From within his sealed space, Gavin observed the raging snowstorm outside.
He struggled with indecision.
Should his clone climb the WinterMoon Mountains to hunt a Bronze-rank magic beast?
It was a risky choice. Even though his clone was at the initial Bronze rank, its life source was damaged. A battle against another Bronze-rank beast might not be an issue at first, but if the fight dragged on, it would turn against him.
His damaged life source meant he couldn't endure prolonged combat.
Yesterday, it would have been easy to wipe out the human team if not for this limitation. As the fight progressed, he had felt his body weakening, the strain becoming unbearable. If he had continued, his life source would have been further damaged, and before securing victory, he might have collapsed from exhaustion.
The more he thought about it, the less appealing the idea of hunting a Bronze-rank magic beast became.
Eventually, he made his decision.
His clone would remain comfortably inside the wooden house, a shelter built for his clone by the Tribe.
The beasts of the WinterMoon Mountains were mostly Ice-attribute, meaning the snowstorm would not weaken them—it would strengthen them.
For them, their power would double under these conditions, whereas his clone's strength would be suppressed.
Attempting a hunt now wasn't just unwise—it was suicidal.
With his mind settled Gavin redirected his focus.
Instead of hunting, he returned to his true task—comprehending the laws derived from his clone's Earth-elemental control ability.
Ever since he broke one of his seals, his entire focus had been on deepening his understanding of these elemental laws.
And despite his weakened state, he had already managed to climb the second foot of the fabled 10,000-foot mountain peak—the path toward understanding the Law.
Upon reaching this stage, he immediately felt a shift.
His control over Earth-attributed Elemental Energy had doubled compared to before. Now, he could sense the intricate details of every individual Earth-attributed energy particle.
Each particle was unique.
Some exuded a sensation of heaviness.
Some radiated unyielding hardness.
Some pulsed with vitality, brimming with life force.
There were countless more aspects, but he was unable to perceive them yet. Right now, he could only sense three distinct characteristics within the Earth-attributed Elemental Energy.
A realization struck him.
These must be separate Earth Elemental Laws—three parts of a greater whole.
His previous life experience offered him no guidance in this matter.
Back then, he had been a Calculation Psychic, not an Energy Psychic. Even if he had been, his experience might have only helped so much.
Energy Psychics in his previous world comprehended and controlled the four fundamental laws of the universe. The practice of fire energy, wood energy, and other energies is only an expression of the four fundamental laws and part of them.
But this world?
Its laws were vastly different.
In his past life, his immense computing power had allowed him to manipulate the four fundamental laws—even without fully understanding them.
But now, as he reached out with his senses, he could tell...
The laws of this world were completely foreign.
There was another problem.
He had yet to sense the Law of Calculation in this world. If it existed, recovering his strength would have been far easier.
For the past month, ever since he arrived here, he had tried countless times to sense it—only to find nothing.
At first, he considered the possibility that his fallen realm—now below 1st-rank Psychic—had rendered him unable to detect it.
But then, after regaining his 1st-rank Psychic realm, he still felt nothing.
This left him with two possibilities:
The Law of Calculation does not exist in this world.
His current realm is still too low to perceive it.
It reminded him of the Space and Time Laws in his previous life.
Only after reaching 9th-rank Psychic had he been able to sense them.
Of course, there were alternative ways to interact with Space-Time Laws—meditation techniques, certain artifacts, or even bloodlines imbued with spatial or temporal abilities.
But in this world or his previous life, he had none of those advantages.
The Earth Law he was currently comprehending felt like the foundation—a basic yet fundamental force that held together all Earth-related elemental laws.
It was the stepping stone to mastering greater Earth-elemental forces.
Thus, he made a decision.
He would not touch any other Earth Elemental Laws until he hit a bottleneck in understanding this one.
And since it was unlike anything he had encountered before, he decided to name it:
Mysterious Law of Earth Element.
With his focus set, Gavin fully immersed himself in comprehending the law.
But as night fell, he halted his meditation.
Outside, the snowstorm had finally ceased.
Wasting no time, his clone swiftly emerged from the wooden house, sprinting toward one of the seven mountains surrounding the valley.
Each mountain stood under 5,000 feet tall, yet vast enough to house multiple Bronze-rank magic beasts.
He had already chosen his target—the mountain where the wolf had once suffered a severe injury, long before it became his clone.
From the wolf's memories, Gavin recalled the presence of two Bronze-rank beasts in the area.
However, the wolf had been merely a wild beast back then, unable to discern their exact rank within the Bronze tier—whether they were at the initial stage or something far stronger.
The two beasts were:
A Snow Cat
A Frozen Rhinoceros
Between the two, Gavin made his choice.
The Snow Cat's build appeared leaner, possibly weaker than the massive, armored Frozen Rhinoceros. It would be the safer target.
Reaching the mountainside, the clone leaped across rocky ledges, swiftly making its way toward the Snow Cat's territory.
Upon reaching the territory's border, he immediately picked up the scent markings left by the Snow Cat.
Yet, instead of sneaking in, he did something else.
He let out a powerful howl—an open challenge.
Then, stepping across the territory's threshold, he continued to howl, his deep voice reverberating through the snowy expanse.
The Snow Cat had perfect camouflage, its white fur blending seamlessly with the snow. Finding it by sight would be nearly impossible.
So instead, he provoked it into revealing itself.
As he ventured deeper into the Snow Cat's forest, his gaze caught something unexpected—evidence of the mountain's rich resources.
Tall, magic-infused trees flourished, their presence signaling the abundance of natural energy in the WinterMoon Mountain range.
A thought crossed his mind.
If he could claim an entire mountain… strengthening the Statue Tribe would become effortless.
As he continued forward, his eyes widened.
Floating atop a small, unfrozen pond, a delicate Ice Lotus magic plant glowed with an ethereal blue hue.
Even the water itself had to be magical—it remained liquid despite the freezing temperatures.
But his moment of admiration was cut short.
A presence.
A predator's gaze locked onto him, sending a primal warning through his instincts.
Something dangerous was watching him.
His eyes snapped to the east.
Perched atop a snow-laden tree branch, a cat half his size stared down at him.
Its fur blended perfectly with the snow, but its icy blue eyes stood out—glowing, calculating, predatory.
Gavin's clone let out a deep growl.
The Snow Cat responded with a piercing screech, its muscles coiling, ready to strike.
Without hesitation, the air around the Snow Cat shimmered—then, dozens of ice needles formed in an instant, launching toward him.
Gavin reacted swiftly.
A stone shield rose from the ground, intercepting the barrage.
Then, with a flick of his will, he hurled the shield like a spinning disc toward the Snow Cat.
The Snow Cat dodged effortlessly, landing gracefully on another branch.
Another barrage of ice needles formed, streaking toward him.
And so, the battle began.
After an hour of fierce combat, the battle finally ended.
Though wounded, he sank his fangs deep into the Snow Cat's neck, crushing its throat and ending its life.
Victory had come at a cost, but he had outmaneuvered his opponent.
At first, he had overwhelmed the Snow Cat with spells, forcing it into a defensive position. But as the battle dragged on, the Snow Cat must have realized it couldn't win with magic alone.
Instead, it attempted to disappear into the snow, relying on stealth to launch a surprise attack.
However, Gavin had memorized the unique fluctuations of its magic energy.
Feigning confusion, he pretended to search for his opponent, leaving himself open as bait.
When the Snow Cat finally struck, it was too late.
Though the Snow Cat's magic power rivaled his own, it was physically smaller—only half his size. And in a battle of raw strength, it was no match.
A few minutes of close combat sealed its fate.
Now, the territory belonged to him.
Lifting his head, he let out a howl of victory.
His cry was met with a chorus of responses—roars, screeches, and howls echoing across the mountain.
He had drawn the attention of the other Bronze-rank beasts.
And now, he knew their locations and numbers.
Seven more Bronze-rank beasts stood between him and complete dominance of the mountain.
Despite his victory, he did not mark his new territory.
Nor did he consume the Snow Cat's corpse.
Instead, he hoisted the lifeless body onto his back and rushed toward the valley.
The main body needed to analyze the Snow Cat's abilities firsthand.
From their battle, he had already determined its primary technique—Ice Needles.
But he needed more than just knowledge.
If he could extract the rune patterns behind the ability, it could prove invaluable—even if not for himself, then for future shamans born with an Ice-elemental affinity within the tribe.
With that goal in mind, he pressed forward, leaving behind the battlefield—and setting his sights on the future.