"Master, my advancement depends mostly on cores and absorbed mana. Since I am half spirit, I only require about thirty percent physical material."

Leo blinked, then slowly turned his head toward Niri—who sat perched on his shoulder, her tiny wood-like legs gently tapping against his chest as they dangled. She stared back at him with an innocent, almost startled look, like she wasn't sure whether she'd done something wrong or extraordinary.

"Did you just form a coherent intent and communicate with me?" Leo asked, genuinely amazed.

Previously, whenever Shyra or Niri attempted communication, it came through as blurry fragments—jagged thoughts lacking clarity. But just now, Niri's intent had flowed through their link as clear as spoken words.

"Yes, Master. Now I feel it's easier for me to communicate with you," Niri replied, her voice crisp inside his mind, carrying a faint echo like leaves brushing together.

Yet another fully-formed, unmistakably coherent thought.

"Amazing!" Leo exclaimed, eyes lighting up.

"But how? And why now?" he pressed, brows furrowing.

The system answered before Niri could.

<Beast and Beast Master blood bond has crossed 50%. The communication perk has been bestowed on the corresponding beast.>

"This..." Leo muttered, quickly summoning the panel containing their Beast Bond information. A faint shimmer of blue illuminated his face as the text scrolled up.

Shyra: Blood Bond 39%

Niri: Blood Bond 51%

Blood Bond Perks:

-> 50% mana reduction on skill usage of the corresponding beast.

-> 50–70% attribute share

-> Communication [Requires surpassing 50%]

A soft chime followed.

Ding!

Stats Updated, Beast 'Shyra' s' attributes have been shared!

Level 21: 4025 / 14658

Vitality: 36.4 [81.4 → 86.4]

Strength: 39.4 [84.3 → 89.3]

Agility: 38.5 [83.5 → 88.5]

Stamina: 38.7 [83.7 → 88.7]

Intelligence: 56.1 [101.1 → 106.1]

Mana: 5049 [9099 → 9549]

{Mana = Intelligence × Soul Rank Value (2 + 7) × 10}

Leo's gaze lingered on his Intelligence and Strength—both comfortably outpacing the other stats.

He exhaled a long, controlled breath.

"Fuuu... With every level-up, the disparity will keeps widening. Looks like I'm going to pack quite a punch in the future. And Intelligence… well, the more the better," he said with a low chuckle, already imagining himself spamming skills without fear of going dry.

"Hmm… vitality, though. That's just as important, yet it's the lowest. Even these Earthpulse Heartstones barely nudge it up."

He recalled how consuming the Elasian Bloom had raised his vitality—not by much compared to Intelligence, but enough to matter. And he technically had an infinite supply of them. The only limitation was their regrowth cycle—every thirty days.

"Less than two weeks left… more than enough," he decided aloud. Before this trial ends, I'll reach proper 3-star level and not just pseudo.

With the thought settled, he settled onto Shyra's back—then blinked in surprise.

"Looks like there's actually room to roll, haha!" he laughed, already shifting his weight. Niri let out a delighted squeak, stretching her twig-like hands and legs up and apart as she rolled like a log across Shyra's broad, vine-draped frame. The vines swayed gently with each motion. Shyra, unimpressed, continued forward with dignified steps, ignoring the chaos on her back.

On the way, Leo spotted a broken lump of stone—a shattered golem body with its core missing. The fracture lines were still sharp, dust not yet fully settled.

"Damn! Looks like high-level beasts already got ahead of me. Shyra, increase your pace!"

Shyra snapped to attention. The moment she heard the command, she bolted forward, black fur and shadows blurring into a streak.

But she couldn't reach her full speed.

The farther they pushed toward the distant golden light's location, the thicker the forest became. The vegetation tightened around them like a living maze. They passed several more shattered stone bodies—golems torn apart and stripped of their cores. Jagged fragments decorated the ground, some still fresh from whatever battle had passed through.

Clearly, a high-level beast had carved a path through this area not long ago. Although he couldn't say this didn't help him, it served as a great landmark.

Soon, tree trunks thicker than Earth's Giant Sequoias stood in their way—massive pillars of ancient wood that even Shyra's strongest strike could barely dent. She tested one with a swipe, only to gouge out less than a meter before her claws halted.

So she adapted.

Shyra began zig-zagging horizontally between the colossal trunks, using them like stepping stones. Each powerful leap sent her body arching sideways, her silhouette becoming a black blur darting through the forest. Leaves burst into the air behind her, swirling in her wake.

Leo secured himself by wrapping Shyra's harness vines around his waist, gripping tightly as the world tilted with every rapid hop, all the while as Niri remained hovering like a gyrosphere beside him. The air rushed past his ears in sharp currents, carrying the earthy scent of moss, crushed bark, and distant mana-infused pollen.

They raced onward—toward the light source.

---

As he passed more scattered golem bodies, Leo noticed a repeating pattern in the wounds. Deep slashes cut clean through stone, jagged bite marks crushed through rock, and heavy, hammered dents caved in entire torsos. Some prints were small, some large… and a few were significantly larger than large.

"Did a whole pack of beasts pass through before me?" he muttered, crouching beside one shattered headpiece. There wasn't a single beast corpse in sight—only smeared trails of blood, some dried, some disturbingly fresh.

"The hell? Are they hunting everything in their way… not leaving even a corpse behind?" A chill crawled up Leo's spine. A bad premonition pressed down on him like a cold hand gripping the back of his neck.

"Shyra—stealth. Move with it active," he ordered sharply.

Shyra shimmered into a shadowy blur, her form dimming until she blended perfectly into the undergrowth. Leo's heartbeat steadied as the forest seemed to swallow their presence.

The blood trails grew fresher—still glistening beneath the filtered light. Leo narrowed his eyes. At this pace, he'd catch up to the supposed pack in less than five minutes. They moved in a group… but Shyra was built for silent pursuit, her entire body specialized for stealth movement. He only needed to close the distance.

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