Chapter 72 - Gotta Catch Em All!

2 hours had passed.

The grand food production team was doing their job smoothly. MF still had more than 30 hours left before the end of the three days filtering in the veil of trial on her Citadel. Most of the new residents became closer with each other as faith started to surge more, an extremely productive day.

While the recreational paradise ensued, the unrelenting scouting party were drilling the protection barrier that made everything still look like a gloomy mountainous domain from the outside.

Their leader, a proud dragonoid, a race that was known as Aiseirigh, was approaching one of the laidback members, currently laying down and stretching her body on top of a slab of rock.

"Oy, Yitha, go check the south. I detected some mana signatures."

"Nya?" The feline's eyes widened, scratching her fluffy ear that was surrounded with pink hair. "Geh, it could be just some sentient mana-core eater or a sentient mineral for goodness sake."

"You know that those are rarer than diamonds. Just peek, go back if it's hostile."

"Nyeeeehh."

With irritation, Yitha got up and immediately sprinted to the ordered coordinates with all limbs on the ground. Despite being referred to as 'Feline' by the society, most of them had only 5% genetic appearance of those from a cat, most of their features were humanoid in exception of the ear location on top of the head that decreased their brain volume, and a tail! Although it didn't affect their intelligence, but instead augmented them with special sensory akin to those of a cat.

There were some with more fur than one would ask but most of them were referred to as felines regardless, due to their laidback tendency of not caring about the smallest details, they didn't even differentiate themselves from their race's subspecies.

"That shitty Gollas, the only reason why I admitted to this outpost was to laze around the floor, not being sent onto some ctulhu-shit expedition."

Swift as the wind, she managed to travel the rocky terrain with her hereditary agility. Until eventually she was in a prone position to examine the source of the mana signature from afar. Subconsciously protruding her below body part up, the cat now had her eyes upon her prey.

'T-that is a Black-Claw Stone Crab!"

A shiny metal crab with numerous spiked edges on its armor four times the size of an average humanoid. Because of its naturally black tattooed pattern on its right claw, this mystical beast brimming with mana was named Black-Claw Stone Crab for no specific reason by one of the late scientists. This misleading name had led to many deaths of explorers and excavators due to the assumption that their armor had rock-like durability, not a literal iron or even titanium.

Apparently it was found that the one who named this rare existence was founded to have no credibility in geology whatsoever, hence the qualifications of education for being a scientist were raised at the time.

'Nyaa, a mystical beast, I must catch it before anyone with a taming spell finds out!'

Unlike Calamities, mystical beasts had more mana and other subconscious energy that molded their entire being. This foundation led to a strong immunity against 'void' infection. Very much the same with mystical plants, they need to be in an environment with dense energy and elemental essence, but unlike its flora counterpart, they were more rarely encountered within this post-apocalyptic world.

'... I forgot that I only have 3 slots at the moment.'

With a mere thought, a screen appeared on her retina.

[ Available Beast slots:

> Three Grade Typhoon Wolf

> Two Grade Mud Wall

> Five Grade Death Finger

Needed Soul Essence to unlock the next slot: 50,000

Current Soul Essence: 950 ]

'Nyergh, guess I'll sacrifice that tall mud, but before that—'

[ Stats Comparison >

Mud Wall

Grade: Two

Awakening: None

Intelligent: Non-existent

Magic Proficiency : C

Trait: Aloof

Soul: F-

Elemental: Soil | Stone | Slime

Skill: Physical Kinetic Energy Absorption | Low Rank Elemental Nullifier | Soil Bullets

Mana Transfer Rate: 30 per hour

System Note: A remnant of an undying mystical beast that had somehow fused with the soil substance as the soul degraded over time. The reconstruction of the crippled soul is impossible, but a good material for 'fusion' with all kinds of monsters.

|—>

Black-Claw Stone Crab

Grade: Five

Awakening: First — Spiked Dreadnaught

Intelligent: Crab

Magic Proficiency : C+

Trait: Metal-Headed

Soul: C

Elemental: Metal | Durable | Life

Skill: Crystalized Regeneration | Metal Exoskeleton | Low Rank Short Range Pressuring Area | Short Destruction | Soul Tearing Spike

Mana Transfer Rate: 150 per hour

System Note: A metal crab that was called a stone. It takes 1,000 years for them to fully mature ]

'Alright, that is settled nya~. Discard!'

[ Two Grade Mud Walls have been discarded ]

A digital portal appeared in the air beside the metal beast, it was a gigantic slimy wall of mud with an eerie face at one side. Without wasting time, she commanded her system to commence a capture of the crab.

[ Commencing 'Capture' would cost 800 Soul Essence, proceed? ]

'Nyeh.'

Numerous glimmering lights were suddenly appearing near the metal crab, it burned into the ground as a circuit formation, conjuring a special zone that transported the beast into a private realm made by the system.

In that realm, the beast goes through multiple tribulations as the fake entity within it forced the beast to succumb, establishing a connection from the system to the pitiful crab's soul.

The system also infiltrated their athenaeum, creating a parasitic device that will absorb a proportion of the beast's mana to the system host.

[ 'Black Claw Stone Crab' acquired ]

"Nyehehe, welp, now I'll sleep and just say that I was unconscious because of an unknown usurper or whatever. Man, this world sucks."

Before she could even rest her head upon the hard and cold stone, a loud bang permeated the wrecked mountainous place.

The gigantic concealment dome was still intact.

Nimbly going back to her party location, the feline sensed an eerie aura emitted by something wicked. With her sharp vision, she hid behind a giant rock 20 meters from the chaos, and peeked.

She felt a huge pressure, her heart sank to her guts.

A great entity bearing an ink-like aura surrounding its blue-sea energy.

Her party members were ferociously fighting a greater wisp three times the size of an average humanoid, a cluster of blue energy swirled and siphoned before it was launched like a ballistic projectile that dealt severe damage to the surrounding area.

"BROWSKY! CAST MORE PROTECTION!"

"I'M TRYING, DAMMIT! THERE AIN'T NO WAY THAT A WISP IS THIS STRONG!"

Every damaging spell that was launched by the caster did nothing to the greater wisp. Or maybe, their attacks were engulfed.

Usually, both physical attack and magical attack work extremely well in disrupting the clumped energy that binds every being of it together, but with a wisp at this size, it's almost impossible to be neutralized without any strong artifact.

"RETREAT!"

'Nyuaahh, that is really scary. Wait, wisp is also categorized as a mystical beast… right?'

Out of curiosity, Yitha immediately used her system appraisal upon the wisp.

[ Ouranos Greater Wisp

Name: Asir

Grade: Ten

Awakening: First — Ouroboros' Divinity | Second — Will of Nerull's Bane

Intelligent: High

Magic Proficiency : A+

Trait: Valiant

Soul: A

Elemental: Death | Life | Pure Mana | Divinity | Holy Light | Holy Darkness

Skill: Death Immunity | High Elemental Nullifier | Dense Form | Universal Speech | High Intelligent | Will of Ouroboros

Mana Transfer Rate: 2500 per hour

System Note: A greater wisp that was blessed by the touch of Nerull's Bane essence. Born within the land of Domeniul Ceresc, it was exposed to an angelic aura together with the revelation from Ouroboros.. Asir is kind in nature and will rarely use its full power, but will try to disintegrate anything that threatens its belief and home. ]