"As long as you have a Mystic Grade cultivation technique and a Mystic Grade mineral, it's damn easy for a Free Human to hit the Mystic Grade." The Mudropper said, "The only issue with this is the fact that the strongest naturally occurring mineral on Sumatra Continent is at the Gold Grade."
"Then, isn't it impossible?" Amita Brimgan asked, wondering if everything was about to fail, rendering her sacrifices needless.
"Technically, it isn't." The Mudropper said, "There's a precious mineral called the Sumatra Gold. It's something that forms in the hearts of Mystic Grade Pranic Beasts. It's a Mystic Grade mineral."
"Do you know where to find it, teacher?" Amita Brimgan asked in excitement.
"You either stumble upon it by luck or be a Mystic Grade Pranic Beast that's able to detect it." The Mudropper said, nodding as if it had forgotten, "If, within the Spirit Weapon range, an Empyrean Snapper too can sense it."
"Then it's hopeless." Amita Brimgan sighed.
"Which is why we'll be proceeding in a different direction." The Mudropper said, "You naturally have an affinity towards Prana. So, creating a cultivation technique and forging a Human Avatar that's able to evolve upon storing a large volume of Prana from different creatures will be a perfect fit for you. Oh, I know just the one."
The Mudropper said, mildly excited, "A Zinger's Primary Nature is perfectly suitable for you…"
It hadn't even finished the sentence when suddenly, a massive Prana Bomb slammed into the ground nearby, creating a thunderous quake as it cracked open, spilling three figures, a boy, a girl, and a sleeping baby.
"How can someone survive that?" Amita Brimgan screeched in shock and immediately stared at the floating world in the sky, "Did they fall from there?"
"They are Mammoth Clansmen." The Mudropper said upon inspecting the fragments of the Prana Bomb, sensing traces of an Empyrean Tusk's Prana in them, "They haven't died because they were protected by Internal Inertial Gravity."
"Though, this is fate, Amita." The Mudropper said as grey sand moved in response to its thoughts and drowned the trio, targeting the momentarily confused boy, "He has fused with a Zinger."
"What I wanted has perfectly delivered itself to our doorstep." The Mudropper grinned and captured the trio, using their imbalanced states to knock them unconscious.
"Rightly said!" Suddenly, a voice resounded from behind them, causing cold sweat to form on the back of the Mudropper, something genetically impossible. That was because of a wave of presence that washed over it like a mountain range being dropped on its back, terrifying it.
Neither the Mudropper nor Amita Brimgan were able to move, rooted to the spot in absolute shock. The Mudropper stared at the ground, watching ripples form on the soil due to the sheer momentum present in the exuded presence, 'There's only one such existence of absurdity on Sumatra.'
"W-Why has the Boar King come here?" The Mudropper stuttered in fear.
"The Boar King?" Amita Brimgan expressed shock, overwhelmed with curiosity to stare at the pinnacle entity that ruled this continent with power that surpassed all previous generations of Mystic Grade Pranic Beasts.
"Stay put if you wish to live." A cold voice resounded as Amita Brimgan forgot what she intended to do, sensing her mind go blank from the sheer pressure.
And then, the duo of Amita Brimgan and the Mudropper stared at the figure of a man who walked past them, casual in his gait, and approached the trio. He lifted the baby from the girl's hold and smirked, "The Supreme Tusk's successor, sweet!"
"To think I would stumble upon you like this, Gannala." A maddened laughter resounded from the man and continued for a good fifty minutes. Only then did he calm down enough to address the duo nearby, "It seems you were trying something interesting."
He stood before Amita Brimgan and grinned, "Let me help you reach the Mystic Grade."
…
"I don't exactly understand what happened next. But somehow, using teacher's power, the Boar King ripped out Inala's Spirit Container and fused it into mine." Inala said, sighing as he stared at his palm, "When I woke up, I realised that I was at the Body Stage. And unlike the Human Avatars of all Free Humans that were a mirror image of themselves but built from a mineral of their choice, my Human Avatar was shaped like a Zinger."
"I became able to use the same Primary Nature of the Zingers but in an advanced form, equivalent to the Silver Grade." She said, "And all I need to build my Human Avatar is Prana, a massive quantity of it. That's all."
"I followed whatever Loot told me to do. And then, a week later, he gave me his Prana and Lifeforce." Inala sighed, "I of course wouldn't refuse the Boar King's Prana. So I absorbed it without question. For the following three and a half years, he would bring me the Prana of various humans and Pranic Beasts and make me absorb them all."
"And then, he caused a colony of Millingers to enter the Sanrey Plains and make it the battleground for their Mating Season." Tears streamed out of Inala's eyes, "The Ganrimb Kingdom was wiped out as a result. I survived solely because I hid in the Sandy-Grey Void with the Mudropper."
"When the mating season ended, Loot captured teacher." Inala slumped, tired, "He then brought me to the Dralh Sea and abandoned me there. In guilt, I assumed the name of Inala, since I technically stole his power. I thought Loot no longer had use for me and was simply getting rid of me. But I never expected he was waiting for whatever he had done to my Spirit Container to take effect."
"So, he stole it once your Spirit Container was ready." Wittral asked, gently hugging Inala in concern, "You've been through a lot."
"Yes…" Inala sobbed silently.
Wittral continued to console Inala and asked once the latter had calmed down, "But, you mentioned that your power was only at the Silver Grade. Then what is with both the Mudropper and Loot mentioned about reaching the Mystic Grade?"
"About that?" Inala sighed and revealed his ultimate truth, "One Mystic Grade, a thousand Gold Grade, a million Silver Grade, and a billion Iron Grade."
"As long as I store traces of Prana from all of them, Loot said I'll invoke something called a Bolt of Transcendence. When I survive that, I'll skip the Gold Grade and directly enter the Mystic Grade." Inala concluded, "Though, it seems that wasn't for me."
"You had the Boar King's Prana, so obtaining the Mystic Grade Prana is done." Wittral frowned, "But what about the thousand Gold Grade Prana? That seems the most difficult out of everything. You'll have to spend centuries scouring through vast territories to come across so many Gold Grade Pranic Beasts."
"I'm extremely sorry, Wittral." Inala bowed, "I knew your true identity from the very beginning."
"What…from the beginning?" Wittral was stunned, "You knew it way before I told you about it?"
"Yes, I was brought here to absorb your Prana." Inala said, "You, as the perfect Empyrean Snapper, have received an inheritance from all Empyrean Snappers. So, in your Prana lies traces of all Empyrean Snappers."
"So, just absorbing your Prana is enough." Inala continued, "Loot figured this out by researching the Supreme Tusk's successor."
"Hundreds of Gold Grade Prana from me alone," Wittral nodded, disappointed, "So, this was why you were enthusiastic in arm wrestling against me."
He stared at the ceiling of the room, his eyes moist, "That's…"
"Disappointing."
