Chapter 374: Opportunity Seeker - 2
What Leo witnessed left his eyes awestruck. Within the cloudsâor rather, the clouds themselvesâwas an entire beast.
A massive, heavy-built avian, its body shrouded in dense black storm clouds. Then again, if the clouds themselves were its body, Leo couldnât truly tell where it began or ended.
Only its glowing eyes and the lightning crawling across its wings were clearly visible within the churning mass. Rain poured endlessly from it, while hurricanes formed and collapsed beneath its flight path.
Just looking at it, even from several kilometres away, felt unbearably heavy and oppressive, as if the weight of the sky itself threatened to crush him. It was like a moving firmament that brought destruction wherever it went.
It was then that the system prompt appeared.
Nimbus Tyrant [Spirit] (??? star) - Royal Bloodline
*pic*
The system couldnât determine the beastâs star rankâonly that it was a spirit beast.
Leo remained almost dazed as he took in such overwhelming grandeur. The sky-covering entity was followed by countless other avian beasts, smaller in comparison yet still enormous, each willingly taking the lightning strikes that lashed outward.
This time, the system managed to read one clearly.
Thunderveil Skyreaver (Low 6-star) - Noble Bloodline
It was a long-winged predator with sharp, blade-like feathers glowing with white lightning. Its sleek body seemed built for terrifying speed, splitting clouds apart as it flew.
*pic*
Leo soon noticed many of the same species, differing in star and bloodline ranks.
Thunderveil Skyreaver (Mid 5-star) - Super Bloodline
Thunderveil Skyreaver (Peak 6-star) - Noble Bloodline
Thunderveil Skyreaver (??? star) - Noble Bloodline
Thunderveil Skyreaver (Peak 4-star) - Noble Bloodline
There were other species as well.
Tidal Skybreaker [Spirit] (Low 5-star) - Super Bloodline
A seabird with long, flowing tail feathers shaped like waves, its form constantly shifting with moving water. Its wings stretched like storm fronts across the sky.
*pic*
Then came a beast that strangely resembled Uraanâs falcon.
Tempest Horizon Falcon (High 5-star) - Super Bloodline
A sleek avian that moved so fast it vanished into lightning itself, only to reappear moments laterânever straying beyond the Nimbus Tyrantâs range, repeating the same motion endlessly.
*pic*
After observing so many high-ranked beastsânone of which spared him even a glanceâLeo realized the limitation of his system. It could only measure beasts up to 2 major ranks above his own. As a Low 4-star, he could read up to Low 6-star beasts. Anything beyond that appeared as question marks, aside from name and bloodline.
Despite the sheer variety in the sky, none of the beasts fought each other. As if bound by an unspoken agreement, they simply endured the lightning that coursed through the Nimbus Tyrantâs storm-like body.
His gaze returned to the main entity, and once again, he found it nearly impossible to look away. Thankfully, its path didnât directly align with his territory, sparing him from certain devastation.
Yet, a strange unease crept over himâthe longer he watched, the more it felt like something within him was being affected. His body, his very being, felt strained under its presence. With a sharp breath, he forced himself to look away and prepared to sprint.
Then, through the shifting clouds, he caught a familiar glimpse.
"Professor Brantâs eagle...?"
Skyrend Eagle (High 5-star) - Noble Bloodline [Storm Variant]
*pic*
"No, wait!" Leoâs eyes widened as he noticed a figure in white robes riding the eagle. It was unmistakably Brant.
"Does he want to die?!" Leo exclaimed.
Before he could react further, a hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back.
"Bastard, do you want to be influenced by that king? Get inside, fast!" Kaelion snapped, urgency clear on his face.
"Influenced? Whaâ"
"First, get insideâ"
BOOM!
A lightning strike slammed into the antlerâs location.
"What the fuâ!"
CrashâBOOM!
"Letâs get inside!" Leo shouted, and both of them sprinted toward the cave.
As they ran, the lightning strikes grew more frequent, all targeting the same spot.
"What did you do there?" Kaelion asked, keeping pace beside him.
"I had a treasure that attracts lightning. To protect the houses, I placed it where all the strikes are landing now," Leo replied quickly.
"How many special treasures do you even haveâ"
CrackleâCRASH!
This one was louder, more violent. The storm was nearly upon them.
"Waitâif you had that all along, why didnât you use it when Lily went out of control?" Kaelion pressed, realizing Leo could have avoided the injuries heâd taken while dodging her wild attacks.
Leo blinked. He had just realized it himself.
"Uh... I forgot," he admitted, wearing a dumb expression.
Kaelionâs jaw tightened in irritation, but they had already reached the entrance. Leo stopped to seal it while Kaelion moved deeper inside.
As Leo secured the entrance and ensured proper ventilation, another thunderous strike reverberated through the cave. To dampen the impact, he called Lily over and instructed her to reinforce the wall with earth, leaving a thin air gap between layers.
Once they finished, the noise dropped significantly. Only then did Leo finally relax, sinking into a lounging chair woven from vines and leaves.
"Leaves?" he muttered, rubbing a freshly grown one between his fingers.
Looking around, he realized the space had completely changed. What was once a single large hall had transformed entirely.
The elves had turned it into something resembling an underground bunker, complete with multiple rooms, a dining area, and even designated resting and relieving spaces.
"Whoa..." Leo breathed, genuinely impressed. The level of craftsmanshipâand the speedâwas astounding. All of this had been done in barely 20 minutes.
He spotted Sylrael still directing a few elves. Noticing Leo, they turned and gave a courteous bow.
"Good work. Rest if youâre exhausted. This is more than enoughâweâre only staying until the rain calms down," Leo said, nodding before continuing onward.
Further in, he saw that the girlsâAina, Sylva, Mira, Veronica, Miho, and even Lilyâhad been given a large shared room. On Lilyâs suggestion, the elves had built their own space right beside it, though they still kept separate quarters.
Their reasoning was simple: slaves and masters shouldnât share the same space.
Leo moved ahead toward the boysâ area.
The moment he stepped inside, the scene that greeted him was almost comical.