Chương 73: Gods and Friendship

Corel stood at attention behind one of the royal guards. Her head throbbed, her vision was still hazy, but duty called. So, she kept her posture straight, arms at her sides, as Catalina Terravignion, the God of Eludia, addressed the assembled diplomats. She risked a glance at Daisy, who stood nearby. The Mortifi looked just as wrecked as Corel felt. She couldn't even remember the name of the plant she'd used to spike their tea with, but it had clearly been far more potent than she'd been told.

Potent enough that they'd 'accidentally' demolished a large portion of the princess's quarters during their… exuberance. A wave of nausea rolled through her, and she had to grit her teeth to keep from groaning. Never again, she internally proclaimed. Another thirty minutes of announcements and ceremonial declarations passed before Rose finally gave her and Daisy the signal to exit through one of the side doors. Corel released a breath of relief as they slipped into the corridor leading back towards Rose's chambers.

"My head hurts," Daisy groaned, voice low and pained.

"Ssshhh, not so loud," Rose replied, holding a cold pack up to her temple. Corel looked up as Rose threw her a quick wink. She couldn't suppress the smile that crept onto her face. Daisy caught it and shot her a half-hearted glare, less scathing than usual. A soft chime sounded in the back of her mind. Her quest updated, now blinking at 50% completion. Apparently, last night's chaos had earned a large chunk of Rose's respect. Now, all that remained was to gain her trust.

Corel nearly gasped as the thought settled into her mind… she was actually enjoying this quest. And… she might even like Rose. That revelation shocked her. She had changed since meeting… Rose stumbled. Corel stepped in without thinking, slipping an arm under hers for support.

"Thanks," Rose mumbled. They continued their walk, heading for a quiet spot where they could finally rest and recover from the lingering effects of the drugs they had consumed. Corel made a mental note to sneak away some of the ingredients before the quest ended. They were far too effective to ignore, and she had the perfect subject to test them on… Two days later, Corel swore under her breath as she sprinted through the palace on yet another absurd fetch-and-carry task.

She had thought winning Rose's respect would lighten her duties, or at least shift them to something less humiliating. Oh, how wrong she'd been. Daisy had clearly taken that drug-fueled night as a personal affront. Corel's responsibilities had only grown more punishing. She hadn't slept in two days. She had been running nonstop for twelve hours. That damn long-eared monster. Corel decided she would address this issue, one way or another. Things came to a head two days later, when Corel finally snapped.

"I am not running another thing across the palace! This is absurd. You let all the other maids use the teleporters! It's a waste of my time and the princess's!" Her voice echoed off the marble walls.

"What are you trying to prove here?" she demanded. Daisy, standing with her arms folded across her chest, smiled with infuriating calm.

"So you do have a spine. I was wondering when you'd finally break."

"I haven't broken," Corel shot back.

"And last time I checked, Rose decides who she spends her time with. She chose me. I didn't ask for this." Two blue-skinned maids entering the hallway immediately turned and fled upon sensing the tension. Aura billowed from both Corel and Daisy, sparking lightly as the air thickened between them.

"Why are you still here?" Dais said coldly.

"Leave. And never bother Rose again."

"How dare you tell me what to do! I have no interest in your words. And I am done with this nonsense. I will find Rose and talk to her myself." Corel turned to leave, but Daisy stepped in front of her, blocking the way.

"Where do you think you are going? I haven't permitted you to leave," Daisy snapped.

"I don't need it. I'm free to go wherever I want in this palace." Corel moved to the side, but Daisy shifted again, cutting her off. They stood there, face to face, the tension thick between them. Then, Corel's shoulders slumped slightly, the fire dimming from her eyes.

"Why are you so against me?" she asked softly.

"Is the bond really that bad?" Exhaustion crashed down on her like a wave. Days of relentless running, sleepless nights, and strained politeness had worn her thin. She let herself drop to the floor with a heavy thud. Daisy hesitated, caught off guard by the sudden shift. After a moment, she sighed and sat down opposite her.

"You know. I didn't know what was even happening until it was too late." Corel's voice cracked with fatigue.

"And now I'm trapped… again. Just when I thought I had some freedom, I get thrown into another quest on some strange world filled with long-ears and expectations. Kitf toora." Daisy was silent for a while, her eyes unfocused. Then, without any warning, she burst into laughter. Keeling over as she tried to remain upright. She gently rubbed at the tears in her eyes as Corel stared back at her, dumbfounded.

"Long ears? Is that what you call us?" she sputtered between hoarse laughter. Corel threw up her hands in exasperation. Is that what she focused on? She did not understand these long-ears at all. It took Daisy quite a bit of time to recover and begin speaking again.

"You're right. I haven't been fair."

"You haven't," Corel agreed bluntly. Daisy gave her a look, but then chuckled once more.

"You're really strong, you know that," Corel said, managing a tired smile.

"First time I've lost a wrestling fight in a long time."

"Please don't remind me," Daisy groaned, rubbing her temple.

"What was that stuff anyway? And how did you get it into the palace?"

"You should spend more time with the maids. They have all sorts of Hallucinogens at hand. It was quite an impressive stash," Corel said with a laugh. Daisy raised an eyebrow but decided not to comment on that particular bit of information.

"Okay, you win. I'll stop the pointless errands," Daisy relented.

"Thank you."

"How are your legs?" Daisy asked.

"I think they belong to someone else. I don't even recognize them anymore," Corel sighed, rubbing at her calf. For the first time since Corel arrived, the two sat and talked without tension or sharp words. Just two beings of differing species, side by side, sharing a moment, locked in conversation. The next day, Corel was summoned to Rose's room. The princess had just returned from a trip with her mother and beamed with excitement as soon as she entered.

"I've just received the best news! We will be attending the next integration competition. We leave today, so grab your things!" she said, clapping her hands. Corel's eyes lit up; she had been in the palace longer than she thought. It was nearly time for the Tides of Movement competition.

"Princess," she began with a bow.

"Please, Corel. Just Rose is fine. We are past that stage in our friendship," Rose said, waving her off with a smile.

"Rose," Corel corrected, "do you have a list of the entrants for the integration competition?"

"I do, and yes," Rose said with a devilish grin, "he has entered." She clapped again, her eyes gleaming.

"I finally get to give him a taste of my wrath." __ Joe sneezed just as he slammed into the green bubble surrounding his temporary hell. His spine snapped from the impact, and he crumpled to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth. Deep, ragged lacerations covered every inch of his body. He was drenched in layers of dried and fresh blood. He had forgotten what his skin even looked like. He felt his spine reset with a sickening pop. His body healed instantly, but the pain still lingered.

Slowly, he tried to pull himself up. His centre of gravity shifted, and he slipped on the slick surface of his own blood, falling face-first into the sand. The ground shook as a massive object landed beside him. A burly, hair-covered hand gripped him with ease and lifted him into the air. Joe managed to pry one eye open and stare into the face of his tormentor… the giant dwarf.

"Hooo amannn eee dddaaayyyyss," Joe tried to speak, but all that came out was a garbled mess. His own blood filled his ears. The dwarf laughed, loud and thunderous, directly into his face.

"We have ten days left, little boy," And with that, the Dwarf hurled him across the bubble so fast that Joe blacked out before his body exploded against the opposite side in a fountain of gore. When he stirred again, he felt something soft wiping away the blood caked over his eyes. The touch was gentle, so he knew it wasn't the Dwarf. After a few minutes of quiet scrubbing, he managed to open one eye and saw Veda's face hovering above him. She was peering down, worry in her crimson eyes.

He tried to smile, but his body convulsed instead, twitching painfully.

"Don't move, child, just lie still," she whispered in his ear. It was the first time he had heard her voice since entering this place. For a fleeting moment, he forgot how much he hated everything. Her gaze softened, and the worry etched across her face almost broke his heart. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. [Don't worry. I'm still alive,] - Joe. She nodded and quietly vanished once more. Then, the earth trembled again.

The heavy footfalls of his tormentor returned, each step a reminder that his hell wasn't over yet.

"Food time, boy." Two massive hands hauled Joe roughly into a sitting position. He groaned, the world spinning for a few long moments before his vision finally steadied. A plate piled high with berries was placed before him. He raised his right hand, his left hadn't grown back yet, and scooped up a handful, shoving them into his mouth. His hand and face were smeared in blood, but he didn't care. The berries were all that mattered. He needed their wonderful juice inside him. They tasted sweet, rich, and refreshing.

If there was ever a food fit for a god, it was these berries. He devoured plate after plate until he physically couldn't eat another bite. He washed it all down with an orange-tinted liquid from a jug beside him. It, too, was amazing. Joe wasn't sure if the food was actually divine or if his sheer exhaustion and hunger had elevated it beyond reason. Either way, he didn't care. His only worry was finding a way to end this continuous onslaught he was being subjected to. He needed to think of a plan to escape.

"Now. We only have five days left. So no more hammer." Joe's heart leapt in joy. Only five more days? Was it going to end? He smiled until he saw the Dwarf flexing his hands. Oh God, no. The Dwarf's smile was pure evil, and Joe snapped. He lunged at the Dwarf with everything he had, intent on killing the bastard with his bare hands. The Dwarf merely laughed and backhanded him, sending him tumbling across the sand.

"That's it, boy. Keep up that spirit. You're going to need it." Joe gritted his teeth as the massive fist smashed into his face, and everything went black. Ding! Class Space Farmer has reached level 95 - stat points distributed. Ding! Class Magical Farmer has reached level 95 - stat points distributed. __ As soon as the High Human passed out, Aliosandros stopped laughing. The mask he wore in front of the boy fell away, replaced by a calm, unreadable expression.

He lifted Joe's unconscious body and examined it with a critical eye. Remarkable, he thought. For someone below level 100, the boy's body was extraordinary. Aliosandros could see the spiritual scars woven deep into his frame, residue from a prior constitution change. Perhaps that explained the unusual durability. Was it a trait of his race? Somehow, a living, breathing High Human had stumbled into his realm. Seemingly sent here by a system seed. Was there an integration going on?

At first, he suspected Vagabond had sent over some hidden offspring for training, but no, this boy bore no resemblance to that old monster. Still, the system didn't lie. There was no faking a race before its judgment. This Joe was, without a doubt, a true High Human. Aliosandros bounced the limp body in his hands once and then slammed it back down into the sand with a grin. Tough bastard. He had expected the boy's body to give out after five days at most.

And yet, here he was, still breathing, still hanging on after twenty-five. He even retained his sanity, which was no mean feat. It was incredible. He might actually complete the regime in time for the event. Initially, Aliosandros decided to make the attempt on a whim, but now… There was still one major hurdle left, one Aliosandros couldn't help with. He flung Joe's body, letting it tumble across the sand and slam into the edge of the green bubble. Then, in an instant, the god was standing over him again.

Joe breathed softly. Aliosandros smiled and began to punch. This boy might just make it. __ Joe blinked just as a fist slammed into his face. He stumbled back, somehow managing to stay on his feet as blood spurted from his now-broken nose. It was the first time he'd been punched in the face, and his head hadn't exploded. Which in itself was a terrifying thought. What was going on? Was the Dwarf holding back? What was the goal here? He tried to dodge a punch aimed at his leg, but failed.

It crashed into his knee, which popped and shattered under the impact. Not once had he managed to avoid a hit. The Dwarf didn't even move that fast, yet every blow landed with surgical precision. Joe fell to the ground, groaning in agony as his legs could no longer support his weight.

"Stand!" The Dwarf barked. It took him over a minute to struggle upright. The moment he did, another fist slammed into his chest, knocking him back down. He heard a faint, almost silent ding in the back of his mind.

"Good, rest now. We will resume in one hour." Joe blinked in confusion. A break? After twenty-seven days of unrelenting torment, this was the first time he'd been granted a moment of reprieve that wasn't just to eat. He didn't question it. He just lay there, savouring the brief relief. He'd stopped asking the Dwarf why he was doing this. He'd stopped asking questions in general days ago. The Dwarf simply ignored him.

After some time, Veda crept out from her hiding spot and settled beside him, her eyes never leaving his broken form. His Nature healing trickled in, barely enough to feel. There was also no grass anywhere, just sand. Wherever they were, his profession truly did not work like it should have here. He considered taking a mana pill, but every time he tried, the Dwarf stopped him. So he resisted the urge and let natural regeneration work at its slow, stubborn pace.

Twenty minutes passed before he felt Veda nuzzle gently against his head. The dried blood cracked and flaked away as he shifted.

"Can you tell me what is going on yet?" he asked in a hoarse whisper. He knew the Dwarf could still hear him, that abnormal being heard everything, but he lacked the strength to do anything about it. Veda shook her head. Joe sighed and closed his eyes. The rest of his precious one-hour break was spent in sleep. Joe ducked, and a fist soared over his head. He threw his own fist upward, slamming it into the thick arm above him. It didn't budge. Pain shot through his hand as bones cracked from the impact.

He groaned and staggered back, only to have his legs swept out from under him by big, hairy feet. He tried to roll, but a fist smashed into his side, launching him through the air. He bounced off the green bubble, and more blood burst from his mouth. His arm twisted awkwardly, crushed between his body and the barrier. He collapsed onto the sand, coughing up more blood. He barely managed to raise his head before a foot slammed into his face.

As everything went black, a single thought flickered in his mind: I avoided one punch… A fist hammered into Joe's ribs. He tensed, absorbing the blow as best he could, muscles rippling as they pulsed from the hit. He countered with a wide swing of his right arm. The Dwarf ducked effortlessly and drove a brutal uppercut into Joe's chin. He staggered, barely keeping his head from snapping back completely. He forced his focus to stay locked on the Dwarf; he knew the second he lost sight of him, he was dead.

Not metaphorically, literally. Decapitation didn't kill him. Not since he drank that strange brew. Not under the Dwarf's rule. And the Dwarf had 'killed' him more times than he could count. So, logic had long since packed up and left this bubble of madness. Joe jabbed, then hooked, trying to cut off angles and pin the Dwarf down. But nothing worked. The Dwarf danced through his attacks and punished every miss with precise, ruthless counters, always targeting Joe's blind spots.

Joe felt like a child trying to avoid a beating from a parent, and failing. He grunted and groaned with each blow, his body growing heavier with every hit. Then came the hook. Joe barely saw it, just a flick of the Dwarf's wrist, and his vision spiralled. He lost sight for a split second. Too long. His head spun off his shoulders, landing in the sand with a dull thud. Dead. Again. Joe leapt, his foot crashing down onto the Dwarf's guard. The Dwarf merely smiled and caught his ankle.

But Joe had anticipated that, he twisted midair and drove his left knee toward the Dwarf's face. It slammed into a waiting palm. The impact gave Joe just enough space to wrench himself free. He dropped low and slammed an open palm into the Dwarf's shoulder. It was like striking stone. The Dwarf didn't even flinch. A fist shot upward. Joe twisted, narrowly avoiding the blow, and pushed off, flipping back to land in the sand. He dropped into a crouch, ducked under a sweeping arm, and spun past a rising kick.

The Dwarf never stopped. His attacks flowed endlessly, relentlessly, and precisely. Joe moved with everything he had. But no matter how much stamina he poured into his footwork, it was nothing compared to the Dwarf. The being, whatever he was, fought him nonstop, hour after hour, and never even drew a deep breath. No sweat. No fatigue. It was like he was going for a casual stroll. There was no time for despair. There was no rest. No pause. Just the next swing. And the next. And the next.

He fought the only way he knew how, with every scrap of strength he had, to keep moving. __ As the final hours of the immortality potion ticked away. Aliosandros allowed himself a rare smile. The boy saw it and hesitated in confusion. That moment cost him. A punch crashed into Joe's side, sending him hurtling into the bubble. He bounced off it with a wet thud and crumpled to the ground, gasping. Aliosandros roared with laughter. He had done it. The High Human had endured the full body reformation.

Twenty-nine days of pain, death, and rebirth… and he was still sane. Now comes the final test. Aliosandros needed to push the boy to level 99. And then… hope. Hope that fate allowed for an evolution. That this wild card, this anomaly, was more than just tough. Everything else was out of his hands now. The god smiled again and stepped forward, fist cocked. __ Ding! Class Space Farmer has reached level 99 - stat points distributed. Ding! Class Magical Farmer has reached level 99 - stat points distributed.

Congratulations. Please choose your new evolution. Joe's focus faltered as the notification blinked across his vision. Instantly, he knew that was a mistake, and braced for another punch. But nothing came. He stumbled back, spun instinctively, and landed in a crouch, eyes locked on the Dwarf… who had stopped. He wasn't attacking. Joe blinked.

"What…?"

"Well done, boy," the Dwarf said, turning away.

"Pick your new class. The training is over." Training? That was training? Joe stared, dumbfounded.

"Just like that? It's over?" The Dwarf didn't answer. He simply waved a hand, walking off into the sand. Joe collapsed to his knees and let out a cry of joy, half laughter, half euphoria. At some point during the 'training', or a more accurate description was his beat down, he'd unlocked a new Farmer skill, but he'd been too focused on survival to even check it. Now, both his classes were flashing at him. He had done it. He was level 99. Veda appeared quietly at his side.

Joe reached for her, but hesitated when he saw his blood-soaked hand.

"I'll wash before I do that," he said. She gave a small, amused nod. Somehow, she didn't seem to mind. He pulled up his status screen. System Message Your class, Magical Farmer(Unique), has evolved into Absolute Farmer(Unique). Your class, Space Farmer(Pseudogod), has evolved into Absolute Space Farmer(Pseudogod). Your Profession, Nature's Guardian(Legendary), has evolved into Profession, Nature's Halo(Legendary) New Skills Obtained: Aura Control(Magic) Obtained. Mana Quelling(Magic) Obtained.

Farming Perdition(Magic) Obtained. Beast Communication(Magic) Obtained. Titles Earned: Body Reformation earned. Godly Touch earned. Beat Down earned. Temporary Immortality earned. Divine Forged Body earned. Congratulations, you are eligible for a Race Upgrade. Hidden Grade Gate generating. Stand by… Joe was at a complete loss on how to react as the wall of messages floated before him. Before he could wrap his head around it, a swirl of deep violet mana spiralled into being in the air nearby. A Gate.

Elegant and quiet, but rippling with power. Veda jumped to her feet, red eyes wide in alarm.

"Erm… Veda?" Joe said slowly, staring at the whirling mass of light and energy.

"What is a hidden Grade Gate?" Veda didn't answer. She just stared at the portal in silence. Then, before Joe could say another word, the Gate expanded, sucked him in, and vanished. Leaving behind a sighing red salamander.