The valley trembled violently as Astralux's attack reached its peak. The massive projectile of compressed rock, glowing faintly under her silver light, hurtled toward the pile of golems. When it struck, the explosion sent shockwaves rippling through the valley, a deafening boom resonating in every corner. Fragments of rock blasted outward, leaving deep scars across the ground.
As the dust settled, the battlefield became quiet. The powerful rock golems were nothing more than rubble scattered across the valley floor.
Akira, who was standing on the cliff above, stared down with wide eyes. Her heart pounded fiercely as she watched the aftermath of Astralux's attack.
"She… she did that?" Akira whispered, barely able to believe what she had just witnessed. She never thought the beautiful, harmless-looking jellyfish could be capable of such devastating attacks. Akira clenched her fist tightly, her lips parting in awe. "Is there anything he and his beasts can't do?"
Meanwhile, Astralux floated down gracefully, her silver tendrils still glowing faintly. She exuded an aura of calm satisfaction, though from the faint flicker in her glow, one could tell that attack had taken a toll on her.
Before Nox could step forward, Solora, Fluffington, and Thirteen swarmed around Astralux.
[Amazing, simply amazing!] Fluffington purred, his shadowy fur bristling with excitement. His deep purple eyes sparkled as he circled her.
[Panda proud!] Thirteen rumbled, his massive fists slamming into the ground in excitement. He glanced at the rubble and let out a huff of admiration.
Astralux dipped slightly in acknowledgment, her tendrils swaying with pride. But before she could respond, a small voice sounded.
[Big sister Astralux is so amazing!] Solora, the baby blue python, slithered forward, her tiny body winding toward the group. She gazed up at Astralux with wide, innocent eyes. [I want to be strong like you, too!]
Clearing his throat, Nox stepped forward. "Alright," he said in a calm voice, "Who wants to upgrade their skills again?"
All three beasts immediately turned to him, their bodies trembling with excitement. Solora's eyes shone the brightest, her small tail wagging in anticipation.
[Me! Me first!] she squeaked, wiggling toward him with an air of innocence that was almost too perfect.
Fluffington and Thirteen immediately turned their attention to Solora, stepping aside almost instinctively. They wanted to get the skills first too, but Solora was just too cute for them to fight her over such a small advantage. Beside, she was the youngest.
Nox, who was standing a few paces away, couldn't help but sigh. His dark eyes twitched as he crossed his arms, watching the mischievous snake who had used her small stature to her advantage once again.
But he couldn't really blame them.
Nox shook his head but didn't comment further. After sorting out the suitable skills, he placed a hand on Solora's sleek body, activating his talent. A soft glow enveloped her as the system worked its magic.
"Bestow!" he said, and a ripple of energy flowed into the baby python.
Several screens flashed before Solora and Nox.
Nox narrowed his eyes when he noticed something. My slots are still 7/29. It seems because the skill already belonged to my beast, it didn't take up slots...this is good, meaning I can upgrade all my beasts' skills for free.
After seeing the skills, Solora let out a delighted hiss, her scales shimmering as the skill settled within her. She twisted and turned, testing her newfound power.
Although just intermediate tier, with this new skill, she could easily go against King Tier beasts. Nox smiled in satisfaction as he saw the new skills.
Next, Nox turned to Thirteen and Fluffington. He bestowed the upgraded versions of their skills as well. He tried being sneaky by using 10x upgrades on already upgraded skills like [Oceanic Torrent] and [Dragon Requiem]. However, a giant error screen greeted him.
Of course, he didn't forget to upgrade the rest of Astralux's skills as well.
Sensing the newfound power flowing through them, the beasts roared with enthusiasm, their excitement contagious.
"Alright, calm down," Nox said, raising a hand to silence them. His tone was stern, but the faint smile on his lips betrayed his amusement. "Save the energy for the next fight."
[AN: Skills will be revealed later in order to avoid inflating the chapter price with system screens.]
A few minutes later, the group continued through the valley. Akira walked beside Nox, her earlier awe still lingering. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her expression thoughtful. Like always, he seemed so composed, so in control.
It's like nothing fazes him.
Her musings were interrupted when Nox suddenly stopped. His sharp gaze locked onto something in the distance. Following his line of sight, Akira's eyes landed on a bloodied figure lying in the dirt—a monster, its body riddled with wounds.
"That's…" Akira began, but Nox held up a hand to silence her. He approached the creature cautiously, his footsteps silent against the rocky ground.
As he drew closer, Nox narrowed his eyes.
"King Tier, Level 9!"
The monster, a Crimson Horned Basilisk, also sensed him and let out a weak growl as Nox drew closer. Its eyes, filled with both pain and defiance, locked onto him.
"Sorry, big guy," Nox murmured, with no hint of sympathy in his cold, listless dark eyes. "Can't let you live."
"Your death will help me level up!"
With a swift motion, Nox ended the creature's suffering. Blood pooled around the lifeless body as Nox straightened, wiping his dagger clean.
[Ding! You have leveled up!]
Heh. A sly smile appeared on Nox's face. Finally, Level 30!
Nox picked up the beast cores and threw them into his inventory.
Before they could continue their journey, the sound of footsteps echoed through the valley. Nox's eyes narrowed as a group of armored figures appeared on the horizon. They emitted a fierce, powerful aura and appeared very coordinated, as if they were a squad of well-trained soldiers.
Naturally, these people were Valkyries.
The leader of the group stepped forward, her piercing gaze scanning the scene before settling on the dead King Tier beast. Her expression darkened as she demanded in a sharp, authoritative voice:
"What happened here?"
Before Nox could respond, another Valkyrie, younger and seemingly less experienced, gasped. Her wide eyes locked onto him, her voice trembling with disbelief.
"Is that… is that a male?"