Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Chapter 97 Brave and Mighty

Ian's voice was steady and powerful, carrying a spiritual suggestion.

"I—I am Gaa—I will become the strongest raven, Gaaa!"

Despite the excruciating pain, Gaga's consciousness became increasingly clear.

It "saw" those ancient fragments buried deep within its bloodline.

In an endless world of shadows, a colossal night wing sweeps across, its form shifting freely between reality and shadow, its claws tearing apart its prey, its cries sending shivers down the spines of all beasts.

"Shadow — Jump —"

It murmured to itself, and with a "crack," an invisible shackle within its body appeared to break.

But the energy was too violent!

Although both the Flowing Wind Shadow Crow and its own Shadow Night bloodline belong to the bird family, they have conflicting attributes.

Wind and shadow, speed and stealth, intertwine and tear each other apart, almost tearing it apart from the inside.

"Ian—I'm going to split open—crack—"

The squeaking sound grew weaker and weaker, and fine beads of blood began to seep from the surface of its body.

Ian's eyes narrowed; he knew the most crucial moment had arrived.

Without hesitation, he used the channel of the soul contract to reverse and pour his completely atomized spiritual power back into it!

It wasn't a brutal indoctrination, but rather a gentle, nurturing approach, nourishing Gaga's soul, which was on the verge of collapse.

"Buzz"

The soul passage lit up with a warm, silvery-white light.

Gaga's fading consciousness, like parched land receiving sweet rain, quickly stabilized and grew stronger!

"This feels so good! Ahhh!"

It muttered to itself, its body still in excruciating pain, but its mind was perfectly clear.

He even had the energy to complain: "Ian, the taste of your soul—why does it taste a bit like grilled fish? Ugh, I'm hungry—"

Ian's lips twitched: "—Focus on your breakthrough!"

"oh----"

Gaga focused his mind and concentrated on guiding the two bloodlines within his body to merge.

The wind-attribute energy was gradually tamed and integrated into the wings and bones, enhancing speed and sharpness.

The shadow attribute is deeply ingrained in one's bones and blood, resonating with the [Shadow Stealth] talent and evolving towards [Shadow Leap].

Time passed second by second —

Inside the tent, cyan and black energies intertwined and surged, sometimes transforming into whirlwinds, sometimes sinking into shadows.

Gaga's body alternates between huge and miniature, its feathers gradually change color from pure black to a deep dark blue, and its beak and claws gleam with a metallic sheen.

Finally, a soft "crack!"—like glass shattering—came from Gaga's body.

Immediately afterwards, a powerful life force erupted!

"Gah!!"

The clear cawing of crows pierced through the barrier and echoed above the cave.

The quack suddenly spread its wings, and the wingspan stabilized at about four meters, no longer expanding out of control.

The feathers turned completely dark blue, with faint shadow ripples flowing around the edges.

His eyes were one gray and one blue; the gray light in his left eye, the [Eye of Calamity], was deeper, while his right eye had a sharper, more wind-like quality.

It flapped its wings gently, and its body disappeared in a flash, reappearing in another corner of the cave the next second.

It didn't fly; it passed directly through the shadows.

[Shadow Jump] - Basic understanding.

"I did it! Gaa! I'm now a first-tier transcendent being!"

Gaga excitedly flashed continuously in the cave, sometimes sneaking in the shadows, sometimes shooting out sharper and more condensed wind blades.

Ian let out a long sigh, withdrew his somewhat tired mental energy, and brought up the panel to check.

【Familiar: Raven Caw Caw (Myna)】

[Contract Type: Equal Soul Contract]

[Realm: First-Order Transcendent Being (Beginner)]

[Bloodline: Ancestral Mutation - Shadow Nighthawk (Awakened)]

【Talent: 1. Primal Transformation (Enhanced): Expands the range of body size transformation, with a maximum wingspan of twelve meters and a minimum size of a fist, and increases transformation speed.

2. Eye of Calamity (Enhanced): The illusions are more realistic and can cause prolonged confusion in targets with lower mental strength.

3. Wind Blade Control (Enhanced): The number, speed, and cutting power of wind blades are all improved, and a small wind blade storm can be formed briefly.

4. Shadow Stealth (Advanced to Shadow Jump): Performs short-distance teleportation through shadows, consuming shadow energy.

5. Extraordinary Intelligence (Enhanced): Thinking speed and learning ability are further improved.

6. Shadow Messenger (Prototype): Greatly increases affinity for shadow environments, and can slightly manipulate shadow energy to enhance itself or disrupt enemies.

[Potential Rating: Extremely High, Shadow Traits Begin to Emerge]

"Not bad." Ian smiled.

After Gaga's breakthrough, his strength has firmly established him at the first level. Coupled with his unpredictable and ever-changing talent, he can reliably restrain a first-level wizard in actual combat and pose a great threat.

This will undoubtedly be a huge boost to the upcoming demon-hunting war.

"Wow! I feel like I could beat ten times my past self right now!"

Quack landed back on Ian's shoulder, preening its feathers smugly. "Well—it seems hungry again."

Ian shook his head helplessly and took out the prepared blood essence to feed it.

Ian smiled and patted its head. "Come on, let's keep our promise and go catch some fish."

"Yay! Gaa!"

Outside the desolate mountains, clear streams shimmered silver in the moonlight.

The quack excitedly hovered low above the water, its sharp eyes locking onto the shadows beneath.

"There! Wow! What a fat one!"

It plunged down, its claws precisely scooping up a large, thrashing fish, and triumphantly tossed it onto the shore, "Watch this!"

"Gah!"

Ian smiled as he picked up the fish and quickly cleaned it.

He found some dry branches, rubbed them together with his fingertips, and a small flame leaped up, igniting the campfire.

He then took out some simple seasonings from his dimensional bag, which he had ground and prepared himself according to his memories from his previous life.

"Let me show you a different flavor."

Ian placed the skewered fish over the fire and skillfully flipped them. The oil dripped into the fire, sizzling and releasing the aroma of spices.

Gaga squatted on the rock next to it, stretching its neck out, its little eyes fixed on the gradually turning golden-brown grilled fish, swallowing every now and then.

"It smells so good—it's completely different from what I bake myself! Huh! How much longer?"

"What's the rush? It won't be flavorful if it's not cooked long enough." Ian deliberately sprinkled the last bit of salt slowly.

Finally, the grilled fish was crispy on the outside and snow-white on the inside. Ian tore off a piece, blew on it, and handed it to Ga Ga, who was already impatient.

"Gah!" The quack took a bite, its wings throbbing from the heat, but it couldn't bear to spit it out.

He mumbled incoherently, "It's so hot! But—it's so delicious! Gah! What kind of magic is this?"

"It's not magic, it's craftsmanship." Ian tore off a piece for himself and ate it slowly. "Do you like it?"

"I love it—quack!" The dog ate it in a few bites, then licked its mouth with lingering satisfaction.

It tilted its head, nuzzled up to Ian, and asked expectantly, "Ian, am I your best friend?"

Ian nodded and hugged Gaga.

"Then you have to grill more fish for me from now on, haha!"

Ian looked into its bright eyes and rubbed its little head. "Enough is enough."

"Caw—" The cawing laughter broke the silence of the wilderness, and the firelight illuminated the shadows of a person and a bird, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.