After some time—
a figure suddenly appeared high above a massive lake.
Lían was suspended in the air.
Lizarius sat quietly on top of his head.
Lían's stomach immediately churned.
"...Ugh."
He quickly covered his mouth with both hands.
His face paled slightly.
*I don't feel so good.*
He swallowed hard.
*Where are we?*
His eyes moved around.
*Why did Master stop?*
His thoughts hadn't even finished—
when the force holding his body in the air suddenly disappeared.
"...Huh?"
Lían froze.
His body immediately began falling.
*Wait.*
His eyes widened.
*I'm falling?!*
He looked downward.
The massive lake rapidly approached.
"...Master?!"
But before he could do anything—
his stomach twisted violently.
Lían's expression changed.
"...Oh no."
He couldn't hold it anymore.
**BLEGH!**
He vomited in midair.
The moment he finished—
**SPLASH!**
His body plunged directly into the lake.
Water erupted around him.
**SPLASH!**
Lían disappeared beneath the surface.
For several moments—
only bubbles rose from the lake.
Then—
**WHOOSH!**
Lían shot out of the water.
He landed lightly upon the surface.
His clothes were completely soaked.
Water dripped from his hair.
He took a deep breath.
"...Haaah."
He wiped his mouth.
Then—
he looked upward.
"Master?"
Nothing.
Lían's eyes moved around.
"Master?"
Still nothing.
He looked across the enormous lake.
"...Where did he go?"
He frowned.
"Wasn't he supposed to take me home?"
Lían glanced around again.
"Instead, he just dropped me off on a—"
He stopped.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the water beneath his feet.
Then—
his eyes widened.
"...Wait."
He looked farther across the lake.
The surrounding mountains.
The distant shoreline.
The familiar landscape.
Lían's expression gradually changed.
"...This lake."
He crouched slightly.
He touched the water with his fingers.
His eyes widened.
"...This is the lake near the village."
He looked around again.
A smile slowly appeared.
"Right."
"So Master actually brought me back."
Lían sighed.
"But..."
He looked upward.
"...Couldn't he have taken me all the way home?"
He rubbed his forehead.
"He could've just dropped me off near the village."
"Why throw me into the lake?"
Silence.
Lían sighed again.
"...Whatever."
He looked toward the distant shore.
"At least I'm back."
He slowly turned his attention downward.
The massive lake stretched beneath him.
Its surface remained calm.
Lían stared at the water.
Then—
his eyes narrowed slightly.
"...I haven't been here in a while."
He looked at the water beneath his feet.
A faint smile appeared.
"Maybe I should take a look."
His Water Elemental Physique quietly responded.
The lake seemed to call to him.
Lían slowly lowered his hand toward the surface.
"...I've gotten much stronger since the last time I was here."
He paused.
Then—
a thought suddenly surfaced.
"...I wonder how much stronger I can become if I cultivate here."
Lían slowly descended beneath the surface.
The moment he entered the water—
his surroundings became completely silent.
Yet—
he could breathe.
His Water Elemental Physique continued circulating naturally.
Lían looked around.
The water stretched endlessly in every direction.
Faint strands of spiritual energy drifted through the depths.
He slowly began swimming deeper.
The farther he went—
the darker the lake became.
The sunlight from the surface gradually disappeared.
Lían continued downward.
His eyes adjusted to the darkness.
At the same time—
his Spiritual Physique quietly expanded his perception.
*I should be able to sense it.*
He continued moving.
Deeper.
Deeper.
The surrounding water became increasingly dense.
Then—
Lían suddenly stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
"...There."
He could feel it.
A strange concentration of elemental energy.
Water Essence.
Dense spiritual energy gathered in one particular direction.
Lían slowly turned.
"...That's definitely it."
He swam toward the source.
But—
after moving only a short distance—
his expression suddenly changed.
"...Wait."
Something else was there.
Something enormous.
Lían's eyes narrowed.
*What's that?*
The darkness ahead suddenly shifted.
The water began trembling.
**BOOM!**
A massive shadow rose from the depths.
Lían immediately moved backward.
His hand went into his pouch toward Thunder Vein.
The enormous creature continued ascending.
Its body was covered in thick blue scales.
A massive fish-like head emerged from the darkness.
Two enormous horns curved backward from its skull.
Its mouth opened.
Rows of sharp teeth appeared.
Its enormous body stretched through the water.
Lían stared.
"...So..."
His expression slowly became complicated.
"The clam is gone..."
"And you decided to take over?"
The massive creature stared at him.
Its crimson eyes glowed faintly through the darkness.
Lían slowly sighed.
"...Did Master know about this?"
He frowned.
"Is that why he dropped me here?"
The thought immediately irritated him.
"That annoying little lizard..."
Lían rubbed his forehead.
"Seriously."
He looked toward the massive beast again.
"But..."
His expression gradually became serious.
"I guess it can't be helped."
The beast suddenly opened its jaws.
**ROOOAAAR!**
The water violently surged outward.
Lían's hair and clothes were pushed backward.
His grip tightened around Thunder Vein.
He looked at the creature carefully.
Then—
his eyes narrowed.
"...Third Stage."
A faint smile appeared.
"So you're another Third Stage beast."
The massive horned fish charged.
**BOOM!**
Lían immediately drew Thunder Vein.
**SHING!**
Lightning faintly crawled across the dark blade.
Lían's eyes sharpened.
"I just reached the Third Stage myself."
He raised his sword.
"But I still need to become stronger."
The creature opened its enormous jaws.
Lían's body shifted.
"...So..."
He stared directly into its crimson eyes.
"I can't let you live."
The horned fish lunged.
Lían disappeared into the darkness.
**BOOM!**
Lizarius stood silently in the forest among the trees.
His body had already returned to its normal size.
Below him—
the corpse of a demon beast lay motionless among the trees.
Its body was covered in wounds.
Blood had already spread across the surrounding ground.
Lizarius lowered himself.
His jaws opened.
Without hesitation—
he began consuming the corpse.
The flesh disappeared rapidly between his jaws.
Moments later—
only fragments remained.
A familiar mechanical voice echoed within his mind.
**[6,490 Evolution Points acquired.]**
Lizarius' golden eyes remained calm.
Then—
another notification appeared.
**[Earth Back Poison Frog Bloodline Gene acquired.]**
Lizarius didn't react.
Instead—
his gaze shifted toward the remains of the corpse.
A core remained on the bloodstained earth.
He opened his mouth.
The core immediately flew toward him.
**Gulp.**
He swallowed it whole.
A surge of energy spread through his body.
Lizarius calmly absorbed it.
He raised his head.
His golden eyes slowly swept across the surrounding forest.
Then—
he stopped.
Something was watching him.
Lizarius remained motionless.
His senses spread outward.
The forest remained quiet.
Leaves moved gently beneath the wind.
Branches swayed.
Nothing appeared unusual.
Yet—
he slowly turned his head.
Far several dozen kilometers away, between the trees—
a pair of eyes stared back at him.
The moment those eyes met his—
they widened.
The watcher immediately realized its mistake.
*It noticed me.*
It quickly turned around.
Its body prepared to flee.
But—
before it could move—
space seemed to distort.
Lizarius disappeared.
The next instant—
he was already standing above the watcher.
His shadow completely covered the creature.
The serpent froze.
Its body stiffened.
Lizarius' golden eyes looked down.
His jaws slowly opened.
Rows of sharp teeth became visible.
The watcher trembled violently.
"Please!"
Lizarius stopped.
The watcher quickly lowered its head.
"Please, I beg you, don't kill me!"
"I apologize!"
"I shouldn't have watched you!"
Lizarius' jaws remained open for another moment.
Then—
slowly—
they closed.
His golden eyes remained fixed upon the serpent.
For several seconds—
he simply stared.
The creature beneath him was a serpent.
Its scales were completely black.
A single crimson horn protruded from the center of its forehead.
Its body was long and slender.
Yet—
what interested Lizarius most wasn't its appearance.
It could speak.
Lizarius had encountered countless demon beasts.
Most reacted in one of two ways.
They attacked.
Or—
they fled.
Only the fox had ever spoken to him directly.
And now—
this serpent was speaking as well.
Lizarius quietly observed it.
The serpent remained completely still.
Inside its mind—
fear overwhelmed every other thought.
*What kind of beast is this?*
*I couldn't even see it move.*
*One moment it was there...*
*The next...*
*It was already above me.*
The serpent's body trembled.
*If I hadn't surrendered immediately...*
*I'd already be dead.*
But there was something else.
Something even more frightening.
The pressure coming from Lizarius wasn't simply because he was stronger.
The serpent could feel something suppressing its Bloodline.
Its instincts screamed at it.
*Draconic Bloodline.*
*He possesses a Draconic Bloodline.*
*And it's incredibly powerful.*
The serpent had sensed it from the moment Lizarius noticed it.
It had been watching from a safe distance.
Yet—
that distance had meant nothing.
Lizarius had crossed it instantly.
The serpent slowly raised its head.
"I..."
"I truly didn't intend to offend you."
Lizarius remained silent.
His golden eyes continued examining the creature.
Within his mind—
he quietly questioned the system.
*"Identify it."*
The mechanical voice responded immediately.
**[Analyzing target.]**
Lizarius waited.
The serpent remained frozen beneath him.
Then—
the system responded.
**[Target identified.]**
**[Species: Blood Horn Python.]**
Lizarius' eyes narrowed slightly.
The system continued.
**[Bloodline: Blood Horn Python.]**
**[Bloodline Grade: Earth Grade.]**
Lizarius' gaze immediately shifted toward the crimson horn.
*Earth Grade.*
He examined it carefully.
The horn wasn't simply a physical growth.
A strange energy was concentrated within it.
The system continued.
**[Bloodline Ability: Blood Essence Storage.]**
Lizarius remained silent.
**[The Blood Horn Python possesses a specialized horn capable of storing Blood Essence.]**
**[Blood Essence absorbed by the Blood Horn Python is stored within the horn rather than immediately refined.]**
**[While stored, the Blood Essence undergoes continuous purification.]**
Lizarius' golden eyes narrowed.
The system continued.
**[The longer the Blood Essence remains within the horn, the purer its quality becomes.]**
**[Purified Blood Essence may be consumed by the Blood Horn Python at any time.]**
**[Consumption will allow the Blood Horn Python to strengthen its physical body and improve the quality of its own Bloodline.]**
Lizarius stared at the crimson horn.
*So that's its ability.*
*It stores Blood Essence.*
*Then purifies it over time.*
His gaze remained thoughtful.