Chapter 92: King Tier magic beast, Rupture!
Listening to Rakuzen's words, Lucien nodded in agreement as he immersed himself in the feeling of mama surging into his veins and passing out almost as quickly as it came. Even though Rakuzen is the one controlling the body, Lucien still owns the body so he could feel everything happening to his body.
To perform this level of elemental manifestation, Rakzuen forcefully pulls the mana into his body to fuel his elemental abilities, and when he releases his power, it is greatly enhanced because of this. Lucien may know how it works but he definitely couldn't do it. First of all, he lacked the knowledge and skill. He didn't know what method Rakuzen and the emperor used to forcefully pull mana into their body at a dangerously high quantity. Even his meridians and acupuncture points were screaming out in pain after getting forced to consume so much mana but Lucien wasn't complaining since he considered this as a method of training his body.
He ignored the world around him and immersed himself in that feeling, trying to recreate that feeling once again. He also noticed that his body did not consume the essence of the gargoyles forcing him to believe that those monsters are not magic beasts and that's why his body failed to assimilate its magic features. With this in mind, Lucien concluded that he knew too little about this world so for now he vowed to not bother himself with thoughts of things that far exceed his reach.
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Rakuzen lead, the team with an emotionless face, leading them deeper into the dungeon without pause. The dungeon portal teleported people to random beginning areas and from there they would proceed and face different challenges but in the end, they will all meet at one point. Lucien Lucien earlier predicted that their late arrival should be a blessing in disguise and many doubted his words.
When they entered the dungeon they were assaulted by a few gargoyle monsters, so they assumed Lucien was wrong but when they moved farther into the dungeon they were met with corpses of magic beasts leading them to believe that those who entered here before them had a method of through which they evaded the watchful eyes of the gargoyle.
With these creatures dead some time ago, Lucien could not consume their beast's essence, making him a bit regretful since to him it felt like he is missing an opportunity to grow stronger.
'Careful there… Quantity is not what you need, it's quality… No power comes without a condition… a mage can create great firestorms and wind hurricanes but at the price of mana… Hums warriors train their body to the extent where even the strongest of spells cannot penetrate their skin, but in return, even a little finger flick consumes a lot of stamina… Cultivators can reach terrifying levels in the world of qi becoming seemingly immortal existences but go the sake of their power they become less fertile and unable to create life-like any other weak and common man… the system grants you my power of beast assimilation but at the expense of your sanity… the more beasts sealed in you.. the higher your chances of becoming one… As you grow and your affinity with those beasts improve, slowly your physical appearance will be adjusted to match that of the beasts you have assimilated… You will become a monster! Why do you think I refuse to return to my human form? It is because my spirit beast form looks way better than my human form!' Rakuzen explained coldly with a thought.
Hearing this Lucien turned silent as he couldn't help but feel chills creep down his spine. He failed to understand why the system failed to inform him of the countless backlash attached to the beast's assimilation ability or why he was not given a chance to decide if he wanted it or not. He was planning to complain but he chooses to calm down and analyze everything properly.
Lucien knew that the only reason he has gone this far is because of the systems and he is probably still alive because of the system. He has reached this level of strength because of the system and right now he has the hope of surviving and surpassing his enemies thanks to the system! Blaming Rakuzen for a few setbacks caused by the power that has kept him alive for so long is not proper. Lucien shut his eyes and pondered in silence, after a while he concluded that even if he was told the side effects of this power, he would still accept it.
[What is my limit with the beast assimilation technique?] Lucien asked calmly with a voice hoi of any emotion.
'I don't know… Everyone's body differs … why some cannot hold more than ta, some can hold even larger numbers… its all dependent on your talent and the current me right Now can no see-through you' Rakuzen said.
He wanted to say more but then he felt a warm hand grip his own. Turning to the side he realized that Instructor Emma was slightly leaning on him as they moved. As Rakuzen, his eyes showed no emotions while gazing at instructor Emma, also he could feel the piercing gaze of Chenoa on his back.
"You seem to know much about this place…" Instructor Emma said while ignoring Lucien's strange and cold attitude towards her.
" I gathered the knowledge of this place through their village chief" Rakuzen shot Chenoa a blanc while he spoke.
"Also I don't know much... I just know what to expect" Rakuzen added in a bid to clear all forms of suspicion on him. No matter how much Instructor Emma tried to pretend, he could tell she felt uneasy around him.
Hearing his explanation, she bit her lips and considered what to say next. She would have loved to outrightly ask Lucien if he's alright but she was afraid his body is under the control of something. While Instructor Emma was confident in her strength and even though Lucien has showcased a level of strength that far surpasses his original level, Instructor Emma was confident of winning in a fight. The only problem is that she would have to kill him. The current Lucien is far stronger than he should be so she felt she may not be able to restrain him in battle so the only way to win is to kill him and this is something she had no intentions of doing.
"Hey… It's okay…"
Rakuzen suddenly swapped places and when Lucien sq8d the9we words, Instructor Emma's heart skipped a beat!
This is the Lucien she knew and Loved!
She looked up and saw that tenderness in his gaze and his charming smile causing her heart to melt. She held on to him as they followed the path ahead.
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After a long 20-minute walk Lucien and the others noticed that they were no longer seeing the dead bodies of magic beasts but that of humans and beast men! Seeing this they slowed down their pace and approached with caution as they went deeper into the dark cave lit up by countless glowing runes so the walls.
Soon pools of blood could be seen around telling them that these people only died recently and whatever killed them should be close. Rakuzen had already taken control of the body once again, taking mental note of the wounds visible on the corpses littered around. Most of them had large holes on their chest, while some had their limbs ripped outs, and others had their faces either ripped out or crushed entirely!
They all died brutal and barbaric deaths worthy of praise.
[Do you know what's responsible for this?] Lucien asked.
Even though he wasn't the one fighting he still felt tense. It was like watching a horror movie in the dark all alone! He couldn't help but fear the possibility of the monster popping up in this dark space and killing him too.
'Don't be ridiculous' Rakzuen rolled his eyes when he heard Lucien's crazy thoughts.
'Anyway… there are many beasts capable of this… powerful, Vicious, and deadly… But if I should take a guess while adding the location into account and the strength of the dead around me… I would say that enemy should at least be at the King tier …" Rakuzen said calmly making Lucien tremble in fear.
A king-tier beast in this place? Isn't that going a bit overboard? He knew the importance of sealed artifacts… But he knew that strength of king tier beasts! Depending on its bloodline even spirit and champion realm fighters and mages will have a problem dealing with these kinds of enemies! A king-tier beast with a high-tier bloodline like dragons can take on champion realm foes, bringing them down if the challenger is not careful.
He began thinking that coming here was a mistake since none of them are above the mortal realm. He was worried they would fall just like these people.
"Chill it's only the mid-tier king tier beast, Rupture" Rakuzen said calmly