Chapter 36: blood bag

Once Leon was gone, all that remained was a pile of earth and three charred bodies. At the top of a slanted Killer Tree not far from the scene, a Scavenger Crow with blood-red eyes let out a soft caw and flapped its wings, taking flight in the misty air."Caw~~"

But at that very moment, a smooth, snow-white arm suddenly extended, firmly grabbing the Scavenger Crow before it could get too far. Without allowing this foolish creature to struggle, the small hand casually clenched, and then one of the demons titled the 'Swamp Butcher' was crushed into a mess of flesh, sending tiny splashes of blood in all directions.

"Splash~~"

The curvaceous and alluring figure of Bleia appeared on the highest branch of the Killer Tree. seaʀᴄh thё Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

She stood there gracefully, gazing in the direction Leon had left. A faint smile appeared on her face. Then, as suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished.

Although Leon considered himself clever, he had underestimated how bizarre and unpredictable spells could be. There was no place in this Magical Swamp where one could conceal their movements. The Scavenger Crows, found everywhere, were, in fact, spies of Fatal Shot, secretly watching the actions of every Apprentice for him.

In the dead of night, when Apprentice Mages hid in their rooms, conducting all kinds of strange magical experiments, they would never suspect that, in the nighttime sky outside the Tower, a pair of blood-red eyes was spying on them.

As for this flying spy, only those with keen and sensitive Spiritual Senses could detect its presence.

Had this spy not been killed, Leon's trick would have been reported to Fatal Shot within half an hour. Therefore, although Fatal Shot had the weakest combat power among the Advanced Apprentices, his information-gathering abilities were, without a doubt, the highest.

Thus, the only way any Apprentice could keep their secrets safe was to ensure that these 'spies,' found everywhere, were removed from the equation.

...

Leon had no idea what had just happened behind him. Although his Elementium vision had detected the Scavenger Crow, he hadn't thought to associate it with Fatal Shot.

After sneaking back into his room, Leon couldn't help himself and started organizing his belongings.

In addition to Sinbad's core, he had gained a few items from the events involving the battle with Loli the other day. Since he was hurrying to transform the best resource he had into his personal strength, Leon focused all his attention on Sinbad's core and hadn't had time to properly examine the other items!

The core of Sinbad was the most valuable among them and had been transformed into the summoning core for the Clay Golem. Of all the eight premium-quality Blood Sacs he found, Bleia devoured seven, leaving him with only one. Such a delicacy could only be sustained by a Master Mage like Eclivel without considering it a waste.

As everyone knew, aside from Body Refinement Mages and Bloodline Mages, most Mages had very weak bodies. Constantly dealing with Corrosive Elementium and spending long hours reading spellbooks and magical scrolls… A lifestyle like that would only lead to a frail body. Thus, although most Mages weren't so fragile as to be blown over by a gust of wind, almost all had weak constitutions.

If one focused too much on utilizing and strengthening their Spirit but neglected their body, they would often have a very frail physique and would be forced to take extreme measures, using tonics to strengthen their bodies.

The Blood Sac, harvested from the root of the Rattan, was an excellent supplement to nourish blood and qi. However, if someone could find an Alchemist to help them create a 'Bloody Banshee Potion,' it could increase a Mage's weak Physique by up to 2. Of course, this Potion only worked for those with 10 or fewer in Physique, and it only worked once.

Obviously, Leon didn't have the resources or skills to get an Alchemist to make a Bloody Banshee Potion for him! So, although he knew that consuming it directly would waste most of its essence, Leon drank the Blood Sac.

When the soft, gelatinous Blood Sac burst in his mouth, a strong, bloody, and sweet taste exploded on his tongue. As the sticky essence of the blood began to flow down his throat and into his stomach, a warm sensation began to spread within Leon's body.

"Beep!"

"Unknown energy detected in Host's body, unable to predict what changes this energy may bring to Host's vitality."

"Would the Host like to cleanse it?"

"If no response is received from the Host, the cleansing procedure will begin automatically in 5 seconds..."

…

"5... 4... 3..."

"Cancel the cleansing procedure!"

"Host command received, cleansing procedure terminated… Would the Host like to monitor internal body data in real-time?"

"Yes!"

"Host command received. Initiating real-time monitoring of internal body data..."

A series of indistinct beeps followed, and then his body data was projected in his mind.

Name: Leon

Race: Human

Attributes: Strength: 4.03 | Agility: 4.07 | Physique: 3.05 (Changing) | Spirit: 8.20

Alignment: Loyal-Neutral

Class: Apprentice Mage

HP: 11/12 (Changing)

Experience: 650/1000

Status: Healthy

Skills: Scroll Copying | Spell Reading

Personal Abilities: Burning Hand (Solidified) | Fire Arrow (Solidified)

As he examined the information about his body, Leon discovered something unexpected. Beyond the Physique and Health Points, which were gradually increasing, it seemed that his experience had also gone up. If he remembered correctly, he had only around 530 experience points during his last self-inspection, but now it had risen to 650. This... was a significant jump of over 100 points!

Where did these points come from?

Ignoring the changes the Blood Sac was causing, Leon dedicated his full attention to reading the Chip's records. He quickly found a message he had previously missed.

"The Host has successfully created the first Clay Golem, earning 120 experience points."

So they came from the creation of the Golem!

It seemed he had found a suitable secondary class, as it could provide an additional way to gain experience. In the past, he had always feared that learning a magical spell would consume a significant amount of his experience points. But with these supplemental experience points, the pressure of learning magical spells would be slightly reduced.

Strictly speaking, Leon was only 15 years old now, which meant he had plenty of time before reaching his peak, leaving him ample room for self-improvement. This could be easily seen from the slowly but steadily growing attributes he had recently acquired.

But, unfortunately, living in such a dark and oppressive environment had altered his character, inclining him slightly toward darkness. Utilitarianism and materialism were all that occupied his mind. As for those seemingly beautiful emotions, like compassion and love, he had long since abandoned them for their uselessness.

Before one could truly become powerful, they needed to be cautious and meticulous to guard against threats. But even with this mindset, he still couldn't escape the power struggles of those Advanced Apprentices...

He had a favorable impression of Bleia, and from what he observed, Bleia seemed to think positively of him. Although she appeared a bit arrogant, she always tried to protect Leon.

But with Leon's cautious and modest nature, he was obviously unwilling to place his safety in someone else's hands. So, making full use of this period of security, he would dedicate all his efforts to growing as quickly as possible. This was his top priority. As for his future? Leon had no idea what the future held.

He had no idea how he had arrived in this place or why he was here, if there even was a reason. So far, all he had done was drift with the tide, avoiding getting entangled in any intrigues. His current status and identity limited his vision, making it difficult for him to perceive the true nature of this world.

Perhaps leaving this place wouldn't be a bad thing… At the very least, he could truly experience this strange world!

And perhaps he could discover which path he should follow in this life.

While his mind was preoccupied with imagining his future, the blood essence from the Blood Sac finally merged with his body, tinting his pale skin with a red aura and filling his body with a strength that couldn't be exhausted.

As he watched, the number representing his physique on the self-test report began to rise, eventually stopping at 4.37. Just as when the river rose, the boat floated higher, his digitized Health Points rose to 14.

His Physique had changed from 3.05 to 4.37, an increase of 1.32 points. Although it wasn't the result that a Bloody Banshee Potion could bring, it still exceeded his expectations. Perhaps this was related to his previously low physique.

However, even though his Physique had increased to 4.37, it was still on par with other Apprentice Mages his age, and he still couldn't withstand a single blow from those Body Refinement Apprentices.

As for the 14 Health Points, this was merely a digital model constructed by the Chip based on the characteristics of life forms in this magical world. It wasn't truly related to reality. It was more of a representation of Leon's current vitality.

Moreover, with Leon's frail physique, if he had no protection against an offensive magical spell, any spell that directly struck him would kill him on the spot. Therefore, in the coming days, aside from relentlessly pursuing the potential of his Golem, he had to find a defensive spell.

If he didn't, when he faced wars in the future, let alone participate in them, even the shockwaves caused by battles among those powerful warriors would kill him.

After he finished with the Blood Sac, Leon resumed his inspection of the rest of his loot from the previous day.

A broken piece of magical equipment, degraded to the point that no one could tell what it originally was; a fist-sized piece of metal ore shining in a strange blue; a peculiar white stone the size of an egg.

That magical equipment was obviously a low-quality item, made from the most common material, Thorium. It likely belonged to an Apprentice Mage who had been devoured by those Phantom Nannies, and it was almost useless. Leon tossed it aside.

The egg-sized white stone was indeed a valuable find. After several tests, he finally identified what it was.

A giant lizard's egg!

Giant Lizards were demons resembling a crocodile, like the one Sinbad had ridden. Their natural habitat included places like small lakes or swampy areas, and they had the innate ability to petrify things with their Petrifying Ray skill. If it weren't for its short range, it would actually make a good contractual companion.

He sensed the egg's vitality, indicating that it was still alive. If he could trade it with other Apprentices, he should be able to get something useful in return.

...

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