Chapter 201: Terraforming [Bonus] Chapter 201: Terraforming [Bonus] Just like Leo had absorbed the treasures earlier, Lily did the same. "Huh? How..." Leo muttered under his breath. Lily picked up another Heartstone and crushed it in her palm. The crystal shattered into fine light and was absorbed into her body in the same seamless way. She then turned to look at Leo, her brows knitting slightly in thought. "Somehow, I feel this is related to you," Lily said slowly. "I mean... I can absorb these because of my connection with you." Seeing this, even Miho reached out and tried to pluck one of the Heartstones. Before her fingers could close around it, Lily sharply slapped her palm away. "You don’t do it," Lily said firmly. "I’m sure you can’t absorb it as we can." Miho froze, then nodded dejectedly, withdrawing her hand. Leo quickly checked Lily’s stats, and sure enough, they had increased. Lily’s Stats: (First arrow: natural stat growth / berries | Second arrow: Heartstones) Vitality: 50 → 53 [150 → 153] Strength: 40 → 43 → 45 [140 → 143 → 145] Agility: 30 → 39 → 42 [130 → 139 → 142] 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎 Stamina: 40 → 44 → 46 [140 → 144 → 146] Intelligence: 100 !250! [200 → !350!] – Base stat limit for Pseudo 3-star reached! Mana: 4000 !10000! [8000 !14000!] (Please note that Lily had reached her natural "personal" stat gain limit that her Soul Rank allows.) (Super Rare Soul [4] = 40% natural stat gain of current rank. Her current rank is Pseudo 3-star (100 stats), meaning 40 natural stats. Beyond this point, stat increments become drastically difficult, and even treasures offer diminishing returns.) (Her stats have crossed the 100 mark due to feedback from her beasts: +50% from Lunaria’s stat and +50% from Treant’s stat. Both are Pseudo 3-stars, resulting in a total of +100 to all stats.) After confirming that Lily was completely fine, their attention shifted back to the task at hand. Leo and the others observed their surroundings from the highest point atop the Colossus’s back. The vast surface beneath their feet was uneven, jagged in places, and clearly unfit for construction. "Time to terraform this whole place!" Leo declared enthusiastically, his eyes shining as he began issuing instructions to Howl. He kept the peak as it was, carving out a space beside it to plant the Fluxsoil Heart. Nearby, he shaped a cave-like dwelling, its entrance emerging naturally from the ground, intended as the druid’s residence. The peak was at the end, transformed into a 70 to 100 meter plateau, wth sole purpose of the important treasure and the druid. Once everything was prepared, Leo commanded Howl to bring the druid over. The druid had been seated in lotus from the beginning, the treasure resting quietly beside him. Upon receiving the command, Howl activated Earth Manipulation. The ground beneath the druid slowly lifted, soil, roots, and all, rising into the air as if gravity had loosened its grip. Howl even gathered the surrounding fertile earth, the entire mass floating effortlessly as it was carried toward the designated location. "How does Howl lift such massive chunks and make them float so effortlessly?" Leo muttered, watching in amazement. The fertile soil was carefully distributed around the Titanbreath Lotus, while the Fluxsoil Heart was planted about fifty meters ahead. Between them lay the cave, its jagged mouth opening like a natural formation. The druid seemed more than satisfied—he immediately entered, inspecting the interior as soon as he arrived. Leo had tried manipulating Earth himself before, but the difference was obvious. At best, he could shoot earthen projectiles or shape small structures still connected to the ground. Lifting entire chunks into the air was impossible for him. The same applied to metal manipulation. Unlike Howl, who had once made Leo’s dagger float, reshape, and fire it midair while wild, Leo could only manipulate metal through direct contact. For earth, he could influence structures within roughly fifty meters—as long as they were grounded. Lifting anything outright was beyond him. "Is this telekinesis combined with manipulation...?" Leo wondered. "Professor Brant did say he’d teach me telekinesis if I joined," he thought. "Looks like I’ll need to approach him after the Freshers’ Competition." He also reasoned that Howl’s massive body likely played a crucial role. More mass, more control—at least that was his conclusion. Not dwelling on it further, Leo shifted his focus back to planning. "Alright, Howl! Sit!" Leo commanded. Immediately, the forest below trembled. Where Howl had been hovering, trees were crushed beneath his weight, snapping and collapsing with thunderous cracks. A deep, heavy thud echoed as all six of his limbs planted firmly into the ground. Slowly, the Colossus lowered his massive body into a seated position. The sounds of splintering wood, fleeing beasts shrieking in panic, and rustling foliage filled the air as Howl settled. Once he was fully seated, Leo issued another command. "Alright, big guy. Curl your head, tuck your legs in, control your aura, and pretend you’re just a hill mound," Leo said calmly. "Stay like that until I say otherwise. But stay alert—terraform your back whenever I command it, and inform me if anyone steps onto you without permission." Howl released a low, satisfied growl and adjusted his posture, reshaping himself to resemble a natural mound nestled within the forest. This came easily to him—Cragveil Colossus’s were masters of disguise(for hills specifically). Some could remain seated in one place for centuries, becoming landmarks before finally moving and shocking the surrounding wildlife. Remaining stationary conserved energy and discouraged unwanted attention. Boredom was never an issue; nearly all of their existence—ninety-nine per cent—was spent sleeping peacefully. Laziness was simply in their nature. As for terraforming on command, it posed no problem. With the Titanbreath Lotus constantly generating energy and the Fluxsoil Heart firmly planted on his back, even mana-related concerns were resolved. With these two treasures alone, Howl could remain hidden and unmoving for decades—perhaps even centuries—without needing to roam for sustenance. Leo resumed terraforming atop Howl’s back while Lily and Miho watched the terrain reshape itself in real time, slowly transforming into a livable space. Howl was instructed to create gentle slopes along the edges of his body, allowing easy access to the top. Leo even had him pull vegetation from the surrounding forest and replant it carefully, ensuring the Colossus blended seamlessly into the environment like a natural hill. He was just about to terraform the surrounding land when he suddenly recalled something.