The Preciousness of a Flying Mount!

[Winged Tiger (Orange): Your perception has been greatly enhanced.]

This didn't even require the system prompt for Oliver to notice. He could already feel it—his senses were far sharper than before. His hearing and vision had both been significantly boosted.

He could even see, with incredible clarity, a mosquito on a tree about ten meters away, its tiny legs twitching as its wings vibrated. And not only that—he could discern the fine details of its wings, down to the delicate veins.

And all of this was happening from ten meters away!

[Special Skill]

[Bloodlust Attack: Use the blood of your enemies to track them. You can now mark up to three enemies as prey. Every thirty seconds, your attacks will cause them to experience a fear and confusion effect, making them disoriented and incapable of coordinated action.]

It was clear: this skill had been upgraded.

What was once limited to a single enemy now applied to three targets! And on top of fear, the skill now also caused confusion, which could make enemies attack their own comrades by mistake.

[Wind Enchantment: Infuses your fists and weapons with wind magic, slightly increasing speed.]

[Consume 1500 Life Essence to upgrade both this form and the captured creature simultaneously.]

Oliver couldn't help but smile as he scanned the new information. The boost to his strength was incredible! Not only had he gained such a huge increase in power himself, but Kitty, too, had become much stronger.

Still, there was the matter of the wings—those odd, underdeveloped wings on Kitty. The system hadn’t provided any answers. Oliver suspected the wings were still in an incomplete state, likely because Kitty had only just finished evolving. He would need to feed the creature more magic beasts and plants to help it grow.

A flying pet would be an enormous asset to Oliver. Flying mounts, whether for long-distance travel or aerial combat support, were incredibly valuable.

Take flying mounts, for example. Even Professor Arcanus didn’t have one. The worth of such a mount was something that could shock even Oliver.

In the Riverhaven Kingdom, long-distance travel was a dangerous endeavor. Even a red-tier mage wouldn't dare venture far from the safety of civilization. The wilderness was rife with dangers—magical beasts, demons, bandits, and even rogue wizards who could appear at any moment, robbing you of both wealth and life.

But with a flying mount, everything changed.

In the past, if Oliver had wanted to travel to Glensorne for the trial, he would have had to join a merchant caravan or hire a group of mercenaries. Both options would have cost a pretty penny. Hector and William, for example, had spent over ten gold coins just to join a passing caravan to Glensorne. That kind of money could have bought them a magic staff!

For someone as poor as Oliver, becoming a mage was no easy feat.

Of course, if Professor Arcanus had agreed to escort him, it would have been possible. But Professor Arcanus was always busy, and Oliver would have had to wait a long time for him to find the time to help.

But now, with a flying mount of his own, Oliver could travel anywhere on his own terms.

In fact, as the owner of a flying mount, Oliver could easily form his own small caravan, charging travelers for passage to various cities. He could make a fortune this way!

The value of a flying mount was clear, and Oliver couldn't wait to see the full potential of Kitty's wings.

"Better get those wings fully grown soon," Oliver thought, his gaze lingering on the young Stonecrack Beast pup, Pebble—a nickname Oliver had given it.

After evolving, it will be called Shatterdrake. This creature, too, will have dragon-like traits, and there's a good chance it will be able to fly.

At that point, Oliver would have two flying mounts. He would become the most impressive person in the entire town! Maybe even in Glensorne City!

To evolve the Stonecrack Beast, Oliver would need 500 Life Essence. Currently, he only had 80 points left, and neither the fusion levels for Unknown Hound nor the Shatterdrake had reached their maximum. The amount of Life Essence he still needed was substantial.

"Time to keep working hard," Oliver thought as he led his three pets toward the edge of the Toxic Mist Forest.

It was nearly dark, and while the mist-filled forest had limited visibility during the day, it would only get more dangerous as night fell. Oliver wasn’t willing to risk staying in the forest overnight. Too dangerous.

It was better to leave before nightfall.

Soon, they reached the outskirts of the forest. Though the trees were withered, the ground littered with dry leaves, and the air cold, there was a certain familiarity and comfort to the place. It felt almost like coming home.

After letting his pets rest in a nearby cave, Oliver headed back to the town. He had some small animals to sell, as well as a few less-valuable magical plants he had harvested. It was time to head back to the academy and get some sleep. And while he was at it, he might as well sell the goods and earn a few extra silver coins.

Speaking of which, his magic staff that he had commissioned from Andre would likely be ready soon. It had been a few days, and tomorrow he planned to stop by the forge to check on it. Once he had that staff in hand, his abilities would grow even further. He’d be able to start learning second-tier orange magic.

Oliver’s thoughts were interrupted as he arrived at Gavin’s Tavern. The place was bustling as usual.

The rumors about the evil spirits didn’t seem to have affected the ordinary townspeople. In fact, it seemed like very few people even knew about it. And those who did probably didn’t care much—after all, they trusted the mages to handle things.

Of course, they probably didn't know that, aside from a few mages at the academy, almost no other mages remained in town.

As Oliver walked into the tavern, the crowd erupted into applause.

“Our new noble lord has arrived!”“Lord Stark, look at me! Do you think I have the talent for magic? I want to join the academy too!”“Lord Stark, I’m Jennifer from the tavern on the west side of town! I can sell your game at our place, too!”

A busty blonde woman winked at Oliver and approached him, squeezing through the crowd.

Gavin, watching from behind the bar, scowled in fury. This woman had been hanging around his tavern for days, and now she had the audacity to try to steal his most distinguished guest!

"What a damn slut!"