Four months had passed since Erik's encounter with the Terrapedes and the Galewings.
The egg he made did hatch, and a young clone he nad June birthed. The creature was like all the other ones. Elongated body belonging to a human with dark grey skin, but worm-like head with human features. Of course, June, as any other kid, showed great curiosity about its surroundings.
Like all of Erik's clones, it had the mories and half the abilities of its creator, making it exceptionally intelligent compared to other species on the planet. However, that did not fully satisfy its curiosity about the world and the nature of life.
To him, the mories resembled pictures he saw on TV. Their usefulness was limited to understanding the world around them, engaging in conversation, and learning proper behavior, but he remained childlike.
Erik wasted no ti in introducing June to the Galewing's blood, triggering a rapid transformation. With June's new form, they hunted Thaids by the thousands.
The hunts were fruitful. Erik gained a multitude of neural links that increased his strength.
His greatest achievent, however, was reaching level 130 and raising his brain crystal to the B rank on the Ferebitz scale.
While this level of mana alone wasn't sufficient to face so opponents on equal terms, it was a significant improvent.
It allowed Erik to fight for longer periods, and it gave him a stronger foundation for his brain crystal powers.
Besides these achievents, Erik also rged a lot of his brain crystal powers. He sacrificed Telepathy, Solidifying Sli, Aerokinesis, Ice Sword, Target Lock, Bestial Roar, Poisonous Astral Wolf Bite, and Poisonous Mana Darts. In return, he gained Solid Frostwind, Instability, and Astral Wolf.
Solid Frostwind was an amalgamation of three distinct powers: Aerokinesis, Ice Sword, and Solidifying Sli. This blend gave Erik the ability to forge weapons from a hardened sli, each infused with the chilling essence of frost and the dynamic force of wind.
The frost component not only added a substantial boost to the weapon's lethality, but also introduced a slowing effect to its attacks.
These frost-laden, wind-empowered weapons even allowed Erik to attack from a distance.
The Poisonous Astral Wolf Bite represented a different approach. It created the complete form of a Leylarhad, and it resulted from rging Logan's Venomous Mana Darts and the Astral Wolf Bite.
This spectral creature bore the sa multifaceted effects as Logan's and The Venomous Astral Wolf Bite's original power, but with an added dinsion of physicality.
The Astral Wolf, in its complete form, was not just a visual manifestation, but a living entity depending on Erik's mana. It was capable of executing complex maneuvers and follow orders.
Erik assud the system took the ability from both powers to materialize sothing out of mana to make the wolf. That was why the Astral wolf was a complete being, and not just a head, as in the previous version.
Each ti the Astral Wolf bared its fangs, it was not just physical damage it inflicted. The venom carried multiple effects, mirroring the complexity and versatility of Logan's abilities. It could induce paralysis, sap strength, or even distort the victim's perception of reality, making it lethal even when the wolf couldn't kill its prey.
During these months, the Astral Wolf had proven to be an invaluable ally in battle, complenting Erik's own abilities and strategies. It fought alongside him and June whenever there was a land fight to make that couldn't be solved by flying.
Their coordinated attacks proved very efficient, leaving their enemies unable to fight back against the three titans.
Instability, among Erik's newly gained powers, was perhaps the most useful in battle. Particularly against humans.
It was a power that delved into the realm of the mind, probing emotions and thoughts. It was not a physical force like Solid Frostwind or the Astral Wolf, but its impact was just as potent, if not more so.
This power granted Erik, among the other things, the ability to manipulate the emotional states of those around him.
He could incite fear in the bravest of warriors, sow doubt in the most confident of minds, or induce false courage that led enemies into reckless actions.
Erik used it to prevent monsters from attacking him when he couldn't imdiately deal with them. He used it to push ambushing monsters from coming out of their hiding spots for an easier hunt.
Erik could even sense when a creature was nearby given their feelings, instincts, primal thoughts.
Reading minds was another facet of instability. It was not just about knowing what his enemies were thinking; it was about understanding their strategies, their fears, their strengths, and their weaknesses.
This insight allowed Erik to anticipate attacks, to be always one step ahead, turning his enemies' plans against them.
But perhaps the most effective use of Instability was its ability to instill paralyzing fear in his enemies.
Fear could make even the most formidable foe hesitate, could cloud judgnt and slow reactions.
By instilling this fear, Erik could prevent his enemies from attacking at all, giving him the upper hand in any confrontation.
These new powers simplified his hunts by a great deal. With Solid Frostwind, he could take down his prey from a distance or engage them in close combat with his frost-imbued weapons.
The Astral Wolf was an excellent distraction and could deal significant damage on its own. And with Instability, he could control the flow of the battle, manipulating his enemies' emotions and reading their intentions.
Four months of relentless hunting had brought about many changes in Erik. He was stronger now, more capable.
His powers were more refined, and their applications more varied. He had co a long way since his encounter with the Galewings, and he was eager to see how much further he could go.
Erik's endeavors over these months extended beyond his pursuit of power. He dedicated a lot of effort to track down the Thaid responsible for destroying the cargo plane so months prior.
Despite his search throughout the White Desert, the creature remained a ghost, leaving no trace behind.
The chances of its migration to the mountains surfaced in Erik's mind. However, such terrain was the domain of wyverns, and the Thaid's presence there would likely spark a brutal confrontation that would end up changing the landscape. Yet, there were no signs of any recent large-scale battles in the mountainous regions.
The White Desert wasn't small by any ans. Sure, the monster could have left for other areas, but it would have been hard not having been spotted by anyone, or no sign of it were left by simply hunting.
This led him to consider a more unsettling theory: the creature's origin might be from the Mur continent.
Known for its dense Thaid population, Mur was separated from their land by a vast ocean, with only Hin's nation acting as a geographical bridge still blocked by water.
The idea of such a gigantic bird crossing over cities unnoticed was perplexing. Hin, though not extensive, was big and populated enough to spot such an anomaly.
Damn, if it wasn't for the Blackguards' presence, that place would have been long destroyed.
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