Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!-Chapter 242: The Calm After

Ethan's thought lasted less than a second.

"Roar!"

Leeroy, his neck fur bristling, let out a furious howl.

"Damn..." Ethan muttered under his breath, glancing over at Evelyn and Ryan. "Why's he so pissed off?"

If Leeroy hadn't lost the ability to speak at that moment, he would've cursed Ethan out. After slapping him so hard, Ethan still had the audacity to ask why he was pissed off? frёewebnoѵēl.com

"Don't hit his lower back! Anywhere else is fine!" Ryan shouted from a distance.

"Ryan!" Evelyn shot him a glare, clearly annoyed that her brother had just revealed Leeroy's weakness to Ethan.

"Relax, relax… we're family, what's the big deal?" Ryan said casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Evelyn rolled her eyes, thinking to herself, 'Since when did Ryan and Ethan become so close that he's calling us family?' She had no idea that both her brothers had already mentally adopted Ethan as a brother-in-law candidate.

Taking Ryan's advice to heart, Ethan gradually increased the intensity of his attacks. When he ramped up to about ninety percent of his strength, he threw a punch in his Panther Form, trading blows with Leeroy. Ethan's fist landed squarely on Leeroy's chest, while Leeroy's punch connected with Ethan's shoulder.

Both of them staggered back several steps before regaining their balance.

"Ryan, maybe we should stop them. Ethan hasn't even gone all out yet. I'm worried Leeroy might get hurt," Evelyn whispered to her brother.

Ryan was equally stunned. Even though Leeroy hadn't fully unleashed his Bloodlust ability, he'd never seen his older brother pushed this far while in his berserker state.

Nodding at Evelyn's suggestion, he agreed, "Yeah… let's step in."

"Alright!" Evelyn waved her hand, and a series of golden patterns began to form in the air, creating an intricate design.

"Ethan, move!" she shouted.

Ethan, who was fully immersed in the fight, instinctively leaped back at the sound of Evelyn's voice. At the peak of the mountain, his Soul Sense was completely blocked, so he had no idea what Evelyn was up to. He assumed she had noticed Leeroy preparing some kind of ultimate move and was warning him to dodge.

As Ethan retreated, Leeroy charged forward.

"Whoosh!"

The mysterious pattern Evelyn had drawn in the air shrank into a bolt of lightning and struck Leeroy's forehead, disappearing instantly.

Leeroy's body shuddered, and he came to an abrupt halt. The crimson hue in his eyes began to fade as he slowly regained his senses.

Ethan eyed him warily for a moment, confirming that Leeroy was calming down. He then turned to Evelyn and gave her a thumbs-up before sitting on the ground and closing his eyes.

During the fight with Leeroy, Ethan had started to blend his combat technique with his Druid abilities, moving beyond just mindlessly using game skills. His control over his Energy Pool had also improved significantly. He realized that combining basic combat techniques with Energy manipulation could be just as effective as casting Druid spells.

Of course, if he added Energy to his spells, that would be a whole different level of power.

Morzan had told him that once he reached level 45, he would be able to use his ultimate abilities more frequently. But Ethan wasn't eager to rely on those. The one time he had used such a skill back in Ravenwood had left him with a lingering sense of dread. The sheer brutality of it—slicing someone apart with a single gesture, was something he wasn't comfortable with. As a modern, civilized guy, he found it too gruesome.

No, Ethan much preferred the satisfaction of a well-placed slap or the visceral thrill of smacking someone's head like an exploding watermelon.

Ethan chuckled to himself, though if anyone else knew what he was thinking, they'd probably be like: "What's the difference?"

But to Ethan, there was a difference. Smacking someone's head like an exploding watermelon was way more satisfying—and it didn't come with the stench of guts and gore. The memory of that Flame-Wreathed Man he'd torn apart back in Ravenwood still made him queasy. The foul stench of the guy's innards had been unbearable, and even now, just thinking about it made Ethan want to gag.

Closing his eyes, Ethan turned his focus inward, examining his Core. What he saw surprised him. The roots of the small sapling within his Core had thickened, no longer translucent and emerald green. Instead, a small section now glowed with a deep, forest-green hue.

"Is it… growing?" Ethan wondered silently.

"Yes," Morzan's voice echoed in his mind. "Your avatar has been grinding monsters in the game. I set it up so all the experience goes to you."

"Wait… my avatar can log into the game on its own? And you can control it?" Ethan asked, stunned.

Morzan didn't respond immediately. He was too busy trying to keep his temper in check. When he'd woken up from his latest nap, he'd discovered that Ethan had completed the Prismatic Stone quest—and, of all things, chosen the Rogue class for his avatar.

Morzan had been eyeing that avatar for a while, planning to force Ethan into picking the Mage class. After all, the Prismatic Stone's power would've made it the perfect vessel for Morzan to inhabit, allowing him to enter Ethereal undetected. The stone's unique energy could mask his presence, keeping him hidden from certain entities who might otherwise sense his return. If those beings found out he was still alive, who knew what kind of chaos they'd unleash?

But, of course, Morzan had been drunk—again, and had slept for who knows how many days. By the time he woke up, his perfect vessel had become a damn Rogue. Disappointed, Morzan had lost interest in the avatar. Still, he'd told Ethan he'd set it up to funnel experience to the main character. That wasn't entirely true. In reality, Morzan had used the avatar to sneak into a tavern in Ethereal, where he'd indulged in a feast—all on Ethan's dime.

After calming himself, Morzan replied in a measured tone, "Yes, the avatar is a unique entity. I can control it when you're not logged into the game."

In truth, even if Ethan was logged in, Morzan could still take over the avatar whenever he pleased. Sure, the Rogue class wasn't ideal—it didn't align with his original Mage profession—but Ethereal was still far better than the endless, monotonous void of the Chaos Realm. Out there, it was nothing but endless white. At least in Ethereal, there was good food and drink.

Morzan had stored up quite a bit of alcohol in the Chaos Realm, but after who knows how many millennia, his stash was nearly empty. Fighting wasn't a priority for him anymore. The last great war, which had raged for tens of thousands of years, had ended with him faking his own death. Though it had cost him his physical body, forcing him to exist as pure Soul Power in this void, it was still better than constantly scheming and battling those ancient beings.

If it hadn't been for their plans to conquer the mysterious lands beyond Azure Expanse, Morzan would never have created Ethereal in the first place. His dream was simple: to live a life of leisure, drinking and napping to his heart's content.

But now, everything depended on Ethan's growth. The mysterious lands had been devoid of proper Energy Mastery for over a million years, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. Still, who was to say that mortals couldn't outwit immortals?

He could only hope that the preparations he'd made would be enough to counter the schemes of those old… entities.

As for Ethan… well, Morzan sighed. They'd just have to take it one step at a time.