Chapter 149 - 142

The last time Nick had ventured into the grassland, he was with his parents and Devon. Furthermore, he had hardly been a chick capable of flight. It had been his idea, since he wanted to gain experience fighting monsters in controlled circumstances and demonstrate to his parents that he could be trusted to develop his magic without excessive restrictions. It was kind of funny to reflect on how nervous he had been about facing a thunderhoof back then. Having an entire life of experiences to fall back on often allowed him to seem much more mature than his biological age would suggest, but magical combat, especially against creatures capable of frying him alive, was not something he knew all that well. He had pulled through, of course. Trickery and talent enabled him to defeat the beast he was assigned, but it required everything he could give to secure the victory. As he sped through the grassland, Nick felt a completely new world unfold before his eyes. With [Wind God's Third Eye], nothing could escape his notice, especially thanks to his upgraded affinity. Every rustle became known to him as it happened, and he could track everything, from the flight of birds to the methodical movements of an ant colony. He was fascinated to discover that even such tiny creatures exhibited signs of mana. The wealth of this world was such that everything could be spared some. While normal ants communicated through chemical signals, these left infinitesimal threads of mana throughout their territory, allowing them to constantly monitor every change. It allowed them to cast a sensory net without actually using a real spell, and Nick wondered if he could reuse the concept. This approach would certainly make it easier for Talbot to patrol the land, and the efficiency… Touching down, he let the slightest bit of his weight disturb the earth before the tailwind he had repurposed lifted him up once more. Combined with [Telekinetic Field], Nick could cover a hundred feet with each jump. It wasn't true flight, as that would quickly deplete his reserves, but he promised himself that he would develop a spell specifically for that one day. When he finally reached the hill where his family had once camped, he let the wind escape his grasp, stopping without disturbing a single blade of grass. "Moving in an open space is much easier. I didn't fully realize how much faster I'd become in the forest." He murmured to himself, pausing briefly to savor the view. Miles and miles of green stretched out in every direction. Thin streams of water crisscrossed the landscape, supplying the necessary water to support the vegetation and a vibrant ecosystem of critters. Those, however, weren't his targets for today. About half a mile to the southeast, a herd of thunderhoof grazed peacefully. From this distance, they didn't appear that different from large cows, but all he had to do was wait a few seconds to see a burst of electricity zap from their horns into the sky, where it struck a passing flock of birds to understand they were nothing alike. Nick watched the herd abandon the grass and quickly make its way toward the downed target. They are omnivores in the literal sense. They eat anything, from grass to animals to rocks. Better than pigs, I'd say. For a moment, he wondered if he could do something with their gastric juices. He hadn't heard of their use before, as his parents typically left most organs behind to sustain the local fauna, but he was confident Ogden could whip something up. An acid strong enough to melt rock into its individual metals would surely be a valuable ingredient… Still, he would need a whole specimen for what he had in mind. Sacrificing the entire herd had crossed his mind, but there was a strict limit to how much one could add to a ritual like the [Elemental Bestowal]. Unless he wanted to affect more than one person, multiple sacrifices wouldn't accomplish much more than a single one would. Amateur ritualists often fell into the trap of thinking that more was better. This usually resulted in spectacular explosions, as one part of the ritual was overcharged, while the rest was too weak to sustain it. Nick took a moment to scan the herd. While one thunderhoof would suffice for his purposes, that didn't mean he would be satisfied with just any specimen. He had passed by other groups before but hadn't deemed them worthy. This particular herd was the first he had encountered that included an Alpha, which he needed to significantly improve his chances of gaining a lightning affinity. Last time, it had been luck. Now, it would be skill. First things first, he set about preparing the ritual. He was fairly certain he could cull the entire herd by himself if it came down to it, but preparing a sacrificial circle while fatigued was never a good idea. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. With a sharp gesture, Nick cleared the grass in a twenty-foot radius around him. Thunderhoofs were massive beasts, after all, and the Alpha was at least fifty percent bigger than the second largest of the herd. Then, he compressed the loamy ground into a flat surface, using a blend of [Minor Elemental Manipulation] and telekinesis. Once he was finally satisfied that it was up to his standards, he began carving the circle. The [Ritual of Elemental Bestowal] was relatively straightforward. It required a catalyst, which in this case was the Alpha, along with a few stabilizing agents, specifically dried nightcaps, as Nick wanted them to only provide their calming properties. Lastly, a circle attuned to the specific element he wished to extract was also essential. Nick was certain this was where he had gone wrong last time. He did not regret receiving his wind affinity, but it had only been luck that allowed him to provide a sacrifice strong enough to compensate for the error. He could have easily ended up with a different kind of Trait, and after learning that negative ones were a possibility, he wanted to minimize the chances of that happening. Therefore, Nick made sure to carve the proper channels through the circle. Sowilo runes adorned the perimeter, signifying victory, success, and power. They also had the added benefit of resembling a lightning bolt, although Nick was careful not to assign too much metaphysical significance to it. After all, it also meant "sun," and he wanted nothing to do with that after his last experience. He had become much stronger since he performed the [Welcoming of the Sun] before the expedition set off, and if the pattern repeated, he would attract even more powerful spirits. It could be useful someday. If I want to capture an ethereal being for a ritual, that might be the best approach, but it will require much more preparation. Refocusing on the task, Nick stepped back and observed the circle with a critical eye. Every line was perfect, as if it had been drawn with mechanical tools. That was one of the benefits of having so much mana at his disposal; he could use it for trivial matters like this, while on Earth, he would have been forced to do it all by hand. With that part done, Nick turned and eyed the herd. It had finished eating the flock and returned to grazing, appearing harmless. He wasn't fooled. "Now, how can I draw you out…" He could simply start blasting from this hill and then drag the corpse back to himself, but that risked damaging the catalyst. Expanding his senses, Nick searched for inspiration. He ruled out the voles, insects, and lizards as too small to be effective bait, until he finally discovered something. An eagle of some kind, larger and more aggressive than its Earth counterpart, was leisurely devouring the carcass of a hedgehog the size of a dog. It had apparently killed the creature in a single blow before it could even retaliate, given its smashed head. It was intriguing that it had managed to strike only the unprotected area despite its talons being as large as knives. Before the bird could comprehend what was going on, Nick seized it in his grasp. It squawked, summoning the wind to escape from the unseen enemy, and Nick had to stifle a laugh. He tore its control apart, using the same gust of wind it had created to twist its head until he felt the neck snap. CONGRATULATIONS! You have defeated a [Gale Eagle - Lv. 17] + 1600 Exp Kind of ironic, but I suppose it's the circle of life. Not even blinking at the meager amount of experience, Nick lifted the eagle's corpse into the air, taking a moment to get comfortable with puppeteering it. It was surprisingly light for its size, and his wind magic proved far more useful than his telekinesis in this instance, as the monster's natural affinity allowed him to maneuver it effortlessly. Satisfied, he sent the eagle soaring up, making it circle as if it were hunting for prey. Such a large bird should have been easy to spot on the ground, but its gray-and-white coloring made it blend into the sky. Slowly, he brought it closer to the herd, lowering it enough that even the thunderhoofs could see it. A ripple passed through the bovines. The adults pulled back the calves to prevent the avian predator from swooping down and grabbing them, while the Alpha snorted angrily, eyeing the new enemy with disdain. Nick didn't doubt that if this had been a normal encounter, it would have dealt with the threat effortlessly. The burst of lightning it released with a bellow certainly would have been enough to fry the eagle, but Nick swiftly pulled it away, opening its mouth and launching a [Wind Blast]. The attack reached the Alpha and was met by a contemptuous snort as more lightning erupted from its horns. The two spells collided in the sky and exploded violently. When the dust settled, Nick had the eagle retreat a hundred feet toward him, but in doing so, it created a row of [Wind Blasts], making it clear that while it desired some distance, it wasn't leaving the fight. The bull didn't like that; it charged forward, arcs of lightning enveloping its form. When the [Wind Blasts] were unleashed, it too attacked, and the bolt of golden light it released was several times stronger than what it had used before. It was also much faster, forcing Nick to raise a [Force Barrier] around the eagle, lest it be charred beyond what he could use. The Alpha didn't hesitate to see if the attack had succeeded and unleashed a continuous chain of lightning toward the flying threat. It displayed more power than Nick would have expected, making it clear why a C-rank mission was necessary to eliminate such a creature. If the Nick who first entered the grassland had faced it, he would have been dead before he could blink. Nonetheless, it displayed a critical lack of intelligence, as it continued to stray from its herd, which Nick noted hadn't moved to assist it. The eagle continued to survive each attack thanks to Nick's interference, frustrating it to no end, especially since he kept his own assault simple with [Wind Blasts] to maintain the Alpha's sense of strength. It was only when it finally came within two hundred feet of his hill, and he was sure it was out of sight of the remaining herd, that he took action. A [Jet Stream] materialized above his extended hand, whirling furiously as more and more air compressed into it until, finally, it settled into a sleek mass of churning wind. Nick flicked his hand, once more lamenting his lack of a focus, and released it, allowing it to skim the grass so it could strike from below. The alpha barely had time to realize something was wrong, as the eagle had stopped attacking, that it was dead. A hole the size of a golf ball was carved through its throat, and Nick felt his spell keep going for several hundred feet behind it until it finally dissipated. Before the monster could fall, he seized it telekinetically and pulled it closer. CONGRATULATIONS! You have defeated a [Alpha Thunderhoof - Lv. 41] + 71.200 Exp Level up!