Chapter 60: Sharp Break
“Say, wouldn’t it be great if Mia’s ‘plunder everything’ personality could be shared with Eleanor a little?” Medea chatted with Asker through their mental connection. “Every time she gets hung up on moral issues, it drives me crazy.”
“She’s the kind of person who believes in absolute good and evil.” Asker replied. “In her world, there is a clear line between good and evil.”
“Although such people can be too stubborn about certain things, at least in the same team, you can trust them to have your back, right?”
“In contrast, I’m not that trustworthy, am I?” Medea asked rhetorically. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have signed ordinary contracts with them and a soul contract with me.”
“That’s because you and I were temporarily hostile before signing the contract, so I added an extra layer of insurance.” Asker said frankly. “Actually, whether it’s a written contract or a soul contract, it’s not the only factor that holds a team together.”
“The most important thing is whether the team can bring enough benefits to everyone.”
“It seems that you and I are the same kind of people.” Medea chuckled. “Benefits are indeed the premise of cooperation. But besides benefits, are there really no other factors that can hold a team together? For example, feelings?”
“Feelings are unreliable.” Asker shook his head. “Even brothers who start a business together may turn against each other after they become successful, let alone ordinary friends.”
“What about girlfriends?” Medea asked meaningfully.
Asker: ???
“I’m just giving an example.” Medea said. “For example, a husband and wife starting a business together is more secure and stable than brothers starting a business together.”
“That’s because husbands and wives have joint property, while brothers go their separate ways after dividing the family property, which is why they are so meticulous about every detail, penny-pinching.”
“Now you are using supernatural power to win people over, simply because everyone’s level is still low, and they temporarily need you to guide them in the supernatural world. As their rank increases, the corresponding potion formulas and materials will become increasingly difficult to find, right?”
“Even you can’t take care of the upgrade needs of seven girls at the same time. There will always be a priority order. Naturally, those who are taken care of first have nothing to say, but wouldn’t those whose order is delayed have complaints?”
At this point, Medea sneered and continued: “At that time, they will inevitably think, since the team prioritizes supplying resources to others, why can’t I leave the team and go solo?”
“Maybe the efficiency of finding potion formulas and materials would be even higher if they acted alone.”
“Then, what will you use to maintain this team? Can you simultaneously provide high-level potion formulas or materials for everyone? Do you have that ability?”
“You mean…” Asker pondered.
“People come together for profit, and they will also separate for profit.” Medea chuckled. “However, if it’s a silly girl like Nuo, even if you stop supplying her with potions later, she will still follow you wholeheartedly, right? This is the advantage of using feelings to maintain a team.”
“My personal principle is to never bring feelings into work.” Asker said seriously. “Besides, manipulating feelings to control people’s hearts is even more unreliable than binding them with interests.”
“You misunderstood what I meant.” Medea said, “Although the Solomon Church advocates monogamy, secular laws cannot restrain Transcendents.”
“Seljuk men can marry up to four wives. If you work harder in this area, maybe our team will become one big family, and then there will be no talk of who comes first and who comes last. Everyone’s interests will be aligned.”
“Are you serious?” Asker asked after a long silence.
“No, I’m just kidding.” Medea’s voice echoed in the mental connection. “I just think it would be fun to see that happen.”
“A harem situation can only happen in novels.” Asker said. “It’s impossible in reality. Even secret lovers kept by wealthy families will fight for favor, let alone bringing them out in the open.”
“Yeah.” Medea sighed. “If any woman dared to steal my husband, I would definitely kill the adulterous couple.”
“The premise is that you have to have a husband first.” Asker said.
Medea’s face darkened and she said, “I will. That prophet said last time that there will be a lover in my destiny.”
“Then he must not be afraid of fire.” Asker joked. “Maybe he’s a blacksmith or a cook or something.”
“You damn Asker!” Medea shouted angrily. “When I overcome my androphobia, the first thing I’ll do is strangle you to death!”
She gritted her teeth and cut off the connection, stood there with a cold face for a while, and then a smug smile appeared on her face:
“Ending the conversation in such a hurry? So this is your weakness…”
About ten minutes later, the three girls who had taken the potions came back.
Eleanor looked a little tired, as if she had consumed too much strength and spirituality in the process of resisting losing control.
Miel’s little face was still indifferent, only Sidlipha was full of energy, as if she had just fought a hearty battle, her whole being invigorated.
“Asker!” She shouted, waving her battle axe. “Come and spar with me!”
“What?” Asker said, putting his hand on his sword. “After taking Strength X, you found that your physical qualities have become stronger?”
“My strength has at least tripled!” Sidlipha exclaimed exaggeratedly. “You’re definitely no match for me now!”
“Then let’s have a duel and see?” Asker said.
“Should we stop them?” Eleanor asked weakly from the side.
“Forget it.” Nuo shook her head. “Too much arrogance… It’s good for her to learn a lesson.”
Sidlipha’s eyes burned with a burning fighting spirit. She held the axe in her left hand horizontally in front of her chest, and dragged the axe in her right hand behind her, calmly approaching Asker step by step.
“Lower the left axe a little, the stance is mainly for deception.” Asker said, putting his hand on his sword.
“Oh.” Sidlipha subconsciously responded and lowered her left arm slightly… Then she suddenly reacted and shouted:
“That’s not right! We’re in a duel now, not training!”
“It’s the same for me.” Asker said. The girls around them burst into laughter.
Sidlipha immediately became furious, charged forward half a step, then jumped, and slammed her battle axe down.
Asker just lightly stepped back half a step and dodged her jump attack, saying:
“Miscalculated the distance, didn’t you?”
“Mind your own business!” Sidlipha swung her arms horizontally, Whirlwind Slash!
Asker rolled backwards, quickly retreating. As he got up, he suddenly thrust forward, aiming right between Sidlipha’s eyes.
His sword was too high, the Whirlwind Slash couldn’t block it, she would be hit!
Sidlipha judged in a split second and immediately stopped the Whirlwind Slash, raising her left axe to try to parry.
Asker’s sword thrust suddenly paused, dodging the battle axe with a strange change of speed, and continued to thrust towards Sidlipha at high speed.
Sidlipha hurriedly retreated, her right battle axe trying to block again.
Asker’s wrist vibrated slightly, and the angle of the sword instantly changed, barely grazing the top of the axe handle, and once again thrusting towards Sidlipha’s eyes.
God, what kind of strange swordsmanship is this! Sidlipha was shocked and hurriedly hopped back to dodge.
Asker stepped forward in pursuit, his sword thrusting straight at Sidlipha’s throat in mid-air.
She immediately swung her axe down, but Asker’s sword shifted horizontally again, narrowly avoiding the axe’s downward slash and piercing her left shoulder.
“What kind of swordsmanship is that?” Eleanor was watching intently when she heard Peggy ask beside her, her tone solemn.
“You don’t know either?” Eleanor asked in surprise.
“I’ve never seen it before.” Peggy shook her head. She had been with Asker the longest and was the most familiar with his fighting moves, so she could be sure that she had never seen Asker use this swordsmanship before.
“The sword movements are very simple, all straight thrusts, and the attack speed is not very fast. But why couldn’t Sidlipha even parry one attack? It’s like she’s deliberately letting him hit her.”
“It’s not the speed of the sword, it’s the timing.” Eleanor observed carefully for a moment and said, “Each of his thrusts changes at the last moment of Sidlipha’s parry, so her reaction speed can’t keep up at all.”
“Is this kind of swordsmanship something that humans can use?” Peggy stared for a long time, finally shocked.
Sidlipha retreated a few steps, blood gushing from her shoulder. Asker’s sword had pierced the gap between her chest armor and shoulder armor, the pain spreading from the wound, but it fueled her fighting spirit.
“You’ve already died once.” Asker said calmly.
The thrust just now, just a little lower, would have hit Sidlipha’s heart – if not for the armor protection.
“Again!” Sidlipha roared.
She lowered her body and charged forward, her two battle axes slashing alternately.
This was the “Mantis Cut” that Asker had recently taught her. She had been learning it for a long time but hadn’t mastered it. Now, in her rage, she used it smoothly.
Mantis Cut, the attack rhythm of the two weapons was completely staggered. When the left weapon was halfway through its swing, the right weapon had just begun to swing, thus forming a super high-frequency rhythm twice the normal attack speed.
Anyone present would be flustered in the face of the speed of Mantis Cut, except for Asker.
He held his sword horizontally with both hands, a simple thrust, and hit Sidlipha’s axe-wielding right hand.
Then the two passed each other, Sidlipha fell forward to the ground, a long, narrow wound blooming on her waist and abdomen.
“Nuo, heal her.” Asker sheathed his sword.
“It’s too dangerous!” Nuo anxiously helped Sidlipha up, pressing Healing Touch on the wound on her waist. “How could you be so heavy-handed?”
“It’s better for her to be injured by me than by the enemy later.” Asker said lightly. “At least I’ll hold back.”
“But…” Nuo looked at her blood-stained hands tremblingly.
“Although there’s a lot of bleeding, the internal organs aren’t injured, I know my limits.” Asker said, “She should be awake now.”
Sidlipha groaned, opened her eyes, looked at Nuo who was healing her, and said in a confused voice: “What… happened to me?”
“You took the Strength X potion and were affected by the heterologous emotions inside.” Asker said, “You became extremely combative and aggressive. This emotion must be vented in time, otherwise it will remain in your mental body and cause a permanent personality shift. Medea?”
“Checking.” Medea said with her arms crossed. She was the first to notice the abnormality in Sidlipha’s consciousness and quickly informed Asker privately. “There seems to be a little influence left, deep in her mental body.”
“Then draw it out, make it clean.” Asker said.
“Asker.” Peggy and Eleanor came forward and asked hesitantly, “What kind of swordsmanship did you use just now?”
“Celestial Ninefold Strike, Sharp Break.” Asker smiled. “Want to learn it? I can teach you.”
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