You Call Yourself Scarlet King? Down!

Boom—!

The dark-red Scarlet Demon Purgatory Flame fell like a meteor from the heavens, carrying heat intense enough to melt steel as it smashed toward the seemingly fragile glass building.

This was the furious strike of Scarlet King, a three-hundred-thousand-year ferocious beast.

"Damn human! You dare imprison the Auspicious Beast! Die!"

Its three enormous dog heads roared at once, the sound waves surging forward.

Yet the next second, something happened that made all six of its dog eyes widen.

The flames, powerful enough to severely injure a Titled Douluo, vanished into thin air the moment they came within a meter of the internet café's entrance.

There was no explosion, no smoke or dust. Even the glass doors did not tremble.

"Hm?"

Scarlet King froze.

Its three heads glanced at one another, utterly baffled.

Just then, a lazy voice drifted out from the shop.

"You three-headed Husky, keep it down. People are gaming inside. If you blow up the internet, can you afford to pay for it?"

Husky?!

Scarlet King flew into a rage. It was the incomparably noble Red Demon Mastiff, with the purest Hellfire bloodline flowing through its body!

It slammed its front paws into the ground, its massive body transforming directly into a red bolt of lightning as it prepared to smash this strange building apart with sheer force.

"You really don't know when to stop."

Lu Yuan remained seated without moving. He merely spoke two words softly:

"Lie down."

His words became law.

Scarlet King, still pouncing through the air, suddenly felt the gravity of the entire plane slam viciously onto its back.

The force was absurdly powerful, even surpassing the terrifying pressure that the Beast God Di Tian had once imposed upon it!

Bang!

A dull, heavy crash rang out.

The imposing Scarlet King hit the ground face-first, then was flattened onto the non-slip mat outside the internet café in an awkward position, all four limbs splayed wide.

Its protective Soul Power instantly collapsed. Its tough fur was pressed tightly against the ground, and even its tongue was squeezed out.

It looked exactly like a freshly skinned doghide rug.

"Awoo..."

Scarlet King struggled in terror, but that force was like shackles locking down space itself, leaving it unable to move even an inch.

"Enough squirming. Keep rubbing around, and you'll wear the floor bald."

Holding a cup of cola, Lu Yuan strolled out leisurely. He crouched before Scarlet King's huge head and flicked its wet nose with a finger.

"I'm a respectable businessman. As long as you don't cause trouble here, we can talk about anything."

"Understand?"

Forced to blink, Scarlet King's ferocious gaze turned into clear, vacant stupidity.

It had been scared senseless.

Lu Yuan casually snapped his fingers, and the terrifying gravity vanished without a trace.

Scarlet King sprang up, tucked its tail, and retreated more than ten meters until its back hit a tree. It watched Lu Yuan warily.

This human, who did not have even the slightest Soul Power fluctuation, was far too bizarre!

"Where is the Auspicious Beast?! What did you do to it?!" Scarlet King's central head roared.

"There. It's lying over there." Lu Yuan pointed through the glass wall.

Scarlet King craned its neck to look inside, and its eyes nearly split with rage. It was so furious that it almost fainted.

The Auspicious Beast it treasured like precious gold was currently sprawled without the slightest dignity across a strange chair, with a bizarre black metal shell on its head.

The Auspicious Beast's body twitched violently from time to time, while miserable screams came from its mouth.

"Ah! Stop biting my butt! It hurts so much!"

"Get lost! I'm going to chop you to death!"

Hearing those cries, Scarlet King's heart tightened.

What kind of torture was this?!

"Human! You actually dare torture the Auspicious Beast!" Every hair on Scarlet King's body stood on end.

"Torture?" Lu Yuan rolled his eyes. "Country bumpkin, that's called an immersive gaming experience."

He walked to the entrance and pushed the door open.

"If you don't believe me, come in and see for yourself. But I'm warning you: if you dare breathe fire again, I'll tie your three heads into a knot and hang you from a tree."

Scarlet King hesitated for a moment.

For the Auspicious Beast's sake, it gritted its teeth, reined in its aura, and carefully entered the place.

The moment it stepped inside, Scarlet King was bewildered by the sight before it.

Though the Auspicious Beast was screaming, its tail was wagging with wild delight. It did not look like it was suffering at all.

"This is Monster Hunter, a trial that lets you experience fighting without Soul Power, relying purely on your body and skill."

Lu Yuan's voice was full of temptation as he patiently explained to Scarlet King.

"The Auspicious Beast refuses to leave because it can hone its real combat skills here."

"Now look at yourself. You have three hundred thousand years of cultivation, but besides breathing fire and ramming people, what else can you do?"

"No wonder Di Tian always says you're just a guard dog."

That one sentence struck Scarlet King right where it hurt.

"Nonsense! This king has vast combat experience..."

"Really? Then do you dare go in and try it?"

Lu Yuan's face was full of provocation.

"Try it? This king has seen everything!"

"I'm afraid you can't even beat the little monsters in the beginner area."

"Bullshit! This king could clear it with my eyes closed!"

Scarlet King's competitive spirit was instantly ignited.

It copied the Auspicious Beast and lay on the sofa, then curiously put on the helmet.

[Game launched: Target—Odogaron.]

[Species adaptation in progress... Generating human form.]

Scarlet King felt its vision go dark. When it opened its eyes again, its nose was filled with the stench of rot and sulfur.

It instinctively tried to get down on all fours, but before its hands even touched the ground, its entire body pitched forward and fell flat on its face.

"Hm?"

Scarlet King looked down at its body in shock.

There was no fur, nor claws. There was only smooth, pale-red skin.

It had actually become a burly human man!

The man was bare-chested and covered in muscles. He had a head of messy fiery-red hair, with three thick braids tied at the back of his head, corresponding to the three heads of his original form.

Scarlet King tried clenching its fists.

Weak!

It was far too weak!

It felt as though all the strength in its body had been drained away.

Is this what it feels like to rebuild oneself as a human? Scarlet King stared at its human skin, feeling a little panicked. How do creatures like humans even survive normally?

Before it could adapt to this body, a bone-chilling roar came from the shadows.

A blood-red afterimage, like an evil ghost crawling out of hell, darted swiftly across the rock wall.

Odogaron!

"Hmph, putting on a show."

Scarlet King instinctively tried to circulate its cultivation and breathe fire, but its face turned red from holding it in, and all it let out was a muffled fart.

Where was its cultivation?

In the instant it was still dazed, Odogaron moved.

Fast!

Far too fast!

Scarlet King only saw a flash of red, followed by a sudden chill in its chest.

Rip!

Blood splashed out.

Intense pain instantly spread through its entire body. Scarlet King discovered in horror that its fragile human skin had been torn open and its vitality was rapidly draining away.

[Status Warning: Bleeding—Every step taken will deduct a large amount of health.]

"It hurts! Why does it hurt this much?!" Scarlet King's heart skipped a beat.

As a soul beast, its hide had been thick and tough. A scratch like this had never been worth mentioning, but the pain in this human body was far too vivid!

It tried to run, but this body was too clumsy. The moment it took a step, its foot slipped, and it crashed face-first onto the ground.

Odogaron had no sense of fair play whatsoever. It pounced directly on Scarlet King and began frenziedly biting at its neck.

"Ahhh! Get off!"

"Don't bite my face! This is this king's most handsome face!"

Three minutes later.

Inside the internet café.

Scarlet King ripped off the helmet, drenched in cold sweat. All three heads were panting heavily.

It touched its neck in terror.

It was still there.

That feeling of helplessness, along with the fragility of a human body, had deeply shaken Scarlet King.

"Too fragile... Human bodies are too fragile..." Scarlet King muttered, its eyes somewhat unfocused.

"So, what did you think, Lord Scarlet King?" Lu Yuan handed over a bottle of iced cola.

Scarlet King did not take it. Instead, it fell into deep thought.

Although it had died miserably just now, at the moment of death, it had instinctively learned to twist its body aside to dodge—if it had used its original form just then, it definitely could have avoided that attack.

This game... could really train its reactions!

"Again!"

Scarlet King slapped the table.

"This king simply wasn't used to that lousy body! This time, I want the biggest hammer! I'm going to smash it to death!"

"No problem. Pay first." Lu Yuan pointed at the price list beside him.

Without another word, Scarlet King tore a ten-thousand-year Fire Crystal from around its neck and slapped it onto the table.

"Is this enough? If it isn't, I have more!"

"Enough, enough. What a generous customer."

Watching Scarlet King put the helmet on once more, Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

Done.

Just then, the wind chime at the entrance rang.

Ding-ling.

Lu Yuan raised his head.

A raggedly dressed boy stood outside. He looked only eleven or twelve years old, skinny as a rake, with several large holes in his coarse linen clothes.

It was Huo Yuhao, who had only recently left the Duke's Estate.

At this time, he had only level ten Soul Power and did not even possess his first soul ring.

Clutching his luggage, Huo Yuhao stood uneasily at the entrance. He had merely wanted to find a place to rest, but the interior was decorated so nicely that he did not dare enter.

He looked at the lion lying on the left and shouting, "I'll chop you to death," then at the three-headed dog lying on the right and roaring, "Take my hammer!"

Finally, he looked at the kind-looking young owner behind the counter.

Grrr...

Huo Yuhao's stomach growled.

The boy blushed, swallowed, and asked in a trembling yet hopeful voice.

"Boss... are you hiring here? I can work. Just give me something to eat."

Lu Yuan looked at the child of destiny before he had awakened his true potential, and a meaningful smile curled across his lips.

The strongest worker had delivered himself right to his door?

"Can you grill fish?" Lu Yuan asked.

Huo Yuhao froze for a moment, then quickly nodded. "Yes! I often grilled them at home!"

"Good."

Lu Yuan pulled out a barbecue grill from beneath the counter.

"Perfect. These two customers are hungry from gaming. You'll be responsible for feeding them, and I'll provide food and lodging."

Huo Yuhao felt as though he had been granted a pardon. His eyes instantly lit up.

At this moment, he had no idea that, merely to earn a meal, he was about to become the most terrifying god-tier support on this continent.

Meanwhile.

Deep beneath the soil directly below the internet café, a huge, chubby white silkworm was desperately burrowing upward.

"Almost there, almost there! I can sense it! There's an absolute blind spot above, one that even Di Tian can't investigate! That's my refuge!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm burrowed upward in tears.

"As long as I dig my way in, I'll be free!"