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nA few minutes passed and Liam's group was still unable to spot anything alive in the area.

nThere were just acres and acres of plain grasslands all around with a few small rocky heaps here and there.

nWho were they supposed to loot and plunder?

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"Well… it doesn't matter. As long as we survive for the next couple of hours, I should be able to get the experience points. Not to mention all the bonus experience points.

"

nLiam shrugged and led his team back to the portal where they idly sat down.

nThe small fox and the bird tumbled on the green grass and played around. The sun was gentle and the breeze was comforting. It was a nice day to enjoy nature.

nSome of the demons even started to lie down and look at the blue sky. Their own lands were not this pleasant. It was always dark and dreary, with black rain pouring from the sky endlessly.

nSo this change in atmosphere was very nice. One even fell asleep, snoring soundly.

nThey had all heard terrifying tales about invasion missions, but this didn't seem bad at all. They were almost regretful that they hadn't joined this type of mission sooner.

nWhile everyone else was completely relaxing or rolling around, Liam sat down on the grassy ground in a meditative position.

nSince he had nothing else to do at the moment, this seemed to be a perfect chance to test his proficiency in controlling fire magic.

nHe had been grinding out fireballs one after the other for a while now, so he wanted to see just how much he had improved.

nLiam focused on the spot in front of him and summoned his mana there, picturing the image of a ball of fire. He then practiced making it bigger and smaller by regulating the amount of mana.

nMaking it smaller required more mana compared to making it bigger as it was more difficult to compress the ball of burning energy.

nThe attack would also have a lot more impact and attack damage when compressed to the maximum.

nLiam continued practicing this technique and just as he had expected, just spamming one skill over and over again and again had helped him a lot in the comprehension of the spell.

nWatching him do various things and play with fire, the small fox that was jumping around, suddenly stopped and landed in front of him.

nIt cocked its head to the side and observed his actions for a few seconds, before attempting to repeat them.

nJust like Liam, the fox as well produced a ball of fire and shot it out towards a distant rock.

nBang! The impact on the rock was clearly visible.

nFor the next attempt, just like him, the fox as well made the attack smaller and compressed.

nBANG! This time the impact was even better!

nAs Liam watched this, his lips twitched. It had taken him so many hours of practice and two lifetimes to grasp this same concept, and the small spirit did it in a single try?

nThis was innate talent. This was genius.

nSpirit beasts were supposedly born from a fragment of the element to which they had an affinity, so it was not that surprising that the fox was a lot more talented than him.

nBut unlike the fox, he was not a born genius so he had to rely on this kind of rote grinding to really drill the concept into his brain.

nLiam chuckled wryly and continued his practice. He aimed for the same rock and sent out another attack.

nThis time he tried compressing the ball of fire as much as he could and also fiddled with the blasting speed of the attack to give the maximum impact.

nAfter doing this a few times, it was very clear to him that the stronger and more compressed an attack was, it was also that much faster.

nLiam then tried adjusting the shape of the attack and turning his miniature fireballs into fire bullets.

nThis proved a lot more challenging than simply fiddling with the size of the attack. Reducing a fire ball to a fire bullet was basically compressing it several times over and over.

nLiam began sweating profusely just after a few seconds of practice. His stamina was also plummeting steadily, for which he tossed a berry into his mouth and kept going on.

nHe had two hours to spend and he was determined to train thoroughly with the time in his hands.

nBang! He tossed an attack aiming at the same rock.

nAnd immediately after… Bang! The fox as well sent out an attack. It was treating this as its playtime.

nIn this manner, the two of them kept shooting at the rock one after the other.

nHis attacks became a lot more refined and he now had more control over his mana, but Liam was still not satisfied as he hadn't yet heard the notifications that he was waiting for.

nSucking in a big breath, he was just about to cast another attack when suddenly, a loud rumbling noise echoed.

nThe noise instantly woke everyone up, including the wind ripper and the demons who had nicely fallen asleep.

nLiam as well sprang to stand up alertly, ready to attack. He looked around to see what the hell was making this noise and what enemy they had to face.

nBut nothing seemed to be coming for them. He looked in all directions and there was absolutely no beast or monster approaching them.

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"Hmmm… What is happening?

" Liam pondered and just as his eyes shifted, he finally noticed something moving.

nThe big heaping pile of rocks that he and the little fox had been practicing on all this while actually moved!

nThe rocks rumbled and tumbled until they rose up to form some sort of a giant rock being.

nThe thing was like an iceberg with only the tip having been visible earlier and now that the whole body was revealed, it was nothing short of terrifying.

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"Fuck!

" Liam cursed as he looked up, staring at the enormous rock giant.

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