Chapter 92: Monster Who Steal Gene Potentials
Alex closed the chat with Ben and opened the conversation with the guy from San Jose who wanted to trade spells online. He already had a deal with Ben, but there was no reason to put all his eggs in one basket.
The faster he obtained the Mana Circuit Spell, the faster he could evolve his Class.
He sent a short message asking if he still wanted the deal and set the phone aside. There was no point waiting for a reply when he could use the time to train.
If the guy answered, great. If not, Ben remained a reliable option.
Alex resumed practicing the Mana Sword Spell. He slowly compressed mana into the shape of a kitchen knife, trying to keep the outline stable without letting it disperse. The construct lasted only a few seconds before collapsing back into loose mana.
He wasn’t surprised. A large part of his concentration was still occupied with maintaining the Elemental Rune over his heart, making every bit of mana control much harder than it normally would have been. Fortunately, he wasn’t in combat, so he could afford to practice at his own pace.
After the knife, he shaped a dagger, then a short sword. Each weapon took several attempts before it held together, and even then the mana trembled constantly, threatening to fall apart. Once he managed to stabilize the shapes, he began experimenting with vibrating the mana to create a sharper edge.
The training was exhausting, but that was exactly what made it worthwhile. If it had been easy, everyone would have mastered it already.
Alex enjoyed every minute of it despite the constant failures. He could feel himself growing.
Controlling mana like this reminded him of the first time he killed a monster and survived. It was the same feeling of slowly becoming stronger through his own efforts.
Kevin eventually wandered over after noticing the glowing mana constructs.
"What are you practicing?" he asked.
"I’m trying to create weapons directly from mana," Alex replied.
Alex spent a few minutes explaining how compressed mana needed to maintain a stable structure instead of simply gathering into a blob. Kevin could not use the spell yet, but he listened carefully, occasionally asking questions whenever something wasn’t clear.
Even though he was still learning Body Reinforcement, understanding the theory now would make future training much easier.
By the time Alex finally stopped, his concentration felt noticeably drained. He picked up his phone and checked the chat again. The guy from San Jose still hadn’t replied, and the message hadn’t even been seen.
Alex slipped the phone back into his pocket. It looked like Ben was his only realistic option for now. There was no point worrying about it until the other guy actually responded.
He unwrapped the Energy Bar and took a small bite, letting the familiar warmth restore the stamina he had spent training. After waiting a moment for the effects to settle in, he stood and looked at the others.
"Let’s move," Alex said.
Everyone gathered their things and left the shop. Ophelia carried the shield this time since absorbing the Gene Potential from the Grave Hyena had increased her physical stats enough to handle its weight comfortably.
Their formation changed, as everyone could fight somewhat now. Tina and Ophelia walked at the front while Kevin and Robert guarded the rear. Everyone else stayed in the middle, with only Alex and the elderly Rae capable of responding quickly if either side came under attack.
Rae’s role was simple. She would support whichever side was attacked first until Alex could get there. It was a good formation, one that forced his friends to adapt to the situation, and gain experience.
The group exited the alley and headed toward Jaelo Supermart. They expected to encounter monsters along the way, but the streets remained strangely quiet. The absence of enemies made everyone more alert instead of relaxing.
As they continued, Alex noticed several Doom Bull corpses scattered across the roadside. Each one bore long, deep cuts that looked nothing like wounds left by swords or axes. Their Gene Potentials were missing. Someone had taken them.
The taller restaurant employee looked at the bodies before turning hopefully toward Alex. "Do you think other Ascendants killed these monsters?"
Alex crouched beside one of the corpses and examined the wounds before shaking his head. "These cuts don’t look like they came from swords. Unless someone is using a weapon we’ve never seen before, another monster probably killed them."
His gaze lingered on where the missing the Gene Potentials should’ve been.
’A monster that’s absorbing the Gene Potentials of everything it kills... I guess this is how monsters’ level up. Is this the only way of levelling up for them, or do they have more ways?’ he wondered.
Nobody said anything after hearing that. The possibility alone was unsettling enough.
On the way, Alex continued training with the Battle Instinct Spell. Now that he learned how to dampen his sense of smell, he realized he could apply the same technique to his other senses. The training was also safe now, as he finally understood what he was doing.
They continued walking until a violent shockwave rolled through the street. Windows rattled inside nearby buildings, and abandoned cars shook where they sat. Even the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly.
"Hide," Alex said.
Everyone immediately ducked behind abandoned cars and delivery trucks scattered across the road. Alex circulated mana into his eyes, sharpening his vision before pulling a pair of binoculars from his backpack. The enhanced eyesight made minute details clearer, while the binoculars let him finally see what was happening.
Two monsters were fighting in the middle of the street.
One was a Doom Bull, but it was much larger than the Level 10 Doom Bulls Alex fought before. Thick muscles covered its body, and a ’crimson glow’ wrapped around its entire frame. Every step cracked the concrete beneath its hooves.
’That’s Origin Energy...How many monsters know how to use it? Almost all beyond Level 13-14? That’s going to be dangerous... and exciting,’ Alex thought.
He already knew how much stronger Origin Energy made monsters. The Titan Reef Crab leader, and the Wild Orc were perfect examples. Even opponents at the same level could have completely different combat strength depending on whether they could control it.
Despite its terrifying appearance, the Doom Bull wasn’t uninjured. Several long gashes crossed its shoulders, neck, and sides, matching the wounds Alex had seen on the corpses earlier.
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