Chapter 44: A Famished Serene! Don’t Tear Down the School!
“...?”
Bai Xuan instinctively frowned at the sudden appearance of the man.
He had only just accepted the job—
And now he was expected to get to work this quickly?
The moment the man materialized, Su Yue darted behind Bai Xuan, whispering, “Mr. Slime Mask, I’m counting on you~”
“...”
Bai Xuan narrowed his eyes, his gaze settling on the six-armed man.
Four of Spades... He must be even stronger than the Three of Spades, right?
“Oh? Looks like I’ve stumbled upon an unexpected bonus.”
The Four of Spades sneered as his eyes fell on Bai Xuan.
“Kid, you’ve meddled in our organization’s affairs more than once. The higher-ups are furious. Your bounty’s hit thirty chips. There’s no way I’m letting you slip away this time!”
“Chips? Bounty?”
Bai Xuan’s mind raced.
So the Extremist Organization uses a bounty system?
But what exactly does ‘thirty chips’ mean?
Clearly, I need to learn a lot more about how this group operates.
As he considered this, the Kagune Scorpion’s Sting slowly unfurled from his right shoulder, poised for battle.
“Still planning to resist?”
The Four of Spades scoffed, all six fists clenching as his entire body tensed, muscles coiling like steel cables.
“Die!”
He shot forward like a cannonball, barreling straight at Bai Xuan.
But Bai Xuan stood his ground, his expression calm as still water.
Just as the Four of Spades was about to strike, a teleportation spell flashed to life before Bai Xuan!
Serene appeared out of thin air, Sword of No Light in hand. There was a glint of cold steel—and in the blink of an eye, two of the Four of Spades’ arms were severed!
“AAAGH—!”
A piercing scream shattered the silence atop the school building.
The Four of Spades staggered back, staring at Serene in horror and disbelief.
How does she have spatial powers too?!
Within the organization, that’s one of the highest-level anomalous abilities. Every time you tear space, it costs a chip!
But then his lips twisted in a grin. “Lady Knight! You’re on the bounty board too!”
Even as he spoke, the bloody stumps of his arms writhed, and in an instant, his arms regenerated.
“You’re all my prey! I’ll drag every one of you in and cash out big!”
He lunged forward again—
But before he could take a second step, a Red Glow crashed down from above, slamming hard into his back.
BOOM—!
A thunderous shockwave shook the building, and the Four of Spades was smashed clear off the rooftop, crashing to the ground below.
“Damn!”
Bai Xuan’s brow furrowed.
Little Mare just wrecked the school!
He hurried to the edge and looked down. Mare Alera had already kicked the Four of Spades across the courtyard—he crashed into the wall with a dull thud, like a rotten watermelon splitting open.
For a moment, Bai Xuan could only stare.
Well... guess classes are cancelled tomorrow.
“Let’s head down.”
With that, he and Serene leapt to the ground.
“Human! I finished him off!”
Mare Alera dashed up to Bai Xuan, beaming with pride.
“You’re incredible!”
Bai Xuan grinned, offering his praise. As for the school’s destruction... whatever.
He turned to examine the Four of Spades, sprawled on the ground.
The man wasn’t dead yet. His body was as tough as the Armored Earth Lizard from a previous mission, and his regeneration was absurd.
Even after Mare Alera tore off all six arms, he regrew them in moments. His combat prowess was terrifying.
Still, he was probably only at D-rank.
And his regeneration clearly had limits—this second round was much slower than before.
“Care to talk?” Bai Xuan asked. “About your Extremist Organization.”
“You think you’ve beaten me? What a joke!”
The Four of Spades sneered. “We’ll meet again soon!”
Before he finished speaking, fiery cracks spidered across his skin.
“Watch out!” Serene darted in front of everyone, the cloak woven from the Fire of Justice flaring out—a shield of holy flame.
A split second later, the Four of Spades exploded in a blast of scorching fire!
Thanks to Serene’s protection, not a single scratch touched anyone present.
“That wasn’t his real body?”
When the flames faded, Bai Xuan peered at the spot where the Four of Spades had stood. Only a pile of charred remains was left behind.
“It was a Spade Puppet.”
Su Yue stepped into the classroom, explaining, “He’s the Extremist Organization member targeting me this time. I was hoping Mr. Slime Mask could protect me.”
“Mhm.” Bai Xuan nodded calmly, though his mind was already working.
The Mission Note mentioned that two members of the Extremist Organization had entered Ninghang City.
So far, only the Four of Spades had appeared. The other was still at large...
He asked Su Yue, “Anyone else at home?”
“Just my butler and a few maids,” Su Yue replied. “But don’t worry, they’re trustworthy.”
Bai Xuan thought for a moment, then ruffled Mare Alera’s hair. “Let this little one guard you for now. But you can’t tell anyone who she really is.”
“Really?” Su Yue’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Mr. Slime Mask~”
“Eh? Human! Are we splitting up?” Mare Alera’s eyes widened in reluctance.
Bai Xuan comforted her, “Little Mare, this is an important mission—only you can do it. Understand?”
“And it’s only temporary.”
“I understand! Leave it to me, Human!”
Mare Alera puffed out her chest, brimming with confidence.
Soon after, she left the school with Su Yue, climbing into the Maybach.
Bai Xuan headed home with Serene.
He’d thought this through: Mare Alera’s combat strength surpassed even Serene’s. With two members of the Extremist Organization on the loose, she was the best choice to keep Su Yue safe.
Besides, Mare Alera was utterly loyal and immune to all spirit-based anomalous abilities.
Back home, Bai Xuan glanced at Bai Yu’s room. It was as silent as ever.
He turned to Serene. “Serene, go take a bath first.”
When the Spade Puppet exploded, she’d been splattered with black, tar-like goo. She needed to clean up.
“Understood.”
Serene nodded and slipped into the bathroom.
Bai Xuan sat on the edge of his bed and activated Legendary Perspective.
Mare Alera had already returned to the Lakeside Villa with Su Yue—no incidents along the way.
Not that it was a surprise. Su Yue kept trying to chat with Mare Alera the whole ride, but got no response.
Which made sense—Mare saw Su Yue as little more than an ant.
Why bother replying?
Next, Bai Xuan’s gaze shifted to the Book of Worlds.
Upgrading the Mission Map required ten completed E-Rank missions. That was one reason he hadn’t taken on any D-grade quests yet.
He still needed two more E-Rank missions to level up the map.
But E-Rank Anomalous Disasters were far rarer than F-grade—maybe one-tenth as common. And D-grade or higher were even scarcer; only a handful occurred worldwide at any given time.
As for C-grade and above? Those were in a league of their own—enough to plunge an entire city into chaos.
Bai Xuan was lost in thought when Serene quietly stepped out of the bathroom, approaching with her usual cool, distant air. “Master... about what we discussed earlier...”
“...?”
Bai Xuan looked up, momentarily stunned.
Serene was still dripping wet, crystalline beads of water gliding down her pale skin.
Wait—Serene!
Are you really that hungry?
You didn’t even bother to dry off first!