"Kings have their talents, chefs have theirs. Oscar, do you understand what I mean?" Jodio stood and walked slowly to Oscar's side, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"Does it mean a king can't do what a chef does?" Oscar asked, puzzled.
"The measure of usefulness is up to you," Jodio said softly, enticingly. "For instance, a flying spirit beast might be vital to the headmaster, but far less so for Teacher Zhao."
"Your martial soul is unique—otherwise Shrek Academy wouldn't have admitted you," Jodio continued. "Right now it's only good for snacks, but as you gain soul rings, you'll surely become a top-tier support soul master. After all, you're my genius classmate—destined for greatness!"
"That's true," Flandre crouched beside Oscar and spoke earnestly. "Across the entire continent's history, there's never been a Food-Type soul master with full innate soul power."
"Whether you're useful is your choice," Jodio declared, grabbing his shirt collar with one hand, the other on his hip. "I, Jodio Joestar, only count the strong and the gifted as friends!"
"There he goes again," Flandre thought, amused. This arrogance wasn't the disdainful sort he'd expected—it was confidence paired with kindness. "Another little prodigy," he marveled inwardly.
"Boss Jodio, why are you so cool?" Oscar couldn't help but ask.
"Born this way," Jodio shrugged indifferently and strolled back to the fire.
"Teacher, won't you try some? Wild rabbit, all-natural—once you taste sweet roast rabbit, even the Heavenly Dou Emperor can't compare!" Jodio offered them a leg.
"Ah, young Jodio, so thoughtful," Zhao Wuji said thick-skinned, reaching out to take it.
"Get out of the way! Rushing to snatch food from kids—what's wrong with you? Think about how to secure soul rings for these two," Flandre elbowed Zhao and led them away.
"How will we hunt them? Power, speed, or support soul rings?" Zhao Wuji muttered.
"Have you figured out Little Jodio's martial soul? Speed and offense? What are you, a bear now?" Flandre teased back.
"Don't push me—unless you want to fight in the air," Zhao grumbled.
Jodio listened and thought: what should the second soul ring be? And what exactly was his martial soul now? He struggled to define it.
In the future, he'd focused on King Crimson—each of his nine rings dedicated to it: Level 10 summon, 20 Time Erasure, 30 Epitaph, 40 Consecutive Time Erasure, 50 Time Frame Extraction, 60 Temporal Anchor Erasure, 70 True Form, 80 World, 90 Requiem—Ouroboros Dream. It had been flawlessly powerful: equal ranks were dogs to be kicked, one rank higher could barely last, two ranks higher threatened him, and three ranks higher hit like a Level 20 vs Level 10 mismatch. That was the invincible King Crimson—no need to worry about scaling.
But now? Silver Chariot couldn't pick and choose like that. "Silver Chariot: Time Erasure"? "Silver Chariot: Epitaph"? That didn't make sense. Perhaps his whole approach was wrong—maybe his first ring would be another Stand altogether.
"Why not?" Jodio suddenly realized the secret of the Spiral Staircase lay here. The whisper of "Spiral Staircase" slipped out—the key to ascension he'd deduced in the future. In every way, Silver Chariot's arrival echoed the Spiral Staircase concept.
"Eat up. Tomorrow we hit the road," Jodio laughed heartily—sending a shiver through the boys. His choice of words was as odd as frogs croaking in the fields.
---
Shrek Academy's facilities were modest, but Jodio didn't mind. He'd spent over a decade retrieving corpses on the warfronts of the Xingluo and Sun–Moon Empires—he'd seen far worse. If it weren't for grim reaper work on both sides, he'd be long dead. Compared to that, this communal hall was nothing.
"Boss Jodio, where are you from? You must come from some big family," Ma Hongjun asked that night, after Jodio had forced them to wash their feet and tuck in, the two boys fidgeting in their blankets, dreaming of soul rings.
"Big family? My father's a corpse retriever, my mother a seamstress. Only my grandfather was a soul master—and his martial soul was a useless shovel. We were just a family that wouldn't starve," Jodio replied, nonchalant.
"That can't be—your aura is so refined, and your clothes look expensive," Oscar peered in.
"Those were bought for me by a rich young master on the road—his name's Huo Yuhao. Now you believe me?" Jodio sighed.
It was true. Before his trials, he'd dressed as low-profile as possible—just another street urchin. He only donned silk and gold trim after forging the brotherhood bond with Huo Yuhao. Young Huo had made a fortune crafting soul devices—and Jodio held shares and had helped design many.
Before Level 80, Jodio sported moldy strawberry hair. Only after gaining the Epoch Soul Ring "King Crimson: World" did his hair turn flamboyant gold—and only then did Huo insist on replacing Jodio's flashy shoulder-baring sweater with a black shirt and gold-trimmed trousers. Somehow, the outfit even shrank through time. A mystery, indeed.
"So, Boss Jodio, what about my Dendrobium?" Oscar asked with a hopeful grin.
"Oscar, no need to be shy—once I become a god, I'll go to the Amazon Rainforest, find four scantily clad big guys, and grant your wish!" Jodio laughed, ruffling Oscar's blue mushroom-crop.
"Wrong, Boss! Long live loyalty!" Oscar and Ma Hongjun instantly rolled over and prepared for sleep. Jodio glanced at his watch one last time before settling in. At last, he could rest easy.
Time flows unevenly—this watch was the only measure of the gap between them. May the plan succeed.
---
Shrek Academy stands south of Balark Kingdom, closer to the Star Dou Great Forest. Though hunting souls there is dangerous for two Level-10 kids, Soul Saints Zhao Wuji and Flandre posed little risk. They'd simply avoid the heart of the forest and pick off century-old spirit beasts on the fringes.
"We've planned your soul rings," Flandre told the three little travelers as they shouldered their packs. A single bedroll sufficed—even six- to eight-year-olds could endure it. They'd reached this camp quickly, mainly by ox-cart—no great hardship. Perhaps the Soul Saints assumed it'd be easy for kids.
"Oscar, you're a Food-Type soul master. This mission is for practice—experience the hunt," Flandre explained.
Upon entering the Star Dou Forest, Jodio felt the surge of soul power. It was a resonance among soul-power bearers—peaceful, without constant killing, even many spirit beasts felt harmonious.
"Hongjun, your Phoenix is an excellent Power-Offense soul. For now, Teacher Zhao and I can help channel your chaotic soul energy, but once you level up, you'll struggle to control it," Flandre added, concerned.
He'd never given up on healing Hongjun—Flandre valued bird-type souls. Sadly, Hongjun's constitution was too fragile. Flandre could guide his soul now, but post-ring, it would spiral beyond control. They'd need another method then.
"I have a solution, Teacher—just go ahead with ring extraction," Jodio offered. A thousand years ago this was a major issue—and still would be a thousand years hence. But not for Jodio. If conventional means failed, he'd pair it with training therapy, draining Hongjun's soul power repeatedly. If needed, he'd use Diamond or Golden Experience—there was always a cure.
"Don't joke, Little Jodio—be serious," Zhao Wuji frowned.
"I am serious. Training therapy, then wait for my soul ring," Jodio replied confidently.
"Teacher, believe in my plan—one day you'll witness him famed across the continent," Jodio declared.
← To Be Continued