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Zeus smirked, his eyes gleaming with a cunning that matched the system\'s arrogance. "Hardly. I let him go so he can bring more targets to us. The more they come, the more power I can absorb. Simple, really."

The system let out a low, satisfied chuckle. [Oh, I see,] it drawled, a note of approval mixed with its characteristic mockery. [I like that. Finally showing some real brains, are we?]

Zeus\'s smirk widened, ignoring the jab. He was more focused on the task at hand. "Let\'s not waste time, then. I\'ll start by absorbing the mana from these corpses—the beasts and those fools who thought they could challenge me."

The system, clearly enjoying itself, responded with a shameless eagerness. [Sure, sure, get to it. Don\'t worry, I\'ll make sure you don\'t mess it up.]

Zeus settled into a meditative position, and as soon as he began to channel the thunder mana into his body, the familiar sensation of pain flooded his senses. It was a searing, relentless agony that coursed through every fiber of his being, even though he was in the body of a thunder puppet.

Frustration twisted across Zeus\'s face, his teeth clenched as he growled, "Why do I still feel pain? This is just a puppet, isn\'t it? How can this hurt?"

The system\'s voice slithered back into his mind, dripping with its usual arrogance and a hefty dose of condescension. [Oh, really? You thought you\'d get a free pass from pain just because you\'re in a puppet? How naive.]

The system\'s mocking laughter echoed in his head, thoroughly enjoying his discomfort. [This is your body, whether it\'s flesh, wood, or even a lump of dirt. Pain is tied to your soul, genius, and there\'s no running from that. It\'s part of the deal—you feel it all.]

Zeus winced as another wave of searing pain coursed through him, making him grit his teeth even harder. "Damn it," he muttered, his voice heavy with frustration. "I thought maybe, just maybe, I could escape the pain somehow in this form."

The system practically purred with satisfaction, its tone thoroughly mocking. [You wish! But let me burst that bubble for you—there\'s no escaping this, no matter what shell you\'re in. You\'re stuck with it, buddy. Better get comfortable.]

Zeus groaned inwardly, knowing there was no arguing with the system\'s twisted logic. But as the pain continued to gnaw at his senses, a thought struck him, bringing a glimmer of hope.

"Wait a minute," he said, a spark of realization in his voice. "I left the Hades Divine Mask to cultivate on its own back at the graveyard. Can\'t I do the same with Zeus?"

The system\'s voice returned, this time with a mix of patronizing amusement. [Ah, now you\'re thinking. Of course, you can switch to automatic cultivation. But before you get too excited, let me remind you of something important that I\'ve told you before.]

Zeus listened, feeling a pit forming in his stomach as the system continued.

[Automatic cultivation runs at 100% efficiency, which is fine—adequate, even. But when you cultivate manually, it\'s at 150%. You get more bang for your buck, so to speak.] The system\'s tone grew more serious, but the arrogance never left.

[Now, the reason you could leave Hades to cultivate automatically is because the area he\'s in is perfect for it. That graveyard is swimming in death mana. It\'s so abundant that even the automatic rate is almost as good as manual cultivation.]

The system paused, letting the implications sink in before it continued, [But this place? It\'s different. The only sources of mana here are these corpses. If you want to harness every last drop of energy, you need to be hands-on about it.]

[If you leave it on autopilot, you\'re going to miss out on a significant chunk of power. And we both know you can\'t afford that, can you?]

Zeus sighed in resignation, feeling the weight of the situation settle over him. "So, what you\'re saying is, I have no choice but to cultivate manually if I want to get the maximum results," he said, the pain still gnawing at his resolve, making every word an effort.

The system\'s voice returned, smug and unyielding. [Exactly. No loopholes, no shortcuts. You want power? You endure the pain. That\'s the deal.]

Zeus exhaled sharply, steeling himself for what he knew would be a grueling process. The agony was relentless, but he understood now—every ounce of suffering would bring him closer to his goal.

There was no escaping the pain, no shortcut around it. The path to power was paved with endurance and resilience, and he was determined to walk it, no matter how much it hurt.

With grim determination, Zeus resumed his painful cultivation, his body trembling as he absorbed the thunder mana from the corpses around him.

The suffering was intense, but so was his resolve. He would endure it all, knowing that the only reward at the end was the strength to surpass all others.

Meanwhile, the man Zeus had spared was nearing the base of the Lightning Fang Guild. His breath came in ragged gasps, both from the physical exertion of his escape and the boiling rage festering in his chest. His heart pounded with a singular thought: revenge.

"I\'ll make him pay for this humiliation..." he swore to himself, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "That arrogant bastard—he\'ll regret letting me live."

But first, there was something more urgent to address. He needed to tell his boss about what was happening with their target.