Chapter 277: A Second Alternative Way to Level Up? Cloud Manipulation
*Whoosh!*
The Green Leaf Witch, now in the body of the Forest Sage King, subconsciously swiped her claws. Her sharp talons tore through the air, making a hissing sound.
"You can speak?" Tang Zheng's eyes lit up.
"Yes, Master. I can speak normally," the Green Leaf Witch said, opening her mouth. Her voice was remarkably similar to that of the Forest Sage King Hamusuke.
"Can you use your original Magic now?"
"No… I can't cast it."
The Green Leaf Witch tried to cast Magic using her usual methods, only to find it completely impossible. A note of panic entered her previously excited voice.
"Try canceling the Transformation."
Under Tang Zheng's gaze, the Green Leaf Witch quickly canceled the Transformation. When she tried to cast Magic again, it worked normally, its Power unchanged from before.
Just as I thought!
Tang Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
When someone transforms into a Monster via a magic Ritual, they can use the Monster's Power, but not their own, unless they cancel the Transformation.
Back when he fought the Forest Gnomes who had transformed into a "Cockatrice," his opponents had only used the Cockatrice's Skills.
Furthermore!
The Forest Gnomes and the other Demi-humans he had experimented on couldn't speak after their Transformation, yet the Green Leaf Witch could.
This likely had nothing to do with the Green Leaf Witch herself, but rather with the Monster she transformed into. The Forest Sage King Hamusuke was capable of speech, so she could also speak after transforming.
"A perfect inheritance of the 'Monster's' Ability. It truly far exceeds the effect of the Wild Transformation Skill."
After various comparisons, Tang Zheng finally confirmed this fact. He gazed at the delighted Green Leaf Witch, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"It is precisely because of this 'perfection' that the transformer is unable to use their own original Power. Simply put, after transforming, they completely become that Monster."
Whether this was a good or bad thing was hard to say.
"Huh, my Level really has increased!"
"Cuiye, let's test your strength after the Transformation," Tang Zheng said, raising his arm and crushing a Fourth-Tier Angel Summoning Scroll.
*Bang!*
A sacred light blossomed.
A Monitoring Dominion Angel, holding a round shield and possessing the strongest defense, was summoned and charged toward the Green Leaf Witch.
"Yes, Master."
The Green Leaf Witch was also excited. With a twist of her body, she instantly transformed into the Forest Sage King and collided with the Monitoring Dominion Angel.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The sounds of fierce collisions echoed through the dense forest.
The Green Leaf Witch, originally just a magic-chanter, could now go head-to-head with a Monitoring Dominion Angel through her Transformation Ability.
Ninjutsu: Detect!
Tang Zheng activated his Ninjutsu's detection ability, carefully observing the Green Leaf Witch. His eyes grew brighter.
Level 28!
"Hamusuke's Level is above 30, but Cuiye's Level after transforming is only 28. This must be related to the extraction of Hamusuke's bones, which caused a physical deficiency."
"It might also have something to do with the upper limit of the increase." Through his previous experiments, Tang Zheng confirmed another piece of important information.
An alternative way to Level up!
This was the second method Tang Zheng had discovered. The first was when he acquired the [Curse Knight] class, which leveled up by devouring the Energy of a Curse.
The current method involved using a Ritual to devour the flesh and blood Energy of a Monster to raise the transformer's Level. However, compared to the first method, this second one had more restrictions.
The biggest problem was the Monster's Level.
Once one used the Ritual to transform into a certain Monster, they could only ever transform into that one. They couldn't use the Ritual again to become other Monsters and continue to improve, which was akin to locking their upper limit.
Additionally, there was another minor restriction that hardly seemed like a problem compared to the first two.
When Tang Zheng first learned of the concept of magic rituals, he had been curious about something.
Why didn't the Forest Gnome Tribe hunt powerful Monsters together, then have their tribesmen transform via the Ritual to increase their strength?
Why did they insist that a tribesman had to hunt a powerful Monster alone before they could undergo the Transformation Ritual?
This could be attributed to the ancient ways of the Forest Gnomes, but it was abnormal that they wouldn't use a method that could clearly strengthen their entire Tribe.
Through his experiments, Tang Zheng had now found the answer. He had to admit that some seemingly ancient, archaic ideas and rules did have a reason to exist.
This was because one could not transform into a Monster of a much higher Level than oneself; otherwise, their body would be torn apart by the Monster's immense Power.
This was why the Forest Gnome Tribe so greatly revered vanquishing a powerful Monster through one's individual strength.
Tang Zheng speculated that the Level difference between the Monster and the transformer could not exceed seven. This might be related to the Wild Transformation ability.
The Wild Transformation from the Basic Job Class [Forest Priest] was not high-level. The Wild Transformation from a [High-Grade Forest Priest] should be able to raise the upper limit of this Level difference.
"Converting a Monster into Energy to be absorbed… If a large number of corpses could be converted into Energy and absorbed in the same way, perhaps a truly new method of leveling up could be developed."
Tang Zheng watched the combat between the Green Leaf Witch and the Monitoring Dominion Angel in the distance, lost in thought.
He only had two magic rituals: the Magic Ascension Ritual and the Wild Transformation Ritual. The two were completely unrelated and couldn't be used as a reference for each other.
***
Upper Water Month.
Late January.
The dry, cold air of the Abelion Hills had weakened considerably, and there was a hint of warmth at noon.
As the end of the month approached, after several consecutive overcast days, a fine, cold drizzle finally began to fall.
On a flat area amidst the winding hills, a castle stood, its silhouette a stark contrast to the surrounding environment.
The entire outer wall was built from massive stones, their undressed edges giving them a rough, primitive feel. The castle's architectural style was also strange, high in some places and flat in others.
It gave off a peculiar and bizarrely eerie impression.
At this moment, on the gravel ground outside the castle, Lizardman Kuru Xue cautiously walked to the center of the familiar Magic Ascension Ritual.
This was a powerful Ritual passed down by their Lizardman Race from the legendary Lizardman hero; it was their race's trump card.
Now, seeing a human skillfully arrange and use it…
"Sigh." Lizardman Kuru Xue sighed inwardly, a sense of melancholy and helplessness rising within her.
"Begin."
"Yes!"
Lizardman Kuru Xue quickly suppressed her emotions and replied respectfully.
*Hwa!*
The Magic Ritual activated.
Tang Zheng stood within the magic circle, channeling the Magic Power from his body and infusing it into the array.
"Fourth-Tier Magic—Cloud Manipulation!"
Lizardman Kuru Xue raised her arms toward the sky. Her face, covered in fine white scales, was exceptionally serious as she cast the Magic according to the information recorded by the Priest Elder.
The magic circle began to glow. A wave of Magic Power, which felt immense to Lizardman Kuru Xue's senses, was released from her body.
In an instant!
A large amount of Magic Power was siphoned from her body as if by a pump. In a single breath, Lizardman Kuru Xue felt the Magic Power in her body drain completely. A suffocating weakness washed over her chest, and her vision went black as if she were about to faint.
*Weng—*
The moment before she would have fainted from the Magic Power drain, a terrifying, torrent-like flow of Magic Power surged into her body through the magic circle.
"Ah—"
Lizardman Kuru Xue let out a subconscious moan, her long white tail perking up.
She had never felt such immense and domineering Power. The vast Magic Power flooded her body, rapidly replenishing the weakness from a moment ago.
It made Lizardman Kuru Xue feel as if she were enveloped by a force formed from immense Magic Power, and an unprecedented sense of security filled her heart.
Cloud Manipulation!
The Magic activated.
An invisible Power was released from Lizardman Kuru Xue's arms, rushing into the dark clouds in the sky in the blink of an eye.
The cold, misty drizzle began to stop.
The dark clouds above the castle rippled and spread like waves. Gradually, the dark clouds in the gloomy sky parted, and the bright sunlight shone down through the opening.
The warm, bright sunlight shone down like a pillar of light, casting itself upon Tang Zheng and Lizardman Kuru Xue below. It then gradually expanded to envelop the entire castle before continuing to spread outward.
The Magic Power drain continued—!
Even with Tang Zheng infusing Magic Power into her, waves of weakness still washed over Lizardman Kuru Xue, causing her to stagger.
"Continue to expand the range," Tang Zheng's cold voice instructed.
"Yes!"
Lizardman Kuru Xue gritted her teeth and persisted.
As the Magic continued, the opening in the clouds grew larger and larger until it covered an area the size of a town, at which point it finally stopped, unable to expand any further.
"It seems this is the maximum range."
Tang Zheng looked up at the sky. Above them, the sky was clear and cloudless, bathed in sunlight, while the surrounding area remained blanketed by dark clouds.
From any other perspective, it would be a truly astonishing sight.
"Weather Manipulation-type Magic. I thought it would be like normal Magic, but I didn't expect it to be the type that continuously consumes Magic Power."
Tang Zheng stopped infusing Magic Power, and the Magic Ritual ceased along with him. The vibrating Magic Power dissipated completely, becoming calm.
Lizardman Kuru Xue's body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. "Hah, hah~"
"You've worked hard."
Tang Zheng glanced at the figure on the ground, spoke indifferently, and turned to walk back into the castle, his red mage robe swaying.
Lizardman Kuru Xue lifted her head slightly, her long-lashed eyes gazing forward as her red pupils reflected Tang Zheng's back.
*Pat, pat!*
Her white tail unconsciously slapped against the ground, making a soft sound.
As he entered the castle, a thought crossed Tang Zheng's mind, and he consumed one skill point.
[Skill Points: 65 → 64]
Having mastered the Fourth-Tier Magic, Cloud Manipulation, the next step was to use Magic Ascension to master the Sixth-Tier Magic, Climate Manipulation.
From the names of the spells alone, one could feel the difference between these two Weather Manipulation-type Magic spells. One could only control clouds. The other could manipulate the weather and meteorological phenomena over a large area.
Beyond these two Weather Manipulation-type spells, the next step up was the Super-Tier Magic, World Alteration.
It could completely alter the climate of an entire region, and its effects could even be persistent. It could also be used to eliminate special negative effects from certain terrains and create a climatic environment favorable to oneself.
Inside the castle, the White Mist Witch, who had been waiting for some time, saw Tang Zheng walk in and hurried forward with a broad smile, her eyes filled with adoration.
"As expected of Master! To think you can even change the weather, it's simply amazing," the White Mist Witch said excitedly.
Tang Zheng shook his head slightly, his gaze hardening. "Remember, the one who manipulated the dark clouds and changed the sky was Lizardman Kuru Xue, not me. Not now, and not ever."
"Weather Manipulation-type Magic" was a form of Faith-based magical power.
The identity he was currently masquerading as was that of a powerful, mana-based spellcaster. Naturally, it was impossible for him to use Faith-based Power.
"Hee hee, understood," the White Mist Witch said.
The plan was proceeding more smoothly than anticipated.
He hadn't expected that Lizardman Kuru Xue would actually be able to use Cloud Manipulation through the Magic Ascension method. Reviving her had been a good move.
"Plan B is no longer necessary now," Tang Zheng thought to himself before asking the White Mist Witch, "How are things on that end?"
The White Mist Witch spoke excitedly, "Master, you're truly amazing. Over in the Holy Kingdom, some people have already taken the initiative to contact us in secret."
(end of chapter)