They all call me Great Master

Pendragon, flung through the air, had a look of utter resignation on his cat face.

Pendragon had already thought Arthur was dog-like before.

And now?

Pendragon believed Arthur was definitely a dog.

"Does your family play hide and seek by throwing the cat to evade obstacles?"

This is dodgeball...

No!

It's dodge cat, to be exact!

Pendragon had his inner rant, but he was quick to react. As he was about to hit the wall, he twisted his body midair and changed direction, gliding like a paper plane and landing smoothly on a nearby bookcase.

Afterward, the cat warily watched Arthur, who had sat back down in his chair.

In fact, Arthur had returned to his chair right after throwing Pendragon.

Worry about Pendragon?

With the afterglow of two Baptisms, combined with the Griffin Physique Potion, Pendragon was far from the fragile creature one might imagine, and Arthur had controlled his strength.

Simply put, this level of tossing was really just playful.

Having finished playing with his cat, Arthur's gaze returned to the Silent Successive Steps.

'Lv4 needs 2000XP?

1200 points more than the usual estimate?'

Looking at the XP needed for the next level of Silent Successive Steps, Arthur wasn't surprised at all.

In fact, he was quite calm.

After all, compared to those masters' secret techniques that easily ran into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of XP, the current Silent Successive Steps was truly approachable.

However, approachable as it was,

for the current Arthur, there still weren't enough XP points.

Glancing at the remaining 600 XP, Arthur's gaze finally settled on the secret techniques Cat's Grace.Orange and Cat Claw.

The former was an auxiliary technique within the Cat Cave Mystic Arts.

The latter was a purely offensive technique.

For Arthur, there was no lack of means of attack.

And close combat was something he would choose only as a last resort.

Thus, the technique Arthur eventually chose was Cat's Grace.Orange.

Compared with the first three levels.

Normally, Cat's Grace.Orange Lv4 would need 240 XP, and Lv5 would need 480 XP.

For the current Arthur, who had only 600 XP to use, he was short by 120 points.

But the current Arthur was not the Arthur of the past.

He briefly communicated with Horton, far away on Coconut Island.

The next moment, text appeared—

[A few pirates who had been staring at Matilda were slain by Horton; XP+120]

...

The sea, like the desert, is always so rich in resources.

In the desert, one could casually pick up drones or rocket launchers.

So, it's only reasonable that one could randomly pick up XP points in the sea, right?

After all, Arthur had been using 'bait.'

Matilda was a very effective 'bait.'

And this was another reason why Arthur had left Matilda behind.

Arthur knew very well how attractive Matilda was to those pirates.

And this 'fatal attraction' was just what Arthur needed.

Then, Cat's Grace.Orange was leveled up twice in rapid succession, reaching its peak—

[Cat's Grace.Orange Lv5: As the Cat Cave split into four factions, the original core technique 'Cat's Grace' split into four, each faction adding their own understanding and style, forming the techniques seen today, especially 'Cat's Grace.Orange', heavily influenced by the 'Golden Lion Cat', Aeolia, focusing more on physique and recovery—in the eyes of an Orange Cat, being able to eat and sleep constitutes all life's joys. To protect this happiness, they need to keep gaining weight, getting bigger, using their massive physique and tremendous strength to overpower their opponents, and now that you have reached their pinnacle, maybe you can attempt to review the other three factions' 'Cat's Grace', restore them, and go further]

[Effect: 1, Force of Orange; 2, Sleep of Orange;]

[Force of Orange Lv5: Rapidly digests food, converting energy to reinforce organs, bones, and muscles, enhancing one's physique; Physique+1.5（+0.1+0.2+0.3+0.4+0.5）]

[Sleep of Orange Lv5: Sleep not only rapidly nurtures and restores physical condition, but also slowly heals emotional wounds]

(Note 1: The effects of "Force of Orange" and "Sleep of Orange" will be enhanced by the ritual "Great Orange" and reciprocally augment "Great Orange".)

(Note 2: More food will speed up the recovery process, heal the body, and soothe the soul.)

...

Arthur's physique had gained an additional 0.4 and 0.5 points respectively at Lv4 and Lv5 of "Cat's Grace.Orange".

At this moment, Arthur's physique had reached a level of 15.7.

Arthur felt that against an average 'Entrant', he could overpower them solely with his physique.

Against a commoner, without armor, weapon, or mystical arts, his physique alone would be enough to fight a thousand men single-handedly.

Of course, if any of those thousand were Mystic Side Persons, caution was still needed.

However, that was not what Arthur needed to care about.

For Arthur, once he was in a combat state, he would use all means available, be it fighting dirty or striking where it hurts most, without any reserve.

What shame?

What dirty trick?

These were the purest combat skills.

Simple yet effective.

However, for Arthur, "Cat's Grace.Orange" served a greater role as a support.

"Indeed, 'Cat's Grace.Orange' is beneficial for the ritual 'Great Orange' as well!"

Arthur keenly sensed how "Cat's Grace.Orange" fed back into "Great Orange", he could clearly feel that the 'speed' of "Great Orange" had increased by a notch.

And for Arthur, it meant reaching the limit of XP for "Great Orange" with less effort.

Even, with enough time, he could reach the peak much faster.

Of course, what Arthur valued even more was the "Cat's Grace.Orange Sleep".

No one could guarantee they wouldn't get hurt.

And how to recover after injury was crucial.

Especially after the trip to Inner Bay.

Arthur wanted to ensure his safety and health.

But what if?

No one could guarantee what twists fate might have in store.

Arthur was no exception.

Thus, all he could do was be better prepared.

"Ah! Destiny!

What shall I use to love you enthusiastically?"

With a sigh, Arthur rose from his chair and, with Fujin's perspective, had already seen Madam Susan's carriage.

Out of politeness, the young 'Spirit Medium' walked straight to the door.

Arthur was to wait for the lady at the front door.

However, when he passed by Pendragon, the young 'Spirit Medium' paused for a moment.

Suddenly, Pendragon hopped onto the cabinet, eyeing Arthur with an extremely wary look.

Arthur immediately clutched his chest.

"Are you that wary of daddy?

Daddy wouldn't harm you, would he?"

Pendragon remained silent, his glance shifting towards the wall where something had been thrown.

"It was a game!

You understand, right? A game that's good for your physical and mental health!"

Arthur emphasized.

Pendragon continued to maintain silence, but hesitation appeared in his eyes.

Then...

Arthur caught him by the back of the neck.

Arthur vigorously rubbed Pendragon's cat head, messing up his fur completely while Pendragon bemoaned his pitiful fate, only to hear Arthur whisper—

"That's enough!

Remember, act like a fool in a little while!"