Chapter 172: Growth, Titan, and Hyena

Seven days later, the reef beneath Ciel's feet had already crumbled to powder. The few remaining stone blocks were covered in dark red bloodstains. These were all traces he had left during these seven days. Without exaggeration, over these seven days, his body had been destroyed and rebuilt dozens of times. Every inch of flesh was newly regenerated. The agony experienced during this period was beyond description. Even he, who had endured countless hardships, felt these seven days were like a nightmare. If not for repeatedly recalling his passivity when facing the two-faced spy, he might not have persisted. But the results of these seven days made him take a deep breath with satisfaction. The suffering was worth it! His gaze fell on the system panel. Compared to before, the Legendary Vitality and Legendary Strength abilities showed significantly more solid and intense lustre. Though still far from the Mythical tier, compared to the past, this was an earth-shattering change. The current he had power flowing within him sufficient to tear dragons apart with bare hands! Even three-headed dogs with greater strength than dragons... facing them directly, he could probably rip their heads off alive. Even against the Kraken, though he definitely couldn't match its absolute strength, he could handle its tentacle bombardments much more easily. But after a moment, he regretfully shook his head. "Unfortunately. Even wrestling with the Kraken, these two abilities' progress has stagnated." It wasn't that external tempering lost effectiveness, but more like his blood-production capacity had become a bottleneck for these abilities' improvement. Insufficient blood production could no longer support further vitality and strength enhancement. He felt emotional about this. "Seems my previous speculation was correct. From Legendary to Mythical tier is a complete qualitative transformation. Using 'complete metamorphosis' to describe it might be too conservative. Precisely because of this, no single ability can directly transform. Strength improvement requires support from vitality, constitution, blood production, and countless other abilities. Countless puzzle pieces are needed to complete the advancement picture from Legendary to Mythical tier. This path is still endlessly long." But while he felt emotional, the Kraken was already shocked to the extreme. During these seven days, his strength had grown by leaps and bounds. From flesh bursting and blood mist exploding with one strike to now being able to withstand several consecutive strikes and barely match itself. Was this really a young human wizard? The Kraken made a shocked sound. "You wouldn't happen to be a pure-blood giant descendant, would you?" He raised an eyebrow, also showing some strangeness. "You also know about giants?" The Kraken corrected his pronunciation. "Oh. Sorry. I'm too old. In our time, pure-blood giants didn't refer to what you're saying. More accurately, what I call pure-blood giants should be called Titan Giants. What you call pure-blood giants should be mixed-blood descendants of Titan Giants... these aren't the same thing." This was knowledge beyond his understanding. The giants he knew from the Harry Potter world... like Hagrid's mother, the giantess Fridwulfa, and Hagrid's brother, the giant Grawp... they all lived in French mountain depths. But this seemed different from the Titan Giants the Kraken mentioned. The Kraken now seemed like an elderly person who enjoyed telling young people mythological stories, speaking eloquently. "Do you know about the Olympian Era? I heard about it from my grandfather. It was fortunate enough to catch the tail end of the Olympian Era. According to it, that was truly a remarkable era... wizards were revered as deities, much stronger than now. Similarly, there were various powerful magical creatures then. Even our Kraken clan was much stronger than now. But the most powerful land creatures were undoubtedly the race called Titan Giants. They not only had formidable bodies but could also use magic, possessed superior knowledge, and once became protagonists of the Olympian Era. Many beings revered as deities then were actually Titan Giants." When the Kraken shared this ancient legend, he suddenly paused. If this were true, he seemed to understand something... namely, that alchemical item in his possession suspected to be from the Olympian Era: the Chalice of Demeter. Why it looked like a bucket rather than the various exquisite cups created by later generations. Perhaps because Demeter, the goddess of harvest, was actually a Titan Giant. Given her size, the small silver bucket would indeed be a delicate "silver cup"! Then the Kraken continued. "Young wizard. Having such power at your age. Even among the legendary Titan Giant clan, you'd be a natural warrior." It now felt no shame about being subdued by him... quite the opposite, it was proud. "Never imagined that so many years after the Olympian Era, the noble Titan Giant bloodline would still flow in the world. But be careful. If people knew, they'd be extremely envious. The power in this bloodline is enough to make even the strongest wizards feel greedy." The Kraken added, "Even Salazar Slytherin back then. Seemed to have come to the North Sea, trying to find whether the Titan Giant bloodline still remained on overseas islands." Hearing this, his eyes flashed with depth. Salazar Slytherin had also searched for the Titan Giant bloodline? Could it be some method similar to current Dark Magic Transfiguration, wanting to use the powerful Titan Giant bloodline to transform himself? That made sense. Given Slytherin's pursuit of power, seeking Olympian Era power was quite reasonable. But after the surprise, he shook his head. He certainly knew he wasn't of the Titan Giant bloodline. His power came from the cultivation system. Moreover, even the mythological heroes of the Olympian Era, even the famous Heracles, had the blood of the mythological god-king Zeus flowing through them. If Zeus was a Titan Giant, then Heracles's Titan Giant bloodline would be incredibly concentrated. But didn't he also die from poison and dark magic? This showed that even the true Titan Giant bloodline wasn't invincible... it would still suffer under various cunning methods. Much less he, who was far from the true Titan Giant bloodline. He might only match them in vitality and strength, but defence and various resistances were incomparable. He was even more likely to capsize in the gutter. For instance, the Giant Killer toxin he'd prepared... if someone used similar methods and caught him off guard, he couldn't guarantee his survival. Not to mention various more sinister magics. Taking a deep breath, his mind calmed from the joy of surging power. He narrowed his eyes, not forgetting one thing. Horcruxes weren't Voldemort's creation... he'd learnt from predecessors. This showed such magic wasn't unique. Perhaps the magical world had other strange magics that could extend life. Who knew if, besides Nicolas Flamel living eight hundred years, other mysterious wizards still survived in this world? Such wizards should know certain Olympian Era legends. If they suspected he was a Titan Giant, that would be big trouble. He wasn't certain about these speculations, but he never took unnecessary risks. He constantly warned himself. "Stay calm. Stay low-key. Knowing how to hide oneself is the best protection. This power, comparable to the Titan Giant bloodline, can't be easily exposed except in desperate situations. Cultivation is my foundation. I still lack many resistances... Once I build up dark magic resistance, mental magic resistance, and such, then I can be slightly bolder. When I can plant Whomping Willows and even World Trees, then I can act without restraint. But until then, low-key development is the way." Then he checked the time. "Seven days have passed. The protective magic and Floo Network on Sprout Island should be almost ready." Then he rode his Nimbus 2000 toward Sprout Island. But upon approaching, he frowned slightly. On the originally barren island, Ministry employees were bustling about everywhere. Above the island, protective magic like a soap bubble covering the entire island was taking shape. But besides Ministry people, there were some well-dressed wizards eyeing the island with burning gazes. When his broomstick landed on Sprout Island, this group of wizards immediately surrounded him, competing to present business cards. "Young Master Sprout? I represent Mason Wizarding Real Estate Ltd. Are you interested in selling this island's land rights? This place would be perfect for building a wizarding resort. I am..." The incessant chatter made his frown deepen. He roughly understood these people's intentions. They'd definitely learnt through some "internal channels" about his need for Ministry-built protective magic and the Floo Network. They thought this volcanic island had development potential and could freeload off his Ministry-provided protective magic and Floo Network. Plus, he was just a first-year wizard... in these people's view, young age meant easily deceived. If they could trick him into signing some contract, they might really get a piece of the pie. He showed no good face to these representatives of various companies. "Not selling. If you want to negotiate, don't talk to me... go to Hogwarts. Find my guardian, Professor Sprout, and talk to her. Or I have a good relationship with Professor Severus Snape too. Need me to invite him to chat with you?" These wizards' faces slightly changed. Wasn't Hufflepuff always dumb and silly, never knowing how to refuse others? When they were students, scheming benefits from little badgers was very simple. How was he, just a first-year student, so different from their impression of Hufflepuff? Some showed unwillingness, forcing smiles to try befriending him. But before they could speak, when his eyes rolled with cold light and looked over, these people's forms suddenly stiffened. This gaze made them feel intense oppression, not daring to meet his eyes. As if facing a dragon or something more ferocious. For these wizards who spent years in offices, mingling at social balls, raising wine glasses more often than waving wands, the slight aura remaining from his battle with the Kraken was already irresistible. The surrounding crowd unconsciously parted. He walked into Sprout Island, coldly glancing at them. "This is my island. Before the protective magic is finished, whoever still stays here... I'll consider them illegal intruders. You can weigh my relationship with the Ministry." This completely crushed these wizards' thoughts of deceiving him. Minister Fudge could give him such generous policy conditions... their relationship was obviously extraordinary. Forget it. Seems there were no benefits to be gained here. Most wizards shook their heads and chose to leave. But some gritted their teeth, not choosing to leave the island, but hurrying to catch up. Anger surged in his brow as he looked at an approaching middle-aged wizard with a fierce face and burly build. He also forced a smile. "Young Master Sprout. I'm Bacon Flint of the Flint family. You must have met our child... Marcus Flint." Bacon Flint showed some pride, as if proud of the Flint family being one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. "I completely understand your reluctance to deal with those people. They're all opportunistic speculators... how are they qualified to do business with the Sprout family heir? But our Flint family is one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. We're different from those people. And our family is very skilled at real estate management." Bacon Flint even made an inappropriate joke, flexing his muscles. "Look at our family's traditional burly, powerful build. Real estate development is effortless for us. Anyone who won't cooperate, my fists will make them agree... sometimes more useful than wands, and the Reverse Spell can't detect it!" While Bacon Flint was still chattering, he took a deep breath, looking at him with an icy expression. He had much land to develop and no time to waste talking with Bacon Flint. "Are you finished talking? Didn't you understand what I just said? Then I'll say it again. Get lost!" Bacon Flint's expression immediately stiffened. He instinctively clenched his fists. But seeing the Ministry Aurors on the island, he didn't dare act. He just glared viciously at him, muttering. "Just you wait. You'll regret this."