As soon as the bell rang, the sect members ran into the dense forest, and a three-day period began.
Ethan followed them and disappeared into the dense forest as well.
He only stopped sprinting after traveling several kilometers into the woods, where he could sense multiple inhuman presences.
Standing on a tree branch, Ethan glanced at the monsters roaming the ground.
None of them had tags.
It seemed not every monster had tags, which meant he would have to search for the ones that were tagged.
"Well, I'll take it easy for now," he thought. "I'll use this chance to manifest some spells and train my Focus."
Ethan had already become a 1st Circle magician and had thousands of spells in his mind, but he had yet to manifest them.
Without manifesting and training them in real time, he couldn't bring out the maximum effectiveness of each spell.
Focus, on the other hand, was a special attribute that could only be improved through training.
Unlike other attributes that could only be trained and enhanced within the boundaries of cultivation level, Focus was unique; it could be improved continuously without any limit.
Ethan closed his eyes and began circulating mana through his heart as he started manifesting a fire elemental spell.
There were three ways to manifest magic spells: through magic circles, physical molding, and speech.
The method of manifestation didn't affect a spell's power, but learning each method could differ from person to person.
While some might struggle with magic circles, others might find them easier to use.
Ethan was primarily a magic circle user, but he also knew physical molding and speech.
This time, however, he was thinking of mastering all three methods.
Since he was now a cultivator, being a physical molding mage would be far more efficient, but magic circles and speech could also prove to be useful in unexpected situations.
Ethan held his closed fists together in front of him, as if gripping a heavy sword straight ahead, then lifted his hands to opposite sides.
Mana from his Mana Lotus flowed outward, and in the next instant, flames appeared from his fists.
The fire elongated along his separating hand movements, taking the shape of a spear, a blazing flame spear.
ππ¦π―π’ ππ©π’πͺπ’π«π±: ππ©π’πͺπ’π«π±ππ© πππ’ππ― (πΛ’α΅ βπ¦π―π π©π’)
Ethan looked down at one of the monsters roaming around, about the size of a full-grown rhino, shaped like a lizard with a tiger-like head and a long, snake-like tail.
Without hesitation, he used the full strength of his arm and launched the Flame Spear through the air at the monster.
The flame spear pierced through the air, releasing a surging roar as it struck its target.
As soon as it made contact, it exploded.
It was not a massive explosion, but it had enough punch to kill the creature.
"With my current mana limit, I can create about six Flame Spearsβ¦" Ethan joined his hands and began to concentrate on his mana reserves.
His entire Mana pool, the amount of Mana that could create six flame spears, was channeled into a single, powerful spell.
In the next second, five flame spears, each slightly stronger than the single flame spear he had created, materialized from five fiery-red magic circles around him, all pointing at the nearby monsters.
[Your developed ability [Spell Casting] has evolved into [Multicasting]]
Following his hand gesture, the five flame spears shot toward the monsters at rapid speed.
The moment they made impact, five simultaneous explosions tore through the creatures, reducing them to shattered limbs and lifeless carcasses.
Multi-spell casting is a fairly self-explanatory ability.
It allows Ethan to cast a spell multiple times in a single casting.
However, multicasting consumes a tremendous amount of mana.
That single spell had drained his entire mana reserve, but thanks to the [Energy Regeneration] function of the codex, his mana replenished within seconds.
"Usually, after such exhaustion, mages would have to sit still and recover before continuing their training. But not me. I can spam spells continuously without limit," Ethan said with a satisfied grin.
"Anyway, on to the next element."
He repeated the same hand movements as before, but this time he did not focus on the flame element.
Instead, he concentrated on a more intense element, and white lightning began to manifest in his hand, forming into the shape of a spear.
ππ¦π€π₯π±π«π¦π«π€ ππ©π’πͺπ’π«π±: ππ©π’πͺπ’π«π±ππ© πππ’ππ― (πΛ’α΅ βπ¦π―π π©π’)
"Hmph," Ethan grunted as he used his full physical strength to launch the lightning spear at another monster.
The white lightning spear arced through the air, humming with a soft, crackling energy.
It struck the monster squarely on the head, releasing a sudden, searing burst of white light.
The lightning current seeped into every corner of the monster's body.
Strands of electricity radiated outward, hitting nearby monsters.
While it was not enough to kill them, it injured and weakened them.
However, the monster struck by the spear was dead in an instant.
"The monsters here are too weak, but they make good targets," Ethan muttered.
He concentrated as six magic circles appeared upright behind him, all pointing at their target, a nearby large tree.
[Your developed ability [Multicasting] has evolved into [Multi Elemental Casting]]
Three flame spell magic circles and three white lightning spell magic circles manifested behind him, and from them, three lightning spears and three flame spears emerged, pointing in the direction of their target.
Sparks, flames, and threads of lightning erupted from them as they flew toward the big tree.
Upon impact, the tree exploded into pieces as if it could not withstand the force.
The flames from the flame spears continued to burn the shattered fragments.
"Hmm, it's strong enough to deal with multiple opponents, but I can create an even stronger single-target spell." Ethan took a deep breath and began to concentrate.
Although he possessed unmatched experience, his body was still new.
He had to adapt to it, syncing his abilities with his physical form.
That was why he needed time to transform his experiences into usable powers.
He could not afford mistakes.
The feats he was performing were beyond what should be possible at his current level, the result of skills normally gained only through higher-level training and cultivation.
Yet he had them because of his accumulated experience.
Ethan joined his hands, intertwining his fingers like in prayer, and began to circulate his mana.
Flames surged from his right hand, lightning sparked from his left, and the two elements converged between his palms.
[You have developed the ability [Elemental Fusion]]
Then, he slowly pulled his palms apart.
A long, yellow-white lance, as tall as he was, manifested between his hands, releasing destructive sparks and intense heat.
ππ²π°π¦π¬π« ππ©π’πͺπ’π«π±ππ© πππ’π©π©: ππ©ππ°π₯ππ¦π―π’ πππ³π’π©π¦π« (πΛ’α΅ βπ¦π―π π©π’)
Ethan didn't open his eyes as he spread his senses, locating a monster several meters away, maintaining the same level of concentration.
Ethan grabbed the Flashfire Javelin and got into a stance, using the strength of his posture, momentum, legs, and arms to launch the Flashfire Javelin through the air.
The Flashfire Javelin ascended, and once it reached a certain height, it began to descend.
Like a shooting star, it rapidly descended and struck the monster.
On impact, it exploded, releasing yellowish-white flames mixed with lightning, enveloping the monster in a dome of destruction within moments.
The monster was destroyed instantly, leaving only burning fragments behind.
"Three offensive spells are enough for now," Ethan muttered. "Let's go kill some monsters."
"Dex, alert me every time you sense a monster or mutated beast that is one to ten levels higher than me," Ethan instructed.
Ethan went deeper into the forest.
The deeper he went, the higher the concentration of energy, and the denser the trees became.
He also noticed stronger traces of life in the environment.
"Hm." Ethan sprinted west for a couple of minutes and soon encountered a monster.
---
[Mutated Beast: Thornhide Boar]
[Level: 22]
---
It was a hulking, muscular beast with dark, coarse hide bristling with jagged, thorn-like spines.
Its massive tusks were twisted and coated in sticky sap and mud, dripping, and its bloodshot eyes were filled with relentless aggression.
"It's the same level as me, and it has a tag," Ethan said, observing the red tag on its left ear.
Ethan was standing about ten meters away from the beast, hidden behind a tree.
It didn't seem to have noticed his presence yet.
If it had, it would have charged, even unprovoked.
These types of beasts were very aggressive by nature; they attacked anyone or anything they laid eyes on.
"Let's see how strong my telekinesis is." Ethan took a deep breath and activated his telekinesis, raising his arm and pointing his palm at the beast as psionic power began to emanate from his mind.
The beast was just going about its own business when, suddenly, it felt its body grow heavier, making even the slightest movement difficult.
It let out a loud, ugly squealing noise as its movements came to a complete stop, as if it were frozen in stone-like, hard ice.
In the next moment, its body was lifted off the ground and flew toward a person standing a few meters away, accelerating faster and faster.
The beast watched helplessly as its body flew toward the human, who had his fist drawn back as if ready to deliver a punch.
As soon as the beast came within range, the human delivered a full-powered uppercut to its neck.
On impact, his fist tore into its flesh, breaking its neck and part of its head.
The combined force of the uppercut and the telekinesis sent the beast thrashing backward.
It crashed to the ground a few meters away, already dead before it landed.
[Your Focus Increased: +0.1]