Earthfire Judgment

"201! 202! 203!! 22—"

Mo Shuying was doing push-ups, his form still passable, but after two hundred his arms were trembling uncontrollably, sweat dripping down.

Mo Shuying had miscalculated. He'd assumed that as a Servant's physique—even if it was E-rank—he'd still be stronger than an ordinary person. What he hadn't counted on was that it wasn't that much stronger.

Since this was his first time training at such intensity, his posture was still a bit off, and his breathing technique was wrong. After two hundred push-ups, Mo Shuying found himself running out of steam.

Panic set in. He'd thought the daily exercise quest would be a breeze, but now it seemed far from easy.

"Ah—"

After finishing two hundred and ten push-ups, Mo Shuying collapsed onto the yoga mat, gasping for air, his arms feeling like they were filled with lead.

Fortunately, the daily exercise quest didn't require him to finish in one go. He could rest and continue.

He rested for a few minutes, but his arms were still sore, so he decided to switch to something else to ease up.

There was a sit-up board nearby. Mo Shuying lay down and let out a comfortable groan—lying down really was better.

After procrastinating for a minute, he took a deep breath and started doing sit-ups.

"One, two, three."

Mo Shuying moved up and down steadily. This time he focused on his breathing. Rhythmic breathing let oxygen flow through his body faster, effectively relieving fatigue. It actually worked. He gritted his teeth and finished three hundred sit-ups before lying back down.

He checked the time. It was almost noon. Mo Shuying didn't want to move at all.

Pure training was incredibly dull. Without willpower, it was hard to keep going.

Mo Shuying didn't want to move, but he couldn't afford not to. He knew his situation—this wasn't the time to slack off or be willful.

He got up and continued with push-ups, then squats.

Then, around three in the afternoon, Mo Shuying ran out of the shop in a light blue tracksuit, starting the final thirty-kilometer run.

Compared to the other three exercises, thirty kilometers wasn't really that hard. For Mo Shuying, this slow jog was more like relaxation time. When he got tired, he rested, stood by the roadside to feel the breeze, and took it slow.

The wind blowing in his face was cool and gentle. The world around him was quiet. Mo Shuying liked silence—otherwise, he wouldn't have been a shut-in. This kind of environment put him at ease.

He didn't know how long he'd been running when the system notification sounded.

"Ding~ Daily Quest Two completed. Submit?"

"Huff! Huff! Submit!"

"Ding~ Quest Two submitted. Rewards issued: 200 EXP, minor increase in Strength and Endurance."

The familiar surge of warmth flooded his body. Mo Shuying instantly felt all his fatigue vanish, his spent stamina fully restored, and he could clearly sense the boost in power.

He checked his stats. Strength and Endurance were both now E++. Mo Shuying knew he'd gotten stronger again.

"As expected of that bald master's training method. The master didn't lie to me."

Mo Shuying sighed inwardly, deciding that even if there was no daily exercise quest tomorrow, he would still complete this whole routine.

And just as Mo Shuying was making that silent decision—

The Voice of the World rang in his ears.

"Warning! Guardian Lancer has been destroyed by humans. Lancer is being punished. Geomantic Power is being diverted to the other six locations. Geomantic Power is strengthening. The strength of attracted monsters will increase. Monster attack frequency will increase."

"What?!"

The sudden warning shocked Mo Shuying. It had only been a few days, and a Guardian had already been killed by humans? And it was Lancer, the spearman!

The first image that came to Mo Shuying's mind was a man in a blue skintight suit, holding a blood-red spear. If it was him... well, it wasn't impossible.

Lancer's failure was a wake-up call for Mo Shuying. He'd been planning to take it slow, develop quietly, and only emerge when he was invincible. That plan was now out the window.

"Boom!"

A black-purple pillar of light suddenly appeared in the city. Mo Shuying frowned, because a monster emerged from that pillar.

The Voice of the World had just said monster attacks would increase, but he hadn't expected them to come so fast.

Fortunately, as far as Mo Shuying could sense, there was only one new monster, and its aura wasn't much stronger than the Blue Fishman Leader's. It shouldn't be too hard to take down. The only real problem—

Was where the monster had appeared. Not at the previous intersection.

"Roar!!"

A Rock-Armored Turtle appeared on this unfamiliar street, its body covered in rocky armor, its massive frame like a small car. Its fang-filled maw could easily swallow a full-grown adult.

"Roar!!"

The Rock-Armored Turtle bellowed, its eyes carrying a hint of unease. It knew its mission. Every monster that appeared in a Singularity had only one goal: kill the Guardian and seize the Geomantic Power. To that end, all monsters, strong or weak, were given the ability to lock onto the Guardian's location.

But right now, the Rock-Armored Turtle couldn't sense where the Guardian was at all.

Not being able to sense the Guardian's position made the turtle panic. Its long tail wagged rapidly, betraying its anxiety.

"Swoosh!"

Suddenly, a familiar whistling sound came through the air. A Molotov Cocktail fell from above, smacking against the turtle's shell with two dull thuds. In an instant, flames engulfed the entire turtle's back.

Mo Shuying watched from the shadows. Soon, he saw the Rock-Armored Turtle stomp its foot, releasing a wave of earthy yellow energy that blew away the flames from the Molotov.

Seeing this, Mo Shuying sighed inwardly. It hadn't been long, and already Molotovs couldn't deal effective damage. Too bad he hadn't found any bombs in the city.

As soon as he thought of bombs, Mo Shuying's eyes suddenly lit up. It seemed there was still a way after all.

"ROAR!!"

Mo Shuying's train of thought was interrupted by the Rock-Armored Turtle's bellow. The turtle surged with mana, and the stone spikes on its shell extended and bulged, then shot out in all directions! In an instant, thirty or forty half-meter-long stone spikes flew out, sharp enough to pierce straight through the walls of surrounding buildings.

Fortunately, Mo Shuying had retreated far enough to avoid being caught in the blast. Once the Rock-Armored Turtle's outburst ended and its mana was exhausted, it entered what could be called a sage mode. This giant turtle actually retracted its head, four limbs, and tail, turning into a proper shrinking turtle!

"Hm?"

Mo Shuying frowned slightly at this sight. Was it banking on him having no decent attack methods? This was utterly intolerable!

So Mo Shuying turned and left. Five minutes later, he came back carrying a gas canister in each hand.

"Hehe! Since this is Fuyuki City, we've got to do things the Fuyuki way. Big guy, try this!"

Mo Shuying grinned widely. He opened the gas canisters' valves to the max, then hurled them at the Rock-Armored Turtle. One canister rolled right up to the giant turtle, while the other, by sheer luck, got wedged onto its shell.

The Rock-Armored Turtle didn't stir. The impact of the gas canisters was less than a tickle to it, but the strange smell gradually thickening around it made it panic.

The Rock-Armored Turtle sensed something was wrong. Its four limbs shot out! It was about to relocate!

"Whoosh!"

A Molotov Cocktail arced through the air. Mo Shuying quickly turned and ran! The next moment!

"BOOM! BOOM!!"

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