After three days, August was cutting into a snow hare's belly to extract its mana core. The crisp, cold air of the snowy landscape made his breath visible as he worked. The hare's white fur was a stark contrast against the blood now staining his hands. After retrieving the mana core, he tossed it upwards.
Aurora, coiled around his neck, swiftly caught it with her mouth and swallowed it.
"Ssst," Aurora signaled.
"So, it's time," August responded, quickly opening his beast space. Aurora slithered into it.
'Aurora is reaching Rank 1 Upper Stage after consuming so many beast cores,' August thought, satisfaction blooming within him. 'Her speed far surpasses other beasts of the same bloodline rank. This can be attributed to the beast space boost and her devour skill, making her overpowered in her bloodline rank.'
He took a moment to inspect his surroundings. The snow-covered forest was eerily quiet, save for the occasional distant call of wildlife. The towering trees, heavy with snow, seemed to loom over him.
Turning his attention back to his inventory, August mentally reviewed the potions he had prepared. His inventory was filled with various items, but three potions stood out, colored red, blue, and orange.
[ Health Potion ]
Rank: Common
Effects: Heals minor injuries
Cooldown: 1 minute ]
[ Mana Recovery Potion ]
Rank: Common
Effects: Recovers 20% of total mana of Rank 1 Mana Core
Cooldown: 10 minutes ]
[ Frost Poison Antidote ]
Rank: Common
Effects: Cures frost poison
Duration: 1 minute ]
August had bought antidotes after witnessing the leader beast's frost poison ability. He knew that if he were hit in a vital area, the poison could freeze him to death. Preparedness was key to survival in this unforgiving environment.
Next, he inspected his equipment. His black blade lay beside him on the stone he was sitting on. He wore a gray leather jacket he had bought for 5,000C.
[Striker Jacket]
Rank: 1
Grade: Standard
Enhancements: Impact Absorb, Agile ]
[ Impact Absorb ]
[ This enhancement helps absorb 30% of the attack impact. ]
[ Agile ]
[ Increases agility by 10%, up to Rank 1. ]
Despite its benefits, he couldn't help but feel the sting of its price. The ring he wore on his finger had cost even more.
[ Storage Ring ]
[ This ring has an interdimensional space of 1 cubic meter. It has a mana lock, ensuring only the registered mana signature can access its contents. ]
He bought it for 12,000C from the association task center to avoid being scammed. Even though it felt unnecessary, he didn't want to reveal he had a system inventory.
He had earned 32,000C after making the Frozen Breeze Mana Potion over three days, but now he had only 23,600C left.
He suddenly felt cooler. 'It must be because of Aurora,' he thought. A beast's physical strength is linked to their mana core, and when a contracted beast improves their rank, their master also gets a slight boost in strength.
August opened his beast space, letting Aurora out. Her body had grown slightly bigger, but she was still light enough to perch on his shoulder. She quickly climbed up his body, hissing in excitement.
"Yeah, I know you've become stronger," he chuckled, opening Aurora's status.
[ Name: Aurora ]
Species: Blizzard Serpent
Rank: 1 (Upper)
Bloodline: B-
Elements: Ice, Mist
Abilities: Devour B1, Ice Spike F6, Mist Veil E1, Elemental Bite E1, Frost Poison F1
Status: Good
Synergy Level: 50/100 ([Link]) ]
"Oh, her synergy level is halfway done. I might complete it in two more weeks," August noted.
After using the ability extract function for some time, August had sorted out the complexity of the process. When he extracted an ability at a higher mastery level and assigned it to his beast, it would register at mastery level 1 if it was a new ability for the beast. If the beast already had that ability and the extracted ability was lower or the same level, the extracted ability would accumulate in the same mastery level. By continuously assigning abilities of the same type or higher mastery levels, he could gradually upgrade them to the next level.
This feature was incredibly advantageous. Other beast masters had to train their beasts rigorously, often without any guarantee of learning a single new ability. August's method, leveraging his unique system, allowed for a much more efficient and controlled development of his beasts' skills.
Now, with Aurora strengthened and his own skills honed, August felt ready to enter the central area of the mission. He had initially been cautious, focusing on extracting abilities and understanding the lay of the land. But now, he was prepared for whatever lay ahead.
For the past three days, he had been observing the perimeter of the nest location. The beasts' behavior struck him as peculiar. They traveled in groups, seemingly on guard, and gathered food without consuming it immediately. It was as if they were preparing for something. However, without concrete evidence, he couldn't report his findings to the task center. His curiosity piqued, he decided to venture inside the nest, hoping to uncover the mystery.
Near the nest, he heard shouting and fighting. Sprinting towards the sound, he passed through trees and bushes to find a squad of young people surrounded by a pack of Snow Vipers.
The squad comprised three boys and two girls. One boy, injured by a snow viper's ice poison, was being healed by one of the girls and her beast. The others were defending them.
"Hiss!" The pack of Snow Vipers hissed in unison, firing ice spikes at the group.
"Earth Golem, use Earth Wall!" a boy at the front shouted, commanding his pet. The small earth golem touched the ground, raising a large wall of earth to shield the group. The ice spikes crashed into the wall, shattering chunks of dirt and sending a cloud of dust into the air.
"Fire Lizard, use Fireball!" another boy shouted. A black and red lizard stepped forward, conjuring three fireballs and firing them at a snow viper. The fireballs accelerated through the air and exploded on impact, burning the viper to a crisp.
"These fireballs would be way stronger if it wasn't so damn cold," the boy grumbled.
"Let me try," a girl with a dragonfly-like beast with leaf-like wings said. "Gustling, use Wind Cutter." The beast flew near a snow viper, dodging ice spikes with great maneuverability. It coated its wings in mana and fired four wind gusts, injuring the viper.
But more vipers were closing in, making the squad anxious.
"Earth Golem, use Size Manipulation and smash them into paste!" the boy commanded. The golem roared, collecting soil and growing larger. It stepped on a snow viper, crushing it under its weight.
But the largest snow viper slithered forward, freezing one of the golem's legs with its ice poison and then smashing it with a tail whip, toppling the golem.
"Let's help them, shall we?" August said to Aurora, who hissed in agreement.