Novel Full Chapter 424 Enormous Rewards
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[ Name: Moon ] [ Race: Human ] [ Class: Classless, Witch] [ Level: 35 ] [32%]
[ Lives: 314, 459 ] [Super Lives: 0] [ Strength: 154 ] [ Agility: 214 ] [ Constitution: 176 ] [ Mana: 256 ] (+20 to all stats) [ Attribute Points: 10] [ Skills: Elemental Attack, True Elemental Physique, Tenacity, Golden Skin, Ignite, Rune Inscription, Eye of Truth, Thunderclap Raiju, Calmness, Beastmaster, Minor Mend, Cleanse, Stone Clasp, Heaviness, Air Step, Bird dance, Bullseye, Feint, Rune Enhancement, Weaponmaster, Charm, Curse, Mark of Omen (Limited Time)] [ Talent: Grim Reaper ] [ Class Skills: Class Slot {1/1}, Life Burn]
[Beast Souls: Fire and Nature]
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Moon stared at his status screen. A deep satisfaction settled into his chest.
His lives had swollen enormously. The sheer number of kills during the throne room attack, amplified by his Grim Reaper talent, had replenished everything he spent on Life Burn and much more!
He had leveled up twice, reaching level 35. Four new acupoints had opened, expanding his total to 21 open acupoints and giving him more foundations to build.
The most satisfying change was what he felt inside. His second acupoint, housing Thunderclap Raiju, had reached full capacity. The spiritual energy from the tens of Evolver kills had pushed it over the edge during the battle.
His third acupoint had reached half capacity too. Spiritual energy was accumulating inside it rapidly, fed by the overflow from the battle and the kills that followed.
Moon closed his status screen and turned his attention to something more pressing.
Layla’s three skills were still with him. Charm, Curse, and Mark of Omen. He had copied her class before killing her, and the twenty-four hour timer was still running.
He couldn’t use Charm effectively, due to its passive. But knowing how powerful these skills were, how they had built an empire on a floating island from nothing, Moon couldn’t let the opportunity go to waste.
Unfortunately, he had already lost several hours to the forced sleep his body demanded after Life Burn’s consequences. Hours he could have spent practicing, building proficiency, understanding the mechanics of each skill at a deeper level.
The clock was ticking. Once the twenty-four hours expired, Layla’s class would be gone.
‘I need to make every remaining minute count.’
Moon rose from the floor and looked at his spirit standing guard by the door. The Fire and Nature spirit stared back at him with its two eyes, patient and silent as always.
Moon had plenty of lives. More than he had ever held at one time. And evolving the spirit to the next rank seemed like a sound investment.
Its loyalty had been unwavering since the moment he summoned it, naturally. It fought when told, guarded when told, and never once hesitated regardless of the opponent. Its strength had helped in the last battle, from the very first boulder test to the throne room battle.
And even when the spirit landed the killing blow on an enemy, Moon still received the experience, lives, and spiritual energy. There were no losses in making it stronger.
He pulled up the beast soul status.
[Beast Soul: Fire and Nature] [Rank: E → D] [Cost: 100,000 Lives]
Moon stared at the number. A hundred thousand. Double the previous evolution. The costs were climbing steeply, and they would likely, only get worse from here.
But a D-Rank beast soul would put the spirit at Second Star Evolver strength. An ally that powerful was worth every life spent.
Moon confirmed without hesitation.
[Beast Soul: Fire and Nature] [Rank: D]
The spirit at the door began to change immediately.
The red and orange flames that had covered half its body deepened, streaks of blue blending into the base of every flame
Its nature half responded in kind. The green of its leaves and vines grew richer, deeper, almost luminous.
Its body grew, nearly a full head taller than before. Its frame grew broader, its presence heavier. The spirit looked down at its own hands, turning them over slowly, as if discovering itself for the first time. Then, raised its eyes to meet Moon.
“How does it feel? To become stronger.” Moon smiled, staring into its mismatched eyes.
The spirit did not reply, opting for its usual silent treatment. But despite that, Moon could feel its happiness.
Moon jumped on top of Mirage and left the cave. His subordinates would handle the cleanup. He trusted the archer to manage things in his absence.
Once outside, the cold wind of the floating island hit his face. The sky was grey, heavy clouds drifting past at eye level. Moon guided Mirage away from the base and into the open terrain, searching for targets.
There were no humans left to practice on. But that didn’t mean the skill was useless.
‘I wonder why Layla never used her curse on spirits.’
Several reasons came to mind as Mirage carried him across the rocky ground.
The first was mental defense. Spirits were highly intelligent beings. Their cognition wasn’t like that of beasts, driven by instinct and hunger. Spirits thought, planned, communicated, and strategized. That level of intelligence came with a natural resistance to mental manipulation that far exceeded what most humans possessed. Only those with skills specifically designed for mental fortitude could match them.
Trying to curse a spirit would be like trying to push a boulder uphill with your bare hands. Possible in theory. Nearly impossible in practice.
The second reason was risk. And this one Moon considered the most compelling. Spirits could sense the death of their kin through their connection to the pavilion. There was no guarantee they couldn’t sense other forms of interference with a living spirit as well. If Layla had successfully cursed one and the pavilion spirit detected foreign influence on its subordinate, the retaliation would have been swift and overwhelming.
Even Layla wouldn’t survive an attack of the pavilion of spirits. Layla was calculating above all else. She wouldn’t have taken that gamble.
Moon also hadn’t found any beast subordinates among her forces. That absence told its own story. Beasts were less intelligent than humans. Their minds were simpler, their goals more primal. Layla’s curse worked by overwriting a target’s goals with her own. But beasts with limited intellect couldn’t process complex objectives. Her skills were tailor-made for controlling humans. Intelligent enough to follow orders, complex enough to pursue layered goals, and vulnerable enough to be broken by the right combination of charm, curse, and false empowerment.
‘Her class was perfectly suited for people.’
Moon spotted a beast in the distance and directed Mirage toward it.
‘Let’s see it in action.’