Chapter 245: Because You're an Idiot
[Butcher of the Demonized (Purple): Exerts an overwhelming deterrent effect against the maddened and Death Soldiers. When facing you, their overall stats decrease by 20%.]
"This title sounds absolutely terrible," Rovel muttered, his lips curling into a dissatisfied pout as he swiped away the system interface. "Can't it be changed to something cooler? Like... True Lord of Worldly Purification and Demon Extermination?"
Perhaps because the title True Lord of Worldly Purification and Demon Extermination wasn't as widely recognized by the system as Butcher of the Demonized, his request was flatly ignored. It was merely a title obtained after clearing a dungeon. For the current Rovel, this minor stat bonus was better than nothing, but hardly game-changing.
"Rovel, is something wrong?" Fu Hua blinked, her serene expression tilting into mild confusion at his sudden complaining.
"It's nothing. I'm just genuinely happy to see you the moment I wake up," Rovel offered a warm smile before shifting the topic. "By the way, did anything major happen during the half-month I was gone?"
Fu Hua fell silent, her brow furrowing slightly as she sifted through recent events. "Recently, there have been frequent attacks on residents by Death Soldiers in the Far East region," she explained, her tone turning grave. "also, most of these Death Soldiers possess their own consciousness, and many are actually transformed from Descenders. Do you have any leads on this?"
Rovel frowned, tapping his chin thoughtfully. If his memory served him right, back when he and Himeko were out on a mission, they had spotted a massive, well-organized group of Descenders marching toward Nagazora City. Their objective had been glaringly obvious: to willingly transform themselves into Death Soldiers to gain power. Now, they were actually brazen enough to parade through the streets and attack civilians.
"Maybe there's a problem on my world's side. I'll look into it later," Rovel guessed.
He hadn't logged back into the real world yet, leaving him blind to whatever chaos was unfolding outside the VRMMO. However, according to Fu Hua, Himeko had dragged Kiana and the others on three separate purge missions over the past two weeks. The harassment from these Descender-turned-Death Soldiers was relentless. Worse, because they retained their human intelligence and the cowardly ability to simply log off when cornered, Kiana's squad struggled to execute any large-scale sweeps. Every deployment only netted a handful of slow-footed stragglers.
After wrapping up his conversation with Fu Hua, Rovel took a leisurely stroll across the academy grounds, enjoying the crisp breeze before arriving at the dormitory shared by Mei, Kiana, and Bronya. He pushed the front door open, immediately greeted by the frantic clacking of plastic buttons.
On the living room sofa, Kiana was practically wrestling with her controller, leaning hard into every turn on the screen while gesticulating wildly. Beside her, Bronya sat perfectly still, a picture of absolute composure. The petite girl didn't even look at her controller, effortlessly executing combos while occasionally reaching out to sip her drink or pop a small snack into her mouth.
"Damn it, I lost again!" Kiana wailed, dropping her controller and clutching her head in total despair.
"Bronya: 177 wins, 0 losses. Idiot Kiana: 0 wins, 177 losses," Bronya announced flatly, setting her controller on the coffee table to declare the final results of their battle.
"Ah... I've heard that exact sentence one hundred and seventy-seven times already! Stop saying it!" Kiana groaned, her fighting spirit evaporating as she slumped against the sofa cushions like a dried salted fish.
Rovel silently crept up behind the sofa and leaned over, suddenly bursting into her inverted field of vision. "Hi~"
"Ah!" Kiana shrieked, her survival instincts kicking in as she launched herself upward in fright.
Unsurprisingly, their foreheads collided with a loud, hollow thud. A second later, both of them were crouched over, clutching their heads in pain.
"Is this how you greet me after not seeing me for so long?" Rovel grumbled, vigorously rubbing his reddening forehead. "Jumping up like a startled cat... anyone would think you just saw a ghost."
"It's because you suddenly popped out of nowhere and scared me to death!" Kiana shot back, rubbing her own bruised forehead with a pout.
"Rovel, welcome back," Bronya chimed in, her voice as smooth and unbothered as ever.
"Long time no see, Bronya." Rovel nodded toward her, finally straightening up. He glanced around the spacious living room, noticing the distinct lack of a certain cooking aroma. "Are Mei and Himeko not here?"
"Mei went to the training grounds," Bronya explained, opening another bag of chips. "She said she needs to properly develop the Authority of the Herrscher of Thunder so she won't slow you down anymore. Teacher Himeko is accompanying her to supervise."
"I see." Rovel smiled softly at Mei's dedication before turning a critical eye toward the white-haired girl still rubbing her head. "What about Kiana? Slacking off again? It hasn't even been a month since you officially became a B-rank Valkyrie. Your passion is fading a bit too quickly, don't you think?"
Rovel could see Kiana's stats hovering above her head; they were virtually identical to when he had left half a month ago. She hadn't improved at all.
"I'm not slacking off! I'm just... taking a strategic rest," Kiana argued, her eyes darting around before landing on her gaming partner. "Why are you only picking on me? What about Bronya? Bronya plays video games with me every single day!"
"Bronya does not require physical exercise," Bronya replied indifferently, instantly distancing herself from the sinking ship. ", Bronya performs intensive mental energy training every night while you sleep."
"Uh..." Kiana froze, her jaw dropping slightly. Was she really the only one slacking off in the entire dorm? Desperate to change the subject, she pointed an accusing finger at Rovel. "What about you? You vanished without a trace for half a month! What have you been doing?"
"I've been through a few things," Rovel said, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "Honestly, I could probably easily kill the version of myself from half a month ago with one hand."
It wasn't an exaggeration. His base stats had all broken past the 3000 mark, and he had successfully acquired two lethal, high-tier techniques: Taixu Sword Qi and the Liangyi Immortal Art. On top of that, he had just secured the Authorities of Space and Gravity. With a bit more practical application, his combat power would skyrocket even further.
"By the way, Wendy is also working incredibly hard to master the Authority of Wind," Bronya added, delivering another ruthless mental blow to Kiana's fragile ego.
"See? So, Kiana, you can't keep being so decadent." Rovel stepped closer, a mischievous glint in his eye. Before she could react, he reached out, lifted the hem of her casual shirt, and lightly slapped her exposed stomach. "Look... you're even developing a little belly!"
"Ah!!!" Kiana shrieked, her face flushing crimson.
Slap!
A sharp sound echoed through the living room.
Moments later, Rovel sat on the opposite sofa, a perfectly shaped red handprint glowing on his cheek. Despite the stinging pain, he maintained an incredibly serious expression. "Now, I am going to teach you a supreme secret technique called Taixu Sword Qi."
Given the bright red handprint on his face, the grand declaration lost a significant amount of its majesty, making the entire scene look utterly comical.
"Taixu Sword Qi? That sounds really powerful!" Kiana's eyes sparkled, her previous embarrassment instantly forgotten at the mention of a cool move. "Is it a martial art you created yourself?"
"I'm not quite that amazing," Rovel admitted with a dry chuckle. "But you actually know the person who created this martial art. I'll tell you the details later."
"I know them?" Kiana's blue eyes widened in surprise.
"Anyway, back to the main point. Taixu Sword Qi is divided into Five Accumulations, but I am only going to teach you two of them for now. The first is Heart Essence, and the second is God Accumulation."
"I know, I know," Kiana sighed, waving her hand dismissively like a true salted fish. "It's definitely because I'm an idiot, so I can't understand the harder ones, right? You're just giving me the beginner stuff."
"Although your lack of brain cells is indeed part of the reason," Rovel teased, dodging a glare from the girl, "Heart Essence and God Accumulation are actually the two most difficult stages to master."
"Really?" Kiana blinked, genuinely surprised. She had fully expected Rovel to hand her the easiest route.
"Heart Essence can help you perfectly control the volatile Honkai Energy inside your body, and God Accumulation allows you to physically shape and extend that Honkai Energy into weaponry. Both will be of immense use to you in real combat." Rovel leaned forward, his tone turning earnest. "If it's the current you, you might actually be able to cultivate the Sword Heart. You should know that even I haven't successfully cultivated this specific stage yet."
Rovel wasn't just flattering her. The Sword Heart required an incredibly pure, unburdened state of mind. Kiana was still a minor, straightforward, and possessed a remarkably pure mindset, giving her a very high chance of success.
"Could it be..." Kiana puffed out her chest, her heart swelling with anticipation and pride. "Because I'm actually a genius?"
Rovel stared at her deadpan. "No, quite the opposite. It's because you're an idiot."
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