The cold wind howled, Madil's heart sank, especially when the stinging pain in his right claw spread like a plague throughout his body. A look of despair appeared in his amber eyes.
But soon, this despair was replaced by extreme madness. Based on his experience, Madil knew that he had been poisoned and would soon lose his fighting ability.
His only chance of survival now is to fight to the death, kill the spider-like participant in front of him, obtain the Fate Gold Coin, and revive himself into Transcendent being. In this way, he can naturally suppress the deadly poison.
Of course, theoretically speaking, Madil had a second option: to surrender and beg Gustavo to cure him of the poison. In doing so, he would completely hand over his Fate to the other party.
Given Madil's personality, he hadn't even considered a second option. If he were afraid of death, he wouldn't have participated in the Fate Supremacy War, risking his life for future glory.
Therefore, in a flash, Madil made up his mind and pounced forward with an extremely resolute and frenzied attitude. The fierce tiger roar shook the mountains and fields, and the surrounding trees rustled, with water droplets falling from their branches and leaves, as if another heavy rain had descended upon the world.
On the other side, Gustavo, having anticipated this, coldly watched the approaching beast; his eight spider eyes were filled with indifference and ruthlessness.
As a newly born cub, although its bloodline is much stronger than that of the ordinary beast that Madil has transformed into, its age is still a factor. Just like a young elephant facing an adult tiger, it has little ability to resist.
However, Gustavo doesn't need to confront this beast head-on now. He only needs to stall for time, or even for too long, until the poison completely invades the combatant's body, at which point he will surely die.
With this in mind, Gustavo turned around, spread his eight claws out again, and lay on Victor's chest to help the latter avoid attacks.
Compared to his current state, where he would be instantly killed if captured, Victor still has some ability to resist. At least, as long as he protects vital areas such as his neck and chest, it doesn't matter if he loses an arm or a leg due to being bitten.
Victor, realizing that the beast before him was poisoned, also understood that he should adopt a delaying tactic. So, after dodging and blocking Madil's frenzied attacks a few times, he simply curled up into a ball, protecting his chest and abdomen with his legs and tightly wrapping his arms around his neck and head, and began to roll on the ground.
Seeing this, Gustavo was overjoyed, because he was currently hiding in Victor's chest and abdomen, essentially being covered by a human protective suit. As long as Victor wasn't completely turned into mincemeat, he wouldn't be in any danger.
As for Victor's safety, Gustavo didn't care much. As long as he didn't die, he could be saved once Viktor regained some of his strength.
And so, one of them howled and frantically reached out its claws, its tiger's mouth wide open, biting down again and again, looking majestic and menacing, but its movements became increasingly sluggish.
On the other side, he was in a sorry state, covered in mud and water, his hair disheveled and tangled, like a mud figure. His body was covered in bloody wounds, and even half of his arm had been bitten off, with jagged bone fragments at the break and blood flowing everywhere. But he never let go of his arms and legs, as if he would protect the little spider on his chest until his death.
Madil couldn't understand why this young human boy would go to such lengths to protect the spider-like fighter.
Gustavo knew the reason, though. Most likely, in the eyes of this boy named Victor, his parents had risked their lives to protect him from death, so he naturally wanted to protect his little spider, whom he considered family, in the same way.
So-called war beasts are not merely servants to be taken from at will, but partners who share life and death. Victor received similar education from a young age, and perhaps in his view, dying for a partner is an honor.
Even Gustavo, with his hard-hearted nature, was somewhat moved by this, after all, his Dragon-Hunting Spider Clan placed great importance on kinship.
"This kid might be worth training..."
Regardless of Gustavo's psychological changes, after a few more attacks, Madil finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed heavily, his pupils wide open and bloodshot, looking like he died with his eyes wide open in anger.
Sensing the movement behind him, the battered Victor finally breathed a sigh of relief, slowly loosening his limbs. Gustavo crawled out from his chest and abdomen, looked at the lifeless Madil, and without saying a word, leaped to the relatively soft belly of the beast carcass, opened and closed his mouth, tore through the fur, and began to devour it.
Meanwhile, Gustavo focused most of his attention on the Eye of Fate in his mind.
The reason he so boldly jumped onto Madil's body, instead of carefully observing and confirming that the target was completely dead, was entirely because he Fate Gold Coin in his hands.
According to the rules of the Fate Supremacy War, one can only obtain the Fate Gold Coin by killing the participants. Gustavo used this method to confirm that Madil was completely dead.
Otherwise, given his personality, he would probably wait a few more minutes to see if the enemy would suddenly resurrect and launch a sneak attack.
[You have defeated Madil Hopra, a participant in the Fate Supremacy War]
[You have obtained a Fate Gold Coin]
You can use Fate Gold Coin to purchase items in the virtual or physical Fate Shop Fate Shop.
The Fate Supremacy War leaderboard is now open, and the rewards for the top 100 players have been announced. Please check it out.
Strands of information flew out from the Eye of Fate and entered Gustavo's mind, along with a Fate Gold Coin about two centimeters in diameter.
On the reverse side of the Fate Gold Coin is a picture resembling a large tree, slender at the bottom and becoming more lush and branching towards the top.
On the front of the Fate Gold Coin, an image of a special life form appeared. It looked like a rock slime, but its aura was strangely familiar, just like the beast he was eating.
"So this is what the Fate Gold Coin ' means? To seize the other person's Fortune, fortune, and even Destiny, and transform it into the shape of a coin..."
Gustavo pondered to himself, not surprised at all. After all, the Fate Supremacy War, though different in form, has always been essentially the same.
In short, this is a breeding ground for venomous insects.
The blood, bones, souls, and spirits of other participants were used to nurture the most outstanding geniuses.
Otherwise, if it were merely a matter of fighting and killing, one could simply go to the border battlefield of one's own faction; why bother with the Fate Supremacy War?
There's no other reason than the benefits are simply too great!
To transcend to the status of True God, Proof of Godhood is required.
Besides visible conditions such as talent, wisdom, and resources, what constitutes Proof of Godhood also includes invisible conditions such as Destiny, Fortune, and cause and effect. Although the latter is more ethereal and mysterious than the former, it is no less important.
Given equal talent and ability, those favored by Fate are more likely to succeed—that's beyond question.
Normally, it's almost impossible to make up for these intangible gaps later in life, but the Fate Supremacy War provides such an opportunity. In terms of expertise in the cause and effect of Fate, the Goddess of Fate is undoubtedly a super expert in this field.
Grabbing the Fate Gold Coin, Gustavo opened the Virtual Fate Shop and made a targeted purchase of one of the items—the [Revival Badge].
According to the Fate Battle Rules, participants have only two paths to restore their strength.
Alternatively, one could cultivate the local profession of Fate Master.
Alternatively, you can accumulate Fate Gold Coin to purchase Revival Badge, restoring your power stage by stage.
Both paths have their advantages and disadvantages.
The former is suitable for a prodigy like Logo, who possesses exceptional intelligence, can draw inferences from one instance to another, and has a comprehensive understanding of everything.
The latter is suitable for brainless, reckless brutes who fight their way up.
Gustavo's choice was to have it all.
He adopted a two-pronged approach, since he was on the Devouring Path and was not afraid of interference between different systems.
The Fate Shop reacted quickly. Gustavo had just inserted the Fate Gold Coin when, a second later, he felt a sudden heat on his chest, and a badge with a small tree-like pattern appeared.
As the badge gradually seeped into his flesh and soul like a branding iron, Gustavo's aura began to soar rapidly.
A terrifying phantom of a colossal beast appeared behind Gustavo, its appearance ferocious and its aura domineering, as if it could devour the heavens and the earth and Destruction everything.
Victor stared in disbelief at the scene before him, completely bewildered as to what was happening to his newborn war beast. Could it be the Legend atavism? Had it awakened its ancient bloodline?
"My power is also increasing. The meditation technique is even operating automatically, and my mana is rising rapidly. This speed is too fast, it's just too fast..."
Feeling the sudden surge of power within him, Victor was excited; he certainly understood the reason for this.
As the beasts he forms Blood Pact with grow stronger, he, as their master, will also reap enormous benefits.
Mutual encouragement and common growth are the true essence of the Blood Pact Circle Sect's practice.
On the other side, Gustavo also exclaimed in surprise, turning around to look at Victor, whose clothes were fluttering in the wind.
What surprised him wasn't that the kid was gaining benefits from the Blood Pact, but rather that, as some of his own power flowed into Victor's body, the Revival Badge, which had been stagnant, began to infuse power again.
"Interesting. In this way, one Revival Badge can have two effects. Although this kid's combat experience and skills are terrible, at least he can overpower people with brute force."
"Although the power of the Revival Badge originates from my main body, this amount of power is negligible to it. Even if I nurtured this kid to the level of Demigod, it wouldn't consume much of his energy. However, this development model is undoubtedly extremely beneficial to my early development, at least providing me with a visible meat shield to draw the enemy's attention..."
Gustavo immediately realized that the "Blood Pact" between him and Victor was actually a hidden bug. He had originally planned to break the Blood Pact after recovering some of his power, but now it seemed that keeping the Blood Pact would be more advantageous.
While pondering, the Revival Badge finally stopped channeling power and disappeared.
Gustavo's life rank has been successfully restored to the peak of the Tier Three rank.
The Revival Badge is divided into six stages, each requiring a different number of Fate Gold Coin, increasing progressively. One Fate Gold Coin can only restore you to the peak of the Lower Transcendent.
Influenced by Gustavo, Victor's magical power increased dramatically, even though he remained Level Two Fate Master. By the standards of the Star God Realm, he was now able to solidify his magical power and form Fate Art Template.
"My magical power has increased by so much..."
Victor stood there blankly in the mud, his whole body enveloped in the hazy aura of magical power.
"Stop spacing out, fix your arm first." A lazy voice suddenly echoed in Victor's mind.
The boy was taken aback, then his pupils contracted sharply as he looked at Gustavo, who had already devoured the beast's corpse, and cautiously asked, "Were you talking to me?"
"Nonsense, if it wasn't me, then it must be a ghost!" Gustavo jumped onto Victor's shoulder and said irritably.
"So, you're already a Level 3 being?" Victor's face lit up with joy. In his understanding, Transcendent beasts could only speak at Level 3.
Gustavo thought for a moment, then tilted his head and said, "Hmm... by your standards, I should only be a level two creature, but my combat power is enough to easily defeat a level three creature, so I'll tentatively consider me a level three creature."
"Our standards?"
Victor was puzzled and wanted to ask something more, but a sudden, sharp pain interrupted him.
"What are you doing?" Victor exclaimed, "Ouch!"
"Bear with it, can't you see I'm healing your injuries?" Gustavo replied, while spitting out energy spider silk to find the scattered bone fragments on the ground and attach them to Victor's severed arm. The movements were quite rough, causing Victor to groan.
Behind the bones lies flesh and blood. After he finished his work, Victor, covered in sweat, was surprised to find that his arm, apart from being much thinner, was almost completely intact.
"It's Miracle! Is this the ancestral bloodline ability you've awakened? It's amazing!" Victor exclaimed, stretching his arms.
"Whatever you think!" Gustavo chuckled, and was about to lie down and rest when suddenly, a cold, bloody aura came from not far away, aggressive, with a clear target and incredible speed.
It seems there's no way to avoid it now; I have no choice but to fight.
"This familiar art style, no way..." Gustavo's heart skipped a beat as he stared at the blood-red serpent that suddenly appeared a few hundred meters away, and the alluring woman standing on the serpent's head.
An extremely familiar feeling washed over me.
He immediately focused his senses on the "Luck Deprivation" talent sealed deep within his soul, and was "surprised" to discover that, for some unknown reason, this wretched talent had actually broken the seal set up by the Apostle of the God of Law, and was once again showing its fangs to Gustavo.
"I knew it, what a coincidence! Danger and opportunity go hand in hand, now I understand..." Gustavo muttered to himself, beginning to understand why he had been ambushed by another participant.
It should be noted that the entire Star God Realm contains a total of 3,300 inhabited planets, as well as an incomparably vast Continent of Stars.
Although there were 330,000 participants, once dispersed, each planet only had a few dozen people.
All the life-bearing planets in the Star God Realm are magical planets, and the lowest level is at least mid-level magic. Even the smallest one is comparable in size to the Holy Knight Star in the Elven Plane.
Gustavo didn't know the exact size of the Savage Star, but he could sense the elemental concentration nearby, indicating it was most likely a high-magic planet; it would be strange if it were small.
It's important to know that each high-magic planet in the Elven Plane is quite vast, capable of holding at least a thousand Blue Star.
With such a vast area and only a few dozen participants, the probability of them encountering each other in pairs at the start is extremely low.
But Gustavo just happened to run into that very odds. Was it a coincidence? He absolutely refused to believe it!
"Damn it, is this never going to end?"
Gustavo's face darkened, his mood was shrouded in gloom, and his anger soared.
"Haha, you little brat from the Crawford Family, where do you think you're going? The coordinates of the ancient ruins are in your head, aren't they? Hand them over now, and I might let you die a little more comfortably!"
A piercing female voice echoed from afar, and a giant blood-red serpent snake snaked across the wet ground, leaving a clearly visible trail.
Behind the alluring woman, the Fate Art Template slowly rose, and a ferocious snake head emerged from it. As the snake's tongue flickered, blood-red light filled the air as it flew across the sky.
"Level Three Fate Art Master! She's Rosalie from the Shadow Serpent Clan. She's fierce, cruel, and incredibly powerful. We have to run!" Victor's expression changed, and he turned to leave.
Although his magical power increased dramatically, his combat strength was still quite average without forming Fate Art Template. Otherwise, even if he only had a little bit of magical power left, he wouldn't have been nearly killed by a mere mortal beast.
In the Fate Master System, the most obvious difference between level two and level three is the huge leap in combat power.
Level Two Fate Master, in terms of combat power alone, is not even comparable to First-Tier Transcendent in the Astral Realm, but Level Three Fate Master can enter the ranks of Mid-Rank Transcendent in terms of combat power.
After all, once Fate Art Template is formed, Fate Art can be cast instantly. In the caster community of the Astral Realm, only genius Mage can do this, but in the Star God Realm, any ordinary Fate Master can do this as long as they enter the ranks of Level Three Fate Art Master.
Therefore, when faced with the alluring woman Rosalie who pounced on him, Victor, who had received standard Fate Master training since childhood, did not react by fighting back, but by running away, because in his subconscious mind, a level two Mage could not possibly defeat Level Three Fate Art Master.
However, Gustavo's ideas were clearly quite different from his.
"Mid-Rank Transcendent, an ant-like thing, dares to hunt me down? You're courting death!" With a cold smile, Gustavo, who was full of anger and had nowhere to vent it, leaped up and shot into the air like a meteor against the current, leaving a silver streak in the air as he rushed towards Rosalie's Blood Serpent Fate Art.
"Huh? Where did this level-two battle beast come from? Jeffrey is such a useless guy, he actually missed the intelligence."
Seeing Gustavo charging towards her, Rosalie's expression changed slightly, and she cursed him fiercely as a traitor Jeffrey.
Rosalie, however, remained calm. It was merely a level two battle beast. Even if the Ancient Beast Race race was stronger than the Fate Master at the same level, she was Level Three Fate Art Master and could definitely kill this reckless battle beast.
Meanwhile, Victor, who discovered that Gustavo had caught up with Rosalie, followed almost without thinking. If they couldn't retreat together, they would die together!
However, what happened next was beyond Rosalie and Victor's expectations, and even shattered their worldview.
The small, palm-sized, brownish-black eight-legged spider easily tore apart a giant snake hundreds of times its size. Then, in just a few flashes, it arrived beside Rosalie. To her utter horror, the spider opened its eight legs and embraced the alluring head, before twisting it violently.
Pfft!!
The head of a Level Three Fate Art Master shattered and scattered like a rotten watermelon.
"Dead? Dead? Just like that?" Victor stopped abruptly, staring at the scene before him in disbelief. He even patted his cheeks, thinking that everything happening before him was an illusion.
Laugh!!
Another flash of silver light appeared, and the huge snake head fell to the ground.
Gustavo's body suddenly swelled and grew larger, his jaw bones cracking, his mouth opening wide as he swallowed the snake's head whole, then devoured the entire snake's body as if sucking on noodles.
After doing all this, Gustavo suddenly turned around, his bright green spider eyes sending chills down Victor's spine. Gustavo's next words shook the boy to his core.
"Kid, revenge shouldn't be delayed. How about our Shadow Serpent Clan makes a trip there?!"