Chapter 640: The New Adam (Part 2)
A Desperate Choice
Magic is powerful, but most Underworld magic requires advanced preparation—a "wind-up" period, so to speak. This often puts most sorcerers at a disadvantage in contests of the same tier.
Ordinarily, Akorn wouldn't have cared about the Three-Eyed Imp. As a Half-Dragon, he possessed extreme magical resistance, even being immune to some dark spells. But now, without hands or feet, he was like a worm, forced to writhe on the ground.
The Imp picked up a stone and violently smashed it against his head. The attack was weak, but the humiliation was immense. Akorn roared fiercely, trying to scare his opponent away with sheer presence.
Sadly, the starved Imp didn't care.
After hundreds of blows, Akorn finally collapsed, passing out with a face full of unwillingness. In his daze, he seemed to hear the sound of wood scraping. He opened his eyes and saw the Imp perched on his chest, tearing at the fresh flesh growing from his wounds.
AHHHHH!!!!
A roar exploded. Akorn struggled madly, successfully flinging the Imp away.
"Don't fight it; it's useless! You won't live anyway, so you might as well let me have a good meal."
"Don't worry, I'll avenge you," the Imp said, wiping blood from its mouth, and lunged forward like a starved dog. It was small, but its teeth were incredibly sharp, easily tearing open the skin to devour the flesh.
The pain of being slowly consumed was agonizing. Akorn went mad, twisting his body frantically. The infuriated Imp picked up the stone and smashed him unconscious again.
Death was closing in.
Unbelievably, the unconscious Akorn began to weep. Perhaps his survival instinct was too strong, because he woke up again after just two minutes.
"Let me go! I'll give you all my treasure, all my slaves!"
The Imp sneered.
"Do you think I'm one of those fools who will believe your nonsense?"
"Stop struggling. Resistance will only make you bleed faster and die sooner. If you don't fight, you might live a little longer."
Akorn lay there numbly. He looked at the "rat" only inches away, then hardened his resolve, opened his mouth, and bit down hard. The Imp quickly darted aside, picked up the stone, and began slamming it again.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each blow felt like it landed on his heart. Akorn was a bloody mess, and his consciousness began to fade. He fell into infinite despair, praying to the Dragon Gods and Demon Gods he once worshipped, even promising to dedicate the rest of his life to them if they could save him from this suffering.
Alas, the high and mighty Gods made no response.
With death imminent, Akorn let out a roar of frustration and slowly closed his eyes.
Time slipped silently away. He woke up again, not knowing how long it had been, and upon seeing Luke standing over him, he blurted out,
"Am I dead?"
"What do you think?"
"I'm still alive?"
"You are indeed still alive," Luke said, glancing at the bloody mess that was his body, adding with pity, "though not doing very well."
"You saved me."
"You could say that."
"Why?"
"I was passing by."
"Can I follow you? I want to be your servant, your servant for all eternity."
Having gone through everything, Akorn's state of mind had undergone a huge change. He was calmer than ever, as if he had transcended the boundary between life and death and reached another level of understanding.
Luke shook his head. "You're too weak. You don't qualify."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Wait!"
"I can prove it! I will prove my capability!"
"Please, just give me one chance! I will prove myself, truly, I beg you!"
Akorn began to cry miserably. Half-Dragons don't cry, yet he had cried twice today.
Luke stopped, turned, and walked back to him.
"What can you do?"
"I know magic and martial arts. I know the power distribution of the Underworld, the relationships between the tribes, and Avogadro's weakness! His treasure—mountains of gold, silver, jewels, and magic materials, and all sorts of weapons and equipment! I know the back entrance! We can get in and steal it all!"
"Aren't you afraid he'll eat you?"
Akorn gritted his teeth. "I'm not afraid of anything now."
"Good. That's the first time you've said something with backbone. The first rule for becoming my subordinate is fearlessness in the face of death. Those who fear death are useless trash."
Luke placed his hand on Akorn's forehead. Golden light shimmered at his fingertip, and divine energy was converted into a continuous stream of life force, injecting itself into Akorn's body. The wounds healed at a visible rate. The severed limbs sprouted buds of flesh, slowly extending outward.
Two minutes later, a fully restored Akorn knelt on the ground and declared solemnly,
"From this moment forward, Akorn is his young master's most loyal servant. The young master commands me to live, and I live; the young master commands me to die, and I die. I will never betray you, for all eternity."
"Don't call me master. Call me Young Master."
"Understood, Young Master."
Akorn was excited. "Young Master, could you give me a new name? I don't want to be Akorn anymore."
"What kind of name do you want?"
"One that is powerful, majestic, and inspires awe."
"Call yourself Adam. In our world, Adam is the mythical origin of all humankind."
"That's wonderful! From now on, I am Adam!"
Akorn grinned. Since his birth, he had never felt so relaxed.
Luke watched him calmly, lost in thought.
The two returned to the gorge. Upon seeing Akorn, Diana was completely perplexed.
"Why did you bring him back?"
"I've taken him on as my subordinate."
Subordinate?
Diana was stunned. Clark and J'onn were also full of questions. Why take on a "demon" as a subordinate, especially one who was the City Lord of Dragonhold and the most loyal retainer of the Underworld Dragon, Avogadro? Wouldn't this be like planting a time bomb?
Luke didn't offer a lengthy explanation. Time would prove Akorn's worth. In a completely foreign place like the Underworld, the only way not to run around like a headless chicken was to find a local guide.
Akorn was undoubtedly the best choice. He was the former City Lord, with access to immense information and connections. Having experienced the despair of being consumed, his mindset had also changed. He was no longer as savage, cowardly, or frantic as before; his eyes held a new, humanized intelligence.
This guy is useful!
Upon returning, Akorn immediately slipped into the role of a servant, volunteering to head to the nearest settlement to scout for information. Luke didn't hesitate and let him leave.
Diana and the others exchanged bewildered glances, thinking Luke had lost his mind. However, what happened next nearly dropped their jaws.
Akorn did not seize the chance to escape. He quickly returned and truthfully relayed all the intelligence he had gathered.
Dragonhold had mobilized its army—a total of ninety thousand warriors—under the command of the acting City Lord, Bero, and they were searching the plains far and wide for the heroes. Additionally, the news that the four heroes were Humans was beginning to spread.
Other factions, upon hearing the news, were also starting to gather intelligence on them.
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