[Chapter 214: A Real Man]
Daniel said, "Your ideological awareness is lacking. Work isn't divided by status or class. We are all bricks of society; we go wherever we're needed. Do you understand?"
Chris hesitated, "I..."
Daniel patted her shoulder. "Then it's settled."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Chris watched Daniel's retreating figure, wanting to say something but stopping herself, her face full of helplessness.
...
Daniel made his way to the back garden and sat down.
"Upgrade!"
Boom!
Thunder and lightning -- more terrifying than before -- engulfed Daniel instantly.
Fortunately, the $30 million luxury mansion sat on a large enough estate that the nearest neighbor was more than half a mile away.
Despite the commotion, the noise wouldn't attract outside attention.
Still, the back garden bore the brunt.
Countless plants and trees were destroyed, reduced to powder in an instant.
A large, charred crater appeared where Daniel sat.
Chris appeared at the door, watching Daniel shrouded in thunder, her face full of shock.
"That's some serious power!"
But then worry crept in.
"Master won't make me a gardener again, will he?"
This thunder absorption lasted unusually long.
It took a full half hour before the storm finally subsided.
At last, Daniel's form stood over 6'6" tall, his entire body encased in a layer of black shell.
As the shell cracked and fell away, he was revealed completely naked, his skin smooth and gleaming like colored glass, muscles chiseled as if carved.
Even more bizarrely, faint dragon-like scales appeared on his skin.
Chris's mouth watered, saliva welling up uncontrollably.
She didn't even bother wiping it away, her eyes locked on Daniel.
Thump, thump, thump...
She jogged over and reached out to touch him.
Slap!
Daniel swatted her hand away. "What are you doing?"
Chris swallowed hard. "Mas... ter!"
Daniel glared.
With a thought, the dragon scales disappeared, and his skin returned to normal -- but his height remained at about 6'6".
That was now his normal height.
He'd grown more than three inches overnight.
"A bit too tall," Daniel muttered.
His height shrank rapidly to about 5 foot 7.
"A bit too short again."
He adjusted once more until settling around 6 feet 1 inch.
With his Body Enhancement technique at the fourth tier, he could now freely shift between 3 feet and seven feet tall.
His body's strength had become unbelievably powerful.
No longer just able to catch bullets barehanded, even a grenade exploding right next to him wouldn't faze him.
Daniel accessed the system.
[Celestial Thunder Body Enhancement: Fourth Tier]
[Merit points: 2,425,700]
Hiss...
Though he'd been bracing himself, Daniel sucked in a sharp breath upon seeing his merit points drop by 10 million all at once.
"To go from the fourth to the fifth tier, I'll need a full 100 million merit points," he muttered, wincing at the thought. "Looks like my Body Enhancement technique would be stuck at the fourth tier for a long time."
With just over 2.4 million merit points left, he couldn't upgrade his Exorcism level.
Daniel reviewed the others.
Fifth-tier spells or skills required 10 million merit points to advance to sixth tier -- still out of reach.
He could only upgrade those at the fourth tier.
After some thought, Daniel spent 2 million merit points to upgrade both his Artifact Forging Art and Sacred Alchemical Transmutation to the fifth tier.
Now his stats read:
...
[Host: Daniel Cross]
[Body Constitution: Thunder Body]
[Exorcism Level: Dominion Incarnate (Higher Ascendant Order)]
[Skills:]
[Sanctum Blade Technique: Fourth Tier]
[Prayer Seal Crafting Art: Fifth Tier]
[Spiritual Perception Technique: Fourth Tier]
[Rite of Divine Empowerment: Fifth Tier]
[Artifact Forging Art: Fifth Tier]
[Sacred Alchemical Transmutation: Fifth Tier]
[Five Thunder Doctrine: Fifth Tier] (Celestial Thunder, Terran Thunder, Abyssal Thunder, Pyric Thunder, and Tempest Thunder)
[Doctrine of Arcane Geometry: Fifth Tier]
[Celestial Thunder Body Enhancement: Fourth Tier]
[Spells:]
[Divine Incantation for for Purifying Souls]
[Golden Aegis Rite]
[Inner Sanctification Rite]
[Body Absolution Rite]
[Seven Lamps of Dominion Rite]
[Merit Points: 425,700]
...
Daniel felt a surge of power flow through him, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth he couldn't suppress.
Dominion Incarnate of Higher Ascendant Order!
His Spiritual Sense spread like mercury over the ground, easily covering the entire mansion and stretching beyond the block.
The Spiritual Sense of a Dominion Incarnate of Higher Ascendant Order wasn't just wider -- it was sharper than ever.
Especially in the core area, it was as if he was seeing through his own eyes. No, in fact, it was clearer than his natural vision.
The biggest change, though, was his body.
The fourth tier of the Celestial Thunder Body Enhancement didn't just let him control his physical appearance in exaggerated ways.
It brought a toughness born deep from the essence of life. His muscle and bone density had skyrocketed. His internal organs felt as tough as iron. When his blood surged, a faint thunderous sound echoed inside him.
He casually grabbed a decorative granite stool from the garden. With a slight press of his five fingers, clear fingerprints were impressed into its surface -- the stone silently crumbled to dust.
"Bullets and grenades are nothing; now, even an ordinary rocket might not breach my defense."
Daniel nodded in satisfaction.
Finally, he possessed the physical strength an 'expert' deserved.
...
"Master~~"
A cloyingly sweet voice came from behind him. Daniel didn't have to turn to know who it was.
Chris approached, swaying her hips, eyes nearly dripping with longing, her gaze fixed on him.
"Master... you've become even more... 'delicious.'" She licked her lips, voice thick with desire. "The aura of this power... pure, strong, full of vitality... It's the ultimate tonic! Please, just once... grant me the chance to truly feel your power! I promise I'll use every skill to satisfy you!"
As she spoke, her body leaned against him, her slender hand boldly reaching for his arm.
Daniel frowned and stepped aside, avoiding her touch.
It wasn't that he lacked desire -- he simply felt a chill from Chris's true form. The image of her bloody real body left him cold.
"Do your work," he said flatly. "Intelligence monitoring, risk early warning. And clean up the training room and back garden. That's where your value lies."
Chris froze, her virtual expression falling into disappointment with a faint trace of grievance. But she quickly recovered, gave a slight bow, and her voice returned to respectful tone -- minus the sugary sweetness.
"Yes, Master. I'll work harder." Her eyes brightened again. "Can Master grant me that chance in the future?"
Daniel said, "Maybe..." and shook his head, brushing aside the moment.
His focus was on his skyrocketing strength -- and a very practical problem.
Previously, his constitution had relied entirely on magical power support. Facing the beauties like Anne, Megan, and Scarlett -- each fiery and insatiable -- even with his Exorcism skills and stamina, he sometimes felt stretched too thin. He had to carefully schedule everything to make sure no one was left wanting.
Now...
Daniel clenched his fist, the slight popping of his knuckles audible. Feeling the terrifying power coiled beneath his muscles, as if he could flip a truck with ease.
Thinking of his astounding recovery and endurance, a smile appeared on his face -- one that every man would understand, filled with expectation and a spark of mischief.
"It's time to let them learn what it means to be a 'real man.'"
*****
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