50: Chapter 50 Return
She swung her fist and slammed it into the Summoning Master's face.
The Summoning Master was knocked to the ground before he even had time to put down his teacup.
She pounced on him again, kicked him twice, then grabbed him by the collar and dragged him up, roaring at his face— "Why the hell didn't you say so earlier! That was a person inside! A living human! I fucking—" "Clang, crash, bang!!!"
The succubus grew tired of hitting him, tossed him aside, kicked his calf, then gathered up the bag of bone fragments and turned to walk toward the manor gate.
She walked to the gate but turned back, slammed the bag of bone fragments into his face, scattering bone shards and bone powder all over the floor, and then turned and strode away.
Her horns gleamed with a dark red light in the morning sun, and her tail lashed like a whip.
The succubus's figure disappeared outside the iron gate.
The Summoning Master lay on the ground, blood from his nose flowing down to his chin.
The stone floor was covered in bone fragments and bone powder, the teacup lay tipped over on the side, and tea soaked into the dark purple tablecloth.
He tilted his head back, raised a hand to touch the bridge of his nose, and hissed.
"...Is the succubus a body cultivator? That really hurt. Hiss..." "Oh oh oh... ya ya ya..."
A flash of white light passed.
Zhen Lu stood on the Main Star Plaza, with glowing white stone beneath his feet and a deep purple starry sky overhead.
The faint sweet scent in the air filled his lungs. He looked down at his hands; they were no longer gray-white bone claws, but five normal fingers with intact skin and clean nails.
He clenched his fist, his knuckles creaking, and the strength felt more solid than before.
He was back.
Xiao Guang floated out from behind his shoulder, the faint golden threads on its light body shining a bit brighter than three days ago.
"Welcome back. Summoning mission completed, rewards distributed: 5,000 Credits have been deposited into your account. An additional bonus of 53,000 Credits has arrived. Current balance: 145,500 Credits."
Zhen Lu nodded. Getting nearly sixty thousand for being played with like a pet for three days—that's real money.
But he was more concerned with another matter.
He opened his personal panel.
[ Player: Zhen Lu ] [ Strength: 14 ] [ Agility: 14 ] [ Constitution: 19 ] [ Mental Power: 9 ] [ Rank: E ] [ Skills: Master-level Constitution, Master-level Combat, Master-level Blade Technique, Master-level Marksmanship, Master-level Balance, Master-level Vehicle Repair, Pain Healing, Basic Holy Light (Enhanced Version), Mysterious Tendon Tungsten Bone, Basic Necromancer Combat, Basic Reconnaissance, Basic Force Application, Basic Coordination, Basic Riding, Basic Dodge, Basic Tracking, Basic Driving ] [ Effects: Iron Skin, Iron Bones, Split, Burst, Combo Slash, Wind Riding, Speed, Undead Body, Pain Regulation ]
The panel had changed.
Constitution jumped from 15 to 19, breaking through the E-rank threshold of 17 points, and his rank automatically rose from F to E.
The skill bar now had Mysterious Tendon Tungsten Bone and Basic Necromancer Combat, and the effect bar now had Undead Body.
Undead Body: No fatigue in skeleton form, and can replace stamina with Mental Power to continue fighting when fully charged.
He had already experienced this effect in skeleton form; he fought two tests against three hundred skeletons in a row and didn't even need to catch his breath afterward.
Now it had been brought back into his body.
He stood in place and felt it out.
His body felt heavier than before, but not the heaviness of fatigue; it was stability. It felt like something was flowing inside his bones.
The Mysterious Tendon Tungsten Bone effect increased the density of his skeleton by another notch, and with Iron Skin and Iron Bones layered on top, the defensive power of his skin and bones had reached a new level.
But having Undead Body and Holy Light coexist in one body—that was probably something only he could do.
A body that was both a healer and an undead warrior. He didn't understand these things, so he didn't think about it anymore and closed the panel.
Just as he was about to head to the rest area, he caught a glimpse of Sun Yi's avatar lighting up in his friends list.
He switched back to the surface world and sent Sun Yi a message.
"Come out for a drink."
"Sure. There's a nice drink shop. Go wait for me there, I'll be there soon."
Zhen Lu found the drink shop in the rest area on the edge of the plaza.
The shop wasn't large and was quite quiet. Several tables and chairs were set up under an open-air canopy, with vines emitting a faint light crawling over the roof, slowly brightening and dimming every few seconds, as if breathing.
He chose a corner seat, sat down, and ordered two cups of Radiance Honey Tea.
Sun Yi arrived not long after, looking the same as always: dark jacket, hair a bit messy.
He sat down opposite Zhen Lu, picked up the honey tea, took a sip, and frowned.
"This stuff is way too sweet."
"Where have you been hanging out lately?"
"I took a temporary mission and just got out." Zhen Lu also picked up his cup and took a sip. It was indeed very sweet.
"What kind of mission?"
"Got turned into a skeleton by a Necromancer and fought three battles."
Sun Yi's hand holding the cup paused at his mouth, and he glanced at him, as if judging whether he was joking, then he put down the cup and shook his head.
"Your methods are getting wilder and wilder."
The two remained silent for a while. The vines on the canopy lit up and then dimmed again.
"Brother Wei," Zhen Lu said, "is probably gone."
Sun Yi put down his cup, his expression sinking.
"What happened?"
"Something happened at the repair shop the morning before last. Local news said the resistance organization and the Guardians started fighting there, and the whole block was smashed. Brother Wei should have been working at that time. I haven't been able to reach him these past few days."
Sun Yi was silent for a long while, then picked up his cup and finished the remaining honey tea in one gulp. The bottom of the cup clicked against the table with a soft sound.
"That's how this world is."
"Yeah," Zhen Lu said.
They sat for a while longer, neither saying anything more.
Later, Sun Yi stood up, patted Zhen Lu on the shoulder, and left first.
Zhen Lu sat alone under the canopy, slowly finishing the cloyingly sweet honey tea.
"Log out."
A flash of white light passed.
He opened his eyes and saw the ceiling of his Central City apartment.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the dome projection was switching to "Night Mode." He turned over in bed, pulled the quilt up to his shoulders, and closed his eyes.
The next morning, Zhen Lu was awakened by the alarm on his communicator.
He grabbed the communicator, opened the message interface, found Bishop Lin's contact, and started typing.
The wording was respectful; after all, the other party was a Bishop.
"Good morning, Bishop Lin. Regarding the matter of peripheral membership in the church you mentioned, I have considered it and would like to join the church to register as a peripheral member. At the same time, I kindly request the church to vouch for me and recommend me to the Guardians organization to be registered as a support healer. If you agree, I can come to the church today to handle the formalities. May the Holy Light be with you."
After sending the message, he got up to wash up.
Splashing cold water on his face, he looked up at himself in the mirror.
Twenty-four years old, ordinary-looking, but his shoulders were broader than before, and his gaze was different too.
Nineteen points in Constitution; once an attribute exceeds 17 points, one has officially become an Esper.
But this would be his trump card and would not be easily exposed.
The communicator vibrated. Bishop Lin's reply was very short.
"Praise the Holy Light. Your choice is wise. Come directly to the church this morning, and I will handle the formalities for you."
Zhen Lu changed into a clean dark gray jacket and left the apartment.
The morning in Central City was much quieter than in the civilian district.
The streets were clean, Saint Grace Cathedral stood quietly in the morning light, the fountain in the plaza wasn't on yet, and water droplets on the sculptures reflected a pale golden light.
The side door of the church was open, and he entered by scanning his face. The guards had received orders and took him directly to the reception room.
Bishop Lin was waiting for him in the reception room, with two cups of hot tea on the table.
Seeing Zhen Lu enter, he stood up to shake hands, his smile still as gentle as ever.
"Sit down, drink some tea first." He pushed the teacup in front of Zhen Lu. "I've prepared all the paperwork. You fill out this peripheral registration form first, and then I'll contact the Guardians and have them send a liaison over."
He took a form out of the drawer—a paper one—with a watermark of the holy light cross printed on it.
The information needed on the form wasn't much: name, age, address, and awakening type.
Zhen Lu wrote "Holy Light Healing" in the awakening type column. Bishop Lin took a look and nodded.
After the form was filled out, he stamped it with the church's seal and pushed another guarantee letter in front of Zhen Lu.
"This is the letter of recommendation for the Guardians. My seal and signature are on it. You are not a frontline member, but a support healer; this point is written clearly on the letter. In the future, when the Guardians summon you, it will be limited to Healing missions; you will not participate in frontline combat."
Zhen Lu picked up the letter of recommendation and took a look.
The paper was thick. The letterhead read "Holy Light Empire Esper Management Bureau, Radiance City Branch Bureau." The body of the text contained his name, awakening type, and recommended registered position. At the end were Bishop Lin's handwritten signature and the red seal of Saint Grace Cathedral.
"Thank you, Bishop Lin."
"You're welcome." Bishop Lin picked up his teacup and took a sip. "I've already spoken to the Guardians beforehand, and they are very interested.
There aren't many registered healers in the entire Radiance City; someone like you is exactly what they are lacking.
Their liaison will be here in a moment to register you right here in the church."
He paused, then added: "After you are registered, your daily life won't be affected. Just keep your communicator open, and if there's an emergency summons, just respond in time. The frequency won't be high; you are rear support personnel, not frontline, so rest assured on that point."
Zhen Lu picked up his teacup and took a sip; the tea was still warm. He put down the cup and waited for the Guardians' liaison to arrive.