Chapter 289 – Cat Dad has a Nice Step-Grandfather?
When Xiaomao came out of the bath, Jungwoo had already woken up. He was queuing to take a bath as well.
"Sup, bro!"
Jungwoo looked exhausted, but his dantian was brimmed with power. At a glance, he was as strong as Xiaomao.
"You're a 4th-stage too, munya?"
"Yeah, I just hit the 4th-stage. I managed to condense a sea of Life Essence so far, but I haven't completed the 1000-clone trial yet."
"Yeah… good luck, munya."
"By the way, how far are you? How many clones have you defeated?"
"I'm attacking the second clone now, munya."
"I see. Don't lose hope, bro. You can do it!" Jungwoo patted Xiaomao and entered the bath.
Xiaomao glanced at his shoulders which Jungwoo had touched earlier. His face distorted in frustration.
'I just took a freaking bath. What if I get zits on my shoulders because of your dirty sweaty hands?!'
He pulled a couple sheets of wet wipes and disinfected them with alcohol. He cleaned his shoulders and walked toward Mir.
"Take a seat, mew. It's time to teach you about the time and space law so you can enter your pocket dantian on your own, mew!"
Xiaomao nodded, but his expression was still dark.
It had been a few days since he had been staying here. He was worried about his dungeon, which was in the middle of being raided.
"When can I go back to the dungeon, munya? I need to report the game updates to Meowmeow and others."
"Meh, let them have some fun. Those lazy gods won't attack your dungeon any time soon, mew."
"How do you know, munya?"
Mir shrugged, "W-1 and W-2 are their priorities. Those worlds have more resources, and their nemeses are getting stronger every day. They won't have enough manpower to confront Meowmeow, Cernun, and Taotie to get you, mew. If I were in my shoes, I would have raided W-2 and killed as many wives of Mao Miaomiao as I could. Those women all inherit Chaos Seraphim bloodline from your father, and they are a lot stronger than you, mew."
"…"
"Anyway, forget about the politics and focus on your tasks. I'll send you back after you learn a Dao Domain, mew."
"Okay…"
Xiaomao closed his eyes and sighed. He rubbed his eyes and glabella, easing his imaginary migraine. But as he did so, he noticed several notification messages from the game system.
<Demon King Solomon has blessed you!>
<If you dual cultivate with a dragonewt or a dragon, your Life Essence acquisition rate is double. You can copy one of their skills, spells, grand spells, or ultimate skills every time you make them climax.>
<If you dual cultivate with a demon, an angel, or a spirit, your Life Essence acquisition rate is increased by 50%, and your negative karma will increase by the same amount of absorbed Life Essence.>
<If you dual cultivate with a Cathulhu, a catopus, or a feline race, evolve one of your skills, spells, grand spells, or ultimate skills every time you make them climax.>
<You have obtained a new title – Illegitimate Grandchild of Demon King!>
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Title - Illegitimate Grandchild of Demon King
Effects (1): Once a day, you may summon one of Solomon's 72 Great Demons to your side or your pocket dantian, and they will follow all your commands.
Effects (2): Once a month, you may borrow Solomon's power – the Mandate of Evil God. Mortals, immortals, and deities with negative karma cannot harm you or use their power on you when the mandate is active. Their attacks increase your strength instead.
Effects (3): Once a month, you may borrow Solomon's Power – the Mandate of Benevolent Demon King. Mortals, immortals, and deities with positive karma cannot harm you or use their power on you when the mandate is active. Their attacks heal you instead.
Effects (4): You may enter the Netherworld Realm whenever you want, and no resident of the Netherworld Realm can harm you. All lands, properties, and people belong to you, and you may freely command them as long as the order isn't conflicted with Solomon's interests.
[Cathulhu Instinct]: I kinda expected it since Solomon has an eye on you, but DAMN! He is trying hard!
[Foresight]: Appreciate Solomon's assistance, but do not trust him. If you join his faction, you can say goodbye to Mu-Nyang and Mao Miaomiao since they will, without fail, disown you!
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The perks were amazingly good. Xiaomao was surprised that Solomon really gave him the good stuff.
'Is this why they said that villains are more interesting and charming than heroes? His power is kinda cool, to be honest.'
Xiaomao was thankful to the evil grandfather. He kept this little secret to himself for now.
The training continued…
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After Joan's team was wiped out, the expedition force ceased its operation. Battlefield Warlord ordered her remaining troops to leave the B1 floor and gather in front of the cave.
Meanwhile, many players who died in the dungeon couldn't rejoin the game and had to wait 24 hours. However, as they were offline, Solomon abducted them and replaced the players with his ghosts.
Although many players were secretly replaced with Solomon's people, Explorer survived. He rejoined the game and discovered that his avatar was dead. His character reappeared in Seaside Town, which had been retaken by Valkyrie Guild's members. No outlaw loitered in this area anymore.
'Figured as much. Well, what did I lose?'
Explorer was relaxed. He checked his respawned character to see what item had dropped from his body. Unfortunately, he only lost everything in his possession.
'Ah, shit. This is why I hate dungeons in this game. The penalty is too cruel!'
Explorer grumbled and walked toward the broken building of the labor guild. He entered the building and looked for a warehouse chest. However, the guild was closed down, and no player could access their warehouse in this city.
"Shame."
Explorer sighed. He went to the market NPC at the center of the town, hoping to exchange his PACT for gold coins so that he could get a new set of equipment.
But when he arrived in the town square, he saw a commotion.
At the center of the town, the people of Yuan Shaoqing gathered and were busy recruiting troops to attack the dungeon again. However, their expressions looked dark and gloomy as if they had lost something important.
Explorer approached them to check what these NPCs were doing.
As soon as Explorer walked toward the crowd, one of Yuan Shaoqing's men stopped him.
"Player, you're in the presence of Emperor Yuan! You do not have the right to approach him!"
Explorer clicked his tongue and spat at the soldier. He turned around to leave.
But as he was leaving, Yuan Shaoqing said something interesting.
"If the first boss of the dungeon is level 4,000, how strong is the next floor's boss? Should we wait for Odin and Pangu to attack the dungeon first?"
'Level 4000? Interesting.'
As Explorer didn't get to meet Gata, he had no clue about her terrifying power. He eavesdropped on the conversation.
Yan Liang convinced the emperor, "Let's give up. We've received words that Diabolos is already dead. There's no point following his will and order anymore. We're free again."
"I thought we would die along with Diabolos if he died."
"I don't know how, but we're alive. Let's appreciate this opportunity, your majesty."
"So we wasted all our assets for nothing."
"Yes, unfortunately."
"Haiz. Sell the marked rune that we auctioned from the market. Recover our country's fund, and we will retreat to Yeet City and claim the hidden stash in Yeet Palace. We need it for our army fund."
"Yes, your majesty."
"Also, if you see Tian Feng, kill that traitor on sight! That SOB deserted the troops!"
Hearing the conversation, Explorer mistook it as a clue to the next story quest. He took notes.
'Since I'm not going back to the Backrooms, I should avoid these guys and their quests. They are doomed to fail.'
After exchanging his PACT token for gold coins, Explorer went to a stable and rented a horse. He rode to Southwest, heading to Siren City.