Chapter 388: Muddy Ground

The Skyreaver made a full 360-degree turn above the territory. Its temperament had calmed, and Kaelion sat comfortably atop the bird’s head as they descended. The Skyreaver had taken flight even before the fight began.

"Oh, he succeeded in taming it," Katherine pointed out.

Kaelion dropped down and cancelled his soul fusion.

"I tamed it, but what is this feeling?" Kaelion said, staring at his palm in confusion. A strange sensation coursed through him, as if his body was overflowing with mana.

"That’s because you tamed a spirit," Katherine explained as she walked toward the Skyreaver, whose form had now reduced to a 5-meter body length and a 25-meter wingspan. "When a spirit is tamed, you can fully share its mana. In other words, compared to your previous mana pool according to your strength, it might have doubled by now."

She ran her hand gently over its damaged parts, and a faint glow followed her touch as the cracks sealed shut.

"Thank you, Auntie," Kaelion said.

Leo noticed the bird’s significantly reduced size and recalled something he had read in the library.

Apparently, most land beasts grew in size until Peak 3-star, reaching their maximum physical growth. After that, their size increase slowed drastically. From Pseudo 4-star to Peak 6-star, their size remained nearly the same. The only difference was that larger beasts like Singham, Shyra, and Nyxa developed the body adjustment trait, allowing them to shrink their forms. During this phase, beasts focused on building raw strength and learning to control their weight and ever-growing power.

After Peak 6-star, once they entered the growing phase in 7-star, their bodies would begin to grow again. This was the general pattern for most beasts. However, there were exceptions—avian beasts, for instance, grew in size at every rank. Ancient Savage Beasts like Howl also expanded with over time.

"This will make our travel time much shorter," Leo said.

"Hm," Kaelion nodded, then recalled a certain individual who had been allowed into the territory specifically for transportation and secrecy.

When asked, Leo gave his answer.

"Now he’ll charge normal fares without special rates—unless we need bulk transport or travel to secret locations. He’ll remain a territory member because we can’t trouble you every time we need to go somewhere. Especially when he makes material transport easier and helps other members travel faster."

Kaelion nodded at the explanation. Since he would be busy training most of the time, Brok could handle such tasks.

"Alright, we’ll take our leave now. Storm has completed his advancement, and I’d like to test his new speed alongside Katherine. Be prepared for the worms that might appear due to the rain—we’ll see you later."

As he spoke, Brant waved his hand, summoning his evolved eagle.

Leo’s eyes widened slightly at the sight. The eagle had been completely overhauled. Its dark body now carried a faint bluish tint, hinting at lightning coursing beneath its feathers. Its wavy tail crackled softly with bluish electricity.

Leviastorm Eagle (Peak 5-star) - Royal Bloodline

*pic*

"Hmph! I’ll forgive your recklessness this time because the storm looks far better now. But if I catch you doing that again—"

"Never, my lady, rest assured," Brant said smoothly. "Now, please, your hand."

He escorted Katherine like a noble lady onto the eagle’s back as the massive bird lowered its wing for them to step on.

Leo and the others noticed how pleased the eagle looked when Katherine touched its feathers—the same expression a child might have when embraced by its mother.

Both professors bid their farewells and soared into the sky, heading toward Gehra Lake—the same place Brant had once taken Leo.

"Leo! Please tame an awesome beast like that. I want to ride one too!" Lily said cheerfully, her eyes following the eagle until it vanished into the horizon.

"Of course," Leo replied with a faint smile. "It’ll be so big we can build a house on it and travel the world whenever we want a break from Howl’s back. But first, we need to grow stronger. The skies and waters are far more dangerous than land, and the academy won’t always be there to protect us."

Lily nodded, but at that moment, Leo felt the ground tremble faintly beneath his feet.

"Don’t worry, Howl. I’ll never leave you. Flying is just a new experience we want to try," Leo said with a chuckle.

Howl:

Bloodbond: 57% → 59%

Leo shook his head with a small smile. Howl was truly like a child.

Soon, Tavian’s men brought over the invoice for the array materials. Leo glanced at it—it was just as Tavian had said, nearly 5 million. However, Kaelion stepped forward and paid it without hesitation.

"This spirit beast alone is worth more than 100 million," Kaelion said. "You may not realize it, but a spirit beast is extremely beneficial for my damaged soul. And while you may treat it casually, the soul treasure you give me every month is already worth my life. Let me at least repay you with these small favors."

Leo waved it off once again.

"I told you, I’ll make you my permanent subordinate one day. So I need to pamper you now—so you can work harder later."

Kaelion sneered, but Leo didn’t bother responding.

"Oh, right," Leo said suddenly. "Let’s check the Elk Antler. It’s been sitting there through the entire storm. I hope it upgraded like you said."

He felt a bit of anticipation. He wanted to craft equipment from it—something he could gift to Lily. If it had ranked up, that would be even better.

But just as he stepped forward—

Patch!

His foot sank into the wet, muddy ground, cold sludge coating his boots. At the same time, Tavian emerged from the bunker entrance and reached at their location.

"It will be very difficult to lay arrays in this wet ground..." Tavian said, glancing around at the soaked terrain.

Leo followed his gaze. Everywhere he looked, the land had turned into a muddy mess. The relentless rain had soaked the entire academy grounds, and given its intensity, it would likely stay this way for days.

Then, suddenly, an idea flashed in Leo’s mind.