Aurora Blast and Agulie

Chen Rui had never practiced combat in his previous life, nor did he have much experience in fighting. He had been somewhat nervous at first, but now he found himself growing more relaxed with every strike. Gob launched a fierce assault, yet he failed to land a single blow on his opponent. Instead, Chen Rui quickly maneuvered behind him and kicked him squarely in the buttocks. Gob performed a classic "butt-first face-plant" maneuver, flying through the air before crashing face-first into the dirt.

Gangke realized this cloaked figure possessed extraordinary strength. He took an iron hammer from one of his lackeys and stepped forward. "Who are you? Have you never heard of the great Gangke in Darkmoon City? If you don't want to die under this hammer, get lost while you still can!"

The cloaked figure let out a disdainful snort. "So you're Gangke. I heard you were once pinned down by a woman using only one hand, and you only kept your life by begging for mercy."

What Chen Rui was referring to was the incident at the city gate where Gangke had nearly been split in two by a single sword strike from Athena.

Gangke let out a roar and charged forward, swinging his hammer. Although they were both at the F-rank, Gangke was much faster than Gob, and his combat power was clearly superior. It seemed that within the same rating, the disparity in strength could be quite significant, though his current Analytical Eye at the Star-Wielder level could not provide more detailed data.

Even though Gangke's strength surpassed Gob's, in Chen Rui's eyes, it wasn't beyond his ability to dodge. He quickly adapted to the rhythm of the fight. Spotting an opening, he leaped backward repeatedly to put some distance between them. Mimicking the posture from the skill tree diagram, he spread the fingers of his right hand, aimed at Gangke, and silently chanted in his heart: "Aurora Blast!"

A brilliant white light erupted in the alley. To the horror of Gob and his men, a massive ball of light, roughly two meters in diameter, shot out from Chen Rui's palm at high speed, whistling toward Gangke.

The moment the Aurora Blast was fired, Chen Rui felt as if most of his star power had been drained. However, the sheer size of the light sphere stunned even him. The diagram hadn't made it look this exaggerated; this wasn't an Aurora Blast—it was an Aurora Cannon!

Gangke tried his best to dodge to the side, but he was still clipped by the edge of the white light. His sturdy body was sent flying nearly ten meters, crashing heavily to the ground. The iron hammer flew from his hand with a "whoosh," narrowly grazing the forehead of the just-risen Gob, scaring the wits out of him.

The white light, its momentum still not fully spent, slammed into a stone wall in the distance. The thick wall was instantly pierced, leaving a massive crater surrounded by exaggerated cracks. A moment later, the entire section of the wall collapsed with a roar. Fortunately, the passersby had already wisely fled when Gangke's group was extorting the goblin father and daughter, so even hearing the commotion, no one dared to approach.

Gangke's sturdy body lay on the ground like a pile of mush, his eyes filled with terror. The leather armor protecting his chest had been torn and deformed by that terrifying force, and his hands were covered in blood and trembling uncontrollably. He had completely lost the ability to move. The Horned Demon knew in his heart: that was only a glancing blow. Had it hit him head-on, he would never have survived.

Only then did Gob and his other accomplice realize what a terrifying enemy they had provoked, and they scrambled to beg for mercy.

Although the Aurora Blast had drained most of his power, its potency far exceeded his expectations. Defeating Gangke in a single shot gave Chen Rui a sense of vindication. The feeling of oppression that had weighed on him since his rebirth vanished, and his confidence surged.

"If you ever dare to bully the weak again, I will personally take your heads and hang them at the city gate!" Chen Rui pointed at the fallen Gangke. "Now, you have two minutes. Before I change my mind, take this guy and get lost!"

Don't bully the weak? Should I go find a powerhouse like you and get myself killed instead? Are you crazy?

Gob muttered to himself, not daring to say a word. He signaled his accomplice to carry Gangke away in a hurry, not even daring to retrieve the iron hammer.

This single Aurora Blast had consumed 10 points of Spirit Energy. Excluding the 2 points used for "Analysis," he only had 10 left.

"My lord's brilliance rivals the twin moons of the Demon Realm! I am eternally grateful for your mercy." The elderly goblin he had saved crawled over and prostrated himself at his feet, and the female goblin followed suit, kneeling on the ground.

Chen Rui's childhood hero complex was greatly satisfied. Bathed in the purple light of the twin moons behind him, he felt incredibly tall and heroic in that moment. Suddenly, he realized he had forgotten to demand the return of the money stolen from this father and daughter. With a pained heart, he took out a Purple Crystal Coin. "Get up. Take this and go buy some food."

The goblin Didi had intended to offer up the few White Crystal Coins he had hidden on his person, but he hadn't expected the other party to give him money instead. He froze for a moment, then snatched the Purple Crystal Coin as if afraid the man would change his mind. "Thank you, my lord...!"

Didi thought to himself that his luck today was truly incredible. He had run into such a dim-witted powerhouse who not only beat up Gangke but also gave him a Purple Crystal Coin.

The Demon Realm valued strength above all else. Generally speaking, it was only natural for the weak to be bullied; rarely would anyone step in to help, let alone give money away. It was no wonder the goblin thought this "Hero Chen" had something wrong with his brain.

Didi's eyes darted around, and he said, "My lord's kindness to Didi and his daughter is deeper than the Sea of Death. If you do not mind, Didi is willing to offer his daughter, Sasa, to be your concubine."

The old goblin was calculating quite shrewdly. Although this lord was a bit of a fool, his immense strength was undeniable. Even the notorious thug Gangke was no match for him. If his daughter could follow him, he would never have to fear the likes of Gangke again, and perhaps he could even throw his weight around in Darkmoon City in the future.

Upon hearing this, the old goblin's daughter, Sasa, looked shyly at the "foolish" lord with eyes full of affection.

Chen Rui was shaken to his core, as if struck by a bolt of divine lightning.

This Miss Sasa had a delicate figure (only reaching his waist), a peculiar skin tone (dark green with spots), and her face possessed a kind of abstract beauty (long ears, bulging eyes, prominent cheekbones, an upturned nose, and a cavernous mouth...). Even the internet celebrities of his past life would have to bow down before her!

Chen Rui shivered several times. Such a devastating beauty—it was better left to someone who needed her more.

Under his righteous and firm refusal, the old goblin had to change his tune. "This one has received great kindness from you, my lord, and has nothing to repay you with, save for offering myself to serve you."

Chen Rui twitched all over and shook his head vigorously, finally realizing that he had been hallucinating after being struck by that "divine lightning." The old goblin meant he wanted to pledge his loyalty to Chen Rui—attaching oneself to a powerhouse was a common survival tactic among the Devil Race.

Chen Rui already had a sycophantic Lesser Devil servant; he figured he couldn't afford more hangers-on, nor did he want to expose his identity. However, the goblin was crying, clutching his pant leg, and refusing to let go. Not wanting to ruin his glorious image by kicking them away, he had to pay the price of two more Purple Crystal Coins to finally shake off the enthusiastic Didi and his daughter.

"Master, please, you must leave your name!"

Seeing that the old goblin still insisted on calling him "Master" after he had paid a total of three Purple Crystal Coins, Chen Rui cursed his greed internally. He didn't intend to pay any more. After a moment's thought, he left behind a very "Devil-like" temporary name and vanished into the darkness.

"My name is... Agulie!"

He left after the deed was done, hiding his name and identity. It was very cool, but it was exhausting and expensive. On his way back, Chen Rui came to a helpless conclusion: being a hero has its risks; one must be cautious when entering the profession.

The old goblin watched the cloaked man disappear, silently repeating his master's name. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Don't worry, Master. Although your brain isn't very clear, Didi will certainly make good use of the wealth you left behind!"

Chen Rui did not know that in the days to come, he would become the old goblin's shield for throwing his weight around, nor did he know what kind of storm the name "Agulie," chosen on a whim, would eventually stir up in the Demon Realm. For now, he was simply immersed in the immense happiness of having just acquired power.

After quietly bypassing the outer courtyard guards and returning to his room in the laboratory, Chen Rui lay on his bed, still unable to sleep. He had gradually calmed down from his excitement. Gangke was a minor leader in the Darkmoon guard, and judging by the fight, his strength was enough to easily bully ordinary Devil soldiers. But recalling the power Princess Shea had displayed in the palace garden, he was still no match for her, let alone a powerhouse on the level of Pagliu.

Chen Rui was not discouraged, because whether it was a Star-Wielder or the Gang Realm, it was only the beginning. The path of power was clearly laid out before him; it all depended on how he walked it.

However, although the Super System was powerful, he was still at the most basic starting stage. The Demon Realm held too many dangers and too many powerful existences. Before his strength was enough to truly control his own destiny, he had to keep a low profile and not be flashy. His identity as an apprentice to a master alchemist, combined with his concealment skills, was the best cover.

Now that Chen Rui had found his direction, he was no longer the weakling who could only rely on wit and luck to resolve crises. In this strange and dangerous world of the Devil Race, he finally had the true capital to establish himself.

For the first time, he was full of confidence in his future after his rebirth.

Spirit Energy! The most important thing right now was to find a way to increase his Spirit Energy, not just for his skills, but also for the training grounds, the storage warehouse, the trading center... and so much more...

The next day, Chen Rui began trying to consume some poisonous potions to increase his Spirit Energy. However, the results were far from ideal. After drinking a bottle of potent Fierce Poison Potion worth hundreds of Purple Crystal Coins, his Spirit Energy only increased by 2. In the entire laboratory, there were only a few bottles of such potions.

Aldas simply assumed he was experimenting with the properties of the potions while learning, and he felt a pang of pity, advising him to start experimenting with the most basic medicinal herbs and not to aim too high. This was Aldas; if it had been any other master, they would have long since kicked out this apprentice who only spent money without paying tuition and ate for free.

Chen Rui himself felt the cost was too high. It seemed he would have to find another way.

Sandru's challenge had failed, and the large sum of wealth that had been the wager was naturally left behind. However, it did not entirely belong to Aldas; most of it was turned over to Princess Shea for the construction and development of Darkmoon City. In any case, he was following his boss, so if he really needed to increase his experimental funding, he would just have to ask her.

Chen Rui received a share of five Black Crystal Coins. It should have been more, and it wasn't that Aldas was stingy, but rather the wish of the eldest princess. Chen Rui had no choice but to accept it. However, money was an external possession, while his life was the foundation of everything. Especially since he had subtly confessed his feelings to his female boss, it was a miracle he hadn't offended her.

If one White Crystal Coin was like ten cents, then five Black Crystal Coins were equivalent to five thousand big ones. Added to the Purple Crystal Coins he had swindled from Kamp, while he couldn't say it was his first pot of gold since coming to the Demon Realm, it was at least a small fortune.

Magic Crystal Coins themselves were a form of energy crystallization. The Devil Race could increase their strength by absorbing the energy within the crystals. The higher the purity of the magic crystal, the more expensive it was. This was the case for the Black, Purple, and White crystals currently in circulation as currency. Above the Black crystals were the higher-quality Blood Crystals and Gold Crystals, but they were extremely rare, and no one would use them as currency.

Last night, Chen Rui had tried using the "Aura Conversion" skill on a Purple Crystal Coin. Sure enough, he could absorb and convert it. Just as the diagram showed, after the conversion was successful, the Purple Crystal Coin turned into a pile of powder, but his Spirit Energy value did not rise. He estimated it had only increased by a small fraction of a decimal point.

Judging by the situation with the Purple Crystal Coins, it would be lucky if one Black Crystal Coin could be exchanged for one point of Spirit Energy. With only five Black Crystal Coins in total, that was only equivalent to two hours of automatic Spirit Energy absorption. Direct conversion was simply not worth it.

Right! Why not just use this currency to buy things that could increase his Spirit Energy more effectively!

PS: I'm trying to climb the new book charts tonight. If you have the means at 12:00 AM, please leave a comment in the book review section. All posts will be featured and rewarded with points as a small token of my appreciation.