Screech!
The dagger sliced open the Thorn Sea Beast's chest and pulled out its still faintly beating heart. It felt warm, and a peculiar smell came with it.
It was like spending seven days and nights in a slaughterhouse, then wandering through a field of roses. Beneath the faint floral scent lurked a deep, lingering stench of blood.
Ryan held the black, blood-streaked, fleshy heart in both hands. Harak immediately drew closer, letting out a trembling cry.
He raised an eyebrow. He did not yet know what Special Matter the heart contained, but judging by Harak's eagerness, it should offer her considerable benefits.
The Iron Hide Steel Claws cultivation spell was central to Harak's development. If eating this black heart also turned her into an amphibious creature like the Thorn Sea Beast...
Ryan thought it over, then decided to let Harak eat the heart.
Any increase in strength would help. The danger aboard the Wizard Ship was not over yet.
The human screams, frequent before, had grown sparse.
There were fewer people left, and the Wizard Freshmen who had survived the first wave of attacks had their own strengths. They were much less likely to be found and killed by the Thorn Sea Beasts.
Harak's feeding was rather bloody. She first cut the heart into strips with her claws, then swallowed them.
It took her about three minutes to eat the whole heart.
Harak crouched where she stood, covering her head with both wings as her body trembled.
Perhaps it was Ryan's imagination, but deep, glossy spots seemed to have appeared on Harak's wings.
Flecks of blue light glimmered in Ryan's eyes.
Target: Black Feather Crow Constitution: 9 Spirit: 0.9 Status: Low-tier Supernatural Being Abilities: Iron Claws, Steel Skin
Her constitution had changed, but her spirit remained the same.
The transformation he had imagined had not occurred. Perhaps she had not eaten enough Thorn Hearts.
Notice: Harak has successfully digested the Thorn Heart. Current Metamorphosis Level: 20%. Metamorphosis directions: Particle Energy Resistance Direction, Water Pressure Tolerance Direction, Swiftness Direction.
Ryan's brow relaxed. Just as he thought, she would need to eat at least four more hearts to complete the Benign Metamorphosis.
The first direction likely meant resistance to the particle energy of spells, and perhaps even strong resistance to radiation.
The second concerned the pressure at different ocean depths. Once transformed, Harak would be able to withstand the pressure underwater.
The third was self-explanatory: it would increase Harak's speed.
Overall, the changes would indeed strengthen Harak and shore up her weaknesses.
Even so, Ryan struggled to imagine a feather-winged Black Feather Crow fighting in the depths of the sea.
If she grew gills and feet suited to propelling her through water, then perhaps it would be possible.
His gaze fell on the sharp iron claws of Harak's feet. They were hard and gleamed like black iron; crushing a Thorn Sea Beast's bony spines had been effortless for her.
A fair number of Thorn Sea Beasts had likely boarded the Wizard Ship. Getting the remaining four hearts should not be a problem.
Of course, Ryan had no intention of leaving the room. There was another way to draw them to him, one after another.
He took another sharp dagger, this one free of poison, and lightly cut his palm.
Drip!
Bright red blood splashed onto the floorboards.
The smell of blood spread.
To a human, that small amount of blood would barely be noticeable outside the room.
But a Thorn Sea Beast could smell a single drop of blood from tens of thousands of meters away in the sea.
Blood brimming with vitality and supernatural power was especially enticing to them.
Thorn Sea Beasts also had a distinct habit: once one chose a target, it released unique Pheromones to keep the others away.
Ryan first threw the corpse in the room out the window.
About two minutes later, a noise came from the far end of the corridor.
Ryan remained hidden in the shadows behind the door. Harak, having tasted the benefits, stood proudly on the other side, balancing on one leg like a rooster.
The fishy smell of the sea wafted in, along with the scent of human blood.
This Thorn Sea Beast was especially large. The vicious bony spines along its back kept scraping against the corridor walls.
Seaweed clung to its bony spines. Its enormous bony head had gills on either side of the jaw, and apart from its vulnerable eyes, its face was protected by a bony mask.
A three-dimensional image took shape in Ryan's mind. He shared it with Harak, guiding her into position for a perfectly coordinated attack.
"Gaka!"
It was a peculiar cry. The Thorn Sea Beast had clearly caught its companion's scent, but when it received no answer, it assumed the other beast had left.
Drawn by the smell of blood, it did not hesitate. It charged straight through the already battered door.
Thunk!
The sharp dagger plunged into its eye socket at just the right angle.
Harak seized the opening, beating her wings as she clamped her iron claws around the bony spine.
With a crack, and barely a struggle, another Thorn Sea Beast became their prize.
Ryan gripped the dagger and sliced open its chest.
After Harak ate this heart, her size and black feathers changed noticeably.
The glossy black spots on her feathers were more pronounced, covering a third of them.
Rather than growing, she had shrunk by at least a full size, from a young calf to a lamb.
Her whole body had become streamlined, suited to diving, gliding, and taking off quickly.
The Benign Metamorphosis would eventually shrink her further, until she was the size of an ordinary Black Feather Crow.
To gain speed, she needed to be light. Crows did not rely on their size to slam into enemies or fight at close quarters.
If her defenses and the striking power of her claws remained unchanged, she would be a terrifying assassin.
Ryan disposed of the Thorn Sea Beast's corpse, then repeated the process.
This time, another Thorn Sea Beast arrived in about two minutes.
There could not be many Wizard Freshmen left aboard the Wizard Ship. Either that, or they had found ways to keep the Thorn Sea Beasts from tracking them down.
If Ryan could exploit their sense of smell, surely the others were not all fools.
Twelve minutes passed.
The fifth Thorn Sea Beast fell to the floor.
Ryan let out a breath. Weariness showed on his face, but he had finally done it.
Harak began to feast, while Ryan waited to see what the final Benign Metamorphosis would bring.
The door was completely gone. Ryan took Harak to a nearby room the Thorn Sea Beasts had not visited.
The Wizard Freshman who lived here had apparently not returned. Perhaps they had died somewhere outside.
Harak's transformation would take another ten minutes or so.
Ryan washed up in the bathroom, mainly to change out of the clothes soaked with the Thorn Sea Beasts' green blood.
Before you continue