Eddie, slyly grinning to himself, kept the Spitthorn Bloom's true evolutionary secrets close to his chest. He knew well that while feeding it various creatures would not promote evolution, it would significantly replenish its energy.
These Blooms could store excess energy in 'Bloom Bottles,' resembling fruit dangling from its branches, ready to replenish the Bloom whenever necessary.
For real progression, however, the Blooms needed to consume creatures of similar attributes, the higher their rank, the better the evolution prospects.
Eddie realized a lesser-known fact: indiscriminate consumption could hinder the Bloom's potential for 'mutation,' a rare and powerful transformation.
In contrast, starting with human remains could trigger this drastic mutation. Mutated beings were far mightier, evolving into elite monsters with ranks scaling from Bronze to Diamond, each tier exponentially increasing in power.
"Maybe we should leave the necrophagy topic for another day. My guardian is a War Treant, not Spitthorn Bloom. I usually employ the Bloom just to refine my control skills, not for actual combat," interjected Sophia, her face slightly contorted at the mention of the Bloom's darker feeding habits.
Chuckling internally at her reaction, Eddie then elaborated on the 'Spore' ability. "It's a special skill of the 'Tyrant Bloom,' the fourth-level evolution of the Spitthorn Bloom."
" Only when it reaches this mature stage can it release spores for parasitizing. It transforms deceased hosts into new Blooms or infests living beings, consuming their life force to emerge as new carnivorous Blooms."
Sophia, absorbing every detail with a mix of fascination and horror, grappled with the grim reality of these spore abilities, highlighting the serious and sometimes grim aspects of mastering the art of summoning.
Their conversation deepened into a genuine mentoring session, with Eddie artfully guiding and playfully deceiving, while Sophia eagerly soaked in the knowledge, her desire to learn and grow binding her to this unconventional teacher.
Despite the discomforting details, their joint pursuit of summoning mastery formed an unspoken bond of mentor and student in a world rife with mystical and often perilous wonders.
Sophia couldn't help but shudder at the thought of spores infiltrating a person's mouth, voraciously consuming their innards, and gruesomely emerging as a monstrous flesh-eating Cnidarian flower.
The very idea of such a violent transformation happening to a living person was profoundly disturbing to her innocent soul. Yet, unbeknownst to her, Blaze had exaggerated the horror for effect.
In reality, spores serve a less sinister purpose than outright killing. They primarily degrade the corpses of combat beasts, preventing them from becoming undead or resurrecting under certain magical influences.
These tiny spores can essentially neutralize enemy forces by transforming dead creatures into more Cnidarian, effectively nullifying any chance of their revival. While it's highly challenging to parasitize a living being, a Tyrant Cnidarian could, in theory, engulf and digest an unfortunate soul, potentially evolving itself in the process.
"Thank you, Eddie," Sophia said with a tint of sorrow, sympathizing with his apparent inability to summon his life guardian beast. Quickly, she offered words of comfort, emphasizing that the life guardian beast was undoubtedly the best match for his growth.
If he couldn't summon it now, it might simply be due to a lack of spiritual energy or level. She reassured him that with time and dedication, summoning would surely be successful.
She gently reminded him of the notoriously high requirements for elemental summoning, sharing anecdotes from her academy about fellow students struggling with their initial summons.
She encouraged him to shed any doubts or worries, unaware that Eddie's life guardian beast was not the mist of the elemental class, but a special entity known as the "Phantom."
And indeed, Eddie had the ability to summon the Phantom, his hidden talent more robust than even he had realized.
"It's a shame, Eddie, that your talent, like mine, seems wasted on the supposedly fruitless Cnidarian," Sophia lamented, considering the Cnidarian as one of the weakest combat creatures, merely an instructional tool in the academy, doomed to insignificance.
"It doesn't matter," Eddie reassured her with a comforting smile, "Effort makes the weakest creature strong. Even the Cnidarian, once it reaches level ten, will become mighty."
He knew from the Bronze Codex's imparted knowledge that while plant-based creatures appeared weak on the surface, they were actually incredibly resilient and no less formidable than the most sought-after beast or avian types.
The seemingly feeble Cnidarian, in particular, harbored immense potential for growth, a fact unknown to many.
Three thousand years ago, a warrior known as the 'Cnidarian Fairy' had evolved a Cnidarian to its zenith, transforming it into the almost human-like 'Golden Crown Cnidarian Queen.'
During the defense against the invasion from the abyss, she and her Cnidarian Queen slaughtered three demon lords and devoured over five thousand of the demonic horde. The vast sea of flowers she created became a nightmare for all abyssal creatures, making even the invincible Hell Black Dragon King retreat upon sighting her.
She stood alone among humanity, capable of resisting and annihilating an entire battalion of the invading forces single-handedly. Sadly, after her lover perished in battle, the Cnidarian Fairy chose a solitary death out of grief, and the secrets of the Cnidarian were lost with her.
Over time, as people failed to rediscover these secrets and with the rise of more immediately powerful beast and avian types, the once-feared Cnidarian's terror faded into obscurity.
Now, reduced to a mere instructional tool in academies, its formidable history as a 'humanoid divine beast' forgotten.
"Yes, perseverance is key, Eddie. Thank you!" Sophia nodded, bowing slightly with the grace of a diligent student, "I'll head back now and come to practice more tomorrow!"
As he watched her leave, Eddie mused to himself, "If the world has forgotten the true terror of the Cnidarian, then I will cultivate a Golden Crown Cnidarian Queen myself!" He was set on unveiling the forgotten might of the Cnidarian, ready to embark on a journey of discovery and growth.