The shroud, rooted in the mire, was forcibly uprooted by the giant.
Countless roots detached from the mud, exposed in mid-air, twisting and writhing madly.
Like a nest of frightened venomous snakes!
A reverting to his ancestral form, Allen's size and strength completely crushed the shroud!
The swamp overlord finally felt the terror of death!
He desperately twisted his branches, trying to break free from Allen's control.
But it was no use.
Allen, holding the shroud upside down, strode towards the shore!
The nearby electric whip monsters, realizing the situation was amiss, ignored Sora's attempts to stop them and frantically pounced on Allen, trying to stop him from kidnapping the shroud.
Allen didn't bother to tangle with these scumbags.
He activated his "Phantom Step" and vanished into the silver mist, along with the shroud.
The subsequent surge of electric whip monsters all missed, huddled together in a chaotic mess.
By then, Sora had shaken off the paralysis brought on by the shock.
Fulfilled with ecstasy, he broke free.
The electric whip monsters blocking his path were all entangled by his "entanglement technique."
Sora excelled at "Woodwalking," weaving through the vines as if strolling through a garden.
Soon, he was out of danger and joyfully ran to Alan's side.
By then, Alan had torn the shrubbery's branches clean off.
Only a bare trunk remained, lying on the ground.
He was crushed beneath his feet, unable to move.
"Teacher Sora, I leave it to you."
Alan kicked the dying shrubbery away, and it rolled over to Sora's side.
The little thorn sprite sheathed its vine bow and leaped upon it.
Raising its staff, imbued with "Rubber Staff Technique," it gritted its teeth and brought down with all its might!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four powerful blows of the staff completely destroyed the shroud!
Sora dropped his staff and stood atop the remains of his old enemy, tears welling in his eyes.
He had never felt so relieved and exhilarated in his life!
With the shroud's demise, Sora had finally overcome his inner demons and broken through his bottleneck!
Alan raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Right before his eyes, the little thorn sprite was growing taller, inch by inch!
Its stature was maturing at a visible pace!
The entire evolutionary process took about a minute.
When it finally stabilized, Sora's height had grown from three feet to five feet!
The little thorn elf had grown up!
It had transformed into a voluptuous green-skinned lady.
A narrow bodice and a too-short grass skirt barely concealed its mature body.
Even more miraculously, two pairs of translucent, membranous wings, similar to those of a dragonfly, sprouted from its back.
Alan nodded thoughtfully.
Ms. Sora, having evolved into a high-level thorn elf, had gained the ability to fly.
The little thorn elf's transformation into a high-level thorn elf symbolized the evolution of Sora's sorcerer bloodline.
The upper limit of a high-level thorn elf bloodline was at least the late third stage.
This meant that Sora's sorcerer training had finally broken through a long period of stagnation and entered a period of rapid progress!
"Alan! We did it!"
Ms. Sora was overcome with excitement.
She threw herself into Allen's arms, hugging him tightly, weeping and laughing!
God knows how long she'd waited for this moment!
Throughout those long years, she'd stumbled from failure to failure countless times.
Suffered from countless blows, near despair...
Now, the dark clouds had dispersed, and the dawn had finally arrived.
And all this was thanks to Allen!
Words cannot describe her gratitude.
...
The dim and silent bedroom.
Allen and Ms. Sora opened their eyes simultaneously.
"Teacher Sora, have you achieved a breakthrough?" Allen asked.
Sora smiled, holding onto his hand and standing up.
Activating the second-stage atavism, her petite body rapidly grew taller.
Two pairs of translucent wings spread from her back.
Transforming into a high-level thorn spirit, Sora's figure changed significantly.
Her knee-length dress had become a miniskirt, revealing a pair of round, long legs.
Her full breasts nearly burst through the buttons.
"Congratulations, Sora-sensei."
Alan casually picked up his coat and put it on her.
Sora smiled shyly, but was in no hurry to leave her atavistic form.
She simply sat on the edge of her student's bed, legs crossed.
She seemed intent on showcasing her enchanting curves after the transformation.
"Alan, I still have to say thank you."
"Without you, I'd never have reached the second level in my lifetime."
Sora murmured happily.
"This breakthrough has been a huge gain!"
"In addition to my second-level atavism, I also awakened two second-level spells."
"What spells?" Allen asked curiously.
"Tree Skin and Acid Arrow, both pretty good."
Sola's lips curled slightly, seeming pleased with his newly acquired spells.
The master and disciple still had much to discuss, but it was already late.
Alan suspected that the older sister next door had already awakened.
If her family saw Ms. Sola's disheveled appearance, it might lead to misunderstandings, so he offered to take her home.
...
It was already dark when Allen left the school gate.
The midnight bell was ringing in the town square.
Alan turned up his collar and stuffed his hands into his coat pockets.
He quickened his pace, heading home.
Suddenly, an unusually strong surge of magical energy erupted before him.
A small, shimmering red ball emerged.
Inside the ball, a faint black spider mark could be seen.
"...Why is she here?"
Alan stared at the communication ball, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
The sender was "Vega."
A senior student whom Alan had met at the Warlock Academy.
Vega was plain-looking, but had a very sexy figure.
Their relationship was primarily based on sexual transactions.
Vega was the buyer.
This woman bargained beforehand, seemingly meticulous, but when it came to paying, she was never dragging her feet.
Her personality was just the type Alan liked: lively, bold, and energetic.
During their time together, she was unpretentious, unabashedly revealing her desires, and eager to try new techniques and positions.
Alan had a blast with her.
Alan had served many sorceresses prettier than Weaver Girl.
Quite a few were less clear-headed and overly self-conscious.
As if paying to sleep with him meant he'd be completely devoted to her.
She constantly discussed relationships, life, dreams, and their futures together...
She even interfered with his life, trying to rescue him from his misery and help him rise to the top.
Every one of these clients was a ticking time bomb!
Alan blacklisted them all and refused to accept their return business.
In contrast, Weaver Girl, a clear-headed type, was a valuable asset in Allen's client list.
Precious customer relationships needed to be maintained.
So, despite a vague sense of foreboding...
Alan still followed the instructions in Weaver Girl's letter and headed to the bell tower to meet her.
The bell tower door was unlocked.
Before entering, Alan first activated "Steel Bones," allowing his magical energy to flow through his body.
The bone spur on his left palm was already infused with shock spores.
Fully prepared, Alan pushed open the bell tower door.