Chapter 115
Over the next six months, Lynn dedicated a significant portion of his energy to alchemical studies and potion studies, while also committing to memory all the books Liszt had entrusted to him.
However, he still hadn’t discovered any natural substance with a significant effect on the corrosion of this white flesh.
Perhaps there were some rarer and more precious natural materials, but those were beyond Lynn’s reach.
Unable to find a solution, Lynn had to resort to experimenting with creating such materials himself. He wasn’t in a rush, though. Developing new materials in alchemy was a gradual process that required accumulating experimental data over time and continually refining it.
After his daily sessions in magic potion studies, Lynn squeezed in some time for alchemical studies from the little time he had left.
In the remaining time, Lynn studied spells. After mastering the ‘Interlocking Lightning’ spell, he proceeded to construct two more one-ring spell frameworks over the past six months: ‘Shielding’ and ‘Tranquility’.
With attack spells like ‘Interlocking Lightning’ already in his arsenal and imprisonment in the form of ‘Earth Ring’, Lynn focused on creating a versatile defensive spell with ‘Shielding’ and a supportive one-ring spell with ‘Tranquility’.
‘Tranquility’ could calm the emotions of a target and had the added benefit of soothing targets afflicted with conditions like “frenzy” or “bloodlust.”
Maintaining a stable mindset during experiments was crucial, so Lynn made it a habit to cast ‘Tranquility’ on himself whenever he could, to keep his composure.
One day, after completing an experiment and tidying up the laboratory, Lynn attended to all the magical plants in the cultivation chamber.“Daily task completed: Laboratory Cleanup (2), Cleaned the laboratory once, maintaining its cleanliness and tidiness.”
“Completion: Excellent.”
“Reward: 20 general experience points.”
“Daily task completed: Magical Plant Care (1), Attended to the cultivated magical plants.”
“Completion: Qualified.”
“Reward: 5 general experience points.”
Seeing the familiar notifications, Lynn reflected on how caring for magical plants could also fulfill tasks, a discovery he made after purchasing those plants.
In truth, Lynn had been caring for magical plants since he first encountered wizards.
Back then, Angley had entrusted him with many plants to care for, but it hadn’t triggered any daily tasks.
Now, Lynn had more or less figured out the criteria for these daily tasks.
Essentially, he needed to have sole control over the experiment and ownership of the magical plants to qualify for rewards. Helping others wouldn’t earn him any rewards—except for cleaning the laboratory.
“Master, we’re running out of food funds,” Lauren found Lynn, looking somewhat embarrassed.
“Running out? What happened?” Lynn remembered giving his subordinates enough food funds to last them a full two years.
Now, they were running out of funds in less than a year?
“Well, it’s because the brute force demon’s appetite has been quite large lately,” Lauren explained.
“Having a big appetite is one thing, but eating this quickly is another,” Lynn said, puzzled.
“It’s even bigger than at the beginning,” Lauren added.
Lynn sought out the brute force demon and found it looking at him with an innocent expression.
Lynn felt awkward about reprimanding it. After all, he had promised to provide food and accommodation, and it had been in front of Toby. Moreover, the brute force demon had been working tirelessly for him. How could he justify not even ensuring it was well-fed?
No matter how stingy one might be, this was simply unacceptable.
“I’ve just been really hungry lately, craving food all the time,” the brute force demon said cautiously, rubbing its belly. “Am I eating too much?”
It didn’t know what was happening. It had just finished dinner when it saw Lynn approaching.
“No worries, eat as much as you want. Have you been extra hungry lately?” Lynn asked.
The brute force demon nodded eagerly. “I couldn’t eat this much before.”
It quickly clarified that it hadn’t been hiding its appetite initially but had recently experienced a sudden increase in hunger.
“Increasing your appetite is a good sign. Typically, when your intake increases, it means your energy demands are rising,” Lynn explained.
But to prevent any mishaps, Lynn decided to conduct a physical examination for the brute force demon.
The results showed that not only was the brute force demon in perfect health, but its body was also in an exceptional state. All its cells and blood were highly active, indicating a robust metabolism. Its entire bloodstream seemed to be in a state of high energy, exhibiting a strong thirst for external energy absorption.
Observing the brute force demon before him, Lynn pondered for a moment, forming a rough hypothesis in his mind.
“If I’m not mistaken, you might be on the verge of a breakthrough,” Lynn said, casting a deep gaze at the brute force demon.
“Ah,” the brute force demon widened its eyes. “Doesn’t that mean my appetite will be even bigger?”
“Breaking through a level will indeed increase your daily energy requirements, resulting in a larger appetite. However, most organisms can absorb energy from the air to replenish their consumption, and this ability grows with each level advancement. So, the increase in appetite won’t be too extreme,” Lynn explained.
The brute force demon felt dizzy listening to the explanation. It only understood one thing: it would result in a bigger appetite.
“Have you been suppressing your breakthrough?” For demons, breakthroughs were usually measured in decades or even centuries. The brute force demon had only recently joined Lynn’s ranks and hadn’t faced any significant external stimuli. It seemed too coincidental for its strength to suddenly surge.
In such a scenario, there was only one possibility—the brute force demon was already on the brink of a breakthrough.
“Yes. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to eat enough after the breakthrough,” the brute force demon confessed, feeling somewhat aggrieved. It didn’t think it was entirely to blame for this predicament.
Lynn couldn’t help but feel speechless. This was clearly self-sabotage.
“You don’t need to hold back anymore. If you want to break through, just do it,” Lynn reassured the brute force demon.
The brute force demon was overjoyed to hear this.
It had always had a larger appetite than other demons of its kind.
During previous invasions of other planes, it would sometimes scavenge for leftover limbs and flesh on the battlefield, which could sustain it for a while. However, as its appetite grew larger over time, it spent most of its days in hunger, especially during times of peace when demon lords strictly prohibited their subordinates from fighting amongst themselves.
After breaking its limits once, its appetite continued to grow, leading to longer periods of hunger. Over time, it developed this peculiar belief.
The process of breakthrough for the brute force demon now required a large amount of food, or rather, not necessarily food, but any high-energy substance that could supply the brute force demon with the necessary resources to expedite its breakthrough.
Lynn had Lauren buy some energy reagents for the brute force demon to ingest, but they found that the results were unsatisfactory.
Subsequently, Lynn experimented with various other foods. After a series of tests, Lynn discovered that fresh flesh and blood worked best for the brute force demon, with the effectiveness increasing with the level of the creature from which the flesh was obtained.
This was likely related to the absorption organs inherent in the demon clans; most demons favored flesh and blood as their sustenance.
The brute force demon breaking through was a good thing; if it succeeded, it would become a fifth-level demon.
Even amidst the sea of demons in the Abyss, a fifth-level demon was far from weak.
Some of the lesser demon clan leaders within the Abyss were only at this level.
As long as one had money, many things could be bought in Demon City. Piles of flesh and blood were continuously procured and piled in front of the brute force demon, allowing it to eat without restraint.
Sitting on the ground, the brute force demon grabbed handfuls of flesh and blood and stuffed them into its mouth.
Its cheeks bulged like those of a squirrel.
Suddenly, as it ate, the brute force demon’s eyes reddened, and its body convulsed slightly.
“You don’t have to do this; I promised to take care of your meals,” Lynn comforted.
“No, I just choked,” the brute force demon replied, rubbing its throat.
The feast lasted the entire night, and Lynn spent 420 magic stones on the purchased flesh and blood, which nearly formed a small mountain before the brute force demon finally stopped eating.
Its distended belly resembled a round ball, but it deflated visibly at a remarkable rate.
The brute force demon’s aura became unstable, gradually turning violent.
Lynn dismissed the followers surrounding him, instructing them to stay away.
When demons broke through, they emitted an unconscious surge of demonic energy, which was detrimental to weaker creatures with a significant power gap.
“Roar~”
A low growl emanated from the brute force demon’s throat, and the next moment, its body began to swell.
The already towering figure expanded further, reaching up to the ceiling, which cracked under the pressure, large chunks of concrete and rubble falling to the ground.
The brute force demon’s massive arms swung unconsciously, the blood coursing through its dark red veins, its muscles expanding by another circle, especially around the shoulders, which became even broader.
With a tearing sound, flesh and blood peeled away, and on the sloping side of its scapula, two slightly slender arms suddenly extended. The brute force demon had directly transformed into a four-armed brute force demon.
Lynn marveled at the sight. The brute force demon was already immensely powerful, formidable in close combat, and now with four arms, its close-quarters combat prowess would undoubtedly become even more ferocious once it adapted.
A violent aura emanated from it, a bloody wave spreading out from under its feet, and Lynn, enveloped in the halo, felt a strand of murderous intent flicker in his mind.
Lynn squinted, gazing at the halo beneath the brute force demon’s feet. He hadn’t expected the brute force demon to awaken this ability after breaking through—Bloody Surge!
Upon activation, it could detect nearby units, including some hidden ones.
Of course, invisibility and detection abilities had always been a contest between spear and shield, purely determined by the priority of abilities and the strength of the caster.
“Congratulations on your breakthrough,” Lynn said, looking at the four-armed brute force demon before him. It had ascended to the fifth-level.
Not just any fifth-level creature, but a fifth-level demon. Even among wizards, except for the most exceptional geniuses, many first-level wizards could barely match its combat prowess within the confines of a wizard tower.
Of course, a wizard’s greatest strength lay in their creativity and learning ability. Using combat prowess to measure a wizard was the most rudimentary approach.
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