Chapter 436: Low Energy And Low Strength
"Aeila, do you feel any change in your abilities?" Leo asked.
"Eh? Ah... Y-yes, N-NO! I donât know..." She was suddenly startled by Leoâs words, completely caught off guard because his words were not what she was expecting.
"Really?" Leo raised a brow, faintly amused at why the elves were always so scared of him.
Do I look like such a strict and bad person that she needs to stammer so badly?
Leo thought. If he had to say, the only time he had seen the same behaviour was with Mihoâuntil she became comfortable.
But they have been with me for quite a while, why are they still like this?
Leo couldnât help but rewind all his interactions with the elves. Even Sylrael, as strong as she looked, seemed to be very careful around him.
Beating Naelith... a few words of greeting... becoming their master... ordering them around...
He internally felt weirded out.
Yeaahhhh... I never had a proper communication that improved my image in their eyes.
Leo never actually tried to set things right. And on top of that, he had always been seen demolishing other people in front of them. Of course, he was a tyrant in their eyes.
Well, itâs for good. They should be careful and do their work nicely rather than slacking off after getting comfortable.
He thought that because he couldnât see himself giving anybody harsh punishment over things that werenât that serious and could be fixed.
Hmm, maybe Lily can fill that soft side of mine.
He could already imagine the scene of Lily drilling discipline over the tiniest mistakes in which Leo needed to lift a finger.
"Check again and focus on your ability. I am sure there should be some change," Leo said.
Aeila nodded and closed her eyes, focusing as she tried to inspect her ability. Suddenly, her pointed ears perked up as she reached a conclusion.
"Lord! I think my telepathic link improved! I-I donât know what exactly improved or what I can do new, but the distance has increased, and thereâs more clarity in images, direction, and all."
Leo nodded.
"Good. That you know itâI just wanted to confirm that youâre aware of it. Now go and do whatever you were doing."
But as he was about to turn back, he noticed Aeila was still standing in the same place, her ears drooping slightly as she hesitated to speak.
"Is there something you need to tell me?" Leo asked.
"Um... Lord, what about my punishment...?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, much like a mouse.
No... even Relut squeaks louder than her,
Leo joked internally.
As for the punishment she was asking about, Leo had a general ideaâit must be related to her climbing the Titanbreath Lotus.
"I was planning to forgive you because of your ability enhancement, but since you are so eager for punishmentâ" Since she was asking for it, why not give it?
"N-noâ!" Aeila panicked, her shoulders stiffening.
"âHowl."
Leo simply called out, and a rock golem materialised in front of them with a dull rumble.
"As your punishment, try establishing your [Spirit Link] with the golem. It will remain active all the time for you to experiment on."
"S-spirit link?" she asked, suppressing her shock as she stared at the 3-meter-tall construct that had appeared out of thin air. Though she had seen golems in the territory before, she didnât know they were formed like this.
Lordâs powers are so mysterious!
she exclaimed internally.
"Oh? You donât know? Thatâs your talent name, and you are capable of forming an advanced form of mental links. Previously, it was only with individualsâbut now, it even includes live puppets. And the rock golem is one."
Leo realised that the elves were simply unaware of their specific talents, much like the humans, since there were no specific devices or things like Leoâs system.
Talent: [Spirit Link] - 4â
-An advanced version of thought communication that connects multiple individuals, including live puppets, through a shared mental network. Communication is faster, clearer, and can include images, intent, and directional awareness. At higher mastery, the user can maintain the link over very long distances.
Leo gave a general gist of her talentâs information, and she immediately tried to establish the link with the golem on the spot.
"Lord... this, this is new! I had tried it before, but I simply couldnât sense anything inside them to establish a connection. But nowâI can tell something exists, and I just need to find it!"
Leo nodded.
"Thatâs what I want to hear. I will give you 1 month to finish this punishment. If you fail, real punishments await you next."
Aeila gulped and nodded. Just as she steadied herself, Leo recalled something and addedâ
"You know what, I feel this punishment is lacking. To add to it, your job is to take care of this individual golemâthat is, repair it if it gets damaged, fortify its body structure. Basically, I am giving this golemâwhich for now is restricted to 300 meters around the territoryâto you, so that you act as its caretaker and try to perfect your talent. Donât try to bring it outside the 300-meter zone, or else you will need to start over."
Aeila nodded repeatedly, relief flashing across her face. She couldnât believe she was allowed to go free with such a light punishment. Back in her tribe in the previous world, people were sent out to hunt dangerous beasts far beyond their level for damaging the sacred treeâoffering the hunt as tribute for forgiveness. And if they failed... their own lives became the offering.
Fearing that Leo might change his mind, she hurriedly bid her farewell and ran off, the golem following closely behindâcontrolled by Howl... for now.
[Golem Construct]: 99% Low
- Allows the user to form a functional golem using available materials. The golem requires a steady supply of mana to operate unless linked to an external power source. Over time, it accumulates experience, growing in size and developing primitive consciousness. Due to its evolving structure, periodic repairs are essential; without maintenance, it may collapse before reaching optimal efficiency.
The description clearly stated that, with accumulating experience, it could gain consciousness. But since he and Howl used to deactivate the golems after their initial use, that aspect had never been explored. Now, however, he could test these capabilities by keeping the golem continuously active with Aeila.
"External power source... Can I use Modified Mana Crystals for that?" Leo muttered, thinking aloud. Since the Earthpulse Heartstones were unavailable for an indefinite time, he should start experimenting with alternatives.
"On that note..." He turned toward the Titanbreath Lotus once again, placing his hand on its bark and sensing the faint pulse of energy within.
"Damn, it could only fill 5% energy after that heaven and earth phenomena?" Leo muttered.
Natural treasures triggered heaven-and-earth phenomena while ranking up, attracting beasts. They relied on guardians to kill those beasts and use their blood and flesh as energy to refill their reservesâcontinuing the cycle until the next phenomenon.
But in the Titanbreath Lotusâs case this time, there were simply not enough beasts of appropriate rank to replenish its reserves. In fact, they were so weak that they could only restore 5% of its energy. And the next phenomenon could only be triggered at 100%.
Part of it was Leoâs fault as well. He hadnât allowed Howl to use all the beast corpses, and many had already been stripped of their mana crystals, soul crystals, and beast coresâresulting in even less energy. But even then, it wouldnât have crossed 15% simply because the beasts were too low-ranked.
In such cases, a treasureâs growth stagnated until it slowly gathered energy over the years by absorbing ambient manaâsometimes taking decades, even centuries.
"Hmm, I really need to shift Howl to a better place..." Leo muttered. But his idea of a
better place
was, in truth, a far more dangerous region filled with higher-ranked beasts.
"Then thereâs the Elasian Aetherbloom too..." Leo hesitated to bring that out because of how valuable it was.
A low-Red Tier treasure could easily attract the attention of a king-level powerhouseâand for that, Leo was simply not ready.
Leo had also learned a major detail in the library.
Prana Particles.
The same particles are constantly released by the Elasian Aetherbloom.
They directly enhanced the soul.
Which meant simply breathing near the treasure was enough for gradual soul advancement. He could charge millions in a single day just for accessâand earn a fortune. And it was precisely for this reason that he hadnât brought it out. It would be snatched in an instant. Even Brant, Katherine, or Tarun wouldnât be able to do anything if a King-tier powerhouse made a move.
"Fuck... Is this the curse of being weak...?" Leo muttered, frustration simmering beneath his breath.
Once again, he felt like someone forced to hide his best resourcesâlest they be taken away under the pretence of authority, like the general in his previous world.
It was finally time for the other important thing: to get rich.
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A/N: I am sorry, I overslept and couldnât complete the other Chapter on time. I will try publishing it within a few hours. For now, this Chapter is of 1500 words.