Chapter 16: Su Er's Method of Instruction

The flames ignited in a single instant.

Pride brooks not the slightest insult.

"Arrogant one, you must apologize for slandering my brother and for the evil act against my family's honor!!"

The six-armed paladin was instantly enraged, his crystal-like compound eyes staring fixedly at the opponent, his pink face turning purple with anger.

"Now, immediately, apologize right now! Or I will wash away this insult to us with your blood."

The accusation that his own younger brother was a murderer was something he could not accept at all.

"Ha, who is the arrogant one? Is it something the entire Dock District knows, yet a noble young master deigns not to learn?"

Beneath the provocative words of the seemingly rough gangster pig-man lay a measure of caution and probing.

"Nonsense!! How could that be!"

Something everyone knows but I don't?! Instantly, the paladin turned red; what an absurd lie this was.

"Filthy dock gang leader, how dare you set foot in this holy hall? Now you slander my kin with lies. If this is reality, I issue you a holy duel, and I will surely make you, this blasphemer, bleed on the spot!"

He even drew his sword directly.

"If you are not a coward, leave your name!!"

He's panicked, truly panicked; not only did he use difficult words, he's even planning to settle this offline for real.

Morning light shone on a youthful face; he voluntarily dispersed his own mist, revealing a face far too handsome.

Arcane radiance bathed his lightweight mithril armor; the six-armed knight looked majestic and fierce, and every single-handed sword at his waist bore enchantments of different colors.

Whether he is strong is unknown, but he is certainly very wealthy.

"No, this is not a lie; the Dock District indeed knows that Labore is a criminal."

And the one who followed up with these words was a third party, Talia, arranged by Li En.

At this moment, Talia and the pig-man reached a silent agreement.

From their respective standpoints, they had to probe whether the spider-man paladin before them knew the truth. In a Werewolf QQ cheating group, one couldn't possibly have an opponent mixed in for real.

And even amidst the quarrel, the candidates were actually paying attention to the attitude of the Heroic Soul above.

In the center of the theater stage, a Heroic Soul resembling a killing machine yawned, watching the quarrel below with interest.

"Not bad probing; add some points for them." As the referee, Li En had no intention of interfering and instead took out a small notebook to record scores with interest.

He seemed to have no intention of interfering at all.

Li En made no moves because Su Er himself was just that mischievous; not making a scene or even stirring the pot on the spot was Li En exercising restraint!

"No, this is absolutely impossible." Paladin Larry's face was filled with shock and disbelief; this did not seem like a false performance, and his personality seemed quite "paladin-like."

But thinking about it, if his family wasn't stupid, they wouldn't have let him know.

Otherwise, as a paladin, he would have to choose between falling into corruption or killing his own kin for the greater good.

And now, having learned of this matter, he must make a choice.

"Diego Labore was judged and beheaded on the street in Rainstone Street, Dock District, by a paladin. A bag of cursed severed tails, sacrificed to an evil god, was found in his carriage. I was at the scene; the knight's judgment was flawless." Talia calmly delivered the final blow.

The spider-man knight's face was filled with disbelief, but then he looked somewhat embarrassed, then annoyed, and finally sighed.

Was he truly completely unaware? Not necessarily; he should have known something of his brother's unruliness.

The victim's family and the perpetrator's family met that very night; fate's mischief was too malicious.

"Heh, it seems our noble paladin lord also knows what sort of character his brother is." The pig-man immediately delivered another blow.

Larry's face turned ashen; he could say no more, and the sword he held was lowered.

Seeing through the opponent's wavering, the outwardly simple-minded Broken Bone fell silent with a laugh, finding it no longer interesting.

He yawned first, then scratched his ear.

"... This is something you could find out by asking around the Dock District; it should have spread through your noble circles too. The only one who doesn't know should be you."

As an opponent capable of silencing a Radiant Knight like that, the pig-man gangster calling himself Broken Bone (a commoner orphan with no surname) appeared far too ordinary.

Perhaps due to the profound memory of his daily work, upon entering the Hall of Heroic Souls, he was still dressed as a chef.

A blood-stained white shirt and trousers; the only things that could be called weapons were two cleavers, also bearing bloodstains.

His build was sturdy yet slightly chubby; the flesh on his face and his large eyes carried a certain ferocity, and his hands bore various chaotic tattoos.

Yet even while making light of it, the eyes beneath his lowered gaze still stared fixedly at this Labore.

Unlike the "honest chef" Li En had seen in the memorial hall, this one looked exactly like a "flesh butcher," not at all like a good person.

"This fellow is actually very shrewd." Li En, watching from above as an audience member, had already seen through him.

The seemingly crude provocation was always the pig-man's probing, testing whether the paladin knew the truth.

After confirming the opponent's simple character and determining he was likely unrelated to the case, he immediately softened his attitude to avoid making meaningless enemies or driving others into the enemy camp.

His actions were bold and decisive, yet his heart was meticulous; his character was calm and restrained. Li En gave him a fairly high evaluation score.

Below, the spider-man paladin still looked as if he was doubting life itself, while the pig-man continued to probe, the female officer fanned the flames, and the dragonborn happily watched the spectacle, even pulling out some snacks.

"That's enough."

Although watching the show was pleasant, and he gradually learned the personalities of these candidates.

But allowing the initiative to be lost, truly becoming an NPC that just gives quests, would be too ridiculous.

"The story is interesting, but save it for next time."

At some unknown moment, a tall figure stood in the midst of everyone.

He carried a door-sized greatsword on his shoulder, and beneath his mask, his chin bore a cheerful smile.

"The night is already deep; it is time for serious matters. Now, begin my loving instruction."

Loving instruction? What the hell?

But in the next moment, they understood.

The arm holding the sword vanished before everyone's eyes; by the time they realized the movement was too fast, a flash of silver radiance had already swept through the hall.

Silently, the world was split apart.

The world in their eyes tilted.

"Crack!"

When the door-sized greatsword returned to its sheath, the four were either shocked or furious, completely unable to comprehend what had happened. Yet, a bloodstained fissure, splitting them in two, had appeared across their bodies.

Death arrived as scheduled.

"My mouth is clumsy; I can only teach in such a simple way."

The dying man's gaze could not kill anyone. He yawned, and the old fellow smiled cheerfully.

At the moment when all the candidates were about to accept their inexplicable deaths, the bronze gears roared once more.

"Crack."

In the next instant, the Time Gears reset the time of the Hall of Heroic Souls again; the four appeared in their original positions as if nothing had happened.

Only the expressions on their faces, whether of panic, anger, or confusion, testified that all this had indeed occurred.

"Die ten times first. Each of you." Amidst the eyes of the "disciples" that were utterly unable to comprehend, the Heroic Soul Knight spoke words unfit for a human.

This is the inheritance; this is Brother Su Er's method of teaching.

Since they wouldn't truly die, what trouble was there in stopping at the right point? Just use your body to make you learn.

Hmm, this is all Brother Su Er's teaching habit; it absolutely isn't that Li En enjoyed it himself and now wants others to try it out out of some malicious fun.

So, Li En died happily.

The candidates truly died.

Bai Yin Moon, Half-Arc, Cleaving; the super-giant cleaving horse sword was played with faster and more accurately than a rapier, stabbed faster than a spear, and struck heavier than a warhammer.

Split apart, hammered to death, pierced through the heart; each death was completely different.

The pig-man resisted in a rage. Every death was a frontal one; he was the weakest, died the fastest, but screamed the loudest and died the most miserably.

The spider-knight tried to resist, six arms waving long swords to weave a sword dance, yet he was still pierced through again and again.

The dragon-blooded little girl kept running away, trying to use her comrades as meat shields, and threw out a mess of miscellaneous items to resist. The radiance of various magics illuminated the hall, yet it was still utterly meaningless.

Talia also gritted her teeth and resisted, but she died so much she went numb.

"The pig-man has good aptitude; the little spider is passable; the little girl is completely useless. Is this police officer just here to fill a quota?"

Will and character were laid bare before death.

The pig-man grew angrier with each death, while the spider-knight could still resist, remaining unyielding throughout. The little leopard was indeed dragged in to fill a quota and had already stopped resisting.

"Crack."

Finally, the blades returned to their sheaths.

"Ten times? Was that ten times?!" The will of the Bone-Shattering Pig-Man made Li En slightly surprised; at least he could still roar at him now.

"Uh, I forgot to count. About right?" The Heroic Soul pinched his chin; he was a bit unaccustomed to the prickly feeling of his beard. Unfortunately, this state apparently didn't allow for shaving.

"Sixty-seven times! I remember!" With this, the superiors who had previously looked down on that ordinary person all had to take a new look.

This guy probably died more than everyone else combined!

Li En nodded in satisfaction and asked.

"Do you want to learn? My sword."

At this, the pig-man's gaze changed again.

"Yes." The voice squeezed out from between his teeth by the tall figure made Li En smile cheerfully.

He somewhat understood the joy Brother Su Er felt facing himself.

"Not right now."

Four pairs of eyes glared fiercely over.

"Your stamina and spiritual energy are nearly exhausted; it's about time to wake up. By the way, introduce yourselves. Oh, and from now on, use nicknames when you come in. Although you've mostly blown your identities, this is the rule. Don't recklessly expose your identities; something happened before."

The pig-man was still holding on, but in reality, he had died the most. "I am Bone-Shatterer, Dimon."

His low voice was full of resentment; he also knew anonymity was meaningless now.

【No. 1 Bone-Shatterer, Biological Grade: Raw Stone, Status: Strength 6, Constitution 6, Agility 4, Compatibility 19%, Satisfaction 18%】

This guy died more than sixty times, yet still gritted his teeth to cut down opponents he could not possibly defeat. He died fast and resurrected fast, dying the most, but the Heroic Soul's satisfaction rose the fastest.

And he was obviously the weakest among them.

"I am Shadow-Cutter." Talia pondered for a moment and revealed her title from back then.

【No. 2 Shadow-Cutter, Biological Grade: Bai Yin, Status: Strength 11, Constitution 11, Agility 14, Compatibility 10%, Satisfaction 10%】

Although she had entered through the back door, she could be considered average in all aspects.

"Holy Grand Knight, or, Holy Fate-Weaver." Those who work as Holy Knights are somewhat chuunibyou, and this one apparently isn't acting.

"Are you worthy? Keep it simple; my memory is bad. Two words."

"... Moth." Although it was somewhat peculiar; clearly a spider yet called a moth, Li En had no objection.

Actually, her friendliness wasn't low.

【No. 3 Moth, Biological Grade: Bai Yin, Status: Strength 7, Constitution 8, Agility 14, Compatibility: 31%, Satisfaction: 25%】

Highest compatibility, highest satisfaction... Although there was a bit of class bias, Holy Knights were naturally suited for the Holy Knight inheritance. This was never a fair game requiring balance from the start.

Already skilled with the sword, plus the advantages of multiple arms and natural carapace, she could indeed become a good Holy Knight. Although spiders' strength and constitution were relatively weak, their bodies were brittle, and their nature made them prone to fractures, Holy Knights had a huge array of divine spells to compensate in this regard. This little girl should have mastered Holy Power Arts as well.

Yes, it was a little girl, not a little boy.

Although she was flat-chested and exceptionally handsome, under the support of the complete form of "Su Er's Heart-Soul," Li En's Dragon Eyes easily saw through the disguise, as well as the bindings on her chest.

Li En turned his gaze to the last one, then shifted it directly away, sighing.

"Wait, what do you mean!! You look down on me?! Clearly I am the strongest."

The words of the youngest girl made the others look over, but Li En knew this was indeed the truth; the gap was still very large.

【Dragon Hunt No. 4, Creature Level: Gold, Status: Strength 16, Physique 18, Agility 12, Compatibility: 7%, Satisfaction: -9%】

This stat panel is overwhelmingly domineering—the kind that belongs to a monster-girl who could just crush everything else with brute force.

However, because she spent the whole time dodging and lacked fighting spirit, her satisfaction dropped a little more. Barring any surprises, the strongest one is destined to tag along the entire way.

Glancing at the four "little ones" who were gradually turning transparent, Li En yawned. This long night had reached the time for rest.

The first meeting, with much wariness between them, was destined to yield little in the way of negotiation.

These little ones also need to go back and confirm certain things. Mind Mages also have the ability to deceive people into dreams and steal information, and there are troublesome things like nightmares.

Next time they come, they might very well bring their own holy relics for mental protection.

But, as they search for information everywhere, they will also bring more intelligence that Li En needs.

"Barring any surprises, see you tomorrow night."

Guiding things to this point is enough. Li En isn't in a hurry—if he were, it would expose himself.

He was pondering how to let his true self also take part.

At the very least, to help whitewash his rather problematic identity.

A carefully crafted lie might also become his way of guiding the world.

". Well, I'm free anyway, let's chat. Oh right, remember when you come again, tell me the story of that severed-tail case of yours. Sounds a bit interesting."

Um, continuing to beg for monthly votes and recommendations, new books don't get any exposure opportunities.

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(End of Chapter)