The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

SHLICK!

The dagger sliced open the Thorny Sea Beast’s chest, and he pulled out its heart, which was still pulsing weakly. It was warm to the touch and accompanied by a peculiar smell.

It was like spending seven days and nights in a slaughterhouse before taking a stroll through a field of roses. Beneath the faint scent of flowers was a deep, indelible stench of blood and rot.

Wang Ya held the black, bloodshot, fleshy heart in both hands. Harak immediately moved closer, letting out a quivering cry.

He raised an eyebrow. He didn’t yet know what special substances the heart contained, but judging by Harak’s craving, it clearly offered considerable benefits.

’The Iron Hide Steel Claw Cultivation Witchcraft is Harak’s core. If it eats this black heart and mutates into an amphibious creature like the Thorny Sea Beast...’

After some consideration, Wang Ya decided to let Harak eat the heart.

Any increase in Power was better than none, and the crisis aboard the Wizard Ship was far from over.

The human screams, which had been frequent earlier, were now growing sparse.

Aside from the simple fact that there were fewer people, the Wizard Freshmen who had survived the first wave of attacks naturally had their own unique skills. The chances of them being found and killed by a Thorny Sea Beast were not high.

The feeding process was rather gruesome. Harak first used its claws to slice the heart into strips before swallowing them.

It took about three minutes to devour the entire heart.

Harak covered its head with both wings and squatted down, its body wracked with tremors.

Wang Ya wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the light, but dark, glossy spots seemed to appear on Harak’s wings.

A fine, blue light shimmered in Wang Ya’s Pupil.

[Target: Black-Feathered Crow]

[Physique: 9]

[Spirit: 0.9]

[State: Low-tier Extraordinary Creature]

[Abilities: Iron Claw, Steel Hide]

Its Physique had changed, but its Spirit remained the same.

The mutation he had envisioned didn’t occur, perhaps because it hadn’t consumed enough Thorn Hearts.

[Hint: Harak has successfully digested the Thorn Heart. Current transformation progress: 20%. Transformation Paths: Particle Energy Resistance, Water Pressure Tolerance, Speed.]

’Just as I thought,’ Wang Ya’s brow smoothed. ’It needs to consume at least four more hearts to complete the beneficial transformation.’

As for the transformation paths, the first was likely resistance to Particle Energy, like that from Witchcraft, and perhaps even high-level resistance to radiation.

The second path would allow the transformed Harak to adapt to the varying pressures at different depths of the sea.

The third, as its name suggested, was to increase Harak’s Speed.

Overall, the transformation was clearly increasing Harak’s Power and shoring up its weaknesses.

Still, Wang Ya found it hard to imagine a feathered, winged Black-Feathered Crow diving into the depths of the ocean to fight.

’If it grew gills like an aquatic creature and developed unique webbed feet for propulsion, it might just be possible.’

His gaze fell upon Harak’s sharp Iron Claws. Hard and glinting like black iron, they could easily crush the bony spine of a Thorny Sea Beast.

’The number of Thorny Sea Beasts that boarded the Wizard Ship must be considerable. Gathering the remaining four hearts shouldn’t be a problem.’

Of course, Wang Ya had no intention of leaving the room. He had another way to lure them over, one after another.

He took another sharp, non-poisonous dagger and made a small, shallow cut across his palm.

DRIP!

Startlingly bright red blood splattered onto the floor.

The scent of blood began to spread.

To a human, such a small amount of blood could only be faintly smelled within the room.

But a Thorny Sea Beast, even in the ocean, could smell a single drop of blood from tens of thousands of meters away.

And blood that was both vibrant and contained Extraordinary power was especially tantalizing, driving them into a greedy frenzy.

Furthermore, Thorny Sea Beasts had a very distinct trait. Once one had locked onto its prey, it would release a unique pheromone to warn other Thorny Sea Beasts away.

He first threw the corpse from the room out the window.

About two minutes later, a noise echoed from the far end of the hallway.

Wang Ya remained hidden in the shadows behind the door. Harak, having tasted success, stood proudly on the other side of the doorway, poised like a rooster on one leg.

The fishy stench of the ocean wafted in, mixed with the smell of human blood.

This particular Thorny Sea Beast was exceptionally large, its menacing, bony spine continuously scraping against the corridor walls.

Seaweed was tangled around its bony spine and massive, bony head. Gills flanked its jaw, and its face, aside from its vulnerable eyes, was protected by Face Armor.

A three-dimensional image of the beast formed in Wang Ya’s mind. He shared it with Harak, mentally guiding it to coordinate their attack with perfect precision.

”GAKA!”

It was a very distinct cry. This Thorny Sea Beast had obviously smelled its own kind but received no reply, so it assumed the other one had left.

Lured by the scent of blood, it didn’t hesitate for a moment, smashing right through the already battered door.

SHINK!

The sharp dagger plunged into its eye socket at the most opportune angle.

Harak surged forward, flapping its wings and clamping its Iron Claws onto the creature’s bony spine.

With a loud CRACK, the beast put up almost no struggle. Another Thorny Sea Beast had become a trophy.

He gripped the dagger and sliced open its chest.

After Harak ate this heart, its physique and black feathers changed noticeably.

The glossy black spots on its feathers became more pronounced, now covering a third of their surface area.

Instead of growing, its body actually shrank by a full size, going from the build of a small calf to that of a lamb.

Its overall form became more streamlined, perfectly suited for diving, gliding, and rapid takeoffs.

The end result of this beneficial transformation would be to shrink it down to the size of a normal Black-Feathered Crow.

’To be fast, one must be light. A bird like a crow doesn’t rely on its size for brute-force attacks or close-quarters combat.’

’If its Defense Power and the attack power of its claws remain the same... it will be a terrifying assassin.’

Wang Ya disposed of the Thorny Sea Beast’s corpse and repeated the process.

This time, a Thorny Sea Beast arrived after only about two minutes.

’There can’t be many Wizard Freshmen left on the Wizard Ship. Or perhaps they’ve found a way to hide their presence from the Thorny Sea Beasts.’

’If I can manipulate them with scent, the others can’t all be idiots.’

「Twelve minutes passed.」

When the fifth Thorny Sea Beast fell...

Wang Ya breathed a sigh of relief. A hint of exhaustion crept onto his face, but at last, he was finished.

Harak began to feast, while Wang Ya eagerly awaited the final result of the beneficial transformation.

The door was completely destroyed. He led Harak to an adjacent room, one that hadn’t been visited by any Thorny Sea Beasts.

’The Wizard Freshman who lived here must not have come back. They’re probably dead outside.’

Harak’s metamorphosis would take another ten minutes or so.

He went to the washroom to clean himself up, mainly to change out of his clothes, which were soaked in the green blood of the Thorny Sea Beasts...