Volume Six: What She Lost, What I Gained - All Hands Defeated

This is an incredibly magnificent room.

The walls are adorned with priceless paintings and tapestries, each a unique masterpiece; the wardrobe, covered in intricate carvings, is crafted from a single piece of extremely rare and precious jade, and filled with garments made from the furs of various rare and exotic beasts; the display cases along the walls are filled with dazzling jewels, their iridescent gems exuding an air of nobility, even the seemingly transparent glass parts of the display cases are made from polished pieces of crystal; the tables and chairs, made from rare giant trees that only grow deep in the wilderness, are spotless, covered with silk cushions and tablecloths, all embroidered with patterns by renowned artists.

A stunningly beautiful noblewoman was reclining on a long chaise lounge, her slender figure outlining breathtaking curves, every detail perfect—as it should be, but she didn't look well.

"Sigh... hiss... Warrensding, oh Warrensding..."

The lady wasn't wearing her usual extravagantly luxurious attire, but rather a bathrobe she wore after bathing. Although the material was of the finest quality, it still paled in comparison to her usual clothing. A long, shapely, white leg, a true work of art, emerged from the hem of the bathrobe. Her flawless skin and firm, supple flesh were enough to captivate any man's heart, but this exquisite work of art had a flaw.

From below the knee down to the ankle, dark red markings peeked out from beneath the skin, resembling lush thorns. The lady's beautiful brows were furrowed as she looked at the leg covered in dark red markings and the two maids who were skillfully massaging her leg, her eyes filled with displeasure.

"That's it... yes, a little lighter—hey! I told you to be lighter!"

"But madam—"

"Shut up! Die--"

"--Wait a minute, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Just as the unfortunate maid, who had just offended the mistress, was about to die from the mistress's Word Spirit, a young male voice interrupted.

He was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. He sat on the sofa next to his wife in a posture that was subtly somewhere between "formal" and "casual." He wore business casual attire that had never changed in style, and looked at his wife with a wry smile.

"Huh? I'm disciplining my subordinates, it's none of your business to interrupt."

The lady glared at him impatiently, Yu He simply shrugged.

"I apologize for disturbing you, but... I'm sorry, I can't help but correct any incorrect management policies I see; it's probably a bad habit of mine. However, Madam, 'it's better to have one more friend than one more enemy' is an unchanging ironclad rule. Killing subordinates for minor, harmless mistakes may be a good way to vent your anger, but you'll definitely regret it once you calm down."

"Shut up, stop spouting your high-sounding theories, it's really annoying."

"Yes, yes..."

Yu He obediently shut his mouth. The lady snorted coldly, then looked at the maid who had made the mistake. For some reason, a certain emotion in her heart deflated like a punctured balloon. She sighed, waved her hand, and the two maids immediately packed up their things and left the room.

Seeing that his wife had calmed down, Yu He tentatively asked, "So... this is your hundredth fight with Blood Fiend, right?"

"It's one hundred and two."

"One hundred and second time—so, it seems you lost?"

"It should be considered a tie. I twisted her world three times in a row, and she's probably still completely lost right now... although that was my limit."

The lady stroked the dark red marks on her calf and sighed.

"I didn't expect her to have such a hidden method. Although I used the Song of Creation to heal myself, it still couldn't be eliminated immediately... I probably won't be able to move around freely for at least a month."

"Hidden methods? What are they?"

Yu He was somewhat curious about this.

"'Cold Blood' and 'Blood Poison'."

"I can almost picture its function just from the name."

"As the names suggest, 'Frost Blood' and 'Blood Flame' are opposites. 'Frost Blood' is an extreme cold that can freeze even hell, while 'Blood Poison' is a deadly poison that transforms blood into dust."

"That sounds impressive."

"I really fell for her trick... The cold blood caused the temperature to keep approaching absolute zero, making sound almost impossible to travel on a physical level. Taking advantage of that gap, she directly injected blood poison into my body. If I hadn't reacted quickly and sealed the poison in my leg, I would have been in real trouble... Eh? Strange, why am I telling you all this?"

The lady, who suddenly realized that she had no obligation to answer his questions, noticed Yu He's slightly sly smile.

"Yu He!"

"Haha, sorry, I couldn't resist 'making you talk with money,' after all, many of your collections were given to me by me, so doing this couldn't be easier."

"..."

The lady felt a surge of anger; she couldn't stand being mocked and was about to teach Yu He a lesson when—her anger suddenly vanished without a trace.

"Well, getting angry is never good for your health, so I spent some money to calm you down... Good heavens," Yu He pulled out a bankbook, looked at it, and exclaimed in surprise, "Just to calm this level of anger, you spent the entire group's net income for a month. Madam, you're really something."

"You're so annoying!"

That's what they say, but the lady just couldn't get angry anymore.

"But--"

Yu He changed the subject.

"In a way, you and Blood Fiend have a really good relationship."

"Good?"

"Being able to fight each other without any scruples (even though you almost always started it) is a way of showing that you're completely open with each other, which only happens when the trust or intimacy between two people reaches a certain level."

"You're overthinking it. Being close and all that... well, what about you?"

The lady countered with a question to Yu He.

"Me? It might sound a bit boastful, but I'm probably the only one who manages to maintain good relationships with all the other high-ranking officials."

"So, you're the most boring person too."

"Boring?"

Hearing the unexpected comment, Yu He tilted his head. Although he wasn't particularly good at having fun, his social skills gave him confidence that he could keep everyone entertained.

"Yes, I think you're quite boring. The foolish servants probably wouldn't notice, but only those of us at the same level in higher positions would sense... that trait" in you."

"... Special trait?"

The lady sighed softly, pulled her bathrobe down to cover her legs, picked up the teapot, poured herself a cup of tea, and then continued—

"Yu He, I can't sense any desire from you at all."

"..."

"But it's not the kind of enlightenment that leads to a state of desirelessness. You're more like someone who lacks a certain component of what it means to be human... or even a living being, a small gap... but the stronger you become, the more obvious that gap becomes."

"Don't lie through your teeth. If I didn't have any desires, how could I have made so much money? How could I have climbed so high? How could I have unified the economic sphere of this planet?"

Yu He retorted, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that his speaking speed was a bit faster than usual.

"... Then let me ask you, Yu He, what does 'maximizing profits' mean to you?"

"It's my biggest hobby."

"You really are remarkable," the lady said, picking up her glass and taking a sip. "For a hobby, you've been able to struggle in the business world for countless years; for a hobby, you've been able to go against your conscience and seize by any means; for a hobby, you've been able to gamble your entire life on endless busyness..."

"..."

"Having gone this far, is this still a hobby?"

"... What exactly are you trying to say?"

"It's nothing really, it's just that I always feel that 'making money' is less of a hobby or desire for you, and more of..."

She put down her teacup, faced Yu He, and gave him a mocking smile.

"... The feeling of forcing yourself to do things just to fill the void in your heart?"

"..."

Yu He was speechless for a moment.

After a long pause, he slowly raised his hand.

"Please don't say that, Madam..."

Button up the business casual suit one button at a time.

"Even I get angry, you know?"

As he spoke, he stood up—

"... ah."

Yu He woke up.

He blinked, then remembered that he had slept in the small bedroom next to the office last night, just like usual.

"I dreamt about something from a long time ago..."

And then what happened?

I think I was pretty angry at the time, and then what?

"Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it."

Yu He looked at himself in the mirror on the wall. The mirror reflected a young man wearing striped pajamas and a pointed nightcap. The pajamas were cheap and readily available, and the nightcap was crudely made; if he were to take it to a secondhand market, probably no one would even give it a second glance.

He clearly controls the entire Spirit Star economic zone, and he can easily acquire anything, no matter how valuable.

Why not indulge in some luxury items for yourself?

"... Perhaps it's because it's not very interesting?"

Whether it's a fur coat worth a fortune or a garment made of ordinary fabric, you'll still wear it; the latter may not necessarily be less comfortable than the former.

"..."

Yu He took off his nightcap, smoothed his unruly hair, and sighed.

(Perhaps, as my wife says, I am indeed a boring person.)

It may be boring, but I don't need to let a dream ruin my mood.

He deftly unbuttoned his pajamas, revealing a toned but not overly muscular abdomen, then pulled down his pajama bottoms, his long, almost hairless, pale legs touching the slightly cool air. Unbuttoning his shirt → pulling down his pants → taking off his shirt—this was his usual order of undressing.

"Hmm... not having much muscle is definitely not a good thing. Should I start exercising occasionally? Or just buy a better physique with money? Anyway..."

Just then--

"Oh no, President! The extra chapter is terrifying—oh my god!?"

The bedroom door was pushed open with a loud bang, and a panicked-looking secretary, Miss Ankri, rushed in.

Then I saw my direct supervisor half-naked.

"..." "..."

A few minutes later--

"I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry!!!!"

While tears streamed down her face, Ankri slammed her head against the floor with astonishing force.

"Alright, alright, I'm not angry. You almost knocked the floor to pieces."

"But... but my subordinate has committed insubordination—"

"So what did you see?"

"Slightly messy hair, fair skin, long legs that look quite appealing, collarbones that are more delicate than the average man's, long eyelashes, and beautiful fingers and toes--"

"OK, I'll deduct your bonus."

"Huh!? Weren't you not angry?"

"Just kidding, let's get down to business."

By the way, what you just said more than 80% exaggerated my appearance— Yu He didn't say it aloud.

"Yes, just received a message--"

Ankri wiped away her tears and said seriously,

"Last night, the Extra Weapon launched a large-scale attack, and then... everyone was defeated!"