The Blood Lily’s corpse continued to rot behind them, its massive vine body collapsing into a foul-smelling sludge that seeped into the cavern floor. Lucian stood still, his body dripping with purple plant blood, as his system pulsed.

╔════════════════════════╗

║ ⚠ — COMBAT REPORT — ⚠ ║

║ Host has slain a Mid E-Rank Mutated ║

║ Blood Lily Flower. ║

║ EXP Gained: +3,500 EXP ║

║ System Credits: +200 SC ║

║ (E-Rank Plant Beast Bonus) ║

║ Cumulative Dungeon EXP: ║

║ — Surface Beasts (48 killed): 6,800 EXP ║

║ — E-Rank Desert Scorpion: 500 EXP ║

║ — Blood Clone Kills (11 beasts): 1,400 EXP ║

║ — Blood Lily Flower: 3,500 EXP ║

║ — Total Dungeon EXP: 12,200 EXP ║

║ Total EXP: 21,650 / 20,000 ║

║ ⚠ — SYSTEM LEVEL UP — ⚠ ║

║ SYSTEM HAS REACHED LEVEL 10 ║

║ REWARDS UNLOCKED: ║

║ +5,000 System Credits ║

║ ◀ BLOOD ECLIPSE ART ▶ ║

║ Grade: ??? (Sealed — 10% accessible) ║

║ Type: Cultivation Technique ║

║ -3% Bloodline Seal ║

║ Eyes of the Eternals: LEVEL UP ║

║ New Function Unlocked ║

║ Bloodline Seal: 86% ║

║ Next Evolution: 80% ║

║ Next Level Meter: 1,650 / 50,000 EXP ║

╚═══════════════════════╝

Lucian’s eyes narrowed. Level 10. Finally.

The rewards scrolled across his vision in rapid succession. Five thousand System Credits — a massive boost that brought his total to 14,100 SC. But the real prize was the cultivation technique.

╔════════════════════════╗

║ ◀ BLOOD ECLIPSE ART ▶ ║

║ Grade: ??? (10% Seal Removed) ║

║ Type: Cultivation / Mana Circulation ║

║ Description: ║

║ An ancient cultivation technique designed for beings of blood. ║

║ Absorbs pure mana from the surrounding air to cultivate the Mana Core, increasing regeneration speed and mana density. ║

║ Primary Effect: ║

║ Circulates blood energy and mana simultaneously through the body’s meridians. All spells cast while active are 50% stronger in damage, range, and duration. ║

║ Cost: Consumes Blood Energy (BE) proportionally to spell output. ║

║ Passive Effect (10% Seal): ║

║ Ambient mana absorption rate increased by 20% while technique is active. ║

║ Note: Full technique capabilities ║

║ remain sealed. Unlocks at 50%, bloodline progression.║

╚═════════════════════════╝

Fifty percent stronger spells. At the cost of Blood Energy. That was a massive combat multiplier. His Light Blades would hit harder. His Blood Spears would fly faster. His Scarlet Threads would bind tighter. Every spell in his arsenal would jump half a tier in raw power.

The trade-off was BE consumption. If he ran his Blood Energy dry, Eternal Regeneration would halt. He’d be mortal — killable. It was a razor’s edge between overwhelming power and fatal vulnerability.

But it was worth it.

Then the second notification.

╔════════════════════════╗

║ EYES OF THE ETERNALS — LEVEL UP ║

║ Level: 5 → 6 ║

║ Range: 50m → 100m ║

║ NEW FUNCTION UNLOCKED: ║

║ ◀ MATERIAL ANALYSIS ▶ ║

║ Host can now scan inanimate objects to determine composition, grade, mana content, and optimal uses. ║

║ Works on weapons, herbs, cores, minerals, and consumables. ║

╚════════════════════════╝

Material analysis. His toolkit was expanding rapidly.

Lucian dismissed all the notifications and turned to Ryan, who was poking through the Blood Lily’s remains with a scalpel, collecting samples of the vine tissue and teeth fragments into vials.

"Ryan."

"Hmm?" Ryan didn’t look up.

"We need to keep moving."

Ryan looked up, his expression torn between scientific curiosity and self-preservation. He glanced at the passage descending deeper into the earth. "How much further down does this go?"

"I don’t know. But the heartbeat I’ve been tracking is still down there."

"Heartbeat? What heartbeat?"

Lucian paused. He hadn’t mentioned that. "I’ve been sensing a large biological signature since we entered the sub-layer. It’s deep. Far deeper than this."

Ryan stared at him. "You’ve been tracking a heartbeat this entire time and didn’t think to mention it?"

"It wasn’t relevant until now."

"Everything about a giant heartbeat in an unknown underground cavern is relevant, Lucian!"

"Pack your samples. Let’s go."

Ryan grumbled but obeyed, sealing his vials and storing them in his ring. He wiped his scalpel on his pants and fell into step behind Lucian.

They descended.

The cavern narrowed, then widened, then narrowed again — a winding natural passage that pushed deeper into the earth with each turn. The bioluminescent fungi had disappeared, replaced by the pale white spirit flowers that grew in clusters along the walls. Ryan harvested every cluster they passed, his storage ring steadily filling.

The air changed. It became warmer. Wetter. The smell of blood faded, replaced by something else — something clean. Fresh. Like morning dew and sunlight, if sunlight had a smell.

Strange. They were hundreds of feet underground.

Then the passage opened into a cavern.

And Lucian stopped.

The cavern was small — maybe thirty meters across. The ceiling was low, covered in pale white roots that glowed faintly with silver light. The floor was smooth, covered in a thin layer of moss that felt soft underfoot. And scattered across the cavern floor, embedded in the moss and growing from cracks in the stone, were mana stones.

Low-grade. Dozens of them. Some the size of marbles. Others the size of golf balls. They pulsed with soft, blue-white light, filling the cavern with a gentle, ambient glow.

But that wasn’t what made Lucian stop.

In the center of the cavern, sitting atop a small mound of moss, was a flower.

A small, white lily plant — no taller than six inches. Its petals were translucent, almost crystalline, and they glowed with a soft, warm light that pulsed in rhythm. The plant had tiny, delicate vines curling from its stem, and at its base, a small root system was wrapped around a cluster of low-grade mana stones.

The plant was eating the mana stones.

As Lucian and Ryan watched, one of the stones dissolved into particles of light that flowed up through the roots and into the plant’s body. The lily’s petals brightened momentarily, then dimmed back to their gentle pulse.

The plant turned.

Lucian’s eyes went gold.

╔═══════════════════════╗

║ EYES OF THE ETERNALS — SCAN ║

║ Name: Lumina ║

║ Species: Mana Lily (Variant) ║

║ Rank: F-Rank (Infant Stage) ║

║ Type: Symbiotic Plant / Living Tool ║

║ Description: ║

║ A rare, sentient plant beast that feeds on raw mana stones to sustain itself and refine mana. ║

║Unlike predatory plant beasts, Lumina is a symbiotic species that bonds with a host, providing support abilities in exchange for mana. ║

║ Abilities: ║

║ ◀ MANA FILTRATION & REFINING ▶ ║

║ By consuming mana stones, Lumina can "spit" out the refined magic as light, healing mist, or concentrated magic bullets to aid its bonded master. ║

║ ◀ LIVING ARMOR & WEAPON MORPH ▶ ║

║ Lumina can wrap around the host’s arm, shapeshifting into a reinforced shield, a thorny whip, or a piercing green blade.║

║ The weapon form scales with the host’s mana output. ║

║ Taming Status: Available ║

║ (Infant Stage — Imprinting Window Active) ║

║ Note: Once bonded, Lumina will not accept another master. Bond is permanent. ║

╚═════════════════════════╝