Skye reached forward, manipulating several items, and dropped them into the pond. Among them was a small, glowing, marble-like red stone.
A while later, the red glow surrounding them receded into the pond.
Splash!
A red gemstone broke through the pond's surface, slowly rotating as it floated in the air.
"Oh! I actually managed to create it," Skye muttered in awe, flying toward the gemstone and grabbing it.
The gemstone's creation relied on a lot of coincidences, timing, rare opportunities, and a significant stroke of luck.
"Gather around me," Skye commanded.
The sheep hurriedly bundled around him.
A while later:
"I've permanently engraved both skills into your bodies. Now you can cast them simply by thinking about them."
"Baa, baa!"
The sheep bleated excitedly, sensing the changes in their bodies.
"Now go hunt. Anything is fine, but remember to bring back their corpses."
At first, the sheep froze, processing Skye's command. Then, one by one, they scattered.
A few minutes later, a giant sheep rushed toward Skye, carrying a wolf corpse in its mouth.
"Baa!" Sheep No. 41 dropped the body and bleated softly.
The wolf's body lay mangled—one limb missing, its head barely attached to its neck.
Skye controlled the red gemstone, making it fly toward the corpse. When it touched the wolf, the body dissolved, and the gemstone absorbed it, glowing brighter.
Smiling, Skye muttered, "Sheep Enlightenment Gemstone."
The gemstone dimmed as a wisp of red energy flowed into Sheep No. 41. The sheep stood motionless as the energy seeped into its body, unable to see the gemstone or the energy.
It stood dazed for a moment, then fell asleep.
An hour later, the sheep opened its eyes. It glanced at the flock sleeping around it, intelligence gleaming in its gaze.
"Oh, you're awake," Skye said.
"Baa," Sheep No. 41 softly bleated, nodding.
"Good! While hunting, remember to bring back strange items too."
A few days later, Skye observed the heap of materials piled before him.
"They're quite efficient," he thought. "Let's see, which mutation technique should I research first?"
After some contemplation, he decided to start with a physical body-strengthening mutation technique.
The glow around the Blue Egg embedded in his chest dimmed rapidly as waves of information flooded his mind. While the Blue Egg of Fortune could help locate lucky encounters, it had another effect: each time it was used, answers would flood the user's mind regarding whether their query was possible.
The two skills and the Sheep Enlightenment Gemstone had been developed this way. Without the Blue Egg, it would have taken generations to achieve even the slightest progress—and that was just for the skills. Creating something like the Sheep Enlightenment Gemstone? That was nearly impossible. Its creation had been a special case, and even Skye wasn't sure he could replicate it.
The Blue Egg of Fortune wasn't all-powerful. While it provided guidance, the results depended on the resources in the environment and the user's effort.
Skye finished processing the information in his mind and extended his control. A few hundred items flew toward him.
"From now on, collect these things," Skye instructed the sheep, who had just woken from their trances.
During the autumn, many sheep left the flock. This time, Skye didn't follow them.
As winter approached, the sheep gradually returned.
In late winter, the sheep gave birth to several mutated lambs. Among them was a humanoid lamb with a body resembling that of a human, but with two sheep horns sprouting from its skull.
Half a year later,
"It's developing properly," Skye thought, examining his new body. In just six months, it had grown a meter tall.
"In another year and a half, my body should reach full maturity," Skye mused as he walked toward Giant Sheep No. 41—whom he now called Big Sheep.
"Big Sheep, is she your chosen companion?" Skye asked. Big Sheep nodded. The sheep beside him was Sheep No. 1049, renamed Fiery Sheep.
"How lovely," Skye said, stretching his hand forward. A red gemstone flew from his palm toward the corpses in front of him. As the bodies dissolved, wisps of energy flowed into Big Sheep and Fiery Sheep, causing them to enter a trance.
Afterward, he repeated the process for the rest of the flock.
Standing in front of a heap of materials, Skye controlled the corpse of an animal before him. After healing it, he made it walk toward the heap and eat hundreds of items one by one.
Next, he manipulated the cells and organs of its body, directing them to absorb the energy from the materials in a calculated sequence.
At first, nothing happened. Then—
Boom!
The corpse exploded, leaving nothing behind.
Skye stared with a poker face and experimented on other corpses. Each time, the results were the same.
A year and a half later, Skye's body underwent its first metamorphosis.
Another year passed.
"The progress is slowing down," Skye thought, watching yet another corpse explode before him.
"Well, it doesn't matter. The current level of the mutation technique is enough to push my physical body to the peak of the second stage."
"I'll stall its exploration for now and focus on the other skill."
Four and a half years later, the now two-meter-tall Skye stood in front of a heap of materials as usual, conducting experiments.
He controlled the corpse once again. Blood dripped from its eyes, and after a moment, the eyes burst.
"It's finally completed," Skye thought, activating the new skill.
A blue window appeared in front of him, displaying a series of stats:
[ Name: Skye
Level: 1 (Each consecutive level multiplies all stats by 1.3)
Lifespan: 7 / 30 years
Realm: First Realm, Stage One
Race: Humanoid Sheep
Stats:
Strength: 1.6
Dexterity: 1.5
Constitution: 1.56
Comprehension: 5
Soul: 1.2
Energy: 1.1
Affinity:
Fire: 2
Others: 1
Talent: Monster Physique (Physical stats multiply by 1.2)
Mutation Technique: Physical Body Strengthening Mutation Technique
Skills: Abnormal Regeneration, Controlled Limit Removal, Status ]