Chapter 316: Chapter 316: Level 10 breakthrough requirements!
Many days passed since then.
Everyone trained as if their dear life depended on it. Except Theo, who was going to the extreme.
Training till his breath became too erratic to be normal, his body hurting so much that nothing felt healthy anymore. All movements felt like it was not helping but breaking his body but apparently it was working better.
Even the baron thought that Theo was going too far with his training, but it actually made him happy as he saw his past self in Theo.
"Only struggle can make a man whole."
It was what the baron stated many times, and before Theo could even realize it, he was working on that same ideology too.
Clara, on the other hand, was growing in a way no one would have hoped for. She had somewhat mastered Hyper Jump, and her attack strategy became so unpredictable that it was insane to look at.
Even the baron stated that Clara was on a path he had seen only a few take, as it was so tough, but her natural accuracy helped her be better than the others.
What she was doing was making smaller Hyper Jumps at angles.
It was either left or right, and while she was in the air, she threw daggers at the target she wanted to hit.
At first, it was like she was having seizures mid-flight. Her aim was also very bad, as she had to make sure the knives didn’t curve because of her movement, and also aim up and low as if she was a sniper hitting from a distance.
It made her fail due to losing concentration many times to actually count.
But soon enough, she started hitting the targets. It was not a bullseye, but still, hitting the target mid-flight was a task of its own.
According to her, she was already used to the weight of her knives, and it became easier the more she practiced.
And fast forward a month, she was able to hit targets from even farther than before, with most of them landing on the bullseye.
The baron was so astonished by her growth that he couldn’t help but want to assist her growth all the time.
It was alright with Theo, as he was already too busy training his body.
On the other hand, Elias was playing a very different but somewhat similar game.
Since the ape had started handling the sword as its main weapon, Elias began making synergized attacks with it.
One time, when the ape was attacking a crawler from the right, it left space for an arrow to come through, and Elias acted right away, hitting the crawler directly in the head.
His aim had become far better.
But before that, the ape had to deflect arrows one too many times while they tried to pierce his backs.
It was like a training for it and before Elias could realize, the ape was good at deflecting projectiles too.
The synergy was meant for the time when the big worm came. The ape would take all the attention, while Elias would shoot near the ape to create the illusion that the ape was the one dealing the wounds.
Theo could tell there were many buts and ifs in his mind about the plan, but according to the baron, it was a good one, making Theo focus back on himself.
By the end of the month, with the help of the mantis and the ants, Theo was only a few thousand experience points away from reaching the level 10 bottleneck.
It happened so fast that Theo started feeling it was too soon.
But at the same time, he didn’t have the privilege of time on his side. If the breakthrough requirement was atrociously hard, he could be stuck on it for months, maybe even years.
The mantis, on the other hand, wasn’t growing much anymore.
Except for its size.
The glutton no longer fit on Theo’s shoulder, even after broadening it multiple times.
Only the baron’s shoulder was perchable now as it was big enough for the mantis to be on it comfortably.
It had grown a little above Theo’s ankle, but more importantly, its forelegs had become much larger.
They were like giant mandibles, but deadlier and faster than any mandible could ever reach.
There was a slight improvement in its kill speed against crawlers, but it had already been fast before, making it hard to tell how much stronger it truly became until the big worms appeared.
The boar and the pup, meanwhile, fought as a duo wherever they went.
Theo could see their bond was strong, a trust he had not yet seen between the mantis and the ant queen.
Their attacks were effective on their own, but together, it felt like the area around them was untouchable.
The silverfang direwolf moved fast, weaving between the boar’s legs and repositioning within seconds.
No matter if crawlers emerged from below or attacked from the side, they were ready.
Chip was sent scouting the entire time, discovering many new types of beasts across the area.
Some were far away, and one resembled a tree with moving vines that reacted even when Chip flew high above it.
They marked that location for later.
And then, by the end of the next few days.
Theo stood still as a simple notification appeared before him.
[Congratulations on reaching Level 10!]
[A quest must be completed before you can progress further.]
[Quest: Guide 3 beings]
[Requirements:
Guide 3 different beings through growth
– 1 tamed beast (0/1)
– 1 non-tamed beast (0/1)
– 1 human (0/1)
Use Hive Link 1 continuously for 5 hours (0/5 hours)]
[Reward:
- Permission to break through and progress further
- Evolution Affinity Upgrade]
Theo reread the requirements again and again.
He had waited for this moment for so long.
And now, it was finally here.
"Guide three different beings... a human and a non-tamed beast too?" he thought in disbelief.
"Is it telling me to evolve them?"
"...Is that even possible?"