Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 78: New Core’s Effects

Chapter 78 - New Core’s Effects

This sucked.

My breath smelled so bad I wished for industrial-strength mouthwash or toothpaste.

Back at the dorm, I rushed to the bathroom and started gargling. But the moment water touched my throat, it dragged sticky substances out. When I spat, black gasoline poured into the sink.

Good god. Let’s hope Trump never sees this.

Then an idea struck. Sylveria’s cultivation scrolls often contained methods for people with multiple musou elements. I remembered one that required both a water core and a fire core.

I stripped down and sat cross-legged in the bathtub to test it.

It worked... halfway. My lower body submerged, but the tub was too shallow. My upper body dried almost instantly.

"Maids!" I shouted.

Two maids entered, greeting me without hesitation despite my nakedness.

"You called, sir?"

"Is there a bigger bathtub? Something tall enough so I can submerge completely, sitting or standing."

Their eyes gleamed. One explained, "The dorm provides pool rooms for royal-class students. If you wish, we can reserve one for you."

"Yes. Reserve me one."

"Understood. Would you like to use it now?"

"Yes."

"Please follow us."

I jumped out of the crude-oil bath. The magical tub condensed the sludge into a neat black ball, but the stink clung to my skin. Throwing on a bathrobe, I followed the maids.

.

The pool room was in the dormitory’s underground level. A crowd of regular-class students loitered outside, admiring the facilities through glass windows. None could enter. Most were women with bodyguards.

When they saw me in my filthy bathrobe, they covered their noses.

"Eww, what’s that smell?!"

I couldn’t blame them. Gasoline stinks for normal people. For a Florida man like me, it wasn’t the end of the world. Working on broken cars smelled worse.

The maids unlocked the door and guided me inside. One of them explained the rules.

"Please note: one day here costs 30 gold coins. We won’t charge upfront, but a note will be sent to your room each time. The pay shall be deducted from your next stipend."

I asked, "Is this one room per person?"

"You may invite friends or followers. There’s no limit, but extra fees apply for repairs and cleaning. Leave behind a dead body, and you’ll be fined five hundred gold coins. Please do not kill anyone inside."

"...Understandable."

The maids bowed and left. Immediately, regular-class students knocked on the glass and door.

"Mister, can we join you?"

One woman licked her lips, baring her shoulder. "Hey, sir. You’re rich. Let me inside. In exchange, you can... get inside me."

"No."

They froze. I turned away, ignoring their shouts.

I understood their desperation. To my right stretched an Olympic-sized pool, dazzling under the lights. Tranquil water, blue tiles, smooth surfaces might have looked like paradise to medieval young adults. But I wasn’t here to swim.

On my left were tall tubes, small rooms, a sauna, and visitor outhouses. I checked the tubes first.

Five stood in a row, each three meters tall with metal lids. Opening one revealed warm water filled to the brim, with a ladder inside. At the bottom, a fireplace waited, ready to boil the water.

I chuckled and touched the coals. They lit instantly.

Throwing off my bathrobe, I hopped in. My legs didn’t touch the bottom, but my head submerged completely. It was perfect.

Clinging to the ladder, I focused on the cultivation method. I recalled the memory of my clone meditating under waterfalls and hot baths.

Energy from my new water core and flame core reacted. The water core produced fuel, feeding the fire core, which circulated through my organs. That ’fuel and ignition’ was the purpose of this technique.

The water musou core converted fat and water in my body into gasoline. Overusing this method would eventually reduce me to a walking skeleton.

I needed protein.

I needed carbs.

And yes, fat too.

Basically, I needed everything. Extra meals were mandatory if I wanted to keep my weight.

Still, external resources could supplement cultivation. The surrounding water was a perfect source for fueling my water musou energy.

Experimenting in the tube, I tried converting the water around me into fuel. Within minutes, half the tank had vanished into my stomach.

I exhaled deeply. The foul breath subsided, though not completely. I kept going until the last drop was gone. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Unfortunately, the tanks weren’t artifacts with infinite water. They had to be refilled manually. I climbed out and moved to the next.

Outside, spectators kept banging on the glass and doors. Hopefully they wouldn’t break anything. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught one perverted female student flashing something white. I shook my head and minded my business.

It took five minutes to drain a tank. After half an hour, all five were empty.

My attention shifted to the biggest source of water—the swimming pool. Then I glanced at my belly.

Was it always this round?

Closing my eyes, I examined my water musou core. As expected, it was beyond full as water-type energy was leaking everywhere, bloating my stomach.

Time to stop. I turned toward the sauna. Maybe a little relaxation would help.

Hours later, I stepped out of the sauna. My abs had returned.

Outside, a maid had left a food cart stacked with luxurious dishes and a bottle of medicine cocktail. A small box sat on top.

I opened it. Inside was a pearl-like pill.

No idea what it was, but I remembered Solus mentioning stabilizers. Though skeptical, I shrugged and swallowed it. The pill dissolved instantly in my flame stomach, mixing with gasoline-like digestive fluid.

The effect? Hunger. Extreme hunger. My mind flooded with images of street food, junk food, exotic dishes, even homemade meals from YouTube videos. My body moved on its own, reaching for the plates.

I devoured everything, including the same cocktail the maids had given us yesterday.

When the plates were empty, I came back to my senses. My stomach still demanded more.

"Maids!" I shouted.

One entered. "Sir?"

"More food. Put it on my tab."

"Understood, sir."

Her eyes scanned the cart, then me, then something below my waist. She froze.

"Would you like to call... helpers... for that too, sir?"

"Helpers? For what?"

Her gaze lingered. I followed it and... oh.

"No need. I have... a personal helper."

She looked relieved. "Understood. We’ll bring more food shortly."

I guessed the cocktail had that effect. The seniors didn’t lie.