Magical beasts evolve differently than Wizards.
They rely on devouring energy, absorbing treasures of heaven and earth, or slowly enduring in specific environments to raise their rank bit by bit.
To a magical beast, the purified energy particles in a Spirit-Refreshing Potion were like... condensing ten years' worth of nutrition into a single bottle and chugging it down.
It would influence their evolution.
Ethan's lips slowly curled into a grin.
He pulled a bottle of Spirit-Refreshing Potion from his ring; the amber liquid sloshed inside, and silver flecks shimmered under the light.
"One bottle isn't enough," he muttered. He pulled out three more, then four, then five.
He took out ten bottles in one go.
"Pop! Pop! Pop!..."
The crystal bottles shattered, and the amber liquid splashed in all directions.
The liquid seeped into the leaf litter, into the soil, and into the ground already soaked with blood.
The scent of the Spirit-Refreshing Potion began to spread in all directions.
Ethan could feel the scent molecules drifting through the air, passing through thickets, tree canopies, and rock crevices, floating further away.
He closed his eyes. The Plant Affinity passive allowed him to vaguely sense the "emotions" of the surrounding vegetation. The trees, the grass, and the vines were also sensing this scent, some even becoming restless.
Then, he heard it.
The first roar came from the east, about two kilometers away. The sound was low and thick, with a metallic quality, like iron plates grinding against each other.
The second came from the west, closer this time. It was a sharp, piercing sound, like a bird's cry, but more than ten times coarser.
The third, fourth, fifth...
Roars surged from all directions, rising and falling, getting closer and closer.
The ground began to tremble.
The vibration traveled from the soles of his feet, up through his bones, making his teeth ache.
Ethan opened his eyes, the curve of his lips widening.
"Come on, come on." He spread his arms as if embracing something. "The slaughter never stops. Man, the thrill of battle is what it's all about!"
The first magical beast burst from the bushes to the east.
It was an Ironclad Lizard, nearly four meters long, its body covered in dark gray scales, each edge gleaming with a metallic luster. Its limbs were short and thick, but its running speed was not slow at all; every step left a shallow pit in the ground.
The Ironclad Lizard's vertical pupils locked onto Ethan instantly. It opened its mouth, revealing rows of fine, sharp teeth, and let out a low growl from its throat.
Ethan raised his right hand.
The ground exploded as a Giant Wood Spike erupted from directly beneath the Ironclad Lizard's belly.
The timber impaled the cranial cavity and emerged from the top of its head, dark red blood mixing with brain matter as it flowed down the spike.
The Ironclad Lizard's corpse crashed to the ground, its limbs twitching twice before going still.
【Life Energy +18. Current Life Energy: 2439.】
Ethan didn't even glance at the corpse; his gaze was already turned to the west.
The second wave, the third wave...
Magical beasts surged from all directions, some solitary, some in packs.
Ethan stood in the center of the clearing, his hands constantly rising and falling. Giant Wood Spike, Thorn Pierce, and Thousand Leaf Daggers were released in rotation.
The magical beasts fell before they could even reach him; not a single one could get within twenty meters.
Corpses piled up like mountains at the edge of the clearing, layer upon layer. Blood gathered into small streams, flowing from high to low, seeping into the leaf litter and soil, staining the entire clearing a dark crimson.
The numbers on the system interface began to jump frantically.
2450, 2500, 2600, 2800, 3000, 4000...
The slaughter continued for an unknown amount of time.
Ethan only knew he had lost count of how many magical beasts he had killed. By the time no more beasts charged at him, the number on the system interface had jumped to 15,884.
"Whew... unlock passive."
【Consume 4,096 Life Energy to unlock the 13th passive?】
"Confirm."
【Energy deducted: 4,096 points. Current Energy: 11,788 points.】
【Generating passive...】
【Generation complete. Obtained passive: Void Space.】
【Void Space: Any spatial-type existence you possess gains an additional 999 times the space. Items within the additional space are in spatiotemporal stasis, and the space cannot be detected by any entity.】
999 times the space?
Holy crap, this is pretty sweet.
So this 100-cubic-meter storage ring just turned into 100,000 cubic meters?
How much stuff can this space hold?
He brushed those thoughts aside and looked back at the system interface.
"Time waits for no man. Continue unlocking."
【Consume 8,192 Life Energy to unlock the 14th passive?】
"Confirm."
【Energy deducted: 8,192 points. Current Energy: 3,596 points.】
【Generating passive...】
【Generation complete. Obtained passive: Elemental Resonance.】
【Elemental Resonance: When casting elemental-type skills, power is increased by 500%, consumption is reduced by 25%, casting speed is increased by 20%, area of effect is increased by 500%, and elemental response speed is increased by 1,000%.】
Ethan's pupils constricted slightly.
Because of the Archmage passive and wood-element affinity, the consumption of wood-element cantrips was already minimal. Now with another 25% reduction from Elemental Resonance, it wasn't just negligible—it was practically non-existent.
As for the power...
The base power of Giant Wood Spike was 5 degrees; five times that was 25 degrees.
Adding the 91% bonus from his 91% wood-element affinity, it nearly doubled again, reaching close to 50 degrees.
What did 50 degrees represent?
A full-power strike from a Third-Tier Wizard Apprentice was at this level.
And he, Ethan Leo, a Second-Tier Wizard Apprentice who had only condensed twenty mental runes, had managed to stack his cantrip's power to the level of a Third-Tier Apprentice through these passives.
The consumption was absurdly low.
The casting speed was absurdly fast.
The range was absurdly large.
"Having cheats really is satisfying."
Ethan's lips slowly curled into a grin as his gaze swept over the field of magical beast corpses.
He raised his right hand, and a pale green light surged from his palm.
Vines emerged from the ground and moved simultaneously. Some wrapped around Ironclad Lizard corpses to drag them over, some tore open Gray-Mane Wolf bellies to extract cores, and some reached into the thickets to uproot herbs he hadn't had time to collect before.
The efficiency was like an automated assembly line.
...
On the fifth day, Ethan tossed aside the animal hide in his hand and smiled with satisfaction.
The 100-cubic-meter space was packed to the brim.
Ironclad Lizard scales, Gray-Mane Wolf King pelts, Frost-Pattern Flowers, Ghost-Face Mushrooms, Silver-Leaf Grass... he had picked only the most valuable items.
As for the bulky, worthless junk, he didn't even have the interest to spare them a second glance.
As for putting them in the additional space? He wasn't a lunatic. Why waste the effort for things he knew he wouldn't be able to keep?
"Forget it, that's enough."
Ethan muttered, jumping down from the giant tree.
No more killing.
No more gathering.
Time to find people.
Rate on N.U.
