Rustle! Rustle!
Kou Chuan!
Chirp, chirp, chatter~
The chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects from deep within the jungle occasionally drifted from afar.
Sturdy branches and leaves brushed against the black fur of the Evil Spirit Hound without leaving a trace. As it passed, the branches swayed continuously, making soft sounds.
Lyle rode on the back of the Evil Spirit Hound, one hand gripping the bony chain on its body, and said with a smile, "I've raised you for so long, and you're finally proving useful."
"Woof."
The Evil Spirit Hound's voice carried a hint of flattery. As it walked, it slightly adjusted the muscles on its back, making Lyle more comfortable.
The soft forest floor, composed of a large amount of decaying leaves and weeds, did not affect the Evil Spirit Hound's speed at all. Instead, it moved northward into the Tob Forest with the steady gait of walking normally on land.
The abundant supply of flesh and blood from powerful beasts and monsters caused the small Evil Spirit Hound's size to skyrocket. Its normal standing height was now level with Lyle, and its length reached over two and a half meters.
It was already comparable to some nearly adult Evil Spirit Hounds.
The total energy contained in the food the small Evil Spirit Hound had consumed during this period was probably greater than all the food eaten by all the other Evil Spirit Hounds in the entire Tob Forest combined.
Those powerful beasts and monsters were not prey that the Evil Spirit Hound species could hunt.
However!
Lyle suspected that the reason the small Evil Spirit Hound grew so large in such a short time, besides its diet, might be related to the alchemical potions he had refined from the blood of the Ogre, Gu, during this period.
To test the effectiveness of the alchemical potions, he had given the small Evil Spirit Hound several bottles.
As they continued to move northward, the dark, deep, and oppressive jungle atmosphere of the Tob Forest's depths gradually began to recede.
The light filtering through the dense foliage also gradually brightened.
They had gradually left the deep forest and entered the outer regions, but this time, Lyle's direction was north of the Tob Forest.
Riding on the back of the Evil Spirit Hound.
A thought stirred in Lyle's mind, and his attribute panel appeared before him.
[Ability Panel]
Innate Ability: [Player]
Overall Level: 32Lv
Experience Bar: 122933 / 70000
Skill Points: 59
Professions:
Basic Profession: Genius 10Lv (Warrior ---)
Intermediate Professions: Sword Saint 10Lv, Shaman Mentor 1Lv
Advanced/Special: Magic Swordsman 1Lv, Cursed Knight 5Lv
Valkyrie (Longsword) 5Lv
(PS: The complete [Ability Panel] has been updated in the comment section)
[Attribute Panel]
Justice Value: 51 [Neutral]
HP: 313 (24%) MP: 128 (10%)
Physical Attack: 313 (24%)
Physical Defense: 248 (19%)
Agility: 213 (16%)
Magic Attack: 158 (12%)
Magic Defense: 188 (14%)
Overall Resistance: 255 (20%)
Specialty: 230 (18%)
Total: 167%
After harvesting a wave of powerful beasts and monsters from the areas of the Naga, Demon Serpent, and Sage King of the Forest, Kurasuke, he gained nearly 190,000 experience points.
The Valkyrie profession had reached max level.
His current level had reached 32Lv, which, among the inhabitants of this other world, was already a strong individual in the hero-level domain.
"As expected of a special profession, the increase in all basic attributes is indeed terrifying." Lyle glanced at the attribute panel and slightly curled his lips: "The remaining experience points can still raise one level. There's no rush to use them to raise 'Magic Swordsman' for now."
The stat increase from the special professions made Lyle somewhat look down on the minor stat increase provided by the Magic Swordsman profession.
"Currently, I have thirty 'Tier 3 Angel Summoning' scrolls and ten 'Tier 4 Angel Summoning' scrolls."
"The magic power in the 'Orb of Death' has been fully replenished."
Lyle sat on the Evil Spirit Hound, swaying slightly with its running through the jungle, silently calculating in his mind.
These methods were temporarily sufficient.
At his current level, he could already use 'Angel Summoning' magic of the fifth tier (level 29-35), but currently, fourth-tier angels were sufficient for him.
The cost of the scrolls was also lower. After all, to create a fifth-tier magic scroll, he first needed to spend skill points to raise 'Papermaking' to the fifth tier.
The Tob Forest was on the right track and no longer required Lyle to expend effort.
The Naga, Demon Serpent, had also initially completed its rule over the entire Tob Forest. The rest was to follow his instructions for goblin breeding. The Ogre, Gu, and the five ordinary ogres were handed over to the Naga, Demon Serpent, for safekeeping. Lyle had no intention of killing these providers of high-quality regenerative potion ingredients.
As long as the Naga, Demon Serpent, wanted to continue ruling the Tob Forest and didn't want its position threatened, then the Ogre, Gu, in the Naga, Demon Serpent's hands, would certainly be guarded even better by her.
"Using barbarians to control barbarians; the lessons learned from history are still somewhat useful."
Lyle had no worries about the Naga, Demon Serpent. She was intelligent enough and rational enough, and precisely because of this, she would weigh the pros and cons.
This was also the reason he chose her initially.
Coupled with the overt threat of the Cursed Knight's power, the Naga, Demon Serpent, would not have any ideas in the short term.
What he was truly concerned about now was the issue of goblin breeding.
"With the goblins' reproduction and growth rate, given sufficient food, a large batch can be bred within two to three months."
"The time isn't long; I can afford to wait."
Lyle thought silently.
He looked up.
The jungle ahead gradually began to brighten, causing Lyle's eyes to narrow slightly.
"Be careful. The journey ahead might be much more dangerous than the Tob Forest." Lyle reached out and patted the Evil Spirit Hound's neck, speaking calmly as a warning.
"Woof." The Evil Spirit Hound let out a low growl, slightly reducing its running speed.
North of the Tob Forest, and south of the Angeli Cia Mountains, lay a central area known as the Great Marshland.
This was a lake region of varying sizes formed by the convergence of countless small, nameless tributaries after the snow on the Angeli Cia Mountains melted.
Due to the presence of the Tob Forest as a natural barrier, it was a sparsely trodden area for humans. It was also, besides the Abelion Hills, the only other region where a large number of demi-humans lived.
The surrounding dense trees gradually began to thin, and the bushes and weeds became shorter.
Lyle's gaze held a mix of anticipation and seriousness.
If the Tob Forest was a medium-difficulty map, then the Angeli Cia Mountains region reached a high difficulty.
Not to mention powerhouses in their 30s, there were quite a few powerful beings around levels 40-50 within this mountain range.
Whoosh!
The Evil Spirit Hound leaped out from the sparse forest, reaching the edge of the woods. The restricted view due to the tree cover instantly became expansive.
What first caught his eye was the clear sky, no longer obscured by dense jungle, and the mountain range in the distance, now clearly visible.
"The environment certainly looks good, doesn't it?" Lyle gazed at the vast Great Marshland before him, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke softly.
"Roar!" The Evil Spirit Hound let out a low growl, its green beast eyes looking ahead, issuing a warning sound.
He saw!
In front of them, on the grassy area at the edge of the wetland, creatures with combs, resembling roosters but as large as swans, raised their heads.
Pairs of crimson eyes stared at Lyle and the Evil Spirit Hound, the sudden intruders.
"Guji!"
Accompanied by a sharp cry.
This large group of monsters flew up from the grass, swarming towards Lyle and the Evil Spirit Hound.
"Completely unfamiliar monsters. They look a bit like a combination of a rooster and a lizard. I wonder if they have any special abilities?" Lyle now clearly saw the appearance of these monsters. Their front halves resembled roosters, and their back halves had lizard-like tails.