Before Keal could understand what was going on, he felt the claws of the flying beast sink into his body as it flew above the water.
It was huge—two times the size of the wolf the Karv had killed a while back. It also had long red wings and feathers that glimmered with magic.
Wherever Keal was, he knew it had to be a spawn point for monsters.
And to make matters worse, the flames that should have been burning around his body were still out, only burning slightly at the side of his body.
Without any mana flowing inside him, he was instantly weak, unable to do anything but allow the beast bird to soar with him in the air.
[The current beast is called a Hunting Bird; they are known to hunt at night due to their amazing vision that allows them to ignore obstacles and corners.]
[It is most likely taking you to its nest to feed its offspring, if it hasn't eaten you by now.]
'I see… I… am too exhausted; I can barely think.'
[Reason is due to the lack of mana flames around you. It should take some time for the flame to fully return to its original performance. The possibility of mana running out is low; the flames are already taking effect.]
'Yeah…'
Keal could barely make out what the system was trying to tell him.
In that moment, he felt like he had chugged down several bottles of alcohol and was now reliving the experiences in the worst way possible.
After a while of flying around the cave, the bird finally came to a stop.
Right on top of a nest.
This nest was hidden inside a small cave, very far from the flowing river.
At least farther than the eye could see.
After landing on the ground, it gently entered the cave and placed the Karv right next to the other four eggs inside the nest.
With that done, it stepped out again in search of another meal.
[The eggs of the Hunter Bird are most likely about to hatch; consuming the eggs is a wise step to refilling your mana.]
'True.'
Keal managed to turn around, just enough to get close to one of the eggs.
'Looks like they are already hatching…'
He was right; the particular egg in front of him already had a wide enough crack around it. All it would take was a little push for it to split open.
And judging from how the egg was vibrating, the baby bird was set to pop out any second.
Not on Keal's watch.
'Ultimate Devourer.'
Keal was too tired to do his dramatic yell; still, his ability worked just fine.
His tiny flames surged forward like a serpent and then curled around the egg.
Just when the baby bird was about to poke its head out, the flames shrouded its body, burning it alive.
Initially, it seemed as though the baby bird was going to overpower the flames and survive being eaten. But after a good battle, it finally succumbed.
[You have killed a Hunter Bird.]
[Insufficient data for new skills or traits.]
[Mana is 45% restored.]
Keal could feel his flames burning brighter than before.
If he did the same to the remaining eggs, then he should be back in shape in no time.
So he did.
One by one, he used his flames to devour the remaining two eggs.
Unlike with the first bird, it was far easier to consume these ones.
And when he was done…
[Mana is 100% restored.]
'Yes, finally. I thought I was going to be bird food, hahaha. Why would anyone want to kill a burning slime?'
Keal turned his gaze toward the cave's exit.
'I should leave before the mother comes back. She is too big for me to use Ultimate Devourer on; the best course of action is to run.'
That was his plan until he spotted the layers of pink glowing crystals at the side of the cave.
Even before he got close to them, he could already feel the great deal of mana being emitted from their bodies.
'Yo, what is that?'
[That is a mana crystal—a special raw material capable of powering an entire city and also used for inventions and other magical-related technologies.]
'Ah, so these are the things I'm supposed to replace.'
Keal thought for a while.
'Say, what would happen if I were to use Ultimate Devourer on them?'
[Being 100% mana, the likelihood of evolution is at a high probability from just consuming a single one.]
'Interesting. I already killed her children; no reason to stop there. Hehehe…'
Moving closer, Keal noticed there were 12 mana crystals buried not too deep inside the ground.
He wondered why a Hunter Bird would be gathering crystals; then again, he didn't see any reason to complain. Rather, he focused on eating every last one of them.
He started with one mana crystal.
[You have successfully devoured a mana crystal.]
[You are currently undergoing evolution.]
[Congratulations, you have evolved into an Intimidate Korv.]
[A new Aspect skill has been obtained.]
[God of Healing]: You cannot be killed easily; you can regenerate from a single lump of cells and can be healed of all spiritual and mental injuries.
[A new Attribute skill has been obtained.]
[Mana Reserve]: You can now store mana in your vast pocket space.
'Ohh? From a single crystal? Oh, I am definitely eating them all now.'
Keal moved on, consuming three mana crystals at once.
[You have successfully devoured a mana crystal.]
[You have successfully devoured a mana crystal.]
[You have successfully devoured a mana crystal.]
[You are currently undergoing evolution.]
Suddenly, Keal felt a change in his entire body. The flames that were once burning around him had begun to fuse with him.
And his once stone-like framework was changing, becoming more flexible.
Yes, he was taking on a new form.
..
[A/N: If you'd like some additional chapters, please see below incentives:
50 powerstones: 1 additional chapter.
100 powerstones: 4 chapters.
200 powerstones: 7 chapters.]