Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf.

Chapter 661 Mother Nature's Mad Gift

[Ding! **** detected. Do you wish to accept ****'s divine spell "Blood Boiling Technique"?]

Although the system notification was ringing in his mind, asking whether he wanted to accept the divine spell known as "Boiling Blood," Erin had actually already learned "Boiling Blood" the moment the system notification popped up.

Was the test a complete waste of time?
No, Erin could sense a magnificent and loving invisible force trying to transform his body.

Perhaps only after undergoing this kind of power transformation will he be able to unleash the "Boiling Blood Technique".

"It really is divine magic...?"

He felt the power within his body and muttered to himself, recalling a book he had once read in the library of Kaer Morhen, titled "Priests and Druids, the Source of Power for Special Magic Users," which contained the following passage—

Priests and druids are special users of magic.

The mages still don't know the origin of the priests' magical abilities, but it is generally believed that the priests' power is sacred, bestowed by their gods.

For priests, this magic may exist to spread the teachings of their gods, while druids believe they obtained that power to maintain the inherent balance of the world and nature.

When Erin first saw that book, he was always wondering why priests and druids were put together.

In his memory, whether in the original work or the game, the priests in the Witcher world have never had a very strong presence.

In the original story, when High Priest Nannick of the Temple of Merritt healed Geralt, he used ordinary herbs rather than divine magic.

The Cult of Cliffs has extremely strict precepts, requiring its followers to challenge themselves, eliminate their own distractions and weaknesses, and fight against evil. Yet, few Cult priests in the Northern Continent truly punish evil.

It's as if magic is just a facade to deceive believers.

In fact, after he transmigrated, he witnessed the existence of divine magic in the real world, at the Temple of Meritelli, but the priests of the temple avoided using it whenever possible.

But Druids are different.

Druids are not stingy in showing mortals their extraordinary qualities.

In the original story, in the short story "The Price Question," which tells how Geralt helped Ciri's biological parents reunite at a banquet in the Sintra royal family, Ciri's mother, Pavetta, was attacked because her father, Emhyr var Emhyr (who was then cursed as a hedgehog-headed monster and called Uchion), had his Elder Blood out of control and was about to destroy the entire castle. It was Mossack, a druid from the Skellige Isles, and Geralt who intervened and brought Pavetta back to her senses.

In the game, the druids of the Skellige Isles are even more capable of summoning wind and rain, controlling celestial phenomena such as thunder and fog, making them in no way inferior to powerful warlocks.

They were so different from ordinary priests that they were not even in the same league.

As a result, Erin always believed that the Druids relied on the "Mother Nature" to unleash spell-like abilities, which was a kind of elemental and magical source power similar to chaotic magic, rather than the power of a deity.

But now the Witcher's Handbook tells him that the Druid's "Mother of Nature" is also a deity.

What concept is this?
The oldest gods of mankind are less than a thousand years old, but druids existed in the records of the ancient elves even before humans appeared on the northern continent. Perhaps the history of druids goes back even further, to a time before the elves arrived in their white ships.

All the gods of the ancient elves perished in the cataclysm that caused their rapid decline, with only Gwendolyn, the Daughter of Spring, having a slight chance of revival.

In other words, Mother Nature, as a deity, survived the great cataclysm that was suspected to be related to the white frost, and has remained unscathed to this day.

Why is Mother Nature so special?

Erin's mind was racing with thoughts, and he couldn't help but ask himself a question.

"and many more!"

"The priesthood of Gwendolyn, the Daughter of Spring, is also considered part of the natural realm. Is her ability to revive related to the 'Mother of Nature'?"

"What is His priestess Lydia doing at the Ring of Maidalui?"

He frowned: "I wonder if the relics that mentor Zebi Ortega brought over these past two days will bring any surprises."

Perhaps, once we figure out why Mother Nature survived that great catastrophe, we can find some clues on how to deal with White Frost, or at least prevent its arrival.

As I pondered, the gentle energy surrounding me did not fade away.

"So, should we accept this energy?"

After regaining his senses, Erin felt the benevolence and inclusiveness of the chaos contained in the energy, and without much hesitation, he accepted it with a thought.

There's really nothing to hesitate about.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. To understand why Mother Nature survived the catastrophe that even the ancient spirits couldn't overcome, one must delve deeper.

Moreover, the Druidic path has been passed down for thousands of years, making it more stable than that of warlocks who absorb chaotic magic.

If you doubt everything, whether you doubt Meritelli, the Trial of the Grass, or the Demon Hunter's Notebook, then it would be better to leave the Wolf School peacefully and live a carefree life with the money you would have spent on sword oil.

Moreover, Mother Nature is a bit more "credible" than Meritelli.

At least Mother Nature is devoid of humanity, more like a collective consciousness, with chaotic thinking and no initiative, while Meritelli's "humanity" is too abundant.

With a thought.

That gentle energy immediately merged into his body. Not only his body in the sacred forest, but the Witcher in meditation could also feel an extra energy appear in his body outside.

However, this may be because the Witcher's body has undergone countless modifications.

Once this warm current entered, it was quickly absorbed.

Apart from the addition of a gentle, natural divine power to the mutated organ in which the Witcher stores magic, there are no other changes.

Erin pulled up the Demon Hunter's Notes.

Name: Erin

【生命值：100%，体力值980/980，魔力1270/1270】

[Attributes: Strength 99, Agility 92, Constitution 98, Perception 93, Mysticism 127 (+1)]

【亲和：水16（魔源·水6%）、地19（魔源·地9%），风11（魔源·风1%），火24（魔源·火14%），空间2，自然？】

[Divine Spell (Nature): Blood Boiling]

Well, apart from the increased mystery, nothing has changed.

The mysterious increase was simply because a critical value had been reached; in reality, the increase was not significant.

“It’s already quite good,” Erin said contentedly. “After all, it’s just like an ordinary person with talent taking the first step on the path of the Druid…”

"But why is 'nature' a question mark in the elemental affinity?"

"It's unlikely that the stats are too high when you first become a druid, exceeding the limits in the Demon Hunter's Handbook. It could mean the stats are too low to be displayed, or they're still unstable due to some factors..."

He thought about the "elements of the Deer-Headed Spirit" he had absorbed, and his experience of falling into the Nameless Lake at the core of the Sacred Forest after his first entry into the Sacred Forest, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

Next, look down.

【Name: Boiling Blood Technique】

[Type: Beginner Druid Divine Spell/Prayer]

[Active Effect: You can use Blood Boil to ignite the rage of a beast or mindless monster within range towards a target. The creature will attempt to attack the selected target until the effect of the Blood Boil spell ends.]

Boiling Blood is somewhat similar to the Axii sign, but there are differences. The Witcher's current Axii sign is only LV3, which can only confuse the mind and cannot perform such a powerful offensive operation, which would immediately wake the target.

Boiling Blood is a very useful supplement and a guarantee for Druids to travel the continent in the early stages.

Otherwise, ordinary druids don't have many ways to break through the defenses of monsters; dog-eat-dog is the druid's strategy.

After sorting through his haul, Erin put away his Demon Hunter's Notebook and looked around. He stood between the oak forest and the meadow. To his left was a deep and dense oak forest, the oak trees arranged irregularly, yet not entirely disorderly, possessing a unique beauty in their staggered arrangement. To his right was the meadow he had come from.

However, just a step away, the scene in the grass seemed somewhat surreal, as if hidden in the rising mist, yet at first glance, there was no mist at all.

and……

"No way to retreat..."

Erin tried to step back into the meadow, but it seemed as if some invisible barrier was blocking his way, proving that this was not a real woodland, but a sacred forest, the sacred forest of the mysterious and majestic Mother Nature.

"Tap tap tap~"

Erin walked slowly forward, then stepped back after a few steps, without any obstruction.

There seems to be no barrier between the oak forest and the meadow, or perhaps such a barrier only exists between the meadow and the oak forest.

Does it symbolize an advancement in the Druid's realm?

Why is the abstract realm embodied in the sacred forest in such a concrete way?

Erin didn't quite understand, but this orderly representation always made him feel that it couldn't be done by the "thoughtless" Mother Nature. It wasn't that she couldn't do it, but that she wouldn't do it. It felt like an "artificial" constraint.

He didn't think about it much, but simply kept the feeling in his mind.

Should we continue forward?

After confirming that he could retreat from the oak forest, Erin looked at the deep, seemingly endless woodland before him and hesitated.

Zebi Ortega did not tell him any precautions to take after entering the sacred forest.

Before he knew there was a barrier between the meadow and the oak forest that he could not turn back from, he could continue exploring without a care in the world. But now that he knew about this barrier, he worried that once he crossed the boundary again, there would be no turning back, and he would miss something important.

“Let’s explore a bit further,” Erin decided after a moment’s thought, somewhat reluctantly. “Since we can move freely forward and backward within the oak forest, let’s go as far as the edge of the oak forest can be…”

So he continued forward.

One step, two steps, cautiously probing, with each step a warm current suddenly revived within my body.

Although it wasn't much, it added a bit of motivation to the otherwise tedious trip.

At the same time, Erin was also curious about how other druids progressed in the Sacred Grove. Did they do it as easily as he did?

The oak grove was not as small as he had imagined, or rather, it was not as small as when he first came to the sacred grove, where he could cross it in a few steps, making the oaks, junipers, brooms, and aspenes seem to grow together in the sacred grove.

On the contrary, this oak forest is quite vast, stretching as far as the eye can see with its vibrant green canopy of oak trees, seemingly without end.

The Witcher's cautiousness also made him unable to resist diverting his attention to other issues.

“In truth, it’s a good thing that the image I reveal in the sacred grove is myself, not King Cano,” he thought as he stepped over the thick, gnarled roots of the oak tree exposed to the soil. “At least whether this oak grove is empty because it belongs only to each individual druid, or because the other druids just happen not to be meditating at this time, I don’t have to worry about exposing myself.”

"When I see Master Zebi Ortega tomorrow, I can tell him directly that I successfully meditated tonight, and then inquire about the special features of the Sacred Grove and the methods for advancing in the Druid's path..."

"but……"

Arlin ducked away from a low oak tree with outstretched branches, thinking of the heart of the sacred forest, looking back at the giant beast with long, golden hair and sharp fangs protruding from its mouth at the bottom of the lake.

"If the beastly form of the druid in the sacred forest is the holy form of the archdruid, then the Kano beast is probably an unavoidable part of my journey..."

"In their past lives, druids learned transfiguration in fantasy works by imitating the beasts that were the prototypes of transfiguration, and even eating, living, and sleeping with those beasts."

"I hope the Ring of Maidalui can find the Kano Beast soon, so I can skip class. Otherwise, my great druid will be in big trouble..."

As he thought about it, he couldn't help but chuckle out loud, mocking himself:
"I just learned meditation today, and it seems like I'll become a druid tomorrow and a grand druid the day after..."

"Ordinary druids may spend decades or even centuries to achieve sainthood, what makes you so confident? It's because you're a miracle..."

"Ding!"

Before he could finish speaking, a cold system notification suddenly rang out, interrupting the Witcher's mutterings.

[Ding! The will of the Mother of Nature has been detected. Do you wish to accept the Mother of Nature's divine spell, "Curse of Disease"?]

Erin remained silent for a few seconds, then accepted the offer without stopping.

【Name: Curse Spell】

[Type: Beginner Druid Divine Spell/Prayer]

[Active Effect: You can use a curse to infect a single target with illness. The amount of stamina and mana consumed varies, and the effects may include: causing the target to stoop and cough, becoming unsteady; causing severe discomfort and falling into a coma; or causing the target to contract a disease, which is considered equivalent to being poisoned.]

Excuse!
This divine spell is quite powerful!

However, before the Witcher could carefully consider how to use the new skill, he took two more steps...

[Ding! The will of the Mother of Nature has been detected. Do you wish to accept the Mother of Nature's divine spell, "Transformation into a Beast as a Friend"?]

【Name: From Beast to Friend】

[Type: Beginner Druid Divine Spell/Prayer]

[Active Effect: You can use the "Beast Becomes Friend" skill to temporarily improve your riding ability, or to soothe animals.]

Three steps...

[Ding! ...The divine spell "Nature's Gift"?]

【Name: Nature's Gift】

[Type: Beginner Druid Divine Spell/Prayer]

[Active Effect: You can use Nature's Gift to grow a small clump of edible plants in any type of soil.]

four steps...

[Ding! ...Divine spell "Nature's Sight"?]

【Name: Vision of Nature】

[Type: Beginner Druid Divine Spell/Prayer]

[Active Effect: You can use Natural Vision to see non-natural creatures in the surrounding area. Your vision can penetrate obstacles to see monsters within 50 meters. Monsters seen under this vision have a glowing effect.]

Five steps...

[Ding! ...Divine spell "Concealment Mark"?]

【Name: Hiding Marks】

[Type: Beginner Druid Divine Spell/Prayer]

[Active Effect: You can use Concealment Mark to completely obscure branches, leaves, and other natural objects within a 3-meter radius. While using Concealment Mark, you cannot move and must cast the spell again to remove the obscuring effect.]

Further ahead, the color of the soil began to change.

He walked to the end of the oak forest.

(End of this chapter)