Chapter 325

After checking the information on the skill Strengthened Modification Ranch, They went on to look at the skills and titles they hadn’t reviewed yet.

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Skill Name: Plants’ Blessing

Rarity: 10

Type: Passive Skill

Effect: The more plants there are in the surrounding area, the higher your stats increase.

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“What Shubelg Fungus had was Plants’ Support, but this seems like a similar effect.”

“However, this one appears to be a higher-tier skill. The stat boost is also greater.”

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Skill Name: Sunlight Recovery

Rarity: 12

Type: Passive Skill

Effect: When bathed in sunlight, the recovery speed of consumable energy increases.

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“Like photosynthesis or something?”

“It doesn’t require water, so it’s not exactly the same, but it’s close, isn’t it? Like Plants’ Blessing from earlier, these seem like skills that only fairies or magical beasts aligned with Tree Magic could normally obtain. Without Endeniente, it probably wouldn’t have been possible to transplant them.”

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Skill Name: Magic Egg Forging

Rarity: 18

Type: Active Skill

Effect: Enables the creation of magical beast eggs.

Enables the synthesis of magical beast eggs.

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“This is the unique skill I gained when I class-changed. The name made me suspect it might be something like this… synthesis… A flag for crafting unlimited rare monster eggs!?”

“Whether it’s unlimited or not aside, this is another intriguing skill. It feels like a skill you could only acquire by class-changing after gaining Strengthened Modification Ranch with Great Sage.”

“Strengthened Modification Ranch seems related to eggs, but does Great Sage have anything to do with it?”

“For the conditions to create a magic egg, you first need to collect a total of ten brains, hearts, or Magic Stones from the target magical beast—it doesn’t matter if they’re not all the same type. Then, using those as a medium, you send magical power of the twelve attributes in the appropriate ratios for each type to enable creation. The skill automatically adjusts the precise ratios, so as long as you clear the material-gathering hurdle, it’s easy for you, big brother. Normal humans don’t have all twelve attributes, so they wouldn’t be able to learn this skill.”

“Plus, with Infinite Item Field, you can duplicate materials. That might be a factor too.”

“Right. If it’s Tatsuro, you can gather materials from just one beast without worrying about duplication points.”

“Yeah. But that means… well, let’s put that aside for now.”

Tatsuro started thinking about various ways to use it but decided to focus on the next skill since there were other things to do first.

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Skill Name: Hardened Body Lv. 8

Rarity: 8

Type: Passive Skill

Effect: Increases the durability of the physical body.

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“This is exactly what it looks like, right? But being tougher is a good thing!”

“With your ridiculously high Magic Resistance, you can handle magical attacks. Add this increased durability on top, and you won’t easily fall behind in physical combat either.”

“A no-risk, always-active skill is pretty appealing too.”

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Skill Name: Leadership Lv. 12

Rarity: 12

Type: Passive Skill

Effect: The higher the level, the easier it is to convince others with your words when acting with two or more people.

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“I thought it’d boost my leadership ability, but it just makes my words more persuasive. Kind of underwhelming.”

“But for a Tamer handling lots of magical beasts, it’s actually a pretty important skill. Magical beasts don’t act on reason like humans do, so a skill like this makes it easier to manage many at once. Plus, the title effect is quite good.”

“Title… you mean this one.”

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Title Name: Vanguard

Rarity: 10

Effect: When acting and leading with others, slightly increases your thought speed.

Slightly increases the abilities of everyone, including yourself.

All Stats +5

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“That’s a solid title. I might’ve hit the jackpot with this one.”

“It boosts the entire party’s baseline stats and slightly increases thought speed—definitely a tasty deal.”

“Honestly, our party’s already so strong it’s like, what more do we need? But faster thinking means quicker reactions to all sorts of situations.”

After confirming the title effect gained from Leadership reaching level 10, they moved on to check the Magical Beast Tycoon series all at once.

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Title Name: Minor Magical Beast Tycoon

Rarity: 3

Effect: All Stats +3

Makes tamed magical beasts slightly more affectionate toward you.

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Title Name: Magical Beast Tycoon

Rarity: 9

Effect: All Stats +10

Makes tamed magical beasts somewhat more affectionate toward you.

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Title Name: Great Magical Beast Tycoon

Rarity: 12

Effect: All Stats +30

Makes tamed magical beasts fairly affectionate toward you.

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Title Name: Supreme Magical Beast Tycoon

Rarity: 14

Effect: All Stats +100

Makes tamed magical beasts very affectionate toward you.

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“These seem like titles the previous owner earned based on the number of magical beasts they tamed or something.”

“You’re right. They’re awarded for taming 5, 30, 50, and 100 magical beasts, respectively.”

“Yeah, that tree-shaped magical beast had over a hundred in the Strengthened Modification Ranch.”

“Exactly. And with the title effects stacking all those stat boosts, it’s something any Tamer would want to aim for.”

“From what Marikka said before, Tamers have a limit to how many magical beasts they can handle, right? Unless you have a skill like Strengthened Modification Ranch, you can’t manage that many.”

“And the cost of feeding them wouldn’t be cheap either.”

By the way, Strengthened Modification Ranch transforms the alternate-space ranch into an optimal living environment for the magical beasts stored within. Meals are generated using the skill holder’s Magical Power or Dragon Force, so there’s no need to buy food separately. It’s an incredibly convenient skill, and since Tatsuro recovers quickly and is always with Ai, he could probably sustain as many beasts as the ranch can hold.

“As expected of a unique skill. It’s absolutely busted.”

“I want Strengthened Modification Ranch too! Then I can collect tons of cute magical beasts and made a fluffy paradise!”

“With my total stats, the ranch’s capacity is probably huge. If you find any magical beasts you like, we can stuff a ton in there.”

“Really!? A fluffy paradise!?”

“Yeah, we can make it happen. What’s mine is yours, so don’t hold back.”

“Thanks, Tatsuro! If there’s anything I can do, just let me know!”

“Anything? Alright, I’ll look forward to it!”

“You’re giving me that pervy look!?”

Their playful banter lightened the mood, and they decided to learn more about Strengthened Modification Ranch. There might be hints hidden in the skill that Henrikki, its former master, relied on most.

When Tatsuro focused on Strengthened Modification Ranch, he discovered that one magical beast was already stored inside.

“This… maybe this one beast holds the key to what he wanted to convey.”

“Then let’s bring it out of the ranch and see!”

“It’s about three meters in size… looks like a Rafflesia or something.”

When Tatsuro focused on the magical beast in Strengthened Modification Ranch, a system-like monitor suddenly appeared, displaying footage of the sole occupant. Anyone could view it with Tatsuro’s permission, so he showed Ai and the others the giant flower sitting alone in a jungle-like section.

“It really does look like that. Rafflesias are those stinky flowers, right? Maybe we should check it outside.”

“It’s technically your magical beast now, big brother, so it probably won’t go wild. But since it’s an unfamiliar beast, outside is safer.”

“Let’s head outside then.”

With that, Tatsuro and the others stepped through the entrance to the outside. After scanning the surroundings to ensure it was safe, Tatsuro summoned the Rafflesia-like magical beast from the alternate-space ranch to a wide-open area.

At the designated spot, a Rafflesia with red petals and black spots appeared.

“No smell, huh. Alright, with tamed magical beasts, I can communicate using Magical Power even if they don’t understand words. Ahem—did your former master, Henrikki, tell you anything?”

Feeling a slight hesitation talking to a plant-like magical beast, Tatsuro cleared his throat, steadied himself, and spoke with Magical Power-infused words.

The message seemed to get through, as the Rafflesia began to quiver. From the center of its thick, fleshy petals, which seemed to grow directly from the ground, a bird-like beak emerged. A slightly muffled, oddly high-pitched male voice came from it.

“To whoever is hearing this.”

“It spoke!?”

“Quiet down a bit. It seems to be a magical beast capable of memorizing and mimicking human speech.”

“Y-Yeah.”

As Ai was startled, the voice continued, so Leah hushed her to listen to the words presumably left by the former master.

“First, I’m glad Strengthened Modification Ranch was successfully transplanted. I’ve used the skill transplant on magical beasts a few times to switch bodies, but using it on a human—being the one to pass it on—was a first, so I was worried...

...Strengthened Modification Ranch is quite a convenient and rare skill, so I’d be happy if you like it. This is sudden, but I’d like you to do me a favor in return for receiving it. I know it’s abrupt to challenge you to a fight and then hand over a skill, but please hear me out...

...In the Wind Mountain of Banramonte, my pixie friend Aurikki and I discovered a powerful magical beast about to be born. If left alone, it would undoubtedly ravage countless nations—a catastrophic beast...

...So Aurikki stayed at Wind Mountain to stop it, while I kept others out of the forest. Aurikki was supposed to destroy the beast’s vortex within a day, but he never returned. I left the forest to the magical beasts and went to check on him, which was a mistake...

...As I approached Wind Mountain, my body overflowed with power. I didn’t know what it was and got caught up in the euphoria, absorbing it willingly. At first, it was great—my strength gradually increased, and I felt invincible...

...But then I noticed my cognitive abilities dulling. Realizing it was bad, I hurried back to the forest, but the symptoms didn’t stop. My intelligence was being eroded bit by bit. Using my body’s traits, I could slow it down, but I couldn’t stop it completely. So I left this message, entrusting my friend Aurikki’s rescue to someone capable...

...If you’ve listened this far, you probably understand. I’m offering my stats and skills as advance payment. Please save Aurikki, the pixie still fighting to keep that beast from being born at Wind Mountain. I beg you. He’s the one who gave me my name, my precious companion who saved me from loneliness, my lifelong friend! Please… please save him…

...I’m sorry for losing my composure. That’s all from me. I trust you’ll fulfill my wish. With that, this message ends. Farewell”

The message stopped, and after a brief silence, the Rafflesia retracted its beak-like organ into the center of its petals. With nothing more to say, Tatsuro sent it back to the alternate-space ranch, where it dissolved into mist.

“So that’s the deal… Combining this with what we’ve learned, the catastrophic beast hasn’t been born yet. The Black Fungus outbreak is just the remnants of something failing to become a magical beast, obstructed by something, so it’s still ongoing.”

“That means the thing obstructing it is probably Aurikki, and he’s still alive and fighting.”

“That’s highly likely. So, what do we do now? Either way, we were already heading to Wind Mountain to deal with the cause. Doing so should save Aurikki too. I think we should take it on.”

“At this point, let’s see it through to the end!”

“Yeah, and we’ll cash in on that sweet reward too!”

“Peewee!”

“Neigh!”

Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi blinked their cores in agreement.

“What about you, Ai?”

“It feels kinda like our first quest, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. The target was already dead, and the reward was prepaid.”

They recalled their very first quest in this world. Tatsuro’s SP had surpassed 1,000, meeting all conditions for Spacetime Magic. There was no need to go to Wind Mountain for SP anymore.

They could start practicing Interdimensional Transfer Magic, and if it worked, they could end their otherworld life right away. But they wouldn’t feel satisfied leaving things unresolved.

This quest, so similar to their first, was likely their final one before returning home.

“I think it’s kinda fitting.”

“Yeah. It’s the perfect way to wrap up our time in this world.”

“Let’s do it.”

“Hell yeah, let’s do it.”

They locked eyes and grinned, overjoyed that their hearts were in sync.

“Let’s go save him!”

“Yeah!”

“Peewee!”

“Neigh!”

“Let’s do it!”

“Yes!”

“Got it!”

Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi shone with the same enthusiasm as their sisters. And so, Tatsuro and the others resolved to fulfill Henrikki’s final wish.