Even though Instructor Kalifer disappeared as soon as she shared the conditions to complete her class, it took almost two days before a mission was assigned to our group.
Two days in which I turned my life upside down—again.
Our group trained together for two hours in the morning and two hours at night, which would have been more than fine if the training regimen wasn’t several times my regular load. Normally, I’d never be able to go through the training regimen Scott and Daniel came up with, but I managed only thanks to Fabienne.
Even now, I wasn’t sure whether to curse or praise her abilities, but they worked exactly as promised. Anyway, it felt like Fabienne was out for my blood, even though I knew she wasn’t. At least I managed to refine my World thrice in two days. As for my Ether Gates, I was improving rather quickly, which was also owed to Fabienne.
She did not have much coin to spend, yet she needed my help with her Soulkins. Thus, she paid me in installments, applying Accelerated Regeneration to me and my Soulkins, accelerating our growth a little.
“Are you fine?” Daniel asked for the umpteenth time since he sat down beside me with a tray full of divine-smelling dishes in each hand.
Did I want to know how much those dishes cost? I eyed my trays and grimaced. Fabienne’s abilities consumed a monster of nutrition, which was all the more reason for me to revert to the free dishes. That, however, only applied to myself. My Soulkins deserved only the best of the best—if only I could afford that.
“Dude…I am serious.” Daniel placed the trays on the table our group occupied in the corner of the cafeteria. He glanced at the others for a moment and sighed when all they did was stare at the screens displaying our mission. “Adam, are you fine?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked in response, although I knew what he was talking about. Not even 24 hours ago, we had gone on a quick hunt in the Blooming Expanse to test and improve our teamwork. The disparity in our strength was a lot greater than we expected, which caused a rift we had to fix as quickly as possible, but I knew Daniel wasn’t talking about that.
Putting all issues aside, the quick hunt turned out…decent. The problem—my problem—was my young friend’s bloodlust, and it had threatened to overwhelm me as soon as we entered combat. Fortunately, I managed to restrain the bloodlust. For now.
The Ferronox Mantis appeared on the table. He looked around, his presence radiating bloodlust naturally, but he couldn’t find what he was looking for.
The Ferronox Mantis was already much larger than he had been two days ago, which was mostly owed to the combination of Accelerated Regeneration and his lovely diet of devouring meat. Raw, high-quality meat of a Behemoth Bison, an Unblemished beast—a terror that had been killed no more than a few days ago. A densely built monstrosity with a towering height of nearly five meters and a staggering length of ten meters, fully embodied with heavy muscles and meat worth its weight in gold.
Honestly, I didn’t want to know which cadet was crazy enough to attack and, more surprisingly, successfully hunt a Behemoth Bison. Despite that, someone did it, and he or she sold most of the Unblemished beast’s body parts in the Camp Shop.
Whoever killed that thing earned a hell of a fortune. I cursed inwardly as I was once again reminded how I spent 150 coins on a mere 10 kilograms of the Unblemished beast’s meat. Expensive as it was, it proved highly nutritious. Even Aureus couldn’t eat more than a kilogram a day before he felt bloated. Even better, Earthehart was experiencing another growth spurt since I gave him Behemoth Bison meat.
The same, albeit considerably more intense, could be said about Nox. Not only was the Ferronox Mantis hungrier than Aureus—a feat I’d considered impossible until I met Nox—but he was growing rapidly as well, including our bond.
And, for the first time since I became a Blessed, the power of a purely physically built Soulkin empowered me. It was a different feeling, but the sensation was no less exhilarating. Raw power coursed through my veins, promising me the world and more.
“We both know you’re lying.” Daniel started to reply, but waved dismissively when I tried to retort. “Stop that nonsense. I prepared something for you.”
“Please tell me you messaged your parents. I really need some tips about the 5th Volume of Blastor’s Refinery,” I said, half in jest, half in desperation.
Nox was an Evolved beast, but he was not growing as fast as an Evolved beast yet. He was currently in his baby phase, which should last roughly two weeks. In that time, the Ferronox Mantis would get used to its body, learn all it had to learn, and advance to an Awakened beast. At that point, the second growth phase would start, and its demands would skyrocket.
As of now, Nox’s soul energy demand increased by one unit every two days. That was fast. Aureus’ growth was not much faster, and he was an Awakened beast with the potential to become an Evolved beast. Anyway, my World had to grow by about 1.2 units every day, or I would suffer the consequences. The good part? The 4th Level of Blastor’s Refinery grew my World by exactly one unit since I attained perfect mastery a week ago. Even better, my bonds were so strong, their growth provided me with the soul energy needed to keep things in balance.
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“I messaged them, but they don’t know what else to tell me either. You have all the data we have.” Daniel grimaced. “They were surprised to hear that you had bound a Peak Evolved beast. Father was sure you would first bind an Awakened beast to grow your World, but he commends your bravery. Ehm…and…well, he told me you are foolish. That you should have waited. That bravery is, more often than not, stupidity.”
Great, thanks, Peter. Pour salt into my wound!
I knew better than to curse Daniel’s father, but I couldn’t help myself. My mind was filled with curses for a moment, only to be replaced by worries within seconds.
Don’t panic; that’s not an issue. It is no problem at all! With Accelerated Regeneration, I can push my World and refine it three times in two days, creating some sort of buffer for Nox’s next growth spurt. I patted my chest, trying to calm my poor heart. That worked out fine until the rational part of my mind reminded me of the issue at hand.
Nox wouldn’t be a Wild beast for long. He was bound to rush through the Awakened Rank as well. While that appeared to be a good thing at first glance – who wouldn’t want to have an apex predator at the Evolved Rank at the ready? – might just break my neck if I didn’t manage to use Blastor Refinery’s fifth level in time.
Daniel offered me a consoling smile before retrieving three small vials. “I managed to concoct three Pith Potency serums. While not the highest quality, they should work well on the Ferronox Mantis. The serum will work its way through your little fella and temper its foundation, ensuring the fundamentals are strengthened. That will give you a few more days in the Wild growth phase.”
While not perfect, it was something.
“Thank you.” I accepted the serums with a smile.
“You’re the best. You know that, right?” I said, and I really meant it.
Pith Potency was a potion that could only be used for Wild beasts, but it was highly sought after by most, if not all, cadets. The demand was enormous, since every cadet had a youngling to nurture. Most wanted higher-grade serums for their Soulkins, but resources were too rare, and the cost of hiring Master Beasters to concoct custom serums was exorbitant.
“No problem, dude. You can count on me.” Daniel flashed me a bright smile.
He was a really good friend. The best I could ask for. He was saving my butt left and right.
Sure, I had to provide the ingredients myself, but that was the least I could do. Thinking about the pain and suffering of spending almost 800 coins on overpriced ingredients made me shudder. It was terrifying to see how quickly my hard-earned coin would vanish into thin air. Even worse, I knew very well how lucky I was to have a friend like Daniel. Eight hundred coins would never be enough to purchase a single Pith Potency serum in the Camp Shop.
Daniel handed me the three vials and retrieved a fourth with a hesitant yet proud smile.
“I also managed to concoct Gaia Suras.” He placed the serum gently in my trembling hands. “It was my first attempt, and while it is definitely not the best serum I concocted in my time as an Apprentice Beaster, I am proud of the result.” He smiled wryly, the exhaustion in his eyes growing. “Gaia Suras should help you accelerate Aureus’ growth considerably. As you might know already, it is known for three characteristics.”
I only knew of two. My ears perked up and I listened more intently.
“First, Gaia Suras will strengthen Aureus’ connection to his Earthen Aspect in the next few weeks. It will push him further down the path of a Gyromancer. In the same notion, the Intermediate serum augments the Soulkin’s mind. It fortifies the brain considerably. That is not only useful, it is a necessity. If not for the second effect, most beasts consuming the serum would suffer greatly from an overloaded mind.” Daniel disregarded the last point and added,
“That won’t happen to Aureus anyway. If anything, Paralyse will grow stronger as the serum augments his brain. If I’m not wrong, that is.”
He looked me straight in the eyes, raising his hand to show three fingers. “And the third characteristic: Earth-attributed beasts love the serum. They’re obsessed with everything that makes the serum into what it is. Most reports suggest a high likelihood of bonds with Earth-attributed beasts growing considerably stronger after the consumption of Gaia Suras.”
The timing was far from ideal, but if Daniel's assessment was correct, I could slow down Nox’s growth with Pith Potency while pushing Aureus instead.
If that works out, the bond might as well make it to the second Stage. That’d be a massive advantage as the second Stage brought forth various benefits, including more access to the Soulkin’s powers and a much higher share of power. That included soul energy.
Not only would my connection with Aureus strain my World less than before, his mere existence would provide the World with more sustenance to grow.
The realization trickled in, and I could no longer hide my smile. “I might actually reach the requirements to practice Blastor Refinery’s fifth Volume in time.”
“That’s what I was thinking. It’s a risk, though,” Daniel pointed out, but I’d already made my decision and fed one of the Pith Potency vials to Nox.
The Ferronox Mantis sensed something about the serum and emptied it in one go, his murderous intent growing exponentially.
“He has to consume all three of them if you want the serums to work properly.”
Aureus didn’t have to do that. My brows furrowed, which seemed to be painfully obvious to those around me.
“Aureus was a Wild beast. Your little fella over there is an Evolved beast.”
That being said, I fed Nox the remaining two serums. The little “psychopath” slumped down on the table and fell asleep. I stored him away, all while murder filled my mind. Ignoring that, I turned to Aureus, who had materialized on the bench beside me when Daniel retrieved Gaia Suras. He leaped onto the table and caused carnage as he shot toward the brownish serum. The Earthheart consumed the serum with hurried gulps, happiness and excitement flooding the bond.
Aureus’ emotions were so intense that they easily overwhelmed Nox’s murderous intent and spread further until they occupied every part of my body.
Almost instantaneously, my bond with Aureus rippled. It grew slightly, rewarding me with a fine burst of dark, muddy soul energy, and it didn’t seem like the reinforcement would stop anytime soon.