Chapter 152: Monster Race's Nest
--- Chapter 152 ---
Two months have passed after Mercedes von Admante, the hateful sister of Theomars, came to visit the Black Pearl Castle. Unfortunately, she doesn't bring anyone with her.
After the one-month process, Huo Yuhao treated Mercy(Mercedes's nickname) a little better. He brought the once sadist woman with an extreme brother complex outside and assigned her as a maid.
The following month is bland as Huo Yuhao fought the monster race and did Dual Cultivation with Mercy. Her 9th Class Devil Warrior Cultivation is beneficial, considering the energy needed to break through is higher for him. And she gladly followed his order without any problem.
Currently, This is Mercy's Status.
[Name: Mercy(Mercedes von Admante)]
[Age: 24]
[Race: Impure Ink Devil(Superior)]
[Cultivation: 9th Class Devil Warrior(Mid)]
[Description: Huo Yuhao's Slave with several fetishes. A "Hardcore Masochist." and "Self-Depreciating Pet."]
On the battlefield, Huo Yuhao destroyed another wave of the monster race, and Mercy supported him from behind. After doing things with him continuously in the last month, Mercy's blood experienced qualitative changes.
She becomes slightly more powerful and fitter than before. However, this also changes her Devil Force. Her "Devil Force." is formerly called "Roar of Flame Ogre." which allowed her to wield fiery inner energy.
It went into a complete change and became the "Nursemaid of Ink's Steel.". An auxiliary ability to treat any wounds with her inner energy.
With it, Mercy also could enhance her physical strength and inflict a "curse-like wound." that starts to bleed continuously. It also works on bloodless creatures, but the harm done will be equal to a wound.
Huo Yuhao slashed through the monster race with his halberd and frowned because a thousand arrow-like projectiles were coming toward him.
"Crash." He charged the halberd with Eternal Shadow and waved at the sky, creating a shockwave that repelled the arrows.
BOOM!
Rhino Siluman appeared out of nowhere and struck him with significant momentum. Huo Yuhao groaned for a moment and slammed his hand on the monster's head.
BAM!
The Rhino Siluman's head is blown apart by Darkness Energy.
"The fuck... What was that?" Huo Yuhao was speechless because his Observation Haki couldn't sense this coming. His spatial awareness is high, but this rhino guy comes out of nowhere.
Teleportation?
No, Huo Yuhao should have sensed teleportation with his Eternal Shadow Domain. An absolute field where any beings will get noticed upon stepping on it.
"Master, Are you okay~?" Mercy approached Huo Yuhao and lifted his hand, licking it with care.
Huo Yuhao felt better and replied, "Yeah."
"I was caught off guard."
"Ah, no wonder..." Mercy looked down at the monster race's corpse and frowned suspiciously. "This Rhino Siluman is from a powerful clan amongst the monster race. They could hide from the enemy's spiritual sense and skip one mile in one step."
"It appeared to be teleportation at first glance, but you can counter them easily with Spiritual Disarray, changing the wavelength of your spiritual energy constantly."
"Lure them in, and finish them in one blow."
"Clan..." Huo Yuhao mumbled to himself. "How many clans do monster races have?"
Mercy tilted her head and answered, "We have recorded over 202.932 clans. They keep breeding like no tomorrow and create a new monster every winter."
"As long as you can identify their innate characteristics, the weakness should be pretty clear."
"After we finish this wave, I want you to share everything related to the monster race with me." Huo Yuhao fell into deep thought.
"Of course, through mental transfer."
"Okay~!" Mercy responded cheerfully. She was happy her knowledge would be helpful for her Master.
She might get a small reward.
The shadow army faced the 7th Class Monster Wave just fine and slaughtered everything before them. Huo Yuhao and Mercy went further to the enemy's line and clashed with several 8th Class Monsters.
Huo Yuhao doesn't have a hard time familiarizing himself with the monster race's characteristics. He recorded every enemy he encountered and stored them in his mind, creating a battle-proof plan to kill them quickly.
Some unknown enemies created trouble for him, but Evo's scan will help him out of a tight spot. It wasn't good because he wanted to be less reliant on the system.
Huo Yuhao realized many things in the last 14 months, having zero access to the upgrade function and everything he built. Even though the training was "strongly." ingrained in his mind, there was a limit on his path.
It is a moment when his White Room training comes to light.
"What'll you do when there is a missing piece in a puzzle?"
"And you can't replace this piece."
"Break the puzzle apart..." Huo Yuhao's halberd danced in the air.
"And rebuild everything from zero, assembling a new one."
"A new perfect one."
[Gathering of Ten Thousand Waves has reached level 3]
Huo Yuhao's halberd appeared in a phantom state, swirling with shadowy energy. Facing an enemy with strong inner and external defense, he created a ripple in the air and sent out a devastating attack.
"Tremor's Cleave."
SWOOSH! BOOM!
Mercy covered her eyes from dust and saw the sky and ground split in two by Huo Yuhao's attack. She was dumbfounded because Huo Yuhao hadn't reached the 9th Class Devil Warrior Realm.
He couldn't access Greater Inner Energy yet, but his attack could affect nature already. It is abnormal.
However, Mercy felt this was normal for some reason.
Why is she so shocked?
'What do I expect? Silly Mercy, Master is always the best~!' She nodded proudly.
Huo Yuhao doesn't stop there and suddenly throws his weapon at a small rock formation near Mercy.
'Eh?' Mercy felt a cold breeze on her neck.
BOOM!
She turned around and saw the rock formation turn into a dark-skinned orc. Her red eyes squinted in disgust.
"Ugly..." She commented honestly.
"Kuugh! Bastard, how did you feel my presence?!" The Orc screamed at Huo Yuhao. He stomped the ground and summoned a sturdy club made of rock.
Huo Yuhao smirked and replied, "Be smarter next time, Orc. This place was a freaking grassland before."
"Do you think hiding as a small rock formation makes sense?"
Huo Yuhao doesn't want to waste his time and rushes toward the dark-skinned Orc with Extreme Lightning Mirage, coating his halberd in Advanced Armament Haki.
This Orc provoked him first two months ago, but he never faced him personally. He only watches from afar.
Today is different. The Orc tried to ambush his slave.
'No one touches my thing.' Huo Yuhao appeared on the Orc's side and struck the monster's stomach.
BAM! CRACK!
"ARGGGHHH-!!"
"YOU KROMAN BASTARD!!!"
The Orc moved in time but lost half of his body. Death Energy is cutting his lifespan constantly. The monster tried to run away, but an arrow struck him on the forehead.
Iris watched the battlefield with cat-like purple eyes, waving her hand at Huo Yuhao because she was doing a good job.
Huo Yuhao waved back and questioned Mercy, "What about this monster? Is he from a clan?"
Mercy breathed out nervously and answered, "First, thank you."
"And second, no."
"This Orc is one of the unique cases I mentioned before. A newly bred monster."
"But... I have never seen one this strong. An 8th Class monster that could hide its presence from 9th Class Devil Warrior? Such an absurd monster grows to this stage in just one winter."
"This is a sign of dangerous calamity."
"No shit, sherlock. I literally warned the Crown Princess about this apocalypse." Huo Yuhao was annoyed.
"Huh?" Mercy reacted weirdly.
"Crown Princess? She disappeared 14 months ago, though."
"The monster wave started to attack the capital and turned everything into chaos. We survived because several 9th Class Devil Warriors lived there, but the Crown Princess never returned from her journey."
"..." Huo Yuhao.
Something is strange.
"Theomars... Bastard..." The dark-skinned Orc whispered before passing away.
"Kill..."
'Evo, Scan this Orc's body composition, NOW!' Huo Yuhao instructed his system.
[Name: None]
[Type: Monster Race(Siluman)]
[Grade: 8th Class(Mid)]
[Description: An Variant of Orc Siluman birthed by Kroman's womb, becoming stronger after rapid consumption of inner energy]
"Shit."
"Fucking Shit."
"No wonder they keep coming like an endless wave..." Huo Yuhao cursed while opening Evo's map. He viewed the landscape around the Black Pearl Castle and noticed the open sea on the north. There is also a blank spot on the east with several question marks.
"Mercy, what's the place on the east? The mountain there." He pointed at the mountain range 2000 miles away from the castle.
Mercy looked there and answered, "Uh... Hormes's Mountain? It's a hunting ground the Karuta Empire hasn't used in a while. There is nothing there."
"No, there is something there." Huo Yuhao scowled in disgust.
"That place is a monster race breeding center."
...
...
"Is this true..?" A solemn voice came from the communication device powered by the black crystal. The capital was shocked after listening to Mercy's report about Hormes's mountain.
Mercy glanced at Huo Yuhao and answered, "Yes. I had this weird suspicion for a month staying here, but to think the monster race will build a nest there."
"That's why I requested aid from the capital. One more 9th Class Warrior will be helpful here, and my 2nd younger sister will be a perfect candidate for it."
The person on the other side went silent for a moment and sternly questioned, "Mercedes von Admante, don't tell me..?"
"Don't tell me you want to add more merit for Admante Family? You're too much."
"Of course not," Mercy replied immediately. She wanted Master to enslave her sister too. "The nest is located in Hormes's Mountain, a hunting ground with several mountain ranges and caves. My sister's "Hymn of Thousand Wings." will be the most suitable ability for this mission."
"After all, wind energy could scan the area more efficiently."
"Fine. I'll relay the mission to the Admante Family." The capital receiver responded. "Clara von Admante will be there in 4-6 hours."
Closing the call, Mercy sighed in relief because acting like Mercedes made her feel sick. She jumped to Huo Yuhao and said, "Master, Am I a good girl?"
"I'm luring a new slave for you~!"
Huo Yuhao pinched Mercy's cheek and praised, "Yes, Mercy is a good girl."
"Hehe~!" Mercy shivered in joy.
Huo Yuhao actually sent his shadow warriors to Hormes's Mountain and discovered the nest one hour ago. He was correct about this place being a breeding place for a monster race. Even so, he couldn't find a trace of the Crown Princess and her followers.
He doesn't feel an emotional bond to the Crown Princess or this world because everything is just a replication/simulation of the millennium crude. However, he couldn't let the monster's nest grow continuously like this.
Burning that place down should have added a decent number to his Objective's meter.
[Objective: 19.890.931/100.000.000.001]
"My liege." Iris and Brunhilde returned from their area scouting.
Huo Yuhao told Mercy to be his chair and asked, "Do you find something else there?"
Iris opened her mouth first and reported, "I discovered over 300 caves connected in the Hormes's Mountain. There are around 30 million 5 to 7th Class monsters there."
"I couldn't go deeper because my presence will alert them."
Brunhilde followed and added, "I also discovered an independent realm inside the hunting ground. That place was "weirdly." protected with an ancient contraption."
"I can't check inside. Yet, I did see some 8th Class monsters guarding that area."
Huo Yuhao viewed Brunhilde's memory and saw an altar surrounded by 8th Class Monsters. "Hmm... They aren't guarding this place. They are waiting for something or maybe someone." He commented calmly.
"Anyway... Have a rest, Iris, Brunhilde." The shadow warriors nodded and returned to the Eternal Shadow Realm.
"Ahn~!"
Mercy let out a moan, feeling the heaviness of Huo Yuhao's body on her weight. It felt so good.
"I'll take a quick shower and nap. Stays here and greets Clara when she arrives." Huo Yuhao ordered while walking away.
Mercy grinned and replied, "Hai, Master~!"
Aftering cleaning his body, Huo Yuhao went to his bedroom and took a nap. He breathed in, sinking deeply into a dream world.
"Welcome." A familiar voice greeted him.
Huo Yuhao wanted to dream about his homeworld, but Titania always ruined it. Yes, every time he tried to sleep, the Ancient Ink Devil dragged him into her realm.
"Can you let me sleep peacefully?" Huo Yuhao glared at Titania.
Titania puffed her cheeks and complained, "Hmph! I'm giving you many pieces of advice, but what is your attitude to me? Forget about the clue. I won't tell you about the altar now!"
"I won't talk to you anymore..."
'What are you? Kindergarten kid?' Huo Yuhao rubbed his forehead.
"Tch, what do you want?"
Titania glanced and swayed her redhead away, refusing to talk.
Huo Yuhao let out a frustrated grunt and said, "Fine... I'm sorry. What do you want, Titania?"
"Artifact," Titania responded with a still-mad look. "There is an artifact inside that altar. It would help you refine the Ancient Ink Devil even further."
"You have one day left before the full moon."
Huo Yuhao pondered and asked, "What's the Artifact?"
"The name of the artifact is Fairy King's Canvas," Titania answered, concealing the truth from Huo Yuhao.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m