545 It seems he’s having a pleasant dream
Vladimir’s words naturally drifted into Mike’s ears.
But Mike didn’t react, nor did he punish Vladimir.
Vladimir had long since gone bankrupt—there was nothing left for Mike to take from him.
Vladimir knew this too, which was why he had grown bolder over time.
From Vladimir’s perspective, he had given Thor his absolute loyalty, handed over all his wealth, and even sold his soul to Thor.
Thor wasn’t the type to take pleasure in tormenting his subordinates.
When it came to those who had no money, Thor was always very kind—a good boss, by any measure.
Many vampires even said that working under Thor was the best fortune they had earned in several lifetimes.
So, when there was no profit to be made, Vladimir was absolutely safe!
Even when there was profit, there wasn’t much to worry about—Thor would quickly take it all anyway.
This self-deprecating, self-sabotaging approach was Vladimir’s way of getting closer to Thor.
Of course, Dracula could see through Vladimir’s little schemes.
But as the forbidden prince, how could he stoop to such lowly tactics?
He found it beneath him!
Dracula always believed that his relationship with Thor was one of mutual benefit—a win-win partnership.
In fact, Thor thought the same.
It’s just that Thor’s understanding of win-win was a bit… different from most people’s.
After testing Reaper’s Bargain a few times, Mike finally got over his initial excitement.
As the thrill faded, exhaustion washed over him.
Yawn—
He wasn’t a machine. After deconstructing and absorbing so many ghost laws, the mental strain was immense. Even a nine-star Lord would struggle to keep up.
Yawning, Mike felt utterly drained.
In fact, every time he created a skill, there were always some aftereffects.
It’s just that Mike had been lucky before, and those effects had been masked.
But due to a series of fortunate circumstances, the impact had been mitigated.
This time, thanks to his Soul Researcher class, Mike had managed to develop Reaper’s Bargain, but he had also carried over some of the strain from his previous creation…
In the end, Mike was only suffering from mental fatigue. With some rest, he would recover quickly.
He knew his body well.
If his soul’s integrity dropped by even 0.1%, Mike would feel like he was on the brink of death!
Ever since creating his first Soul Element skill, Mike had been very cautious.
Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t create new skills!
After all, the only person who could heal Mike—Shadow Nine—was still trapped in the Supreme Abyssal!
If Shadow Nine didn’t make it back, and Mike died from creating too many skills, that would be a disaster!
Shadow Nine would probably have to collect Mike’s body, find a way to turn him into a Shadow, and then, with tears in his eyes, claim the Supreme Mark for himself.
Mike’s current exhaustion was actually the result of the combined aftereffects of creating Transmute and Reaper’s Bargain. Only time could heal it.
Pushing through his fatigue, Mike took a quick tour of his private space before returning to Earth.
He didn’t stop by Wolf’s Den, nor did he visit Apollo at the Tower of Truth.
That was a clear sign that Mike was truly exhausted.
In the Forest of Truth, Mike barely walked a few steps before he was yawning uncontrollably, his body heavy with fatigue, his eyelids drooping as waves of drowsiness washed over him.
[So tired…]
The mental strain from absorbing the law fragments had taken more out of him than he had expected!
But Mike wasn’t worried.
In the shadow of the Tower of Truth, even the Supreme Demon God wouldn’t dare approach!
Mike decided to take the morning off, using the excuse that his recent tower challenge had drained him and that he needed some rest.
The teaching system at New York Superpower Universities was very flexible. Students could take time off as long as they completed the required tests.
After all, the purpose of the superpower universities was to cultivate talent, not to train obedient sheep.
Given Mike’s excellent track record, his request for leave was quickly approved.
Instead of returning to New York Superpower Universities or his private space, Mike decided to sleep right there in the Forest of Truth.
And when it came to sleeping, there was no safer place than the Forest of Truth!
The moment his head hit the pillow, Mike fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, like a baby.
It was the most wonderful dream he had ever had!
Mike slept so deeply that he was completely unaware of the world around him.
As Mike slept soundly, a white cloud slowly drifted down from the sky.
This cloud was different from the ones that usually appeared.
A gentle breeze blew, and beneath the shadow of the cloud, a figure appeared.
The figure stopped, and the cloud stopped with it, as if waiting for the figure.
The figure simply stood there, watching from a distance.
Watching the young man sleeping under the tree.
Not long after the cloud appeared, a shadow rushed out from the depths of the Forest of Truth, filled with emotion and unable to contain itself.
Shadow Four!
Shadow Four stood behind the cloud, looking at the figure beneath it. His eyes instantly reddened.
His body trembled slightly, and with a hoarse voice, he called out,
“Brother…”
“Shadow Four?”
Hearing the voice, the figure beneath the cloud turned slightly and looked over.
“You’ve grown so much… It must have been hard for you all…”
Shadow Four’s lips moved, but no words came out.
He had so much he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find the words.
“Don’t look so sad. Aren’t you happy to see me?”
The figure beneath the cloud spoke with a warm, gentle voice.
Shadow Four quickly wiped his face and nodded repeatedly.
“Happy!”
But after saying that, Shadow Four didn’t know what else to say. The two of them fell into silence once again.
Standing near the cloud, Shadow Four’s head kept nodding, as if he were about to fall asleep.
To fight off the drowsiness, he began to stimulate himself, and red spots started to appear on his palms, a sign of Blood Shadow activation.
The figure beneath the cloud glanced back at him, frowning.
“Don’t be foolish.”
Shadow Four immediately collapsed into a deep sleep, the red spots on his palms disappearing.
A nine-star Lord had no power to resist in front of this figure.
In fact, the moment this figure had appeared, every living creature in the Forest of Truth had fallen into a deep sleep.
No matter their strength, there were no exceptions.
In his presence, no one could claim to be strong.
Only Shadow Four, sensing something was wrong, had managed to force himself out of the dream, leading to their brief reunion.
He had only come to take a look.
After a few moments, the figure beneath the cloud looked at the sleeping Mike and chuckled softly.
“It seems he’s having a pleasant dream.”