"BOOOM".
Looking at the second illusory bull shattering upon its collision with the ancient door, Eldric narrowed his eyes. Thinking for a while, he didn't immediately choose to exit this state but stood before the door. Narrowing his eyes, he thought about the skill the bull used and tried to mimic it.
He didn't know the principles behind the skill or how the bulls used it. He just thought about mimicking it and the very next moment, Eldric felt the blood in his body boiling.
"Huh!?" Even though he knew it was an illusionary space and the body here wasn't his real body, Eldric couldn't help but be surprised.
And just when he was wondering what was happening, he saw his body begin to glow and with it, a sense of overwhelming power overtook him. It was as if, with this power, he could destroy mountains. Eldric knew it was just an illusion brought by the sudden increase in strength, but he couldn't help but be immersed in it.
Though this state of his lasted only for a few seconds, the red glow of his body illuminated the world around him which was once covered in darkness.
And the moment he saw the world around him, Eldric almost cried out in fear.
Beneath him, was an ocean of dark red blood. As far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but blood underneath him. Floating above the ocean, Eldric couldn't help but fear what would happen if he accidentally fell into it.
Looking further, the ancient door in front of him at the moment was supported by countless threads of blood, some even making long narrowed funnels, connecting it to the ocean beneath it.
From the memories he gained after entering this space, Eldric knew that this door could only be opened by using skills created from beast essence.
As soon as this thought came to his mind, Eldric took a deep breath and soon his body was covered with a red glow once again, giving him a sense of overwhelming power.
But just like the last time, this state lasted only for a while before completely disappearing.
Eldric tried again and again, but to his dismay, every time, the skill would disappear after a few seconds.
In the end, he couldn't help but give up this futile practice of his. Since two essences didn't seem to work, then he could use more essences. With this thought in mind, Eldric picked up the third essence and absorbed it.
Soon, the illusionary bull once again appeared. And it was at this moment that Eldric saw everything clearly. As soon as the bull appeared, a red wisp floated from the ocean beneath and merged into it. The bull that was standing there still suddenly had a flicker of intelligence as it activated its skill and its entire body was covered in red. It then rushed towards the door before shattering into countless small specks of light that then fell to the ocean beneath it.
And at that exact moment, Eldric once again felt the blood in his body boiling.
"Umm..." Feeling the changes and looking at the ocean of blood, Eldric finally came to a conclusion.
"This... This is my blood?" Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, it took a moment for Eldric to piece everything together.
It wasn't until a long time passed that, Eldric exhaled and looked at the blood ocean underneath him with a look of understanding. It seemed that for every essence that he absorbed, his understanding of the skill would grow.
"It seems like the so-called creating skills mean this." The more Eldric experienced these things himself, the more he began to understand. Even though Ellina always used the term 'creating' skills when giving him lessons, her meaning was to just copy the skills of the beasts.
"Looks like I need to get someone else in the future for lessons." The more Eldric thought about it, the more he realized that Ellina never gave him a direct answer, instead her replies were always obscure. It was as if she was purposely not telling him everything. Even in the school when students asked about their first evolution and trial, she never gave them a direct answer.
Exhaling a mouthful of air, Eldric decided not to seek her the next time and focused on the bulls in front of him. He didn't know whether others had to go through the same process or not, but since this was the case for him, he was willing to walk through it.
With these thoughts in mind, Eldric took a step and rushed to the next group of bulls.
.
.
.
.
While Eldric was busy gathering essence, a different scene was playing out in the City Lord's Mansion. At that moment, the old butler was kneeling on the ground respectfully. Other than pitch-black darkness in front of him, there wasn't anything else. If not for the occasional breathing, one would have believed the place to be empty.
"How is it going?" A hoarse voice that sounded like the creaking of old doors echoed in the room.
Bearing the discomfort brought by the voice, the old butler nodded in reply. "Much better than we initially expected it to be.
One has already taken action and it is only a matter of time for the rest of the four.
"....." After a brief silence, the hoarse voice once again echoed. "Good, but can be better.
Hasten the process. I need results as soon as possible."
"As you wish, my lord." With a respectful nod, the old butler slowly walked out of the room, leaving the darkness behind.
As soon as he stepped into the dimly lit rooms, the old man let out a mouthful of turbid air as a few drops of sweat trickled down his face. Even after working for many years, he couldn't help but feel afraid of standing in the mere presence of the City Lord. It was as if he was being stared at by a wild beast.
Shaking his head, he got rid of those distracting thoughts and walked to the nearest guards. After giving them some command, he then turned around and left that place.
The two guards just gave him a salute and walked out before heading towards a particular direction. If one were to look carefully, then they would find that these guards were walking towards Lucius' house.
.
.
.
.
"Uh! Is it done?" Looking at the bright red light covering his body, giving him a sense of overwhelming power, Eldric couldn't help but feel like he was in a dream.
When Ellina told him that it takes people years or even decades to create a skill, he was prepared to spend a huge amount of time. But now... Even in his wildest dreams, he didn't think that he would be able to create a skill in just a single night. And he didn't even need to create the skill. He just needed to absorb the essence and he was able to create it.
At that moment, a doubt rose in his heart. Since creating the so-called skills was this easy, then why does everyone spend so much time on this? Or was it easy just for him and no one else?
The more he thought about it, the more Eldric found himself at a loss. Looking at the red light covering his body that he could only use in this space, he had a feeling that if he wished to, he could open the door right now.
But after thinking for a moment, Eldric decided against it. After the seed of doubt in his mind against Ellina germinated, he didn't want to make any hasty decision. He wanted to take another lesson and only after knowing everything was he going to make his choice.
With this in mind, he exited the domain and teleported back to the Zone before standing in front of the familiar shop.
"I need a lesson." Eldric didn't waste any time but directly stated his purpose.
"Sure... Let me tell you everything that you need to know. " Compared to the previous two times, it was a pretty girl in her early twenties who greeted him with a smile.
"Can I choose which professor I don't want the lesson from?" Even though the girl was a bit more beautiful than the others, Eldric wasn't in the mood to appreciate it.
"Uh..." Looking at the person wearing a mask and a long robe, the girl thought for a moment before nodding in reply. It seemed that the person in front of her didn't have a pleasant experience with the previous lesson.
"Great." With a smile that was hidden underneath the mask, Eldric spoke further. "Anyone other than Ellina can do."
"I will note that down." After giving Eldric the time of tomorrow night, the girl waved him goodbye.
"I should take some rest too." Even though his body has now been strengthened a lot, he still felt like taking a nap after hunting non-stop.
With a yawn, Eldric exited the Zone, took off his mask and robe, and fell asleep on his bed.
.
.
.
.
On the other side of the city, the man responsible for forcing Eldric into the City Lord's castle was kneeling on the ground while recounting some events.
It wasn't until he had spoken that a voice came from behind the curtains.
"So, it has started..." There was a long sigh before another sentence followed. "Keep an eye on him. Take action if things go south."
"But the City Lord?" There was hesitation on Garric's face as he uttered those words with great difficulty. Others might not know it, but how could he, the principal of the Aetheria's High School not know the terror of the City Lord? Much less taking action against him, he didn't even dare to breathe in his presence.
"Leave him to me." It was a short sentence, but it was enough to shake Garric's heart. With a polite nod, he walked out of the room before heading back home. It wasn't until he reached inside his room did he dared to exhale loudly.
Controlling his increasing heartbeat, he couldn't help but curse. "Damn it... I need to get out of this hellhole."
He knew perfectly well that if that person and the City Lord got into a fight, then this city was as good as gone. He who knew the terror of those two already knew the outcome of the fight before it even started. He didn't know who would win, but he knew that he wouldn't be alive if he continued to stay here.
With these thoughts in mind, he began to make some preparations. Even if the clash between those two would be the worst-case scenario and probably wouldn't happen, he wasn't going to take a risk with his life.
.
.
.
Greeted by the sunlight caressing his face, Eldric finally opened his eyes with a yawn and headed out, ready to start a new day.