I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 103 - 83: Animal Companion – Qingyuan White Deer

The only disappointment was that it did not give birth to any energy systems since he already possessed Mana; thus, the elemental or natural forces that might have been born were replaced by his Mana.

"I can put the Agility Mark on hold for now and wait until I’ve learned the super magical technique of casting spells without materials," he had previously perused the books collected by the Mark lineage, which included not only material-free casting but also other super magical techniques such as spell empowerment, extended spell reach, and so on. How Druids in this world developed such techniques was a mystery. It was indeed an oddity.

Techniques like these were also known by Mafas and others; after all, at their age, they had learned almost everything that they needed to.

He even discovered a specialization in spellcasting: Prophecy, Advanced Spell Specialization: Prophecy, and so on, however, they were neglected because nobody was interested in them.

There were also books on the care of magical plants and the breeding of magical animals.

It was fitting for a former Priest; in ancient times, Priests not only conducted rituals but were also responsible for various tribal affairs, ranging from prophecy to medicine, from breeding to agriculture.

Eventually, the need to be combat-ready arose, and so the super magical techniques appeared.

"You’ve condensed the Blood Mark so quickly? It seems you have a very profound understanding of nature," upon leaving, Gu Shanhai met with Mafas, who was quite surprised that Gu Shanhai had managed to condense his first mark in just one day.

"Pretty average..." Gu Shanhai said somewhat awkwardly. His connection to nature wasn’t actually that deep; mainly, he succeeded by copying what he saw.

If other Druids relied on their sense of nature’s subtle nuances to form marks, Gu Shanhai was different. He used his powerful True Spirit and Mana to form his own marks. It was like some relied on heaven for sustenance, while he farmed his own land, harvested, and prepared his own bowl of rice.

As for why the sense of nature was needed, it was because Gu Shanhai needed a template.

"It’s unbelievable. At your rate, you might be able to condense all the marks very quickly," Mafas marveled.

After the successful condensation of the twenty-three natural marks... that’s just how it was, because it was only a beginning, not an end.

In the ancient High Magic Era, he might have possessed legendary strength similar to Kurus Brass in the Elemental Realm, but after Kurus Brass left the Elemental Realm, his strength wasn’t anything special. He could probably be taken out by the next bullet, even if he turned into a giant dragon.

However, there was one advantage. Due to the Low Magic Era, condensing marks was much easier than in ancient times.

In the High Magic Era, both the elements and nature were extremely powerful, far from their current near-death state.

Accordingly, the effects would also be diminished. Take the Blood Mark, for example; even though it is enhancing now, if there is only one, the added strength attribute would probably be only around 5 points, not much. It’s only through the accumulation of marks that the increase becomes significant, even with percentage effects, and so on.

And before the Holy Grail emerged, there were restrictions on everyone. At this stage, the average player level was 5, while those legendary characters in the world were at level 30, and their attributes were significantly weakened. Hence, they could still be swarmed and overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Only after the Holy Grail appeared would they gradually return to their originally powerful form.

In other words, theoretically, Gu Shanhai could kill Kurus Brass in the prime material world, but that was theoretical because it had to take into account the opponent’s various equipment and the Divine Arts and combat experience, among other factors.

Initially, many natives died at the hands of players, and he even suspected that the fall of the Mark lineage had something to do with the players, for they were just too rich...

Of course, these types of kills were generally coordinated by large guilds or clubs. People like Kurus Brass were boss templates who naturally had overwhelming abilities against players.

There was no such thing as a mechanism in this world where an attack that didn’t break defense caused a forced -1 point of damage. If the defense wasn’t broken, it simply wasn’t, and one couldn’t hope to wear someone down by persistently chipping away -1 by -1.

"What should I be aware of if I plan to learn super magical techniques next, Elder Mafas?" asked Gu Shanhai.

"Of course, there is. You should first choose an animal companion. It will accompany you for life, and if you successfully form a contract with it, there will be even more benefits," Mafas said in a good mood, even throwing in a light tease at Gu Shanhai.

Gu Shanhai did not place much importance on animal companions, at least not to the extent that they were very likely to keep up with his growth.

He was like a dragon traversing the seas now, merely needing to continue learning and transforming the acquired knowledge into strength. His growth rate would far exceed that of players who grew stronger by leveling up and allocating points.

If he lacked even this confidence, his previous life as a big shot would have been in vain.

"I was thinking of waiting a bit longer, after all..." Gu Shanhai intended to tactfully refuse.

"Wait? No, no, no, Shanhai, you shouldn’t think like that. I know you’re eager to learn, but you’re not short on this little bit of time. Our future is still very long." Mafas interrupted Gu Shanhai’s words; he merely thought that Gu Shanhai did not like animals, but as a Druid, how could he be without an animal companion?