Love, Gun, Cupid

"The G group matchup is Kapok vs. Kalxa, with the venue being the Seaside City and the map being the Temple of Artemis. The winner of this match will then face the winner of the F group."

Upon learning the result, Lin Jiade breathed a sigh of relief. He had forgotten who Karksa was, but he hadn't followed him beforehand; Karksa was one of the top-ranked players in the odds for this elimination round. The senior student in charge of collecting player information quickly provided Karksa's information in the chat group.

Calxa was one of the 26 contestants who directly qualified for the main tournament, so we were unable to collect any information about her matches. We only learned from underground intelligence organizations and public information that she was a hybrid of human and alien race, but her magic was not closely related to her bloodline.

This is the disadvantage of playing two more playoff rounds. It would be fine if both sides were still shrouded in mystery, but right now, Kapok has already revealed most of its secrets to Karlsack, while Karlsack remains a complete enigma to Kapok. Furthermore, because it's a neutral venue match, it's difficult to figure out the opponent's skills in advance, unlike with the Hatter.

Lin Jiade glanced at the kapok tree with concern, but the kapok tree remained steadfast like a black reef amidst the waves of worry.

Chapter Thirty-One: Blood Spear Potion

On November 26, the midterm exam results were released. Lin Jiade checked the official website and saw that his professional course grades were pretty good. This meant that if he maintained his participation grades and aimed to pass the final exam, the difficulty would be like playing a game of Stranger 1-7 – not too difficult.

Since that was the case, he had more time to slack off... no, to devote himself to the sacred cause of magical research before finals. So, on Monday night, the potion corresponding to the Blood Spear spell was presented to Lin Jiade.

Along with him came some props used in the BDSM community. Lin Jiade was first bound to an X-shaped frame, his hands and feet locked with reinforced steel rings. To prevent him from accidentally breaking free, Gladiolus also cast a spell. Then, his waist was wrapped in chains made of cuckoo hair.

Jasmine stood on a stool, holding a towel and ready for anything. If there were whips and candles, Lin Jiade would probably think he was on the set of some kind of movie.

“I said, it’s just taking a potion, there’s no need to make such a big fuss,” he said.

“This time we have to do it,” Gladiolus replied. “It’s a two-in-one potion. First, it’s an enhancement potion, and then it incorporates a portion of the energy that Miss Reed Warbler separated out. This will be the main source of your suffering.”

"To be specific, it's about the weight of a single hair, enough to make up for all the food and drinks I've been eating and drinking at your house these past few days... Hmph, anyway, you just treat me like a freeloader, right?"

The reed warbler crossed her arms: "Strength means change, and change will be accompanied by destruction and rebirth. Pain is inevitable. You should rejoice in the pain you are about to suffer, for every pain will make you stronger."

Du Juan had taught him that pain could bring happiness, but no matter what, Lin Jiade couldn't be happy, especially when Jianlan maliciously set up a camera in the room in advance to capture a memorable moment.

Gladiolus continued, "The Blood Spear Potion comes after the Enhancement Potion. Due to the limitations of the framework theory, I cannot enhance its power to the level of a third-level spell, so I added some interesting variations to it. Don't be afraid... Lin Jiade."

Despite his fear, vanity kept Lin Jiade calm; he didn't want to appear weak in front of Wei Ying, an outsider. Jianlan dragged over a bowl of soup, filled with amber liquid that emitted an appetizing aroma.

“The Bloodspear potion uses chicken broth,” Gladiolus explained. “It doesn’t interfere with the potion’s effects and makes it taste even better.”

Lin Jiade looked at Jianlan gratefully. Jianlan told him to open his mouth, and he obediently opened it. He thought Jianlan would feed him spoonful by spoonful, but Jianlan pointed her finger, and the amber liquid in the soup bowl obeyed her will and was immediately poured into Lin Jiade's mouth, flowing down his esophagus into his stomach, giving him no chance to spit it out.

Lin Jiade felt like a crayfish thrown into a hot pot, the spiciness washing over him from the inside out. He writhed wildly, shaking the X-bracing frame until it creaked. Luckily, a towel had already been stuffed into his mouth before that.

His body swelled up, the wounds left in the Mirror Realm tore open, and blood splattered. Jasmine glanced at Jianlan with concern, but Jianlan shook his head to indicate that he was alright.

The blood wasn't wasted. The cuckoo held it in the air, gathered it, and put it in her mouth, as if savoring a delicious delicacy. The reed warbler watched this scene curiously and imitated her sister, holding a drop of blood in her hand and putting it in her mouth.

She tasted her sister's energy, her own energy, the energy of the kapok tree, the energy of the gladiolus, and the unknown within it. It was like a fruit platter, with diverse flavors, but the portion was not enough to satisfy everyone.

But she was happy that in this way, her energy became a part of her sister's, and her sister's energy was also absorbed by her, as if they had exchanged parts of their bodies.

200 milliliters of blood were squeezed out of Lin Jiade, and his suffering came to an end. He was dizzy from the torment of the potion (given his current physique, the fatigue from losing 200 milliliters of blood was probably similar to the feeling of having his savings account withdrawn). He skipped that night and fell into a deep sleep.

It wasn't until the club meeting the following evening that he finally had the chance to test his new spell. Simply put, the Blood Spear spell involved smearing any object with his blood and imbuing it with energy, giving it the function of a spear. It could be held in the hand to unleash a powerful thrust or thrown.

Judging from the description, the Blood Spear spell's utility lies somewhere between being fun and useful. Its main function is as a prerequisite for the Lionheart spell, and its own use is at most an added bonus.

Lin Jiade took out a syringe, drew his own blood, and squeezed it onto a nylon sword in the martial arts classroom. In the blink of an eye, the nylon sword transformed into a short spear. He did nothing, and ten seconds later, it turned back into a nylon sword.

Next, it was time to test its power. Lin Jiade moved to the courtyard, where he drew another vial of his own blood and used a nylon sword to create a blood spear, which he then hurled towards the kapok tree. The trajectory of his throw was straight, making it easy for the kapok tree to predict its landing point and knock it down with its sword.

The moment the blood spear hit the ground, the blood attached to the nylon sword detached and transformed into a long needle that pierced the cotton tree's thigh. The cotton tree hurriedly dodged and watched as it flew towards the large tree in the courtyard, leaving a small hole in it. In the process of moving, it also lost mass and disappeared without a trace.

"Perhaps it can be called a surprise," Kapok said.

"But its practicality is very low. Firstly, blood reserves are relatively troublesome. I can't always bleed out on the spot unless the enemy has already inflicted a wound on me and I make use of it. But losing blood is also equivalent to consuming my energy and stamina, gambling that the opponent will be careless and not dodge."

Lin Jiade shrugged: "However, I do have an idea."

Gladiolus cast a spell on Lin Jiade and said to Kapok, "Lin Jiade needs combat to speed up the digestion of the potion, and you need various types of sparring partners. Wouldn't it be a rare experience to have an opponent who possesses charm, splashes liquid, and has magical protection?"

Mu Mian nodded, and Lin Jiade tensed up. He could now tell when Mu Mian was serious. And now, Mu Mian was very serious, so he made Lin Jiade serious as well.

Wei Ying looked at Jasmine and said, "Looking won't help. Your boyfriend hasn't even finished my basic course yet. The only suspense is how long it will take for Kapok to finish the battle."

Jasmine remained motionless, while Reed Warbler turned to leave; what was the point of a match with no suspense? But halfway there, she turned back, her face full of displeasure.

In the courtyard, Lin Jiade solemnly said, "Senior, promise me one thing."

"What? Don't slap me in the face later."

Chapter 32 Concept Validation (31→30)

Those present chuckled. Even Mu Mian's movements showed a momentary flaw. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lin Jiade conjured a celestial weapon, slung it over his shoulder, and sped towards Mu Mian.

"So fast!" someone in the audience exclaimed.

Wei Ying said with a hint of pride, "Of course, originally he would only unconsciously use energy to strengthen his arms and enhance the striking power of his sword swings."

However, after I guided him using methods that even a small child could understand, he finally got the hang of it and learned how to use energy to strengthen different areas.

However, that's all. Lin Jiade has only completed half of his basic course. His progress in energy usage surprised Mu Mian, but his swordsmanship is still terrible. Every time he raises his hand, he exposes many flaws in Mu Mian's eyes.

Golden light from the Overtime Magic appeared on the blade of the Kapok Sword. Following Jianlan's earlier suggestion, she wanted to test an alternative way to use the Overtime Magic. However, Lin Jiade was very uncooperative. He raised his left hand, and the Thunder Spell hit Kapok, causing damage equivalent to being pricked with a needle by Rong Momo, while interrupting Kapok's spellcasting.

Thunder's spell damage was pitiful, but its casting speed was unparalleled. As a swordswoman, Mu Mian was unable to cast any spells in front of Lin Jiade—unless she pulled the trigger under the hilt of her sword, activated the ammunition in the internal magazine, and activated the spells stored within.

"Kapok should learn the Thunder spell to limit her opponent's spellcasting," Jianlan noted in her notebook, adding her first insight.

After several attempts, Kapok stopped trying to cast the spell. She pulled the trigger, imbuing her sword blade with a red glow—a spell to increase damage.

However, in order to allow Lin Jiade to better simulate Kapok's opponent, the energy shield that Jianlan had applied beforehand came into play. Kapok's full-force attack only shattered the shield, and the energy on her blade had already dissipated.

Lin Jiade swung down the celestial weapon he was carrying on his shoulder, using brute force to push aside Mu Mian's blade. In the clash of their weapons, Mu Mian was the one who suffered a loss, as her weapon chipped a small nick, while Lin Jiade's weapon remained undamaged.

"Want to go head-to-head with the Celestials' weapons?" Wei Ying laughed. "The Empire's materials science is seven centuries behind the Celestials'. Who gave her the courage?"

“She knew this was just an assessment, an assessment after a direct confrontation with the Celestial Weapons,” Jianlan replied.

As expected, after one exchange, Mu Mian tried her best to avoid direct clashes between her weapon and the Celestial weapons. She made a gesture as if to draw a submachine gun, and Lin Jiade hurriedly dodged, only to throw a smoke grenade instead.

"it's useless!"

Lin Jiade activated his Soul Vision, and the image of Kapok was clearly visible in his eyes. He rushed towards Kapok's direction. His hand slid along the blade, and a long, narrow wound opened on his palm, blood splattering. He then threw the weapon he was holding, aiming for Kapok's forehead.

As the cotton tree flashed by, Lin Jiade was already upon her. She raised her sword and slashed at Lin Jiade's palm with the back of the blade. Lin Jiade used vine magic to weave a barrier around his palm, cushioning the blow. Although his palm was numb, he could still move it.

The next second, his blood dripped onto Kapok's sword, the Blood Spear spell was activated, Kapok's sword transformed into his blood spear, breaking free from her control and ending up in Lin Jiade's hand.

“So this is the use Lin Jiade was thinking of,” Jianlan commented. “This also serves as a reminder to Mumian: how should she deal with an opponent who has the ability to seize her weapon?”

Kapok's response was to draw her spare weapon. With the cry of "Thunder Emperor, summon!", a sword resembling Li Xiaolang's appeared in her hand, and she subdued Lin Jiade in a few moves. Lin Jiade seemed to have given up resisting; he dropped his weapon and raised his hands, but another attempt was launched at that moment.

Both Gladiolus and Jasmine have said that the energy he unconsciously spreads can disturb the minds of the opposite sex. Perhaps after he signed a contract with Azalea, the nature of his energy changed, and thus Hehuan became the victim, blushing and feeling extremely embarrassed by him.

Lin Jiade wasn't confident he could control this phenomenon; he was just trying. So he tried to recall the absurd events that had happened in the bedroom the day before yesterday: the maturity of gladiolus and the immaturity of jasmine, the allure of gladiolus and the purity of jasmine, the fullness of gladiolus and the delicacy of jasmine... The contrast between these elements stirred Lin Jiade's emotions.

Finally, his actual memories were interspersed with a non-existent fantasy: the cuckoo, having dispelled the holy light magic, was also in it, opening its arms to him.

When his desire boiled over, the muscle memory formed from being tormented by the reed warbler became useless, and energy surged out like a wave, staining the kapok tree.

Kapok sensed Lin Jiade's desire. Her will was much stronger than Hehuan's, so despite her surging emotions, she was still able to calmly assess the situation and said to Lin Jiade, "You lost."

"Ah, oh."

Lin Jiade thought he hadn't recreated the scene in the shower. He calmly accepted his failure and even felt somewhat happy. Both he and Kapok were improving, but Kapok was improving faster, so their gap had narrowed relatively.

He went to Jianlan to treat his wounds, while Mumian pretended to be calm and went to the shower to wash herself. She turned the shower on full blast, and the cold water from the showerhead hit her body, slightly calming her desire. She had once thought that she had lost the feeling of being a woman.

If it were just desire, Mu Mian wouldn't mind using a woman's way to find pleasure. But along with desire came a dark memory. In the memory, she and Lin Jiade switched places, and energy burst forth from her body, splashing onto Lin Jiade and awakening his ignorant male instincts.

At that time, Lin Jiade had lofty dreams. She turned Lin Jiade into a vessel to fulfill her desires, committing ugly acts that hurt both him and herself.

The memories made Kapok nauseous. She punched the wall, and cold water and her regret fell to the floor together. The coldness spread from her heart to her body. She slumped to the ground helplessly, but the memories wouldn't let her go. Lin Jiade's screams and her joy echoed in her ears.

"No, I'm sorry... Waaah."

Her sobs were swallowed by the unheard corner. When she finally emerged, a tight-fitting latex suit, constructed from a confusing magic spell, enveloped her body and locked away her heart. She calmly intercepted Lin Jiade, who was talking to Wei Ying at the time. Wei Ying looked at her with displeasure, but she didn't care.

She opened Lin Jiade's hand; the wound there had healed, its color as pale as a crescent moon. She gently stroked the outline of the wound, again and again, until the questioning gazes of those around her fell upon her, at which point she calmly released her hand.

"It's nothing, go back and rest," she said.

Euro 2016 group stage match: France vs. Portugal. Predict the result.

I recommend a book called "Chronicles of Port 122," a Kantai Collection fanfiction. You might be interested in checking it out.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Frustration

Jasmine was a little unhappy about the intimate behavior between Mu Mian and Lin Jiade, but she waited until she got home to express her displeasure, saying, "You and Mu Mian are being too intimate."

Lin Jiade defended himself, saying, "We don't have that kind of relationship."

“But when she touched your hand, you didn’t resist,” Jasmine said.

Gladiolus put her arm around Jasmine's back: "This makes Jasmine a little embarrassed, after all, everyone knows she's your girlfriend."

"I'm sorry," Lin Jiade said, bowing his head.

"Will Kapok be the third?" Jianlan asked.

Jasmine glared at Lin Jiade, while Reed Warbler pretended not to care about the Homo sapiens' mess, but actually she was listening intently. The only one who didn't care was Cuckoo, who was assessing the assets of the Hehuan family and how to get those assets into Hehuan's hands, and then, through her relationship with Lin Jiade, transform them into Lin Jiade's resources.

As for Kapok, Azalea chose to wait and see when the landmine between Kapok and Lin Jiade would detonate. She would then act according to the situation. It was simply a matter of whether she would win alone (only she would win once) or win for both of them (she would win twice and the other would win once).

Lin Jiade lifted his shirt: "I didn't want to either, but our relationship is just special."

“The contract can be dissolved. Miss Weiying can sever the contract on a voluntary basis,” Jianlan said.

“Me? Indeed,” Wei Ying replied, “but I’ve seen someone eyeing another woman’s body for a long time, and this contract is probably just an excuse for him to continue developing the relationship.”

How can you, an outsider, so naturally discuss my personal relationship issues?

Lin Jiade's displeasure was written all over his face. Wei Ying made a face at him, and Jasmine tugged at him to bring his attention back, saying, "You and she are both liars. You can't keep any of your promises."

Her expression told Lin Jiade that they would be sleeping in separate rooms again tonight, and that she shared Jasmine's stance on the Gladiolus issue. The Lich Lady wasn't against a third passenger, but rather, from Lin Jiade's perspective as a spiritual mother, she was critical of her future daughter-in-law, preferring the Albizia to the Kapok.

"Ugh."

After washing up, Lin Jiade lay dejectedly on the sofa. Having grown accustomed to sleeping with sweet, soft girls, lying alone felt strangely empty.

He chatted with his good friends and played a game of mobile games together. Video games were far more attractive than traditional sports, and they played football less and less.

Lin Jiade lost interest in the game. He only played one round before making an excuse to leave the room. He stared blankly in the dark. His phone pushed a notification that a new anime series was airing, but he had no interest in watching it. He already had more than ten episodes of Digimon Adventure.

Reed Warbler, who was lying at the shorter end of the L-shaped sofa, kicked him: "Hey, wanna play a game online?"

“Go find someone else, I’m not in the mood,” he said.

"This is your home! You're just lying here like an unemployed 30-year-old corporate slave?"

Lin Jiade's voice was even lower: "But I'm spending Jasmine's money, and I cheated on her before, which I feel sorry for."