Chapter 107: Second-Tier Blood Curse Mage

"You know better than I do how powerful that Death Beast is."

"And in the Sugg Ruins City, you once told me that there isn't just this one second-tier Death Beast."

"There's also a third-tier Death Beast."

"If something unexpected happens during the battle—like attracting that third-tier Death Beast—"

"If I die then, you could just escape directly."

"But the problem is, if you accidentally die, I'd be stranded in that hunting layer, unable to get out, and would have to wait for death there."

"After all... right now, I don't have the ability to travel into the Shadow World, let alone leave the hunting layer."

"So..." Gune narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at George.

"Do you have any way for me to leave the hunting layer on my own, instead of relying solely on your power? Even if I can't win, when fleeing, I won't hold you back and can escape directly."

Trust is trust, but corresponding preparations are still very necessary.

Hearing Gune's explanation, George was first stunned, then smiled.

"You're more thorough in your considerations; I was indeed a bit negligent."

"That Death Beast is indeed formidable. Better safe than sorry."

"Leaving the hunting layer is far easier than entering it."

"I can make a special 'Time Bracelet' and infuse it with enough time power. That way, if you really can't win, you can escape directly without relying on my power." George said.

Entering the Shadow World, and even deeper layers of the shadow realm, is inherently extremely dangerous; no amount of caution is excessive.

"That's good." Hearing George's affirmative answer, Gune also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

If an accident occurred and he died in battle, Gune had the "Unnameable Flesh" to avoid dying there, and using "Rebirth," he figured he could also resurrect by descending into the real world.

But having more trump cards, safer measures and means in hand would never be wrong.

Glancing slightly at the sky outside, it had already begun to darken.

"Have dinner here. I'll have the kitchen prepare more. The chef here is said to have a chef-type supernatural ability; the dishes he makes are even more delicious than those in big restaurants outside." Gune said.

"Oh?" George raised an eyebrow.

"Chef-type supernatural abilities are rare. Then tonight, I'll have to savor them well."

...

After dinner.

After seeing George off, the night had already pressed down deeply.

Inside the secret chamber.

Gune sat cross-legged on the meditation cultivation seat as usual.

After these days of idling, Gune's supernatural profession, Blood Curse Mage, had reached the peak of first-tier, ready to break through and advance at any time.

Originally, Gune planned to let the system idle and break through on its own.

But this time, George came looking for him, and a great battle awaited.

So Gune decided to take the initiative to advance and break through himself.

Opening the system, Gune checked the several texts he had set to idle.

First idle slot: Soul-Calming Divine Ring Curse (Level 3)

Second idle slot: Sebonne Source Pool (Level 4)

Third idle slot: Soul Seal Codex (Level 3)

Fourth idle slot: Demon Blade Cunning Curse (Level 2)

Fifth idle slot: Blood Pool Codex (Level 3)

The levels of these texts had all increased.

Looking at the Demon Blade Cunning Curse, Gune nodded.

Currently, Gune's most powerful attack method was this Demon Blade Cunning Curse.

"The Demon Blade Cunning Curse has been upgraded to level two, greatly increasing its power. When I advance to second-tier, I can condense nine Secret Rune Talismans, and without using a staff, I can cast it instantly myself."

"Of course, using a staff to cast spells allows for amplification from the staff's enhancement runes, making the lethality even greater."

Calming his mind, Gune followed the cultivation method of the Soul Seal Codex, gradually gathering his soul power.

As a spellcaster, the core of advancement is the soul.

Blood Curse Mage is also part of the spellcaster system, and its essence is the same.

Once the soul undergoes transformation, the corresponding source power, physical body, and supernatural blood also undergo transformation.

"Hoo... breathe..."

With a gentle breath, Gune calmed his mind and began the impact of soul transformation.

Gune's own foundation was solid, and the powerful effect of Rebirth allowed him to break free from the curse in the blood curse mage's bloodline.

Coupled with the Soul Seal Codex already at level three, taking the initiative to advance to second-tier was indeed not difficult.

After all, when the Soul Seal Codex was at level one, it already had the capital to impact second-tier.

With the level three Soul Seal Codex, there was no need to mention it.

Sitting cross-legged on the meditation cultivation seat, Gune used the Soul Seal Codex to continuously gather his soul while refining it.

After about half an hour, Gune easily brought his soul to the critical point of transformation.

"Rustle..."

Gune's soul, having reached the critical point, began to transform from first-tier peak to second-tier.

Gune didn't even need to deliberately operate; the Soul Seal Codex, under idle cultivation, completely dominated the subsequent actions.

Source power, physical body, and supernatural blood also began to transform along with the soul's transformation.

At the same time, the viscous, bloody aura of Gune's Blood Curse Mage also quietly underwent transformation.

The aura of a second-tier Blood Curse Mage was far thicker and more viscous than that of a first-tier.

As the transformation progressed, viscous blood mist bloomed from Gune's body, quickly filling the entire cultivation chamber.

The entire cultivation chamber became a world of blood mist; waving a hand casually, one's hand would be stained with traces of blood.

...

Three hours later.

Rustle...

Blood mist swirled, forming a blood mist vortex around Gune, surging endlessly.

Gune's body, like a whale drinking water, rapidly absorbed all the blood mist into his body.

At the same time, the eerie, gloomy, viscous, bloody aura of the second-tier Blood Curse Mage was gradually gathered in.

Gune successfully advanced.

After a moment, Gune's second-tier aura was completely restrained, and he looked no different from an ordinary person.

No trace of source power or bloody aura could be sensed.

As the level of the Blood Pool Codex continuously increased, Gune's control over his own viscous, bloody aura became more and more adept.

It would become increasingly difficult for enemies to detect his supernatural profession, or even his tier.

Having completed the advancement, Gune began to carefully examine the many changes after advancing to second-tier.

First, the soul.

As the core of a spellcaster, Gune could clearly feel that his soul was now more robust than before.

"Condensing the eighth and ninth Secret Rune Talismans is no problem at all; the tenth, with some effort, is also possible, but there's no need to force it."

"And more importantly, my mental measure has completely filled my soul ocean."

"A mental measure filling the entire soul ocean is a very rare occurrence for most spellcasters. It represents great talent in terms of soul measure, and also requires hard work in this area to reach such a rare height."

"The next step after the mental measure fills the entire soul ocean is the overflow and diffusion of mental power."

"In the academic language of casters, when mental power reaches the stage of overflow and diffusion, it is the advanced form of a caster."

"In fact, casters who reach this advanced form even have a very nice name—Domain Casters."

Thinking of the many powerful aspects of "Domain Casters," Gune couldn't help but smile on his face.

When the soul is strong enough and begins to diffuse outward, there are two modes.

The first mode: uniform distribution.

Distributing mental power evenly around forms a "Soul Perception Domain." Within the range of the Soul Perception Domain, any shadow dweller is exposed.

The second mode: condensation into strands.

When condensed, mental power forms "Mental Tentacles."

"Mental Tentacles... hmm... always gives a strong sense of evil!" Gune couldn't help rubbing his temples.

Domain Casters can freely switch between the two modes.

Now, here's the key point.

Spellcasters manifest their spells about one meter in front of them, then send them flying toward the enemy.

For Domain Casters, the location where spells manifest is determined by the edge of the caster's domain and the position of the mental tentacles.

For example, if Gune can condense a ten-meter mental tentacle, he can stand at a corner outside a window and extend the mental tentacle directly behind the window on the second floor, to the corner where an enemy is hiding.

Then, with an instant-cast Fire Arrow spell, pierce the enemy's head.

The range that the mind can reach is the characteristic of an advanced caster.

This is the power of the advanced caster form, the "Domain Caster."