The Benefits of the Dark Elf

One hour later, in the safe zone, at the campsite.

There was no such thing as absolute safety in the depths of the Whispering Forest. Fortunately, only three hours remained until dawn.

Charlotte summoned a pack of Magic Wolves to circle the campsite, and only then did the group manage to take a short rest.

"Sorry, Elaine. I don't know what's been wrong these past few days, but my [Message] hasn't been able to send anything to the outside world..."

"So, Charlotte, you've been hunting that Dark Elf recently because of your teacher's orders?"

Beside the campfire, Elaine softly exchanged updates with her friend.

Charlotte nodded. "Strictly speaking, this is a trial. Once I pass it, I'll be promoted to senior Druid.

"Rigel stole a fragment of the 'Heart of Nature,' but I never expected he could use the 'Heart of Nature' to provoke such a terrifying power..."

Lynn's heart stirred at her words. "Then does this have something to do with the Corruption Cult?"

"The Corruption Cult?" Charlotte rested a finger against her chin and said thoughtfully, "I did suspect before that he might have joined the Corruption Cult, but the truth doesn't seem to be that way.

"I haven't found any traces of the Corruption Cult nearby, and judging by your description, the Corruption Cult seems to be carrying out certain actions against spellcasters, while Rigel..."

At that point, her valiant features twisted slightly. "Among the sacrifices in that Flesh Ritual, there were no spellcasters. But that can only prove there are clear differences between the two sides' actions."

Lynn understood what she meant. "So Rigel may not necessarily have joined the Corruption Cult, but he was indeed influenced by them? Charlotte, do you have any guesses about the Corruption Cult's goal?"

Charlotte shook her head wearily, worry showing in her blue eyes. "Those cultists have vanished for a long time, and the Green Tower's records rarely mention them. I don't understand them, but their faith has always run counter to the Green Tower's."

Her expression turned serious and solemn. "The Green Tower believes in nature and harmony, while they hope for all things to return to one."

"Return to one?" Lynn asked in confusion. He did not understand what that meant right away.

"Mm..." The confusion on Charlotte's face was no less than Lynn's. "I actually don't understand the specifics of their faith either, but in terms of feeling, Rigel's ritual does fit the Corruption Cult's style. Mad, reckless, overturning nature..."

As she spoke, sorrow and anger crossed her face, but in the end, all of it sank into a deep exhaustion.

She should get some proper rest... Lynn thought. Then he said good night to the two ladies, found a large tree at random to lean against, and pretended to close his eyes.

Yet his mind was full of countless thoughts.

I wonder if this information will satisfy old Barton?

He was still constantly thinking about the second-circle spellbook the old man had promised him.

Lynn silently summoned the Codex of Origin. The illusory book with its ancient cover opened its pages, and three resplendent stars rose.

And near that blood-red star, a dark-red ball of light drifted slowly, like a satellite of the blood-red star.

This red light was the Bloodline inheritance from Rigel's body, containing the power of the Dark Elf.

Only now did he have the leisure to calm down and study the [Bloodline] star he had just unlocked.

[Your soul is awakening! You will obtain an ancient inheritance!]

[Do you wish to accept the "Dark Elf" Bloodline inheritance?]

Lynn carefully probed his spirituality into that dark-red ball of light. In an instant, a large amount of information flooded into his mind.

[Power of the Dark Elf Bloodline]

[Gain darkvision;

Charisma increased;

Immune to charm and sleep;

Gain affinity for darkness, nature, and necromancy magic;

Master partial knowledge of poison-type magic potions;

You will intermittently loathe sunlight and love darkness;

Gain the ability to communicate with spider creatures, and easily obtain their goodwill;

Lying and fraudulent behavior will bring you;

Master spells: Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire, Darkness]

Wait, wait, wait. This wasn't right, was it!?

Lynn was somewhat shocked. The things in this Bloodline inheritance were actually this abundant?

But after thinking carefully, he soon felt relieved.

In the Codex of Origin, the [Wisdom] star had already upgraded three times, and [Psionic] twice, while [Bloodline] had only just counted as its first time.

The upgrade speeds of the three were clearly not equal, and looking at them as a whole, the improvements they brought did not have any significant difference.

Moreover, this "Dark Elf" Bloodline power brought many benefits, but also several negative effects.

Though it would not make him suddenly become fallen and evil, it was also impossible to say he felt no resistance at all.

Intermittently loathing sunlight and loving darkness was still acceptable, but lying and deception would bring... this was a change happening at the very root!

Lynn vaguely felt that the power of the [Bloodline] star would distort his original behavior, causing him to transform toward the source whose Bloodline power he had inherited.

This really is eerie. I wonder, as the power of [Bloodline] grows, will I completely turn into another person?

But for the moment, he did not intend to refuse. At the very least, this inheritance, taken as a whole, still brought more benefit than harm.

Thinking this, Lynn merged his spirituality separately into the [Bloodline] star and the dark-red ball of light, conveying the thought that he wanted to accept the "Dark Elf" inheritance.

The blood-red star burst with light in an instant. Then the dark-red ball of light gradually turned illusory, and in the blink of an eye, it merged into the star.

As the star extended its first node, Lynn sensed a strange change within his body.

First, his vision became clearer. Even beyond the area lit by the campfire, he could clearly see through the scenery of the nighttime forest.

Only, everything was gray, without any other colors.

At the same time, his nerves, which had been somewhat weary, suddenly became alert, and his craving for sleep was greatly reduced.

Moreover, compared with the orange firelight before him, the darkness behind him instead made him feel more at ease, more intimate.

Good... Observing the series of changes taking place in his body and mind, Lynn felt slightly more at ease. What the bloodline inheritance brought was more a matter of sensory and physiological changes; its effect on his heart was extremely limited.

If he treated it as directly learning the special abilities of a certain race, it seemed much easier to accept...

Lynn, trying [Bloodline] evolution for the first time, gradually calmed down, then checked the content he was most interested in—

The three new spells I just "inherited"!

These three spells had already entered his mind in the form of knowledge.

Level 0 conjuration cantrip [Dancing Lights]: summons several magical light sources for a period of time.

Lynn immediately thought of how Rigel had once used this spell—it was those several magical light sources floating above the Stone Altar.

Level 1 evocation spell [Faerie Fire]: causes multiple objects within an area to be tinged with one of three colors—blue, green, or purple. After the coloring succeeds, the targets continuously emit a faint glow, cannot enter a hidden state, and attacks against them become easier to hit.

This was an extremely useful support spell, especially in team battles, where it could help teammates attack more effectively.

Lynn met the conditions for these two spells and had already fully mastered them, but as for the remaining Level 2 spell [Darkness], he was limited by spell level and temporarily unable to learn it.