MTLNOVEL Chapter 328: Before the Climb
Logan had been camping out for the last few days, waiting for word from the centaur herd. They were still searching for signs of the elusive unicorn. Logan could only guess it was the light spirits that helped him escape, every time someone got close, a burst of blinding light erupted like a flash grenade, making it nearly impossible to track or target.
At first, he'd assumed the hunt would be simple. After all, weren't unicorns and centaurs both horse-like? But even the tribe knew little about the unicorn's habits. They had only vague stories—no solid trail to follow.
For now, his goal had shifted. He aimed to find the wild pegasi said to graze along the ridges of a nearby mountain. According to Inox, they liked to linger near the wind-swept fields close to the peak of the mountain.
Just as he was preparing to leave, a familiar presence blinked into existence beside him.
Silvia.
She appeared near the camp with a tired but warm expression and instantly hugged him. Logan welcomed her in return, lifting her slightly off the ground and placing a kiss on her lips before gently letting her back down.
"I didn't think reading could be so exhausting," Silvia muttered with a smirk. "Most of the books there are so biased toward the Light Spirit, I can't even trust if they're telling the truth anymore. That's the worst part—trying to learn from something so... filtered."
Logan chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.
"Glad you came. I was just about to head out. I've been searching non-stop for that unicorn, but the creatures here seem protected. It's strange I feel like if I kill anything here, those knights on Pegasi will descend on me with divine judgment."
He glanced back toward the camp.
Lucent was stretched out lazily under the shade, one paw tossed over his chest while the other scratched his stomach without a care in the world. Typical.
Inox had already left to assist with the unicorn search alongside the herd.
"As for my progress," Logan continued, "I've only managed to tame four species so far."
He held up four fingers, his tone mixed with defeat and fatigue from only managing to do that during these few days.
"One of them is a monkey—well, a small one. It's both fire and light elemental. After its evolution, it became a Sunflare Tamarin. The little one packs quite a punch despite the size. I think I like that one the most so far—it's rare to get both those elements in one creature."
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Name: Pyri
Species: Sunflare Tamarin (Fire/Light Element)
Level: 40 / Blood Mark: Left Arm / Loyalty: 11/100
Str: 38 / Agi: 54 / Dex: 42 / Con: 35 / Int: 46 / Char: 40
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Radiant Punch: Charges its fists with light energy and delivers a blow that burns and stuns enemies on impact.
Sunburst Leap: A fiery dash that launches Pyri toward its target while igniting the ground behind it.
Flare Shroud: Cloaks its body in flames and light, reducing physical damage taken while damaging melee attackers.
Lightbound Reflexes: Enhances Pyri's agility and speed temporarily, allowing it to dodge attacks or counter with pinpoint precision.
New* Nova Jab: Channels a concentrated burst of light into a single jab, piercing defenses and potentially disarming an opponent.
New* Combustive Howl: Releases a howl of pure elemental fury, igniting enemies in a wide radius with fire damage over time.
New* Ignite Soul: Temporarily boosts the fire and light elemental damage of all allies within range for a short duration.
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He paused, then gestured toward a glowing, fluttering figure that clung to the bark of a nearby branch.
"The other is a butterfly—or was. Now it's massive. A Radiant Crest Papillion. It evolved just a few minutes ago."
The creature's delicate wings shimmered with dozens of hues, reflecting light in mesmerizing patterns that shifted constantly.
"It can generate a light so intense it mimics the sun, blinding anything below its wings. Mostly used for escaping fights, though. Still, I figured the it would have more uses that just that... and well it does of course it will I only tame interesting creatures."
Logan smirked while Silvia looked at the creature with awe.
"I even tested something. You know how I can use Angelic Wings, right? Turns out I can now project light-based illusions just like the butterfly. It might not win a battle on its own, but imagine how easy taming could be if the target thinks an army of monsters is closing in or how battles will be overturned if I project creatures that aren't there only for the enemy to be struck from an ambush."
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Name: Lumea
Species: Radiant Crest Papillion (Light Element)
Level: 40 / Blood Mark: Upper Back / Loyalty: 58/100
Str: 22 / Agi: 56 / Dex: 49 / Con: 30 / Int: 65 / Char: 71
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Solar Bloom: Emits a radiant burst of light from above its target, blinding enemies while lowering their resistance to light-based attacks for a short duration.
Lightweave Illusion: Projects realistic illusions using refracted light from its wings. These illusions can be used to confuse, distract, or create a false image of allies or threats.
Aurora Veil: Wraps itself and nearby allies in a shifting light screen that reduces magic damage taken and grants brief immunity to status effects.
Aura Shroud: Generates a soft field of healing light around itself, gradually recovering nearby allies' health and easing minor wounds.
New* Prism Wingbeat: Flaps its wings to create a concussive burst with radiant energy, turning them into cutting blades of light that deal magic damage in sweeping arcs.
New* Dawnflare Descent: Channels solar energy into its wings, divebombing the enemy in a burst of burning light that damages and stuns upon impact.
New* Mirror Veil: Coats itself and an ally in reflective light that can redirect one incoming magical attack toward a random nearby foe.
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Silvia laughed softly.
"Scaring poor creatures into submission, huh?"
Logan shrugged.
"Whatever works and doesn't harm them too much. At my level, it's getting hard to hold back... I can't imagine what'll happen once I evolve." Logan sighed, his gaze drifting toward the towering mountain ahead.
He exhaled and turned back toward Silvia. "So now I'll be mountain climbing. Hoping to find one of the Pegasi. You want to come?"
Silvia nodded. "Alright, but I'm not walking. Just send your signal when you get there—I'll warp over, and we'll plan out the capture."
With that, she wandered over to Lucent. The massive tiger stirred, low growl rising in his throat as Pyri—the hyperactive monkey—had bothered him the whole morning.
But then Lucent froze.
He felt his master's aura shift—Logan's glare carried enough pressure to crush lesser creatures—and quickly realized it wasn't Pyri clinging to him this time. Instead, soft fingers ran through his fur with gentle touch.
The tiger closed its eyes again, calmed by her touch, and soon a low purr of contentment could be heard.
Logan huffed at the scene. With a flap of radiant wings, he took off into the sky, heading toward the mountain. He had already spotted winged figures gliding above its slopes, the hunt for a new beast was starting, it seemed to be a group of three, two white winged and a gold furred Pegasus, they weren't hard to see but catching them would be.