Chapter 136 - 53. Life Rank

Chapter 136: 53. Life RankI’d forgotten that my body’s certain capacities had been enhanced by the Demi-human Girls Completion Manual, easily handling Rafael the Dragon-man, but I never expected that even demons would acknowledge me.

"If I remember correctly, demi-humans can reproduce with humans, right? What does this have to do with constitution?"

However, Fisher caught on to the blind spot in her words. Previously, he had researched hybrid offspring and had also encountered instances of marriage between two demi-human races resulting in offspring on the South Continent. This method of reproduction had its patterns; it generally followed the mother’s side but also mixed some traits from the father.

For example, if Fisher and Rafael were to have offspring, the children would still be of the Dragon-man Species, but they would be distinctly different from other Dragon-men – possibly a positive or negative shift. Meaning, the child might be stronger than other children of the same race or could be weaker.

Fisher vaguely felt there were specific factors determining these positive and negative traits, but he didn’t fully understand them yet. Although there was no barrier to reproduction between demi-humans or between demi-humans and humans, the probability of producing offspring was still very low.

Like with Rafael, they had been together over a dozen times, and even without any protective measures, Fisher still thought the chances were slim.

"Oh? It looks like you really are a scholarly type, ouch. And here I thought you were just a baddie using research as a cover for other schemes~"

Elliog had finished eating all her food by now. She crossed her arms and fully turned to look at Fisher with some annoyance, explaining,

"Let’s say, for example, a Little Demon and an ordinary Human were to pair up, they could engage in activity a million times and still might not successfully reproduce, because you Humans, according to the reproductive hierarchy, are about... hmm, seventeen or eighteen Ranks below demons. Don’t say I’m discriminating against you Humans, ouch, this is a pattern your own kind has come up with. Although I don’t know if you still are aware of it."

She jokingly drew a ladder-like shape with her hands, then represented Humans with her left hand and Demons with her right, stretching the distance between the two hands far apart.

"Then this guy, it’s like you’ve been swept up by an erupting volcano, whoosh, and suddenly you’ve jumped to a position close to our Rank. I have no clue how you managed to do that."

She suddenly brought her hands closer together, signifying that the left hand, representing Humans, was just a little distance away from being parallel to the right hand representing Demons.

"Maybe your parents were just really active, and then they happened to hit a streak of good luck that’s rare since the beginning of creation, which led to you, and allowed you to jump from the position of ’Human Species’ to here."

Elliog seemed to still regard Fisher as a Mixed Blood of High Rank demi-human and Human, even though he wasn’t.

All his enhancements were gained through the Demi-human Girls Completion Manual, whether it was constitution or reproductive ability, but Fisher didn’t reveal the thoughts about the Completion Manual; he let her assume he was Mixed Blood.

But now what puzzled him was that Elliog said that these concepts were summarized by Humans themselves, yet Fisher had never known this, and she also said she was unsure whether she still remembered this knowledge...

Meaning, a long time ago, Humans must have had a profound understanding and research on the various demi-human races, so why is it that now they know nothing?

"Humans once researched all demi-human species?"

Elliog’s teasing tone grew thicker, but she seemed reluctant to elaborate further,

"Pretty much. It’d be impossible not to study them... Alright, alright, don’t ask me about that anymore. Even knowing that won’t help your current life at all. You guys just love thinking ten steps ahead without taking a single step first. Don’t you know it’s easy to overstep that way?"

No, you’re the one who doesn’t want to move, preferring to lie dead where you are, considering it a loss to even take a single step.

"If you want to know more about this, pay attention to something called the ’All Things Warning Stone Tablet.’ Your Humans used to have one in pretty much every settlement, and there were quite a few of them. Digging around underground, you’re bound to find some..."

Fisher silently took note of what Elliog had said. Based on what this Demon was saying, Humans once conducted corresponding studies on many demi-human races. Yet Fisher, who had studied history, knew that from the recorded history onward, Humans had little understanding of demi-humans.

So, just how long ago was the Human knowledge of demi-human races that Elliog mentioned?

And just how old was this Demon in front of him?

Several mysteries appeared before him, but Fisher didn’t continue to probe.

As the Demon before him had said, there was a time for everything, and now wasn’t the time to dwell on the incomplete information she had revealed or to ponder the truth behind it – that wasn’t smart. Besides, his original intent was to learn some information about the Demon Species and get rewards from the manual; he hadn’t expected to hear these secrets, which was an unexpected gain.

"I understand... By the way, you mentioned earlier about a training method for my body; I don’t have much going on lately, so I could start practicing and continue training after you leave."

"Ow, that? Well..."

Speaking of this, her eyes sparkled with intense interest, but her expression remained as lazy as ever, "First, take off your clothes."

"Why are you staring at me? You’re not planning to train in that outfit that looks constricting, are you? Either take it all off or leave some on, I don’t care either way."

As she spoke with an air of indifference, she licked her lips with a hungry look. The flames behind her flickered once, and a surge of desire rose in his heart, only to be quickly suppressed.

Fisher looked deeply at the demon before him, then shook his head, unfazed. This time, it was Elliog’s turn to be surprised.

How come this guy could be swayed by desire yesterday, but it’s hardly working today?

Is his will that strong?

The admiration in Elliog’s eyes grew deeper. She tapped her finger, and a drop of fresh blood emerged from her fingertip. She looked at Fisher and said,

"Let’s get this straight, there are no suitable training equipment here. I’m quite lazy, so I’ve designed some demon magic to enhance training—it’ll need to be cast on your body. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to use it or not. It might even be a spell that sucks all the blood from your body~"

Fisher unbuttoned his suit jacket and also removed the vest and shirt underneath, revealing his muscular torso. He glanced at Elliog, not immediately refusing, and simply said,

"Just carve out the magic and show it to me."

"Can do, meow."

She used the blood to draw a bizarre emblem in mid-air. The structure of the magic was entirely without pattern, resembling chaotic scribbles, which made Fisher’s scalp tingle—it looked like a haphazard collection of runes.

But as the emblem began to glow, Fisher quickly discovered the parts such as the Ring Head.

He quickly discerned the characteristics of the Demon Species magic: the parts were all scattered in chaos, yet they were linked by an excessive number of connecting lines. This arrangement could still trigger the Reverberation, but it looked uncannily sinister...

Magic, in essence, is all about triggering World Resonance to invoke miracles, but there is more than one path to the mountaintop. All sorts of methods and structures can work as long as they produce the desired effect, and this also illustrates how the nature of the world is seen differently by different races.

Human magic is structured with a strict sequence which reflects the social structure of the Human Species and their modes of problem-solving; whereas Demon magic is chaotic, signifying that in their eyes, the world is a complex and disordered melting pot, like countless tangled threads, where cause and effect are indeterminable.

Observing the magic, Fisher ascertained that the Main Ring, probably acting on the physical body, mostly had side effects, such as increased weight, stagnation, and Overload. This mimicked the load of training equipment. But perhaps the sub-ring was a bit too intense?

Looking at the sub-ring that was entirely larger than usual, Fisher expressed his doubts to Elliog. She poked Fisher haphazardly with her tail, somewhat irritated,

"You’re so weak because you think of your body from a Human perspective. Starting now, get with the program! Whether it’s * (sensitive content muted) life or training intensity, you need to keep up, meow. Since I’m your mentor, you have to follow my plan."

Now, Fisher finally understood how the students in his class felt when faced with a strict teacher.

However, he didn’t have any complaints. After confirming that the magic had no side effects, he used Elliog’s scorching blood to carve an identical Magic Emblem on his body and waited for it to activate. Suddenly, his body felt heavier.

In that instant, every part of Fisher’s body seemed to be receiving special attention, with soft yet heavy forces rolling over his muscles, making it difficult to move. Soon, a burning sensation like after intense exercise emerged, but then Fisher’s body gradually became exhilarated, the discomfort fading swiftly.

"That’s right, just like that. Now go exercise according to my schedule, and you’ll get twice the result with half the effort."

Elliog yawned and casually said,

"How do you Humans usually exercise? Start with that so I can see the effects. If it’s not good, I’ll switch to the demon way, meow."

Fisher’s muscles gradually became enveloped in the blood-red Light Halo. Countless weights and pressures emerged from those tiny Emblems, tormenting his muscles. If he were an ordinary Human, he wouldn’t be able to bear the pain, but Fisher felt it was bearable, and even found it thrilling.

He stretched his left hand and looked outside the lab at the empty field, deciding to use it as a training ground.