Chapter 45: Surprises and Accidents, You Never Know Which Will Come First
"The trees here really are much taller!"
High above the Valley of the End, a giant bird soared through the sky. Looking down at the incredibly dense forest below, a faint smile touched Kael's lips. Even from a distance, he could already see the two colossal statues.
[Check-in Successful]
He wished the system would display such a message, but it was just wishful thinking.
"Madara was actually pretty handsome when he was young," Kael smirked.
Soon, the Wind Eagle brought him directly above the two statues, and a sense of witnessing history washed over him. "Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju... their final parting wasn't exactly amicable. Judging by the statues' hand gestures, they must be forming the Seal of Opposition..."
After a moment of reflection, Kael descended into the valley below. Time was short, and he still needed to find a suitable creature for synthesis.
"Even the tallest tree here is only D-rank..." Kael retracted his hand from the tree trunk, frowning slightly. Beside him stood a banyan tree over a hundred meters tall, its massive trunk too thick for even ten people to encircle.
[Material: Thousand-Year-Old Camphor Tree]
Rank: D
If this doesn't work, I'll just have to use that crow. The compatibility of other creatures with the Evil God's Power is just too low.
At this point, Kael finally resigned himself. He had wanted to find the perfect synthesis formula, but it seemed impossible to force it.
He channeled chakra to his feet and climbed to the top of a shorter nearby tree, then mentally called for the Wind Eagle.
WHOOSH!
Before long, a fierce wind picked up, and a gray shadow appeared on the horizon. The next moment, it arrived beside Kael. It was the Wind Eagle, returning from its hunt. There was still a trace of blood around its beak.
Kael pushed off the treetop and landed on the eagle's back. He was about to lie down comfortably when he noticed a fluffy gray object at his feet.
"What's this?" He looked at the Wind Eagle, assuming it had brought him takeout. Crouching down for a closer look, he saw a curled-up gray wolf pup.
"Why did you bring this little guy back? Planning to fatten him up before eating him?" Kael asked, amused and exasperated.
"Whimper—whine—"
A small, pathetic sound came from the pup as it trembled.
"Poor little thing. So small, and you ate his mother," Kael clicked his tongue, feeling a pang of pity. He reached out and stroked the pup's head.
The next moment, his expression became incredibly strange.
[Creature: Gray Wolf Pup (Mutated)]
Rank: C
(Note: Originally of ordinary gray wolf lineage, but underwent a mysterious mutation in the womb. Favored by natural energy, resulting in extremely high growth potential.)
"This...?" Kael's face contorted as if he were constipated. "Don't tell me... the Shinobi World is going to have a Gray Wolf Sage?" he couldn't help but wonder wildly.
But then he snapped back to reality and pulled out Jizo's head.
[Thinning Power of the Evil God]+[Gray Wolf Pup]= ???
[Compatibility]100%
[Material: Thinning Power of the Evil God, Quality (Blue)]
[Creature: Gray Wolf Pup, Rank (C)]
[Synthesis Success Rate]120%
[Chakra Required]300
[Synthesize?]
Seeing this, Kael didn't hesitate for a second and confirmed the synthesis. He looked at the wolf pup beside him, now enveloped in a milky white light, slowly falling asleep. A sense of relief washed over him.
But then he felt something change within himself, and his expression shifted dramatically. An overwhelming weakness spread through his body, growing stronger by the second. The next moment, he collapsed unconscious onto the Wind Eagle's back. His body convulsed, his unconscious face twisted in extreme agony.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp! —Boss, what's wrong?"
The Wind Eagle turned its head and looked at Kael, a rare look of worry in its large eyes. Sensing his steady breathing and heartbeat, the panic in its eyes gradually subsided. It didn't know how to wake him up, but it knew where he needed to go.
BOOM!
It spread its wings and flew towards the Hidden Hot Water Village.
Kael struggled to open his eyes. He saw a white, square-tiled ceiling. The room was warm, but there was a faint, pungent smell in the air.
Hah... this is... coal? This place feels familiar... like... the second floor of Rei's house?
He tried to turn his head, but even that small movement made him gasp for breath, and his eyes fluttered shut again. He had never felt so weak. His body felt as heavy as lead, crushing the air from his lungs. He didn't have the strength to even lift a finger. The feeling was so unbearable he almost wished for death.
"Sigh..." He let out a heavy mental sigh and called up the system panel.
[Host: Kael Cross]
Race: Human
Summoning Beasts: ...
Life Force: 75
Chakra: 1
Seeing his life force had dropped by more than half, Kael was terrified, his closed eyelids trembling. He hadn't expected a single synthesis to nearly kill him. The reduction of a few numbers on a screen translated into a feeling akin to actually dying.
I can never push myself like this again. Losing two-thirds of my life force... it feels like I lost half my life!
He wasn't sure if he regretted it or not, but if given the choice again, he probably wouldn't hesitate for long before choosing to synthesize. A 100% compatibility between the wolf pup and the Evil God's Power, a 120% synthesis success rate... a summon with the power of an elite Jonin was about to be born! Barring any accidents, this summon would become the strongest existence in the Hidden Hot Water Village.
A thrill shot through him at the thought.
"Little Gray! Where's my Little Gray?" Unable to speak, he called out mentally, relying on the faint telepathic link he shared with his summons.
"Awooo!"
He heard a small, young wolf howl, followed by the heavy thud of footsteps on the stairs. The next moment, he felt a wet, warm tongue licking his face. Kael instinctively tried to tense his facial muscles but found he couldn't. Fortunately, the licker's breath didn't stink. In fact, it had a faint, milky scent.
Is that Goldie? he wondered. He subconsciously assumed that a C+ rank summon wouldn't still be drinking milk. Even though Little Gray had been a pup, it was perfectly normal for the system's synthesis to violate the laws of nature and cause it to grow instantaneously.