Full-Time Magister: The Strongest Summoned Beast is Actually Myself

Chapter 158, Kaso

The mages of the Crimson Ornament Guild all lowered their heads, their bodies trembling slightly, not daring to make a sound, as if even breathing would invite further punishment.

However, in this oppressive silence, a clear, cool voice, tinged with suppressed dissatisfaction, rang out:
Is doing this... really appropriate?

Everyone was taken aback and turned to look. They saw Nan Jue with a serious expression, his brows furrowed, and a hint of barely suppressed doubt in his eyes.

"These people certainly deserved what they got, but we are the Nationalist government's team, not mercenaries, much less a gang." Her tone was calm, but every word hit the nail on the head. "Using their lives to make money, how is that any different from what they did before?"

Although Zhao Manyan was usually glib, he touched the back of his neck and said somewhat awkwardly in a low voice, "Ahem... to be honest, I also think it's a bit too much. This scene looks... quite creepy. We might as well give them a quick death."

Ai Jiangtu remained silent, his expression grave, his gaze shifting between Chen Hao and the bloodstains on the ground, a conflicted expression in his silence.

Nan Rongni's face was somewhat pale, as if she were meeting Chen Hao for the first time.

“But they robbed civilians, we robbed bandits.” Mo Fan frowned, his voice not loud, but clearly showing his support.

“This is an abuse of power and extortion,” Jiang Shaoxu retorted. “We are not judges; we have no right to set prices for life.”

"What I want is the result." After saying this, he slowly raised Xige's head, his eyes as cold as knives.

"Those who don't want to participate can leave now."

"If they can't cough up the money today, I'll make them cough up their guts too."

For a moment, no one dared to object.

Chen Hao's voice was like a cold blade, severing the veil of pretense between morality and reality.

Ai Jiangtu, Nan Jue, Jiang Shaoxu, and a few others with a strong sense of morality turned around and left.

Under Chen Hao's instructions, the remaining people treated Xige and his group like they were from northern Myanmar, squeezing them dry and exploiting them until almost every Red Ornament Guild bandit was squeezed out of their entire fortune.

The few are in the millions, the many are in the tens of millions.

These people are mostly at the middle level or above in terms of cultivation, and they have some savings. They either save money to buy spirit seeds, or to buy magical artifacts, magical tools, or even star veins.

Even if you've just spent all your money, you still have the corresponding magical resources. If all else fails, you can ask your family for more or borrow from others. In short, you'll do everything you can to raise money.

The existence of spatial artifacts and magical resources makes it extremely difficult to regulate smuggling, money laundering, and tax evasion, thus making cash flow very convenient in the magical world.

……

Zhao Manyan trembled as he looked at the tallied wealth: "This is far too much..."

Including all the magical artifacts, resources, and spirit seeds, the total estimated value is at least one billion.

Even if everyone splits the money equally, each person will still receive 100 million.

This kind of money comes much faster than completing any mission or earning monster-hunting bounties.

In fact, many people regretted their actions halfway through the extortion, especially after witnessing Chen Hao's even more ruthless methods. However, once they were on this pirate ship, there was no getting off. Both personal favors and the lure of money made them grit their teeth and continue.

The most typical examples are Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, and Mu Ningxue.

Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan followed along out of loyalty, and were also forced by Chen Hao to bite the bullet and follow.

As for Mu Ningxue… she was genuinely short of money. After experiencing the catastrophe in the ancient capital, she understood better than anyone that without resources, there was no progress. This world wasn't one where success could be achieved through arduous cultivation alone.

"What should we do with these people?" Mo Fan asked, pointing to the members of the Red Ornament group who were lying on the ground, unable to even groan.

"Kill those below the higher ranks and use their heads to claim the bounty from the government," Chen Hao said coldly. "As for the two big bosses, continue to interrogate them, uncover their hidden strongholds, and then extract more money from them after you've captured them."

"Huh? Captain, again?" Guan Yu exclaimed in surprise, "I thought we were done for this round..."

"Nonsense." Chen Hao sneered. "What do you think a hundred million can do? There are countless small villages, caravans, and cargo ships in this sea area that have been ravaged by them. Just consider it as doing justice for heaven."

"But the Crimson Ornaments Guild... if we really push them too far..."

"You're just practicing your advanced cultivation for show?" Chen Hao retorted.

Guan Yu immediately shut up, not daring to say another word.

……

Under the leadership of Xige and Oni, Chen Hao led his men in a series of attacks, destroying several hidden strongholds of the Red Ornament Guild in this sea area, capturing three high-level mages and hundreds of mid-level mages alive.

The usual routine for everyone: interrogate, exploit, clear out resources, then kill them to collect the bounty. After a few times, everyone had become quite adept at it.

The reason for eliminating them was naturally to avoid unnecessary trouble. After all, they had abused their power to extort money. Some things may not weigh much on a scale, but once weighed, they can be as heavy as a thousand pounds.

There's no need to give others a chance to cause trouble for you. Just take them down. As a five-star hunter master, isn't it normal for you to be a little rough with your attacks?

As for whether these Nationalist government members will betray him?

He wasn't worried at all. Once they'd divided the loot, they were all in the same boat. From now on, he would be the one to use this to his advantage, not the other way around.

In just a few days, they made 500 million yuan, and others also received about 200 million yuan each.

If it weren't for that idiot Dark Overlord Mage coming to his death, Chen Hao would never have considered taking this path. It's just that that idiot gave him too much; there were hundreds of millions of them in the storage magic artifacts alone. If it weren't for the sensitive nature of his identity, he would have dealt with those things long ago.

……

Deep in the Caribbean Sea, the sunset paints the sea surface blood red, and a massive, castle-like black and gold luxury cruise ship sails slowly, like a mobile throne on the sea.

This cruise ship, named Crown, is ostensibly a commercial cruise ship, but in reality, it is the hideout of the Crimson Guild, Caso.

The atmosphere on the deck was heavy.

Several high-ranking mages, dressed in black and red robes and exuding a deep aura, knelt on the ground, not daring to even raise their heads.

"...Dead? Sig, Oni, and Ale, Toure...all of them, are they all fucking useless?"

Kaso's voice suddenly rose, and he stood up from the gold-plated sofa, kicking the low table in front of him away. Several bottles of Star Moon Wine, worth millions, smashed on the deck and evaporated completely, mixed with the toxic aura emanating from his feet.

"Say that again, you son of a bitch!" He glared at the kneeling deputy, his eyes bloodshot, his voice filled with inexplicable rage. "Nearly half of the high-level mages in my Crimson Ornament Guild have been wiped out???"

The second-in-command trembled with fear, his forehead pressed to the ground, his voice barely audible: "According to Lauren, it was led by a five-star hunter master, and the other side had more than a dozen high-level mages." "That damned Lauren, he actually let this hunter master slaughter my brothers, let's see how he explains himself!" Casso's face was ashen, filled with fear.

Upon hearing that the other side had more than a dozen high-level mages, led by a five-star hunter master, his original desire for revenge immediately vanished.

……

Meanwhile, ten nautical miles to the southwest of the cruise ship, in the sea area.

The sea was calm and the sunset gradually sank below the horizon, making the sea seem to be dyed red by the sunset, rippling with a layer of blood-red waves.

An unremarkable fishing boat was sailing against the current, but a group of extraordinary people were standing on the deck.

“That’s the Crown.” Nan Jue held up binoculars, pointing at the massive ship in the distance, his tone grave. “Black and gold deck, fire feather banner pattern, confirmed—Caso should be on that ship.”

"Phew, these people really know how to enjoy life, using a floating castle as their headquarters." Zhao Manyan clicked his tongue, a sneer playing on his lips. "It's a pity this cruise ship is hard to dispose of, otherwise it would have been a huge source of income. I heard the Crown cost a whopping 20 billion..."

"No way, have you all become like this? You're already eyeing their ship before even fighting! There are at least two hundred mages on board!!" Jiang Yu exclaimed in shock.

"They've all been corrupted by Chen Hao," Nan Jue shook her head.

Born a pirate, he naturally couldn't be very disciplined. Kaso's hideout wasn't actually hard to find; the difficulty lay in defeating him, since he was a high-level, fully-trained guy.

Under Chen Hao's interrogation, the small leaders, including Xige, quickly became accomplices, revealing all the information about Kasuo. One of the leaders even hid a magical locator on the cruise ship, which is why Chen Hao was able to find him so easily.

"Alright, let's wait for them here. Let's steer the boat further away so we don't get spotted," Chen Hao said, then led the way by jumping onto the ice floes in the sea.

"They're practically like secret agents," Mo Fan remarked before jumping down as well.

The group quickly followed, crowding onto a five-meter-long ice floe and using shadow magic for concealment.

The boats were then sailed away by Nan Jue and the others.

……

Ice floes drifted slowly in the night and sea fog, with only the faint sound of the tide and the distant engine of a cruise ship all around.

Moonlight pierced through the dark clouds, shining on the massive Crown Cruiser, as if coating this sea fortress with a layer of cold silver frost.

Finally, the cruise ship slowly passed near the ice floes, and the radar of this behemoth could not detect a single ice floe covered by shadow magic.

"We can go now. I'll take care of Kasso, Mo Fan and Ai Jiangtu will handle the small boss, and you guys can handle the rest!" After Chen Hao finished speaking, silver starlight flashed around him, and he disappeared from the spot in an instant.

The next second—

"Bang!!!"

A heavy titanium alloy hatch suddenly shattered, sending debris flying like rain, startling the entire Crown into a metallic, alarming blast!

On the ship's central control deck, a dozen or so red-adorned mages had just stood up when they saw a man radiating golden light step in, as if a god had descended.

"Enemy attack! Stop him—" Before he could finish speaking, the ten-meter-long Light Soul Blade swung over, instantly slicing more than a dozen people in half at the waist. The two halves of their bodies flew out violently, crashing into the wall and exploding into a heap.

Chen Hao unleashed his spiritual power, recklessly probing all nearby individuals. In an instant, he found the one with the strongest fluctuations and decisively moved towards it, dismantling doors and walls wherever he went.

The steel walls of the Crown were like paper in front of him. In less than half a minute, he had broken through from the central control floor all the way to the top floor's Golden Crystal Reception Room!

With each step he took, radiant starlight burst forth from beneath his feet, and vast amounts of golden stardust cascaded out like a waterfall, swirling around him to form a magnificent and awe-inspiring armor of light.

The ship's once luxurious and opulent interior was reduced to a charred ruin under his thrust. The sounds of breaking steel bars, explosions, and alarms mingled together, and the entire cruise ship, like a giant sea monster about to sink into an abyss, let out a painful wail!
"He's charging up—he's really charging up alone!!!"

A red-clad backbone mage jumped up in terror from the corner and desperately tried to escape, but as soon as he turned the corner of the corridor, he was pierced by a sweeping spiral of light spear blade, which blasted through the entire bulkhead behind him, leaving no trace of his body!
In Jin Jing's reception room.

Kaso stood before a nautical chart inlaid with gold and jade, his face grim, with a distinctive dark green constellation tied in his palm.

Beside him, two top-tier deputies quickly gathered magical energy, each constructing a high-level constellation.

"coming!"

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Caso's forehead.

boom! ! !
The crystal dome shattered, and a figure bathed in golden starlight descended from the sky, landing heavily in the center of the reception room. Scattered particles of light and shards of glass flew everywhere, as if it were a divine judgment.

"You are Kasuo?" Chen Hao stepped forward, his battle blade slowly pointing downwards, and a complete set of golden star rings bloomed behind him, shining like a celestial river pouring down!

Casso's cheek muscles twitched slightly: "Who exactly are you? We have no grudge against each other... Why are you causing trouble for my Red Ornament Guild? If I have offended you in any way, I can apologize first."

“Fine, give me 100 billion, and I’ll spare your life,” Chen Hao said.

Kaso's face darkened, and the fear in his eyes was instantly replaced by anger.

"Go to hell!!!!!"

The next second, the hall floor exploded!

A thick, earthy brown shockwave suddenly erupted, blasting Chen Hao back several meters. Kaso's body was instantly enveloped in a layer of massive black rock armor, as if he were wearing a suit of mountain stone battle armor, with dense, poisonous patterns crawling across its surface.

Following closely behind, the wind constellation rotated into a ring, forming three wings of gale behind him. The gale cut through the air like blades, stirring up a sky full of dust!
"Poison Armor·Stone Ghost Body!!!"

Kasuo dared not be careless in the slightest. Facing an enemy like Chen Hao, he immediately activated his strongest state.

The poison-type constellation compressed and focused, causing Kaso's flesh and blood to swell wildly, with bluish-black poison gas seeping through his skin, his muscle lines twisting like iron cables, and his body forcefully growing to nearly three meters tall!
—His physical body is already comparable to that of a demon leader!

"Come on!! Let me see just how good you really are!!!"

Kaso roared as he charged forward, each step causing the ship to tremble violently! His fists, coated in rocks and poisonous gas, and accompanied by a sandstorm that blocked visibility, slammed down towards Chen Hao!
"Hmph, hand-to-hand combat? Perfect timing!"

"Martial Soul True Form! Thunder Titan!!!"

boom! ! ! !

With a furious shout from Chen Hao, the entire ship shook violently as if it were being torn apart by lightning!
A massive, thunderous shadow rose from behind him, hurtling straight to the top of the ship, breaking through the steel cabin, shattering the deck dome, and revealing the pitch-black night sky!

Lightning crackled and roared furiously!
(End of this chapter)