SS Awakening: My Monster Merging System!

The black and gold spring water churned silently.

It was only a pool less than a hundred meters wide, yet standing before the Myriad Beast Soul Spring, Zich vaguely felt as though he were facing not a spring, but an ocean formed from the souls of countless ancient beasts.

Enormous beastly silhouettes flickered in and out of sight within the depths.

There were giant birds whose wings could blot out the sky, ancient beasts whose heads alone were as massive as mountains, and even creatures with outlines so distorted that he could not identify their species at all.

[Myriad Beast Baptism has begun.]

[Beast type summons may enter the Myriad Beast Soul Spring to receive its baptism.]

[The effects of the baptism will be determined by the target’s bloodline, potential, and compatibility with the Myriad Beast Soul Spring.]

[Each living being may receive the baptism only once.]

Zich stared at the final line for two seconds.

In other words, this was not a place that could be used repeatedly to gain levels.

Since that was the case, there was naturally no reason to hold anything back.

"Why are you stopping it?" He looked at Tiamant.

The dragon’s tail was still wrapped around the struggling Slimy.

"Bo! Bo!"

Slimy was clearly extremely displeased.

The Ancient Beast Soul’s aged voice came from behind them.

"That little dragon sensed it."

Zich turned around.

"Sensed what?"

"The Myriad Beast Soul Spring does not contain mere power. Countless remnants of dead beast souls slumber within this place. The baptism can purify bloodlines and strengthen souls, but it also means enduring the assault of those lingering wills. The greater one’s potential, the more power one will awaken, and the stronger the impact one must endure."

Zich understood right away. Tiamant was not trying to prevent Slimy from entering. It was merely assessing the danger.

"Could it die?"

"Possibly."

The Ancient Beast Soul did not conceal the truth.

"But if it cannot withstand even the faint remnants left behind by the dead, what right does it have to inherit their power?"

Zich lowered his gaze toward Slimy.

"Do you still want to enter?"

"Bo!"

There was not the slightest hesitation. Even though it was very bubbly and looked harmless, Slimy was a very brave and fearless slime!

A subtle smile appeared on Zich’s face.

"All right."

Only then did Tiamant loosen its tail.

Whoosh!

Slimy instantly transformed into a translucent blur and shot forward.

Splash!

Black and gold water sprayed into the air.

Boom!

The previously tranquil Soul Spring began to boil!

"Bo?!"

Slimy did not even have time to celebrate before dozens of black and gold beast phantoms rose from the spring, transformed into pure energy, and poured madly into its tiny body.

Its translucent form immediately began swelling like a balloon.

"Bo!!"

For a moment, Zich wondered if the little thing was actually going to explode.

Meanwhile, system notifications were already refreshing frantically.

[Summon "Slimy" is receiving the Myriad Beast Baptism.]

[High purity beast soul energy detected.]

[Level increased!]

[Level increased!]

[Bloodline is undergoing slight purification...]

The smile on Zich’s face deepened at the notification. He turned to his other summons.

"Go on."

Blood Leech and the Silverback Ape stepped forward. Behind them, Iron’s heavy body emerged from the summoning array.

As for the Skeleton Soldiers, they remained not far away. They were merely disposable summons, so he did not tell them to go first. It was rather cruel of him, but limited opportunities should naturally be given to his strongest summons first.

The three beasts, clearly sensing the changes occurring within Slimy through their bond, did not hesitate and jumped into the black and gold Soul Spring.

Boom!

Three more surges of beast soul energy rose.

This time, however, the reactions were noticeably different.

Most of the beast phantoms surrounding the Blood Leech and Silverback Ape Grunt possessed savage and bloodthirsty forms. Although fewer beast souls gathered around Iron, every single one of them radiated an immensely heavy presence.

The entire Soul Spring began fluctuating with increasing violence.

Zich watched silently. Tiamant had not entered yet, even though she was the one he truly wanted to observe. He felt the baptism would be far more effective for her.

As though sensing his attention, Tiamant raised its head.

Their eyes met.

"It’s your turn," Zich said with a nod.

Tiamant did not move immediately.

"Human. Prepare yourself," the aged Beast Soul’s voice sounded in his ears.

Zich frowned. "What do you mean?"

Before the Ancient Beast Soul could respond, the bone dragon had already taken its first step.

Splash.

A dragon claw entered the Soul Spring. However, nothing as dramatic as Zich had expected happened.

Step. Step.

Even after Tiamant’s entire body had entered the black and gold spring, its surroundings remained terrifyingly silent.

The other summons were still continuously absorbing energy. Only the area around Tiamant remained completely untouched by any beast soul.

Zich’s attention sharpened.

Had it failed?

The thought had barely formed when the entire Myriad Beast Burial Ground shook violently!

Rumble! Rumble!

It was not the Soul Spring.

It was the entire land!

Across the black plain, the giant beast skeletons that had lain dormant for countless years began lighting up one after another.

Countless faint traces of spirituality buried deep within the skeletons, which even the Myriad Beast Soul Spring had been unable to awaken, stirred to life in unison.

The Ancient Beast Soul’s eyes, resembling stars on the verge of fading away, opened wide.

"This..."

Before its voice could fade, the entire Myriad Beast Soul Spring erupted.

Boom!!!

A black and gold pillar of water shot into the sky.

Tens of thousands of beast phantoms emerged from the spring, yet not a single one entered Tiamant’s body.

They merely hovered in the air. Then, layer after layer, they lowered their heads like ministers bowing before their king.

Tiamant stood at the center of the Myriad Beast Soul Spring. Its Level 1 aura had not changed in the slightest, but for the first time, the entirety of the Myriad Beast Burial Ground was reflected within its dark golden vertical pupils.

[The Myriad Beast Soul Spring has detected an unknown higher order bloodline.]

[Standard baptism method cannot be applied.]

[Reevaluating...]

[Reevaluating...]

[Evaluation complete.]

Zich’s expression changed.

A dark golden system notification, completely different from all the previous ones, appeared before him.

[Warning!]

[Summon "Tiamant" is actively devouring the core power of the Myriad Beast Baptism.]

Boom!

At the center of the Soul Spring, Tiamant opened its mouth.

The water level of the entire Myriad Beast Soul Spring began to fall.