Learned How to Fight!

Karen gathered the two shovels from the ground, put them back into the hearse, and climbed into the driver's cab. Pulling the rearview mirror down, he faced his reflection. "Decent?" He wiped the mirror with a finger, then looked at himself again. "Is this decent too?" Looking out the window, Karen had to admit that a cemetery at night truly was a place that brought inner peace—because everyone lying here was already at peace. He sat a while longer, checked the time, then started the engine and drove toward the cemetery gates. When he arrived, he saw the old caretaker sitting outside, boiling macaroni over a small stove. "Not sleeping anymore?" Karen greeted him. The old man shot Karen an annoyed glare. "If I sleep, who closes the gate?" "Dawn's almost here." Cemeteries opened by day and closed at night. "Hmph. The dead are much more punctual than the living." "You're very conscientious." "If folks like you keep showing up in the dead of night a few more times, I reckon I'll be lying in there soon enough. Do you know how hard it is for an old man to get a solid night's sleep?" "My apologies. It won't happen again." "No, next time it'll cost extra!" "Understood." The old man chuckled, stirring the macaroni in the pot with a spoon as he asked offhandedly, "Pity you're in a rush to head back, or I'd treat you to breakfast—or rather, a midnight snack, I suppose." Karen opened the door, stepped out, and walked over to the small stove. "I really am hungry." "..." The old man was speechless. When the first pot was done, the old man took half and gave Karen half. "Ketchup. Here." "Got any chili sauce?" "Only ketchup. Anything else is heresy." "Fair enough." With a plate and fork each, they dug in. Soon, both plates were scraped clean. The old man asked with a grin, "Full now?" Karen shook his head. "No." The old man went inside, brought out another bag, and tipped it into the pot, grumbling, "I see how it is. You're trying to eat back the gate fee you just paid." "Do you have a refrigerator in your cabin?" "Yes." "Then one of these days I'll have someone bring over some meatballs and sliced meat, so we're ready for hot pot next time." "Have someone?" The old man rubbed his chin. "Aren't you a hired hand at Pavaro's?" Karen shook his head. "Not quite." "His son-in-law?" "Uh..." The old man slapped his thigh and laughed. "Pavaro's son-in-law! Tsk, tsk, you really do look decent." Helpless, Karen picked up the spoon and stirred the 'decent' macaroni in the pot. "What's your name?" "Karen. And yours?" "They call me Piper Saman." "Oh, the pasta's done." "Aren't you going to ask why they call me 'Piper'?" "No, because I don't feel like listening to a performance right now." "That's your loss—a loss for your ears and your soul, I swear!" "Yes, I believe you." Karen began scooping out the macaroni. "Leave some for me! You want to eat it all? Dammit!" After splitting two pots of macaroni, a sense of satisfaction instantly washed over them. "I'd like to make a call to the funeral parlor." "Go ahead. Bring out my flute while you're at it." Karen got up, walked into the caretaker's cabin, and dialed the funeral parlor. "Hello, Young Master?" "It's me." "Young Master, where are you right now?" "Ivy Cemetery." "Shall I come pick you up right away, Young Master? I'll bring Dinkum along to drive the hearse back, and I'll take you straight home." "Mhm, sounds good." Karen thought Alfred's arrangement was very considerate. After hanging up, Karen glanced around the cabin and spotted a vertical flute on an office desk. Picking it up, he stepped outside onto the porch steps and handed it to Saman. Old Saman took the flute and brought it to his lips. Just as he was about to play, he lowered it and said to Karen, "Young man, I think you ought to learn to show more respect to your elders." "For instance?" "For instance, when an elder wants to play the flute, you should say how much you're looking forward to it." "Except I really don't want to hear it." "Hey, don't you find sitting here boring?" "Not really. I just want to sit here for a while." "You might not be bored, but they will." "Who?" "Here—aren't there so many of them? They've all gathered around, waiting to hear me play. It's everyone's morning routine, a tradition around here. No one's ever late!" As he spoke, Old Saman studied Karen, but seeing that Karen wasn't frightened in the least, he frowned and said with mild annoyance, "I forgot what line of work you're in. How could you be scared of ghost stories?" At that moment, Karen's gaze suddenly turned deep and distant, and he whispered in a calm, flat tone, "Shh. Listen. They're talking." For reasons he couldn't explain, Old Saman shuddered violently. Then Karen smiled. Realizing he had been had, Old Saman jumped up in anger, raising his flute to hit Karen, but Karen had already slipped into the hearse and shut the door. "Get out here!" Karen shook his head. "Come down!" Karen smiled, pulled a half-pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and tossed it to Old Saman. Catching the pack, Old Saman grumbled a few curses, but felt too embarrassed to keep venting his temper. He sat back down on the steps, sulkily puffing on a cigarette by himself. As he smoked, he couldn't help wondering how on earth he had just been spooked like that. Meanwhile, Karen sat in the car with his eyes closed, resting. He wasn't sure how long he rested before the sound of an approaching car stirred him. Opening his eyes, he saw Alfred had arrived. Karen got out and waved to Old Saman, who was still sitting on the steps. "I'm off." Old Saman turned his head away, refusing to look at him. Dinkum stepped out of the car and bowed respectfully to Karen. "The keys are in the ignition." "Understood, sir. Please go home and get some rest." Karen got into the car. Alfred turned the vehicle around, not waiting for Dinkum's hearse, and drove straight toward the apartment. ... "Young Master, I don't think you need to dwell too much on this," Alfred said. "The fact that that captain noticed how extraordinary you are only proves you truly are an extraordinary person, doesn't it?" "I'm not dwelling on that anymore. What bothers me is having had no choice other than sitting there and looking decent." "Ah, so that's what was on your mind, Young Master." "When Dinkum was shoved down by Edith's bodyguard, I saw it, but there was nothing I could do." "They are all dead now, not a single one left! That is the price of crossing you, Young Master!" "Alfred." "Yes?" "Don't try so hard next time. It starts sounding like sarcasm." "You could have given me a signal back then, Young Master. I was waiting for your cue. I know Dinkum and Pike are useless, but they were representing our funeral parlor's dignity." Karen shook his head. "It's pointless. If you don't know how to fight yourself, everything feels so dull." "Purr and Kevin's two spell scrolls should be ready soon. You'll know how to fight before long, Young Master." "Yeah. By the way, move Mrs. Lake and the others from the hotel tomorrow. The funeral parlor's backyard can be renovated; running back and forth all the time is too much trouble." "Yes, Young Master, understood. The funeral parlor's backyard is quite spacious, actually—leaving so much space as storage really is a waste." "Once those two scrolls are done, I'll try learning them first. If I can master them relatively quickly, I ought to take this opportunity to visit Allen Manor. Mr. Bede reminded me once before, and Captain Neo 'reminded' me again tonight. Heh." "Do you miss Miss Eunice, Young Master?" "I'm homesick." ... By the time he returned home, the sky was already pale. After taking a bath and walking into the bedroom, Karen saw Purr fast asleep on the bed, while Kevin lay in his dog bed snoring. It was the first time Karen realized a dog's snoring could be so loud. The cat and dog truly had exhausted themselves over the past few days. Karen picked up a blanket and draped it over Kevin's head, which instantly muffled the snores significantly. Then, Karen scooped Purr up, set her on the pillow beside him, slid under the covers, and pulled the blanket over both of them. Rest. ... Because he had gone to bed so late, it was already afternoon when he woke. Karen got out of bed and pushed the bedroom door open, only to see Purr riding Kevin at a dead sprint toward him. "We're done, Karen!" "Woof!" Karen pushed open the study door and found two exquisite scrolls resting on the desk. "I'll start practicing as soon as I freshen up," Karen said with a smile. "Heavens, are you mad? Practicing in the house!" "What's wrong?" "I mean, if you don't control your strength properly, you might tear the place apart!" "Is it that exaggerated?" "Of course! These are the two spells the stupid dog and I carefully picked out for you—the ones best suited to you!" One had once reached the ninth tier of a family faith system; the other was an evil god suppressed in ages past. Such a teaching staff, and two-on-one at that, truly was a luxury. "Alright, I'll wash up first." Karen walked into the bathroom and prepared to brush his teeth. Purr, still riding Kevin, arrived at the doorway. "I thought you'd be so excited you'd drive off right away to find an open spot without caring about anything else. I didn't expect you to insist on freshening up first. Karen, you're always so decent." Karen paused and stared at Purr. Purr tilted her head in confusion. Kevin tilted his head in confusion as well. "I'm a bit sensitive to the word 'decent' lately." "Oh, sorry, I didn't know." Purr grinned. Kevin grinned too. After washing up, Karen found Little John sitting on the sofa, a box resting on the coffee table in front of him. "Why aren't you at school?" "It's the weekend," Little John said. "Ah." Karen nodded. "Young Master, I made meat pies in the kitchen," Xili called out. "I'll go pack your clothes and luggage now." "Pack luggage?" "Yes, Mr. Alfred said you're going on a long journey tomorrow to visit family, Young Master." "Tomorrow? All right, go ahead and pack." Xili walked into the bedroom. Karen went into the kitchen, grabbed a meat pie, and took a bite. It tasted great—Xili already knew his preferences and hadn't loaded it with sugar or heavy sauces. "Where are we going to practice?" Karen asked. Little John spoke up. "Mr. Alfred said the woods near the sausage factory from last time would be very suitable for practicing." "What about a car? Alfred went out." "Young Master, Mr. Alfred said he borrowed Mr. Alaye's car for today. He left ours behind. The keys are right here." Little John opened the box on the coffee table. Inside were not only car keys, but also a handgun. "What's with the gun?" "Mr. Alfred said he picked up Mr. Gross's handgun yesterday. It still has bullets in it, so the Young Master can use it for tests." Purr remarked, "Oh, what a thoughtful radio demon." Since Alfred had arranged even this before leaving, he had undoubtedly told them about what happened last night. Which meant earlier at the bathroom door, Purr had deliberately used the word "decent." "Let's head out, then." With a grin, Little John slung his backpack over his shoulders and carried the box along. He had to come, because dog paws and cat paws couldn't pull a trigger. And so, Karen drove Little John and the two pets out to the woods. After parking by the roadside, they walked deeper into the forest. Once they picked a quiet spot, Little John sat down, set the box with the gun aside, and opened his backpack. From it, he pulled out several bottles of water and a thermos flask filled with ice cubes. Karen picked up one of the scrolls. Purr said, "That is Sea God's Armor." "How do I use it?" "Channel your spirituality into it. Once it reaches a certain threshold, that's it. It's that simple. After all, neither the stupid dog nor I are currently able to set any restrictions." Karen nodded and channeled his spirituality into the scroll. Before long, the scroll began to glow, and a conscious force sought entry into his mind. "Don't resist it. That's the stupid dog's mental imprint." "Woof!" Karen lowered his mental defenses and attempted to commune with this consciousness. Soon, his consciousness plunged into a brief darkness, followed by him finding himself standing in a white void. Beneath his feet, formation lines etched themselves across the floor; before him, an evolving phantom appeared; and above his head, a suit of azure armor shone brightly, continuously splitting apart and recombining. At this moment, Karen finally understood why scrolls had to be used for transcription. This kind of inheritance could never be conveyed through spoken words or text, nor could film ever capture it. Only this immersive method could allow a learner to see the true, profound mysteries within. This was the difference between ordinary spells and genuine high-level arts—they were not only hard to learn, but even harder to teach. Naturally, such advanced spells were bound to be exceptionally rare and precious. Moreover, Karen recognized that during the transmission process, if the instructor made the slightest mistake, the entire spell would be ruined. Fortunately, Karen had complete faith in the professional expertise of his two pets. *Alright, let's begin: convert and replicate using the power of light.* ... In the woods, Karen stood with his eyes closed, a faint white light emanating from his body. "How long do you think he'll take?" Purr asked Kevin. "Woof." "Five hours? Then there won't be time to learn my Dark Moon Blade today." "Woof." "You mean five hours to finish both?" "Woof." "That's still a bit slow. Be bolder—an hour each! That's the standard a genius like Diss deserves." Little John placed two cups of water in front of Purr and Kevin, along with two handfuls of dried fruit. Then he squatted beside them and asked, "Um, could I learn this too?" Purr turned her head to look at him. "Do you believe in the light?" Little John froze for a second, then immediately patted his chest. "Of course! I believe in the light!" "Very good." Purr took a sip of water and nodded. "Too bad you don't have light-attributed power inside you." "..." Little John fell silent. "Woof." "Miss Purr, what did Mr. Kevin say?" "He says you could go believe in the Church of Light." "Can I? Really?" "Woof." "He says yes, and then the power of light will instantly purify you, you little aberrant demon." "..." Little John fell silent once more. "If you want to practice, you can consult the radio demon." "Mr. Alfred?" "Mhm. He seems to have grown inexplicably stronger lately." Purr glanced at Kevin. "My senses aren't playing tricks on me, right?" "Woof." Kevin nodded. "Sometimes I really think it's utter nonsense, but the crazy thing is, he actually managed to bullshit his way into a viable path." At this moment, streaks of blood-red lines surfaced on Karen's body. As they radiated outward, the white glow enveloping him turned even more dazzling. "Woof, woof!" "Yes, yes, I know, I know. This is even more absurd. A priest who's just one step away from Inquisitor can actually channel the power of a family faith system. Suddenly, the radio demon seems far more reasonable by comparison." "Woof." Little John said in awe, "The Young Master is a genius, isn't he?" "Do you know what despair is?" Purr asked. "No." Little John shook his head. "It's when a genius stands on the shoulders of giants." "That sounds... exaggerated." "No, not exaggerated in the slightest. A single godhead fragment is enough for a family to receive blessings from the Church of Order. And three godhead fragments? Diss placed the entire family's bloodline onto him." "Woof!" "Oh, I know, plus the body you remodeled." "Woof!" "Right, plus his own unique soul—after all, he's someone who squeezed out an evil god to become a dog. Oh no, I take back what I said earlier. This isn't just standing on shoulders; it's a bunch of giants stacking up like a human ladder just to lift him into the sky." The moment the words left her mouth, the white light around Karen instantly turned blue. A full suit of armor materialized over his entire body, its surface flowing like liquid water and exuding a mysterious aura. Purr admired, "Sea God's Armor, how handsome." "Woof! Woof!" "I know, because Karen is handsome to begin with." Karen opened his eyes, raised his hands, and inspected the armor covering him. In this moment, an overwhelming sense of security filled him, and he could feel his body becoming remarkably light. Instinctively, he gave a hop. Under the effects of the Sea God's Armor, he leaped more than six meters into the air. Coming down off balance, he was about to stumble, but a column of water extended from the armor to prop him up and steady him. Purr turned to Little John. "How long did that take?" Little John looked down at his watch. "Half an hour." "Meow!" Purr let out an excited feline cry. Karen began to run. He discovered that his running speed had also increased drastically. Far from weighing him down, the armor formed a propulsive force guided by his will. Finally, Karen came to a stop and looked at Little John. "Test it with the handgun." Little John opened the box and took out the handgun, his hands trembling slightly. Karen walked over. The blue gauntlet on his right hand receded, and he took the gun from Little John, pointing it straight at his own left arm. *Bang!* Karen was an extremely cautious person; the reason he dared run such a test was that he had absolute confidence in the defensive capability of this Sea God's Armor. Sure enough, the bullet failed to pierce the armor, nor did it ricochet away. The bullet's red-hot tip embedded into the armor's surface, sending ripples spreading outward. At first it spun rapidly, but the red heat quickly faded, and the slug dropped to the ground. The indentation left behind restored itself instantly, leaving not the slightest trace. Most importantly, Karen didn't even feel an impact shock in his arm—the kinetic force was completely neutralized externally by the flowing water. Purr clapped her paws together. "Congratulations, Karen! You finally don't need to fear firearms anymore. I should remind you, though—churches have guns with special ammunition that grant armor-piercing and magic-breaking bonuses, so..." "If I can dodge, I'll dodge." "Mm, true. Your approach has always been very... prudent." "Let's move on to the next one: Dark Moon Blade." "Don't need a rest?" "No need." "Alright, here's the scroll." Karen picked up the second scroll. Before infusing his spirituality, he remarked, "For some reason, while replicating and learning, I felt like I was reading in Grandfather's study." Purr replied, "So now you understand why practitioners of our family faith system always say 'Blessings of the Primogenitor,' right?" The Sea God's Armor on Karen dispersed. Closing his eyes, he channeled his spirituality into the scroll. Before long, the white glow manifested once more. Purr reached out a paw and patted Kevin on the head. "Take a look at our boy. Doesn't he look full of potential?" "Woof." Kevin nodded. "So give up on your little evil god ambitions. Who knows, maybe you can land a gig as a true god down the line. Look at that—the radio demon's already beaten you to the punch." "Woof?" "What, you asking about me?" Purr flicked her tail. "I'm going to be his symbiotic artifact spirit in the future. None of you can beat me to that." Little John kept his eyes glued to his watch. Finally, the white light on Karen shifted into dark crimson. Little John called out immediately, "Fifteen minutes!" Purr nodded with a numb expression. "So taking half an hour on the first one was just because he spent so much time getting used to this way of learning..." Dark crimson enveloped Karen's body. From the palms of both hands, two crimson beams of light emerged, resembling both whips and blades. As they dragged along the ground, dead leaves were instantly sliced and incinerated. Karen raised his hands. Gradually, the dark crimson on his arms stabilized, taking the form of two scimitars resting along his forearms. His body began to step backward. For a moment, the wind whistled past his ears; he dashed backward so quickly that his back slammed directly into a tree trunk. *Thud!* "Cough, cough..." The impact left his chest feeling tight. "I see. Dark Moon Blade boosts agility too, and the boost is far more noticeable than Sea God's Armor." Karen closed his eyes. While maintaining the Dark Moon Blade, Sea God's Armor materialized over his body once again. Then Karen spread his arms wide, the two crimson scimitars raised, and burst into a sprint. *Hum!* *Hum!* *Hum!* *Hum!* Sprinting the entire way, two rows of trees were sheared clean in half by Karen. Purr exclaimed in shock, "Doesn't he get tired? It's lasted so long!" "Woof!" *Smack!* Purr slapped the golden retriever on the head. "No dirty talk!" "..." Kevin was speechless. Finally, Karen came to a stop. Falling branches were automatically deflected away by the Sea God's Armor. Karen walked over toward Purr as the Sea God's Armor and Dark Moon Blade completely dissipated. Though he was exhausted, resting his hands on his knees and panting heavily, drenched in sweat, his head suffered neither dizziness nor any tearing agony. Purr and Kevin were right: these were indeed the two spells best suited to him right now—even more fitting for his current state than the Spear of Punishment. Little John offered a cup of iced water. Karen took it and sat down, finishing every drop before handing the cup back. Then he propped his hands behind him and leaned back completely. Though exhausted, he was thoroughly exhilarated. In particular, the sense of security that came from grasping real power was beyond words. That dread and unease that had lingered in his heart ever since he first opened his eyes in this world had finally begun to disperse. "I've finally learned how to fight."