on the paper, the item now worked as an official contract item between Xiaomao and Cookie.
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<strong>Monster Slave Contract</strong>
If Cookie-Cookie, the Fledging Phoenix, doesn't have a master by the time the Guild War Match between MUNYA Guild and Hwarang Guild on the day of the signing date ends, Cookie-Cookie will become Xiaomao's monster slave by default and follow Xiaomao to World Three.
This contract has been signed with Cookie-Cookie's blood, and it cannot be canceled unless Xiaomao and Cookie-Cookie agree to void the contract.
<strong>Item Type:</strong> Contract
<strong>Effect:</strong> Enforce conditions on the contract.
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Xiaomao felt bad for tricking the bird, but, he couldn't afford to let the stupid phoenix go.
In his previous life, Hwarang Guild became one of the top guilds in Korea because of Cookie's existence. The guild offered a way to resurrect dead humans, superhumans, and players that got stuck in the game by selling Cookie's feathers to them at a steep price.
But there was a problem with this development. When the Hwarang guild was about to dominate Korea with Cookie's help, Pangu's men killed Vermilion and freed Cookie. The phoenix ended up joining Pangu's side and strengthened all the followers with the flame of life.
Xiaomao had already forgotten about it. But after seeing Cookie in his young form, he did whatever was necessary to prevent them from joining forces again.
'If you don't join me, I'll kill you for real, stupid chicken!'
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Vermilion looked at the departing bird for a moment and turned to Xiaomao's castle. He narrowed his eyes.
"Can it be him?! Was Xiaomao behind this?!"
He looked at the clock. 57 minutes had passed, and they had three minutes remaining in the match.
If no castle was destroyed within three minutes, the match would end up in a draw, and both guilds would be disqualified!
Vermilion was enraged. He shouted, "Men! We attack their castle now! If we can destroy a part of his castle walls, we will win and move on to the next round!"
Vermilion's subordinates looked at their master in confusion.
"What about Cookie, boss?"
"Yeah. He kinda… escaped."
Vermilion yelled, "Xiaomao definitely did something to Cookie! He must have freed my pet somehow!"
"Is that even possible?!"
"I don't care! He is the prime suspect! He backstabs us, and he has to pay!"
Vermilion rushed toward Xiaomao's castle without waiting for his friends. The others looked at each other for a moment and followed their boss.
The distance between the battlefield center and Xiaomao's castle was five kilometers. Three minutes were not enough for them to reach the castle.
At the 59th-minute mark, Vermilion finally realized the impossible. He screamed out loud.
"Even if you tricked me, you will get disqualified with me, Xiaomao!"
BOOM
Suddenly, a sound of explosion echoed behind Vermilion and his friends. They turned around by reflex and saw a mushroom cloud.
DING
<Your castle has been destroyed!>
<Your guild has been defeated. You and your guild members will be automatically teleported to your original game world.>
<Thank you for participating in the event. Consolation prizes will be given to you after the tournament is over.>
Seeing the messages, Vermilion and his subordinates were stunned. Some of them dropped their weapons and shields in shock.
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Meanwhile, Xiaomao was already aware of the possibility of Vermilion not surrendering. He used the superior speed and infiltrated Vermilion's castle airspace a minute ago.
Looking at the clock, Xiaomao saw the countdown timer. He had less than 50 seconds to finish the match.
Xiaomao looked down. The Hwarang Guild's castle didn't have a single defender or defensive buildings as all guild members were either following Vermilion or working in the quarries.
The catopus solemnly dropped a batch of five fireballs on the castle.
BOOM
BOOM
The well-looking castle collapsed on the spot. Its HP dropped from one million HP to zero.
Just like that, Xiaomao did what he had to do.
DING
<Congratulations, you have defeated Hwarang Guild.>
<You will move to the next round. Please stand by for the next match today!>
Xiaomao shrugged. He slowly faded from the battlefield, and teleported back to the guild's lobby.
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Far north of the battlefield, Cookie couldn't stop laughing while flying. He believed that he managed to escape from Xiaomao and Vermilion forever.
GRAA! (I'M FREEEEE!)
Cookie shed a tear of joy. He closed his eyes, savoring the clean air.
Several minutes later, the air's odor turned fishy. Somehow, it smelled like raw fishes and sea. Then, Cookie's head hit something hard.
Cookie opened his eyes and looked in front of him. He found a concrete ceiling, which was dented because of the collision.
Graaa? (Huh?)
The phoenix looked around. He could only see the concrete ceiling above. Down below, a dozen mermen looked up with wide fish eyes, staring at the fire bird.
"Bob?"
"Bob-Bob?"
GRAAA! (WTF is BOB-BOB?! Where is this place?!)
Cookie kept scanning the ground. Then, he discovered the blasphemous cat on a couch, waving his tentacles toward him.
"Welcome back, munya!"
GRAAA!! (NOOOOOO!!)
In a panic, Cookie spat multiple fireballs at the mermen and Xiaomao. However, the spits disappeared as soon as they came out of his mouth.
Xiaomao chuckled. He pointed at the portal, which led to the Slave Dungeon.
"The exit is over there, munya. But be warned. Immortals are on the other side. If you go out, they might catch you."
GRAAA! (I don't care. I'm outta here!)
Without hesitation, Cookie flew into the portal.
The bright light blinded him for a few seconds. When his eyes adjusted to the dimmed light, he found himself in a grand hall with a tall cave ceiling and pillars.
Cookie could barely see anything. He ignited himself on fire, lighting the place. Then, he looked around to check where he was.
Before Cookie's eyes could adapt to the environment, his legs were bitten by something sharp. He looked down and frowned.
There was a lion with a weird face and physique. The animal smiled and waved his paw at the bird.
"Wassup, bitch? Care if I eat half of your body?!"
GRAAA! (IMPUDENCE!)
Cookie activated his ultimate skill, summoning volcanos that used to trap Xiaomao in a lava pool.
"NIHIL!"
Instantly, the emerging volcano stopped coming out and sank into the ground as if it never appeared. Cookie's MP went from full to zero.
Around the white lion, dark flame covered its body. It had a similar air to Xiaomao's white flame, which Cookie recognized very well. It was the flame of life, the very flame that made phoenixes mythical creatures.
The bird sensed a déjà vu.
Graa?! (Flame of Life?! Who are you?! HOW?!)
Taotie smirked, "I'm the master of the cat that ate you. Now, it's time for the mentor to get his meal."
Cookie's feathers stood tall in fright. He turned around and flew back into the portal that he came from.
Taotie immediately let go of Cookie's legs and remained in the dungeon. He laughed at the bird.
When Cookie returned to the guild's lobby, he cried and sobbed on the floor.
GRAAAA!! (LIFE IS NOT YATTA ANYMORE! WHAT DID I DO WRONG IN MY LIFE?!)
The mermen gazed at the pitiful creature and shook their heads. They walked away from the bird and got back to their favorite water pool.
Xiaomao approached the bird. He patted Cookie.
"If you agree to be my servant and join my dungeon as a dungeon floor boss, nobody will harm you again, munya. Also, have you forgotten about this?"
Xiaomao showed Cookie the bottle of sacred water. He put it on the ground in front of the crying bird.
"It's yours, munya. I can give you more of these if you join me. How about it? Want to work for me, munya?"
Graaa! (But I don't want to be eaten!)
"I said I won't eat you. No one will harm you or eat you anymore, munya."
Graaa? (Really?)
"Yes, munya. In fact, I'll feed you a lot of good food to the point that you will be VERY VERY FAT, munya!"
Cookie narrowed his eyes, unable to trust Xiaomao. For an unknown reason, he had a bad feeling about the cat's promise.
However, Cookie had no way out. He nodded and agreed.
GRAAA! (I won't be your slave, but I'll work in your dungeon whatsoever! I expect good food in exchange, alright?! Also, I want this water, a lot of water!)
"Deal, munya! Now, come with me."
Xiaomao guided Cookie to the dungeon again. The former evilly grinned while the latter had weird goosebumps.