At dusk, Qin Muye opened his eyes, grabbed a piece of bread and a serving of water, and carelessly filled his stomach.
Looking at the scant amount of food, he guessed that after tomorrow, the supplies would run out.
Today, besides reviewing the "Basic Elemental Meditation," he had been reading a book called "Spirit Monster Experiment Manual." It was safe to say that under the enhancement of his two talents along with basic enlightenment and basic academia, and even one point of knowledge, his learning progress skyrocketed.
If yesterday was about learning, today was different; it was about understanding.
The difference was probably akin to the difference between mechanically memorizing multiplication tables and mastering them flexibly.
"It's a pity, I only have the 'Basic Elemental Meditation'; I can't access more extensive Mage knowledge," Qin Muye lamented. This was only a meditation method and did not include any magic or other techniques.
The meditation method offered limited benefits, and the content was not very substantial, so he fully mastered it within an hour.
He spent the rest of the time studying and understanding the "Spirit Monster Experiment Manual," realizing why the facility for recruiting Spirit Monsters was called a Spirit Monster Workshop.
This book was essentially a tragic history of Garden Elves and Spirit Monsters.
The first half described how to transform Garden Elves into Spirit Monsters through magical experiments, meaning if Qin Muye had a Garden Elf, he was seventy percent confident he could transform it into a Spirit Monster loyal to him. This percentage was only theoretical; practical experience was needed to guarantee one hundred percent success.
The latter part was specifically about magical experiments on Spirit Monsters.
Yes, these were experiments, not transformations, and most of these experiments were failures, except for a few occasional successes.
The successful cases demonstrated the three skills of Spirit Monsters: Magic Power Physique, Magic Wisdom, and Loyal Taming.
Having studied for a day, Qin Muye finally grasped the essence of these transformations, which could not be divorced from a Mage's magic power.
This meant he was fully capable of transforming Spirit Monsters himself to enhance their abilities, especially given his basis in Magic Power Physique and Magic Wisdom, with about a fifty percent chance of success.
If he became more practiced, his success rate might reach eighty percent.
Hence, he needed Spirit Monsters to practice on.
"Master, the exploration team has returned," a Spirit Monster respectfully reported.
At this point, Qin Muye realized; he had unconsciously reached dusk.
He stretched lazily; he had taken a brief nap in the afternoon, then meditated for fifteen minutes to replenish his energy, although unfortunately, it did not increase his magic power.
Normally, meditating for about fifteen minutes a day was sufficient; too much meditation could harm the spirit.
Perhaps a better meditation method in the future could lead to improvements.
"Alright, let's go see what they've brought back," Qin Muye said as he got up and took the Spirit Monster back to the first floor of the Mage Tower. Currently, since there were no appropriate buildings, the Spirit Monsters had to make do with the first floor.
Seeing Qin Muye descend, six Spirit Monsters returned carrying a pile of items.
"Great master, we found two treasures on our way, one Magic Scroll, a bag of wheat seeds, a bag of grape seeds, and three bags of corn seeds," one Spirit Monster stepped forward and respectfully reported.
Qin Muye recognized this Spirit Monster; it was the same one that had inquired of him that morning.
Looking at these finds, Qin Muye began to question his life, wondering how on earth they had stumbled upon these items.
'Damn, could it be that one point of Luck...' Qin Muye suddenly remembered.
Yesterday, when he led the team, theoretically, Luck was centered on him, but today, the Spirit Monsters acted on their own, effectively utilizing the one point of Luck value, which is why they had brought back these items.
'This Spirit Monster's hidden strength is really outrageous; no wonder it could be reduced without having any offensive or defensive power.'
The most precious thing he had yesterday was one unit of gemstone, yet today, the Spirit Monsters directly brought back treasures and a Magic Scroll.
He turned his attention to two treasures— one was an Azure Headband, and the other, standard-issue Armor, both of which were basic treasures.
[Azure Headband]
[Level: Basic]
[Attribute]
[Knowledge +1]
[Magic Value +10]
...
[Standard-issue Armor]
[Level: Basic]
[Attribute]
[Defensive Power +2]
...
The Azure Headband appeared to be just a blue ribbon, while the standard-issue Armor was different; it was a heavy piece of armor, presumably requiring the combined effort of three Spirit Monsters to carry it back.
Spirit Monsters are not Lords but merely a type of Soldier, lacking an inventory to store items. Therefore, the team of Spirit Monsters that found the standard-issue Armor got rather less loot, finding only this piece of armor and a bag of corn seeds.
The Azure Headband and the rest of the items were found by another team of Spirit Monsters.
This Magic Scroll records a Level 1 Magic: Magic Eye.
[Magic Scroll·Magic Eye]
[Magic Level: 1]
[Effect: +1 Vision for 10 minutes]
This was good news for Qin Muye, as it might allow him to learn the Magic Eye Skill through this Magic Scroll.
He did not remember the Magic Eye Skill from Heroic Unrivaled; it vaguely wasn't part of the skills there.
But it didn't matter. This was the real world, not the Heroic Unrivaled game, and it seemed this Magic Scroll wasn't a Skill Book but a one-time consumable that disappeared after use.
"Good job. Now, while it's still dusk, plant the corn seeds. As for water, go to the river to fetch it," Qin Muye finished, then realized he lacked a container to carry water. He then turned his attention to the standard-issue Armor and said, "Use this standard-issue Armor, seal one end, and have several more Spirit Monsters go along to carry it."
After equipping the Azure Headband, Qin Muye also took the Magic Scroll·Magic Eye, and stored away the remaining seeds in the resources warehouse.
Six Spirit Monsters, carrying the standard-issue Armor and holding the corn seeds, started to move out.
The standard-issue Armor arrived just in time, not only serving as a water container but also potentially as a cooking pot. It's a pity it's not a helmet; a helmet would have been even more convenient.
He then looked towards the Spirit Monster that was severely injured, left with only 1 Life Value.
"You should also know that with such severe injuries, you simply can't heal on your own, and we don't have any means to treat you," he said.
"So, I have a fifty percent chance of curing you and making you stronger, but if it fails, then it means death. Are you willing to take the risk?"
A glint of hope flashed in the eyes of the Spirit Monster as it weakly said, "Willing, my master, even if it means death, it's better than wasting food on me."
"If you consent, then next up, eat your fill, stuff enough food into your mouth to give your body the necessary nutrition." Qin Muye pulled out some white bread, clear water, and a few pieces of smoked meat from the previous day, stuffing them into the mouth of the Spirit Monster.