In the pitch-black outskirts, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky.
Rod stretched lazily.
“Close call, thank goodness I made it in time...”
Just a short while ago, Rod suddenly remembered that he had to pay the veterans, and hurriedly transformed into a bolt of lightning, crashing down directly onto the training ground.
The veterans, who had grown impatient and even skeptical while waiting, instantly widened their eyes in fear.
The training ground seemed to have suffered an earthquake, the smooth paving stones shattering into fragments.
The soldiers almost thought they were being attacked.
Thankfully, Nathan promptly recognized the newcomer and quickly knelt on one knee, shouting "Greetings, Your Majesty."
The soldiers, having realized the truth, also excitedly knelt down and shouted.
The distrust they had harbored towards the nation's instability vanished instantly after witnessing their young lord's terrifying power.
That was the power of a thunderous embodiment!
They had never heard of anyone possessing such a terrifying ability!
Moreover, their young lord was only five years old and already possessed such formidable might.
Didn't that mean a bright future was in store, and the nation would surely prosper?
This point was further amplified when Rod, with a faint smile, distributed gold coins to them one by one, and the soldiers' high spirits reached their peak!
In short, thanks to Rod's thunderous intimidation and the incentive of gold coins, those veterans had truly acknowledged him and decided to fight for him from the bottom of their hearts.
"National stability should go up now... Sigh, I wonder when I can finally slack off."
Rod pushed his Magic Eye Slayer up on his nose, muttering to himself while stroking his chin.
"If only I could summon a reliable general, someone who could unify the chaotic region and then go on to conquer the Three Great Nations... Just thinking about it is tiring."
While it was certainly nice to be admired by the soldiers, Rod wasn't the type to eat and live with them, forging a close relationship.
In fact, he was a complete hedonist, and everything he was doing now was just necessary preparation for his enjoyment.
Since acquiring the "Delegate Work to That Damned Rita" skill, he had increasingly wanted to summon more capable "horses" and "oxen" to work for him.
Rod stopped and observed his shadow in the moonlight, a little suspicious.
"Come to think of it, did I grow a bit taller... ?"
The effects of the Thunderous Dragon-Slaying Magic Crystal were not one-time only.
It continued to constantly remodel Rod's body.
However, the exponential increase in his magic power and recovery alone, coupled with the boost in his fighting prowess, was already significant.
Even if he were to activate "Stop Power" all day long, his body would automatically absorb enough aether to almost balance the consumption!
In this world, only a handful of skills, such as sealing and banishment, could affect him.
Even if Loan Shark Sukuna appeared and unleashed a world-severing strike, it would be useless against Rod in his current state.
Rod was quite pleased with the Zanpakuto he had obtained.
He was itching to get his hands on a monster to beat up and fully test his abilities, thanks to his surge in strength.
But if Lilya knew about this, she would surely scold him angrily.
Rita would also demand to accompany him for protection.
The seemingly cold and scheming maid would become fussy at times like these.
Rod simply decided not to return to the palace right away, instead choosing to venture out into the outskirts alone.
"But why can't I find any monsters at all this late? Are they resting, or did I scare them off?"
Rod randomly hacked at the tall weeds with his Zanpakuto, following the direction where his perception indicated the highest concentration of magic, only to unexpectedly discover a ruin.
"Huh? What's this? Are there places like this near the capital city?"
Everywhere he looked, there were broken walls and overgrown vegetation.
From the outside, it looked like an abandoned courtyard.
In the center of the courtyard, there was a huge circular stone formation, enclosing a statue.
The towering statue had a pair of demon horns, baring its jagged teeth in a condescending sneer, arrogantly mocking anyone who dared to oppose it, and lifting its foot high as if to crush someone beneath it.
Even from a distance of tens of meters, one could feel the murderous intent radiating from the statue.
Rod narrowed his eyes, his mood lightened.
"Well, looks like I've found something fun~"
In the six eyes' vision, the aether in the entire area was being continuously sucked into a semi-transparent dome, with no outflow.
It was clearly a hidden sealing barrier.
Rod carried his Zanpakuto and strolled nonchalantly to the dome, curiously placing his right hand on it.
"Analyze!"
A long string of extremely complex magical theories flooded Rod's mind.
【Congratulations, Host has mastered A-rank Sealing Barrier.】
【Reward: Card Magic (Spatial Sealing)!】
Rod shook his head, feeling the new knowledge in his mind, a little surprised.
"Huh? It's actually A-rank, seems like a formidable fellow is sealed inside."
"But it's a little strange... Since it's being collected by the system, it means this seal is closely related to the main plot."
He carefully examined the carved Demon on the statue, but he couldn't remember a creature like this from Mushoku Tensei.