Chapter 14: Becoming A Lackey

"Let's see what this amazing technique is..."

Han Xuhan opened the scroll that Mu Ran had forced him to take with a hint of doubt after Mu Ran left the archives' pavilion.

[ The skeletal monarch Manual ]

A super awesome cultivation technique suitable for any realm known to mankind. This heaven defying technique allows the practitioner to create his own army of skeletons that shall obey the practitioner's every order without hesitation. This super awesome and incredibly powerful technique that surpasses every technique in existence is the creation of the super genius master Duotian! Buy it or regret it!

Priced at : 40 spirit stones per volume, four volumes in total.

Special discount : 20 spirit stones! It's only for today!

"...What is this abomination?"

Xuhan gasped at the description of the technique.

His impression of the cultivators in this world hit an all time low through that one paragraph.

This technique was the most unreliable thing he had ever seen in his life. Even the guaranteed STD treatment experts from the back alley of his apartment in his previous life suddenly seemed more reliable after seeing this impactful description.

"Why did Mu Ran praise this technique? Didn't he say this is an awesome technique that could allow me to become a powerful cultivator?"

With heavy doubt in his mind, Xuhan went back to that helpful senior disciple to verify his suspicions.

"Senior, is this technique any good?"

The older boy turned toward the scroll he had presented to him and his eyes widened at the description. Despite opening his mouth, he suddenly seemed at a loss for words.

"Junior, this thing is still in the archives? My goodness! Didn't some disciples make a petition to the sect to chuck that out in the river?"

"...It's that bad?"

"Yes! The technique really lets you summon skeleton soldiers, except these skeletons are so weak that one slap from any average cultivator can reduce them to mere bones. Moreover, you can't summon a large number of them unless you are a high level cultivator, so normal disciples cannot even use them as meat shield. Furthermore, the skeletons are dumb as hell, not to mention sometimes they rebel against their summoner's orders. The only thing they can do for you is to cheer you on from the sidelines. "

Han Xuhan finally realized why Mu Ran had given this technique to him!

As a protagonist's lackey, Xuhan's main job was to cheer for him from a distance while he fought all the enemies. He was to admire Mu Ran's techniques in an extremely loud voice to let everyone hear just how badass his boss was.

So these skeletons would supposedly be his helpers in this job. He could already imagine the scene in near future...

Mu Ran: Evil demonic cultivator! How dare you glance at my woman's sister's pet! Die for me!

Han Xuhan: it's time to roll, boys!

skeleton 1: HEAVENS! How can Mu Ran defeat a cultivator from a higher realm! It's impossible!

Skeleton 2: Oh My God! What a vigorous fist strike! That aura surpasses his own cultivation!

Skeleton 3: Incredible! How did Mu Ran dodge that? What level of accomplishment do you need to have in xyz heaven defying cultivation technique to achieve such perfection? This Mu Ran is a monster!

Skeleton 4: So Handsome! I- I think I'm falling for him...

Han Xuhan: Wait, Skeleton 4, did you forget that you're dead? And even more importantly, why are you gay?"

Skeleton 4: Hmph! True love has no such boundaries!

What a marvelous boss! Giving me personal assistants when I haven't even agreed to the job...

But Xuhan knew letting go of this opportunity might be the biggest mistake he would ever make in this life. This Mu Ran guy was a person with deep secrets and a proper background. Even if his insane theories about this world being a clusterfuck of cultivation novels were...well, insanely wrong, Mu Ran was still someone he could use.

Han Xuhan decided to buy the technique on the spot without any worries since it didn't have any negative effects. Actually, it didn't have any effect at all, but that is not the point...He needed this technique to gain the protagonist's trust and become his lackey.

But Xuhan also felt how defenseless he was when it came to personal strength. He couldn't find any suitable cultivation technique to boost his own strength. The Warrior's Body technique seemed useless for any half-decent cultivator, divine manifestation of physique was out of the question, dragonskin was too pricey and the spiritual bone technique would be painful if he tried to cultivate it...no wait, bones?

Han Xuhan slowly looked at the scroll in his hand before making his way to his previous position in front of the four techniques focused on physical enhancements again.

"What if I combine both techniques and cultivate the spiritual bones on the skeleton soldiers' body?"

It was a risky move. But a cultivation technique was a cultivation technique regardless of its use. These trashy techniques might look simple, but they could still promote him to a cultivator. Even if they were trashy, their simplicity was what he needed right now to get past the deadlines for new disciples.

A sinister smile appeared on his face.

Indeed, becoming a protagonist's lackey was the best thing he could hope for. His shitty luck was finally going to be lifted for once...right?

Five feet away from him, the senior disciple was once more dumbstruck.

"He's smiling again! I clearly explained to him how trashy that technique is...Why did that make him so happy?!" he muttered, deeply disturbed.