Physician Odel was very tight-lipped about where he stashed his personal possessions. The dozens of guards around the manor were helpless to aid him in his current moment of need. Anytime they came near, John would begin choking the doctor until he went blue in the face. Only when they backed away would he allow the old man to breathe again. Surprisingly enough, the doctor still refused to show John where he kept his money. “I’d rather die than give away my wealth to someone like you.” He spat on the ground. John was so amused and, at the same time, amazed that he chuckled. A sharp ear-piercing crack broke the silence that followed his laughter. Physician Odel screeched like a pig being slaughtered as his left leg was cleanly broken. The guards hesitated to move forward, but John’s grip was just as tight as ever on the doctor’s neck. “Are you ready to show me now? Unless one of your guards knows the way, now is the time to speak.”
“N-N-Never….” Another snap followed by a scream. It was his left arm.
This time, it took the old man longer to recover his breath. The guards couldn’t do anything even if they wanted to. The physician didn’t trust them and was never told about where he kept his money. So, the only thing they could do was watch. Losing Physician Odel was not an acceptable outcome. He was by far the most skilled doctor in town, the most reputable, and the most well-known in the surrounding area. Regardless of what action they decided to take, they would all be punished and reprimanded. If only the foolish doctor didn’t insist on opening the door himself. The greedy fool thought it was another high-paying customer who probably came from afar after hearing of his skills.
Physician Odel could only whimper and shakily point his good arm’s finger in a direction. “Don’t surround me,” John warned the soldiers, making a circle around him. They reluctantly did as he asked and were soon met with the doctor’s hidden stash. A secret room built underneath his bed filled with gold coins, thick medical texts, and precious herbs. A smile appeared on John’s face behind the mask. He didn’t hesitate to fill up his loot bag with the goodies. The soldiers were gritting their teeth as they looked for an opportunity to attack, but the distance between the bandit and physician Odel was too close. It wouldn’t take much effort for someone of the bandit’s size to snap the doctor’s frail neck or use him as a shield for any sword attacks. Just as helpless as before, they were practically forced to escort the bandit out after robbing the doctor’s personal wealth. John tossed the injured doctor at the group of soldiers before speeding out the front door and down the road at incredible speeds. The soldiers couldn’t catch up even when they pushed themselves at full speed.
Soon, everyone knew that Physician Odel was robbed inside his own home by a white-masked bandit with a large physique, and he got away without a single injury. Soldiers quickly began hunting for any large-bodied male within the town, questioning them to find the bandit's identity. During this time, John stayed at home with his wife, and the System God gave him the rewards for his successful robbery. Both were completely unaware of what was happening with the Black Snakes or Desmont’s soldiers.
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“I’m glad we could come to an agreement, Captain Frank.” Pete held out his hand.
“Don’t get it twisted. This is my city, and I'm just making sure you rats understand the rules. If you go out of line once, I'll exterminate each and every one of you.” Captain Frank’s deep voice bellowed.
“I guess I better make sure it doesn’t come to that.” Pete laughed as he took his somewhat crushed hand back and watched the large man leave his office.
Pete wasn’t afraid of going to war with Captain Frank and his soldiers. The prideful fool thought he had them by the balls with his military strength, but that wasn’t the truth of the situation. In reality, Pete’s Black Snakes had all the advantages right now. Pete hoped things didn’t go south with the soldiers, but if they did, he had to be prepared to protect his men. The only thing a bandit had to protect was his own life. A soldier, though... They had many things weighing down their backs.
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John gained three rewards from his Lord Feedback. The coins, the medical texts, and the medical ingredients were all enhanced x100. Now John and Lydia had more money than they knew what to do with. For the medical books, they turned into one single giant tome named Medical Mastery. Lydia’s eyes widened as she snatched the book up immediately as if it were her precious baby. John asked if she wanted to cure her curse. She nodded her head so fast that John was afraid she might rattle her own brain. For the medical ingredients, they turned into a strange glowing red marble. It was called the Condition Pill.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
John didn’t hesitate to feed it directly to Lydia. She tried to protest by smacking his hand away, but he was too quick, and it slipped past her lips and landed on her tongue. Before she could spit it out, it somehow instantly melted when it touched her tongue, and she had no choice but to receive the effects of the Condition Pill. She rapidly punched John’s muscular chest with her feeble fists until she felt her body heating up rapidly.
Her face was flushed red, and her eyes lost focus as she fell backward. John gently caught her before she could knock her head against the wooden floor and stayed beside her as her body underwent massive changes. From John’s perspective, he could see her body thumping, pulsating, and changing in seconds. It was a rather freaky sight for a farmer. The first change that John noticed was his wife’s thin figure becoming fuller and healthier. Lydia’s waist stayed thin while her hips, breasts, and butt grew. Next was the texture of her skin and hair—Glossier, free of blemishes and soft and smooth to the touch.
Lydia was stuck like that for hours. John silently watched over her as he studied the medical text and his leader book. The information flowed through his brain easily and was retained as if he could never forget, even if he tried. He did realize that simply having information was far different from properly utilizing that information. The flail technique book was completely memorized in his brain but not his body. John had to practice the techniques in the book multiple times to get his body and mind in complete cooperation regarding the flail techniques.
When his wife awakened, it was dark out. She ate that pill in the morning. John couldn’t help but smile lovingly at his wife as she greeted him with the sound of her stomach roaring and her fists violently beating on his chest. He did notice that this time, he could actually feel more than just the vibration of her punches but a little bit of pain as well. It wasn’t enough to make him feel bruised or anything, but it was an ache for sure.
“You jerk!” A mousey voice came from Lydia’s mouth.
Both John and Lydia stared at each other in shock. “Bababa mememe la ti da ti do. I can talk! I can really talk! John! My mouth can make sounds now! John! John! John! John! My name is Lydia, Lydia, Lydia, Lydia.” Lydia’s unused voice began to work itself out. She babbled, rambled, and spoke whatever came to her mind. John just smiled at her as she talked so much until she ran out of breath. Then she took a deep breath before laughing her heart out.
“I love you, John!!!” Lydia smashed her body into him as she squeezed him with every ounce of her strength.
“I love you too, Lydia.” John rubbed the back of her head as his wife happily cried into his chest.
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“Someone’s been, uh, busy...” Leo looked at John and Lydia in astonishment.
John and Lydia just smiled and nodded. The two were no longer dressed in clothes fit for commoners but high-quality custom-made garments. John was equipped in armor that only the highest-ranked soldiers could wear from head to toe. Lydia was wearing an expensive silk dress that only nobility could dare to wear freely! This gained a strange look from both Leo and Pete.
“Did robbing that physician really give you this much money...?” Pete questioned. John nodded. Technically, it wasn’t a lie.
“Well, don’t be afraid to share some of that money with us.” Pete chuckled, kind of joking, kind of not.
John reached into his pocket and placed down a small tied pouch on Pete’s desk. Pete untied the bag and had to shield his eyes from the shine of the coins inside! He coughed and immediately smiled at John. “I always knew you were a great man, John. Let me and the boys know if you need anything that money can’t get. We’ll be there as soon as possible!” He laughed.
“It’s only right to repay you for what you’ve done for me and Lydia. I’m not leaving the Black Snakes either.” John reassured the man.
“Oh, thank goodness...” A relieved breath left his lungs. “I called you over because we had trouble coming and need everyone to prepare. Some of our scouts captured a messenger and got some information out of him. The military is coming to Desmont in an attempt to arrest us. The messenger was to inform Captain Frank about us and that we should be captured immediately with his entire military force.” Pete informed.
“What do I need to do?” John asked.
“I’m putting you in charge of some of our men. I can’t do everything myself, you see? Your job is to keep an eye on Frank and his soldiers while I set up with the rest to prepare for the soldiers heading our way. If it looks like they are preparing something, feel free to kill them all. I can’t afford any distractions while I'm setting up this ambush.” Pete shared.
“Okay.” John nodded.
“Should I bring the guys over to your place?” Leo asked. “Oh, by the way, I'm part of your squad too.” He grinned.
“We got a new place. Follow us, I'll show you.” John left with Lydia and Leo.