"What a sharp tail!"
Anyone seeing Heiguo now would be forced to utter the same exclamation. Many hunters were quite familiar with this Grimalkyne, who often frequented the Frontline Research Base, but how had his tail ended up like this after being missing for only two missions?
The current Heiguo stood as tall as a normal hunter's chest. Two ordinary Grimalkynes standing on each other's shoulders would only just match his height. Yet, even so, his tail still rose nearly a head higher than himself.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to call it... a tail-blade?
The hunters could clearly see Heiguo's original tail; the base and middle sections were still furry and looked quite soft to the touch. However, the tip was completely encased in Xeno-energy crystals, and it was this crystalline growth that had extended the tail's length further.
Long, thin, and tapering—that sensation of extreme sharpness came precisely from those Xeno-energy crystals at the tip. They extended from the end of the tail like a long blade, shimmering brilliantly under the light of the fire.
"Is that... a Glav-Cat?" Unable to believe his eyes, one hunter subconsciously muttered the name while rubbing his eyes. "No, a Glav-Grimalkyne?"
The naming convention was clearly modeled after the Glavenus, but everyone present understood exactly what he meant; they were all thinking the same thing.
"That's right, meow!"
That was exactly what Heiguo wanted to hear!
Before the words had even finished echoing, he lunged forward in a tiger-like pounce, landing on all fours. With a wiggle of his rear, his long tail curved around, bringing the blade-like Xeno-energy crystal at the tip right before his eyes, poised and ready.
"How is it, meow?! Don't I look a bit like the Dragon God now, meow?!"
While asking excitedly, Heiguo clamped one side of the Xeno-energy blade-tail in his mouth, his body tensing as if he would catapult outward the moment he let go.
"Whoa!! That is way too cool, Heiguo!!" a hunter familiar with him couldn't help but shout. "Be careful not to hurt yourself, though! Won't that really cut your tongue or your cheek?"
Even if Heiguo had evolved, his face was still that of a cat; he didn't have hard shells or scales to protect himself, and the inside of his mouth was still soft.
"It won't hurt me, meow. This Xeno-energy is a part of me now, meow." Heiguo scrambled up and scratched his head. "But I still can't bite my tail and perform an Iai slash like the Dragon God does, meow."
"Well, that can't be helped," a Wyverian Researcher walked over to Heiguo's side to comfort him. "Though you have completed your evolution, a Grimalkyne's waist and leg strength are still too weak. You simply cannot compare to a Large Monster."
"Indeed. Furthermore, you just made a mistake," the Commander said with a smile, crossing his arms. "The attack stance you just struck was actually the stance of an Acidic Glavenus. It's completely different from Mirrorblade... or rather, completely different from Asterion."
"Asterion's style is heavier and more direct; he doesn't bring the tail-blade so close to his own face," the Sword Master offered his critique. "The Acidic Glavenus's stance is more like a Long Sword, whereas Asterion and a normal Glavenus are more like a Great Sword."
"That's how it is, meow," Heiguo's ears drooped slightly in disappointment. "The elders in the tribe said the same thing, meow."
"Regardless, this is already a massive change," the Wyverian Researcher consoled. "At least compared to other Grimalkynes, you are already very close to Asterion."
"That's true, meow!"
True to his optimistic nature, Heiguo was only gloomy for a few seconds before returning to his lively self.
"In any case, as everyone can see, after condensing the crystalline blade on his tail, the 'Blue-ification' phenomenon in Heiguo's body has completely halted. It has been twenty-seven days now, and it appears there will be no further changes."
The Wyverian Researcher paused deliberately, his expression becoming exceptionally grave.
"What I must tell you all is that, through actual research and testing, we've found that Heiguo cannot finely manipulate Xeno-energy. For example, you already know about the crystallized fur on his back; Heiguo can only control its rapid growth or fire it off. He cannot control the fur's movement freely or use it for sensory purposes."
"The same goes for this crystallized tail-blade. If it breaks, Heiguo can secrete and condense it again by eating a large amount of food to recover his stamina, but its length won't increase much. He certainly cannot manipulate Xeno-energy as freely as Mirrorblade does, let alone create a mirror maze centered around himself."
"What a subtle evolution," a hunter said with a strange look. "Why does it resemble a Glavenus's tail-blade so much? Has this change only appeared in Grimalkynes? What about other monsters in the forest, or other animals?"
"And humans," the hunter next to him added. "There are already people in the base showing signs of Blue-ification, right? They don't have tails; will they undergo a similar change?"
"Not so far. This specific change has only appeared in Heiguo and other Grimalkynes who have undergone Blue-ification," a researcher with heavy dark circles under his eyes said tiredly. "Similarly, only the Grimalkynes and Mirrorblade have shown no physical mutations or pain during the process. While becoming stronger, they have also used Xeno-energy to establish a new combat system."
"Only them," the scholar repeated. "Other life forms, whether plants or animals, have more or less displayed negative evolutionary traits. Many have died under the erosion of Xeno-energy. Yet, the Blue-ified Grimalkynes have suffered zero casualties—ah, sorry, Heiguo, I'm not saying you should have had casualties."
"I understand, meow," Heiguo shook his head. "The old Shaman in the tribe said it too, meow. It is indeed very strange, meow. Maybe it has something to do with the Dragon God, meow."
"The Dragon God... Asterion?!" A hunter's eyes widened.
"Intriguing, isn't it?" Compared to the shocked hunters, the Wyverian Researcher grew more excited. He took over the conversation. "Why is it that only Mirrorblade and the Grimalkynes show no pain during Blue-ification?"
"Why is it that on the map, the Glavenus tribe is located exactly in the center of the expanding Blue-ification phenomenon?"
"Why is it that Mirrorblade, who only had passive contact with Xeno-energy during his fight with the Blue-ified Espinas, was able to complete his Blue-ification almost instantly and naturally manipulate Xeno-energy?"
The Wyverian Researcher was firing off questions rapidly, like a Bazelgeuse carpet-bombing, giving no one time to answer—not even time to think.
"I think you can all guess where this is going, right?" After finishing his breathy interrogation, the Wyverian Researcher said leisurely, "In this entire Frontline Base, about a third of the scholars currently subscribe to a certain viewpoint: that Xeno-energy actually possesses its own consciousness."
"Uh, saying it that way might be confusing," the researcher rubbed his temples and continued. "You can think of Xeno-energy as an unknown virus. It follows its own instincts and needs to infect other organisms, forcing them to bond with it."
"Its own consciousness? A virus?" Several hunters frowned. What the researcher was saying was a bit too abstract. "Is that even possible? It's a crystal, like a rock, right? It's a form of energy."
"Correct. That's why another group of scholars insists on a different view: that Xeno-energy actually has a master, and it takes on different forms based on that master's personality and preferences," the Wyverian Researcher said calmly. "Fascinating, right?"
No one answered him. The researcher didn't continue either, maintaining a silence that allowed the others in the meeting room space to think.
None of the people sitting here were fools; at the very least, they were individuals with extraordinary intuition. Furthermore, the Wyverian Researcher had made it so obvious he might as well have shoved the answer into their mouths. Therefore—
"So, you're saying the Blue-ification phenomenon might be caused by Asterion?" Letting out a long breath, a rare wry smile appeared on the Commander's face. "This is truly..."
"My partner... he really does adapt well to Xeno-energy," the Field Team Leader said, his head bowed and his voice low. "If Xeno-energy really has a consciousness, or a master, and if Asterion really did trigger all of this, then it's not surprising he ended up like this... after all, he inherited the Glavenus bloodline."
"That makes sense, doesn't it? Didn't the Blue-ification start appearing gradually only after Asterion returned to the Glavenus tribe?"
"I think this might be the truth..."
For a moment, the wooden meeting hut was filled with various discussions. Hunters shared their opinions, matching their own exploration experiences to the theory.
"Thinking of it that way... ha." Uninterested in debating with others, the Field Team Leader seemed to be talking to himself. He rubbed his face hard and muttered, "For the past two years, I've been trying my best to prevent him from coming into too much contact with Xeno-energy... it seems I was wrong..."
"No need to be so hard on yourself; you were only acting out of concern for your companion," the Commander said, patting the Field Team Leader on the shoulder. "Besides, none of this is proven yet. It's just a hypothesis."
"A very likely one, at least," the Field Team Leader shook his head slightly.
"So, what do we do next?" a hunter nearby suddenly raised his hand. "Are we going to launch an investigation into Asterion?"
As soon as those words were uttered, the atmosphere in the room turned solemn. Before any of the other hunters could speak, Heiguo tensed up. The large cat looked as if he had seen something terrifying; his paws waved frantically, moving so fast they left afterimages.
"No, meow! I can't do that, meow!!" Heiguo said with extreme nervousness. "Unless the Dragon God summons us or the tribe faces a total crisis, we are absolutely forbidden from disturbing him, meow! Not just me—even the Chief and the Dragon-Chosen Shaman can't do it, meow! If I did something like that, my family would kick me out of the tribe, meow! It would be a catastrophe, meow!!"
The clever Heiguo had already realized what the hunters wanted—something that would absolutely incite the wrath of the Grimalkynes in the Glavenus tribe.
Over the years, although the tribe had established a formal alliance with Astera, adopting human knowledge, titles, and even currency—and despite helping hunters and researchers investigate or capture Large Monsters—things were different when it involved Asterion.
In the hearts of at least ninety-nine percent of the Grimalkynes in the Glavenus tribe, Asterion was not some "monster." He was entirely separate from the other Large Monsters in the forest; he was their guardian deity, a fundamental part of the Grimalkyne worldview. He was of immense significance.
What the hunters wanted to do, in Heiguo's eyes, was to "investigate" the Dragon God as if he were just another monster. This was sacrilege! A profanity! If he were caught, he might be exiled, never to see his parents or siblings again—he might even be executed! A sin so great his own parents wouldn't forgive him!!
As the first Blue-ified Grimalkyne, Heiguo was still hoping to be granted a special title by the Boss, like Pot, and earn the name of a Dragon-Chosen Warrior. He would never do such a thing!!
For a moment, Heiguo's gaze toward the humans in the room became wary. Even looking at the Wyverian Researcher who had been helping him didn't change his stance. Gratitude was one thing, but some lines simply could not be crossed.
"Alright, alright, everyone calm down," the Commander finally stepped in to smooth things over. "It's just a guess. No need to be so tense. We'll wait for the Admiral to return before making any decisions. At the very least, Asterion knows the Admiral."
"Just don't do anything reckless, meow," Heiguo said with a serious face. "The tunnels leading to the Dragon God's dwelling are always guarded by Dragon-Chosen Warriors, meow. Last time a kitten accidentally wandered in to play, meow, both the kitten and his parents were punished, meow... and I heard the warrior on duty that day was punished severely, too, meow. Pot was super angry, meow."
"Don't worry, we won't act recklessly," the Commander reassured him. "Don't forget, we knew Asterion when he was just a hatchling. He even studied swordsmanship with the Sword Master."
"That's right." Being old comrades for years, the Sword Master understood the Commander's intent instantly. He reached into his vest and pulled out a palm-sized piece of shell to show Heiguo. "Look, this is a gift Asterion left for me years ago. A young Grimalkyne like you probably doesn't even know that his shells back then were different from how they are now, right?"
The shell was quite old, showing a dark, dull red color from natural oxidation. Its surface was as smooth and bright as if it had been waxed, clearly having been polished with great care over the years.
————
Supporting me on Pa-treon to gain early access to advanced chapters and enjoy expedited updates. Your support is greatly appreciated.
pat-reon .c-om/Dragonhair
(Just remove the hyphen - and space, to access Pa-treon normally.)