Albis gained a bit less, only increasing by 20,000, now at 140,000 magicules.
The one who gained the most was Suphia.
This White Tiger Princess, who originally had 110,000 magicules, had surpassed her two companions after slaughtering numerous magical beasts, reaching 160,000.
"Exactly."
Albis sighed. "We've lived for over a century, endured countless hardships to reach our current strength."
"But in just this short time, the gains we've made are equivalent to decades of effort."
"Swish~~"
After cleaning, Suphia shook off the water from her fur and transformed back into her Lycanthrope form.
"Isn't that great?"
Suphia grinned, clenching her fist and throwing a few punches into the air. "This feeling of getting stronger is just too awesome!"
"I just..."
Albis hesitated. "I'm just a bit uneasy."
"After all, the magical beasts in this forest are completely different from those outside."
Albis's words caught everyone's attention.
They'd been too focused on their gains earlier.
Now, calming down, they realized the crux of the matter.
"Every time I take down one of these magical beasts, a surge of magicules flows into my body, becoming my strength."
There was no concept of demonic cultivation in the Cardinal World.
Here, plundering magicules through killing other magical creatures was commonplace.
Yet even Suphia, who had grown up doing this, sensed something special about these gains.
"Especially since we feel no side effects from boosting our magicules this way."
That was what Albis found most bizarre.
"Yeah, you're right."
Suphia nodded. "These magicules are so pure, it's like they were specifically created to nurture magical creatures."
It was clear that the Lycanthrope team, constantly encountering magical beasts, was reaping far greater rewards.
The magical beasts in the Great Forest were born from magicules, ferocious creatures by nature.
In theory, the higher the magicule concentration, the stronger the creatures born from it.
And the Jura Great Forest?
Look at its lineup.
Setting aside Damien, there were two Dragon Gods, multiple True Demon Lords, and the radiating effects of their various domains.
If the magical beasts outside were eating bran and weeds, the ones in this forest were feasting on gourmet meals, perfectly balanced and stuffed with rare treasures.
How could the beasts born here be ordinary?
Forget their combat strength.
Just the materials harvested from killing them would drive the outside world mad.
As for magical creatures...
By defeating these beasts, they were like players with a "kill-to-level-up" system.
As long as they kept slaughtering, they'd keep growing stronger until they hit the limits of their souls.
"Rumble~~"
"Another wave?!"
One wave after another... it was less an attack and more like someone deliberately feeding them through these magical beasts.
"Boom!"
Another hour passed. Suphia was mentally fatigued, but her body showed no signs of weakness, instead brimming with even more vigor.
This was the positive feedback from increasing magicules.
"This magical beast is seriously strong."
Suphia eyed the leader-class beast in the tide, turning to Albis. "But are you sure it's okay to let me take this big guy?"
"It's just a test."
Albis turned to the others, asking if their magicules had increased.
"They went up!"
"Mine too."
"Wait, you can gain magicules even without killing the beast yourself?"
"..."
"What's going on?"
Suphia noticed the group's reactions and guessed Albis's intent.
That beast just now was no weaker than a Special A-rank Demon Lord Seed.
Even the Lycanthrope army only took it down unscathed with Albis and the others' coordination.
But at the battle's end, Albis had given Suphia the killing blow.
"Just as I suspected."
Albis explained: "It's not just the one who lands the killing blow that benefits."
As the beast fell, streams of refined magicules flowed into everyone.
Not just Albis and Suphia, but Phobio and the other Lycanthrope warriors as well.
Without exception, everyone who participated in the battle gained some magicules.
"Roughly speaking, the killer gets 30%, and the rest is distributed based on contribution."
Albis murmured: "It feels like someone's up there, watching everything unfold from above."
"Now that you mention it..."
"Haven't you noticed? This forest is weird."
"I keep feeling like some strange force has been messing with my judgment since we entered."
Suphia might seem carefree, but she was sharp, noticing the forest's oddities even during battle.
"Based on what you're saying, it's likely some kind of domain skill..."
Albis, the Lion King's top strategist, immediately pinpointed their predicament.
"A domain?"
A being with such power was no ordinary figure.
The only thing Suphia could think of was the Dryads, who had lived in the Jura Great Forest since ancient times.
Though Treyni and her sisters seemed unassuming under Damien's command, in the legends of the Cardinal World, they were mysterious, god-like beings.
Virtually every race's lore mentioned the Great Forest's Dryads.
"Yeah."
Albis said: "An incredibly powerful ability, but it doesn't seem hostile."
She, too, felt that the one orchestrating this was likely the Dryads.
If it were an enemy, the expected attack would've hit them long ago... there'd be no reason to wait this long.
Nor would they be allowed to realize they were being manipulated.
And sending wave after wave of magical beasts to boost their magicules?
If this was an enemy, Suphia's strength had nearly doubled.
Wasn't that investment a bit too extravagant?
Who could be so generous as to nurture a Special A-rank into a Demon Lord Seed?
Talk about charity!
***
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