บท 25: Leaving the forest

Jormungandr's eyes widened as he heard that and nodded. Essentially, pushing energy into your Sea of Consciousness to advance quickly would allow him to ascend rapidly through the Levels but would cripple his future growth.

"How can I obtain a cultivation technique?"

"Normally, the Plane Will would grant you one after your first kill, using a portion of the Origin Force you obtain, but those are typically weak and low-level. Fortunately, I discovered techniques in the memories of the fallen angel. They are downgraded versions of the true core techniques, but they will support us even after reaching the Champion Levels and provide us with a solid foundation.

You should take the Mage Path, leveraging your natural agility and reflexes to cast spells, while I lead in the vanguard. That way, we can complement each other's abilities and cover our weaknesses."

Jormungandr nodded in agreement with Vlad's plan and paid close attention as the man began to impart his knowledge. It took several hours, but once the small yellow cat understood, he began to practice.

Seeing Jormungandr engrossed in his training, Vlad also concentrated on his own. The cultivation technique in his Sea of Consciousness was the basic one granted by the Plane Will, and since he no longer needed it, he decided to discard it.

It required a great deal of focus, but gradually, he dismantled the Cultivation Rune. Afterward, Vlad concentrated on the energy that enveloped the world and began to channel it into his Sea of Consciousness. Infusing this wild energy directly into the Sea of Consciousness would be dangerous.

He took control of that energy and, following the Thunder Warrior Cultivation Technique principles, formulated a new Cultivation Rune. It was a delicate process that required much effort, but luckily, his talent seemed very high, likely due to his Depravita Racial Inheritance.

---

"ZNNNN!"

The sound of a sword slashing through the air echoed across the forest, followed by a splash of blood on the ground.

Vlad's gaze was cold as he watched the abyssal demon bear fall to the ground with its head split open. However, his attention immediately shifted skyward as he noticed a massive demon shaped like a hawk swooping down towards him.

The abyssal demon moved with surprising speed, and its form was not just for show. However, before it could reach Vlad, an arc of blue lightning struck it, killing it instantly.

The one who launched the attack was none other than a small yellow cat hiding among the leaves of a tree.

By this point, the man and cat had been navigating through the forest for two weeks, and Jormungandr had finally ascended to Level 1. This was surprisingly fast, as some would typically need months to reach Level 1 by utilizing the environment's energy.

Vlad nodded at the small cat as bright golden energy emerged from the abyssal demon he had slain, flowed into his body, and reached the Soul Dimension.

Although Vlad refrained from using the Origin Force to generate more Force Water and boost his energy pool, that didn't mean he would let it go to waste. Since Origin Force could transform into anything, one approach was to use it to nurture his Sea of Consciousness, improving his level cap and enhancing his cognitive abilities.

However, focusing solely on the Sea of Consciousness was also not optimal. After all, no matter how fast your mind worked, it was useless if your body could not keep up.

That was why Vlad took a unique approach. He sent 4/10 of the Origin Force into reinforcing his Sea of Consciousness and another 4/10 into his body.

Vlad could feel the bright golden energy coursing through his flesh, pushing his body forward. He also saw the Origin Force fusing into his Sea of Consciousness, improving the size of this one, although the effect of this size was much weaker.

Vlad's Sea of Consciousness was already vast, which was why his cognitive abilities were so powerful and he could exert such great control over his energy pool. It was also why the Abyssal Mantis targeted him and why Asmael chose him among all the people to consume his soul.

As for the final 2/10 of Origin Force, Vlad directed it to something else. With focused intent, all the Origin Force began to move into the red sphere floating by the side of his Cultivation Rune.

Vlad aimed to nurture the Thunder Lord Bloodline so it would become strong enough to unlock its Bloodline Ability.

Jormungandr took a similar path to Vlad, using the Origin Force to improve his Sea of Consciousness and body. Of course, since he was a Mage, he only sent 2/10 of the Origin Force into his body.

After finishing handling the Origin Force, Vlad took a small glass flask and began to drain the demon's blood. Though compact, the flask could hold a vast amount of liquid, one of the many miscellaneous treasures inside Asmael's space ring. After finishing with the bear-like demon, he did the same with the eagle.

Taking their blood wasn't the only thing Vlad did; he also skinned them and stored everything in his space ring. After that, he also stored the demons' bodies, as he had done with all the others he found and killed during the past few weeks.

There were over 200 corpses by now, including the one of the Abyssal Mantis he had stored before leaving campus. While the dimension inside the space ring was massive, little room was left.

Once Vlad was done, Jormungandr hopped onto his shoulder, and the duo proceeded. The young man and cat continued advancing for nearly an hour until they finally reached the forest's edge. Neither ventured out of its cover, their eyes fixed on the massive military base atop a small mountain.