“Meow-”
With the sound of a cat’s meow, Mike stepped out from the side, suppressing his laughter. He didn’t laugh out loud, but the sight of Shadow Seven covered in black smoke and Cerberus mimicking a cat was hilarious.
Mike had undergone rigorous training; no matter how funny something was, he wouldn’t laugh. Unless he couldn’t help it.
Mike had clearly informed Shadow Seven through a message that he had set up some decoys. From another perspective, Mike’s setup was quite effective, even fooling Shadow Seven.
“Deathsinger, ahem,” Shadow Seven shifted her gaze from the ‘cat’ with 1.5 heads and cleared her throat, speaking in her raspy voice, “I tested your traps for you. Not bad, quite effective against Battle Chief-tier demon creatures.”
Shadow Seven instinctively overlooked one thing: Deathsinger was just a Battle General, and setting up traps capable of killing Battle Chief-tier creatures was already quite extraordinary! “I killed a demon race Battle Lord in this battle and caused countless casualties!” Shadow Seven laughed heartily, deliberately pinching her voice, “Finally, I feel like I’m back in the old days of fighting. A mere demon race Battle Lord, perfect for a warm-up.”
With that, Shadow Seven tossed two items on the ground: a head and a tail.
The tail belonged to the shadow fox that had escaped earlier, and the head was from the demon race Battle Lord. These were the most valuable materials from their bodies, rated SS and SSS respectively.
“I can’t accept this without earning it,” Mike said, feeling it would be strange to accept a beautiful woman’s spoils for no reason.
Maxen Stoneheart had two powerful Godfathers behind him, and Foreskin was the Manager of the Mystic Market. Spending their money made Mike feel more at ease.
“I’m giving it to you, so take it!” Shadow Seven said irritably, “Even if you throw it to the dogs, it’s better than letting Thor have it for free!”
Cerberus: ‘Woof… meow meow meow~’
Mike: ….
“Alright, as compensation for the trap materials, I’ll take the tail,” Mike said, accepting the shadow fox’s tail but leaving the demon race Battle Lord’s head untouched.
“Seven Bro, could you help me gather the spoils on the battlefield? I feel there might be some danger.”
Shadow Seven glanced at the battlefield, nodded, and said, “Smart move, kid. Taking these things recklessly could cost you your life.”
In a flash, Shadow Seven collected all the spoils and piled them in front of Mike. “Technically, Shadow One should get a share of these,” Shadow Seven said, believing that most of the enemies on the battlefield were killed by Shadow One. Therefore, most of the spoils should rightfully belong to Shadow One.
“How about this: I’ll submit them on your behalf. After converting them to Guardian Shadow points, if Shadow One doesn’t want any, I’ll transfer all the points to you. How’s that?”
Shadow Seven’s proposal was reasonable, and Mike agreed. Since he had disguised his actions, paying a little disguise fee was fair.
“As for this head… you should take it,” Shadow Seven advised seriously. “After this war, [Wind’s Reach] skill books will appear on the market. You should buy one. The points from this SSS material should be enough.”
Although Shadow Seven considered Thor her imaginary rival, it didn’t stop her from highly recommending [Wind’s Reach]. Even non-wind element powerhouses should learn it.
Mike blinked curiously, “Is this skill really that powerful?”
“It’s not about power; it’s one of those…,” Shadow Seven struggled to find the right words, “It’s a must-learn skill!”
Mike had hoped for more praise from Shadow Seven, but she couldn’t find better words to describe it.
Despite Shadow Seven’s recommendation, Mike was still reluctant to accept the head and tried to argue,
“What if [Wind’s Reach] is sold cheaply, like Windstride Slash?”
“Cheap?!” Shadow Seven snorted, “I have a close friend who is very close to Thor. I’m not speaking ill of him behind his back…”
Mike: Be confident. You’re not speaking behind his back. You’re saying it right in front of me!
Shadow Seven cleared her throat and mimicked someone’s voice, saying, “That guy is a cheapskate. He wouldn’t spend a dime. I worked so hard being someone’s sons, and now all my pocket money is gone…”
Mike narrowed his eyes slightly. ‘Maxen Stoneheart, I only drank two of your bottles, and you dare to slander me behind his back! I’ll remember this!’
After mimicking Maxen Stoneheart’s voice, Shadow Seven resumed her raspy tone, “With Thor’s cheapskate nature, the skill book won’t be cheap!”
Mike: Really? I don’t believe it!
Mike stored the demon race Battle Lord’s head in his storage space, saying, “Thank you for such a generous gift. If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know!”
Before Mike finished speaking, Shadow Seven raised an eyebrow.
Not really? I was just joking, girl.
“Ahem, let me test you,” Shadow Seven said, thinking of a task, “What do you know about soul elements?”
Mike humbly replied, “I know a bit.”
Shadow Seven raised an eyebrow, “Have you heard of the [Memory Seal] secret technique?”
Mike nodded more frequently, “I know a bit.”
Yes, he often saw people’s memories being sealed. For example, Blaze Morrow.
On the way to the summer camp last time, Blaze was ambushed by demon cult members and had his memory sealed by Shadow Nine. But why was Shadow Seven asking about this?
“Well, since we have some free time,” Shadow Seven took out a stack of papers, densely printed with small text. “This is the latest research from New York’s superpower universities, an early draft not yet officially published, only circulated in small circles.”
Mike took the papers, still confused. Why give this to me?
“Read it first,” Shadow Seven said, pretending to be wise, “Then write a review of at least
3,000 words. I want to see your understanding of the soul element.”
“If you do well, I can introduce you to Professor Gregory. You might get a chance to study
with him for a while.”
Shadow Seven dangled a carrot in front of Mike.
Mike’s eyelids twitched. This 3,000-word review… this must be her own task, right?
Well, if it were anything else, Mike might have been troubled. But writing a review? With the
help of [Eye of Truth], it was no problem at all.
Mike found a quiet spot, sat down, and began reading Professor Gregory’s paper.
The first author: Shadwyn, Gregory…
Shadwyn, that must be Shadow Nine’s alias, right?
Mike didn’t think much of it and continued reading. As he read the human experiment data,
his expression changed.
The more he read, the more his face twitched. Even without [Eye of Truth]’s reminder, Mike realized what had happened!
Is it possible that the experimental subject in the paper… is Blaze Morrow?