Next, the two tsukumogami were forced to witness a thrilling drama of Lin Ge devouring the Trace Army soldiers alive. When Lin Ge eats his ‘meal,’ he does so in one gulp, regardless of the size of his prey, satisfying his hunger without any gory scenes that would warrant an R-rating, leaving Yamanbagiri Kunihiro and Hakusan Yoshimitsu doubting the sanity of their own blades.

The new Judge was frail and skinny, and most importantly, harmless. Yet, this harmless man swallowed two Trace Army soldiers in one bite each. Yamanbagiri Kunihiro couldn’t help but glance at Lin Ge’s stomach, which remained flat as if he hadn’t just swallowed two beings whole. Even Hakusan Yoshimitsu needed several seconds to process the emotions swirling through his mind after witnessing such a cognitive dissonance.

After devouring the appetizers, Lin Ge turned his hungry gaze towards the only remaining Trace Army soldier on the battlefield. The satisfaction from swallowing the others made the last one look less repulsive. Damn, Lin Ge was not one to curse at his food after eating.

Noticing Lin Ge’s stare, the Trace Army soldier took a step back, its green glow flickering before it turned and fled. “It’s a monster!” it thought, convinced it would be eaten if it stayed.

Seeing the Trace Army soldier flee, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, snapped out of his shock, quickly pursued it, blade in hand, ready to strike. But before he could close in, Lin Ge, who was several meters away, suddenly appeared right in front of the fleeing monster. Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, with a frozen expression, hurried to catch up.

On the other hand, Lin Ge swallowed hard. The smell was enticing, reminding him of the barbecue from a stall outside his old apartment complex—a tempting aroma that stirred his appetite. With an “Awoo,” he took another bite.

At that moment, the desperate Trace Army soldier, realizing its fate was sealed, sprang a black hole about a meter in radius beneath its feet and plunged into it. Lin Ge, unable to dodge in time, followed it into the still-open portal. “!!!” Lin Ge screamed as he, along with the two beings he had just swallowed, disappeared into the rapidly closing black hole.

Hakusan Yoshimitsu jogged over to Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, casting a discreet glance at his expression—quite a ghastly shade of blue.

After a while, “Let’s go back,” said Hakusan Yoshimitsu, his voice calm. He hadn’t interacted much with the current Judge to have formed a deep bond.

Yamanbagiri Kunihiro didn’t respond, simply staring at where the black hole had appeared before crouching down. He clenched his new cloak tightly. “He has a return scroll; he’s probably already back at the Honmaru waiting for us.” Hakusan Yoshimitsu took a few steps, then seeing Yamanbagiri Kunihiro still motionless, tugged at his sleeve.

After a long silence, “He won’t use it,” Yamanbagiri Kunihiro said hoarsely. He hadn’t had the chance to teach him.

Hakusan Yoshimitsu: “…”

Was it really a matter of whether he knew how to use it? Even children know that you tear a return scroll and channel spiritual power to activate it. But then, considering something, Hakusan Yoshimitsu’s expression also blanked for a moment. This Judge was a novice. Not knowing how to use the return scroll might indeed be possible…

•

Like his first time traveling through space, as soon as Lin Ge landed, he felt a strong discomfort and dizziness. Fortunately, the two Trace Army soldiers he had eaten just before had provided him with some energy, greatly alleviating his body’s reaction.

He looked around. This seemed to be… a school playground?

Lin Ge was puzzled. At this moment, under the soft moonlight, the Trace Army soldier looked even more approachable and delicious. Lin Ge swallowed his saliva, his face full of craving. No, never mind where this is for now. Eat first!

Shocked that this scourge had followed through the space portal, the Trace Army soldier, upon regaining its senses, pumped all its energy into its legs and fled with all its might.

Seeing his buffet escaping, Lin Ge couldn’t just stand there; he immediately gave chase. They both ran; neither could fly away!

Having eaten two Trace Army soldiers, Lin Ge was no longer as he was before. He was now faster than this Trace Army soldier and quickly caught up. Grabbing the soldier by the shoulder, Lin Ge repeated the process and swallowed it whole with an “Awoo.” After swallowing his prey, he even politely brought his hands together in thanks: “Much appreciated.”

Ah, delicious. He was someone who respected his food.

After eating the Trace Army soldier, Lin Ge finally took the time to observe his surroundings more carefully. It was indeed a school—small buildings and playgrounds, each corner exuding the fragrance of modern society. Then, had he traveled back? No way. His agricultural tycoon career had just started!

Lin Ge’s face fell. For now, the best plan was to try logging into the Judge forum to ask if there was a way back… “Bang—!!!”

A loud explosion sounded from behind him, making Lin Ge duck as bits of stone flew towards him, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest. What the hell? Did he just happen to arrive during the old campus’s demolition?!

He held his head in his hands, angrily looking towards the source of the explosion. With his enhanced vision, he saw two teenagers on the school rooftop, facing off against a gigantic monster. The monster was massive and grotesquely obese, with all sorts of bizarre organs protruding from its body, making the Trace Army soldiers seem like handsome young men by comparison.

The two teenagers looked like high school students, one of whom was even held in the monster’s grip, appearing very frail in front of its massive form.

Lin Ge shivered. Everyone dreams of being a hero. Heaven’s tasks are laid upon those who are ready! Having just eaten the Trace Army soldiers, he felt somewhat invincible.

He tensed his legs, ready to deliver some righteous justice. But in the next second, the teenager freed himself from the monster’s grasp and, under Lin Ge’s stunned gaze, destroyed the gigantic monster with a single strike.

So blatantly cheating? Lin Ge’s face was a mix of emotions. No, this went beyond cheating. It was as if someone else had taken over the game.

Lin Ge wisely gave up on his plan to rush in and help, moving towards the shadows. Being a hero was all about the right time, place, and people. Since those two guys could handle it, he might as well work on the post he hadn’t sent yet.

Golden-haired angel Yamanbagiri might already be harvesting the ripe watermelons, waiting for him to come home and enjoy them. Lin Ge was pleased with himself. Once this batch of watermelons was ready, he would harvest a substantial amount of coins.

He promptly accessed the Judge forum, delighted to find that he could still connect. His fingers flew as he posted a help request: “Does anyone know how to use a return scroll? Online now, it’s urgent!” He even added a cat meme he had found during his downtime.

After posting, Lin Ge, satisfied, prepared to find a nearby place for a late-night snack. Before heading back, he might as well enjoy himself a bit. Although the Honmaru had many magical technologies, it was still different from modern society.

People bustled about, creating a lively atmosphere. Lin Ge squinted happily and then used the currency exchange feature to convert five hundred small coins into this era’s currency.

The converted currency automatically appeared in his inventory, and Lin Ge, upon inspecting the stack of high-denomination bills, was dazzled. Although he had self-taught a foreign language while in the Honmaru and was somewhat prepared, seeing the familiar foreign currency in person left him momentarily stunned.

Staring at the bills for a few seconds, Lin Ge sighed and slipped the money into his pocket. Sigh… Should he eat barbecue or hot pot? What time was it? Were the restaurants still open?

These were secondary concerns; for now, he needed to leave the school…

Deciding to go, Lin Ge cast one last glance at the rooftop where the two teenagers were. That look froze him in place. Unbeknownst to him, a white-haired man had appeared there! And the teenager who had been cheating was probably penalized by now, lying shirtless on the ground.

Lin Ge swallowed. Just as he was about to look away, the man’s head turned towards him. Caught—!! How sharp!

Before Lin Ge could marvel at the improbability of being noticed, the white-haired man appeared right in front of him. Up close, Lin Ge felt the powerful aura emanating from the man. Unlike the fat monster and unlike the Trace Army soldiers. Purely powerful. Emitting an enticing aroma. Made one… want to take a bite.

Although, the most likely outcome would be not getting a bite in, and breaking his own teeth instead.

“You…” Furrowing his brow, Gojo Satoru sized up this strange man. He looked like he hadn’t eaten for days, gaunt and unhealthy. Was he someone obsessed with a weight-loss craze gone too far?

These thoughts flickered through his mind in an instant, interrupted by the man’s yearning gaze. How to describe his look… Like he had seen some kind of edible food? Food? Me? Or the very delicious kind. Besides being overly skinny, there seemed nothing else unusual about him.

Lin Ge struggled to smile, producing a stiff grin on his already unattractive face. “Hello…?” That was the universal greeting, after all. As he said hello, his heart was about to leap out of his chest.