Broll Bearmantle, as the future Archdruid, possessed immense strength even now. He held profound insights into the doctrines, spells, and techniques of the Druids. It could be said that, given the current circumstances, Ethan would not be able to find a better Druid mentor unless he traveled to the Night Elves' homeland and invited one of their legendary figures.
Bringing Logan, Laura, Selene, and even Loki, Ethan and the others sat down obediently to listen to Broll's teachings.
As a Druid, Broll had no resistance to spreading the Druidic faith or teaching "outsiders" about Druid abilities.
Druids were not a group that closely guarded their own powers. In fact, they promoted their beliefs whenever possible, hoping more people would come to understand the importance of nature's balance.
If possible, Druids wished that everyone in Azeroth would become one of them, so they wouldn't have to constantly worry about the balance of nature being disrupted and the world heading toward ruin.
Although Druids did not hoard their knowledge and freely shared their spells and training methods, no human had ever successfully become a true Druid. At present, only the Night Elves and Tauren, who had deeper connections to nature, could truly walk the Druid path.
Broll also didn't believe this group of "humans" in front of him could become Druids. He was willing to teach not only because of Varian's request, but also in the hope that they could spread the Druidic philosophy. Even if they couldn't become Druids, helping them understand the balance of nature would still bring joy to the Druid community.
As it turned out, Broll was correct. No one in the group was able to truly comprehend the natural balance or become a genuine Druid.
Loki and Ethan were both mages. Their attitude toward energy was rooted in control. They would never "communicate," "mutually respect," or "earn recognition" from an elemental force before using it to cast spells.
Wolverine, being a mutant, could only grasp the surface-level applications of Druidic power and couldn't progress further, let alone become a Druid.
Selene's physique was fundamentally incompatible. Broll directly commented that her existence was highly unusual, seemingly violating the laws of nature.
Fortunately, Laura, the youngest and most pure-hearted among them, showed a hint of potential. Broll paid special attention to the child, and consequently, Logan, as her "father," also sat in on more lessons. Eventually, Laura learned to communicate slightly with "nature."
This wasn't enough to make her a Druid, but it did give her a few tricks, such as obtaining more information from animals. At the same time, Laura began trying to form a deeper connection with Auriel, similar to a hunter's bond with their pet, though the underlying principles were different.
Seeing this, Ethan was reminded of a hunter skill that allowed them to share senses with their companion, gaining their pet's perception—a convenient reconnaissance ability.
After asking Broll, the future Archdruid confirmed that such a spell wasn't difficult. Many spellcasting classes knew similar techniques. However, Druids rarely used it because they could transform into various animals themselves. They could go wherever a hunter's pet could sneak, without needing to "borrow external forces."
Since Laura didn't have the potential to become a true Druid, Ethan felt that learning this spell as a "substitute" was a good choice. This way, as Laura matured, she could complement her strong melee combat skills with excellent reconnaissance abilities.
Perhaps due to the mental training Ethan had provided her during this time, Laura progressed quickly in learning simple spells. What amazed Broll most was that she could even cast a few basic Druidic spells—truly low-level spells, such as accelerating a seed's growth or manipulating nearby plants to hinder enemies.
She could also harness nature's power for healing, though the healing spells she could cast were limited to treating simple external wounds and couldn't deal with anything deeper.
Still, Broll remarked that while Laura had a little talent, it was very limited. Her progress on the Druid path would likely remain shallow.
The root problem was that, beneath the calm exterior of both Laura and Wolverine, a fierce and turbulent spirit lay hidden. This was a significant barrier to mastering the Druidic balance philosophy.
Ethan had no solution for that. Beyond personality, it likely stemmed from their mutant genes. It seemed these two were destined to walk a path other than that of the Druid.
Fortunately, this wasn't a game. Failing to become a specific "class" didn't mean one couldn't learn related skills. So, for the time being, Laura and Logan continued to study Druidic knowledge under Broll. Having gathered the knowledge he needed, Ethan shifted his focus to another form of energy:
Holy Light and Shadow—two opposing forces, mutually restrictive, yet interdependent.
To better experience the properties of these energies, Ethan specifically visited the Cathedral of Light. As one of the largest cathedrals in this world, the Cathedral of Light housed many priests, including a number who specialized in studying Shadow magic.
Ethan originally just wanted to explore the two forces. But soon, another person joined him to learn the same knowledge.
Selene's body was exceptionally compatible with Shadow magic. Even more interestingly, despite being a vampire, Selene longed for the light. After learning about the Holy Light's philosophy of balance between light and shadow, she successfully mastered the Holy Light as well.
Within her body, Shadow and Holy Light formed a perfect balance, fully aligned with her unique constitution. As a result, her learning speed far surpassed Laura's progress with nature magic. While Ethan was still studying the nature of these two energies, Selene had already mastered her first Shadow spell: Shadow Word: Pain.
Moreover, Selene was technically a human mutated by a virus. She was still alive. So, once she grasped the Holy Light, it no longer caused her harm.
Even undead creatures in Azeroth could wield the Holy Light—but doing so caused them immense pain.
Selene, however, faced no such issue. The Holy Light's anti-undead attribute had been partially neutralized in her case. After using Alexander Corvinus's blood, her innate darkness had also been diluted. This was one reason why Selene felt only discomfort, but not injury when Ethan used Holy Light around her later.
Now that she had learned to wield the Holy Light herself, even Ethan's version, which carried the symbolic belief of humanity resisting vampires, had minimal effect on her.
This is truly an unexpected surprise.
Ethan had originally planned to gather data on Death Knights, but Stormwind hadn't yet come into direct conflict with the Scourge and lacked reliable information. If he wanted more, he'd need to travel to Stratholme or storm Acherus directly.
He was inclined to do so, but time was limited. He had assumed he'd have to wait until next time to help Selene grow stronger—but to his surprise, she had innate talent with Shadow and Holy Light. After mastering both, her physique improved further. She moved faster, hit harder, and became stronger overall.
Could it be that you are one of those legendary people who dwell in darkness but long for the light?
Selene didn't know how to answer that. But in her heart, she was glad she had made the right choice. If she hadn't stayed on Ethan's ship, would she have ever had the chance to learn these things?
Now that she had mastered both Shadow and Holy Light, Selene felt a little closer to being a normal person.
Perhaps because of these two energies, her once pale face now had a bit more color. In the sunlight, her hair wasn't pitch-black anymore, but had a slight brown hue.
It's a pity I can never learn those healing spells well.
Compared to how easily she picked up Shadow magic, Selene found the practical use of the Holy Light far more difficult. She had learned it, but casting healing spells was still a struggle. Therefore, she wasn't really a priest—she had only mastered a few of a priest's skills.
That was already more than enough for Ethan and the others. They weren't here to "change professions," but to learn useful abilities. If possible, Ethan didn't mind his companions learning every bit of knowledge this world could offer.
Compared to Logan and Selene, it seemed Loki hadn't gained anything, right? Ethan definitely hadn't forgotten about him. He had been quietly working in the background, studying and experimenting late into the night with materials provided by Varian.
Catch.
Returning from Selene's training, Ethan casually tossed a small vial to Loki. The second prince of Asgard caught it easily.
He examined it. The vial was no bigger than a finger and contained a red liquid. It looked like blood—but it wasn't as thick.
"What is this?"
"A potion I concocted using black dragon blood." Ethan gave a simple explanation of its origin and effects. "Given your physique, you can drink it directly. It will enhance your physical strength and mental power to a certain extent."
(To be continued.)
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