"Boss, my Ice Seal of a Thousand Miles wasn't bad, was it?"
The spell had frozen a large stretch of the lake around them. Matthews offered Asolun some encouragement.
"Not bad at all. But it'd be even better if you could control the range and freeze only your target. I believe in you!"
Asolun was delighted. "Thanks for the praise, Boss. I'll keep working hard!"
Matthews took the spoils from the head of the Level Nine Magical Beast Black Snake: its magic core.
Seeing Matthews skinning it, Asolun asked in confusion, "Boss, what are you doing?"
"With the combat strength of an Eighth-level Warrior at the peak, and having comprehended Light as Heavy and Heavy as Light, your boss should be able to kill an early-stage Level Nine Magical Beast like this one with relative ease."
Matthews kept working and pointed to the spot where the Black Snake had been wounded. "Its scales aren't the toughest among Level Nine Magical Beasts, but they're exceptionally slippery. Most of the force from blows with blades and swords gets deflected by its scales. That's why I couldn't kill it effortlessly."
"To get through scales like these, you need a heavy weapon and enough force to injure it. Heavy weapons work well against it, so we can skin it and use its scales to make armor."
After removing the scales, Matthews kicked the Black Snake's corpse into the lake. In his previous world, he'd seen a video about how a whale fall supported life. This Level Nine Magical Beast had occupied the lake and must have fed on the creatures living in it. Now its body could provide a feast for them in turn.
Everything in the world went through a cycle. Unfortunately, Matthews had no talent for the Laws of Fate; otherwise, he might have comprehended the law, too!
After this battle, Matthews had a rough estimate of his current fighting strength. With the boost from his comprehensions, he could now handle early-stage Level Nine Magical Beasts with ease despite being an Eighth-level Warrior.
His Battle Qi had also reached the peak of the eighth level, so he and Asolun stopped seeking out Magical Beasts to challenge. Instead, they continued walking and kept chasing clouds that looked likely to bring rain, hoping to use the accompanying thunder to comprehend the forces of heaven and earth that came before the Laws of Lightning.
The depths of the Magic Beast Mountain Range belonged to Saint Realm Magical Beasts, so Matthews didn't dare venture farther in. Instead, he circled around their current area and headed west, continuing to cultivate his Battle Qi and comprehend the forces of heaven and earth.
Matthews suddenly stopped. Asolun asked, puzzled, "Boss, why did you stop?"
"Something's wrong. We haven't gone any deeper. By rights, this shouldn't be Saint Realm territory. There ought to be other Magical Beasts living here."
Asolun continued asking in confusion, "What's the problem with that?"
"Saint Realm Magical Beasts can fly and survive by relying on the elements of heaven and earth. So their territories usually have few other Magical Beasts living in them."
Hearing Matthews explain, Asolun understood.
"Boss, we haven't seen any other Magical Beasts all day. Could we have wandered into Saint Realm territory?"
Matthews calmly considered it. "I'm not sure. Let's head back out first."
After speaking, Matthews led Asolun back toward the edge of the Magic Beast Mountain Range. As they turned around, a pair of eyes watched them intently from the trees nearby.
Matthews didn't notice. They hadn't wandered into the territory of a Saint Realm Magical Beast. A peak Level Nine Magical Beast had been following them for half a day, and its aura alone had scared off the other beasts nearby.
Matthews looked up at the sky, which was growing steadily darker. It would probably rain soon.
"It's about to rain. We need to find somewhere to take shelter!"
Although Matthews, now an Eighth-level Warrior, wasn't worried about getting wet, he'd finally encountered weather that might bring thunder. He wanted to find a safe place to quietly contemplate the opportunity and try to comprehend the forces of heaven and earth behind the thunder.
Matthews soon picked out a massive boulder. It jutted out at an angle, shielding part of the area from the rain. It was a good place to shelter.
Matthews sat cross-legged beneath the boulder while Asolun shrank down and kept watch nearby.
Asolun exhaled water vapor and used its sensory ability. Before long, a thin mist surrounded them.
The moment the peak Level Nine Magical Beast Blood-Eyed Mane Lion stepped into the area covered by Asolun's misty defense, Asolun sensed its presence.
"Boss, a Level Nine Magical Beast!"
Matthews had just recovered his Battle Qi. He immediately stopped cultivating and took Cold Light Ghost Shadow from his Space Ring. Although he no longer feared early-stage Level Nine Magical Beasts, one of them could still catch him by surprise and instantly rob him of his ability to fight.
The peak Level Nine Purple-Striped Black Bear that had comprehended the forces of heaven and earth had taken only one strike to leave him unable to fight. Matthews immediately assumed a defensive stance.
"Where?"
"Over there, Boss!"
Matthews looked in the direction Asolun pointed, but because of the Water Mist Technique, he couldn't see clearly. He had to use his Electromagnetic Induction spell.
He sensed clearly that it was a Blood-Eyed Mane Lion!
As Asolun stopped using magic power to sustain the Water Mist Technique, the mist slowly cleared. Matthews could clearly see the amused expression on the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion's face.
He remembered clearly that in the original story, when Dylan triggered the Magical Beast uprising, the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion was described as a peak Saint Realm Magical Beast. He could only hope this one wasn't a Saint Realm beast. Otherwise, they wouldn't have the slightest chance of surviving.
Even more infuriatingly, after seeing the amusement on its face, Matthews watched it remain perfectly still instead of attacking. It was putting psychological pressure on its prey!
"Boss, what do we do now?"
Not long ago, Asolun and his boss had killed an early-stage Level Nine Magical Beast. Now he was asking his boss what to do.
"Looks like we didn't wander into Saint Realm territory after all. This is probably the territory of this peak Level Nine Magical Beast, the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion. It may have been tracking us for a long time!"
Asolun asked, confused, "Then why didn't it attack us right away?"
"I don't know. It's probably full and enjoying the thrill of tormenting its prey."
"What do we do now?"
Matthews glanced at the darkening sky. Magical Beasts, like animals, should retreat when rain and thunder came, but the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion showed no sign of reacting. It seemed determined to make a meal of them.
Matthews decided he wouldn't just sit and wait to die. He sent Asolun a Soul Transmission. "Same as usual. I'll take the lead. Use your ice magic to try to slow it down."
Before you continue