Benign Transformation, New Form Crow

Sizzle!

The Dagger sliced open the Thorn Sea Beast's chest and removed its still faintly beating heart. It felt warm to the touch, accompanied by a peculiar scent.

It was like spending seven days and nights in a slaughterhouse before taking a stroll through a field of roses. Beneath the faint floral fragrance lay a deep, ineradicable stench of blood.

Wang Ya held the black, bloodshot, fleshy heart in both hands. Harak immediately moved closer, letting out a trembling cry.

His brows rose. He did not yet know what Special Matter the heart contained, but judging from Harak's displayed desire, it should bring considerable benefits.

Iron Hide Steel Claws was Harak's core cultivation spell. If consuming this black heart caused him to mutate into an amphibious creature like the Thorn Sea Beast...

After some thought, Wang Ya decided to let Harak eat the heart.

Any increase in strength was worth having. The crisis aboard the Wizard Ship was not over yet.

Compared to the frequent human screams from before, they had now become sparse.

Aside from the dwindling number of people, the Wizard Freshmen who had survived the first wave of attacks naturally had their own strengths. Their chances of being discovered and killed by the Thorn Sea Beasts were not high.

The feeding process was somewhat bloody. Harak first used his claws to slice it into strips before swallowing them.

It took about three minutes to eat the entire heart.

Harak covered his head with both wings and crouched in place, his body trembling.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but deep, lustrous spots had appeared among the colors of Harak's wings.

Fine blue light glimmered in Wang Ya's pupils.

Target: Black Feather Crow

Constitution: 9

Spirit: 0.9

Status: Low-tier Supernatural Being

Abilities: Iron Claws, Steel Skin

His Constitution had changed, while his Spirit remained the same.

The mutation he had imagined had not occurred. Perhaps it was because Harak had not eaten enough Thorn Hearts.

Notice: Harak has successfully digested a Thorn Heart. Current Metamorphosis Level: 20%. Metamorphosis Directions: Particle Energy Resistance Direction, Water Pressure Tolerance Direction, Swiftness Direction.

Wang Ya's brows relaxed. As expected, Harak would need to consume at least four more hearts to complete the Benign Metamorphosis.

As for the Metamorphosis Directions, the first should grant resistance against particle energy such as spells, perhaps even strong resistance to radiation.

The second concerned the differing pressures at different ocean depths. After metamorphosing, Harak would adapt to the pressure beneath the sea.

The third, as its name implied, would increase Harak's speed.

Overall, it was indeed improving Harak's strength and addressing his weaknesses.

Still, Wang Ya found it difficult to imagine a Black Feather Crow with feathered wings diving into the depths of the sea to fight.

If it grew the gills of a Water Creature and distinctive webbed feet for propulsion, it might be possible.

His gaze fell on Harak's sharp iron claws. They were hard and gleamed like black iron, easily crushing the Thorn Sea Beast's bony spines.

There should be quite a few Thorn Sea Beasts aboard the Wizard Ship. Gathering the remaining four hearts should not be a problem.

Of course, Wang Ya had no intention of leaving the room. There was another way to draw them over continuously.

Using another sharp, non-poisoned Dagger, he lightly cut a small opening in his palm.

Drip!

Bright scarlet blood splashed across the floor.

The smell of blood spread through the air.

For humans, this amount of blood would at most be faintly detectable within the room.

Thorn Sea Beasts could smell a drop of blood from tens of thousands of meters away in the sea.

Blood that contained supernatural power and brimmed with vitality was especially irresistible to their greed.

Among the Thorn Sea Beasts, there was also a particularly obvious trait: once they identified a target, they released unique Pheromones to keep other Thorn Sea Beasts away.

He first tossed the corpses in the room out through the window.

About two minutes later, movement came from the other end of the corridor.

Wang Ya remained hidden in the shadowed corner behind the door. Having tasted the benefits, Harak stood proudly on the other side of the doorway, balanced on one foot like a rooster.

The fishy smell of the ocean rushed in, mixed with the scent of human blood.

This Thorn Sea Beast was exceptionally large. Its savage bony spines continuously scraped against the walls of the corridor.

Seaweed was tangled around its bony spine and massive skull. Gills lay on either side of its jaw. Other than its vulnerable eyes, its face was protected by a Face Mask.

A three-dimensional image formed in Wang Ya's mind and was shared with Harak, allowing him to direct the most precise coordinated actions.

"Gaka!"

The creature made a highly distinctive cry. It had clearly smelled one of its kind, but received no response, so it assumed its companion had left.

Lured by the bloody scent, it did not hesitate for long before crashing through the already battered door.

Squelch!

The sharp Dagger pierced its eye socket at the perfect angle.

Harak followed through, flapping his wings as his iron claws clamped onto the bony spine.

With a crack, and barely any struggle, another Thorn Sea Beast became loot.

Wang Ya gripped the Dagger and cut open its chest.

After Harak ate this heart, his size and black feathers visibly changed.

The lustrous black spots on his feathers became more pronounced, now covering a third of his body.

Rather than growing larger, he shrank by a full size, changing from a calf into a lamb.

His whole body had become streamlined, suited for diving, gliding, and rapid takeoff.

The result of Benign Metamorphosis would further reduce him until he was the same size as an ordinary Black Feather Crow.

To be fast, one had to be light. Birds like crows were never meant to rely on their size for ramming and brawling.

If his defense and claw strength remained unchanged, he would become a terrifying assassin.

After Wang Ya dealt with the Thorn Sea Beast's corpse, he repeated the process.

This time, another Thorn Sea Beast arrived after only around two minutes.

There should not be many Wizard Freshmen left aboard the Wizard Ship. Or perhaps they had found ways to make the Thorn Sea Beasts unable to find them.

Wang Ya could use scent to his advantage; the others could not all be fools.

Twelve minutes passed.

When the fifth Thorn Sea Beast fell to the floor,

Wang Ya let out a breath. A trace of exhaustion appeared on his face, but it was finally done.

Harak feasted eagerly, while Wang Ya anticipated what the final Benign Metamorphosis would bring.

The door was completely gone. He took Harak to a neighboring room that had not been visited by any Thorn Sea Beasts.

The Wizard Freshman who belonged here had not returned. Perhaps they had died outside.

Harak's transformation would take another ten minutes or so.

Wang Ya washed up in the bathroom, mainly changing out of the clothes soaked through with the Thorn Sea Beast's green blood.