Chapter 54: Mud Howling Dark Frog
Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Mud Howling Dark Frog
Watching the black-haired young man approach, Dick flattened himself against the wall and shrieked as if he had seen a ghost:
"Don’t you come any closer!!"
’Not scared?’
How could anyone not be terrified when facing such an evil Warlock!
Wang Xi walked straight up to the short, hunchbacked Coinage Officer and grabbed him by the shoulder.
The man shuddered violently and wet himself on the spot. A dark patch spread across his crotch, and the acrid smell of urine filled the air.
"You seem a bit stressed, sir."
Wang Xi pinched his nose in disgust, his voice coming out nasally.
The Coinage Officer didn’t understand what he meant by "stressed." He just kept trembling, his voice quivering as he stammered:
"I’m begging you, please don’t eat my brain..."
"Eat, eat, eat! I oughta eat your mother’s head!"
Shaking with rage, Wang Xi punched the man in the gut.
THUD!!
"GACK—"
Dick’s eyes bulged as he doubled over, dry-heaving.
His terror had reached its absolute peak...
’This Warlock has gone mad!’
’He’s going to eat my brain!’
’Even my own mother’s head won’t be spared!’
Wang Xi immediately followed up with a slap across his mouth.
"Ugh!" The Coinage Officer clutched his throat, looking like he was on death’s door. He had clearly felt the evil Warlock shove something into his mouth. "Cough! Cough!"
"W-what did you make me eat?!"
Dick’s face fell as a terrible thought occurred to him.
"Poison! It must be poison to make my brain tastier!"
"Yes, you’re a real genius," Wang Xi said, nodding earnestly.
Hearing this, the Coinage Officer fell into despair. His eyes rolled back as he began to pass out.
Wang Xi couldn’t be bothered to explain, but he didn’t want the man to literally die of fright. He quickly propped up the limp Coinage Officer and said in a soothing voice, as if coaxing a child:
"Deep breaths. It’s normal to feel dizzy."
"Gurgle..."
The Coinage Officer was still foaming at the mouth.
Seeing that this wasn’t working, Wang Xi simply slapped the man twice. SLAP! SLAP! The two sharp smacks jolted the Coinage Officer back to his senses.
This time, however, the fear was gone from Dick’s face, replaced by a blank, vacant stare.
Seeing this, Wang Xi knew the potion was taking effect.
—「Sweet Words Candy Jar」—
It was a blue Artifact Card he had drawn the night before. The candy inside could shatter a person’s will, leaving them susceptible to control.
Wang Xi seized the opportunity, leaned in close, and whispered like a devil:
"I’m your daddy..."
Soon, clarity returned to the Coinage Officer’s vacant eyes. Upon seeing Wang Xi, his expression became one of utmost respect.
"Father."
"Hm?"
Surprise flickered in Wang Xi’s eyes.
’It actually worked...’
He had only been experimenting, but he never expected Bev’s Sugar Magic to be so potent when it came to mind control.
While the potion’s effects were still taking hold, Wang Xi quickly changed his command, his voice low and solemn:
"Dick Smo, although I adopted you when you were a child, you don’t need to address me as ’Father.’ From now on, call me... Lord Gurui."
"Yes, Lord Gurui."
The Coinage Officer prostrated himself on the floor and kissed the toe of Wang Xi’s shoe.
This scene caused the Chubby Minister’s and the Pharmacist’s faces to contort in terror.
Holy shit!
This was too fucking terrifying!
If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it!
In just a few seconds, the Coinage Officer Dick they knew so well had been transformed by the Warlock’s evil Magic, as if he’d become a completely different person!
From a noble Kingdom Official, he had become a lowly dog groveling on the floor and kissing his master’s shoes!
"Devil! You damned Devil!"
Ando, both shocked and furious, raised a chubby finger and sputtered at the black-haired youth.
"You’ll never make me yield—OOF!"
SLAP!
In a flash, Wang Xi was in front of him, shoving a Sweet Words Candy into the Chubby Minister’s mouth just as he was starting to curse.
"Ugh!"
The Chubby Minister’s eyes went wide, and he clutched his throat.
Not one to play favorites, Wang Xi immediately pulled out another piece of candy and held it out to the Pharmacist.
"Are you going to eat it yourself, or do I have to feed it to you?" he asked coolly.
The middle-aged man named Marco stared fixedly at the hard candy in Wang Xi’s hand, the corner of his eye twitching. He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Lord Warlock, is it possible to..."
"Avada Keda—"
"I’ll eat it! I’ll eat it!!"
Terrified that the Warlock would finish the Spell, the Pharmacist moved faster than he ever had in his life, snatching the colorful candy and tossing it into his mouth.
GULP.
As he swallowed the hard candy, his face turned ashen.
Soon, the eyes of both the Chubby Minister and the Pharmacist went vacant, their expressions turning utterly blank.
A smile touched Wang Xi’s lips.
...
...
「A moment later.」
Wang Xi sat at a table while the other three men, now controlled by the candy, stood obediently to the side like faithful servants, their eyes downcast.
He toyed with a Green Card in his hand. It was a new Card he had just drawn, its power sourced from the now-defeated Finger Association President, who was lying on the floor staring blankly at the ceiling.
「Silent Long Night (Skill Card)」
「Quality: Green One Star (Upgradeable)」
「The signature skill of a veteran assassin. Throughout his life, he used it to assassinate countless wealthy merchants and nobles, hidden by the shadows of the night, silent and traceless. Ultimately, however, he died at the hands of a Warlock in a direct duel.」
「Upon use, you will master this skill. The noise from your movements will be greatly reduced, with the effect being even greater at night. This Card continuously consumes a small amount of stamina while active.」
’You call yourself an assassin, but you fought like a Berserker, trying to rush me head-on and take me out in one fell swoop.’
Wang Xi clicked his tongue and glanced at the body on the floor.
’Tsk. You played yourself right into an early grave.’
He took a lesson from the man’s failure, reminding himself not to get careless, lest he suffer a humiliating defeat one day from a simple mistake.
After a moment’s thought, Wang Xi tossed the Card into the fissure in his mind, sending in 「Amphibian」 and 「Listen to Heartbeat」 along with it.
’Kaos, synthesize.’
HUMMM—
The three Green Cards spun within the misty fissure.
Soon, they began to intertwine.
Finally, a deep green light flared brilliantly.
「Mud Howling Dark Frog (Skill Card)」
「Quality: Deep Green One Star (Not Upgradeable)」
「A frog that lives in the shadows. It moves furtively and has keen senses. It loves to spy on beautiful women, howling in the mud by day and lurking in the depths by night. A truly shady creature.」
「Upon use, you will gain the ability to breathe underwater, move silently, and perceive your surroundings. This Card continuously consumes a moderate amount of stamina while active.」
’...’
Holding the brand-new Deep Green Card, Wang Xi was so speechless he didn’t even know where to begin his complaints. He felt the description was... loaded.
Overall, however, the fused Card was clearly stronger. Though it was no longer upgradeable, sacrificing some of its potential, all of its abilities had been significantly enhanced.
Wang Xi put the Card away, his expression turning thoughtful.
He had just extracted some very valuable intelligence from the Chubby Minister, the Coinage Officer, and the Pharmacist.
First, Calvin had indeed tampered with the Magic Workshop, and Ando, as the Minister in charge of the Artisan Corps, was perfectly aware of it. But he had been bought by Calvin long ago and was being blackmailed, so he had betrayed the Queen to obediently serve as the Crown Prince Consort’s lapdog.
Second, Dick hadn’t actually pocketed all the money he embezzled—or rather, he hadn’t dared to. The vast majority of it had been taken by Calvin.
Third, Marco’s mentor had once been the head Palace Pharmacist but was secretly executed two years ago. Only a handful of people knew about this, Marco being one of them.
Wang Xi hadn’t paid much attention to the Pharmacist, only controlling him as a matter of convenience. He never expected a casual question to uncover such a palace secret.
Recalling that the old king had also died two years ago, Wang Xi realized it was most likely not a coincidence.
He pressed Marco for more details.
As he delved deeper, even with the passive effect of 「Bloody Knight」, Wang Xi could barely suppress the twitching at the corners of his mouth.
’Calvin is certainly ambitious enough, but he’s too impatient for quick success and recognition...’
Wang Xi thought to himself.
From Marco, he learned that the true cause of the old king’s death was a "vicious illness."
When the illness flared up, the king’s eyes would turn crimson, and he would become incredibly manic and homicidal. No potion had any effect.
In the end, he died violently in his bed, bleeding from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
The entire Imperial Court Pharmacist Corps was unable to diagnose the illness, but Wang Xi had already guessed the answer: the polluted Black Lake in the Magic Forest.
The old king’s condition sounded a lot like corruption.
But he wasn’t a Demon, just an old man with one foot in the grave. Naturally, he couldn’t withstand the corruption and died.
The incident was ultimately ruled to be a curse. With Calvin fanning the flames, the blame was pinned on the evil Witch of the Magic Forest.
This immediately sent the royal court into a panic.
And it was in this state of grief, confusion, and helplessness that the young Queen Sianna was forced to take up the crown.
Then, in accordance with the wishes of the ministers and nobles, she declared the Magic Forest to be humanity’s greatest enemy. And under Calvin’s direction, a sweeping revolution in Magic Technology began...
After learning these secrets, Wang Xi couldn’t help but marvel.
That Calvin had some real dog-shit luck; the timing, the place, and the people had all aligned perfectly for him. He was about to marry the Queen, was secretly building a Mechanical Puppet Legion, and was on track to control the Kingdom and reach the pinnacle of his life.
In any other novel, he’d be the Child of Fortune. ’A foe this terrifying,’ he thought. ’Absolutely cannot be left alive.’
CLICK.
Just then, the door opened.
Pinocchio, his clothes in tatters, walked in, dragging the unconscious Demon Hunter Colin behind him.
Wang Xi glanced over and saw several bodies lying haphazardly outside the door—all of them the Finger Association elites from downstairs.
"Pinocchio, are you hurt?"
he asked with concern, looking at the boy’s battered state.
"I’m fine." Pinocchio scratched his head, embarrassed. "He just slashed me a few times. My clothes got ripped."
Wang Xi noticed that beneath the tears in the boy’s clothes, his skin was smooth and delicate, without a single scratch.
A testament to his astonishing defensive power.
He glanced at the unconscious Colin with pity. Even a battle-hardened Warrior like him, who had hunted countless Demons, had probably never encountered an opponent with skin of iron, impervious to any blade...
"I’ll take you to a tailor later to get a new set of clothes, but they definitely won’t be as good as this outfit."
Wang Xi said comfortingly.
Pinocchio wasn’t picky. He just gave a shy smile and nodded.
He thought to himself that Gai was truly good to him.
...
...
「In the days that followed.」
Using the special pass and token he had obtained from Ando, Wang Xi assumed the identity of an Inspector and strolled boldly into the Magic Workshop district on the east side of Daphne with Pinocchio in tow.
In the original 「Retirement Preview」, this was the step where he had gotten stuck, wasting a huge amount of time. He had failed to expose Calvin’s conspiracy before the Queen’s wedding.
As a result, events had spiraled toward the worst possible outcome.
’But from this point forward, I will personally rewrite the course of events...’