Chapter 19: Improvement
William stared at the three-meter-tall Star Warrior-level Iron Pig, which was still lazily dozing on the ground, completely unconcerned about the four Iron Pigs that had disappeared at some point.
Considering the difference in their strength, William didn’t attack the monster immediately.
Even though his physical strength was only slightly weaker than that of an ordinary Star Warrior after completing the first Chapter of the Supreme Star Scripture, it was still extremely difficult for him to face this monster head-on.
After reaching the Star Warrior level, monsters gained special abilities that greatly enhanced their strength.
The ability awakened by Iron Pigs was an innate defensive skill that drastically increased their durability, making it difficult even for warriors of the same level to injure them.
It was truly a monster with an incredibly sturdy, tank-like physique.
William’s current methods of attack were limited to nothing more than slashing with his sword.
The strongest attack he could currently unleash was coating his weapon with Aether Energy to temporarily enhance its cutting power.
However, even this method had its limits because his reserves of Aether Energy were still very limited.
The amount of Aether Energy he currently possessed was only enough to perform two or three enhanced attacks before completely exhausting it.
’I should increase my Aether Energy a little before fighting it,’ William thought to himself and quietly retreated from the monster.
He climbed up a nearby tree and sat on one of its thick branches, concealing himself beneath the dense canopy.
He took the Two-Leaf Hollow Earth Flower out of his backpack and carefully plucked the flower from the glass jar, leaving its roots embedded in the soil.
Although it was extremely difficult, as long as the proper conditions were maintained, the Two-Leaf Hollow Earth Flower could continue growing from its roots.
William planned to cultivate it in the future and see if he could eventually grow it into a Nine-Leaf Hollow Earth Flower.
After plucking the flower, he immediately tossed it into his mouth and began chewing.
An intense bitter taste exploded across his tongue, making him feel as though he had just eaten a bitter gourd.
However, he paid no attention to the unpleasant taste and immediately began circulating the second Chapter of the Supreme Star Scripture.
The Two-Leaf Hollow Earth Flower contained an enormous amount of Aether Energy.
As such, the moment he activated the second Chapter of the Supreme Star Scripture, a powerful stream of Aether Energy surged toward the prototype of his Aether Core.
Because he had only practiced the second Chapter for a few minutes before stopping the previous day, the prototype of his Aether Core was still translucent, as though it could disappear at any moment.
However, as the medicinal energy from the Hollow Earth Flower poured into it, the translucent core gradually began to solidify.
The meager amount of Aether Energy he previously possessed increased at a rapid pace, causing every cell in his body to feel refreshed and invigorated.
Normally, people had to use their mental power to continuously guide Aether Energy while forming their Aether Core.
William was no exception.
However, this time, even without his guidance, the medicinal energy contained within the Hollow Earth Flower automatically flowed toward the prototype of his Aether Core on its own.
The last time William had cultivated the second Chapter of the Supreme Star Scripture, he had started developing a severe headache after only fifteen minutes because of the immense strain on his mind.
But now, since the Hollow Earth Flower’s energy was flowing into his core automatically, he didn’t feel the slightest mental burden.
Time quietly passed and soon, more than two hours had gone by.
The amount of Aether Energy within William’s core had increased dozens of times over, and the once-translucent prototype had become significantly more solid than before.
Exhaling a long breath, William finally stopped circulating the Supreme Star Scripture and carefully sensed the amount of Aether Energy within his body.
"Previously, I would have needed nearly two weeks to reach the Star Warrior realm. Now, I only need about one week..." He muttered under his breath, feeling pleased.
In fact, if it had been anyone else consuming a Two-Leaf Hollow Earth Flower, its medicinal energy would likely have been enough to push them directly into the Star Warrior realm.
However, because William cultivated the Supreme Star Scripture, the capacity of his Aether Core was far greater than that of ordinary cultivators.
As a result, the amount of Aether Energy required for him to break through was naturally much higher as well.
"With my current reserves of Aether Energy, I can finally use Aether-enhanced attacks freely in battle for several minutes instead of only one or two attacks..."
William nodded in satisfaction before jumping down from the tree.
He quietly walked toward the clearing and saw that the Star Warrior-level Iron Pig was still sleeping peacefully in the exact same spot.
It was a pity that its underbelly remained completely hidden beneath its massive body.
Otherwise, William would have already sent it to the afterlife while it was still asleep.
"Just in case, let’s make some preparations."
William left the sleeping Iron Pig behind and disappeared into the forest.
He wasn’t worried about the Iron Pig wandering somewhere else while he was away.
This was a Rank One Astral Rift, and the strongest monsters inside it were only at the Star Warrior level.
As one of the strongest monsters within the rift, the Iron Pig naturally possessed its own territory.
The place where it was currently sleeping was the center of that territory.
It would only leave its territory to search for food.
Earlier, when William had discovered the tracks of the five Iron Pigs, it was because they had gone out together to hunt and had only recently returned after filling their stomachs.
Since this monster had already eaten its fill, William was certain that it wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
Around an hour and a half later, William returned and found the monster still sleeping in exactly the same place.
"If I can kill it in one strike, then everything will go smoothly. If not, then I will proceed with the second plan."
Taking a deep breath, William stepped out from behind the bushes and slowly walked toward the sleeping monster without making the slightest sound.
He silently reached the monster’s rear and stopped about five meters away.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but shake his head in disappointment when he saw that the monster’s anus was completely covered by its thick, armored tail.
If it had been exposed, he wouldn’t have minded taking advantage of such an obvious weak point to kill it.
’Well, let’s stick to the original plan.’
William bent down and picked up a small stone before raising his hand and throwing it.
The stone landed inside the bushes directly in front of the sleeping Iron Pig.
Rustle...
Hearing the sound, the sleeping monster slowly opened its eyes and looked ahead.
Since the noise had come from the bushes and the smaller Iron Pigs were nowhere to be seen, it instinctively assumed that the unranked Iron Pigs were playing somewhere nearby and had accidentally made the sound.
The monster let out a long, lazy yawn before slowly rising to its feet.
Crack... Crack...
Its enormous body stretched as a series of cracking sounds echoed from the iron-like armor plates rubbing against one another.
Completely unaware that someone was watching from behind, the three-meter-tall monster finally stood upright and lazily shook its head to clear away the drowsiness.
’Now is my chance.’
The instant the monster lowered its guard while shaking its head, William’s eyes turned razor-sharp.
Bang!
A sonic boom exploded and he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
