Chapter 430: Predation

"Pheromone tracking..."

Luo En recalled the details of the battle while observing the manifestation of the "Hunter's Cord" constellation.

The image of this constellation was a giant net woven from light, slowly contracting in the void.

Each node of the grid flickered with tracking signals, pointing to the same target.

"The tracking information released by that lead hound will attract other hounds to continue coming."

The pattern on the Paradox Dice began its final transformation, showing a more specific prophecy of time:

Two different scenes appeared in the image.

The first scene:

In a space protected by ancient runes.

A young figure was safely performing some kind of ritual, with powerful guardians providing shelter nearby.

The second scene:

The same figure stood alone before a twisted space-time rift, facing the siege of a group of young hounds.

But there was no fear in his eyes; instead, they were filled with anticipation.

"Historical event infiltration..."

Luo En instantly understood the hint of the divination:

"The next promotion to Historian should be safe under the protection of Professor Yuteer."

"But the time after that, when I officially become a Historian and need to perform historical event infiltration independently..."

The second image was a portrayal of this exact situation.

An explorer venturing deep into the River of Time alone would become an excellent target for Time Hounds.

Without the protection of an old-school Great Wizard like Yuteer, he would be directly exposed to the siege of the hound pack.

This realization did not make Luo En feel afraid.

On the contrary, the anticipation in the eyes of that figure in the divination image was exactly the same as his current mood.

"By that time, I should already possess sufficient combat power."

He evaluated his growth trajectory in his heart:

"The promotion to Historian will bring new abilities and various linked bonuses;

Exploration of other worlds might also provide other more precious harvests."

"Besides that..."

A light akin to that of a predator appeared in Luo En’s eyes:

"The time essence of Time Hounds is also an extremely precious resource for me."

The silver pocket watch had absorbed the energy of four hounds during the battle just now and had already begun to unlock new functions.

If he could successfully counter-hunt more Time Hounds, the power of the pocket watch would inevitably be further strengthened.

"The identity of hunter and hunted..."

Luo En pondered this subtle relationship shift:

"They crave to hunt me, and I crave to hunt them.

This mutual craving might just be the arrangement of fate."

The "Ring of Reincarnation" constellation in the magic circle began to glow; this constellation represented the cycle of cause and effect and the turning of fate.

The ring-shaped band of light rotated in the void, revealing different images with every turn:

Hunter chasing prey, prey counter-killing hunter, new hunters appearing again...

This was an endless cycle, where every participant was both hunter and prey.

The pattern on the Paradox Paradox Dice began to fade, eventually returning to the appearance of an ordinary six-sided die.

But the faint blood-red markings on the surface remained, reminding the user of its special essence.

The light of the divination circle also gradually dimmed, and the various constellations sank back into the weaving of the carpet.

The pupil of the "Eye of Truth" slowly closed;

The "Wheel of Fate" stopped rotating;

The surrounding constellations also extinguished their light one by one.

"The most important thing now is to recover my state."

Luo En put away the divination tools and began to plan his upcoming recuperation:

"The cracks in the consciousness space need time to heal; during this period, I must avoid high-intensity mental activities."

He walked to a corner of the meditation room, where several bottles of mental recovery potion were placed.

The recipe for this potion was also secretly given to him by Eve; it was said to be stronger than those on the market and could have a significant effect even on Dark Sun-level wizards.

The pale blue liquid emitted a mint-like fragrance; just by sniffing it, one could feel the soothing of the spirit.

Luo En carefully took a small sip of the potion, and the gentle energy immediately spread deep within his consciousness.

Although the cracks in the consciousness space did not heal immediately, the pain was significantly reduced.

"As expected of a recipe treasured by the Crown Clan, the effect is immediate."

He put away the potion bottle with satisfaction and began to think about tomorrow’s schedule.

According to the original plan, he was about to finish this term of advanced course teaching and then head to the Land of Quicksand for academic exchange.

The opportunity for a bloodline breakthrough at the Sand Sea School remained his most important development goal at present.

And after that, the Historian promotion at the Abyss Observatory and the visit to Nari were all important matters that had to be completed.

"The schedule is just right."

Luo En sorted out these plans in his heart:

"Once the bloodline breakthrough is complete, the Historian promotion is finished, and enough resources have been collected from other-world exploration, my strength should have made significant progress..."

"By then, I will have enough strength to face the siege of the hound pack."

He stroked the silver pocket watch on his chest, feeling the time power contained within.

After the thrilling battle just now, the pocket watch had completely digested the energy essence of the four Time Hounds.

The silver light on the surface was purer than ever, and the internal mechanical structure was operating at a more precise rhythm.

A familiar feeling of fullness came from his chest.

[Charging progress: 33/80]

[New ability unlocked: Pheromone Marking]

"As expected, there are new changes..."

Luo En carefully read the information transmitted by the pocket watch, his brows gradually furrowing:

[Pheromone Marking:

Apply a special pheromone to the target.

Once the mark is generated, it will ignore the limitations of distance and time scale, existing continuously until actively removed or detonated.

Mark effects:

1. Continuously track the target's position and status

2. Can be remotely detonated at an appropriate time

3. After detonation, it will cause a "Time Chaos" effect, severely weakening the target's perception of time

(Detonation power is directly proportional to the duration of the mark's existence)]

Seeing this, Luo En suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

"So that’s it... this pheromone isn't just a hunting mark, it’s a time bomb!"

No wonder he had felt an inexplicable sense of unease since the end of the battle, as if something was pricking his back.

"Time Chaos effect..."

Luo En carefully pondered the terror of this attack.

Time perception is the foundation of almost all combat abilities.

Once caught in time chaos, it is equivalent to losing the most critical judgment ability in battle.

Attack timing will be completely disordered, defensive reactions will be severely delayed, and even the most basic movement may encounter problems.

In high-level battles, even a delay of a fraction of a second is enough to determine life or death.

Just as he was analyzing the new ability, a faint "humming" sound suddenly came from inside the silver pocket watch. ===== CHAPTER 437 =====