Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

Chapter 322: 2nd Stage of Trial; Conclusion

"Ow! Ow! Can you be a bit gentler?" Eunuch Wei complained with a wronged expression.

"Tch. You're a big boy; you can handle this. Come on, stay still." Cedric rolled his eyes as he continued filling out the tattoo design with ink.

Next to them were Backpack Fatty, Morning Wood, Moss Lady, and last but not least, Howler, who looks incredibly smug as he watches what's happening despite his upper body being covered with bandages.

What is happening and how did the situation become like this, you ask? Well...

"Don't look so smug, you son of a bitch!" Eunuch Wei glared at the bandaged werewolf.

"Says the one who keeps complaining about getting a mere tattoo! You're the one who keeps complaining about the pain as if Dawnbringer's stabbing you repeatedly!" Howler sneered at him.

"Hey, it's not my fault that my skin's sensitive!" The poor angel cried without tears. He then looked at his right thigh, which was slowly getting inked with a warped expression. "Shit, Boss is gonna kill me for this! I hate you, Howler! I shouldn't have made that bet with you."

"Cope, Mald, and Seethe, bitch! I don't care," Howler replied coldly. "Besides, you were the one who came up with this shit. If you didn't want to suffer like this, you should've tried harder to defeat me."

It's no secret to all of the challengers of the 42nd Lobby that Howler and Eunuch Wei like to aim at each other's throats. It's nothing too serious at the end of the day, but they keep on testing each other's limits. Simply put, both of them have too much pride and 'masculinity' to prove, and their personalities often clash, yet at the same time, they understood each other the most.

This whole thing started off as a joke, which later escalated into a fight because both of them are too proud to back down.

Eunuch Wei challenged Howler into a fight, saying that if he won, Howler must pay respects to him and call him 'Father' for the rest of his stay at the tower. If Howler wins, Eunuch Wei will agree to have a 'beautiful' tattoo of Howler's name on his thigh, one that he must keep for at least 100 years.

Well, judging by what's happening right now, it's clear that Howler won the fight. Eunuch Wei can't shamelessly back out because the fight was witnessed by everyone.

Yes, even the grumpy Hermit came out of his tunnel to watch the entire fiasco.

Eunuch Wei initially had the best chance of winning this fight. He had aerial supremacy because of his wings, and his 'Angelic Domain', which not only purifies foreign energies but also increases his power and weakens his enemy, was a deadly weapon against Howler.

However, Eunuch Wei was too arrogant. He landed on the ground, removing his aerial supremacy, just to continue mocking and provoking Howler, and that sealed his fate. It turns out that Howler had a skill that binds people to the ground for a brief period of time. Eunuch Wei was caught and abused the moment Howler had his claws on him.

Eunuch Wei fought back, and he managed to injure Howler severely, but he underestimated the madness of the werewolds who smelled blood. In the end, Eunuch Wei's wings were ripped off his body, and he was beaten to the point of surrender.

And this brings us to the present, where Cedric offered his service free of charge to design and tattoo Howler's alias on Eunuch Wei's thigh.

Pat Pat!

"Alright, I'm done," Cedric stated after patting Eunuch Wei's tattooed thigh.

"Ow! Asshole!" The poor angel glared at him, but Cedric didn't take it seriously.

The rest came over and saw the final results. 'Howler' was tattooed on Eunuch Wei's thigh in bold, italic, and cursive. Cedric even added some heart emojis and flower petals to some letters just to prove a point.

It still looked relatively dirty, but once it's clean, there's no doubt that it will look awesome. It was a bit humiliating for Eunuch Wei, but awesome.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Howler laughed madly as he patted Cedric's shoulders. "Good, good! What a good tattoo!"

His reaction earned a few giggles from other challengers too. Meanwhile, Eunuch Wei looked as if he'd been mourning his lost reputation. He's so closed to crying, too.

This was truly embarrassing for him.

Cedric himself didn't care much. He returned to the kitchen to check on the food he's making and was glad that he's just on time. The food is done, and it's time to eat.

The smell wafted all the way to the living room, causing everybody to feel hungry. Cedric brought the goods with him, along with plates and utensils. He shared food with everyone, and they had a pleasant lunch.

After their meal, they all relaxed for a bit in the lobby. That's when Moss Lady suddenly asked:

"I heard that you plan on returning home, Dawnbringer. Is this true?"

Cedric blinked, not really expecting the sudden inquiry, but didn't mind it too much.

"Yeah." He nodded in reply. "I'm done with the second stage of the trials, and I dearly missed my girls, so I'm returning."

Most of the challengers hummed in response.

"Time flew by really quick, huh?" Howler said. "Before we knew it, more than a hundred years had passed by already."

"I actually thought that you'd finish way earlier." Backpack Fatty chimed in. "Your trials must be really challenging, then."

Cedric didn't respond. It's true that he could've finished way earlier than this, but he personally didn't want to. He saw no advantage in rushing through the trials. If anything, he thinks that doing that will only bring more harm to him than good.

There are time limits imposed in his trials; it gives him pressure but also gives him a concrete time frame to work on. By staying as late as he possibly could before completing his trials, he could squeeze more benefits inside the tower.

**

[Challenger Profile:]

Name: Dawnbringer

Age: 34

Race: Human

LE: 1-star Grand Solar Warrior

Potential: SSS

Achievements: Trial of Mind (2nd Stage): Cleared; Trial of Body (2nd Stage): Cleared; Trial of Spirit (2nd Stage): Cleared

Points: 10,000

**

1-Star Grand Solar Realm Life Evolver...

This roughly means that Cedric's strength has reached a point where he could potentially explode with enough power to seriously damage a solar system. His might is no longer limited to a planetary scale but to an entire solar system scale.

Reaching this level of cultivation also meant that Cedric must now begin mastering grand solar concept laws, which were at least several hundred times more difficult than comprehending planetary concept laws.

He hasn't learned much this time, just the nameless sword technique. But this one thing was enough for him to walk unrivaled on Prime Earth.

Cedric has also formed the Nine Extreme Suns Physique after reaching the perfection stage of the Nine Suns Empyrean Codex. He made the same progress with his other cultivation techniques, such as the Fiend Celestial Scripture and the Astral Sovereign Mantra.

Reaching the perfection level on all of this changed him. It allowed him to upgrade his aptitude to SSS level, which was only a step away from the ultimate rating of EX. But even this half-step seemed to be an endless chasm that could not be crossed through simple means.

Actually, Cedric shouldn't complain. It's already a miracle that he has upgraded his aptitude to this level. One must know that even by the alliance's standards, an SSS aptitude rating was extremely rare. What's even rarer is going from an A+ rating to the SSS rating; this almost never happens.

With his upgraded aptitude, Cedric felt that it became easier for him to comprehend the Grand Solar Laws. But that doesn't mean that he'll be mastering them anytime soon.

He earned a lot of points after displaying an above-standard performance after clearing the second stage of his trials. Most of them were spent on gifts that he intended to take home and use to improve humanity's living conditions.

Of course, he also didn't neglect his personal growth. The cultivation techniques he cultivated to perfection will benefit him even at the peak of the Grand Solar Realm, but if he wants to transcend it, he must start practicing a technique that could take him there.

He had just the right amount of trial points to purchase one that fits his requirements, one that he'd keep in the inventory for now since he can't use it just yet.

After spending some more time with his friends, Cedric bid farewell. He kept a disciplined expression, but deep down, he was feeling really impatient. He only spent more time with them out of politeness; in truth, he was already itching to go back home.

His fellow challengers sent him away, looking a bit despondent as his figure disappeared as he left the tower. They have no idea how much time will pass until he returns, and even if they do, so what?

Once Cedric was gone, they all returned to their rooms and continued with their trials.