[Year Four.] [Through long accumulation and bitter cultivation, your level has laboriously climbed to LV.19.] [However, that invisible barrier leading to the Chieftain Rank remains immovable, no matter how many times you strike against it.] [You realize your potential has reached its limit; no matter how hard you try, it is not enough to break this shackle of life’s tier.] Ray nodded upon seeing this.
Generally speaking, when a magical beast reaches adulthood, its potential is exhausted.
Without some fortuitous encounter, it will be stuck at this point for its entire life.
This is why magical beasts value bloodline so much.
The purer the bloodline, the deeper the potential.
[You need an external force.] [You need a magical item like “Starlight Grass” that contains immense energy and can stimulate bloodline potential.] [To this end, you have searched almost the entire forest.] [But rare plants are nowhere to be found…] [It is worth mentioning that during one search, you unconsciously approached that eerie Thorn Jungle.] [Even the near-X-ray perception of “Minds Eye” could not penetrate that barrier of thorns wreathed in dark purple mist.] [The inside seemed to be its own self-contained world, isolated from outside prying eyes.] [There was also a faint, unsettling aura leaking out.] [As you circled high in the sky, trying to observe from different angles, a sudden change occurred!] [“Thump—!!”] [A loud bang, sounding like the heartbeat of the earth itself, suddenly came from deep within the thicket of thorns!] [Accompanying the loud bang, the entire Thorn Jungle shook violently.] [The sensation was as if some colossal entity inside was slamming hard against the cage made of thorns!] [An indescribable, terrifying pressure leaked out for an instant, making your very soul tremble!] [“Caw—!!”] [Scared out of your wits, you didn’t dare stay a moment longer and fled at full speed without looking back.] [Even after flying back to the nest in the Iron Ridge Ancient Tree, your heart was still pounding wildly.] [The thing inside is definitely far beyond your current scope of understanding!] [Mid-year.] [You are still LV.19.] [Watching Three Spoons’ level soar to LV.15.] [Your heart is filled with bitterness and anxiety.] [After a magical beast enters adulthood, its level is basically fixed.] [How much further the remaining path goes depends entirely on one’s own destiny.] [And you, Ray, you have long been an adult Curse Crow.] [At this rate, it won’t be long before this kid surpasses you in level!] [The dignity of being a bird father makes you feel immense pressure.] [Of course, it’s not all bad news.] [Long-term cultivation and a deepening understanding of the elements have allowed the two basic spells you mastered to evolve.] [Water Flow Technique (Entry) → Ice Arrow Technique (Proficient).] [Ice Arrow Technique: You can draw the chill from moisture and condense it into sharp ice arrows to fire.
The freezing slow effect upon hitting can effectively limit the enemy’s movement.] [Earth Wall Technique (Entry) → Earth Spike Technique (Proficient).] [Earth Spike Technique: Your connection with the earth has strengthened; no longer limited to building static defenses, you can instantly summon sharp earth spikes from beneath the enemy or the surrounding ground for a surprise attack.] [By now, you have mastered various Tier 2 attack spells such as Great Fireball, Gale Continuous Slashes, Ice Arrow, and Earth Spike.] [Combined with the control and support of Curse and Illusory Heart, your practical combat ability is substantial, making you a rare opponent among magical beasts of the same level.] [Even challenging those at higher levels is not impossible.] [End of the year.] [You have almost made searching for a breakthrough opportunity a daily routine.] [Perhaps it was divine guidance, or perhaps it was the reward for your persistence, but you finally discovered a strange plant absorbing moonlight on a cliff in a secluded valley—the moonlight flower.] [It is pure white throughout, with crystal-clear petals, emitting a soft and pure silver glow.] [moonlight flower: A magical plant that grows by absorbing moonlight.
Consuming this flower can purify impurities in the body and take one’s constitution to the next level!] [“This is it!
The key to my breakthrough to the Chieftain Rank!”] [Overjoyed, you carefully pecked out this precious moonlight flower by its roots, intending to take it back to the nest to consume in peace.] [However, while you were flying back full of hope with the moonlight flower in your beak.] [A shrill and familiar scream carried on the wind, piercing your eardrums!] [“Caw!!”] [It’s Three Spoons!] [Your heart sank suddenly, an ominous premonition hitting you like ice water over the head!] [You burst forth with unprecedented speed, turning into a purple-black streak of light, desperately rushing toward the nest!] [The scene that met your eyes made your eyes nearly split with rage!] [Beneath the Iron Ridge Ancient Tree where the nest is located, a massive snake with two hideous heads—one icy blue and one crimson red—was flicking its tongue.] [It was confronting Three Spoons, who stood blocking the entrance to the nest!] [Appraisal successful: Twin-Headed Ice-Fire Snake, LV 23, Chieftain Rank magical beast.] [Enjoys eating avian magical beasts and possesses both ice and fire attributes.] […] [Big Crow and Second Crow huddled deep in the nest, letting out terrified cries.] [And Three Spoons’ condition was clearly wrong!] [You dove down, suddenly blocking in front of Three Spoons to protect him.] [At the same time, you cast an Intermediate Appraisal Technique on Three Spoons, only to discover with shock that he had been poisoned!] [And it had already reached his internal organs!] [His feathers were disheveled, his eyes vacant, and even the aura from his wounds was exactly the same as his mother’s back then!] [“Enemies meet on a narrow path!”] [You understood instantly; this was the culprit that killed the Wind Whisper Crow all those years ago!] [New hatred and old grudges instantly overwhelmed your reason!] [“Hiss—!”] [To protect your child, and for revenge!] [You engaged in an incredibly fierce battle with this Twin-Headed Ice-Fire Snake!] [With deep-seated hatred, you started with Curse to reduce its energy circulation efficiency.] [Immediately following, various spells poured out like a torrential storm.] [The twin-headed snake was not to be outdone, bombarding with ice and fire magic, its two heads waiting for an opportunity to infect you with snake venom as well.] [But it did not succeed in the face of your massive advantage of “flight.”] [After testing the opponent’s general strength, you determined to end the battle quickly.] [Because Three Spoons’ condition was getting worse and worse; you couldn’t delay any longer!] [You let out a cry, magic seemingly surging in your beak.] [Illusory Heart activated!] [A powerful mental shock mixed with illusions caused the movements of the twin-headed snake’s two heads to momentarily stiffen and fall into chaos!] [Now is the time!] [Gale Continuous Slashes!] [Earth Spike Technique!] [Corrosive Arrow: Concentrated Fire!] [“Hiss-aow—!!”] [Amidst the earth-shattering wails, the twin-headed snake’s crimson fire-attribute head was forcibly severed and blown to pieces!] [However, when the dust settled.] [That icy blue head was actually still alive!] [It was heavily wounded, but because of that, it went completely insane!] [Its remaining eye locked onto you, filled with intense hatred.] [The moment you met its gaze.] [A terrifying pressure suddenly erupted!] [“You are suffering from ‘Snake King’s Intimidation’!”] [In that instant, you felt your soul was frozen!] [Those eyes seemed to turn into an endless abyss of ice.] [Boundless fear seized you, and a voice screamed: “Run!
Run quickly!”] [In the very moment you were intimidated!] [The ice snake’s head suddenly lunged upward with extreme speed, its frost-covered fangs biting hard into your wing!] [Extreme cold and lethal venom were instantly injected!] [“Caw—!”] [The heart-piercing pain cleared your mind for a moment; you saw it trying to drag you down to the ground to coil around and strangle you!] [A matter of life and death.] [Unyielding Recovery activated, and all attributes were boosted.] [Enduring the paralysis and fear, you mustered your last strength, gathering the remaining magic in your body.] [An arrow, far thicker than before and nearly black in color, shot out.] [It hit the ice snake’s vulnerable’seven-inch’ vital point with absolute precision!] [“Puchi—!”] [The ice snake’s hissing stopped abruptly, its hideous pupils quickly dilating.] [You and its massive body fell heavily to the ground together.] [You won, but at a heavy price.] [The ice venom raged wildly within your body.] [You felt your life force draining away rapidly, and your vision began to blur.] [Your gaze laboriously turned toward the moonlight flower nearby…] [It can purify impurities, so naturally, it can also purify toxins.] [It can save your life!] [But then you looked at Three Spoons nearby, who was also heavily poisoned.] [There is only one antidote.
To whom?] [You hesitated.] [The intense pain and the fear of impending death made you instinctively long to live.] [You still wanted to break through, to become stronger, and to properly experience the vastness of this world.] [But you wanted even more to watch your children grow up…] [At that moment, the image of them being fluffy when they were first brought to you flashed through your mind…
Without realizing it, these three little fellows had already become your most important bond and warmth in this cold forest.] [Pity the hearts of parents…] [How could you…
just watch your own child die?] [You gently pried open his beak with your own and carefully fed the entire moonlight flower into it.] [The soft moonlight energy began to spread within Three Spoons’ body, purifying the raging toxins.] [Having done all this, your gaze turned toward the twin-headed snake.] [It was all because of it!
All because of this damn spicy strip!] [If not for it, you might have had a perfect family.] [If not for it, Three Spoons wouldn’t be poisoned and dying, and you wouldn’t…] [Unwillingness!
Anger!
Resentment!] [Using your last remaining consciousness, you drove your paralyzed body, inching toward the snake’s corpse and opening your beak.] [You fiercely tore at its flesh!] [“Goo goo…
Caw goo!
(It’s all your fault!
It’s all because of you!!)”] [While frantically devouring, you let out a hoarse and indignant cry, as if to swallow all the pain along with it!] [“Devoured the essence flesh of the Twin-Headed Ice-Fire Snake (Chieftain Rank), Exp +21…”] [“Devoured…
Exp +45…”] […] [The system’s notification sounds rang intermittently in your ears, but they grew fainter and fainter, like a receding tide.] [Darkness arrived as expected, submerging everything.] “I really am a good father.” “Died for a worthy cause, died for a worthy cause!” Ray couldn’t help but sigh at this point.
System: “Heh.” “Host, this simulation isn’t over yet.” The playful voice once again disturbed Ray’s self-reflection.
Coming back to his senses, Ray asked in disbelief.
“What do you mean?
Still not dead even after all that?” “You’ll see when you watch…”
Maybe it’s not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”