Chapter 278: Splitting Origin Energy [GOLDEN TICKET BONUS]

"Are you saying that we should follow because even if this is a trap, we can deal with Level 10 monsters easily?" Matthew asked.

Alex turned his head and looked at Matthew with a slightly surprised expression. He had intentionally hinted at that possibility instead of saying it directly because he suspected that being too blunt about Mia’s actions might upset her, especially now that she seemed to have become intelligent enough to understand him completely.

After saying his earlier words, Alex realized that he had been too vague. However, it seemed Matthew had understood the meaning hidden between his words.

"Yes. That’s what I meant," Alex answered.

"Alright, then. We will come with you," Matthew said without much hesitation. His confidence made it clear that he wasn’t too worried about the possibility of encountering several Level 10 monsters.

"Hey, aren’t you being a little careless?" Samuel, one of the members of Matthew’s group, asked while clicking his tongue. "We don’t know where she’s taking us, and there could be something much stronger waiting ahead."

Matthew simply shrugged his shoulders. "That’s true, but Alex clearly trusts her, and if something goes wrong, I don’t think we’ll be completely helpless."

’As expected, these guys are quite strong and confident in their abilities. They aren’t afraid to enter this area even though there is a possibility that we’re walking into a trap.’

Alex turned toward his own group after hearing Matthew’s decision. "Will you come?"

"What about you?" Joseph asked. "Following a monster through a monster-infested region is dangerous, and if we get surrounded, it could lead to a total wipeout."

"I trust Mia," Alex replied. He didn’t have any other explanation because he had known Mia for a long time, and his understanding of her was completely different from everyone else’s.

The group fell silent for a moment. Joseph looked toward Mia and then at the surrounding Netherclaw Prowlers before finally letting out a sigh.

"Fine. I’ll put my trust in you," Joseph said.

"If Joseph is coming, so am I. Besides, we’ve already dealt with monsters ganging up on us in that crab dungeon, so we can handle something like this again," Yulia said with a grin.

The others also agreed after hearing her. Emma hesitated slightly, but she eventually nodded as well, and Alex noticed that although she was still wary of Mia, she trusted his judgment enough to follow.

Alex and the others began moving deeper into the forest behind Mia. The Netherclaw Prowlers watched them as they passed, but none of the creatures attempted to attack, and several even moved aside to let Mia pass.

As they continued forward, Alex noticed that some of the Netherclaw Prowlers appeared to be sleeping. Considering the species evolution he had received from them, he had expected these monsters to be active night hunters, so seeing them sleeping while humans were walking through their territory was unusual.

"Mia, are these Netherclaw Prowlers undergoing Species evolution?" Alex asked.

Mia turned her head and meowed. Alex took it as an affirmative answer, especially because she continued walking afterward without showing any confusion.

’So this is where the Gene Potentials she got from the Supermart dungeon went. She’s raising her own forces.’

That realization made Alex wonder whether all Beasts were capable of commanding monsters like this or whether Mia was somehow special. He remembered the discussions about Beast Monarchs that had appeared online, although there had not been enough information to determine exactly what abilities a Beast Monarch possessed.

’Most observations said Beast Monarchs lead groups of monsters or other Beasts. Could Mia be a Beast Monarch?’

If that was the case, Alex wondered whether the System had randomly selected certain Beasts and granted them the ability to become Monarchs. If those Beasts received special abilities because of their status, then it was possible that all of them had also been sent to Hell Difficulty.

That would fit with what Alex had learned about the System. It seemed that whenever it introduced a greater danger, it also provided opportunities that could allow someone to grow stronger.

After walking for some time, the group finally reached a glowing tree. Its blue leaves gave off a gentle light as they slowly moved in the wind, and unlike the rest of the forest, there was no scent of blood anywhere nearby. The tree was beautiful.

Mia walked toward an elevated platform beneath the tree before sitting down. She looked toward Alex and meowed several times, clearly asking him to come closer.

"Is there something you want to show me?" Alex asked. He walked closer, wondering what Mia could possibly want after bringing them all the way here.

Mia meowed again before taking a deep breath. The moment she inhaled, the Origin Energy in the surrounding air suddenly began flowing toward her. Then, she exhaled.

Alex sensed something was different, and his eyes widened slightly. He immediately focused on the energy. He carefully limited the amount of mana in his hand so he could sense the different types of energy moving through the area without interfering with Mia’s actions.

The Origin Energy leaving Mia’s body was separated into Mana and Aura. Alex sensed Mana and Aura mixing back into the surrounding Origin Energy, while Mia seemed to absorb the Faith that was initially mixed with them to form Origin Energy.

’She’s breaking Origin Energy apart, absorbing the Faith, and then returning the Mana and Aura to the environment so they can combine with the remaining Origin Energy.’

Alex stared at her in disbelief. He had expected something like this to be possible, but he never thought someone could do it already.

"...That’s one overpowered cat," Matthew said from the side, clearly realizing what was happening.

"Yeah, she really is." Alex nodded while continuing to watch Mia.

Mia seemed pleased by the comment. She lifted her chin slightly as though she were deliberately showing off her ability, then continued the strange breathing technique for another few moments before stopping.

Afterward, she walked around Alex and bumped her head against his leg. She looked up at him and meowed again, clearly expecting something from him.

"What do you want?" Alex asked, although he already had a feeling that she wanted him to do something specific.

Mia took another deep breath and repeated the same technique, causing Alex to watch her even more carefully.

"...You want me to copy you?" Alex asked.

Mia immediately meowed, confirming his guess. Alex stared at her for several seconds before finally understanding what she had been trying to show him.

’If I can learn this breathing technique, I should be able to gather enough Mana to push the Basilisk’s remaining Origin Energy out of my body.’

..

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