Bloodline Transformation Underway

Dago skimmed swiftly over the vast snowy forest, the gale lifting the hem of his robes and the long hair loose at his temples.

As he neared the outskirts of the Third-Ring Wizards' battle, he stopped. Cracks began to appear in the gaze that seemed frozen beneath thick ice.

He waited quietly where he stood. A moment later, Avery appeared in his field of vision.

As Avery approached swiftly, Dago moved to meet him. Avery merely said, "Let's go."

Dago nodded, then swiftly departed, following the guidance of Avery's mental power.

Ice Thorn Manor.

Inside a quiet room filled with all manner of Rune Magic Arrays, Avery stood before Dago. A clump of deep crimson blood tinged with blue hovered above his outstretched right palm.

Indistinct serpent silhouettes seemed to shift within the blood, and faint serpentine hisses echoed through the room.

"Something unexpected happened. That Third-Circle Great Ice Serpent was already gravely wounded and weakened before we arrived, so the quality of its blood essence was much worse than expected."

With a slight frown, Avery explained the details of the hunt to Dago.

According to Avery, while they were hunting the Third-Circle Great Ice Serpent, two smaller Second-Circle serpents had also emerged. All three had awakened at least a trace of the Elder Winter Dragon bloodline.

They had expected some additional trouble, but the hunt had gone exceptionally smoothly.

All three Great Ice Serpents had depleted vitality and less than a third of their normal strength, as though they had just fought a major battle.

The four Third-Ring Wizards had ended the fight with ease, killing one Great Ice Serpent and capturing the other two alive.

The people from the Ice Fortress's major wizard families were quite pleased, since their haul was greater than expected. They were probably considering