Ian looked at the small raven on his palm, filled with excitement.

He had only been in the mountains for a day and hadn’t even ventured deep into the Silent Death Mountain Range, yet he had already encountered this peculiar raven.

He had been drawn over by the sounds of Brother Bage’s fight. From a distance, he had seen Brother Bage grow to an enormous size, using a variety of clever tactics to grievously wound a Flame Feathered Red Eagle that surpassed it in power.

Ian silently pulled up his status panel. Sure enough, a new line of description had appeared:

[Summoned Demon: Raven Gaga (Brother Bage)]

[Contract Type: Equal Soul Contract]

[Realm: Extraordinary Creature (Peak Demonized Fierce Beast Tier)]

[Bloodline: Ancestral Mutation: Shadow Night Kite. Rumor has it that the ancient Shadow Night Kites mastered "Shadow Jump" and could briefly enter the Shadow World.]

[Talents: 1. Primordial Transformation: Can freely alter its body shape. Power, defense, and speed change in proportion to its size.

2. Omen Eye: Its eyes can project a hazy gray beam. Anyone caught in its gaze will see fragmented illusions of their own misfortune (effect is dependent on the target’s spiritual strength).

3. Wind Blade Control: Can condense and launch sharp Wind Blades with extreme cutting power.

4. Shadow Stealth: Possesses a preliminary mastery of silence and shadow, making it an expert assassin and scout with furtive and unpredictable movements.

5. Extraordinary Wisdom: Possesses extremely high intelligence and human-like reasoning, capable of learning complex commands and tactics.

6. Shadow Messenger: (Undeveloped)]

(Potential Rating: Extremely High, suspected to possess shadow-related traits)]

Thanks to Ian’s treatment, Gaga’s injuries quickly subsided. Combined with its small yet resilient body, it was no longer in any serious danger and would fully recover after a period of rest.

"Caw... it still hurts."

Gaga huddled in a special pocket on Ian’s chest, only its small head peeking out.

"Just bear with it. The medicine will be fully absorbed in another hour, and you’ll be fine."

Ian gently stroked the soft feathers on its head with his fingertip. "That transformation Talent of yours is quite special. By how much does your Power increase when you grow larger?"

"Maybe... a few dozen times? Caw." Gaga tilted its head, thinking.

"But it’s also really draining. I was completely exhausted after staying big for just fifteen minutes to fight that stupid bird."

"That’s already incredible," Ian said sincerely. "Ordinary Demonized Fierce Beasts don’t have that kind of ability."

"Of course!" Gaga instantly puffed up with pride, holding its little head high.

"I’m a raven who ate the Red Fruit! I’m not like those idiots! Caw!"

Ian chuckled. ’He’s certainly smart,’ he thought, ’but he’s also overly energetic and a little arrogant.’

"By the way, you said that Red Fruit grew on the shady side of a valley?" he asked as he retraced his steps down the mountain.

"Yeah, there were only two. I ate one, and the other one..."

Gaga’s voice grew quieter. "I went back to look for it later, but it was gone. Even the tree was gone, caw."

Ian’s gaze hardened. ’A bizarre plant that could vanish on its own, a fruit capable of awakening an ancient bloodline in an ordinary raven...’

’As expected, the depths of the Silent Death Mountain Range hide many secrets.’

The man and the bird chatted as they walked, with Gaga doing most of the talking.

It had been holding back for too long. Now that it finally had a companion who could understand it, the floodgates opened.

He told stories about everything from peeking at humans bathing and getting chased for it, to using his gray light to immobilize a rock leopard and pluck its whiskers, and even his dream of forming a "Raven Army" to rule the forest...

Ian listened quietly, occasionally offering a brief response, a faint smile always playing on his lips.

’Having such a lively companion... seems pretty nice.’

The journey out of the mountains felt much lighter than the trip in.

Though Gaga was injured, it was a fast talker, and it would occasionally spout wild, fanciful ideas that even Ian found amusing.

"Hey, if I got super big, do you think I could swallow the moon in one bite? Caw!"

"Why would you swallow the moon?"

"To see how it tastes! I see humans staring at the moon all the time. It must be delicious!"

"...The moon isn’t delicious."

"How would you know? Have you tried it? Caw?"

Ian pressed his hand to his forehead.

As dusk fell, they arrived at the edge of a swamp.

They were now nearing the outer edge of the Silent Death Mountain Range. The mud bubbled with dark green foam, rotting logs jutted from the mire at odd angles, and a faint, foul odor permeated the air.

"Caw..."

Gaga, who had been chattering away, suddenly fell silent.

Its small head poked out from the pocket, its eyes fixed on the depths of the swamp.

"What is it?" Ian instantly grew vigilant, his Spiritual Perception spreading out like a spiderweb.

’There’s something here... something powerful,’ Gaga’s voice sounded in his mind, no longer cheerful, but heavy with gravity.

’This aura... It stinks. A disgusting aura, caw.’

At almost the same time, Ian sensed it too.

A black-robed figure stood in the center of the swamp.

The figure looked as if he had sprouted from the mud itself. The hem of his black robe was submerged in the filthy water, yet it remained utterly unstained.

He was tall and thin with a slightly hunched back. His hands were tucked into his sleeves, and his hood was pulled low, obscuring his face.

But Ian could "see" him—not with his eyes, but with his fully Vaporized Spiritual Power.

The black-robed figure was enveloped in a distorted Force Field.

The Force Field writhed slowly like a living creature, faintly distorting the surrounding air, light, and even Magic Power. It exuded a cold, viscous, and predatory aura.

’An Energy Force Field! Only an Official Wizard would have one!’

’And... this aura isn’t unfamiliar.’

The metallic scent of blood on Saqi’s Short Staff, the Vampire Leech insignia on the Metal Token, Barton’s dying scream of "Lord Blood Leech"...

"Found you."

A hoarse voice drifted from beneath the hood, each syllable thick with the stench of blood.

The black-robed figure slowly raised his head.

Beneath the shadow of the hood was a horrifying face.

His eye sockets were sunken, his pupils a deep crimson. The corners of his mouth were turned down in a permanent sneer, as if he were disgusted by everything in the world.

But the most arresting feature was his face, which was covered in fine tentacles. Like living leeches, they would occasionally swell in small patches before settling back down.

"You killed my servants, and you took my property..."

Blood Leech’s voice was slow, as if he were chewing on flesh with every word. "I will rip out your Soul and steep it in a pool of blood..."

Ian stopped walking. His right hand hung naturally at his side, while his left hovered over his chest, where Gaga was located.

"Your servants tried to kill me. I killed them in self-defense. It’s perfectly justified." His voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

"As for your property... consider it the spoils of victory."

"Spoils of victory?" Blood Leech chuckled, the sound like the shriek of an owl in the night.

"Good. Very good. In that case, I’ll turn you into a new servant so I can listen to you wail every day... That little raven and your fine-looking flesh will serve as your offering of atonement."

Before his words had even faded, Blood Leech attacked.

There was no Spell, no gesture. He simply raised his left hand.

GURGLE GURGLE...!

The swamp mud suddenly began to boil!

Dozens of crimson tentacles, each as thick as a bowl, erupted from the mud. Their surfaces were covered in suckers and barbs, and they reeked of blood and corrosive slime as they lashed toward Ian from all directions!

Incredibly fast! From treacherous angles! They sealed off every possible path of escape!

In that same instant, Ian moved.

"Floating Crystal Guard!"

Ian uttered the name in his mind, and six hexagonal Crystal Shields instantly materialized around him.

They didn’t just orbit him; they shot outward as if they were alive!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG...!

The Crystal Shields precisely intercepted the first six approaching tentacles.

The moment they made contact, dense Crystal Runes lit up on the surface of the Shields, drastically weakening and deflecting the corrosive Energy within the tentacles!

But the tentacles’ Power was immense. The Crystal Shields trembled violently from the impact, and fine cracks spiderwebbed across their surfaces.

Each tentacle’s strike was comparable to a full-power Witchcraft spell from a High Level Apprentice!

"Oh? You handle those Energy Shields quite well," Blood Leech’s voice was mocking. "But how many can you block?"

He slid his right hand from his sleeve... It wasn’t a human hand at all. It was five slender tentacles, swaying slightly, their tips lined with suckers full of fine barbs!

"Blood Swamp: Thousand Entanglements!"

Even more tentacles shot out from the mud! Not dozens this time, but hundreds!

They were densely packed, like a blood-red forest sprouting from the ground, converging from every direction—above, below, left, and right—to crush him!

The air cracked under the pressure, and the foul stench was so thick it stung the eyes!