Broken had returned to the cave. As before, he gently set the egg back in its place and settled in, allowing his Mana and Stamina time to replenish. To pass the time and keep himself from feeling completely alone, he summoned another of Gaia’s beasts to keep him company.
[Nature’s Herald (Active Skill)]
[Nature’s Herald has been activated. You’ve summoned Bark Hound.]
A canine emerged, its body clad in rough tree bark, with roots and vines twisted around its frame. Its eyes glowed a sharp, vibrant green-adorably dog-like, despite its rugged appearance.
Yes, it was unmistakably a dog!
The Bark Hound wagged its tail just like any ordinary dog, even letting its tongue loll out a bit. Yet it stood tall and proud, the perfect embodiment of a hunter’s companion.
Broken gave the Bark Hound a gentle pat on the head, and it responded with the same warm, loyal affection as any dog would.
He didn’t have a pet in the real world, so having summons like this in the game gave him a unique sense of companionship. But then, a thought crossed his mind-could he feed this summon separately, the way he personally fed Monster Cores to Gaia, which seemed to benefit all twelve summons?
“You can actually develop them, Master,” Gaia’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
But how did she respond when he had only been thinking about it? Did the game monitor every thought the players had?
“Can you hear everything I’m thinking?” he asked.
“That would be quite unpleasant for me, Master,” Gaia replied in her usual flat tone. “But don’t worry, I only hear the questions you direct at me.”
“So, tell me, how do I develop them?”
“Simply feed them a Monster Soul Stone,” Gaia replied. “They will either gain new skills or enhance their existing ones.”
“Interesting.”
Obtaining Monster Soul Stones was no easy feat. Right now, the only one he had left in his inventory was a Sun Beetle Lv. 205 Monster Soul Stone, which he’d picked up during that dungeon expedition with Elincia and the team.
But here was the problem-if he spent too much time hunting, his level progression would inevitably slow down. Yet, he needed to hunt to gather the materials he required. It left him in a tough spot. Should he prioritize leveling up or focus on collecting resources?
Then a thought crossed his mind: what if his summons could handle the hunting for him? Could that be the key to keeping his level progression steady while still gathering the materials he needed?
But then again, his summons could only stay active for a short time. Dendros, the creature brought forth by the Moonvine Knuckles, could remain for just 15 minutes. The Nature Beasts summoned by Gaia had even less duration-they lasted only 5 minutes.
There was no way he could send them out to hunt while he waited in the cave. His only real option seemed to be the Spirit Beasts, like Polly.
Yet, there was a problem: Polly knew that all Spirit Beasts lacked the autonomy to make their own decisions. Sending them out alone wouldn’t achieve much. Plus, Polly seemed reluctant to even show herself in this world, much less assist with something so demanding.
His other option was the golem!
Damn, yes—a golem was the perfect solution if he wanted to relax while still getting things done outside. He already had a golem stationed in Slumdon Town, but unfortunately, he couldn’t just summon it here. Golems were physical beings, tied to their location-they couldn’t be called from a distance. Maybe that ability would unlock later, but for now, he had to deal with their limitations.
The Blackthorn, his golem, was a beast-highly powerful, with a formidable level and incredible offensive abilities. It could even hold its own against players around level 200. The only drawback was its massive size-it wasn’t exactly something he could carry around with ease.
Broken had even toyed with the idea of picking up a golem class for himself. But that path would demand a huge amount of time-something he simply didn’t have right now. His focus was on crafting five Legendary-grade items, and he still needed two more to reach that milestone. Once he completed them, he would ascend to the Legendary-grade Blacksmith class. That would make him the first player in Immortal Legacy to achieve a Legendary-grade class, and just thinking about it filled him with anticipation.
Broken gently stroked the dog’s muzzle, a smile tugging at his lips. Surprisingly, it was a comforting feeling. He wondered what it would be like to have a pet in the real world, too. But then he quickly realized he didn’t have the time to care for anything else. He sighed.
“Roam the cave. Come back if you find anything suspicious,” he instructed.
The dog darted into the depths of the cave, its legs moving swiftly. He couldn’t help but wonder-could this dog have a sharp sense of smell like real dogs?
“Don’t expect too much, Master,” Gaia chimed in. “They’re still low-class creatures. Wait until you have more Monster Soul Stones to feed them.”
Thanks, Gaia.
After defeating the demon, Broken had received a flood of notifications-several of his skills had leveled up. Finally! Though he hadn’t taken the time to review them all yet, the excitement buzzed within him.
That battle had been intense, and he relished every moment of it. The demon had fought smartly, knowing when to push forward and when to pull back, but in the end, it had made one fatal mistake: it underestimated him.
Now, with a grin tugging at his lips, he opened up his interface to check which of his skills had leveled up.
Blessing of Health and Healing Touch had both reached level 4. This was the second time these skills had leveled up, the first being during that raid boss hunt with the Ass Guild, thanks to the Self-Transcendence Blessing. Damn, that felt like a lifetime ago.
Meanwhile, his sword skills, Charged Attack and Quick Strike, hadn’t budged. Probably because he hadn’t used his sword during the demon battle.
Broken knew he needed a new, stronger sword. If he wanted to keep his skills progressing, he had to put them to use, and that meant wielding a weapon worthy of pushing his abilities to the next level. A powerful sword would unlock new potential, driving his growth even further.
[Blessing of Health (Active Skill) Lv. 4]
[Boost your overall health by 30%…
Mana Cost: 5% of Total Mana
Cooldown: 20 Minutes
Duration: 10 Minutes]
Blessing of Health still granted a 30% health boost, just as before, with 5% Mana usage and a 20-minute cooldown. However, the duration had now increased to 10 minutes-a massive advantage during battle. This level-up was a real game-changer, offering him an invaluable
edge in drawn-out fights.
[Healing Touch (Active Skill) Lv. 4]
[You can heal anything with just a touch of your hand, restoring the target’s Health by up to
50% of your magic attack.
Mana Cost: 500
Cooldown: 10 Seconds]
Healing Touch stayed the same in terms of effect, restoring 50% based on his magic attack, with the cooldown unchanged. But the Mana cost had shifted from a percentage to a flat 500 Mana. This was a fantastic upgrade! Though his Mana pool was still relatively small, the more he invested in his Intelligence stat, the more potent this skill would grow over time. There were still five more skills that had leveled up, he quickly dove into the details, ready to see how the next two skills had evolved.