Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Forebearer, bless us
Luna also took a knee, her heart filled with gratitude. After years of taming beasts, she felt the Forebearer's guidance in every step.
[Your family benefits from your blessings, gaining the 'Beast Taming Technique' from the 'Psychic Arts Manual'.]
[Spiritual Tribute+100!]
Ethan was stunned. "The 'Psychic Arts Manual' can do that?" He quickly pulled up the course materials he studied for a whole year at school on his computer.
And sure enough, he found a bunch of documents.
[Best Practices for Cultivating Psychic Medicines], [How to Communicate and Build Trust with Psychic Beasts], [Division of Labor and Flow in Pill Making]...
The 'Psychic Arts Manual', that's like middle school textbooks from a past life.
But in this world, psychic medicines, psychic beasts, and pills are handled by special talents or monopolized by corporations. The planet's resources have been heavily developed over the past thousand years, leaving no extra resources for ordinary students to practice.
Only those with D-level psychic abilities or higher have the privilege to travel to other planets for development and cultivation.
"This knowledge might be useless to me, but for the Blackwood folks, the 'Psychic Arts Manual' packs a ton of practical knowledge that could really make a difference."
Ethan gasped, "I've been underestimating this basic textbook all along!"
Turns out, this cultivation manual, a distillation of a thousand years of psychic ability resurgence history of the Federation, is considered a supreme treasure for newbies in the world of psychic powers!
...
Time flies when you're gaming.
While Ethan was still geeking out over how the "Psychic Arts Manual" was a game-changer in the virtual world, the Blackwood crew was already hustling through a thick fog.
Before long, the game screen flashed a massive tree decked out with fiery red fruits!
Ethan moved his mouse and boom—info on the tree popped up.
[Beast Blood Fruit Tree]
[This tree, only sprouting in lands swarmed by mystical beasts, is cultivated using the blood of various creatures. The more potent the beast's blood, the stronger the resulting fruits, packed with mystical powers. Powerful beasts often hog these trees, slaying others to use their blood for breakthroughs!]
Typical Ethan, he searched up the tree but nada, no info elsewhere.
But he could feel the tree's worth. The stronger the beast blood, the more powerful the fruits—meaning this tree had no real level cap!
Just as Ethan was sizing up the value of the Beast Blood Fruit Tree, a giant serpent with glowing red eyes suddenly appeared on the tree in the game, its massive horns crackling with lightning as if warning the Blackwoods to back off or become fertilizer for the tree!
"Shoot, that's a peak ordinary beast!"
"Last time I saw it, it wasn't this fierce!"
"Let's bail, Dad, it's not messing with us yet."
[Lightning Python (Ordinary Beast)]
[A powerhouse among ordinary beasts, soon to transform once it sheds its skin.]
The Blackwoods were ready to retreat, but Ethan spotted not one, but two Lightning Pythons in the tree.
"Retreat? As if! We're not backing down!"
Ethan glanced at his Spiritual Tribute points—180 left.
"Screw it, I'm burning through all the Spiritual Tribute if I have to, but I'm not giving up on those Beast Blood Fruits!"
[Using 'Forebearer's Fury', consuming 20 Spiritual Tribute points!]
In a flash, Ethan's Forebearer ability card flew out from Nathan's clothes, charging at the Lightning Python.
"Forebearer's powers, activate!" Nathan was pumped. "Yeah, we've got the Forebearer's blessing, don't fear the snake, let's take it down!"
Together, Ethan and the Blackwoods rallied.
But this time, Ethan realized the limits of 'Forebearer's Fury'. Against a peak ordinary beast like the Lightning Python, his ability couldn't one-shot it. These beasts, even at their peak, could hold their own against newbies with Emerging Abilities!
The Forebearer ability card clashed with the lightning shooting from the python's horns.
The Blackwoods tried to help, but Julian's arrows couldn't even scratch the python, and the others couldn't get close enough.
Before long, Ethan's once fail-proof ability to instantly take down bandits was overwhelmed by the python's assault.
"Dang, it's that tough?!"
Ethan gritted his teeth. "Fire two more!"
He rapidly clicked 'Forebearer's Fury'.
The ability card split in two, streaking purple light across the sky as it charged again.
"Don't be scared, the Forebearer hasn't given up on us, and neither will we, his descendants. We're fighting this to the end!"
"We're claiming those mystical fruits, no matter what!"
Nathan was fierce, rallying Lucas as they charged at the other two smaller snakes.