Chapter 238: Feeding the Spirit and Embracing Radiance |
Seated upon the broad back of the Crowned Eagle, looking down from high altitude, he gripped a spear in his right hand, with a bow strapped to his back.
At this moment, the thin mist over the sea had not yet completely dispersed.
The indigo sea surface was churning with turbulent waves. Suddenly, Qin Ziwen's gaze sharpened.
He saw it, diagonally below.
A massive, blurry black shadow skimmed across the sea surface, then quickly dove into the deeper waters.
Judging from the silhouette of the shadow, it was quite streamlined and slender, like a chopstick embedded in a potato. This shape was very easy to recognize.
In these waters, something with that appearance was most likely the Plesiosaur.
Based on Qin Ziwen's recent experience of aerial reconnaissance from the Crowned Eagle, it was probably no less than twenty meters long.
"Is it the Sea Beast that capsized the boats last night?"
Circling once over the sea, they landed on the backside of the largest island.
From the sky, Qin Ziwen saw that extremely conspicuous, tall office building amidst the forest.
Its glass windows, under the sunlight, resembled mirrors.
The surrounding trees seemed somewhat short before it, not even reaching its waist.
It was completely hidden behind the hill, invisible from the direction of the island reefs.
The Crowned Eagle circled once before finally landing near a secluded stretch of beach.
Perhaps the commotion of the landing was too great, disturbing the Indigenous Inhabitants near the beach.
The grass nearby rustled, and then, two of the "bushes" actually stood up.
"Elephant Birds!?" Qin Ziwen was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter two Level 1 mission targets right after arriving.
According to what Wang Yun said, the Elephant Bird was the largest bird species to have ever existed on Earth. Its body weight was three times that of a modern ostrich, with a standing height reaching three meters.
And it wasn't just its size; the eggs it laid were also the largest known among all birds on Earth.
The two Elephant Birds before him stood nearly four meters tall. Their massive beaks were like two extremely exaggerated curved blades.
The feathers on their heads and necks were sparse, and their legs were extremely slender.
Their scarlet eyes were fixed intently on the Crowned Eagle.
(Image: Elephant Bird)
As for Qin Ziwen standing on the Crowned Eagle's back, he was directly ignored by the two Elephant Birds.
"Guh!"
The Elephant Bird made a sound. It didn't attack immediately, but instead jumped in place on the spot. Its powerful legs stamped on the sandy beach, kicking up large clouds of dust, performing some kind of mysterious dance.
Its already vestigial pair of wings were held high to maintain balance.
Qin Ziwen understood; it was trying to intimidate them, to scare them away with this display.
He sized up these two Elephant Birds, then shook his head.
These two Elephant Birds were too weak. They weren't even worthy of him using the [Imperial Fall, Inherit Grace] to plunder their abilities.
"Let me give it a try."
Qin Ziwen jumped down from the Crowned Eagle's back.
He rolled his neck. After breaking through to Superhuman and becoming a Beast Tamer, Qin Ziwen had formed spiritual contracts with the Crowned Eagle and Little Black One respectively.
This spiritual contract wasn't actually that exaggerated; it leaned more towards a conceptual effect. When the wills of both parties reached an agreement, the contract could be easily formed.
According to the effect of the [Nurture Spirit, Accept Radiance], after a successful contract, he could inherit one suitable ability from the other party. The inherited ability would undergo certain adaptive changes based on his own physique.
The ability he obtained from the Crowned Eagle was Airflow Manipulation.
After mutation, it became the Airflow Sensory Network.
Unlike the Crowned Eagle, which could directly manipulate airflow, Qin Ziwen felt that the surrounding airflow formed an invisible sensory network for him.
Within range, the airflow seemed to become an extension of his skin. All manifestations of attacks would stir the airflow. Therefore, within a certain range around him, the airflow caused by the movement of all objects would form a clear outline.
After obtaining this ability, it became a kind of passive-like effect.
He didn't need to painstakingly manipulate airflow for combat; it became an auxiliary passive effect.
Then there was the ability inherited from Little Black One.
The ability inherited from Little Black One was simple and brutal—Immense Strength.
For a giant creature that would weigh eighty tons as an adult, there was no more suitable innate talent than this raw, brute force.
Especially since Little Black One hadn't broken through to Superhuman yet. Currently, it could only rely on this formidable physical strength.
After inheriting the Immense Strength, he could feel that his current strength was much greater than before.
But to what extent exactly, he lacked some intuitive reference.
Now, there were just two suitable targets.
As targets for a Level 1 hunting mission, especially the rather difficult Elephant Birds, they were just perfect.
Upon discovering that the bird and human before them showed no signs of retreating, the two Elephant Birds moved closer. Their necks swayed left and right.
Like two springs.
Qin Ziwen gripped the Spear Shaft and thrust forward.
Strength is explosive power, and explosive power is speed.
The neck of the Elephant Bird on the left was instantly pierced.
The Elephant Bird on the right sensed something was wrong and hurriedly retreated backward.
But it was a step too late.
Qin Ziwen, who had pulled out the spear, chased after the one on the right.
He thrust with the spear. Sensing the change in the direction of the airflow, Qin Ziwen predicted its next move.
Changing the thrust into a downward smash, the Elephant Bird's neck snapped violently.
It stumbled, nearly falling.
These two Elephant Birds were too weak. They weren't even worthy of him using the [Beast Tamer's Plunder] to plunder their abilities.
It spun in place twice as if drunk on fake liquor, then with a "thud," heavily collapsed to the ground, only its lungs and chest still heaving violently.
Qin Ziwen caught up to the Elephant Bird that had almost been smashed down.
This Elephant Bird had size but not a strong offensive drive. Its first reaction after being injured wasn't to fight desperately, but to flee.
Qin Ziwen thrust several times in succession, stabbing its plump rump. Cornered, the Elephant Bird turned its head to peck at Qin Ziwen.
But its movement was too large.
The stirred airflow was exceptionally obvious in Qin Ziwen's eyes. He retreated half a step, avoiding the attack range, then relying on the advantage of the long spear, thrust again.
This time, it struck its neck. Moments later, the Elephant Bird fell.
Qin Ziwen discovered the weakness of these Elephant Birds.
They had long necks, with developed neck muscles, but the blood vessels were also extremely dense. Once injured, it was highly fatal.
According to the effect of the [Beast Tamer's Inheritance], after a successful contract, he could inherit one suitable ability from the other party. The inherited ability would undergo certain adaptive changes based on his own physique.
But there was no way to process them now. Summoning a node here would be a bit wasteful, as nodes have a 7-day Cooldown Time.
Just as he was about to leave, the Crowned Eagle suddenly called to him, "Aow."
After calling out twice, the Crowned Eagle grabbed one Elephant Bird. Its wings flapped violently, creating gale-force winds around it with the airflow. With great effort, it slowly took off, finally managing to carry the Elephant Bird corpse and wedge it onto a nearby tree fork. Repeating the process, both Elephant Bird corpses were hung in the trees. After finishing all this, the Crowned Eagle elegantly preened its feathers.
After this small test of his skills, Qin Ziwen had a clearer idea of his current combat prowess.
Dealing with two or three Level 1 hunting targets single-handedly wasn't a problem.
But if the numbers increased further, it would become troublesome.
Afterwards, Qin Ziwen moved through the dense forest, spear in hand, while the Crowned Eagle spread its wings and glided close to the treetops.
Half an hour later, at the only small hilltop on the island, from here, he could see the office building below.
Outside the office building, a large number of residents were currently felling and gathering trees.
Log after felled log was being carried into a certain courtyard within the urban village behind it. Looking from afar, thick, billowing smoke rose above that courtyard.