Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!-Chapter 377: The Fire-Eyed Beast

[Ding... System Notification: First kill of a Tier 4 (Fire-elemental) Beast [Fire-Eyed Toad]. Reward: Fire Resistance permanently increased by 10%.]

As soon as the system notification appeared, Ethan froze. He had finally received a reward for killing a monster since arriving here—and it was a rare attribute: Fire Resistance, a type of elemental defense.

Without delay, he pulled up his attribute panel.

---

[NotADruid/NotARogue (Gray)]

Class: Druid

Race: Human

Level: 62

Faction: Survivor

Bloodline: King of Elves (Divine)

Strength: 675 (Growth Index: 22) – Increases Physical Attack

Intelligence: 675 (Growth Index: 22) – Increases Magical Attack, Max Mana

Agility: 675 (Growth Index: 22) – Increases Attack Speed, Movement Speed, Energy Recovery

Stamina: 655 (Growth Index: 22) – Increases Defense

Vitality: 655 (Growth Index: 22) – Increases Max Health

Fire Resistance: +10%

Special Attributes (Reinforced): Omni +5, Mastery +17, Critical +16, Haste +10, Life Steal +3%

Attack Power: 4713–6833 [(Base: 1485–1485) + (Equipment: 2800–4727) +10%]

Defense: 2341–2517 [(Base: 1441–1441) + (Equipment: 688–848) +10%]

Health: 14,410 [(Base: 14,410) + (Equipment: 0)]

Free Points: 0

General Skills: Advanced Analysis [292/3000] – Can view attributes of monsters up to 15 levels higher than self.

---

Indeed, a new Fire Resistance entry had appeared. His level had also risen to sixty-two, and all his attributes improved. Most of this growth was thanks to the Twilight War Spear, a weapon whose stats increased steadily as he leveled.

Especially his health—it could soar to over 50,000 points when he activated Bear Form’s 350% bonus.

Since coming here, Ethan had discovered that unless he was fighting humans, the Panther Form’s attacks couldn’t pierce the exoskeleton armor of many creatures. Even with Panther Form’s high armor penetration, he often had to switch to Bear Form to crush enemies by brute force—or rely on the Battle Embodiment system to activate multiple forms at once. When he did, the Panther’s penetration could stack with the Bear’s destructive power.

He shook his head. Since arriving, so many of the Ethereal System’s original rules had simply broken down. It felt as though this place was a true free world—a world stitched together from reality and game.

For him, at least, it was exactly that.

"Chirp, chirp... oh, oh..."

Little Empty suddenly scampered over, bouncing and hopping in front of the Fire-Eyed Toad’s corpse. Its ridiculous swagger tugged a faint smile from Ethan.

"I’m going into the cave to see if there’s anything good," he said, glancing at it. "You wait for me outside."

"Oh, oh... oh..."

Little Empty’s round eyes darted around. It nodded and waved at him in an exaggerated fashion.

Ethan cautiously stepped toward the cave entrance. A wave of heat rolled out, so intense it felt like the air itself was burning. But to his relief, he hardly felt it at all—the 10% Fire Resistance was already working. Even his hair no longer smelled scorched the way it had before.

His clothes, however, were another story. They began to smolder almost immediately. He hurried to pour water over himself, and a loud sizzling erupted as steam billowed around him. Judging by how quickly the fabric was deteriorating, it wouldn’t last much longer.

He stepped fully inside. The cavern opened into a vast chamber, the floor dark red and black. It was a volcanic hollow—though the magma’s surface had cooled into cracked volcanic rock, he could still see molten fire churning beneath it.

Scattered across the stone were dozens of massive, football-sized spheres. He frowned, sending out his Soul Sense. Inside each one, something was alive.

Toad eggs?

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

Without warning, Little Empty came bounding in after him.

Ethan turned, his brows knitting. "Didn’t I tell you to wait outside?"

"Chirp... oh, oh... oh..."

Little Empty ignored him completely. With a squeal of excitement, it launched itself toward the cluster of eggs.

"Hey!" Ethan blurted, startled. He hurried after it, ready to pull it back before something went wrong.

He stopped short as Little Empty seized one of the spheres, sank its teeth in, and bit down.

Slurp...

Thump, thump, thump...

The outer membrane tore like wet leather. Little Empty began greedily sucking out the liquid inside.

Ethan felt his stomach lurch. He almost gagged, then took a step forward to stop it—only to notice a bright, fiery red glow spreading across Little Empty’s skin. A surge of life energy radiated out, so dense it was almost visible.

"...This..."

Realization struck him. These Fire-Eyed Toad eggs weren’t just eggs—they were some sort of powerful tonic. Maybe this was the real treasure here.

Still reeling, he moved closer to inspect them properly.

Suddenly, his Soul Sense quivered. He swept it outward, and his expression hardened.

A team—no, an army—had just rushed into the edge of his detection range. He estimated at least ten thousand riders mounted on Cliffstriders. They thundered across the plains toward the volcano with startling speed.

At the head of the formation was a man clad head to toe in iron armor. His mount wasn’t any beast Ethan recognized—its body seemed caught somewhere between a deer and a horse, with a head as big as a barrel and a single horn jutting from its forehead. Three tails fanned out behind it, and four pairs of hooves carried it forward in a blur. To top it off, the creature’s body was covered in feathers.

Ethan studied it carefully, relieved to see it had no wings. If it had been able to fly, it would have been a nightmare.

As for the rider... his aura felt at least as strong as Uncle Jed’s—possibly stronger.

"More people from Beastfall City," Ethan muttered. "Could they be reinforcements for that priest?"

Looking at their disciplined formation, he guessed they must have stumbled across the bodies on their way here. And now they were coming straight for this cave.

He clenched his jaw, thoughts racing. In a single motion, he scooped up Little Empty and began sweeping all the Fire-Eyed Toad eggs into his spatial dimension.

"Divine Teleportation... go!"

White light exploded around him.

He vanished just as the air in the cavern distorted with power.

"Holy hell... Little Empty..."

In that instant between spaces, it occurred to him—he’d never tried bringing another living creature through Divine Teleportation.

Had he just left it behind?

The world resolved into a stretch of endless yellow sand. Ethan’s boots sank an inch into the dunes. He looked to his shoulder—and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

Little Empty was perched there, wobbling unsteadily as though drunk.

What Ethan didn’t know was that the moment he disappeared, a figure emerged in the cave entrance.

If he’d still been there, he would have recognized the man at once—the armored rider he had sensed earlier.

"What’s going on?" the man murmured, scanning the chamber. "I could have sworn there was someone else here just now..."

His gaze locked onto the cracked volcanic stone where Ethan had stood. For a moment, a peculiar expression flickered across his face. Then, almost imperceptibly, he smiled—a cold, knowing curve of his lips that vanished a heartbeat later into bland composure.

Outside, the ten-thousand-strong company had arrived at the foot of the volcano. They halted in precise formation, lining up beside the enormous corpse of the Fire-Eyed Toad.

"Reporting, Commander!" a man called up from below. "This Fire-Eyed Toad was killed by an unknown individual. All its bones are shattered, and the crystal core has been removed."

The Commander didn’t reply right away. He stared down at the remains in silence.

"Hmm..." He finally exhaled. "Let’s go back."

He leapt lightly onto his strange mount. Without another word, he turned and began riding down the slope.

The entire column hesitated for an instant, exchanging glances, then wheeled around and followed.

"Commander," the scout called, spurring his Cliffstrider until he pulled even. "When we get back, Beastfall City will be in an uproar."

The Commander lifted his gaze toward the distant walls of the city. His expression didn’t change.

"What does their uproar have to do with us?" he said calmly. "Did you send the priest’s corpse back?"

As he spoke, he turned his head, his eyes settling on the scout beside him.