CHAPTER 1194: FINAL PREY.

Cain slipped them on, flexing his fingers experimentally.

They fit perfectly, conforming to his hands as if they’d been custom-made for him. The moment they settled into place, he felt the stat boost wash over him. It was like a ripple on the surface of an ocean, but he welcomed it regardless.

The mana flowing through his Ley Line circuits and his Devil Veins felt richer and more responsive. His spirit stat had increased as well, sharpening his senses and making the world around him feel more vivid and vibrant.

Cain closed his eyes, testing the extent of his mana manipulation.

The difference was immediately apparent. Magic circles and runes that used to require some form of concentration irregardless of how meager, now formed with no effort at all, almost like it was second nature to him.

It was strange and yet, it filled him with energy he had thought was lost.

The flow of mana through his veins was smoother and way more efficient. It was like going from trying to write with his off-hand to using his dominant one.

Or rather in this case, a closer equivalency would be the speed of his spell’s execution and mana flow patterns down to the nanosecond.

Just a single fraction of a second’s fraction was a significant difference when it came down to spellcraft and activation of magic circles.

A grin spread across his face. This was exactly what he needed.

He opened his status interface again, curious to see how close the experience gain had brought him to his goal.

Level 299.

His grin faltered slightly.

’Damn it! It’s still not enough?!’

He’d hoped the slaughter of an entire nest of powerful creatures that included several Tier 2 Beasts would be enough to push him all the way to level 300, but apparently he required just a sliver more.

He was frustratingly close, but not quite there yet.

’Just one more,’ he thought, doing quick mental math. ’One more big kill should do it.’

The question was where to find an appropriate target. He’d just wiped out the largest concentration of high-level creatures in the immediate area. Anything else nearby would likely be too weak to provide meaningful experience, and that was if they had not all fled away.

After all, just the shockwaves from his most recent endeavor was enough to cause trouble for everything in a three mile radius.

Unless...

Cain activated the {Beholder’s Eye}.

The world shifted around him as his consciousness expanded outward. Suddenly, he could see the entire battlefield from above, as if he were hovering thousands of feet in the air. The ruined nest was an enormous crimson and black scar on the landscape, still smoking from his magical bombardment. There were hundreds of cracks and gouges that ran deep into the ground, far and wide in all directions.

The devastation of the massacre had spread beyond what could be seen from his vantage point.

Cain’s brows twitched as his smile became a bit ugly.

’Maybe I did go a little too far.’

He extended his awareness further, pushing the skill to its absolute limits. Miles of desolate terrain spread out in all directions—rocky badlands dotted with sparse vegetation and the occasional cluster of mutant creatures. Most were too weak to bother with, barely registering as threats.

But then he saw it.

About three miles to the northeast, there was a disturbance in the earth. A burrow, freshly excavated based on the displaced soil around its entrance. And inside that burrow, hidden from casual observation, was something that made Cain’s enhanced senses tingle with interest.

The creature was strange—impossibly so, even by post-apocalypse standards. At first glance, it looked like some kind of large bird. Sleek, aerodynamic body designed for high-speed flight. But the details were all wrong.

Its eyes were wrong. Instead of the two eyes a bird should have, this thing had dozens of them, arranged in clusters like a spider’s. They glowed faintly in the darkness of its burrow, each one tracking different angles simultaneously.

And its legs were wrong. Instead of the typical avian feet, it had six limbs ending in wicked talons that it used to crawl along the walls of its den like an insect.

The creature’s beak was oversized, large enough to swallow a dozen humans whole. And crackling around that beak were arcs of electricity— almost white in its intensity.

The {Eye of General Observation} did its thing.

***

{Slaughter-beak Lightning Falcon}.

***

It was a Tier 3 Mutant Creature.

Perfect.

Cain’s grin returned, sharper than before. This would be his final hunt before the trial. One more kill to push him over the edge to level 300, and then he could focus on preparing for the next phase.

He released {Beholder’s Eye}, his awareness snapping back to his physical body. Ignis was looking at him curiously.

"Found something interesting?" she asked.

"Yeah," Cain replied, his voice carrying a note of anticipation. "About thirty miles northeast."

"Sounds delightful," Ignis said dryly. "When do we leave?"

"Now." Cain gestured toward Ruby, who had finished tending to her wounds. "I want to hit level 300 before we head back to camp. One more fight should do it."

Lyos uncoiled from his perch, sensing the renewed energy in Cain’s posture. The silver serpent’s eyes gleamed with predatory interest—apparently, the earlier battle also hadn’t been enough to satisfy its bloodlust.

Cain climbed onto Ruby’s back with Ignis’ help, his weakened body making even that simple action more difficult than it should be. But as he settled into position, his new gloves caught the light, the gold and blue accents shimmering.

He flexed his fingers again, feeling the surge of power that came with the heavenly-grade equipment. The vague descriptions of {Seal of Arbitrator} and {Celestial Constructs} still bothered him slightly, but he’d figure out their true functions soon enough.

For now, he had a hunt to complete.

"Let’s go," he called out, and Ruby began loping across the scorched battlefield toward their new target.