CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: ABSORBING THE BULLHEAD PYTHON, LEVEL UP!

Because the Bullhead Python’s stage was much higher than Logan’s, his Mental Power skills were greatly weakened.

Whether it was Weaken Will, Mind Lash, or Soul-Hooking Chains, they could only disrupt the python for a few seconds.

Luckily, Logan had etched the [Iron Hide] talent into his skill array and upgraded his [defense array] in time, so the python’s attacks weren’t deadly to him.

So Logan handled the interference while Kerparos led the assault.

With Logan pinning it down, the Bullhead Python couldn’t affect Kerparos at all.

Kerparos turned into a magic turret, charging up and blasting non-stop.

The Three-Headed Hell Wolf’s edge is stacking and combining spells. It can unleash fire, ice, and lightning at the same time, either alternating them or merging them.

Even though Kerparos is only at elite five-star strength right now, with Logan holding the python back, he could keep up the bombardment.

And even if Kerparos ran out of mana, Logan could use [the energy storage array] to quickly refill him.

Working together, Logan and Kerparos synced up more and more, soon taking control of the battle.

By now, the Bullhead Python’s scales had been blasted and torn by magic, exposing charred, bloody wounds all over its body.

This was one of the most humiliating, frustrating fights of its life.

It knew it would probably die if it kept fighting, so it turned to run.

Logan had trained with Ron for a full day and night and knew monsters hold grudges.

He spread the wings on his back and shot into the air, chasing the Bullhead Python with Kerparos.

Back with the team, a succubus suddenly appeared and drew everyone’s eyes.

Lilith’s eyes flashed pink as she cast [Demon Eye] and [Enslave Mind] at the same time.

With Demon Eye’s 150% skill boost, Enslave Mind’s limit jumped from 5 people to 13.

The remaining five were forced to sleep by Lilith’s Weaken Will and fell unconscious.

"You carry those five and come with me to a safe place. We’ll wait for Master,"Lilith said softly, and the 13 teammates nodded and did as told.

Meanwhile, Logan and Kerparos kept up the chase, sticking close behind the Bullhead Python.

Even though the man and the wolf had the win in hand, they still kept a safe distance to guard against a dying counterattack from the Bullhead Python.

When Logan saw [Near Death] appear on the python’s info panel, he and Kerparos cut it off and jumped back into the fight.

In the end, the Bullhead Python’s body crashed down, gouging a trench nearly a hundred meters long in the ground.

"Really hard to kill,"Logan muttered. He walked up to the fallen python and raised his hand, casting [Demon Eye] and [Life Drain].

With [Demon Eye’s] skill boost, Logan pulled out the last of the python’s life force.

Even though it was dead and less than a third of its life force remained, its huge body and master 4-star stage still made the gain big for him.

As the first bit of life force flowed into him, Logan’s aura shot up.

He had only just broken into elite-level 2-star, but under this rush of energy, he was already brushing the threshold of elite-level 3-star.

Logan knew this kind of chance was rare, so he didn’t hesitate. He pushed Life Drain harder and sucked out the Bullhead Python’s very last bit of life force.

Finally, after the python lost all its life force and its massive body turned to dust, big changes hit Logan from within.

The stage that had been stuck broke through in an instant, reaching elite 3-star.

Maybe the python’s life force was just that high in quality, because this breakthrough pushed Logan straight into a life evolution.

In just one breath, he felt every cell in his body absorbing energy and changing.

After three breaths, all his cells had renewed, becoming tougher and full of life.

Even the soul sea deep in his mind, marked with his familiar contracts, started swelling wildly, adding at least two more familiar contract slots.

Feeling these new changes, Logan frowned.

Normally, a life evolution and an expanding soul sea only happen when crossing a major stage—like going from elite to master, or master to legend.

Those big jumps can change a person’s very life essence. But Logan was only at elite 3-star and still got an early boost to his life essence. That was unusual.

"Looks like leveling up with the Life Drain skill is very different from natural cultivation."Logan murmured.

He turned, climbed onto Kerparos’s back, and rode toward where Lilith was.

Inside an abandoned cave, Logan found Lilith and his eighteen teammates.

Since Lilith had only controlled thirteen of them, Logan ordered the other five to be woken up and personally cast [Enslave Mind] to bring them fully under control.

Once controlled, the scouts were much more obedient.

In the next steps, they didn’t cause Logan any trouble.

This saved him a lot of time. In just half a day, he sent them back to the camp at the entrance to the Blood Cultivation Realm.

Because these people were completely under his control, Logan quietly directed them to keep spreading Ron’s deeds, which soon caused a stir.

"What? The Third Recon Team went 180 kilometers into the Blood Cultivation Realm, and not a single person died?"

"Yeah! Today they got attacked by a Master 4-star monster. The captain covered the retreat, and everyone made it back alive!"

"No way! The Third Recon Team is a ragtag bunch. Except for the captain, no one is at the Master stage. I think they ran."

"It’s true. They not only brought back maps, but also samples of more than a dozen terrain and ecology types. I even suspect there’s a Legend-stage expert among them."

As people kept talking, the story of the Third Recon Team spread wider and wider.

Even the exploration team’s captain started to see Ron’s value.

"We have to save Ron!"With that order, a rescue team of thirty frontline fighters set out.

But this time, Logan didn’t go with them.

Using the ecological knowledge Ron had taught him, he went alone and moved faster back to the Bullhead Python queen’s lair.

After half a day’s delay, signs of battle were everywhere.

Logan looked at the scattered scales and human footprints and quickly recognized Ron’s style—guerrilla tactics.

Since the scene hadn’t been covered, Logan followed the blood and tracks and soon found a cave.

Before he even went in, a strong, fishy stench blew out and made him cover his nose.

He pushed aside the vines at the entrance and walked in. The huge Bullhead Python queen was collapsed in the rubble, with seven or eight stone pillars driven into her body.

Dark green blood was still flowing from the python, forming a shallow pool.

Ron was pinned under the queen, his whole body soaked in blood, barely alive.

"Cough!"A harsh cough sounded. Ron forced his eyelids up, glanced at Logan, and gasped, "Logan, is that you?"

"It’s me."Logan’s hands trembled as he carefully lifted Ron, only to find his bones were shattered.

For a moment, Logan didn’t know what to say. He could only force out, "I came too late."

"Heh, not late,"Ron said, fighting the pain but still grinning with pride. "Look up at the ceiling."

Logan did as he said and slowly looked up. His eyelids trembled.

At the top of the cave, gleaming snake eggs were set into the rock like gems.

"Logan, do you remember the story I told you?"Ron coughed up a clump of blood, but spoke with bright, excited eyes. "On my travels, I met a native tribe. They were warlike and loved to fight. Even their trained hounds could stand up to monsters. I studied them for half a year and found they often seized monster cubs for rituals. Those rites helped their hounds gain powerful bodies."

At this, the light in Ron’s eyes dimmed. He turned to Logan and begged, "Pass on my knowledge and what I’ve seen. Let more people know about this ritual method. Take it as my payment to you."

With his last bit of strength, Ron pulled a thick parchment notebook from the inner lining of his clothes.

The notebook was packed with Ron’s travel notes and stories from over the years, and tucked inside was a diagram of a magic circle.

Ron handed his two most precious items to Logan and gave a bitter smile. "I was too greedy. I had already set up the ritual circle, but at the last moment this monster doubled back and struck me. Otherwise, maybe I really could have... proved my knowledge..."

As his last words fell, Ron’s pupils went dull, and his eyelids slowly sank.

Logan looked over Ron’s body, silently seeing off a true explorer, saying nothing for a long time.

Only when the cold of the body in his arms sank in did Logan summon Kerparos and order, "Freeze his body and keep it safe."

Sensing Logan’s grief, Kerparos opened its mouth and breathed out a blast of ice and snow, freezing Ron into an ice statue, then swallowed him into its body.

Then Logan turned to the Bullhead Python queen. He instantly activated [Life Drain], draining the last of the monster’s life force.

As the queen’s body turned to dust, Logan spread open the diagram of the magic circle in his hand.

Comparing it with the setup, Logan sighed. Ron had been just one step from success.

Not only the circle—he was also one step away from proving his theory.

And now, all of this was left to Logan.

...