I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 129: +7 Levels

The Sanguine Accelerator’s crimson glow dimmed to a steady pulse.

The sensation was intoxicating, but he forced himself to focus on the necessities rather than the addictive rush of dominance.

But numbers mattered in warfare, and facing ten thousand enemies, even with his newfound power, required more than just another increase of stats.

Jack’s gaze shifted to Corvin, who had finished consuming the basilisk heart and was now preening his midnight feathers with obvious satisfaction.

The great raven’s violet eyes held intelligence that went far beyond animal instinct, but Jack could sense the limitations in their bond.

Corvin was powerful, but not powerful enough for what lay ahead.

The realization struck him with sudden clarity: their partnership had reached a plateau.

While Jack had been advancing through stat allocation and equipment enhancement, Corvin had remained static.

Their soul bond was strong, but it couldn’t bridge the growing gap between Jack’s abilities and his companion’s current limitations.

’We need to change that,’ Jack thought, studying Corvin with new appreciation for what he had planned.

’If I’m going to become something more than human, then you need to evolve alongside me.’

The great raven tilted his head, sensing Jack’s thoughts through their mental link.

There was curiosity in those violet eyes, and beneath it, a hunger for advancement that matched Jack’s own drive for power.

’System,’ Jack thought, settling into tactical planning mode, ’Corvin needs to be stronger if we’re going to survive this. What are the requirements for leveling bound creatures?’

The question felt like opening a door to possibilities he hadn’t previously considered.

Jack had been thinking of Corvin as a powerful ally, but perhaps he should be thinking of him as an extension of himself.

One that could be enhanced and refined just like his own attributes.

[Bound Creature Enhancement Available]

[Death Token Investment Required for Level Advancement]

[Current Death Tokens: 23,750]

[Corvin: Level 32]

The information that appeared made Jack pause, studying the progression requirements with the attention of someone whose survival depended on making optimal decisions.

This wasn’t just about making Corvin stronger. It was about making Jack stronger.

[Level Advancement Costs:]

[Level 1-9: 1,000 Death Tokens per level]

[Level 10: 2,500 Death Tokens]

[Level 11-19: 2,000 Death Tokens per level]

[Level 20: 5,000 Death Tokens]

[Level 21-29: 2,500 Death Tokens per level]

[Level 30: 10,000 Death Tokens]

[Level 31-39: 3,000 Death Tokens per level]

[Level 40: 20,000 Death Tokens]

[Level 41-49: 6,000 Death Tokens per level]

[Level 50: 45,000 Death Tokens + Prism Flower + 1 Nightmare Rank Core]

Jack’s eyebrows rose as he processed the scaling costs.

The progression was exponential, with each tier requiring significantly more investment than the last.

But what caught his attention more than the Death Token requirements were the additional materials needed at level 50.

’A Prism Flower and a Nightmare Rank Core?’ he thought.

’Why the additional requirements?’ he asked, noting the complexity of the level 50 advancement.

[Bound creature enhancement is designed to prevent exploitation through low-level farming]

[Rare materials must be obtained from an appropriate challenge]

[This ensures creatures advance through legitimate progression rather than artificial power inflation]

The logic was sound.

Jack couldn’t simply find a safe area with weak enemies and farm his way to maximum power.

The system demanded that he face progressively more dangerous challenges to unlock each tier of advancement.

It was exactly the kind of restriction that separated true predators from those who relied on exploitation and shortcuts.

’Why couldn’t I be reincarnated into a book? I’d have all the answers, everything would be on easy mode, and I’d just aura farm my way through life. Hah. Who am I kidding, I like it this way.’

Jack found himself appreciating the design, it meant that anyone who achieved high-level creature advancement had genuinely earned that power through combat and strategy.

Then what about Malakai? He had 10,000,000 Souls under his command, how many of his bound creatures were Disaster Class or higher?

’What about evolutionary paths?’ Jack asked, his curiosity driving him to explore the system’s deeper mechanics. ’Are there different directions Corvin could develop?’

[Evolution paths unlock with specific items]

[If you want to fuse the Hellfire Demon Core into Corvin you will need 6 items.]

[Hellfire Demon Core, Phoenix Feather, Pure Emberstone, Dragonfire Pearl, Molten Lotus Pearl, and a fire elemental ashes]

’That’s a lot of stuff. Is that all in this tower? Wait.... Emberstone, we have that at home, that should be easy to obtain.’

[You would be wrong. You need Pure Emberstone. Pure Emberstone and a Molten Lotus Pearl can only be found near an active volcano. If it’s not active they won’t bloom]

[A Phoenix Feather and Elemental Ashes can be found in the lower floors of the tower]

[To find a dragon pearl, you must find a female dragon in heat]

...

...

...

’Uhm, excuse me??!!’

[You must find a female dragon in...]

’I heard you!! That’s not the problem here. Dragons came to my home because they found out about me!! And now, I have to find one in heat!! What’s next, are you going to tell me I have to stick my hand up its ass or something and pull a pearl out???’

[Wrong hole]

’.....Yeah im not entertaining this...’

After a brief pause, Jack changed the subject.

’What’s the maximum level for bound creatures?’

[Analyzing...]

[ERROR...]

[Insufficient data available]

Jack frowned at the error message. The system had denied him information before.

Which suggested that creature level caps were either unknown or deliberately hidden. Neither possibility was particularly comforting.

But why would the system hide information about a level cap?

’How about my max level, what’s the cap?’

[Analyzing....]

[ERROR...]

The restriction implied that there were forces or authorities within the system itself that controlled information access.

Understanding who or what managed the system could be crucial for long-term survival.

’Well,’ he decided, ’we’ll cross that bridge when we reach it. For now, let’s see how far these Death Tokens can take us.’

He calculated the costs rapidly. Basic math wasn’t that hard.

From level 32 to 39 would require seven levels at 3,000 tokens each, 21,000 total.

It would consume most of his accumulated wealth, but the immediate benefits should be substantial.

The return on investment should be exponential.

A stronger Corvin meant more effective combat, which meant more enemies defeated, which meant more Death Tokens earned.

It was a classic case of spending money to make money.

Even in a different world, you need money to make money.

’System, advance Corvin to level 39.’

[Confirmation Required: Spend 21,000 Death Tokens to advance Corvin from Level 32 to Level 39?]

[Enhancement will provide significant stat increases across all attributes]

[YES] or [NO]

Jack looked at Corvin, seeing intelligence and trust in those violet eyes.

They had fought together, bled together, survived impossible odds through coordination and mutual support.

If he was going to invest in anything, it should be in the partnership that had already proven its worth.

’Yes.’

The transaction activated immediately, and Jack felt the change through their soul bond before he could see it visually.

Power flowed into Corvin.

The enhancement process was visible, Corvin’s feathers took on a deeper luster, his frame expanded slightly, and his violet eyes blazed with hunger.

[Congratulations, you have leveled up your first bound creature!]

[Reward:...]