Deep within the mineral vein, Teros was also cultivating. He and Agarez were siphoning the energy of the mineral vein at a very fast rate. Essence stone by essence stone, each one glowing within the vein, turned into normal stones within seconds.
Teros: Hmm.
(He looked up. He was still deep inside the mineral vein. He noticed that Agarez's siphoning had become even faster, and even he was now being affected. If it continued, he too would be devoured.)
Teros: This guy.
(He then turned into earth, converging and reforming outside the mineral vein.)
Once he emerged, Agarez was emanating a tremendously terrifying aura. His sheer energy was chaotic and overwhelming. He was on the brink of a breakthrough—it was only a matter of time. Not only was the mineral vein being siphoned, but all the nearby energy as well. Overlord beasts and lower life forms, including plants and animals, were reduced to dust from the siphoning. Fortunately, Teros was bound to Lyrus and protected by the power of white, or he would also have been devoured. This siphoning event had already expanded to a hundred-kilometer radius from Agarez.
Then Lyrus arrived. Teros hovered in the air.
Teros: Master.
Lyrus: Hmm. You're now intelligent and able to speak. It's only been days, and your wisdom has already developed.
(Lyrus was surprised. But thinking about it, all the other new beasts had also become faster in gaining intelligence and the wisdom to speak. His white had truly reached new heights in upgrading his subjects. This alone was evidence that he was growing—along with all his subjects under his white.)
Lyrus: Well done. Brief me—what's happening here?
Teros proceeded to narrate what had been happening to him and Agarez.
Lyrus: With this scale of siphoning and the immense power and aura he's emanating, his breakthrough will be even more terrifying.
Then suddenly, the siphoning stopped. The world fell silent. An immense pressure began to rise across a hundred-kilometer radius. Agarez stood and roared. The earth vibrated; earthquakes spread through the area, and fissures surfaced across hundreds of kilometers.
Then, the siphoning of aura from deep beneath the ground started once again—but now, it was much stronger.
Teros: He ate it all.
(He noticed that all the essence stones and mineral vein energy had been completely emptied.)
Rumble. Thunder.
Lyrus: Black clouds are gathering. Lanfer.
Lanfer: Yes.
Lanfer erected a huge barrier around Agarez.
Roar!
He roared to the sky—challenging the tribulation.
Then thunder and lightning of immense scale rained down on him—but they were ineffective and were instead absorbed by him.
The event unfolding resembled an apocalypse—the end of the world. Some lightning strikes hit the ground, instantly turning it into a pool of red lava. The tribulation he was facing was much stronger than any Lyrus had previously witnessed.
Lyrus: This guy will evolve into something even greater.
(He also noticed that the miniature bubble of Agarez inside his spiritual realm was increasing in size.)
The tribulation lightning continued, each strike more intense and varied than the last. Agarez was becoming even stronger by the minute. His body now glowed with brilliance, like metal heated for a long time and ready for smelting. But unlike metal, he remained in his beastial form—changing in real time. The siphoning of earth energy from the deep fissures also intensified. He was growing even larger and evolving into a grander form. His dinosaur traits vanished, and he was now transforming into a true dragon.
The impurities in his body were occasionally smelted out from his molten form. The lightning strikes became fiercer, relentlessly striking his body. But instead of harming him, the tribulation energy was being accepted and devoured—becoming sustenance for his breakthrough.
Due to the intensity of his evolution, the three retreated. But Lanfer still maintained her barrier assistance from afar.
Lanfer: This intense aura has already surpassed that of Margorio. Master, we've got another terrifying friend on our side.
Lyrus: Yeah.
Thinking about it, the Behemoth Bear and the Bahamut were still unconscious within the white domain. It would take time before they woke up. The Bear was also strong and had sustained quite a lot of injuries, so his recovery would take some time. The Bahamut was severely injured by Zakhar's attack, and Lyrus's white was constantly repairing its body. Their recovery would take some time, and their intellectual evolution had also begun under white. They wouldn't just emerge stronger—they'd be intelligent when they woke up.
The tribulation finally stopped. Then suddenly, the molten earth surged upward into the sky, covering Agarez's body in a mountain-sized earth sphere, enclosing him to evolve further.
Lyrus: Seems like his evolution isn't done yet. This may take some time again. Hmm.
(Lyrus noticed that the mountains here were rich in mineral deposits.)
Lyrus: Lanfer, go back to the crater area. Call Edeo, Achilles, and Ormis. Let them mine the metal deposits in this area. Teros, help them too. Among the five of you with earth control, you have the greatest control over earth next to Agarez. We'll need these metals for our sect's construction.
(August and Cersie also had earth control, but their powers weren't suited for breaking down and separating metal from the soil. But these four—not including Lanfer—had great extraction abilities, especially Edeo and Ormis. They could also smelt the metal, creating weapons and armor for themselves. They would be the perfect crew for this task.)
Lanfer: Yes, Master.
(She turned into a bolt of light and vanished into the horizon.)
Teros: Yes. By the way, Master, we caught two peculiar beasts in this region.
(Then Lyrus and Teros flew near Agarez.)
Teros: Luckily, they're still here. This is it, Master.
A crystal-headed beast—and a giant turtle beast.
Lyrus: Oh, this is...
(He took his phone out and snapped a picture, then searched for them online.)
Lyrus: A Balsar (Crystal Earth Golem) and a Quardizal (Mountain Turtle).
Lyrus looked at their information on the web. The Balsar was a very rare beast, only found in mineral-rich lands. They were extremely scarce, with almost no sightings for years. The turtle was also rare. It blended with its surroundings and could remain motionless for years unless harmed. It spent most of its life in slumber, only moving once a year. It didn't feed on anything—only absorbing the natural power of heaven and earth to grow.
Teros: We found this rock beast in the mine and subjugated it. It can create an army of golems and even transform into a Titan Giant made of earth. But Agarez casually defeated it. As for this guy—it looked like a small hill. But when Agarez landed in this area, that seemingly motionless mound moved and turned out to be a giant turtle.
Lyrus: This is a good find.
(Then his body exploded into white, and an ocean of white surged toward the two beasts.)
Lyrus: Integrate.
(The Balsar (Crystal Earth Golem) was instantly integrated and vanished into the white domain. The Quardizal (Mountain Turtle), however, took some time to integrate—after all, it was one-third the size of Agarez. From a distance, it looked like a small rocky mountain, but this seemingly still mountain was, in fact, a turtle. Both of these beasts were of legendary rank.)
Lyrus successfully tamed it, but its integration would take a while. While he was busy integrating the turtle, Lanfer returned together with Edeo, Achilles, and Ormis. Under Lyrus's command, they had already started mining—using their elemental abilities to extract minerals from the earth. This also served as a form of training. By doing so, they could improve their elemental control over earth, and once they incorporated it into battle, they would surely develop into powerhouses—nearly undefeatable within an earth environment.
Even though the earth essence mineral vein had been depleted by Agarez, the ground in this area was still rich with ancient minerals. Extracting these minerals could also serve as cultivation resources due to their strong affinity with earth.
---
Meanwhile, Vania, Teo, and Logan were flying in the sky, heading back to Bulgaria. When someone reached mythical rank, they gained the ability to fly. This time, they hadn't brought any beasts with them.
Upon arrival at the border, they witnessed the horrifying remains of the horde. Millions of beast corpses lay scattered from the border to the walls of Bulgaria City. Citizens of the city were busy harvesting materials from the battlefield.
Mike: Teo!
(Mike called out, waving both his arms wide to get their attention. The rest of the gang was also in the field, collecting beast materials. They were accompanied by their Daroke and Tristrikal.)
Teo and Logan descended to join them.
Vania: I'll be heading back to the city. The process for registration will involve a lot of paperwork and discussions.
(Even though a major event had just occurred here, she couldn't be bothered. The borders were well protected by the City Lord's guards and the Watchers. There were also powerhouses from the Eisien Clan stationed near the city. Unless a mythical beast attacked, the city would be safe.)
Teo: Sure.
Vania flew into the city.
Logan: The scale of this year's horde is far greater than any beast tide in the past decades.
(Looking at the enormous number of beast bodies, stretching for kilometers, it was clear this event would be written into Bulgaria's history.)
Teo: What happened here?
Miguel: When we came back four days ago, the beasts in the wild kept increasing in number. Then, after a massive explosion in the wildlands that caused earthquakes, this horde followed.
Mike: We can't even open the meat market. It's overflowing with beast products. Citizens of Bulgaria are going to the battlefield instead, fetching their own meat to feed their beasts. We've had zero income since we got back. Hayz...
Miguel: The battlefield has become a treasure trove of meat and materials. The City Lord has allowed citizens to scavenge the remains of the beast horde for their own benefit. At this rate, we won't earn anything for the next two months.
Alyssa (Gourmet Meat Market Manager): Chief, I suggest we sell all our products to other cities. And we need to hurry—many others are already doing the same. Our stock will spoil if this continues.
Teo: Yes, that's a good solution. I leave this task to you, Alyssa. Everyone, stop collecting beast materials in this battlefield. Hand over all spatial rings containing our meat products and beast materials to Alyssa. Also, pack up our products from the market and sell everything.
Logan: Sell our products to Gardoma City. I have a friend there who processes meat and beast materials.
Teo: Oh? Are you talking about Norain?
Logan: Yes. I'll send her the message.
(He took out his phone and sent a message.)
Teo: Everyone, return to the city and prepare to depart for the wildlands again.
Ring.
Logan took a call from Norain. They spoke about business over the phone.
Miguel: What? But we just got back. And now we're facing marketing problems with our products.
Mike: Yeah, Chief...
Teo: Enough with the complaints. Gather everyone from the company, and I'll explain everything.
(Logan finished the call.)
Teo: What did she say?
Logan: She agreed—but with a 5% increase on her end.
Teo: Did you agree?
Logan: Yeah.
Teo: Well, it's better than nothing. What's important is disposing of all these products at once. Alyssa, I'm counting on you.
Alyssa: Yes, Chief.
Logan: I gotta go.
(He still needed to talk to Thomas.)
Teo: Yeah.
(Teo was responsible for recruiting people and construction workers. Logan would handle convincing and talking to Thomas. Vania was in charge of Sect Registration.)
Miguel:
(He noticed how Teo and the others seemed in a hurry.)
Hmm... Oh my. Chief, you've had a breakthrough. Congratulations!
(He had just realized Teo was already mythical rank.)
Mike: Congratulations, Chief!
(Only mythical ranks could fly.)
What happened in the Wildlands? All of you broke through to mythical rank?
Teo: You two are really slow—you just realized now? The gang, along with Lyrus, has decided to establish a sect in the Wildlands. For the registration, we need more people for a startup. Go back to the city and gather everyone.
(Then Teo flew away.)
Mike and Miguel: Yes, Chief.
---
Meanwhile, Logan arrived at the residence of Thomas.
Ding. Dong.
He was greeted by the maid at the gate.
Logan: Is Thomas here?
Maid: Yes, sir. I'll lead you to the courtyard.
(She walked him to the courtyard.)
Maid: Sir, Mr. Logan has come to visit.
(She bowed and left.)
Thomas: It's been a long time, Logan. How come you had time for a visit?
Logan: Don't joke around—we just met last month.
Bill: (Sipping his tea.) You're with Lyrus, right? How is he? Is he back in the city?
Logan: Greetings, Mr. Bill. Lyrus is in good condition—nothing to worry about. He's still in the Wildlands.
Thomas: Mr. Bill came to me this time specifically regarding Lyrus. Seems like the kid has grown into something remarkable.
Logan: Indeed. He's truly a terrifying kid with unlimited potential. I also came here on his behalf.
Thomas: Hmm. You're now running errands for a kid? Interesting. How does a distinguished Legendary Rank powerhouse—and a proud hunter of the Gourmet Hunter Meat Market—become someone else's retainer?
(He noticed Logan's aura—far stronger than that of a Legendary Rank.)
You've reached Mythical Rank now... Hmm, what is this all about?
Bill:
(The tea he was drinking burst out of his mouth.)
Mythical Rank—at your age?! How?! That's impossible! You've been stuck in that realm for forty years—and declining for ten! How did this happen?
(Bill, a scientist and researcher, was shocked. It was practically impossible for someone whose realm had stagnated—let alone declined—to achieve a breakthrough.)
Thomas: You've also grown younger and are brimming with vitality.
Logan: That's why I came here. Or rather, we're inviting you. Lyrus and the gang have decided to establish a sect in the Wildlands, and it will be named AVALON. We need your expertise in architecture and engineering to build the sect. We're also inviting you to join us.
Bill: A sect? Are you all out of your minds? Even if you've all broken through to Mythical Rank, you still need more mythical-ranked individuals to sustain a sect. Thomas is a Mythical Rank, yes, but he's in decline and has no beast companions. He could serve as one of your elders, but your foundation is too weak to support a sect long-term. And building one in the Wildlands? That's suicide. Beast threats are constant—day and night.
Logan: It's not just me who broke through—Teo, Vania, and Selso did too. Lyrus is also a Mythical Rank. Not only that—our beasts as well. Vania and I each have Mythical Rank beasts. Selso and Teo each have three. And Lyrus has his own. The sheer number of Mythical Rank beings on our side is already enough for a Grade 9 Sect.
Bill: This... What kind of fortuitous encounter did your group have in the Wildlands to make such a leap?
(Realizing the impossible nature of their growth, Bill suspected they must have come upon a powerful treasure of heaven and earth.)
Thomas: Hmm...
(He was deep in thought.)
Logan: And Lyrus has a lot to ask of you.
Bill: So you're finally revealing he's your nephew?
Logan: That just kind of happened.
Thomas: But what's the purpose of establishing a sect? This isn't like you. Teo and the others were content with their businesses. Why the sudden change?
Logan: Vania suggested it. But the real reason... is still your nephew. You'll learn more of the details soon enough. Don't you want to know why? And besides, establishing a sect isn't a huge deal—we can disband it any time Lyrus wills it. The sect will also be good for the Gourmet Hunter Meat Market—and the city.
Thomas: ...Okay. I'm in.
(He was holding a glowing stone, staring into it with a sad expression.)