Chapter 103: Seizing the Future (Patreon)

On a plane invisible to ordinary eyes…

Dragon God Orsted was using an incredibly fast method, forging his body with mana and hammering it into shape again and again.

He lost all track of time in his training. Before he knew it, the sky had slowly begun to darken.

A strikingly beautiful lady, forcing down the terror in her heart, walked slowly toward him. She bowed deeply to Dragon God Orsted and said, "Honored Dragon God!"

Hah!

Dragon God Orsted let out a long breath of murky white air. He reached out and drew his clothes from the ground into his hand, then swung his arm and threw them on in one motion.

He looked at the beautiful lady in front of him and asked, "Is it time to eat already? Let's go."

She shook her head…

Aerya smiled sweetly. "Honored Dragon God, hello. I'm Aerya. It isn't quite mealtime yet. But… Lord Rudeus invites you to come over and relax for a while. He'd also like to talk with you about a few things. What do you say?"

Dragon God Orsted nodded. "Fine. Take me there."

Aerya lowered her head and, with a meek, obedient bow, bent deeply at the waist once more. Then, half a step ahead of him, she led Dragon God Orsted to the building on the far side of the courtyard.

After many twists and turns, they entered a huge, lavishly decorated room.

Inside, Dragon God Orsted spotted Rudeus at a glance.

Rudeus was lying face down on a flat wooden bed, padded with a layer of soft leather. Two ladies were pounding his body.

"Rudeus?"

"You're here. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Alright."

Dragon God Orsted nodded. With Lady Aerya's help, he changed into a plain white short tunic. Following her directions, he lay face down on a wooden bed padded with soft leather, just as Rudeus had.

Compared with Rudeus, whose body was only a dozen-odd years old, the bed fit him perfectly.

Dragon God Orsted, immensely powerful and tall, lay on the board with the entire length of it still shorter than his body. Seeing this, Lady Aerya hurriedly pushed over another leather-padded board.

"Honored Dragon God, will this do?"

"No problem."

Thick-skinned Dragon God Orsted answered her question with indifference.

Honestly… he had come here mainly out of curiosity about Rudeus. Was there something that required speaking to him alone?

Seeing that Dragon God Orsted had no complaints, Lady Aerya breathed a sigh of relief. She took up the ointment, made from various precious medicinal herbs, and slowly dripped it onto his back. Then she began to pound him gently, helping the costly ointment absorb better.

But honestly… Dragon God Orsted's muscles were so hard!!!

They were like stone slabs, like blocks of iron. Every time her fist landed, the shock rebounded and made her fleshy hands ache unbearably.

Just then… Rudeus turned his head and glanced at Lady Aerya, whose face had gone a little pale. He smiled and beckoned her over.

Puzzled, she obediently came up to him. Rudeus took both of her hands in his.

At once… two clusters of fiery red magic elements wrapped around her hands.

"All set. You should be able to pound the Dragon God's body now~."

"Thank you so much, Lord Rudeus."

Seeing how considerate Rudeus was, Lady Aerya bowed deeply in heartfelt gratitude, then returned to her place behind Dragon God Orsted. She tried a blow, and it really worked!!

The other ladies saw this too, and their earlier terror of Rudeus began to change into something different.

Seeing that everything was fine, Rudeus asked with a smile, "So, how's Lady Aerya's technique? Not bad?"

Dragon God Orsted said noncommittally, "Not bad."

Rudeus hummed in reply and settled his head back into place. Then… he asked Dragon God Orsted with a smile, "This afternoon… why were you standing in the courtyard the whole time without moving an inch?"

Dragon God Orsted answered his curiosity directly. "I was trying to see whether I can still advance."

"The body? Or mana? Or both together?" Rudeus asked, curious.

"For now, the body," said Dragon God Orsted. "What I'm tempering is still my body. After all, the body is the foundation of everything."

"True, the body really is the foundation of everything," Rudeus said with a smile. "But have you ever thought about solving your mana problem once and for all? Body as the foundation, with mana advancing in step. That's the best way to grow stronger."

Hearing this, Dragon God Orsted asked, pleasantly surprised, "You have a way to solve my mana problem?"

"I do," Rudeus said with a smile. "I can give you one of the Nuclear Sprites I summoned. Keep it by your side at all times, and you can draw mana from it endlessly."

"Hm." Dragon God Orsted asked, "If I take one, won't it affect you?"

"Not at all. I have trillions of Nuclear Sprites."

"…"

Hearing this, Dragon God Orsted was lost for a reply.

Rudeus went on, "Besides, we're teammates. This won't cost you anything at all. I also know that even though you've joined the team, you're still wary of me. So think of it as me trying to win you over, a reason for you to drop your guard completely."

Dragon God Orsted nodded, a warmth spreading through him. "Thank you for your help. I'm truly grateful!!"

"Mm, this is mostly what I called you over for," Rudeus said with a smile. "And I wanted you, always so tense, to get a rare chance to relax."

Dragon God Orsted nodded and smiled. "Thanks."

Rudeus answered with a smile and closed his eyes, quietly feeling the ladies pound away at his body.

Since this West Port administrator wanted to get in with him, he would give the man a chance.

He had just spoken aloud of the wariness between himself and the Dragon God. The truth of it was beyond doubt. Even if it were laid right before Hitogami, there would be no problem at all.

So… what would this West Port administrator do?

Report it faithfully, then try every means to drive a wedge between him and the Dragon God? Or do something else entirely?

As for whether Dragon God Orsted truly wanted to be his enemy, he didn't care either. Because… the most precious time Dragon God Orsted could regress to had already passed.

In the very first moment after defeating Dragon God Orsted!!!

On the surface, he was researching the principle behind the Dragon God's Protection. And in truth, he really was researching it. But his main attention was on how to