Chapter 127: A Little Progress

Chapter 127: Chapter 127: A Little Progress

Meanwhile, Damon continued nurturing Shiro.

The Frost Qilin’s growth had become noticeably faster.

His connection with Damon was becoming stronger, and the more he was nurtured by the Spirit Origin, the more refined his Ice Elemental power became.

Then one evening, it happened again.

Shiro’s body began glowing.

Damon immediately looked over.

"Again?"

Caelia also stopped cultivating.

The Ice Elemental essence around Shiro gathered around him before slowly sinking into his body.

His aura grew stronger.

Damon could feel the change through their bond.

Another evolution.

When it finally settled, Damon smiled.

"Good job, Shiro."

Shiro looked pleased.

Damon immediately brought out some snacks.

Caelia laughed.

"Again?"

"He earned it."

"You really reward them every time."

"Wouldn’t you?"

Caelia thought about it.

"...Maybe."

Damon laughed.

But there was something else.

The familiar feedback from Shiro’s evolution flowed into him.

His Ice Elemental affinity became stronger.

His control improved.

It was another reminder that Shiro’s growth was also becoming part of his own strength.

Damon looked at the Frost Qilin.

"You got stronger again."

Shiro lifted his head proudly.

And then Damon felt it.

Another Art.

He smiled.

"You got another one."

Caelia immediately became interested.

"What is it?"

Damon looked at Shiro.

"Let’s find out tomorrow."

That night, they continued training for a while.

But eventually Caelia stopped Damon.

"It’s getting late."

Damon looked toward Shiro.

The Frost Qilin was already eager.

He clearly wanted to show off his new Art.

Damon smiled.

"Alright. We’ll continue tomorrow."

Shiro gave a small sound of protest.

"You’ll get your chance."

That seemed to satisfy him.

The next morning, they found a group of beasts gathered in another unstable area.

They were stronger than the usual creatures they had been fighting, but still within their control.

Damon looked at Shiro.

"Perfect."

Shiro stepped forward.

The moment the beasts charged, Shiro activated Frostbound Sanctuary.

Ice spread across the ground.

The battlefield changed immediately.

The beasts slowed as the cold settled around them.

Damon nodded.

"Now."

Shiro’s eyes flashed.

Ice suddenly erupted from the ground.

Chains shot toward the beasts and wrapped around their legs and bodies.

One beast broke free.

The chain shattered.

Damon’s eyes narrowed.

Then more chains erupted from the broken pieces.

Two new chains wrapped around the beast.

Caelia’s eyes widened.

"That’s..."

"Frost Chains," Damon said.

The beast roared and broke another chain.

Two more appeared.

Damon smiled.

"Interesting."

The chains didn’t simply restrain the beasts.

They adapted.

The more the creatures struggled, the more difficult it became to break free.

Several weaker beasts were already completely immobilized.

Shiro then pulled.

The chains tightened and dragged one of the larger beasts off balance.

Damon immediately moved.

"That’s the opening."

He attacked before the beast could recover.

Caelia understood at once.

Snow also moved with her.

The battle became much easier.

Shiro’s Frostbound Sanctuary weakened the battlefield.

Frost Chains controlled the enemies.

And whenever one broke a chain, more appeared from the fragments.

Damon quickly understood the real value of the Art.

It didn’t need to completely restrain a powerful enemy.

Even slowing one down by twenty or thirty percent could create a huge opening.

"Shiro, don’t focus on holding them completely."

The Frost Qilin looked at him.

"Just slow them down."

Shiro immediately understood.

The next time a larger beast charged, Shiro didn’t try to stop it.

Several chains wrapped around its legs.

The beast broke some.

More appeared.

Its movement slowed.

That was enough.

Damon appeared beside it.

"Got you."

His attack landed.

Caelia finished another beast nearby.

She looked at Shiro with surprise.

"That Art is much better than I expected."

Damon smiled.

"It fits him."

Shiro looked proud.

Damon nodded.

"Frostbound Sanctuary controls the area, then Frost Chains punish anything trying to move through it."

He looked toward the remaining beasts.

"And we can use the chains from the ground, walls, even the ice around us."

Caelia nodded.

"It gives him a lot of options."

Damon smiled.

"Exactly."

The battle ended soon after.

Damon looked at Shiro.

"Not bad."

Shiro’s tail moved happily.

Damon laughed.

"Alright. I admit it. That’s a good one."

Shiro looked even happier.

Caelia smiled as she watched them.

Damon was already thinking about the next step.

Frostbound Sanctuary was the foundation.

Frost Chains gave Shiro a way to turn that control into actual openings.

The more Shiro grew, the stronger those chains would become.

And Damon intended to make full use of them.

For now, though, Shiro had earned another reward.

Damon brought out the snacks.

Shiro happily joined Freya and Sylphie.

Caelia shook her head.

"You spoil them."

Damon looked at the three spirits eating.

"They work hard."

"So do I."

Damon looked at her.

"Do you want snacks too?"

Caelia blinked.

Then she laughed.

"No."

"Your loss."

Damon sat down.

For a while, they simply watched the spirits eat.

Tomorrow, they would continue their search.

And Damon was already looking forward to seeing what else they would find.

The exploration continued.

Every few days, Damon and Caelia sent reports back to the Winterbourne family. Cornelius also kept them updated whenever there was something important to share.

The news wasn’t getting better.

The elemental users exploring the Frostveil Expanse were still encountering mutating monsters.

Some beasts that should have remained stable were showing signs of change.

That made Damon and Caelia even more determined.

They needed to find a way to stabilize the zone.

If the Winterbourne family had to keep relying on killing the beasts before they could mutate further, the pressure would only continue to grow.

And Damon knew they couldn’t maintain that pace forever.

They didn’t have his killing efficiency.

More importantly, the elemental users weren’t gathered together anymore.

The forces that had fought during the attack had already returned to their own families and duties.

That made controlling the growing number of beasts much harder.

"We really need to find that Zone Heart," Caelia said one afternoon.

Damon nodded.

"Yeah."

He looked ahead.

"If the instability keeps spreading, killing the beasts will only buy us time."