The Stone's body remained frozen on the ground.
The pain kept coming from all parts of my body, but the worst pain was in my back.
The pain, as if the body were being burned and melted, came from within, followed by what seemed like someone else outside, forcefully trying to pull something out of its back.
Finally.
"Roar--"
It couldn't help but howl in pain, and then its body instinctively began to thrash around.
"... Uh, is it that uncomfortable?"
Liya Nolandir watched with some concern as the Stone frantically crashed into the wall, then her gaze shifted to Shen Heng beside her.
"It won't fail, will it?"
"It shouldn't be. The pain is because of this modification..." Shen Heng looked at the Stone with a vacant gaze, "It seems to be more than just making you grow a pair of wings; it's like re-editing your genes to make your body more adaptable to what's going to grow."
"Uh, to let the body... adapt?" Liya Nolandir was somewhat incredulous. "Those guys before, they didn't seem to be adapting to new parts at all."
"They're behaving that way because the new limbs are growing in the wrong place; it's not that their bodies aren't adapting to those limbs," Shen Heng said.
"Well..."
Liya Nolandir choked for a moment, then thought about it carefully; it seemed that was the case.
Her gaze shifted, returning to the Stone path that had crashed into the wall.
"So, are we just going to wait like this?"
There was no immediate response; Shen Heng just stared at the spot.
After a long pause, he said:
"Um."
Then, the three of them looked around.
As time went on, the Stone-Armored Beast became increasingly frantic, crashing towards the side.
The rumbling sound continued.
Then, at a certain moment.
The figure that had been frantically moving suddenly froze in place.
"Uh, this is..."
Liya Nolandir spoke somewhat uncertainly, her gaze fixed intently on that spot.
Shen Heng and Qin Yu were also staring intently at that spot.
"Click, click click..."
A fine cracking sound suddenly rang out.
The next moment.
"Whoosh--"
A pair of enormous wings suddenly emerged from behind the Stone-Armored Beast.
After extending its wings, it instinctively flapped them twice, creating a gust of wind that surged towards the location of the three.
Nobody cared; they continued to stare at that spot.
Or more accurately, it's about looking at those newly grown wings.
It was a pair of brownish-red wings, similar in color to the Stone's body, made of only skin and bones. When spread out to the sides, they were over twenty meters long, much larger than the Stone itself.
It was a success?
This thought simultaneously surfaced in the minds of all three of them.
Before they could think any further, the figure that had been standing frozen in place suddenly moved twice.
Seeing this, Qin Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, and she shifted her body slightly to the side.
Shen Heng remained calmly standing in place, watching the figure.
Then, under their watchful eyes, the figure slowly turned its head and looked at them.
After a moment of hesitation, he didn't do anything, but instead turned his head to look at the strange place that had suddenly appeared beside him.
Then, I looked at the other side.
Then, turning their heads again to look in the direction they had just been, and then turning their heads again...
"Phew, looks like they gave in?!" Liya Nolandir breathed a sigh of relief.
Qin Yu turned back to face him.
At that moment, a smile appeared on Shen Heng's lips.
Under their gaze, the figure twisted and turned, examining its wings for a long while.
Then he turned his head and looked at them again.
This time, without pausing, Stone hopped and skipped towards them...
"Bang!"
The figure stumbled and fell to the ground.
But this did not affect its mood at all. The Stone quickly jumped to the side of Lord Shen Heng and the others, and then started spinning around.
"Lord Shen Heng, look! Wings! It really is wings! I've grown wings..."
Stone circled around Lord Shen Heng and the others, talking happily.
"Alright, I got it. Can it fly?" Shen Heng asked.
Upon hearing this, the Stone, which had been spinning around, paused for a moment, then tentatively patted it twice, and then tentatively patted it a few more times.
Then, with a sudden turn, it ran forward while rapidly flapping its newly grown wings.
Unsurprisingly, the enormous figure flew forward.
"Hehe, I can fly! I can fly! Lord Shen Heng, I didn't fly by force using Origin Power, I flew on my own..."
Joyful words echoed from above.
The three people below were watching it with smiles.
"Hey, this guy, he just grew wings and can fly, and he's acting all happy?!" Liya Nolandir complained, though her voice still betrayed her delight.
Shen Heng smiled, raised his hand, and beckoned.
"Alright, get down!"
"Whoosh--"
The Stone flapped its wings and fell.
"Lord Shen Heng, I can fly now!"
"Alright, I got it!" Shen Heng replied again with a hint of helplessness, then scrutinized the Stone with his gaze.
The size seems a bit big?
"You've reached the Late Fourth Tier?" Shen Heng asked.
Qin Yu paused for a moment, her gaze also slightly shifting as she looked at the Stone.
Stone paused, sensing his own condition, then, as if only then realizing it, exclaimed in surprise, "Yes, it really is! I've reached the Late Fourth Tier! Is this also due to the wings?"
"Strictly speaking, it should just be the energy we ate earlier that was converted out just now, not from the wings," Shen Heng said.
"Hmm, hmm!" Stone nodded, not caring about the details. As long as it knew that it had grown wings and its rank had increased, that was enough for it.
"Will you feel uncomfortable with these wings?" Shen Heng asked, looking at the Stone's pair of wings.
"No, apart from being a little unfamiliar at first, it felt just like I always had it. Hmm... Also, flying with wings is a little strange. It doesn't feel as natural as flying with my Origin Power," Stone pondered.
"That's normal. You'll get used to it after flying more. With an extra pair of wings, you can redirect a lot of the Origin Power you used to spend on flying to other things. Also, with a pair of wings, you'll only need a little Origin Power to fly faster than before!" Shen Heng said.
"Mmm, mmm!" Stone replied. "So, can I now be rated as A-Class Calamity Beast?"
"... All things considered, it's barely acceptable!" Shen Heng pondered.
"Hehe, hehe, hehehe..."
Although it was only a reluctant effort, Stone once again, somewhat happily, spread his wings and hopped around on the side.
Seeing this, Shen Heng couldn't help but laugh again.
Then, his expression suddenly froze.
He remembered the time he tripped and fell flat on his face when the Stone had just run past.
"Is your consciousness affected in any way?" Shen Heng asked seriously.
Upon hearing this, Stone also stopped.
It glanced at Lord Shen Heng's expression, then realized the seriousness of the matter and began to carefully perceive its own state.
Upon realizing this, his expression turned serious.
It looked up, somewhat worried.
"Uh, there are some, but it's not too serious. We should be able to try again. Um, eat the other parts of those Calamity Beasts."
There was no response; Shen Heng stared at the Stone.
Beside her, Qin Yu was also looking at the Stone, but her gaze was slightly narrowed.
"Ha, this guy, he's completely fearless of death just to get stronger?!" Night Spirit Liya said.
Although the first attempt showed that the Stone-Armored Beast could indeed become stronger in this way.
But no matter what, life comes first!
To become stronger, would you risk even greater dangers?
Moreover, if she wasn't mistaken, this guy might have even exaggerated his condition to the point of becoming stronger!
Ignoring them, Shen Heng looked at the Stone.
They started to panic when they saw the Stones.
Finally, Shen Heng raised his hand and beckoned.
"Lean your head closer."
"Huh?"
Stone was a little confused, but he still subconsciously obeyed Shen Heng's words and leaned his head closer.
Shen Heng took a step forward, bringing his forehead close to the massive head of the Stone.
The molten gold-like inscription on his forehead flowed once more...