Close Combat Mage

Xiang Yun earnestly looked at Suo Jia as he resolutely declared, “We’ve decided that because Nicole has indeed made a mistake and needs to be punished for it, Roger and I have decided as the victims that: in the next three years, Boss’s clothes and room must be cleaned by her, your meals must be brought to you by her, your bed must be set up for you before you sleep at night and put away in the morning by her. Moreover, upon engaging in battle, Nicole must stay by Boss’s side to protect you at any moment to work to compensate for her wrongdoing this time!”

“That…” Suo Jia stared at them in hesitation and asked in bewilderment, “That punishment is indeed serious, as it would pretty much force Nicole to become my personal servant. But…as you two are the ones that were the MVPs of this battle, the ones that Nicole should be serving are you guys!”

Xiang Yun’s expression was serious as he replied, “Boss, please don’t bring up the term MVP. Are you trying to humiliate us for our incompetence?”

Roger added, “That’s right, Xiang Yun isn’t wrong. If not dying is an accomplishment, such a thing is too hard to accept. Although the two of us were severely wounded, we didn’t do anything meritorious to speak of, and do not deserve any rewards!”

“Mhm…” Xian Yun nodded and locked gazes with Suo Jia. “You indeed committed a grave mistake in this battle, but in reality, you’ve been in the wrong for a while now!” ƒ𝘳ee𝔀e𝚋n૦𝐯el.c𝗼𝓂

Suo Jia lowered his head in shame, not daring to make eye contact with Xiang Yun. In the meantime, Xiang Yun added, “However, your wrongs have already been made up for by that un-erasable scar on your face. In other words, after inflicting such a wound on yourself, your wrongs have all been made up for, right Boss?”

Suo Jia lifted his head back up to nod and ask in confusion, “You’re right. Mistakes have to be compensate for, and since I’ve already been punished, my failure doesn’t have to be brought up anymore. That’s the same for not only me, but anyone else too!”

“Mmm…” Xiang Yun smiled and nodded, “In that case, since Boss has already made up for his mistake, then based on your proposition of anyone’s success being rewarded and anyone’s failures being punished, shouldn’t you be rewarded now? In the last battle, you single-handedly destroyed five pirate ships, seized the flagship, captured the pirate leader alive, and saved the entire group.”

“That’s…” Suo Jia stuttered to himself for a bit, “That’s nothing, it is what I should’ve done!” 𝗳𝘳𝐞e𝙬𝙚𝚋𝗻𝚘𝚟𝗲l.𝑐𝑜ｍ

“Hmph!” Xiang Yun snorted, “You mean to say that this is your responsibility, so it’s unrelated to us? Are you trying to tell us that this group consists of just you?”

Suo Jia couldn’t hold himself back from inhaling sharply at this. After calming down and thinking this over, Suo Jia resolutely answered, “I was wrong. You are right…since I’ve already atoned for my wrongdoing, I should be the one rewarded as MVP of the last battle.”

“Hehe…” Xiang Yun chuckled. “That’s right. As the wise leader, you should treat everyone equally. Not only do you need to punish yourself as strictly as everyone else, you must also be rewarded for any accomplishments. That is the only way you can convince others of your leadership! If you don’t accept rewards with being the leader as an excuse, you are purposely singling yourself out!”

Suo Jia was at a loss for a moment before he chuckled, “That’s right, I understand that now. Although it looks as if I’m being impartial at first, I’m actually elevating my own position. If someone else’s achievements resulted in rewards, then as a member of the same group, I should be treated the same. Even as the boss, I am not exempt from the group’s principles!”

Roger, Nicole, and Xiang Yun broke out into sincere applause. That’s right…they didn’t need a completely selfless boss. Everyone should be punished for mistakes, and rewarded for success. This was the mindset of the entire group. Although they each had different jobs, there was no difference in their statuses!

Suo Jia took in the sight of everyone’s smiling faces. He tilted his head to look at Nicole, “Nicole…I will have to trouble you with my clothing, food, and living accommodations then. I hope I don’t burden you too much.”

With a sweet smile, Nicole shook her head and answered, “How could Nicole feel burdened? Nicole should be overwhelmed by favor from her superior instead. Don’t worry, Young Master, Nicole will definitely try to do her best!”

After seeing the amiable conversation going on between Nicole and Suo Jia, Xiang Yun let out a sigh of relief. Actually, this arrangement was one of his attempts at remedying the group relations. He hoped that the frequent interaction between the two would result in Suo Jia liking Nicole. Although the group seemed to have friendly relationships all around now, the issue between Suo Jia and Nicole was a time bomb that hadn’t been defused yet!

Suo Jia then said, “Xiang Yun, I don’t think you confronted this battle correctly. I feel that both before and after entering the Greater Trade Routes, you’ve focused too much on the trainings that have been passed down through your family. Although this is your root, it shouldn’t be the only thing you should be cultivating!”

“Hm?” Xiang Yun didn’t quite understand. “Boss, what do you mean?”

Suo Jia firmly replied, “I’m referring to the ability in your Slashing fruits. I noticed that during battle, you always tend to rely on your own battle skills and qi to confront the enemy, and almost never use the Slashing fruits powers. Although you possess such powerful ability, you don’t properly utilize it by combining it with your natural battle skills. It’s too big of a waste!”

Xiang Yun trembled, and his eyes glowed with sudden realization. This whole time, he’d just been trying to break through his inner realm, and had completely overlooked everything else. Now that he thought about it, the Slashing fruits’ power wasn’t any weaker than his inner energy, and it even carried such a strong special effect. In that case, why shouldn’t he use it? The more he used it, the more flexible he could be with its applications!

Suo Jia didn’t stop there. “Moreover, Xiang Yun, although I have never trained in these Eastern martial arts, I do know that one should not try to run before being able to walk. The more you attempt to rush breaking through your current realm, the harder it will be to achieve. Your worries have already become the obstruction preventing you from breaking through. If you don’t ease your own concerns, there’s no way you’ll be able to break through no matter how much you train!”