Chapter 104: Demon Core
[Fighting Qi Slash has broken through to Mastery (12/400)]
[+0.3 attribute points]
Seeing the messages, Duane knew this solo battle had yielded good results.
When a Basic Skill’s Skill Level broke through, it brought greater insights, and reaching Perfection would even unlock Extraordinary Abilities.
However, other skills didn’t seem to work the same way. For example, when his Fire Source Beast Bone Soup reached Perfection, all he got was an improved recipe, not a new ability.
As for Fighting Qi Slash, at the Initial stage, Duane could use it, but its power was limited and it consumed a lot of Fighting Qi. At the Entry stage, his deeper understanding of the skill increased its power somewhat while slightly reducing its Fighting Qi consumption. At the Skilled stage, its power increased significantly. Not only did the Fighting Qi cost decrease, but using it also became second nature. And now, at the Mastery stage, he could feel that Fighting Qi Slash’s power was further enhanced. The Fighting Qi cost was lower, and he could change the slash’s appearance at will—into the shape of a flower, a Demon Beast, or something else entirely.
’If the Skilled stage uses one unit of Fighting Qi to produce one unit of power, then the Mastery stage is like using 0.8 units of Fighting Qi to produce 1.2 units of power.’
’I wonder what effect it will have when it reaches Perfection.’
As Duane mulled this over, he allocated all 0.3 of his newly acquired attribute points to his Spirit Attribute.
His Spirit Attribute had now increased to 2.9.
Duane could feel that he was on the verge of a breakthrough; perhaps another 0.1 attribute points would be all it took.
He glanced at his attribute panel. His Spirit Swordsmanship’s Skill Level had increased significantly during the recent battle and was now at (Mastery 388/400). He just needed one more fight to break through.
Duane looked toward the other Blazing Giant Snake, intending to hunt it next, but to his surprise, Gaius had already finished his battle.
And the scene was a brutal one—the Flaming Giant Snake had been beheaded.
CLAP CLAP CLAP...
Kaelon, Simone, and the others walked over, applauding.
"Baron, when it comes to Spirit Swordsmanship alone, your skill has already surpassed mine!"
Simone chimed in with his own praise, "During your fight with the giant snake, your footwork and your timing for both offense and defense were impeccable!"
"Indeed!"
Kaelon didn’t know how to explain Duane’s exceptional performance and could only attribute it to his monstrous talent.
"Thank you for the compliments, but to be honest, this big fella was much stronger than the Frog Fish Monsters!"
"That’s true. The Blazing Giant Snake is superior in Strength, speed, and defense."
Snakes, after all, tend to have more balanced attributes, which was one of the reasons Duane had chosen the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill.
"Hardy, how are your injuries?"
"Thank you for your concern, Baron. I just took a fall, I’m perfectly fine!"
Duane nodded. "Alright. Go check on your teammates."
After a quick check, it turned out two men had been sent flying and suffered some sprains, leaving them with more serious injuries. The others were fine and had no major issues.
"Gaius, have the more seriously injured men stay here and recuperate for a few days. Don’t have them come out on patrol. Your squad should also tighten its defensive perimeter; just focus on ensuring the safety of the area immediately around the mine."
"Yes, my lord!"
In truth, the two injured men were just ordinary people with slightly greater-than-average strength, so their absence didn’t significantly impact the squad’s overall combat effectiveness.
"Get some men to carry these two snakes back. We’ll have a snake meat feast for lunch today!"
A Flaming Giant Snake was no light load. One about ten meters long could weigh up to 220 pounds and would yield a considerable amount of meat.
Eating Demon Beast Meat didn’t directly increase one’s attribute points.
So, Duane gave all the meat from both snakes to Gaius’s squad, not even keeping the skins.
After all, this was a form of extra income for their guard duty.
If Duane claimed it all for himself, the men would lose their motivation for future work.
Panting, Owington hurried to ask, "My lord, are we having lunch at the mine?"
"Yes, we’ll eat here. Didn’t you bring some spices in your pack? This is the perfect chance to use them."
Owington had only brought them just in case; he never expected to actually use them.
"Kaelon, Simone, you’ll scout the area with me this afternoon. I want to see if there are any other Demon Beasts around. I’d like to get some more practice in."
His Spirit Swordsmanship was about to break through, and Duane wanted to see what effect a Combat Technique at the Perfection stage would have, so he decided he might as well not head back yet.
Gaius approached him. "Baron, if you’re looking to train, the Hot Spring Mountain Range is a more suitable place than Thorn Valley."
As he spoke, he plunged his longsword into the Flaming Giant Snake’s head. With a light flick, a fiery red orb flew out, and he caught it deftly.
"My lord, we’ll gladly accept the snake meat and skins you’ve gifted us, but these two items will be of far greater value in your hands."
Duane accepted the two orbs Gaius handed him. "These are Demon Cores, right?"
The body’s original owner had studied this subject, so Duane had some knowledge about them; he just hadn’t thought of it until now.
Basically, any Demon Beast that reached Level 2 would form a Demon Core in its body. These cores were the source of a Demon Beast’s power.
Although both Demon Cores in his hand came from Blazing Giant Snakes, they were different from each other.
One was a pale red, while the other was a deep crimson, its surface etched with patterns that looked like flickering flames.
The reason for this difference was that the Blazing Giant Snake with the crimson Demon Core had been able to use Flame Magic.
The Spell Model for this Flame Magic was imprinted within the Demon Core.
An ordinary person couldn’t see it; only a Mage capable of Meditation could perceive it.
Because of this, hunting Demon Beasts to obtain their cores was one of the primary ways for early Mages to acquire new Spell Models.
In this case, a Demon Core imprinted with a Spell Model was far more valuable than one that could only be used as a "replenishment" source.
Duane already possessed three Fire Magic Spell Models: the Level 1 Flame Technique, the Level 2 Fireball Technique, and the Level 3 Flame Burst Technique.
The spell the Blazing Giant Snake had just used didn’t seem to be any of these three. If Duane became a Mage in the future, he could certainly study it.
"Thanks!"
Gaius quickly waved his hands. "These were your spoils to begin with, my lord. There’s no need for such politeness!"
After a short rest, the group started heading back the way they came.
On the way, Duane suddenly remembered something Gaius had said earlier and immediately called the man to his side.
"You mentioned a moment ago that the Hot Spring Mountain Range is more suitable for training than Thorn Valley. Why is that?"
Gaius had indeed said that.
"Although the Hot Spring Mountain Range is quite large, there’s nothing particularly unusual about it. The most common Demon Beasts, aside from wolves and leopards, are Red Flame Scorpions, Blazing Giant Snakes, and the Fire Rock Demons deeper in. They are generally all below Level 5 in strength."
At this, he glanced at Kaelon. "With the Guard Officer present, your safety won’t be an issue."
Duane understood. "So, you’re saying Thorn Valley is more dangerous? Are there Demon Beasts above Level 5 there?"
"Yes!"
Gaius confirmed without hesitation. "Bard and I ran into a black bear there years ago and nearly died fighting it! According to Bard, that thing was either at the Peak of Level 5, or it was a Level 6 beast!"
A Level 6 Demon Beast was equivalent to a human Celestial Tier Warrior.
Furthermore, thanks to their natural advantages, even a Demon Beast that had just reached Level 6 would be significantly stronger than an average Celestial Tier Warrior.
Hearing this, Kaelon shook his head slightly. "If it were Level 6, you couldn’t possibly have escaped alive."
Simone added, "Yes, Bard must have been exaggerating."
Gaius didn’t argue, because he knew they had a point.
"Besides the Black Bear, there’s another dangerous place deep within Thorn Valley. On the entire Black Forest Island, I’m afraid Bard and I were the only ones who knew about it."
Now that Bard was dead, he was the only one left who knew.
Duane and the others were immediately intrigued. "What dangerous place?"
Gaius said, "A Secret Realm!"