[Lord of Abundance] Chapter 22: The True Essence of a Fighter

 Chapter 22: The True Essence of a Fighter

“Your cat.”

Seeing that Li Tianyun was ignoring him, Kun didn’t mind. With a casual toss, he threw the little cub in his arms toward him.

The throw was perfectly on target—the tiny creature landed right on Li Tianyun’s head, black hair and white fur forming a sharp contrast, like he was wearing an adorable white tiger hat.

“Haha, that’s much better. Stop walking around with that stiff face all day—people in the territory are starting to avoid you. This balances things out nicely.”

Li Tianyun sighed helplessly and grabbed the squirming little beast off his head.

“Why did you bring it here? I’m training. What if I accidentally hurt it?”

Kun snorted.

“Brother, do you seriously misunderstand what a magical beast is? You hurt it?

“Don’t be fooled by how young it looks—it could beat two of you without breaking a sweat.”

Li Tianyun: “……”

There were no cats in this world. Looking down at the cub in his arms, the little tiger stared back with big watery eyes, looking pitiful and harmless.

No matter how he looked at it, this didn’t seem like something dangerous.

“Don’t be fooled by appearances,” Kun said lightly. “Almost all creatures evolve toward being cute when young—it increases their survival rate.

“In the wild, newborns face brutal natural laws from the moment they’re born. They learn survival quickly. Magical beasts even more so.”

“Stormwing Tiger. Peak third-tier magical beast. Once fully grown, it’s one of the few that can contend with dragons like green dragons, frost wyrms, and volcano dragons—a true jungle overlord.

“Sure, this one’s premature—but it’s still a third-tier cub.

“You think it’s cute? Back at the castle, it nearly bit a maid’s hand off.”

He paused, then added:

“And remember—magical companions must be raised personally from a young age. No outsourcing. Otherwise, their loyalty later on… questionable. Keep it close.”

It behaved in Li Tianyun’s arms because he was both the first thing it saw and its master.

And it behaved in Kun’s presence because high-tier magical beasts were intelligent enough to know who was prey—and who was an apex predator.

Li Tianyun thought for a moment, then tucked the cub into his clothes, leaving only its head sticking out.

—

“What are you doing out here?” he asked. “Didn’t you say spring plowing is about to start? Shouldn’t you be busy?”

Kun stomped hard on the ground.

The frozen earth didn’t budge an inch—hard as concrete.

“See that? Still too hard. Can’t plow yet. Probably need another couple of days until it warms up.

“So I came to check the buffer zone. Looks good so far. Once we add some traps, it’ll be ready.”

Li Tianyun smirked.

“Didn’t someone claim to be the strongest mage in the kingdom? Can’t even handle plowing?”

Kun shot back instantly:

“Didn’t someone say they’ve learned battle qi? Why does chopping a tree still look so hard?”

“I’m training. Cutting trees is just a side effect. Who said I can’t cut it? I just don’t feel like it.”

“Then cut one. Let me see.”

“No.”

—

Crack—BOOM!

A burst of crimson battle qi exploded outward.

The frost fir toppled instantly, cleaved cleanly in half.

The vivid red aura bloomed against the frozen earth like a striking rose.

—

“Impressive. You’ve advanced?”

Kun turned, visibly surprised, looking toward Nia.

He didn’t hold back his praise.

“How long has it been? From learning to use battle qi to becoming a first-tier warrior—and you’re practicing Falling Star Blaze, one of the hardest techniques in the kingdom.

“That’s terrifying talent.”

He glanced between the tree Nia had split in one strike… and the one Li Tianyun had been struggling with.

“...Tsk.”

Same sound.

Completely different meaning.

Li Tianyun’s face darkened.

That was just blatant mockery.

—

Seeing his dissatisfaction, Kun chuckled, raised a hand, and flicked his fingers.

In an instant—

A storm of countless green wind blades erupted.

It swept through the forest like a tidal wave, cutting through everything in its path.

From where they stood, extending over a hundred meters into the woods—

Ancient trees, hard as iron, fell like wheat before a scythe.

Silence.

Everyone froze, as if petrified.

They knew exactly how hard those trees were to cut.

Even with tools, a worker could only manage a few a day.

And yet—

Kun’s casual gesture had done half a day’s work for everyone combined.

—

Nia, newly advanced to first-tier, stared blankly at the suddenly barren stretch of land.

Wasn’t she supposed to be strong now?

Hadn’t her teacher told her to slow down, that she didn’t need to rush?

Then what was this?

If she was considered strong… wasn’t the lord practically a god?

—

Kun sighed dramatically.

“See that? I just leveraged fifty times the power of the laws. A first-tier Wind Blade producing third-tier Tornado level damage.

“Most mages can only manage three to five times amplification. What a pity—wasted on an audience that doesn’t understand.”

Li Tianyun shot back:

“Yeah, wasted indeed. If you’re so amazing, why don’t you chop the trees yourself?”

Kun answered without hesitation:

“Because I’m lazy.”

A lord had a lord’s work. Laborers had theirs.

Just because he could do it didn’t mean he should.

His goal wasn’t efficiency—it was engagement.

Give people work. Pay them. Let them survive, save, and spend.

That money would circulate—shops, taverns, life.

The wealth never left the territory. It just changed form.

That was a mage’s wisdom.

Using the least force to move the greatest laws.

—

“Forget the trees,” Kun said. “Dawn caught something big in the forest last night. Come take a look.”

“What kind of ‘big’ thing?”

“You’ll see. I guarantee it’ll blow your mind.”

—

Riding back to the Emerald Heart, Li Tianyun spotted a crowd gathered before the castle.

At the center—

A massive iron cage.

Inside it lay a hulking green mass, at least three meters tall—like a truck curled into a ball.

As they approached, its true form became clear.

“A… bear?”

Li Tianyun’s jaw dropped.

A bear wasn’t strange.

But one this big?

—

Its body was covered in green armor-like scales, with fur only on its claws.

Each paw was the size of a millstone—easily capable of crushing a truck.

Bone spikes ringed its massive head. One eye was blind, making it even more intimidating.

A war beast.

—

It was bound by thick chains and reinforced with magic by two mages outside the cage.

Even Kun had been startled the first time he saw it.

A normal Green Armored Bear was only half this size.

This one?

A king.

—

“Lord.”

Dawn stepped forward, his arm wrapped in bandages.

The bear suddenly rose and roared.

The chains rattled violently.

The sound alone knocked nearby people off their feet.

—

Li Tianyun, standing directly in front, took the full force.

His face turned pale.

It felt like a hammer struck his chest.

He couldn’t breathe.

Step by step, he was forced backward—

But he didn’t fall.

—

Kun and Dawn stood silently.

Watching.

Waiting.

Kun had brought him here on purpose.

—

What was the essence of a mage?

Wisdom.

The ability to leverage laws.

—

And a warrior?

Fearlessness.

—

Only by facing death could one truly grow.

Training alone wasn’t enough.

—

The cub on Li Tianyun’s chest let out a soft, almost comical “roar.”

Yet through their bond, it jolted his fading consciousness awake.

—

When the bear’s pressure finally subsided, Li Tianyun collapsed to the ground, gasping.

Dawn approached.

“Well done. You didn’t disappoint me.”

—

Before Li Tianyun could process it—

Snap!

A chain broke.

The bear broke free.

—

“Stop it!”

“Protect the lord!”

The two mages panicked, casting spells—but they were no match.

The cage was torn apart.

—

“Can you stand?” Dawn asked coldly.

Li Tianyun gritted his teeth and rose.

Dawn stepped forward, hand on his sword.

“No matter how you look at it, your foundation is weak. Not just compared to Nia—even the guards surpass you.

“But your comprehension is decent.

“Watch carefully.

“A sword isn’t a toy.

“This is how you wield it.”

—

Silence fell.

The world seemed muted.

—

“Chaotic Wind Break!”

—

Battle qi surged.

The air compressed.

A single strike—faster than sight.

The blade flashed toward the bear’s head.

—

The bear slammed the ground, raising three layers of earth shields.

They shattered instantly.

Like bubbles.