Chapter Thirty-Four: Aftermath

“Embers.”
The flame of the Word Spirit ignited, consuming the shattered clothing and the sofa together, burning and destroying them at an astonishing speed. Meanwhile, Lu Mingfei changed into a new outfit, quietly watching the flames devour everything.

The sofa crushed by the dragon’s claws and the clothes torn by draconic transformation were deadly flaws. To eliminate any evidence, it was safest to burn them quickly with the Word Spirit, especially when no one seemed to know what had happened.

Soon, the rising heat triggered the hotel’s fire sprinklers. Water cascaded down from the fixtures, spreading steadily. Yet, how could the flames conjured by the Word Spirit be extinguished by such a trivial amount of water? The blaze continued to burn fiercely.

Before long, the sofa and clothes were almost completely reduced to ashes.

“Cancel.”
Lu Mingfei snapped his fingers, and the raging fire vanished instantly. This was the authority of his power—not only could he interrupt the Word Spirit’s effects directly, but he could also quell the elemental frenzy it had caused. It was remarkably convenient.

Urgent footsteps echoed outside the hotel room. With a sudden fire incident, the hotel staff could not possibly remain unaware, nor could they simply ignore it.

It would be safer to spend some extra money to resolve this.

With this thought, Lu Mingfei picked up his phone and dialed the number he had just added—the contact left by Senior Chu Zihang yesterday.

This call was necessary. The other party had only just left, and now he had suffered an accident. If he didn’t explain proactively, it could easily cause trouble. The difference between explaining voluntarily and being discovered and forced to explain was vast; the impression and credibility they left were worlds apart.

Hybrid-bloods were all elite humans—never treat them as fools, never assume that silence could deceive them. Hiding such matters, thinking oneself clever, often only worsens one’s own situation.

Soon, the call connected.

“Lu Mingfei? You’ve changed your mind?”
Chu Zihang’s voice came through.

“No, I’ve… run into a bit of trouble. Senior, could you help me out?” Lu Mingfei glanced at the charred sofa, speaking in an embarrassed tone.

“What kind of trouble?”

“I was developing a new incantation for Dragon Tongue, and accidentally triggered an explosion, blowing up the room. But the situation is stable now—there’s no further danger. It’s just… I don’t have a good explanation for the hotel staff about what caused the accident.”

“Wait, isn’t your Word Spirit water manipulation? How did you manage to cause an explosion with a water-based Word Spirit?” Chu Zihang’s eyelids twitched, unable to resist questioning.

“Uh, the principle is rather complicated. I can’t explain it clearly in a short time. You could say I distorted the meaning of the Dragon Tongue, which led to a warped effect and instability, resulting in an accidental explosion.”

So Word Spirits could be used like this?

Chu Zihang was speechless, but he could somewhat understand. Given Lu Mingfei’s bloodline level, his Word Spirit was certainly high-risk, perhaps even more advanced. Accidents during development were normal.

Moreover, Chu Zihang’s own Word Spirit was Sovereign Flame, equally high-risk. Even in normal use, there was some danger. He could relate to Lu Mingfei, who also possessed a high-risk Word Spirit, accidentally causing an explosion during development... but still, water-based Word Spirit exploding was outrageous!

How could water possibly produce an explosion? Did you turn your Word Spirit into a liquid bomb?

In the end, Chu Zihang said helplessly, “You remind me of those madmen in the Equipment Department. Maybe you have potential equal to, or even surpassing, theirs.”

“Ah…”

“Was anyone hurt?”

“No, I controlled the speed well. The explosion didn’t affect anyone else.”

“Then it’s fine. I’ll use the Academy’s resources to help you out. When the hotel staff ask, insist that it was a gas explosion. I’ll take care of the rest. Also…”
Chu Zihang’s voice paused, then he spoke earnestly: “Come to Kassel College. The life of ordinary people doesn’t suit you. After all, you’re not content with mediocrity, are you?”

“I’ll think about it. There’s still some time before I graduate,” Lu Mingfei replied softly.

“Alright.”

After the call ended, Lu Mingfei breathed a little easier. Now, he could be sure that Kassel College likely didn’t know about his previous situation.

Of course, it was possible that only Chu Zihang didn’t know, or was pretending to be ignorant while secretly preparing an elaborate dragon-slaying plan. Vigilance was necessary—he could not afford to let his guard down.

“What are you thinking about, brother?”
Lu Mingze’s voice slowly emerged. He sat on the blackened chair, resting his chin on one hand, tilting his head in confusion and asking.

“I need power. A power strong enough to break the shackles of this world,” Lu Mingfei answered decisively.

Although he didn’t trust the little devil, most of what he said to him came straight from the heart, wholly honest and without any falsehood. The little devil simply couldn’t understand.

Of course, if he could understand, Lu Mingfei would have to reconsider whether to tell the truth.

“Why do you want power? Is it for revenge?”
The little devil asked curiously.

“Yes, I want revenge! I’ve seen the enemy beyond the world, and I want to cut him down. I absolutely must kill him!”
Lu Mingfei’s golden eyes blazed with fury, wholly sincere.

But seeing this, Lu Mingze felt his brother was beyond saving and gradually gave up.

Well, his brother’s mental illness had worsened; he was now imagining enemies outside the world. Obviously, he had always been here, always in this world—how could he possibly see an enemy beyond it?

“Alright, alright, the other side of the world is the enemy.”

“Not just enemies. There are friends, and people I care about, too.”
Lu Mingfei’s gaze grew gentle, a proud smile blooming on his face.

“Yes, yes, you’re right.”
The little devil replied carelessly, gradually understanding everything. Lu Mingfei’s illness was delusional, a late-stage case of adolescent fantasy, and probably incurable now.

From his perspective, aside from these inexplicable fantasies, Lu Mingfei’s other behaviors were normal, logical, and nothing would betray his condition to others.

In other words, his brother probably regarded him as part of his imagined world, which explained why he could share those fantasies so freely, while remaining silent to others—no one would suspect anything.

Hmph, worthy of being my brother!
We’re in this together!

“Tell me, how can I gain power?”
Lu Mingfei asked solemnly.

“Brother… you’re already strong enough. There aren’t many people in this world who can match you. Why do you still pursue more power?”
Lu Mingze sighed.

At this moment, Lu Mingfei’s dragon bloodline was not only highly concentrated but also active. He was no longer the fragile boy he once was.

His basic stats were absurdly high, his mental strength formidable, able to directly manipulate elements through sheer will, using or canceling Word Spirits at will. Even royal-class hybrids would be crushed by him. Moreover, he had mastered voluntary draconic transformation; if he couldn’t win, he could simply become a dragon. More terrifying still, his transformation could be reversed by his mind—a feat that should be impossible.

But he was a monster, after all.

He was the greatest monster in this world!