Chapter 117 - 98: Extraordinary Artifact Forging Furnace, The Greatly Changed Lion-headed Goose
Without hesitation, he immediately rolled out of bed.
An Extraordinary Artifact forged from the remains of an Extraordinary Creature would contain its power and significantly increase his combat strength.
’The sooner I get my hands on something like this, the better my chances of survival...’
With the addition of several farm plots, pastures, and mud pits, the living room was starting to feel cramped.
Chen Chong had no choice but to place the Forging Furnace in his bedroom.
After looking around, he placed it next to the incubator. There was an empty space there, which was perfect.
The Card vanished...
A massive, jet-black furnace, a full three meters tall and two meters wide, appeared in its place, exuding an ancient aura.
Chen Chong stared, mesmerized, at the behemoth before him.
’Damn. Good thing the apartment ceiling is just over three meters high. If it were any lower, this thing would’ve punched right through it.’
"What is this made of?"
"Steel? Or stone?"
Chen Chong touched the Forging Furnace. A cold sensation spread through his hand, making it impossible to tell what it was made of.
He examined the furnace body. Though it was pitch-black, it was covered in countless exquisite reliefs of strange beasts, which extended from its legs all the way to its top.
None of the beasts depicted were normal creatures. They were all bizarre, each one more unique than the last.
’These must be depictions of Extraordinary Creatures,’ Chen Chong guessed. ’I just don’t recognize most of them because I’ve never seen them before...’
The body of the Forging Furnace was seamless, with no gaps or cracks, save for a furnace door, over a meter square, set at about waist height.
If not for the handle, its fit was so perfect that no one would have ever noticed it was there.
He pulled the furnace door open...
WHOOSH—
A blast of heat rushed to meet him, and the scorching temperature made Chen Chong instinctively take a few steps back.
The inside of the Forging Furnace was a sea of fiery red. Some unknown material burned within, filling the entire interior...
’I’m so confused,’ Chen Chong thought. ’How can the outside feel so cold when the inside is this hot?’
But he quickly let it go.
Structures created from Cards defied common sense. Just like the incubator, they contained an Extraordinary Power that ordinary people couldn’t comprehend.
’Who cares how it works? As long as it’s useful, that’s all that matters.’
Hoisting up the horn that was half a man’s height, Chen Chong tossed it directly into the Forging Furnace.
After entering the Extraordinary Forging Furnace, the horn didn’t sink to the bottom. Instead, it hovered in midair.
The flames inside the furnace grew more ferocious, and tongues of fire began to lick at the horn.
As the flames quickly engulfed it, the iron-hard horn began to visibly melt, coalescing in midair...
After closing the furnace door, Chen Chong belatedly muttered to himself, "I guess this is how you use it. It’s got only one door, so this must be the way to put things in."
"’I wonder how long it’ll take to forge. Oh well, I’ll check on it tonight...’"
Shifting his thoughts from the Forging Furnace, he turned his attention to the second Card.
It was another Ability Card, and from its name alone, he could tell it was something special.
[Card Type: Ability Card - Rapid Recovery]
[Rating: B-Level]
[Description: Upon use, grants rapid recovery from all forms of bodily exhaustion—physical stamina, mental energy, and even injuries will be quickly healed and restored.]
[Note: The effect of this Ability Card is permanent. If a higher-level card of the same ability is assimilated, it will overwrite the lower-level ability and provide a minor enhancement.]
"Use!"
Having understood the Rapid Recovery ability, Chen Chong didn’t hesitate for a second and used it on the spot.
An ability like this was far too useful.
A powerful regenerative ability would give him far more stamina than an ordinary person.
What’s more, it could even rapidly heal his wounds.
Though it was only a B-Level ability, in Chen Chong’s mind, it was definitely on par with an A-Level one.
Feeling a wellspring of boundless energy surging within him, Chen Chong smiled...
’It’s been eleven days since I came to this world. By constantly hunting and accumulating points, I’ve obtained five abilities, not to mention the Recruitment Cards and Building Cards.’
’One was a one-time boost... All-Around Enhancement.’
’Four were permanent... Beastly Intuition, Water Mastery, Stoneform, and now, Rapid Recovery.’
’With the help of these abilities, I’ve long since surpassed ordinary humans.’
’My chances of surviving encounters with Extraordinary Creatures and even more dangerous situations are increasing, little by little...’
...
"Hu Zi?"
He stepped out of his room and called out. The Tiger Striped Dog immediately came running.
Chen Chong quickly looked it over, wanting to see if it had undergone a drastic change like it did after eating the Terror Wolf King’s heart, now that it had consumed the Bloodthirsty Vine’s Core Vine.
The Tiger Striped Dog still looked the same—over a meter long, with its mottled coat and dashing appearance.
It looked exactly the same as it had yesterday. If he had to point out any change at all...
...its coat’s colors were more distinct.
The yellow had turned completely to gold, and the black was as deep as ink, creating a striking contrast.
And he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but aside from its appearance, the Tiger Striped Dog’s body felt harder to the touch.
Even the hind leg that had been injured by the Unihorn Catfish yesterday was now completely healed; it ran without the slightest discomfort.
But Chen Chong didn’t know if this was a result of eating the Core Vine or from its steady diet of Terror Wolf King meat.
’The changes aren’t that significant, huh?’
’Maybe the effects just haven’t kicked in yet? Or maybe there were no effects at all?’
Just as Chen Chong was pondering this...
HONK HONK HONK!
The Lion-headed Goose came running from the pasture.
The moment he saw it, Chen Chong almost drew his knife on instinct, thinking a monster from the jungle had gotten into his apartment.
The Lion-headed Goose was completely different from how it had looked yesterday...
Its mottled brown and white feathers had all turned a single, uniform color: black.
Its wings had grown wider, its webbed feet now sported sharp talons, its beak was as sharp as a blade, and its neck was longer.
A layer of upward-sweeping, curved feathers had even grown around its eyes, transforming its once endearingly goofy appearance into something fiercely aggressive.
The Lion-headed Goose used to weigh around twenty-two pounds; now... it had to be at least forty-four.
It had doubled in size!
To say the difference between its appearance now and less than a night ago was like night and day would be no exaggeration.
In fact, it barely had any goose-like features left. It looked more like a larger, fattened-up eagle, covered in the traits of a bird of prey.
As expected, the Lion-headed Goose had transcended the category of ordinary poultry. Like the Tiger Striped Dog, it was on its way to becoming an Extraordinary Creature...
The more Chen Chong looked at the Lion-headed Goose, the more... impressive he found it.
’This form is nothing like a goose. Judging by its beak, talons, wings, and other features, it’s a dangerous bird of prey, through and through!’
’If any of the other students saw it outside, they would never associate it with a goose. They’d just assume it was some special creature, like a Fear Wolf or a toxic hornet.’
If its honk hadn’t been the same, Chen Chong wouldn’t have recognized it as the Lion-headed Goose at all.
Despite the Lion-headed Goose’s extreme transformation, its Loyalty, like the Tiger Striped Dog’s, remained at 100. This put Chen Chong completely at ease.
Still...
...both the Lion-headed Goose and the Tiger Striped Dog had eaten the Core Vine. Why had the dog’s changes been so minor, while the goose’s were so dramatic?
Unable to figure out the reason, Chen Chong decided to stop thinking about it. As long as they were mutating and evolving toward becoming Extraordinary Creatures while remaining loyal, it was a good thing.
"Alright, alright. Go on and play."
He patted the Lion-headed Goose’s head, and it waddled away, content.
Since its evolution, its body had become longer and more slender. It no longer waddled, but moved with a crane-like grace.
Its form, however, was extremely aggressive, looking as if it might pounce and kill at any moment.
Watching it move away, Chen Chong wondered, ’Will the Lion-headed Goose continue to evolve after eating the Core Vine, or will it stay like this?’
Just then, Xu Jun walked out of his room, rubbing his eyes. He happened upon the Lion-headed Goose, which was patrolling in front of the door.
The Lion-headed Goose looked at him.
He froze...
After a long moment of confrontation, Xu Jun laughed.
"Heh... Am I dreaming...?"
...