Chapter 1523: 1523. Army

The crocodiles, Night, Snore, and the Demonic Sword protected Noah while he focused on dispersing the drawbacks of his ambition. The process required a few years, but his companions didn't mind waiting for him to recover.

His seclusion led to important revelations. Noah slowly understood his new power better and also devised methods to avoid those annoying drawbacks.

The trick was to reach a power level close to his goal. Noah had to avoid using his ambition without deploying other techniques because it would force his law to express more might.

Of course, Noah would have to adapt that new power to his battle style and become used to its actual efficiency. Yet, the magical beasts' domain still hid many challenges, so he didn't worry about that part.

The situation was different when it came to the cursed sword. The weapon had evolved into a rank 8 inscribed item in the lower tier. It had finally become able to cross the limits of the seventh rank, but that only caused problems for the time being.

Noah couldn't risk his life to use the cursed sword. The drawbacks of the weapon would be far greater since it could launch attacks with power in the eighth rank now.

His body already risked shattering before. It definitely wouldn't be able to endure the injuries caused by that weapon now.

Noah didn't worry too much about that issue for now. It was clear that his foundation still required a lot of work, and he didn't mind avoiding relying on the cursed sword to focus on other aspects of his power. NiceNovel.com

The potential of his new ability was limitless, in theory. Noah also wanted to learn how to maintain the empowerment of his centers of power and enhance his attacks.

Once Noah recovered and left his cave, his group resumed exploring the magical beasts' domain.

The Foolery didn't know much about those areas. They had already crossed the regions explored during their escape. Instead, the new creatures submitted by Noah revealed their value in that field.

With the knowledge carried by the crocodiles, the exploration became smoother. Noah and the others could learn about the nature of their opponents before invading specific regions. His strategies also became more effective.

Noah could now kill rank 8 magical beasts, so his approach became even more reckless. He couldn't use the cursed sword, but he had too much to test. Most of the initial fights ended up in defeats due to his focus on techniques rather than actual victories.

Victories began to appear once Noah gained enough experience with his new techniques. Each battle with a rank 8 magical beast always led to harsh struggles, but he didn't mind suffering severe injuries as long as he obtained what he desired.

The rank 8 Foolery still had to help Noah from time to time. Noah's attacks rarely managed to inflict deadly injuries in a few exchanges without the cursed sword, which led to long battles that didn't benefit him.

Still, as his expertise increased, Noah needed the rank 8 pig less and less, eventually leading to a point when he could feel confident in facing most rank 8 creatures.

The species and innate abilities of those magical beasts influenced that confidence. Rank 8 creatures could have different power levels, and Noah was still on the lower end of that battle prowess.

Noah's army enlarged as the group continued their conquest. They went from region to region to defeat packs and seize resources. It was only normal for him to submit a few creatures to add to his organization.

"This mountain is strange," Noah thought while looking at a tall black mountain in the distance. "It's rare to see something that the sky can't illuminate."

The group had the appearance of a proper platoon while they studied the environment from a plain that the Foolery had transformed into a land of blue bushes.

Noah had submitted wolves, bears, eagles, and elephants during the journey. His army was atypical for the magical beasts' world, but that didn't matter once a battle started.

His influence on those creatures had led to marvelous results. Those magical beasts would naturally strive to improve after bathing in his ambition for years. Their minds had broadened, and natural mutations had also appeared from time to time.

Neither of those creatures had reached the eighth rank. Yet, many of them had advanced to the upper tier during those years. The constant battle had also eliminated the specimens that couldn't keep Noah's pace. His army had become a fearsome force, even if it counted less than three hundred specimens.

"And we are definitely exploring it, am I right?" Fergie said in his usual sarcastic tone.

"How could we even fear what's hidden there?" The rank 8 Foolery said before snorting and lifting its head to the sky.

"This phenomenon must have some connection with the darkness element," Noah replied. "I can't ignore it. Moreover, the elephants have confirmed that the mountain doesn't contain leaders in the middle tier or above."

"I am weaker than you," Fergie said, "But I'm struggling to keep pace with your growth. I'm lucky that your centers of power have insane requirements, or you would have reached the eighth rank before my breakthroughs."

"You better start to work harder," Noah said in a sly tone. "I don't mind placing you with the crocodiles if you turn out to be a disappointment."

"And here I thought that you wanted me for my loyalty," Fergie replied while shaking his head. "On a serious note, my breakthroughs are close. Do you think Heaven and Earth will react to the event?"

Noah turned toward Fergie and inspected his centers of power. The expert had spoken the truth. His dantian was only a few decades away from the solid stage. Instead, his body would still require a few centuries to reach the upper tier.

"It shouldn't," Noah replied, "But you never know with Heaven and Earth. They might even attack you to get to me. It's better if you warn me before the breakthrough in case something goes wrong."

"Let me try even if something goes wrong," Fergie said while dropping his sarcastic tone.

The expert liked to joke around, but his desire to reach the higher ranks was pure. He also wanted to make the Crystal City and the secret organization pay for what he had suffered during his imprisonment.

Fergie had never withdrawn from a fight for that exact reason. He imitated Noah's training and adapted it to his existence to create something that worked only for him. Noah couldn't find any flaw in his underling.

"Shall we?" The rank 8 pig asked. Drool had already started to fall from its mouth due to its impatience.

Noah and the others moved toward the mountain and soon understood the reason behind its blackness. The magical plants that filled the area had large black leaves that fed on the white light of the sky.

Some of those plants ended up in Noah's separate space. Their innate feature was interesting, so he didn't hesitate to add them to his pile of materials and corpses.

Once the group reached the summit, it found traces of battles on the rocky terrain. Only Noah could obtain a vague idea of the type of magical beast behind those tracks, and his eyes lit up at that realization.

"Dragons," Noah said before glancing toward the rank 8 Foolery.

The beast was behaving oddly. It didn't prepare for a battle right away. There seemed to be something in its mind.

"Food is calling me," The leader of the pig said before shooting toward a corner of the mountain's peak.

Noah and Fergie exchanged a glance before flying after the creature. The other magical beasts also followed them, but they inevitably remained behind.

When Noah and Fergie reached the rank 8 pig, they found it staring at the narrow entrance of a cavity that dug deep into the mountain. That structure didn't have anything peculiar, except for the Soul Stones that made the edges of its entrance.