156: Chapter 157 The Negative Effects of Being Unserious

Lin Muyang suddenly understood. He had always felt the process of Elena creating "tears of the angel" was unscientific. Every time, she needed to shed tears with genuine emotion, yet after a huge cry, she could only condense one or two "tears of the angel" that contained special holy light energy to improve talents. Most tears were just ordinary, with no special effects. He had secretly complained that this setting was too inhumane, or rather, too dependent on "luck".

Now the truth was clear. "tears of the angel" was essentially the product of a powerful skill, and this skill had an internal cooldown! It was this hidden cooldown that strictly limited its production frequency.

Previously, Elena could occasionally produce two, which was likely due to the partial effect of his passive [Infinite Firepower] Aura that reduced skill cooldowns. Otherwise, logically, such heaven-defying items that could directly improve talent quality would have extremely harsh production restrictions; producing one a day or even a week would be considered efficient.

"Skill cooldown... and a hidden one at that, no wonder there was never a record of producing two at once." Lin Muyang nodded to himself. Without his Aura's support, Elena's utility would indeed be significantly limited. But now, the Demigod Level [God's Servant's Blessing] talent directly erased all cooldowns for the "tears of the angel" skill, which was undoubtedly a strategic qualitative leap!

This meant that as long as Elena's holy light power could keep up, she could theoretically produce "tears of the angel" infinitely! This was simply opening an assembly line for talent improvement! In time, the talents of all the young ladies under his command could steadily advance toward Demigod Level, and perhaps... there was even a possibility of reaching higher levels in the future. The overall strength of the entire team would usher in an explosive growth period.

"Master~! I feel... I feel different!" Elena herself felt the earth-shaking change. Excitement and disbelief flashed in her deep blue eyes, and her voice trembled slightly with excitement. "Before, using this ability felt like trying to pry open a heavy gate; every success was accompanied by huge mental consumption and a sense of restriction. But now, that stagnation has completely disappeared! It feels as natural as turning on a faucet! I feel that as long as I want to, I can continuously create "tears of the angel" until my magic power is exhausted! And, the amount I can condense each time seems to have increased too!"

She had originally felt guilty about her limited role in the team. After all, combat was not her strength, and regarding support, although the team buff effect of [Maids Light] was extremely powerful, it was a passive Aura and didn't require her to do anything extra. The production of "tears of the angel" was so slow and unstable that she always felt she hadn't done enough for Lin Muyang.

Now, this biggest shortcoming had been instantly reinforced and even turned into an unimaginable advantage. The joy of being needed and having her value greatly increased made her pretty face flush with a charming blush from excitement.

"Well, it's good that you feel it. But we still need to verify the actual effect." Lin Muyang smiled gently, then waved at Gui Wanwan, who was standing quietly to the side. "Xiao Wan, come here, I'll have to trouble you again."

"Yes, Master." Gui Wanwan drifted over lightly, her pale face expressionless, but her eyes were soft. She understood what Lin Muyang wanted to do.

With a thought, Lin Muyang retrieved 200 stored boss soul energy orbs from his storage space. These soul light clusters appeared in various colors, exuding fierce, cold, or violent Auras, but they were all bound in specific containers. Yama transformation, especially modifying a Demigod Level talent of the same level, consumed far more resources than before.

"The usual, sorry to trouble you, Xiao Wan." Lin Muyang guided the energy of these 200 boss soul energy orbs into a pure and vast torrent of soul energy, injecting it into Gui Wanwan's body as fuel for her to activate "Yamas Fate Alteration".

Gui Wanwan nodded, closed her eyes, and formed an ancient and mysterious seal with her hands in front of her chest. In an instant, a grim and grand Aura permeated from her petite body. Behind her, a towering, ancient city gate phantom vaguely appeared, its doors tightly closed, exuding the majesty of judgment and reincarnation. A deep purple light lit up on her slender fingertips, and she gently tapped Elena's forehead.

Elena did not dodge; instead, she relaxed her body and mind, accepting it openly. She knew this would be another rebirth-like improvement.

The deep purple light merged into Elena's smooth forehead, and holy white light once again bloomed around her. But this time, the white light was faintly mixed with an indescribable purple Aura that seemed to come from the Nine Netherworlds. The two did not conflict but strangely merged, forming a deeper and more powerful energy fluctuation. This process lasted for about a minute. Gui Wanwan's face turned slightly pale; clearly, driving 200 boss soul energy orbs for a high-intensity "Yamas Fate Alteration" was also a significant burden for her.

Finally, the light converged, and all anomalies disappeared.

Elena slowly opened her eyes. For a fleeting moment, holy light and dark shadows seemed to circulate in her pupils before they returned to clear deep blue. She immediately sensed the specific changes in her talent and conveyed the brand-new information to Lin Muyang through the soul link.

【Talent: Gods Chosen One (Demigod Level · Yamas Fate Alteration)】

【Effect 1】: When you are in a team state, all teammates gain 880% increase in all attributes and 450% increase in all skill effects (including but not limited to damage, healing, shields, control duration, buff effects, skill range, etc.).

【Effect 2】: All skills you cast have their cooldowns reduced to zero (including the "tears of the angel" production skill).

【Effect 3 (Yamas Fate Alteration New Addition)】: When you create "tears of the angel", there is a 45% chance to produce double the quantity.

【Negative Effect (Marked in Red)】: All types of "damage" effects caused by your Master to you are increased by 33%.

【Current maximum number of effective teammates: 12】

【Remark: The servant who serves the Supreme Master has touched the strings of fate with their blessing, but fortune and misfortune depend on each other; to bear more is also destiny.】

"Hiss—" Even though Lin Muyang was knowledgeable, he was shocked by the effects after this modification. The basic buff surged from 400%/200% to 880%/450%. This increase was terrifying! It was almost more than double the original Demigod Level foundation! That wasn't all; it even added a "45% chance for double production" special effect! This meant that Elena's efficiency in creating "tears of the angel" could theoretically reach 3 times what it was before! This was simply a "tears of the angel" money printer!

But... what the hell was that negative effect?

"Damage caused by Master to you increased by 33%?" Lin Muyang's eye twitched slightly, and he subconsciously looked at Elena. Damage? What kind of damage could he cause to Elena? Physical attack? Magic attack? Obviously impossible. Then, what did this damage refer to... His gaze swept over Elena's beautiful face, which had instantly turned red and was almost dripping blood, and her delicate body, which was trembling shyly and didn't dare to meet his eyes, and he suddenly understood.

What the hell, it was that kind of damage! Yamas Fate Alteration, you are becoming more and more improper! It was fine when you gave his own Aura a bunch of improper negative effects, but now you're doing this when modifying Elena's talent?

"Xiao Wan," Lin Muyang looked helplessly at the Yama Maiden beside him who looked innocent, as if it had nothing to do with her, and patted her shoulder. "I used to think that only my Aura would become improper after passing through your hands. Now it seems I blamed them wrongly. Your "Yamas Fate Alteration" is the true "source of impropriety", right?"

Gui Wanwan heard this, and a rare, almost imperceptible expression similar to "helplessness" appeared on her pale little face. She sighed and said in her ethereal, drifting voice: "Master, this can't be blamed on Xiao Wan. Fate guides, and cause and effect reveal themselves. The modification effect maps the inner heart and bonds... This is called "near vermilion, one gets stained red; near ink, one gets stained black"; if the upper beam is not straight, the lower ones will be crooked."

Lin Muyang: "..." I have nothing to say.

However, just at this moment, the Succubus Maiden Elabess, who had been watching the show quietly, lit up. She twisted her slender waist and leaned over, with undisguised excitement and anticipation on her beautiful face, and even licked her red lips with her pink little tongue: "Oh my~ this negative effect... sounds like it's pretty great! Xiao Wanwan, good sister, when you help elder sister modify it later, think of a way to brush a similar negative effect out too? Preferably... um, increase the damage amplification a bit more? Or make the duration longer? Elder sister, I am really looking forward to being "severely damaged" by Master~!"

As she said this, she deliberately winked at Lin Muyang. Her naturally seductive and charming appearance made even Lin Muyang feel a bit overwhelmed.

"Sister Elabess! You, what nonsense are you talking about!" Elena was already shy to the extreme, and upon hearing this, she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. She blushed, stomped her feet in shame and anxiety, and her voice was as thin as a mosquito: "Th-this kind of negative effect, what's so good about it... How about, how about I give this effect to you, Sister Elabess!"

"Really? Elena, you are so kind! Then it's a deal!" Elabess immediately climbed up the pole, pretending to hug Elena, but was dodged by the latter who was blushing.

Watching the young ladies openly discuss which negative effect was better, and even starting to "transfer" them, Lin Muyang couldn't help but cover his forehead. These girls were becoming more and more lawless. However, the atmosphere was much more relaxed and lively because of this.

And all of this was seen by Chiba Ruri, who was standing quietly at the door, her body still stiff but her mind extremely clear. She heard it all in a daze. She could barely understand and feel shocked by the first half regarding the talent improvement and specific effects, but the discussion about "damage" later left her confused.

Damage amplification? Damage from Master to Elena? Looking at their expressions, it didn't seem to refer to combat damage... Then what damage was it? And looking at the golden-haired angel who was ashamed and angry, while the Succubus Maiden was excited... Although Chiba Ruri was inexperienced in personnel matters, she was not ignorant. Associating it with some obscure content that might be involved in Japan culture, her cheeks couldn't help but heat up slightly. This Lin Muyang and his summon girls, their relationship seemed... very unusual? And the topics they discussed were also quite open?

However, before her thoughts could drift far, an even stronger shock swept through her perception like a tsunami!

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

At the very instant Elena's talent completed 'Yamas Fate Alteration', Chiba Ruri clearly felt an indescribable, majestic, and vast power ripple outward with Elena as the center. It instantly enveloped the entire living room, naturally covering everyone present, including Lin Muyang and herself!

Immediately after, she discovered with horror that the Auras of everyone before her—Lin Muyang and all the other young ladies except for that short-haired Yama Maiden, Gui Wanwan—shot upward by a huge margin at almost the same time, like a rising rocket!

That wasn't a quantitative change brought about by a level increase, but a qualitative leap in the essence of life and the source of power! Although this surging Aura was quickly restrained and calmed by their own powerful control, that momentary explosion was like a blazing sun ignited in the darkness, so dazzling that it could not be ignored!

What alarmed Chiba Ruri even more was that she saw with her own eyes that at the moment the Aura surged, whether it was Lin Muyang or those young ladies, their movements showed an extremely brief, almost imperceptible, uncoordinated stagnation or slight imbalance!

For example, Lin Muyang's gesture of touching his forehead paused for a moment, the Succubus Maiden Elabess's waist-twisting motion was half a degree wider, the Angel Maiden Elena's body swayed when she stomped her foot, the Elf Princess Lilia's finger slipped while turning a page, and the flame at the tip of the Phoenix Heavenly Maiden Feng Ling's finger 'popped' and flared...

Although they all adjusted instantly with amazing adaptability, so fast it seemed like an illusion, Chiba Ruri was absolutely certain it wasn't! That was an extremely brief period of loss of control caused by the body and soul being unable to perfectly coordinate and manage the sudden, massive increase in all attributes like Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Spirit! She had experienced this phenomenon herself during level jumps or when taking certain rare potions that temporarily boosted attributes significantly, but it was nowhere near as 'slight' and 'brief' as what these people were showing!

“Their... their attributes just surged by a huge margin in that single instant?!” Chiba Ruri's heart beat so fast it almost burst from her chest, and blood rushed through her ears with a roar. Just how terrifying must this Attribute Amplification be to cause this group of people, who were already absurdly strong, to experience even a momentary lack of adaptation?

Recalling Lin Muyang's previous words and the change in Elena's talent, the answer was obvious—it was that Angel Maiden! After her talent was upgraded and underwent some kind of 'reconstruction,' its team buff effect had received an unimaginably terrifying enhancement! This was what led to the collective leap in everyone's attributes!

“Did they really... just raise that angel's talent to Demigod Level? And the effect after reconstruction is this heaven-defying?” Chiba Ruri felt the worldview she had built over twenty years being completely crushed at this moment, then reshaped, then crushed again... over and over. Upgrading a talent was already a fantasy in her mind. Yet the effect after the upgrade could actually be so terrifying that it caused such a qualitative change in the entire team? This had completely exceeded her understanding of 'power' and 'talents'!

“No wonder... no wonder even that mysterious 'Gods Chosen One,' who can sense the birth of sub-god level talents, didn't sense his existence when he changed classes...” A thought that made her soul tremble struck her mind like lightning. “That's because... his talent isn't sub-god level at all! It's very likely... a true God-rank! Or even a level beyond God-rank, something incomprehensible and undetectable! That's why the 'Gods Chosen One' didn't find him! He was only noticed when he took the initiative to reveal his strength, showing potential and methods far beyond the sub-god level!”

“Only this can explain why he possesses such eerie and terrifying control abilities! Why every one of his summons is powerful beyond reason! Why he can upgrade others' talents at will! Why... I don't have even the slightest bit of resistance before him!”

“This is... a true 'God'!!”

Chiba Ruri's heart was screaming wildly. A sense of awe and a worship of the absolute strong, deeply branded into her bloodline by Japan's culture, surged forth uncontrollably like a volcanic eruption! Compared to the abyssal, immeasurable power shown by this youth before her, her proud sub-god level talent 'Spatial Leap' was as laughable as a child's toy! And the 'Gods Chosen One' she served, who hid his head and showed his tail while only talking about 'Oracles' and 'missions,' seemed more like a posturing clown!

She wanted to prostrate herself immediately, to worship this true 'God' walking among mortals and offer all her loyalty and faith! She wanted to beg for his forgiveness, to pray for his mercy, even if only as the lowliest servant, just to stay by his side and feel this supreme power!

However, she couldn't do it.

An invisible, absolute force bound her. It wasn't that Lin Muyang was deliberately suppressing her, but among the many instructions issued under the previous [Absolute Command] Aura, one was crystal clear: 'Without my permission, you are not to make any extra movements outside the scope of my orders.'

She wanted to kneel? Not allowed. She wanted to speak to express her submission? Not allowed. She even wanted to adjust her breathing rate, which was trembling slightly from excitement? As long as that action wasn't covered by the previous orders, it was also not allowed! Unless Lin Muyang spoke to give a new, specific instruction, she was temporarily deprived of even the right to breathe autonomously, forced to maintain only the most basic life signs and a standing posture.

This was the absolute nature and horror of [Absolute Command]. It wasn't a simple mental control that turned you into a puppet, but rather, it forcibly implanted a set of 'behavioral logic locks' deep in your consciousness, with the commander's will as the highest criterion. Before unlocking or receiving new instructions, your original will would be suppressed and overwritten by this set of logic locks. Any 'crossing of boundaries' would trigger intense conflict and pain at the soul level, making it impossible for you to execute the action.

Because enough detailed instructions had been set in advance, Chiba Ruri could stand here now instead of suffocating because she couldn't breathe or collapsing because she couldn't maintain her stance. But that was it. She was like a robot set with a precise program, only able to move within the range of preset instructions.

This made the surging impulse in her heart to express submission and worship like a wild beast locked in a cage, crashing around frantically but unable to find a way out. Instead, it made her even more pained, more desperate for the 'Master's' gaze and 'permission'.

Lin Muyang naturally noticed Chiba Ruri's violently fluctuating emotions and her gaze, which was hot enough to almost set his back on fire. He understood perfectly; this was exactly the effect brought about by [Absolute Command] coupled with the 'miraculous' power he displayed—destroying her original faith under the gap of absolute power and irresistible control, and then implanting a new awe and worship centered on himself. For a 'chunibyo' girl like Chiba Ruri, who already worshipped power and had been brainwashed with similar concepts by the 'Oracle' organization, this combination of strikes was exceptionally effective.

Bringing her into the villa was naturally based on Lin Muyang's considerations. This 'Oracle' organization, and the mysterious 'Gods Chosen One' behind it, had already piqued his interest. A being capable of sensing and locating sub-god level talent awakeners globally possessed an ability that was inherently valuable.

And the other two members with sub-god level talents—'Eagle' and 'Dragon'—were also worth noting. If he could take this power for his own use, it would naturally be a good thing. If not, or if they harbored ulterior motives... a cold light flashed in Lin Muyang's eyes. He wouldn't mind making these potential threats silently 'disappear' from this world. He had the ability, and he had the decisiveness.

But the prerequisite was finding them first, especially that 'Gods Chosen One' who had never shown his face. Just because Chiba Ruri didn't know didn't mean the other two didn't. Perhaps a breakthrough could be made through them.

Thinking of this, Lin Muyang turned around, his gaze calmly looking at the Japan maiden at the door whose body was stiff but whose eyes were burning with intensity, and spoke: “Chiba Ruri.”

Hearing her Master call her name, Chiba Ruri's spirit jolted. Although her body could not make any more reactions, the fervor in her eyes almost turned into substance.

“Contact the 'Gods Chosen One'.” Lin Muyang's tone was flat but carried an unquestionable weight. “Tell him I can consider joining your organization. However, I never cooperate with people who hide their heads and tails, not even daring to show their true faces. If he wants to talk, have 'him' come see me in person. The location will be decided by him, but it must be within the borders of Xia Country and cannot be a sensitive area. The time should be as soon as possible. Relay my words exactly, without missing a single character.”

This was a test, and also a provocation. He wanted to see just how much this 'Gods Chosen One' valued him and whether he dared to reveal his true face. At the same time, limiting the meeting place to within Xia Country would also maximize his own safety by leveraging the home-field advantage.

“Yes! Master!” Chiba Ruri responded in her heart almost impatiently. She immediately felt that for the action of 'using a communication tool to contact a specific target and relay specific information,' the previously issued instructions gave 'permission.' With trembling hands, she took out that specially encrypted folding-screen phone from her close-fitting storage equipment. The phone model was very new, but there were no brand logos on the surface, only a cold metallic texture.

She skillfully unlocked it, clicked on an application disguised as an ordinary calculator, entered a long string of complex passwords, and entered an interface with a pure black background and only a simple input box. She took a deep breath, calmed her still-excited mood, and began to type the message word by word according to Lin Muyang's request. Her fingers trembled slightly from excitement, but the content she entered was clear and accurate.

The message was sent, and the interface displayed 'Delivered.' She looked up at Lin Muyang with a complex gaze mixed with awe, longing, and a hint of grievance. Using all her strength, she finally managed to force a choked and pleading voice from her throat, which was now permitted to speak:

“Master... please... please release some of the restraints... I, I'm like this now... it's too uncomfortable...”

She wanted to kneel, to prostrate, to express her submission and plea in the humblest posture, to obtain even a little 'freedom' to vent the emotions that were almost overflowing from her heart. But those actions were not on the allowed list. This sense of conflict—of a soul imprisoned by shackles while emotions surged like a tide—almost made her break down. She felt like a tool that had been carefully placed but was longing to be used by its master, filled with powerlessness and anticipation.