Chapter 10 - Magical Beast Mountain Range

The Boundless Magical Beast Mountain RangeStretching endlessly as far as the eye could see, the Magical Beast Mountain Range was a wilderness where ancient trees—some hundreds, even thousands of years old—towered overhead, their canopies blotting out the sky. Tangled weeds carpeted the ground, and thorny brambles grew in thick clusters. Fallen leaves lay in a thick, decaying layer, crunching underfoot with every step. Gnarled vines and dense underbrush choked the forest floor on all sides."Deep in a primeval forest like this, with such overgrown weeds and vines, a Magical Beast could be hiding just ten meters away and remain completely invisible," Baruch mused. As a peak Seventh-Rank Warrior, his senses were razor-sharp, alert to the faintest stirrings around him. To be doubly safe, he cast a Wind Magic spell—Wind of Detection—to scout the path ahead.Right then, in a patch of tall grass nearly waist-high, a python lay coiled in ambush. Its forked tongue flicked in and out as it lunged suddenly, striking like a bolt of lightning."A Fourth-Rank Wind Magical Beast—the Wind Python!"Baruch recognized it instantly."Die!" he roared. With one hand, he seized the python's head; with the other, its tail. He pulled with all his might, tearing the beast clean in two with a sickening rip."A Fourth-Rank Core!" Baruch waved a hand, tucking the beast's crystal core away. True, a Fourth-Rank core was worth only a hundred gold coins—but as the saying went, even a small profit was better than none. His annual expenses amounted to less than forty gold coins anyway.Baruch cast Wind of Detection again, scanning his surroundings. At his level as a Fifth-Rank Mage, the spell's range extended a full hundred meters."So many Magical Beasts," he sighed in amazement. "Within a hundred meters of here, there are ten First-Rank Magic Rabbits and three Second-Rank Earth Scorpions."Wind of Detection allowed him to sense the shape and aura of living creatures."Still, these First and Second-Rank beasts flee at the first sight of humans—they never attack voluntarily." Baruch paid them no mind at all. First and Second-Rank Magical Beasts were the lowest of the low in the beast hierarchy, hunted not only by stronger beasts but also by humans. Many warriors made their living by capturing these weak beasts and selling their meat.Aside from the venomous Earth Scorpions, which could injure humans, none of these low-rank beasts posed any lethal threat.Baruch moved silently through the forest, keeping a sharp eye on his surroundings as he gradually ventured deeper into the mountain range."The Magical Beast Mountain Range stretches over ten thousand li long and roughly seven to eight hundred li wide," Baruch recalled everything he had read about the range. "The outermost hundred li are dominated by low-rank beasts. Venture more than a hundred li in, and you'll find mostly Fifth and Sixth-Rank beasts. Go even deeper, and Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth-Rank beasts are everywhere. As for the innermost core... that's where Saint-Rank Magical Beasts make their lairs." He added silently, "Though these are just general rules. It's not unheard of for high-rank beasts to wander into the outer regions."Baruch knew that the most dangerous creatures in the outer reaches of the range were wolves. Wolves were pack animals—a single misstep could attract dozens, even hundreds or thousands of them. An encounter with a pack of ten thousand wolves could spell doom even for an Eighth-Rank Mage Lord.Deep in the ancient forest, the dense canopy of leaves blocked almost all the rain. Only occasional droplets managed to seep through. After traveling for some time, Baruch concluded that the outer regions of the Magical Beast Mountain Range were not particularly dangerous—as long as one stayed vigilant, survival was almost guaranteed."Hmm? A One-Horned Boar!" Baruch turned his head in surprise. A hundred meters away, a One-Horned Boar was cautiously surveying its surroundings. If Baruch hadn't been standing on higher ground, he would never have spotted it.A smile tugged at Baruch's lips. One-Horned Boars were only Third-Rank Earth Magical Beasts, capable of casting just one spell—Earth Spike. For the past few days in the mountain range, he had feasted on One-Horned Boar meat for almost every meal; it was surprisingly delicious.Baruch moved like a shadow through the trees, then hurled an Ice Lance straight at the boar. The lance pierced the beast's throat, killing it instantly."The Magical Beast Mountain Range really is the perfect place for training," Baruch sighed. It had been four days since he entered the range, and in that time, he had killed over a hundred Third-Rank beasts and another hundred Fourth-Rank ones—using nothing but magic for every kill.His control over magic had improved dramatically; his overall magical power had increased by at least fifty percent compared to before.Baruch cut open the boar's skull, dug out its crystal core, and tucked it into his belt. Then he used a short dagger to skin and clean the carcass, built a fire, and began roasting the meat.Half an hour later, Baruch tore off a roasted pork knuckle and took a bite. He wrapped the remaining meat in cloth, slung the bundle over his shoulder, and continued walking while eating."Absolutely delicious!" he praised. "Far better than the meat of domestic pigs—so much more flavorful." One-Horned Boar knuckles were a famous delicacy in Finlay City, served in many of the city's finest restaurants.Later that day, Baruch arrived at a valley crisscrossed by a crystal-clear river, where countless fish darted and played in the water.Thud... Thud... Thud...A faint vibration suddenly rumbled through the ground. The rhythm was unmistakably that of heavy footsteps. Baruch focused his gaze—and there, a hundred meters away, a towering, blurry silhouette emerged from the trees. In the blink of an eye, the figure sharpened into focus.It stood two stories tall, its massive body covered in fire-red scales as large as shields. Its thick, scaled limbs ended in razor-sharp claws, and its tail—half again as long as its body—swished back and forth with whip-like speed and agility. Its eyes were the size of lanterns, glowing an eerie, ruby-red hue as it stared intently at the river. Puffs of sulfurous white steam billowed from its nostrils at regular intervals."A Velociraptor! A Seventh-Rank Magical Beast Velociraptor!"The Velociraptor's lantern-like eyes locked onto Baruch, and it let out an angry roar that echoed through the valley. Then it broke into a dead sprint, charging straight for him."Perfect timing!" Baruch's eyes lit up with excitement. Ever since entering the mountain range, he had relied solely on magic, never once drawing on his Dou Qi.The Velociraptor roared again, unleashing a towering inferno that swept toward Baruch. Unfazed, Baruch summoned a thin layer of cyan Dou Qi, forming a barrier that blocked the flames completely.The beast's ruby eyes flared brighter. Its tail lashed through the air, striking at Baruch with blinding speed."Get lost!" Baruch threw a punch, meeting the Velociraptor's powerful blow head-on without the slightest hesitation.BOOM!!!A surge of immense force slammed into Baruch, sending him staggering back three steps. The Velociraptor was thrown back four steps, its roar of rage reverberating through the forest. It couldn't believe it—a mere human had forced it back with raw strength!"The Velociraptor's strength is incredible—almost as great as my own!" Baruch was stunned. As a Dragonblood Warrior, his strength, speed, defense, and offensive power were all far beyond those of ordinary warriors. And as a peak Seventh-Rank Warrior, he was far more powerful than a Seventh-Rank Magical Beast."But this is exactly what I need!" Baruch grinned, his body thrumming with fighting spirit. For days, he had been defeating his opponents with ease, never once engaging in a truly exhilarating battle. Now that he had finally found a worthy adversary, he had no intention of holding back.Baruch moved at his absolute top speed, leaving an afterimage behind as he lunged forward and punched the Velociraptor squarely on the head. The beast roared in fury, charging at Baruch, and the two began to clash in a fierce, earth-shaking battle.In less than a quarter of an hour, every tree in the valley had been reduced to splinters, shattered by the Velociraptor's tail. Baruch looked utterly disheveled—his clothes were torn to rags, his hair a tangled mess—but his eyes blazed with excitement as he continued to trade blows with the beast.ROAR!!! The Velociraptor was consumed by rage. This puny human had left it covered in wounds, pushing it to the brink of madness. Its eyes burned with fiery fury, and its aura began to skyrocket."Hmm?" Baruch's expression shifted. He could sense the beast's aura surging, its power rising rapidly. "No! The Velociraptor is breaking through—it's evolving into an Eighth-Rank Velociraptor King!"All Magical Beasts had innate limits. For example, Gale Wolves were usually Third to Fourth-Rank, with only the pack leader reaching Fifth-Rank. Velociraptors were normally Seventh-Rank—but if one managed to break through its innate limits, it would evolve into an Eighth-Rank Velociraptor King!In the blink of an eye, the Velociraptor broke through its bottleneck, transforming into an Eighth-Rank Velociraptor King. Its body doubled in size, becoming even more imposing, and the flames it spewed burned hotter than ever—so hot that Baruch could feel the intense heat even from a distance."Damn it—this is getting out of hand!" Baruch stared at the Velociraptor King's enraged gaze, a chill running down his spine. "An Eighth-Rank Magical Beast... if I don't undergo Dragon Transformation, I'll be torn to pieces!""Fine, then. This place is deserted—let's see what I truly look like when I transform!" Baruch activated the transformation technique recorded in the Dragon Blood Codex."Huh? Why does it not hurt at all?" Baruch froze in surprise. He had expected the transformation to be agonizing, but he felt no pain whatsoever—only a strange sense of shrinking. His hands and feet vanished, and he felt as if he were floating in midair. He looked down—and saw himself hovering three meters above the ground, his body covered in tiny, beautiful cyan scales.He noticed that the once-enraged Velociraptor King now stared at him with pure terror, dropping to its knees and pressing its body flat against the ground in complete submission."I... I turned into a dragon? A cyan dragon?" Baruch stared at his reflection in the river, dumbfounded. Staring back at him was a small cyan dragon, about a meter long, with razor-sharp claws and small but prominent dragon horns protruding from its head."My guess was right all along," Baruch murmured in awe. "My bloodline has mutated... I've evolved into an Azure Dragon—a Divine Beast Azure Dragon!"