Chapter 1359: 117. Shameless

Jerome's methods were indeed brilliant.

For example, with the way he was playing dead right now, Muen actually couldn't see even the slightest flaw.

If this had been the innocent and pure Muen from the past, before he had been tormented by all kinds of Evil Gods and all kinds of villains, he would already have fallen for it by now.

But unfortunately, his abundant experience had already made Muen completely immune to such naive little tricks.

"Sir Jerome, I've already seen through your scheme. Get up. Since we agreed to fight fairly, why bother pretending to be dead like this?"

Muen shouted toward the crater once again, but the main focus of his attention was already completely elsewhere.

According to his prediction, Jerome's next attack would definitely emerge from some unimaginably tricky angle.

It was even possible that this half-dead "Jerome" had been fabricated by some method of his, all for the sake of completely deceiving Muen! Distracting him!

A trap within a trap! Scheming old bastards loved using moves like this!

"Sir Jerome!" Muen raised his voice.

"..."

Still no response.

Hm?

The more silent it was over there, the more Muen raised his guard. Under the extreme tension of his mind, cold sweat gradually began seeping from his forehead.

Where...

Just where...

Where exactly would Master Jerome's hidden move come from?

Such patience. Even after things had reached this point, there was still not the slightest wavering. His next attack definitely wouldn't be simple.

It might even... be a killing move capable of directly threatening him!

The moment this thought appeared, even Muen himself shuddered. His back immediately grew hot as he prepared to activate the alchemical core, or even the Divine Kingdom.

Jerome, just what exactly are you...

"What are you doing?"

The puzzled voice startled Muen out of his tense state. He turned his head and saw that Ariel had somehow arrived beside him.

He had been so wary of Jerome that he hadn't even noticed this.

Of course, that was also because there was simply no possibility of him being on guard against Ariel.

"Can't you tell? I'm being cautious." After his attention was briefly drawn away, Muen hurriedly focused himself again.

"Cautious about what?"

"Jerome, obviously... Shoo, shoo, go play somewhere else. Our battle still isn't over. For the future of the Enhancement School, I absolutely can't screw this up."

"Cautious about Jerome?"

Ariel's expression became strange. "But hasn't he already lost?"

"Lost? That's just an illusion. I've encountered far too many scheming old bastards. How could an experienced old monster like this be defeated so easily? If I'm not careful, who knows what serious consequences might happen again."

Countless memories surfaced in Muen's mind. He let out a soft sigh, and a trace of complexity and painful experience appeared in his eyes.

"Is that so?"

Ariel gave Muen a deep look, then turned her head as profound colors spread through her eyes.

"But from what I can see, he doesn't just look defeated. He looks like he's almost about to kick the bucket."

Within her field of vision, Jerome, lying there like a dead dog... really was almost dead as a dog.

"Hm?"

Muen froze when he heard this.

He blinked, looked at Jerome, then looked at Ariel.

His mouth opened slightly, and the words of rebuttal reached the tip of his tongue. But after seeing that profound color in her eyes, he silently swallowed them back down.

"He's really been completely defeated already?"

"Hm?"

"No hidden move?"

"No."

"No ambush?"

"None either."

"The one in front of us is real?"

"One hundred percent genuine... By the way, don't you have a method for seeing through illusions too? Why don't you look for yourself?"

"Well, you know... I said I'd only use 'Enhancement Magic.' I'm actually a pretty trustworthy person when it comes to keeping my word."

Muen smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

Then, his smile faded.

He turned around again and looked at Jerome inside the crater. Suppressing the idea of first finding one of Jerome's students to go ahead and test the way, he finally stepped forward himself and cautiously walked toward him.

Very soon, he arrived beside Jerome.

Muen still did not hurry to approach. Instead, he used the magic staff in his hand... and poked him once, then poked him twice.

Only after completely confirming it—

"I really won?"

Muen murmured in disbelief. "With just one move?"

That wasn't right.

Against this kind of famous, experienced, and powerful opponent... when had things ever been this easy for him?

Even those normal opponents he had faced in the past had at least exchanged a few moves with him.

Was this guy really not going to suddenly "come back to life" and hit him with something vicious?

"Obviously."

The corner of Ariel's mouth twitched beside him. "You're fucking using the body of a Crowned One against a mage who's still one step away from the Truth Rank. If you couldn't knock him down in one move, that would be the weird part!"

"...""

Muen stared blankly.

He thought about it.

It seemed... that really was the case.

Without him realizing it, his actual strength had already reached a realm ordinary people could hardly touch.

There were already very few people at the same rank who could fight him, let alone something like this... reverse level-crossing where he was the higher-ranked one.

In truth, even if Jerome really had some hidden move, there was a high probability it wouldn't pose any threat to him.

At some unknown point, he too had begun to possess a bit of that "heaven-defying protagonist" bearing.

"Sorry. My strength has increased a little too much recently. It seems I still haven't completely adjusted to it." Muen awkwardly scratched his head.

But immediately afterward, his body trembled, and an unprecedented feeling of comfort surged through his entire body like an electric current.

Wait.

No danger.

No counterattack.

No conspiracy or schemes.

No sudden reversal.

There was only absolute crushing superiority, only the loneliness of being... invincible.

"Could this... be what it feels like to play in a low-level match?"

For some inexplicable reason, Muen actually felt the urge to burst into tears.

Heavens have mercy. As a yellow-haired villain rejected by fate, when along this entire journey had he ever fought such an easy battle?

Especially after consecutively going through the two hell-level dungeons of the Royal Capital and the Shattered Sea, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to crush weaklings.

He only remembered how he himself had been crushed like one.

Once upon a time, that single finger of the Witch of Repentance had constantly reappeared in his dreams.

And now, he too had become this kind of evil dragon.

This feeling was really... amazing!

"Um, shouldn't this guy first—"

"Wait."

Muen put away his magic staff. One hand pressed lightly downward, while the other rested behind his back. At the same time, he slightly raised his chin and looked up at the sky at a thirty-degree angle.

"When we're outside, address me by my title. Call me Master Enmu."

"...""

The corner of Ariel's mouth twitched.

This guy was getting smug again.

"Then, respected Master Enmu, shouldn't this guy receive some treatment first?"

Ariel squeezed out a sweet smile. "He looks like he's going to kick the bucket if we don't treat him soon."

"Treat him!"

The wind stirred the mage's robe. Muen's face was cold and stern, weathered and majestic:

"Use the best magic to treat him. Don't let outsiders think our Enhancement School can't afford medical care!"

"...""

Ariel ground her little canine teeth together and casually slapped a healing spell onto Jerome's face.

What best magic? Her best magic was all meant for beating people up!

After seeing Jerome's condition stabilize slightly, Ariel grabbed him by the foot and prepared to reunite him with his students... teacher and disciples throwing themselves forward one after another and heading together toward the demon's den. In the future Origin Tower, this would surely become a beautiful story passed down through the ages.

As for Muen... she would let him be smug for a little while first.

"Poor child. He's this happy just from bullying a weakling a little. I really don't know... hm?"

Halfway through walking away, Ariel suddenly sensed something, and her movements froze...

...

"All right. Now that Jerome has been defeated, there shouldn't be any obstacles left to the prosperity of my Enhancement School, right?"

Happy though he was, Muen had not forgotten the greatest purpose of coming here today.

But feeling the surrounding gazes, some reverent and some shocked, Muen already knew that matters like recruiting students or demonstrating their value were now only minor issues.

He had defeated Jerome in a single move. Could there still be anyone who dared deny the strength of Master Enmu? Who dared deny the strength of the Enhancement School?

In the near future, students wanting to join his Enhancement School would undoubtedly come one after another without end...

"You are Master Enmu, correct?" someone spoke, interrupting Muen's vision of the future.

"That's right. I am Enmu."

He continued looking up at the sky at a thirty-degree angle... unlike the forty-five-degree angle used to express melancholy, this angle was the best for acting impressive.

"I see... then it appears I haven't mistaken you for someone else."

That person smiled and spoke in an amiable tone:

"In that case, Master Enmu, please come with me."

"Hm?^"

Muen finally realized something. His eyes narrowed as he looked toward the person who had somehow appeared in front of him.

Another old man.

He looked smiling and completely harmless. Unlike Jerome's deliberately feigned gentleness from before, this elderly man gave off a naturally peaceful feeling just by standing there.

But Muen immediately became vigilant.

Because he hadn't sensed at all when this guy had approached him!

This guy wasn't Ariel. He didn't have immunity from Muen's vigilance!

"Don't be nervous. I'm only asking you to come with me and cooperate with an investigation. I won't do anything to you." Sensing Muen's hostility, the old man hurriedly waved his hands.

"Why should I go with you?" Muen frowned.

"It's very simple."

The old man pointed toward Ariel. "Because you are suspected of assaulting a magic master of the Origin Tower."

"...Huh?"

Muen froze.

What the hell?

Suspected? Assault?

"You've got it wrong."

Muen's cheek twitched. "We were only having a magical spar under circumstances where both sides agreed to it. That's not illegal."

"Normally speaking, what you did would indeed only be sparring, and it indeed wouldn't be illegal. But... your situation is obviously very abnormal. Otherwise, I wouldn't have personally made this trip."

The old man said, "Although it happens to be my turn on duty right now, handling affairs really is exhausting."

"Is that so..."

Muen had already vaguely guessed the old man's identity, and his entire body unconsciously tensed.

Unlike the deliberate caution he had shown toward Jerome just now, this time it was entirely an instinctive reaction!

"But I'm sorry. I still can't understand."

"Sigh, young people these days. Everything about them is fine, except they're far too ignorant of how things work."

The old man let out a long sigh and extended a thin, withered finger, thoughtfully gesturing in front of Muen:

"Let me give you an analogy. If two boxers fight, even if one is strong and one is weak, one is thin and one is muscular, one is despicable and shameless while the other is upright and honorable, as long as everything remains within that scope, we'll consider it sparring. Not only would we not interfere, we'd even watch for the entertainment."

"But if it's a boxer fighting an infant, and an infant who isn't particularly bright in the head at that, and he even beats that infant unconscious..."

The old man paused, then spoke seriously to Muen:

"Even for our Origin Tower, which has always been rather loose and doesn't care much about rules, we still don't particularly allow something this utterly shameless to happen."

Muen: "..."