Lucian continued on his path, and soon encountered another Arcane Hare—this one tearing into a large beetle. When it spotted him, all four of its ears stood at attention, its body tense.
Lucian froze. He had to get this right.
His longest-range spell was now a Tier Three light magic—Flashboit.
Flashboit: Condenses a marble-sized ball of light, which instantly transforms into a beam of light traveling at light speed toward a target. It's weaker than Blastfire Orb and less explosive in area, but boasts long range and innate piercing power. Its maximum range is over one hundred meters, though damage falls off at extreme distance to about the level of a Tier Two Greater Fireball.
Forty meters separated him from the Hare—ample distance.
He moved with caution. Gathering mana, he formed twenty light orbs all around his body.
The Arcane Hare froze in terror—its fur bristled, and it leapt to flee.
But Lucian wouldn't let it go.
"Wings of Light—spread!" he shouted. Twenty beams erupted from behind him in a dazzling display, like a pair of radiant wings.
"Screech!" The creature screamed in panic, trying to dodge—but nothing could outrun light.
In an instant, the beams engulfed its position. Dust and debris flew up.
When the light faded, a trail of bloodied Arcane Hare lay motionless on the forest floor—pierced by multiple beams, dead at once.
Lucian felt an invisible energy surge into him. His stamina replenished, his body felt stronger and his mind sharper.
This—this was the power of monster hunting.
He smiled. He'd done it—killed a Tier One Arcane Hare!
Lysera, watching from afar, sighed. "Did you really need to use twenty Tier Three spells to kill one Arcane Hare?"
Lucian shrugged, grinning. "Why not? You always go all-in in a fight."
Just then, a lizard scuttled out from the underbrush. Lucian analyzed it on the spot:
Green Forest Lizard: Tier One poison-type magical beast.
Without hesitation, he launched another volley of twenty Flashboit beams at it. Seconds later—the lizard's dead.
Green Forest Lizard: "I was just taking a walk…"
Lysera sighed again. Lucian's tactical overkill was borderline pathological—but admittedly, effective. His all-in strategy left no room for mistakes.
Lucian approached the bodies. Though the sight of the bloody carcasses made him cringe a little, he steeled himself. This was part of the journey—brutal but necessary. He gathered them in his vine-woven basket.
"Do these beasts have crystal cores?" he asked.
Lysera replied, "No. Tier One beasts seldom contain cores. Some rare Tier Three beasts might, but you need to be at least Tier Five before cores are guaranteed."
Lucian nodded and set off deeper into the forest, seeking a Tier Three beast. He wanted to test his strength.
Suddenly—a roar echoed ahead. Lucian froze, listening carefully.
Another roar answered it. Two different creatures were clashing: one wolf-like, one bear-like. Clearly powerful.
"Sounds like a fight between two beasts," Lucian whispered. "This is a freebie—perfect opportunity."
With a flick of his hand, he cast the Tier Three Swift Wind Technique, enveloping himself in faint blue wind. His steps became light and fast—perfect for a quick scouting and escape if needed.
He crept forward.
Soon he glimpsed them: a massive Greenpeak Wolf and a towering black furious bear locked in combat about forty meters away—just within his magic-sensing limit.
He cast Analyze:
Greenpeak Wolf: Tier Three metal-type magical beast.
Furious Bear: Tier Two dark-type magical beast.
Tier Three battling Tier Two? Interesting.
Lysera explained, "The Wolf is shoulder-high—about 1.5 meters. A terrifying opponent. But that Furious Bear is a juvenile—and still dominating. It's far stronger."
Lucian sensed a surge of powerful mana from the bear—far more potent than the wolf. A dark red aura shimmered on its chest.
He analyzed again:
Greenpeak Blade: Tier Three innate metal magic. Forms a razor-sharp blade.
Rage: Tier Four innate dark magic. Greatly boosts strength and suppresses pain.
A Tier Two bear wielding Tier Four magic—that was unexpected.
Lysera clarified, "Beasts have innate magic and no strict human ranking system. A Tier Two bear can still have Tier Four abilities. Once it reaches Tier Five, it can even use Tier Seven spells like 'Bloodlust Frenzy.' Mature Furious Bears can easily rival Tier Seven strength."
No wonder the wolf was losing.
Lucian wondered if humans could use magic above their rank.
Lysera answered, "Yes—if you deeply understand the magic, have enough mana, and high mana quality. Only gifted mages can."
Lucian smirked: "Like me."
He began analyzing Rage instantly. Tier Four abilities take ten hours to parse and master—but once done, he could cast them, even as a Tier Three mage. That was the system's power.
Curious, he copied more spells from the beast:
Shadow Claw: Tier Three innate dark magic—coats claws in dark energy.
He also copied the wolf's Greenpeak Blade and a Tier Two metal blade spell.
Just then, the Furious Bear roared, its massive paw glowing dark red. Long claws formed instantly, slashing the Greenpeak Wolf and sending it flying with a bone-shattering crack.
The wolf rose, enraged. It slammed its mana into a colossal, three-meter Greenpeak Blade above its head.
Lysera noted, "That's the wolf directing all its mana to one final move with its Tier Three magic—it's going all out."
The Furious Bear didn't dodge. It roared and charged—claws enveloped by Shadow Claw.
Lucian breathed sharply: "WTF—this bear cub's got guts!"
The two attacks collided in a burst of wind that sent foliage swaying back. Lucian squinted at the spectacle.
When the wind died, the Furious Bear stood victorious—victorious, but barely.
…
The massive Greenpeak Blade carved a vicious gash across the Furious Bear's forearms, nearly cleaving them in two. The strike carried through to its shoulder, ripping open flesh and exposing bone.
And with that final blow, the Greenpeak Wolf collapsed to the ground, utterly drained.
"RRAAAGH!!"
Despite its grievous wounds, the Furious Bear didn't falter—instead, it roared again, enraged, and charged straight at the fallen wolf.
The Greenpeak Wolf's eyes filled with bleak resignation. It tried to rise, to escape, but its body refused to move. With its mana depleted and injuries rendering its limbs useless, it could only lie there, watching as death closed in.
"Flashboit!"
Lucian's voice rang out like a command from the heavens.
Thirty beams of light blazed into existence, ripping through the air and hammering into the Furious Bear's back with devastating force.
This time, he didn't hold back.
Lucian burned through eighty percent of his mana in one strike—an all-out assault of thirty Flashboits!
At this range, and with a target that massive, missing wasn't even a possibility.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The barrage struck with thunderous impact. The Furious Bear's entire body trembled violently, blood spurting from dozens of seared wounds as smoke poured from its charred flesh. With a final, trembling heave, it collapsed.
Lucian stood, chest rising and falling, breath a little ragged from the sheer mana output.
That much power all at once had taken a toll—but it was worth it.
Still, he didn't approach immediately. There was no energy surge, no telltale sign of a system notification.
Which meant… the Furious Bear wasn't dead yet.
So Lucian waited.
And once his mana was fully restored…
Another thirty Flashboits!
Lysera: "…"
"Can you try acting like a normal person for once?"
"What kind of mage launches thirty spells at a time?!"
The next wave of beams hammered down. The Furious Bear's body jerked violently before going limp at last. It let out a low, unwilling growl before the light faded from its eyes.
Now it was truly dead.
Lucian could feel it—his body grew tougher, his spirit more focused. A full-body upgrade.
"Clean kill. Beautiful."