Deep in the Magical Beast Forest, Linley wore earth-yellow armor and wielded a greatsword as he chased a Black-Ringed Giant Python ahead of him.
Its body was a full three meters thick, its head alone as large as a house, and it stretched more than a hundred meters long.
An adult Black-Ringed Giant Python was among the strongest Level Nine Magical Beasts.
Yet now, pursued by Linley, it could only flee in disarray.
"Now!" Linley said, his eyes narrowing as he studied the valley ahead. "Gravity Spell!"
At Linley's words, the Black-Ringed Giant Python abruptly halted.
The pause lasted only an instant, but that was enough for Linley to catch up.
"Earth Spike Spear Array—Shattering Stone!"
He cast two more spells in succession. Dozens of one- or two-meter-long earth spikes burst from the ground, while more than ten house-sized boulders crashed down from the sky.
"Hiss~~~"
The Black-Ringed Giant Python twisted its body. The attacks slowed it down, but did not actually injure it.
Of course, Linley hadn't expected these spells to do much damage.
"Die!!!"
Linley was already above the giant python. Gripping his sword with both hands, he brought it down in a mighty slash.
"Splurt~"
Blood gushed out like a dam bursting. The tremendous pressure washed away the ground ahead, carving out a crater more than ten meters wide and over a meter deep.
The stench of blood spread instantly through the area. Linley wasted no time. He dug the magic core out of the python's head, then vanished from the spot.
"Roar~"
Not long after Linley left, a beast's roar rang out. A figure barely a meter tall descended from the sky.
Its entire body was blood-red, and it had nine heads.
The Saint-level Magical Beast, the Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor!
It was the ruler of this territory, with every Magical Beast in the surrounding area under its command.
But lately, nearly all the Rank 8 and Rank 9 Magical Beasts in its domain had been killed.
Every time, it had arrived just a step too late.
"Damned human!" The Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor grew to several hundred meters tall and rampaged through the surrounding terrain. "I'll catch you! I'll catch you!"
"Just you wait!" Linley sneered from twenty or thirty miles away. "Before I leave, I'll definitely kill you."
Linley's expression was serious. He clearly wasn't joking.
After all, he was still in the middle of his mission and couldn't use Dragon Transformation.
And the Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor was no pushover. It was stronger than most Saint-level Peaks.
So Linley always killed a Magical Beast and fled immediately, never staying to fight.
Even so, in the half month since entering the Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor's territory, Linley had nearly been caught twice.
"Squeak, squeak~"
Bebe stood on the body of a Bloodthirsty Iron Bull and called out to Linley.
"Boss, Boss, hurry up! I'm starving to death."
"Coming." Linley smiled. "You're such a glutton."
Linley went over and lit a campfire. Bebe deftly climbed onto his shoulder.
"Squeak, squeak~"
"That's because your cooking is so good, Boss. I miss it if I go a day without eating!"
Bebe's flattery put Linley in a good mood.
After preparing the steak and setting it over the fire to roast, Linley opened the System Panel.
Name: Linley Baruch
Age: 9
Energy Points: 80 million green, 17 white
Constitution: 91 million (4.9 billion)
Spiritual Force: 40 million
Battle Qi: 91 million
Magic Power: 40 million
Affinity: Earth Element (Transcendent), Wind Element (Transcendent), Destruction (High), Fire Element (Medium), Water Element (Transcendent, Hidden)
Law Comprehension: Wind Element (Slow 0.001%, Fast 0.001%)
Battle Qi Manual: Dragonblood Secret Manual
Meditation Method: Pu'ang Royal Meditation Method
It had been three months since Linley had entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range again.
Three days earlier, Linley had just celebrated his ninth birthday.
Even without Dragon Transformation, his Mysteries of Fast and Slow and magic, combined with his Rank 8 Warrior strength, meant he could now venture through almost the entire Magical Beast Mountain Range safely.
The only things he had to watch out for were Saint-level Magical Beasts.
But now, even that was no longer a concern.
Linley glanced at the palm-sized detector lying beside him.
He had spent a million Green Energy Points to exchange for this Intermediate Detector.
It could detect the movements of Magical Beasts within a forty-mile radius.
Forty miles might not seem like much to a Saint-level Magical Beast. It could cross that distance in less than a minute.
But that was enough time for Linley to decide whether to flee or fight.
"It's still not enough." Linley frowned at his Energy Points. "I'm still nowhere near having enough to become a Rank 9 Warrior in human form."
Thinking this, Linley turned his attention to his progress as a mage.
"What if I combine being an Eighth-rank Mage with being a Rank 8 Warrior, and add even a little Wind Element Law comprehension?"
Linley had already made up his mind.
A little over an hour later, after finishing their meal, Linley and Bebe moved to another area. They killed a Level Eight Rock Armored Bear and settled in a cave.
"Big Brother Lin Ke." Linley checked his Energy Points, then made his decision. "Exchange all my Energy Points for T-Virus."
"No problem." As soon as Linley finished speaking, Lin Ke snapped his fingers. "Eighty million Green Energy Points will get you eight thousand doses of T-Virus. How do you want to use them?"
Hearing Lin Ke's question, Linley took a deep breath. "Bebe."
"Squeak, squeak~"
"Boss, what is it?"
Bebe had eaten until he was stuffed and was now lying on a blue-gray rock, digesting his meal. At once, he stood upright.
"I'm going to break through, so stay alert, Bebe."
"Squeak, squeak~"
"No problem, Boss. With me here, you can break through without a worry!"
At Linley's instructions, Bebe instantly became a blur and darted to the cave entrance.
"Linley!"
Doehring appeared from the Coiling Dragon Ring.
"Has your elder come to give you resources again?"
Doehring's expression was hard to read as he asked.
It had only been a few months.
And Linley was about to break through again?
Could it really be fine to keep breaking through like this?
Wouldn't something go wrong?
Still...
If Linley's elder was God-level, then he should know what he was doing, right?
"Don't worry, Grandpa Doehring!" Linley said with a reassuring smile. "Nothing will go wrong."
After speaking, Linley sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. "Big Brother Lin Ke, put the T-Virus straight into my mouth again."
As soon as Linley finished speaking, his mouth was instantly filled with T-Virus.
The low-quality T-Virus had tasted awful.
But the complete version, while still not exactly delicious, at least wasn't bad.
"Gulp~"
"Gulp~"
As Linley kept swallowing, both his body and mind grew stronger at an astonishing rate.
This time, however, his spiritual force increased faster.
Time trickled by.
In less than ten minutes, Linley's breakthrough was complete.
As for Doehring, having witnessed Linley's previous breakthrough, he was now able to stay calm.
Well, it was more like no matter how unbelievable something was, once you'd seen it often enough, you got used to it—or not!
An Eighth-rank Mage!
A nine-year-old child had just become an Eighth-rank Mage?
Great Mother Earth above, I must be going blind.
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