Chapter 639: The 7th Surgery - Kidney Enhancement
Countless bolts rained down like a storm.
They hit the charging mutated draconic kin in unison.
These mutated kin were incredibly strong, generally massive in size, and heavily draconified in appearance.
Their mutation also gave them extremely thick health bars.
Normal physical damage wouldn't be enough—you'd have to hack them to pieces to truly kill them.
Worse, their regeneration was powerful, and their damage output was terrifying.
To mid-tier or lower adventurers, they were practically invincible.
Even high-tier adventurers found them a headache.
But with the Bay Territory's "Purification Enchantment Scrolls," and loads of enchanted weapons and gear, adventurers no longer found them so hard to deal with.
Bolts with purification effects, once embedded into mutated kin—
Would throw their bodies into disarray, drastically weakening their mutation-based regeneration.
Without that regeneration, these mindless creatures were just dumb beasts.
Under Alice's command, traps and layered defensive lines made it easy to wipe them out.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Heavy crossbows fired together, effortlessly downing most of the regular mutated kin.
Their devastating power left everyone in awe.
Only a few large mutated kin managed to scream their way through the defenses on brute force alone.
The adventurers' strategy for these brutes was simple:
Slow them down as much as possible and deal constant damage.
When huge waves of mutated kin pushed through under heavy casualties—
Adventurers, under Alice's command, would abandon the old line.
They'd ignite trenches soaked in fire oil before retreating, using the flames to clean up the pursuing monsters.
The flames burned greedily, devouring swarms of mutated kin.
These mindless monsters quickly became charred corpses, then swallowed by the desert.
But the Bay Territory adventurers' battlefield control wasn't limited to just combat.
As the mutated army trampled forward over their fallen, a pile of broken bones was left behind.
Hidden adventurers would rush out as soon as it was safe—
Quickly collecting all the corpses into specially treated storage spaces.
In just minutes, thousands of corpses would be cleaned up.
A gust of wind would blow sand over the battlefield, erasing all traces.
In the blink of an eye, nothing remained.
The adventurers kept fighting, and the desert towns of Bay Territory buzzed with activity.
Huge amounts of military supplies poured into the warehouses.
Tall, heavily armored Bay Territory infantry began arriving.
But the busiest place was the golem train station.
Golem trains transported personnel and supplies to the front.
They also brought back the wounded and spoils of war—along with firsthand battle reports.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
The train compartments opened, the air filled with the stench of blood.
Workers in hazmat suits rushed to spray disinfectant alcohol inside.
The mix of blood and alcohol created a strange, indescribable scent.
The first to be carried off were the severely wounded.
They were rushed to town hospitals to be treated by Bay Territory's healers.
Most of the treatment was free—a benefit offered to adventurers.
Even though Bay Territory was training more healers, they were still scarce. Adventurers helped provide them with "treatment opportunities."
The healers had enough skill, but not enough experience.
Adventurers often had mixed feelings about them.
Because the new healers' early treatments weren't very effective or immediate.
But they didn't stubbornly insist—they'd call their mentors for help right away.
The mentors would swiftly finish the treatment and restore the adventurers' combat readiness.
Next came the massive haul of loot.
Most eye-catching was a giant purification butchering pool.
All collected spoils went there for unified purification.
Afterward, professional butchers took over.
Valuable parts were removed, purified, and sent to Bay Territory's factories to become materials for magical gear.
The flesh was stripped and purified to make fertilizer.
Even the bones were fully used—as necromancer crafting material.
That's right, among Bay Territory's new mages, many were necromancers.
Matthew knew the future held endless flesh-based corruption, mutations, and horrors.
Sometimes, battle units would have to be sacrificed.
Undead units ignored most of the flesh-related debuffs and could tackle high-risk missions.
The more hidden cards Bay Territory had, the more confident they'd be in facing any threat.
For most adventurers—
This massive conscription mission brought pleasant surprises and a clearer sense of Bay Territory's power.
Even the injured got generous rewards.
Especially those who witnessed Yaya fight Kalecgos—they were now bragging nonstop.
They just wanted to share this legendary tale with everyone.
"Hehe, since we took part, it's like we helped ambush a blue dragon—got an extra 100 gold!"
"Ha! I acted so well I got 150!"
"Pfft, wasn't that 'acting' just you pissing yourself in fear?"
"Nonsense! It was for the performance!"
"Hey, being scared of a legendary dragon isn't shameful."
"I really wasn't scared!!!"
"Yeah, yeah—we believe you!"
"Killing a mutated kin nets you about 150 gold—and there's almost no risk."
"If you loot some rare materials, it could go over 1,000!"
"Seriously? How's it calculated?"
"Based on the loot. Bay Territory buys it at market price, minus a small fee."
"Damn, Bay Territory's that generous?"
"Hell yeah! Why else would we come thousands of kilometers?"
"True, we're here to get rich!"
"Haha, follow Bay Territory and get rich together!"
Many adventurers felt envious, jealous—and regretful.
The idea that following Bay Territory meant riches had become widely accepted.
Countless adventurers joined the battle, slaughtering tens of thousands of mutated kin.
Even though they outnumbered the adventurers, they'd become prized prey.
Bay Territory paid based on effort—more kills meant more rewards.
According to Jifan, it would take over a week to clear them all out.
March 20th.
Bay Territory.
Bay City.
Underground Laboratory.
Multifunctional Surgical Modification Area.
"The world turns, passersby come and go, tides rise and fall…"
"Love and hate, life and death—how many can see through it all…"
Humming a tune, Matthew casually opened the Cole Elf specimen's abdomen under its terrified gaze, working skillfully.
Behind him, Annie watched as he manipulated the mana nodes, memorizing every move.
Harsh screams echoed through the lab.
While working, Matthew still explained to them:
"Before enhancing the kidneys, we must first modify the blood vessels and tissue channels connected to them…"
"Same method as before—infuse life energy to apply pressure…"
"Use the body's self-healing to strengthen the tissue gradually…"
"Eventually, with enough hands-on experience, this step can be automated…"
"Machines provide more stable energy and improve success rates."
"Still, this is great training for energy control. Until volume increases, do it by hand for better growth..."
The Arcanists listened intently. Matthew's teachings—
Helped them understand bodily modification better, refine spell control, and deepen their magical insight.
Unknowingly, their spellcasting improved dramatically.
"Transformers are most useful right after a surgery finishes."
"They channel the pressure and energy from the enhanced kidneys to modify other organs…"
"Every surgical enhancement affects the whole system."
"That's why we must consider how each mod affects the body as a whole…"
"Strengthening this area creates internal buffers to prevent organs from harming each other…"
"…"
Matthew, excited, lectured Yaya about vascular enhancements, stopping her from impulsively trying it on herself.
"Don't rush. We need systemic changes and complete diagnostics before going hands-on…"
Unlike regular Dragon Warriors, Matthew and Yaya couldn't be easily repaired.
They were different now.
As demigods, they had to be extra cautious.
With the vascular work done, Matthew moved on to kidney enhancement with mixed feelings.
Same method as before—simulate stress, push them to run at higher output.
Feed energy in constantly and fix breakdowns from overuse.
Thanks to life essence, the kidneys wouldn't fail—instead, Matthew's mutation spell gradually toughened them.
Of course, the process was extremely painful.
Matthew thought of the "Iron Will" he'd seen in Abyssal Demonfish—it seemed perfect for Dragon Warriors.
Pain, after all, was a form of willpower training!
As the kidneys strengthened, Matthew made micro-adjustments:
"Just like we refine combat techniques, we enhance the body via life energy for battle gains."
"When we enhance the kidneys, we must activate key functions…"
"Like detox—creating special substances to wrap and flush poisons…"
"Or generating clotting agents to magically enhance blood and speed up healing…"
"Or producing powerful adrenaline during combat for overall boosts…"
"And energy absorption too…"
"…"
The more Shuyou listened, the more shocked she became.
It was her first time realizing how many secrets the organs of intelligent life held.
Traits of every race could be traced back to their biology.
Matthew's body modification science filled her with a sense of mission.
It could revolutionize lifestyles—and the entire Material Plane.
The Cole Elf's kidney enhancement succeeded.
But the painful adjustments would continue for days, until its body found a new balance.
After watching a few surgeries, Yaya couldn't wait to try herself.
She had a natural gift for flesh modification that even Matthew admired.
After a few failed attempts, Yaya mastered kidney enhancement and never failed again.
She was patient and kind with the other girls—
Always teaching gently and clearly, fulfilling her role perfectly.
Matthew sensed her thoughts:
"Finally got my chance to prove myself!"
"The Bay Territory's big sis can't afford to lose face!"
This was how Yaya integrated into Bay Territory—by becoming a wildly popular big-sister figure for the kids.