After eating the flying beast, it compounded both of their stats. Jeff and Blue continued their hunt, and with every move they made, their combat power rose.
Finally, they entered the middle zone. The once beautiful forest had become somewhat dark, and it was a little hard to see.
As Jeff and Blue were walking, a beast suddenly pounced at them. Driven by instinct from the endless ambushed, he hurriedly dodged by dashing back.
At his spot earlier, a cat about 4 feet with shadow like fur and purple eyes, look at him with an intense gaze.
Seeing its viciousness, Jeff hurriedly stepped back.
What surprised him was that the cat was suddenly engulfed by a shadowy mist and vanished in plain sight.
"What?" His eyes went wide as he felt a presence behind him.
He turned only his hand behind and released a fireball. This fireball, after the magical power was amplified, was not something to be underestimated.
As he fired the shot, he then jumped and rolled forward just as a sweeping strike from the cat was hurled at his back, ripping the fabric of his clothes.
As the fireball caved in on its chest, burning it and turning it to charcoal, the cat groaned in pain while the smell of cooked meat wafted through the air.
"You, kitty cat, had some good skills. I wonder how you would taste," Jeff uttered as the slime giggled violently.
The smell of charred fur still lingered in the air, but he did not become overconfident, keeping his guard up.
That cat in front of him, or whatever it was, was not done yet.
The beast hissed, its form flickering like smoke. Its wounds sizzled, but it did not fall. Instead, it sank into the shadows once more, vanishing like ink in water.
The intense rage and killing intent in its eyes made Jeff narrow his gaze as he positioned himself carefully.
"Blue, ready position," he ordered sharply.
The little bastard bounced to his side, glowing faintly. Its form swelled, with water spiraling inside like a storm waiting to explode.
Jeff clenched his fist, then a larger fireball bloomed in his hand, it was more violent than before. Its core glowed fiery-hot, and the flames twisted in a chaotic dance.
It roared softly, like a beast chained by sheer willpower.
"Fireball in explosion!"
He hurled the fireball in the direction where he predicted the beast would reappear. The explosive flame burst from his hand like a cannonball, its heat cracking the stones beneath him.
But just before impact, the shadow cat blinked from one spot to another, reappearing beside a jagged rock and escaping the blast by a hair.
Its glowing purple eyes locked onto him, preparing to strike again.
"Predictable."
Jeff's fingers twitched as mana surged through him, and the missed fireball veered in mid-air, redirecting like a guided missile.
The cat's ears twitched, but it realized the danger too late.
The fireball slammed into its side as the flames engulfed its shoulder. It screeched and rolled to the ground in a trail of fire, its dark fur igniting like paper.
After a great amount of compounding, he slowly discovered that the fireball he had thrown could actually be controlled and guided, as long as he attached a string of mana to connect with it.
As it was hit and before it could move Jeff shouted, "Blue! Used Aqua Shot!"
FWOOOOOSH!
Blue's newly empowered Aqua Shot blasted forward with a high-pitched shriek, the water now honed sharp like a razor.
The blast cut through the air with a violent whistle, aiming exactly where Jeff had anticipated the beast's next move.
The cat blinked again, teleporting mid-pounce to strike from the side. But Jeff simply smiled as his hand snapped up.
His eyes glowed faintly red, "Reverse Blood."
A thin layer of blood from the cat's own wounds, which had splattered on the ground, began to quiver and then surged upward like crimson chains.
For one second, the beast froze mid-teleport, suspended in midair as if caught by invisible ropes.
"Take this, Fire ball in Explosion!" Jeff muttered.
With that, the next fireball in his hand was already burning bright as he launched it at point-blank range.
The impact struck the cat dead center in its chest. It did not just burn, it fully erupted, the flames ripping through the beast and sending it crashing backward like a ragdoll.
It hit the ground hard, skidding across the dirt and leaving a scorched trail behind.
Smoke rose from its body, and the once-silent forest was now filled with the hiss of burning fur and the soft crackle of embers.
Jeff could not help but exhale as he slowly lowered his hand. The blood on the ground dripped back into stillness.
Blue bounced next to him, letting out a soft hum.
Jeff just smiled, as he looked at the dead cat with its meat unevenly cooked.
"Let's see how delicious this kind of beast are."
With that, Jeff and Blue cooked the beast, and each took a bite of the meat. As they did, they felt a refreshing energy course through them.
Enhanced by the system's compounding, the effect was greatly amplified, making both Jeff and Blue feel full, not just in their bellies, but in their stats as well.
[The system has detected that 'Blue Little Bastard' is now qualified to undergo evolution. In order to raise its level and become a full-fledged First Core Beast]
[More energy is required...]
"What?" Jeff uttered as he saw Blue lying on the ground, glowing with closed eyes.
"Here, have more, little guy," he said as he tossed the cooked meat toward Blue.
Blue unconsciously ate the meat as it glowed brighter and brighter.
Jeff, seeing this, had already lost his appetite. He circled around Blue, feeding it every last piece of meat until there was nothing left.
The little bastard made a lot of strange sounds as Jeff watched, very excited, witnessing this entire scene unfold before his very eyes.
Then, after a minute, Blue began to glow brightly, and the evolved Blue appeared. Its size remained the same, but its blue color became even more vivid and intense.
It reflected the look of the ocean, and Jeff's eyes were filled with fascination as he stared at it.
[Blue had evolved into a Fire Core Beast]
[A new skill was learned: Water Bubble]
Skill: Water Bubble
Tier: First Order
Mana: 30
Description: Fires a dense bubble of water that bursts on impact, dealing magic damage.
...
"Wow, Blue, your new skill is powerful. It's actually a First Order skill," Jeff uttered, feeling a bit jealous.
But knowing that Blue was his tamed beast, he was still happy. Since there was no meat left, he looked at Blue as it hopped onto his shoulders.
"Well then, why don't we test your new skills?" Jeff said with a smile, and Blue hummed excitedly in response.
Since Jeff understood that, aside from eating and gaining stats, he also needed points from the beasts he killed.
Inside his talisman, he could see his current points clearly etched onto the paper.
[103 points]
[Rank: 692]
In order to secure a place between ranks 1 and 100, he needed to work even harder.
Having that kind of rank by the end of the tournament could guarantee him a spot in a decent academy.
For those who ranked between 1 and 20, it would guarantee enrollment into some of the most famous academies, the kind that produced their own generation of Planetary Commanders.
If you had that kind of chance, your future was already set for greatness. With that thought in mind, he and Blue began to move again.
...
Current Stats:
Name: Jeff Anzon
Rank: First Level of Mana Awakening
Attributes:
Health: 52.41 | Strength: 39.09 | Agility: 34.40 | Stamina: 35.83 | Mana: 111.72 | Magic Power: 59.83
Skills:
Fire Ball
Description: Fire ball in explosion (System: Since you like explosion there you have it)
Compounded: +476% Damage
Mana Cost: 10
Blood Control
Compounded: +43% Damage
Mana Cost: Varies from uses
----
Name: Blue Little Bastard
Rank: First Core Beast
Race: Slime
Attributes:
Health: 38.21 | Strength: 9.49 | Agility: 11.38 | Mana: 109.21 | Magic Power: 14.22
Skills:
Aqua Shot
Compounded: +342% Damage
Water Bubble
Compounded: +0%