Chapter 774: "HOWL"

Chapter 774: "HOWL"

As for the people on the ground, the higher-ranking individuals had already begun to catch on.

Thalvyr and Sylrael were especially shocked as they rubbed their feet against the ground to feel it properly. They had already felt what it was like to be beside a large, ancient savage beast, and now they felt the same from the ground beneath them.

The sensation was particularly strong during the intense earthquake.

"W-we have been living on top of this thing since the beginning...?" Sylrael muttered, gulping nervously.

"What is it, Sylrael?" Naelith asked, still unable to figure out what was happening.

"Nothing..."

If Leo hadn’t revealed it to them yet, then she shouldn’t go around telling others.

Even Thalvyr didn’t answer Zharrissa’s questions when she noticed him sweating bullets in worry.

"Hoh... So this is the brother I kept sensing but couldn’t identify." Agnivar also pinpointed the source of the connection he had felt through the Beast Bonds.

"Quite the huge brother I have," he remarked before going back to sleep.

As for the other members who had participated in the competition, Aeila and Veronica were too weak to sense the sleeping beast beneath their feet.

Sylrael and Thalvyr were still unsure—or rather, they didn’t dare to believe that Leo could actually tame something like this. They still seriously doubted whether the beast beneath them might suddenly turn violent and attack them.

But at that moment, Leo contacted them.

’Don’t worry, everything is under control. This is my secret beast, which I have planned to build our city on and use to travel the world. I hope you aren’t scared of heights or prone to motion sickness—though I don’t think there will be any problems since you won’t feel a thing! Hahahaha!’

At that moment, James contacted Leo through the mind link.

’Leo! What was that?!’

’Don’t worry, Brother James. You’ll find out soon enough, and there’s nothing to worry about!’

While everyone tried to settle down amid the chaos, Leo noticed some problems of his own.

And those were Tavian’s Arrays.

Except for the ones built on the plateau, every other array in the outer area had collapsed because the terrain had changed.

The plateau was fine because it had expanded outward while keeping its internal structure intact; everything there was fine.

However, the collapsed arrays in the outer area weren’t a major issue, since they were all traps that had never been used and wouldn’t be used anytime soon.

Nobody had tried to infiltrate his territory yet.

Thankfully, the teleportation array remained intact because it had been built as a compact, standalone structure.

However, the power supply chain had been cut off from the Mana Generator because the connections and waypoints had gone haywire. This meant they would need to replace the MMCs (Modified Mana Crystals) manually once the site’s power ran out.

This was a problem that needed fixing, since repeatedly replacing them was wasting manpower on stupid things. Better yet, solve the collapsing connections issue itself!

"I should probably recruit an expert... Maybe a Dwarf?" Leo thought.

He could also look for humans, but people with expertise in these areas would be far too unreliable, as they might jump ship the moment they found a better territory.

It wasn’t that Leo’s territory wasn’t good enough. The problem was that seniors were constantly on the lookout for talented individuals, making it hard to recruit anyone truly skilled.

However, it was relatively easy to venture into a chosen secret realm and rescue a Dwarf. And since they no longer needed to enslave them, a simple time-based mana contract would be best.

Those people would also feel obliged to Leo for getting rescued and repay with working hard.

Recruiting Tavian was a long shot, though not impossible. However, Leo would rather have someone who was under his complete control.

Leaving that matter aside, he also noticed that many buildings had shifted from their original locations.

Fortunately, that was an easy fix. He just needed to manipulate the earth to move them back to where they belonged.

At that moment, Leo remembered that he had something else to take care of.

He immediately brought it out.

Incomplete Zephyrax Beastcore (High 4-star) — Noble Bloodline

He didn’t hesitate to fuse it with Lunaria.

Ding!

Windbreath Hound [Lunaria] [Spirit] (Low 4-star)

Noble Bloodline — 74% → 89%

"Nice."

With that, Leo was about to descend and start checking on the Gnomes’ work when he spotted something taking shape beside the Titanbreath Lotus.

"A golem?"

Leo descended and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Howl?"

"That’s Howl!" Lily exclaimed as she also sensed the Golem’s body completing its structure.

The golem was rather unique compared to the usual constructs. It was also much bigger, standing almost 5 meters tall, with a body made of fused dark-grey boulders.

Its faceless body was covered in jagged rocks and deep crevices, with scattered deposits of copper, iron, and silvery minerals shimmering faintly across its rugged surface.

It seemed Howl was already utilising his new trait, making the golem’s body sturdier with metallic deposits.

"Looks like he has learned to transfer his consciousness into his Golem Constructs properly!" Leo exclaimed in surprise.

The golem—or rather, Howl—seemed to be testing his motor responses by clenching and unclenching his rocky fist. After that, he raised both hands as the ground vibrated beneath him.

Hmmmmmm~

Howl seemed very happy with this new ability.

Leo examined the golem’s body closely.

"It seems to have High 3-star strength..." he muttered.

"Alright, Howl, can you hear me?"

’Howl’ nodded rapidly with his lumpy head.

"Good. You’re free to roam around. Enjoy your time."

Hearing that, the golem turned and ran off, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground.

"Not that fast!" Leo reminded him.

Howl immediately slowed down, walking calmly as if surveying the territory.

After that, Leo went to the Titanbreath Lotus to check its dimensions.

The trunk was astonishingly 15 meters wide, while its leafy canopy covered an area almost 200 meters wide—the same as its height.

The first branch started at nearly 100 meters above the ground. This meant that from the base to 100 meters high, it was just a straight column of wood filled with energy and sap.

"Can’t imagine how big it will become when it advances..."

However, Leo would have to wait a long time for that to happen, as fulfilling the energy demands of a Mid Yellow (5)-Tier treasure was no joke.

At that moment, he felt a commotion near the teleportation array as students from the academy poured in.

"Why are there so many people?" he wondered, frowning, before heading over to check.

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*Image of Howl’s Special Golem*