Chapter Twenty-Two: Earning a Little Extra

Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

These two weeks were the most relaxed and carefree period Han Shuo had ever experienced. The cleaning tasks that had originally belonged to him were now handled by Borg and Kerry, and with the injury on his back, Fanny hadn't asked him to participate in any research projects. From Jack, Han Shuo learned that even Fitch had gone off to attempt the trial for advancing to a senior mage, so for the time being, that formidable adversary posed no threat.

Since his shameless confession at the bottom of that trap, Lisa's attitude toward Han Shuo had undergone a dramatic transformation. Not only did she stop making trouble for him, she would often stand up for him, forbidding other students from using him as a subject for undead magic trials during this period.

Thus, aside from the necessities of daily life, Han Shuo devoted all his spare time to practicing demonic arts and studying the two books, "Fundamentals of Undead Magic" and "An Overview of Dark Creatures."

In fact, thanks to his cultivation, the injury on his back had long since healed, leaving not even a scar. Han Shuo had grown another two centimeters, now standing at one meter seventy. With his demonic practice and proper nutrition, his once frail body gradually became solid and powerful, muscles beginning to rise on his chest, abdomen, and arms.

Unnoticed by others, both his physique and strength were quietly changing. The practice of the "Mystic Frost Inferno Technique" had reached a critical stage; when he circulated his magic force, he could now channel it into both palms according to the technique's prescribed route.

Each time he activated the "Mystic Frost Inferno Technique" and guided the magic force into his palms, he felt one hand icy cold, the other scorching hot. The skin at the center of his palms would turn faintly purple and red, giving them a strange appearance.

As for the mysterious jade box, Han Shuo had not dared to tamper with it during this period, fearing a repeat of last time. Without understanding what the orb inside really was or its peculiar purpose, he refrained from taking any risks.

Through half a month of studying "An Overview of Dark Creatures," Han Shuo gained a clearer understanding of some of the dark beings summoned by the necromancy school. He learned the methods for communicating with summoned creatures and how to dispatch them to alternate dimensions.

Although the book contained spells for sending summoned dark creatures to other realms, and Han Shuo was confident that his current spiritual strength was sufficient to accomplish this, he hesitated to try. He feared that if he sent the little skeleton away, he might never be able to summon him back, and would lose him forever.

The black skeleton with seven bone spikes was a creation Han Shuo had painstakingly crafted by refining magical artifacts. It surpassed ordinary skeletons in every aspect and possessed a terrifying immunity to light magic.

Over these days, Han Shuo and the little skeleton had spent every moment together; the skeleton had helped him on many occasions, and Han Shuo had grown attached to him. The thought that sending him to another realm might mean never seeing him again made him reluctant to take the risk.

Because of this concern, he chose not to send the little skeleton away, preferring to let him remain under the bed, even at the risk of being discovered.

Before him, the black skeleton lay lazily in a wooden tub, its bones dark as ink and shimmering with a faint glow. For the past half month, Han Shuo had regularly infused magical force into the small tub, continuing to refine the skeleton with the "Yin Demon Condensing Array."

With continual refinement, the skeleton grew increasingly agile and robust; its tiny bone blade was sharper than any ordinary sword. Han Shuo had tested it on broken bones, finding that a single swipe would sever them instantly.

As the skeleton changed, Han Shuo benefited greatly from practicing the "Solid Body" stage of his demonic art, his own body undergoing mysterious transformation.

Yet, he still could not break through this stage. Carefully recalling the memories of the madman Chu Canglan, and reflecting on experiences that followed, Han Shuo reached a conclusion: to rapidly achieve mastery of the "Solid Body" stage, destruction followed by restoration was the most effective path.

Whenever Han Shuo was beaten severely, or suffered serious injuries, his body would quickly recover through the demonic practice, and each time, his flesh and bones grew tougher and stronger. Only through initial damage could the art accelerate the refining of the "Solid Body" stage.

Understanding this, Han Shuo could only smile bitterly, thinking that cultivating this art was essentially self-abuse. Yet, having chosen this path for the sake of greater power, he had no choice but to seek a way to break through the stage quickly.

On this day, Han Shuo appeared at the entrance of the Martial Arts Academy of Babylon Magic and Martial Academy.

After a few days of investigation, Han Shuo learned that the Martial Arts Academy specialized in training warriors and knights. The training for warriors and knights was kept entirely separate: the warrior academy's students were mostly commoners, focusing on combat skills and loyalty to the crown.

The knight academy's students were largely nobility, drawn from the empire's major families and the royal household. These students came from powerful backgrounds, receiving instruction not only in combat and martial skills but also in noble etiquette, military strategy, and command.

Within the knight academy, they studied a vast array of disciplines, preparing for future opportunities within their families or the empire. These knight students, being wealthy, would spare no expense to hire commoners as sparring partners to help them refine their martial skills.

Some physically strong commoners, tempted by generous rewards, would endure their blows to earn money, and even some warrior academy students would volunteer to be punching bags for the knights.

However, earning this money was not easy. Sometimes, a knight trainee would accidentally kill a punching bag. But as both parties agreed to the arrangement, and the knights paid, no one cared if a punching bag was killed.

Han Shuo had come to join the ranks of these punching bags—not for money, but to toughen himself and break through the "Solid Body" stage of his demonic art.

In a spacious hall stood many punching bags, all robust and muscular, dressed in the uniform garb of poor commoners. Han Shuo observed closely, noting some warriors among them, some drawn by reputation from outside the academy, and a few who were students of the warrior academy.

"You’re an academy laborer, but you’re not strong, and you're no warrior. Are you here to get yourself killed, boy? I advise you not to try earning this money, or you might end up dead!" At the entrance, a thin old man looked at Han Shuo and spoke.

The old man, Jeff, was about fifty, a fellow laborer, dressed in menial attire, responsible for registering the punching bags. Seeing Han Shuo’s thin frame, he kindly tried to dissuade him.

"It’s fine, Mr. Jeff, please register me. I really want to give it a try!" Han Shuo looked at Jeff, pleading.

"If you insist, I'll register you. Ah, do you think this money is easy to earn? If you get killed, don’t say I didn’t warn you!" Jeff, seeing Han Shuo’s persistence and the queue behind urging him, finally relented and sighed, helping Han Shuo register under the name Bryan.

As Han Shuo entered the hall, the other punching bags looked at him strangely, most with disdain, some with pity, and a few urging him not to try.

Although Han Shuo’s body was stronger than Bryan’s had been thanks to his demonic training, Bryan had been so frail and thin he resembled a starving monkey. Even now, Han Shuo was only somewhat improved, and compared to the burly men whose arms were thicker than his thighs, the difference was vast.

"Take my advice and leave now, or you'll be k