Chapter 163: Separation Without Tears or Regrets

Li En had originally thought the final day's lesson would be special, but it turned out he was overthinking it.

"What does a good teacher do in their final moments? Chicken soup for the soul? Adjusting one's mindset?"

Looking at the Kukus before him, Li En was a bit stunned.

"Of course, it's to max out the intensity of your lessons!"

The nightmare of the final stretch before the college entrance exam seemed to replay; facing the nagging of the three Kukus before him, Li En felt his scalp go numb.

The others in the Hall of Heroes felt the same; originally, there was some sadness, more or less.

But facing thirty-plus Kukus jumping up and down, forcing you to constantly memorize texts, it was impossible to feel sad; all the time was spent on memorization, ears and brains buzzing from the chanting.

"Probably, this is what teachers are like right before sending students to the exam hall..."

Li En was a bit numb, but he could only grit his teeth and record it.

After all, the miscellaneous knowledge Kukus spoke of—magical experience, introductions to spells, unwritten rules for dealing with exotic creatures, and so on—was precious knowledge money couldn't buy, of immense help for adapting to this world.

At this moment, he also knew in his heart that drawing Sul and Lord Lord Kuku as the first and second Heroic Souls was truly good luck.

He even suspected there might be some inside manipulation—what? The second one was Hero Laina? That thing still in self-imposed isolation, could it really be called a Hero?

Lord Lord Kuku had also hinted that the other Heroic Souls probably wouldn't be so easy to deal with; even maliciously setting people up was possible.

"Some hold a bit of resentment toward Li En Sudar; they might take it out on you," one Lord Lord Kuku said.

"Some are purely selected for ability; their personalities and stances probably have some issues," another Lord Lord Kuku was still highlighting key points for Li En.

"It's possible they are all sick themselves; although they are all aspects of Li En Sudar's nature... but you know, when the world isn't good, good people might go crazy more severely," one Lord Lord Kuku sighed helplessly.

The words of the three Kukus made one's scalp go numb; Li En also lowered his expectations for the future.

The disciples were being stuffed full; the teachers weren't just chasing them to feed them anymore. At this final moment, they were desperate to open their brains and pour it directly in.

Li En's side was still the better off; he was a novice. With his watered-down magical level as a first-tier caster, even a stronger teacher could only help him shore up the basics and chat about miscellaneous knowledge.

This was like a middle school student with a total of one hundred points across all subjects; finding a few PhDs to teach them was meaningless; the two sides couldn't even communicate.

The most painful part was actually those "graduate students" who had already set off on their path; the other alchemists had cleared them through regarding research results, magical levels, combat techniques, racial evolution, and so on.

These things, according to the apprentices' personal situations, seemed like the idle Kukus had been calculating and planning all these days.

With such broad vision and the ability to tailor-make plans, they probably wouldn't need to consider better career planning before becoming Great Alchemists (above the fifth ring).

The result was that the originally expected farewell gathering was forcibly turned into a pre-exam cram school.

"It's almost dawn! That's enough! Class dismissed!"

Finally, when Lord Lord Kuku retracted his clones, the area below was a mess; even Dai Niya, being a caster herself, had been cram-tutored until her eyes were blurry.

Looking at the carefree Lord Lord Kuku above, even with complex emotions, no one knew how to speak up.

"I thank you; you gave me a turning point in fate. You will be my teacher for a lifetime." Alekne Tarabar, whose life had been reshaped by Lord Lord Kuku, bowed in thanks even though the other party seemed completely indifferent.

"Thank you for the salvation. Thank you, Mentor!" the machine Orphelia said likewise; they had endured the grace of rebirth; the other party might not care, but they must.

"Thank you, Brother Lord Lord Kuku. Thank you." Magical Girl Bai finally smiled like a child; she was the only one who hadn't been cram-tutored, yet she had played with "Brother Lord Lord Kuku" all night, including riding the big horse and playing eagle catches chicks.

The sight of a dozen Kukus playing the chicks was too blinding, completely washing away the melancholic atmosphere.

Gu Gu, Miss Shaliman, and other apprentices also expressed their thanks one after another, but Lord Lord Kuku just waved his hand and directly severed the connection.

Immediately, figures were kicked out one by one.

Choosing to split his legacy and hand it to seven people might not cultivate a single great hero, but it did change the lives of these suffering people to the greatest extent.

Knowing Lord Lord Kuku disliked this, their thanks were as brief as possible, yet it still made the Lord Lord Kuku who now possessed a flesh-and-blood body feel a bit uncomfortable.

A small tail stuck out from the sage robe, swishing back and forth.

"Uh, are you embarrassed? Can't accept other people's gratitude?" Li En was a bit surprised, but looking back on Lord Lord Kuku's past, it seemed only natural.

Lord Lord Kuku had endured too much malice and hostility; he could always face it with confidence, but perhaps he wasn't used to receiving kindness and gratitude.

"Ha, your troubles aren't over yet, talking about me?"

"Uh, counterattacking when the truth is pointed out is a standard reaction of guilt, okay, okay, I won't say it anymore." Seeing the fireball igniting in Lord Lord Kuku's hand, Li En sighed and raised his hands in surrender.

No need to say anything else; he didn't want to refresh the record of being killed by a Heroic Soul in his dreams.

"Alright, I should go. Take care of yourself." Lord Lord Kuku, as always, was carefree, as if just going out for a stroll.

"There are still a few hours." Li En, however, felt a bit reluctant to part.

"No need. I said it before, my story is already over." Lord Lord Kuku looked at Li En calmly, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was expectation, pity, and even helplessness.

"Is there anything you want me to do?" With Li En's current self, his promise might not be fulfillable now, but he could do it later.

Li En made up his mind; even if it was researching the Elixir of Silence or some ridiculous request like setting up a kind Kobold community, he could try it later. But what he got was a dumbfounded laugh from the Kobold.

Just as he said himself, he really didn't care about anything anymore; he wasn't that self-isolated, second-rate Hero; the dead have no need to interfere with reality.

"I said it before, right? My life has no regrets."

With a smile, he slowly shook his head.

"If there really must be a request, then live on, live a long life. If there really is a day we meet in the Hall of Heroic Souls, tell me about your fun times."

After pondering for a moment, he added one last sentence.

"By the way, you failed your homework. Next time, remember to work harder and read more books."

With Li En's face full of disbelief, Lord Lord Kuku's time finally reached its end.

He gave Li En no chance to speak, turning into bubbles right then and there; that last little hand even happily snapped its fingers.

"Snap! 59 points, retake!" In that instant, Li En was completely stunned.

Then, the settlement screen flooded the view.

【Synchronization Rate 60.1%, Satisfaction 41.2%】

【... Settled. The Heroic Soul praises your effort; the evaluation is Pass!】

【Heroic Soul's Message: Were you scared? Were you scared?】

Li En's suspended heart finally settled. This guy, even at the very end, still had to pull a prank?

Did he hate sad farewells that much?

Li En let out a speechless laugh and could only shake his head helplessly.

Since it's a farewell, let's be happy. Lord Lord Kuku doesn't like overly sad partings.

【Rewards as follows: One random Hero Soul Card, Mage Class Level, Dragon Tongue Sorcerer Class Level】

【Reward Spell List as follows: Shield.】

Before he could finish reading the list, Li En himself froze.

A massive amount of Quantum magic knowledge flooded Li En's brain. This time, it was knowledge of various studies and their underlying principles. His body suddenly stiffened; even as a spiritual body, he could not withstand such a deluge of knowledge.

It might have been a moment, a few minutes, or even longer. When Li En recovered from his trance, he noticed his body had become somewhat stiff.

"Truly a heavy gift," Li En murmured to himself, reviewing the contents in his mind.

With these, Li En's learning of low-level spells could be said to have accelerated significantly.

He was still a First-Ring Mage, but he already possessed much of the foundation of a Second-Ring Mage.

And as a First-Stage Dragon Tongue Sorcerer, he could use Dragon Tongue magic more easily; it should also help him utilize some Dragon Vein abilities.

"Five First-Ring spells, three Second-Ring spells... at least half a year of accumulation. If it were my own talent, it might take two years." The most valuable part was always the seemingly basic Quantum magic knowledge.

These are things that require time to accumulate and refine, and Li En's talent in this regard is such that without a cheat, one simply cannot play.

Li En estimated this must be the result of Lord Lord Kuku's fine-tuning. Compared to an extra Hero Soul Card, perhaps this Quantum magic knowledge was more precious to him at present.

Conversely, for him now, the Caster Level was not that important. Even if forcibly broken through to a Second-Ring Mage, without corresponding spells, it would be a joke like having a gun but no bullets.

【Awakened Dragon Tongue: druj (Split/Multiple)】

"As expected, is it this word?" Although not the exact pronunciation Lord Lord Kuku had specifically mentioned, it indeed carried the same "meaning."

The Dragon Tongue Lord Lord Kuku had mentioned earlier was also acquired at this moment, meaning Lord Lord Kuku's past experience with Dragon Tongue magic could now be used by Li En.

One could say that before meeting Lord Lord Kuku, Li En was completely a Quantum magic novice (Lord Lord Kuku: A glowing can of reckless fool!), but now he was no worse than most apprentices who had studied for three years.

With the Mage Level awarded, the time for him to become a Second-Ring Mage would likely not be far off. And upon becoming a Second-Ring Mage, these spells would hold practical combat value for the current Li En.

Finally, he, a Second-Stage Knight, First-Stage Mage, and First-Stage Dragon Tongue Sorcerer, paired with the "Multi-Headed Dragon" advancement, could be considered a strong one.

"Finally, I can try to grasp my own destiny."

Li En glanced at the spot where Lord Lord Kuku had been, took a deep breath, and ended this dream.

In that final glance, he seemed to see that figure in white robes, smiling and waving at him.

"Walk your path well."

"Uh..." He awoke from his trance, only to see a pretty face right before his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"You've been asleep for three days; I was almost worried to death!" The girl pouted, her eyes red.

(End of Chapter)