[Gathering Technique]!
An invisible wave spread out from Levi, covering the surrounding area—including the twenty-odd wolf carcasses.
Levi repeatedly cast this Level 3 spell, targeting those wolf corpses.
Under his spell, all valuable materials from the wolves were extracted, sorted, and neatly arranged.
On average, an adult wolf the size of a calf yielded about 25 kilograms of clean meat, which Levi's spell processed into standard 2-kilogram cuts.
Next were the internal organs—about 3 kilograms, including the heart, liver, kidneys, and so on.
Then came the fat, which could be refined into wolf oil—about 1.5 kilograms.
These were all edible resources.
As for the inedible parts, first came the bones—4 kilograms, and the wolf fangs—0.1 kilograms.
Then the wolf hide and tendons.
Exceptionally clean wolf hides—2 kilograms.
Tendons—0.2 kilograms.
As for the rest—wolf blood, gall, feces, and the like—Levi didn't want them. Although he had extracted them, he simply used Wizard's Hand to dig a pit and bury them.
The surrounding area was spotless—not a trace of blood in sight.
All these materials were neatly arranged in front of Yalina and Odelle in her nightingale form, leaving them troubled in the most delightful way.
Especially the wolf meat—it had to be processed quickly, either air-dried or smoked, in order to preserve it long-term.
However, Levi solved that problem directly.
He used Gathering Technique to extract the moisture from the meat.
The 500 kilograms of fresh wolf meat instantly turned into 100 kilograms of dried meat.
The entire process took less than half a minute, leaving Yalina and Odelle completely stunned.
Levi's supplies were already more than sufficient, so he discarded the 60 kilograms of internal organs.
The 30 kilograms of wolf fat needed to be processed by Yalina. Using a cleaned iron pot, she rendered it down, ultimately producing 21 kilograms of wolf oil.
Wolf oil—also known as wolf balm—is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins. Applied to the skin, it forms a protective layer that locks in moisture, improving dryness and roughness. It can also be used to treat cracked skin, frostbite, burns, and sores, as well as relieve itching and alleviate pain.
For knights who frequently engage in combat, wolf oil is extremely useful.
The 21 kilograms of wolf oil were carefully collected by Yalina and stored properly along with the rest of the supplies.
Meanwhile, Levi had already finished eating most of a whole roasted lamb and completed a session of training using the Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique.
After working up a heavy sweat, Levi once again used Gathering Technique to remove the dust and sweat from his body, restoring himself to a clean, refreshed state.
Only then did he climb back into the alchemical carriage, take out his bedding, and prepare for a good night's sleep.
"Keep watch," Levi instructed the two of them.
"..." Yalina, who had been hoping Levi would give her the same treatment to remove the grease and odor from her body.
"..." Odelle, wearing a completely baffled bird expression.
Levi didn't bother with them. He shut the carriage door, closed his eyes, and went to sleep—leaving behind the nightingale Odelle and the "Tulip Beauty" staring at each other in silence.
After a long while—
"Yalina, why don't you go rest? I'll take the night watch. If anything happens, I'll wake you immediately," said Odelle in her nightingale form.
"What about you?" Yalina asked.
"I'm a nightingale! Nighttime is when I'm most energetic. As for daytime, I can just sleep in the birdcage. You can't—you still have to drive for Lord Levi tomorrow," Odelle replied.
"Alright. Then I'll leave it to you." Yalina thought for a moment and nodded.
Levi had already revealed his ruthless side as a wizard—he wouldn't hesitate to exploit them.
So she had to conserve her energy.
"We're companions. Helping each other is only natural. Besides, I'm counting on you and Lord Levi to help remove the curse on me!" Odelle said.
"I'll do my best," Yalina replied firmly.
"Then I'll be waiting for good news," Odelle said, before flying up onto the roof of the alchemical carriage.
The night grew deeper.
In the forest, the temperature dropped significantly.
The wind that swept through carried a biting chill.
Even with her strong physique, Yalina could feel the cold.
So she tidied up the campfire, leveled out a patch of ground, and laid down clean wolf pelts—these pelts had been extracted by Levi using Gathering Technique, so they were extremely clean, soft, free of dust, and completely devoid of parasites, fleas, or insects. There was no odor at all.
Yalina lay down on them. With the warmth of the fire beside her, she felt extremely comfortable. She looked up at Odelle, the nightingale perched on top of the carriage, then glanced at the dense canopy of leaves above. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
...
Kingdom of Francis, royal capital, royal palace.
The Magic Mirror Queen, her body bare, her breathtaking curves fully on display, stood before the mirror with complete confidence.
"Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, tell me—who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"
"Queen, Queen, you are the most beautiful woman in the world!"
Hearing the mirror's reply, a radiant smile bloomed across the Queen's face, like a rose blossoming in darkness, eclipsing all else.
The Queen gazed at her reflection with fascination, her eyes filled with intoxicated admiration.
At that moment, from within the shadows beneath the throne, a slightly sharp voice rang out.
"Your Majesty."
A trace of displeasure flickered through the Magic Mirror Queen's eyes. The atmosphere in the entire chamber instantly grew heavy and oppressive.
This was the pressure of a high-level wizard.
"Speak."
The voice within the shadows became noticeably strained. "The target has gone missing."
"Useless trash." The Queen's expression darkened further. After a brief silence, she chose to expend Magic Power and question the mirror again. "Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, tell me—where is Levi right now?"
Ripples spread across the mirror's surface, and then a voice responded, "Queen, Queen, Levi is currently within the Kingdom of Amtyr, on the road to Moonshadow Forest."
Hearing this, the Magic Mirror Queen paused slightly. Her brows furrowed as something came to mind.
"Moonshadow Forest? Isn't that where the Candy House wizard faction is located?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the voice in the shadows replied. "However, that school has declined. Only a single witch remains, and her strength is merely at the level of a First-Ring Wizard."
"Candy House… hehe…" A faint, eerie glow surfaced in the Queen's eyes. She extended her near-perfect slender hand, and magical runes appeared in the air, forming a complex and bizarre emblem that solidified into reality.
With a flick of her finger, the emblem dropped into the shadows.
"Take this. Have the witch of the Candy House cooperate—and kill Levi."
"As you wish, Your Majesty." The voice in the shadows disappeared.
The Magic Mirror Queen turned back to the mirror, her expression as emotionless as a statue. In a low voice, she said: "Levi, you little rat—you really are good at running."
"But no matter how well you run, you won't escape death."
"Hehehehe…"
Her laughter echoed throughout the chamber, like the whisper of a demon, like the laughter of a devil.
Pride is a deadly sin.
Even now, the Magic Mirror Queen believed everything was under her control. She had never used the mirror to seriously investigate Levi's current condition.
Otherwise, she would have known much more—and perhaps she would not have been so careless toward him.
And that… gave Levi the time and space to grow.
...
More than ten days later—
Yalina had reaped considerable gains. She had successfully switched to the Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique—more precisely, the improved version refined by Levi using Detection. She condensed a seed of life energy and broke through into the knight rank.
But Levi's gains far surpassed Yalina's.
During these ten-plus days, Levi raced against time, not wasting a single moment. Every day, he meditated, practiced his spells, and trained the Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique. Not only did he elevate his life energy seed to the level of a Great Knight, he also raised multiple spells to the standard of Level 3 spells.
In particular, his Polymorph spell had been upgraded to Level 3, evolving from Night Raptor into Night Demon Owl.
Levi's physical capabilities had improved drastically, and his Spiritual Power and Magic Power had also seen significant growth.
If news of this rate of progress were to spread, it would drive countless witches and wizards to envy to the point of breaking down.
After all, many witches spend their entire lives—growing from young witches into old crones—yet never manage to break through to the Second-Ring Wizard level.
But with Levi's current rate of development, it likely wouldn't take him long to reach the level of a Second-Ring Wizard—at least compared to other wizards.
The reason for such efficiency lay in the multiple spell crystals within his soul sea.
Each additional spell crystal expanded the strength of his soul sea and enhanced the intensity of his Spiritual Power.
Because multiple spell crystals reinforced his soul, Levi's Spiritual Power intensity had reached a very high level.
It was like this: for other wizards, increasing Spiritual Power was like painstakingly digging and paving a road bit by bit, while Levi had already built a concrete highway—he only needed to charge forward. Naturally, his rate of improvement was far faster than others.
Using Level 4 Detection, Levi's current status panel appeared as follows:
[Name: Levi]
[Identity: Transmigrator, Fugitive, First-Ring Wizard, Great Knight]
[Strength: 5.65]
[Constitution: 5.33]
[Agility: 5.78]
[Spiritual: 18.5]
[Charisma: 1.8]
[Magic Power: 6100/6100]
[Abilities: Origin Energy (non-upgradable), Detection LV4 (100/800), Conversion LV2 (110/200), Gathering Technique LV3 (210/400), Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique LV4 (20/800), Wizard's Hand LV3 (223/400), Polymorph: Night Demon Owl LV3 (1/400)]
[Remark: You have learned the path toward becoming a Second-Ring Wizard, but your situation has become more dangerous.]
...
This was the extent of Levi's growth over the past ten-plus days—and the foundation of his confidence in facing the challenges ahead.
His only regret was that he hadn't managed to raise any spell to Level 4—that is, to the standard of a First-Ring Spell. Otherwise, he would have had even greater confidence.
The most recent Daily Intelligence Detection had yielded the following information—
[Intelligence 1: The Seven Dwarfs have reached a consensus and are seeking help from the witch of the Rapunzel Garden to heal Snow White's facial injuries.]
[Intelligence 2: The Magic Mirror Queen has ordered the witch of the Candy House to cooperate with the Great Knight she dispatched and jointly kill you.]
[Intelligence 3: The Great Knight sent by the Magic Mirror Queen is about to enter Moonshadow Forest.]
[Intelligence 4: Two chosen children have arrived at the Candy House.]
Among these four pieces of intelligence, the first one could be ignored by Levi.
Once Snow White's injuries were healed, the Magic Mirror Queen would no longer be the most beautiful woman in the world. Given her obsession with beauty, she would quickly realize this—and in turn discover that Levi had deceived her.
Her hatred toward Levi would only deepen.
But that was all.
Even if she never discovered the deception regarding Snow White, the Magic Mirror Queen would never have let Levi go anyway.
So Levi merely glanced at the first piece of intelligence and paid it no further attention.
His focus shifted to the second and third pieces of intelligence. Unconsciously, his gaze turned cold.
Queen… you really are far-reaching.
Even witches from another kingdom obey your orders.
If it were anyone else, this might truly have been dangerous.
Unfortunately—
Queen, you've met me.
A faint smile tugged at Levi's lips, and killing intent flickered in his eyes.
Then his attention moved to the fourth piece of intelligence. Since it involved the Candy House, Daily Intelligence Detection had also generated related information.
[Two chosen children have arrived at the Candy House.]
Does this mean the storyline of Hansel and Gretel fairy tale has begun? Levi thought.
Chosen… what does that mean?
With that question in mind, Levi transformed into a nightingale and silently flew out of the alchemical carriage, rising into the air. Enveloped in light once more, he transformed into a far more powerful and terrifying Night Demon Owl.
This was the result of upgrading his original Polymorph: Night Raptor to Level 3.
Its size still remained roughly that of a cheetah, but there was no trace of an ordinary bird left in it. Its entire body was covered in living shadow-scale feathers—neither feather nor scale. They felt like cold iron to the touch, yet could flow and reshape at will. Under moonlight, ancient runes would surface across the feathered surface, absorbing all light.
When it spread its wings, its wingspan reached five meters. The wing bones transformed into a pair of void scythe blades, imbued with shadow energy. Its attacks were completely silent, and its high-speed slashes could cut through heavy steel armor like rotting grass.
Its head had also undergone a major transformation. A semi-transparent bony mask covered its face, resembling a fusion between an owl and a human skull. Its eyes burned with rotating dark flames, capable of releasing ghostly fire.
Its four talons were like obsidian-forged claws, razor-sharp and capable of tearing through equipment. With a single strike, rock would shatter, and iron shields would crumple like paper.
Its tail feathers had hardened into a three-segment bone whip, ending in a barbed, venomous stinger. Once embedded, it released a toxin—not lethal, but capable of paralyzing the target for one to two seconds.
In battle, that one or two seconds of paralysis meant the difference between life and death.
The Level 3 Polymorph form—Night Demon Owl—possessed far greater strength than before. On top of its original abilities, it gained a poison attribute. Additionally, its spell-like abilities had increased by two: one was Ghostflame, and the other was Shadow Shroud.