Chapter 305

Rudra stood behind the wooden partition. He took off his heavy black coat, removed his armor, and unequipped his boots, wearing only the dark posing garments. 

Satisfy was a hyper-realistic game. For high-sync players, the avatar perfectly reflected their real-world physical conditioning. Ever since he quit his job, he had been able to work himself to the extreme, allowing his real-world body to be in a much better condition.

Every muscle was sharply defined. His proportions were exactly right.

He reached into his inventory and pulled out 3 pieces of [Beauty Meat], eating them quickly.

[You have consumed Beauty Meat.] 

[Charm is increased by 20%.] 

[Charm-related Skill experience acquisition rate by 10% for 6 hours.]

[The Flawless Complexion buff is applied.] 

[You have consumed Beauty Meat.] 

[The [Layered Nourishment] effect has been triggered!]

[The effects are stacked for the maximum duration!]

[Charm is increased by 60% for 6 hours]

[Charm-related Skill experience acquisition rate by 30% for 6 hours.]

The massive buffs stacked on top of his already absurd, towering Charm stat.

Iris stood next to him. She slid a specialized, glowing red alchemical magazine into her right pistol. It was a set of custom, non-lethal rounds Rudra had synthesized for her earlier specifically for this moment.

"Time it exactly on the final downward strike," Rudra reminded her.

Iris smoothly pulled the slide back, chambering the first round. "Understood," she said.

Rudra stepped out from behind the partition and walked onto the center of the wooden stage.

The charm which has been increased by 60 percent which increased his charm stat to nearly 10 thousand temporarily and the triple the effect of the [Flawless Complexion] radiating from him silenced the entire swamp. The Orcs stopped cheering. Even the beautiful phantoms of past champions seemed to pause, stepping back. Tears freely streamed down the green faces of the Valiant warriors.

Rudra began the routine.

With his staff in hand, he executed the martial dance. With his past practices carrying him, his movements transcended a simple staff dance. He blended the heavy strikes flawlessly into the mandatory poses. 

He spun the staff over his shoulders and locked into a flawless front double-bicep. He rolled the weapon behind his back, his footwork completely silent, and vaulted into a perfect side-chest pose. 

He reached the climax of the dance. Rudra spun the staff in a blinding blur, leaped into the air, and brought it down for a final, sharp downward strike.

As the tip of the staff stopped exactly one inch from the wood, he locked his muscles into a devastating, explosive final pose.

From the edge of the stage, Iris drew her gun. She aimed straight up into the air and pulled the trigger.

Bang.

The custom alchemical bullet detonated directly above Rudra. A cascade of glittering golden sparks and deep violet smoke burst outward, raining down over the stage like a magical fireworks display. The alchemical smoke caught the midday sun, casting hyper-dramatic, perfect stage lighting over Rudra's chiseled physique, framing him like a Martial God descending from the heavens.

The crowd absolutely lost its mind. The Orcs roared in religious fervor.

In the crowd, Iris stood near the back, holstering her smoking gun. True to her nature, her face remained a blank, professional mask. However, her ears were flushed a bright, undeniable red, and her grip on her weapons was unusually tight. She just stared straight ahead, trying very hard to pretend she was merely completing a quest. 

Rudra held the pose for three seconds as the golden sparks faded.

Mellory stood up from her throne of light. She looked at the phantoms, then at the Orcs, and finally at Rudra.

"The Elf had flawless grace. The Dwarf had unbreakable density. My children possess unmatched mass," Mellory declared, her voice ringing across the swamp. "But you... you possess the ultimate harmony of all things! The form, the aesthetic, the lighting—everything was flawless!"

Golden system windows filled his vision.

[You have achieved a perfect score in the Grand Trial of Flesh and Form!] 

[You have proven your physical qualifications to the Goddess.] 

[You have shattered the records of past Champions!] 

[You have completed the Quest [Mellory's Grand Trial of Flesh and Form]!]

[The Valiant Tribe is now permitted to leave the swamp.]

[You have acquired the title [Muse of the Goddess]!]

Mellory clapped her hands together in genuine, unrestrained delight, her pink hair bouncing. "10 out of 10! You have more than earned my beautiful children. You are the perfect masterpiece, beautiful human! You are the Muse of this generation!" 

Upon hearing the Goddess's official declaration, the Valiant Chief stepped forward, tears freely streaming down his green face. He didn't bow normally. Instead, he dropped into a deep, lunging stance and struck a flawless side-tricep pose, his massive muscles flexing in absolute reverence.

"The Valiant Tribe pledges its mass to you, Lord Rudra!" the Chief bellowed.

Behind him, three hundred towering Orcs simultaneously hit synchronized front double-bicep poses, their voices roaring as one. "To the Muse!"

Near the edge of the stage, Winfred stood frozen, his ledger completely forgotten in his hands. The tactician had spent the morning awestruck by the sheer, ethereal beauty of the past phantoms. He was currently trembling at the realization that a literal Goddess of the pantheon was floating just a few feet away from him. But more than anything, he was entirely dumbfounded by Rudra. Winfred had always known his Lord as a terrifying, unstoppable powerhouse of destruction. Seeing him move with such breathtaking, artistic grace was a shock he wasn't sure he would ever recover from. 

Mellory floated closer to Rudra. Her smile was warm, bright, and utterly divine. She handed him a rolled-up piece of golden parchment. 

"I have been watching you, Rudra," Mellory said softly, her bubbly demeanor shifting into one of genuine affection. "I see how you open your gates. You recruit the marginalized, the hunted, the different, and you do not discriminate. You don’t concern with their surface beauty but instead look at their inner beauty." 

She tapped the golden parchment. "These are coordinates. Locations of other tribes who are my followers. Ogres, Minotaurs, Centaurs, Dryads, Elves, and Dwarves. They are hunted by the Human Empire and pushed to the fringes of the world. Visit them. Show them the beauty you possess. They would be deeply honored to follow the Muse of this generation.”