DOTM: Chapter 296/297

Chapter 296: Rivers, Lakes and Seas

His energy gradually stabilized, and the boiling energy within his body slowly subsided.

This energy didn't just disappear—it had completely integrated into Ethan's body and was absorbed and utilized.

Ethan looked at his body, then posed in front of the mirror a few times. He was very satisfied with his current condition.

Every man hopes to become taller, more handsome, and stronger, and Ethan was no exception.

"Not bad. Not bad at all."

His body's transformation left him very pleased. Ethan put on the clothes and pants he had prepared beforehand, but due to the significant increase in strength, he felt a sudden lack of control and nearly tore his T-shirt while getting dressed.

"I need to get used to this sudden surge in strength."

The sudden increase in strength required adaptation, and the improvement in spiritual energy also meant an increase in magic power. He had been training his spiritual energy in the Resident Evil world, which had already led to a considerable rise in his magic power.

If his magic power had previously formed numerous small rivers, now some of those rivers had gradually transformed into large rivers, and large lake formations had begun to appear in the landscape of his spiritual energy.

After this enhancement, Ethan found that the lake formations had fully turned into actual lakes. Now, his spiritual energy landscape was covered in waterways, with large rivers flowing continuously and countless lakes of varying sizes scattered throughout.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before an ocean of magic power appeared in his spiritual energy landscape, completely concealing his spiritual energy beneath a vast sea of magic. Even a top-tier spiritual energy master wouldn't be able to access his spiritual energy when his magic power was abundant.

In other words, Ethan would naturally possess a defensive barrier against mind control that could not be bypassed and could only be forcibly broken through with even stronger magic power.

"Although there's still a good portion of spiritual energy not yet covered by the rivers and lakes symbolizing magic, as long as I prepare properly now, the Mind Stone should be ineffective against me."

He did a few simple movements to adjust to his new body. Although his spiritual energy had increased significantly, Ethan had always paid close attention to it, so the sudden leap didn't cause any trouble.

What truly required adjustment was the significant increase in magic power and physical fitness. However, as long as his spiritual energy didn't go haywire, he could fully control this part of his strength with time. For now, he just needed to be careful.

"I wonder what level my current strength has reached."

Just considering physical strength, he should have caught up to Captain America by now, right? Ethan habitually compared himself to Steve, thinking that his current physical fitness should be on par. Maybe he could even spar with Loki?

After getting dressed, Ethan walked out of his bedroom. Loki, who was still standing by the captain's quarters, turned and looked at him. Seeing Ethan's clearly changed appearance, Loki paused for a moment, then joked.

"Excuse me, have you seen our captain? Sir, I don't know what to call you."

"Ha, ha, ha." Ethan let out a few fake laughs in response. "Very amusing. Looks like no one came looking for me?"

"After the group of women you brought aboard confirmed their rooms, Selene took them to tour the rest of the ship."

The Goddess of Dawn wasn't considered especially large. Perhaps in the age of sailing warships, it would've been quite sizable, but for those who came from modern worlds, they had seen much larger facilities and wouldn't be particularly amazed by this ship.

Still, it wasn't exactly small either. There were only a few people aboard, and everyone had enough space to move around. While they wouldn't get lost, they still needed to familiarize themselves with the locations of various facilities.

For example, the captain's quarters, meeting room, dining hall, and storage rooms. After the tour, if they had any questions, they would come find Ethan.

"You put your things away, right?"

"Yes, they're all stored."

Ethan had mainly helped Logan and Loki buy some supplies, which included some new clothes, though Loki clearly wasn't satisfied with them.

"Why has your taste declined so much?"

"Because that world is about ten years behind your Earth in terms of fashion. I did my best to buy styles that weren't too outdated."

"In that case, I won't continue to criticize your taste."

Coming up to the deck, Ethan's new look made Logan pause. Seeing that Ethan's height was now comparable to his own, he suddenly laughed. "Now you won't be bothered by that anymore, right?"

"Yes, I'm very satisfied with my current condition." Ethan paused, then added with emphasis, "Extremely satisfied with every part."

Logan showed a knowing, strange smile. While nodding, he pulled out a cigar. "Want one? To celebrate you finally growing up?"

Ethan waved him off. He had smoked cigars and cigarettes before, but they were special blends he made to enhance spiritual energy. He wasn't interested in ordinary tobacco. Besides, with his current physical fitness, the minor harm posed no threat.

"Looks like I'll have to save it for the day you truly 'grow up.'"

Logan put the cigar away and continued puffing contentedly.

"But seeing the people you brought back this time, I think I understand your preferences."

"My preferences?"

"Speaking of which, aren't you afraid Diana will get angry?" Logan changed the subject.

Ethan was speechless. He and Diana weren't in that kind of relationship, right? But he also knew Logan was just teasing him. The comment was a little awkward to respond to, so he had to change the subject.

"My strength has improved a lot. I need some training methods focused on body control. Do you know any?"

Logan thought for a moment. The training methods he knew were mostly conventional military techniques meant to push the body's potential. He wasn't sure if they'd be helpful in Ethan's current situation.

"You've already been exposed to most of the methods I know. Maybe try continuous training, or exercises that require concentration and control."

"Things that require focus?"

He wasn't worried about training his spiritual energy and magic power. The Book of Inheritance had more than enough methods to choose from. In fact, the method of training through spiritual energy games was very effective at developing control over both spiritual energy and magic power. It's just that the 'game' he needed to play now was much more advanced than the one Sherry was using.

As for his physical body...

Ethan turned to look at Loki. Asgardians, or rather Frost Giants, had immense strength. Loki's physical fitness was actually superior to Captain America's, but their power developed slowly with age, and they adapted gradually over long periods. It seemed they didn't have much knowledge in this area either.

"If that doesn't work, I'll just have to practice by sparring with you."

"Why me?"

"Right now, you're the only one who can spar with me. And you're relatively free, aren't you?"

Loki had nothing to say. In truth, everyone on the ship was fairly idle, but in terms of physical ability, he, the sorcerer, was the strongest. This was a benefit of his divine bloodline and a source of pride, so he certainly wouldn't deny it.

"Then you'd better be prepared to get beaten."

Ethan really wanted to say "Bring it on!" but as the words were about to come out, he felt it was too cringey and forced them back down.

After chatting for a while, Ethan noticed the sky was getting dark. Logan began maneuvering the Goddess of Dawn to dock, while the other ships in the distance also anchored.

"Strange. Those newcomers haven't been on deck?"

Logan finished mooring the ship and went into the cabin with Ethan. There, he found Annette and Ada making dinner using cooking tools crafted with core-grade magic stone technology under Selene's guidance.

Ethan vaguely guessed why none of them had come out to the deck.

The people on the other ships knew how many crew members the Goddess of Dawn originally had. In their eyes, Ethan's ship had been sailing nearby the entire time and hadn't left during the journey. If a few extra people suddenly appeared on board, while it wouldn't cause any real problems, it would still be difficult to explain.

"Did you remind them not to go on deck?"

Finding a moment, Ethan asked Selene. The female vampire didn't take credit, saying that it was Ada who had made the suggestion after learning about their situation.

"While I was showing them around, Ada kept asking about this world and our current circumstances. I told her, and she advised everyone that it would be best not to go out on deck."

Ethan nodded. It wasn't surprising for a spy to have that level of awareness. Others might have noticed the same problem, but Ada suggesting it had a different effect than if Selene had.

If Selene had said it, it might've come across like Ethan was restricting their movement, which could make people uncomfortable, even if the reason was valid. But coming from Ada, a fellow newcomer, suggesting it out of concern for the captain, it wouldn't provoke any resentment from Annette and Sherry.

"Where's Sherry?"

"Laura asked her to play video games. Laura's always wanted a playmate to share her interests."

Before she even finished speaking, the two little girls came into the dining room, chatting and laughing. It seemed like they had already become friends.

Seeing how happy Laura was, Ethan suddenly felt that unexpectedly bringing back little Sherry was a great decision. After all, the reason he helped Logan and Laura in the first place was so they could have a better life.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 297: Thunder and Divinity

Ada watched the two people in the arena, fists meeting flesh with loud thuds, then turned her head to look at Logan beside her.

"Are both of them mages?"

Logan stood silently with his arms crossed, watching Ethan and Loki in the arena. Both of them were highly skilled in combat. Loki, needless to say, with his fifteen hundred years of life, had participated in countless battles and accumulated rich combat experience. Although he couldn't use the magic he was best at at the moment, relying solely on physical strength, he was still not an easy opponent to deal with.

He estimated that even if he entered the arena, he wouldn't be able to defeat the second prince of Asgard. Even with his immortality, he could only maintain a stalemate and tie the guy down.

"Although Loki is a mage, he's an Asgardian of the Aesir race, the gods from Norse mythology."

Loki certainly had reason to be proud. His strength, agility, and other attributes far surpassed Logan's, and his experience was comparable. Moreover, what he was best at wasn't close combat, but magic.

"A god?"

Ada had never believed in gods or demons before, having grown up in a world of science. Ethan's identity as a mage had already shaken her worldview once. Now, hearing that the man was actually a god, she finally felt the reality of having left her original world.

Looking again at the two sparring in the arena, even though her own body was slowly getting stronger, a heavy punch from either of them could seriously injure her. This was thanks to the enhanced vitality from the virus. If it were a purely ordinary person like Annette, they would be killed instantly.

Annette, who couldn't withstand even a single punch from either of them, was also there, watching the fight in shock. When the two moved at full speed, she couldn't even see what was happening, which made her realize how astonishing their speed was. Even calculating the force brought by speed alone, it was an attack ordinary people couldn't survive.

Yet, the two in the arena had taken at least a dozen punches from each other and were still fighting as if nothing had happened.

"Is the G-virus really that powerful?"

Annette knew Ethan was working on improving the G-virus. She had thought that, with only a few months, even with Ethan's magical means, he could at best make the uncontrollable mutations of the G-virus slightly more manageable. She never expected that Ethan would improve it into a new enhancement agent.

There was no physical deformation. He had even become taller and more handsome. The increase in strength and speed was also very clear. The current Ethan reminded her of 'Superman.'

This 'Superman' wasn't the one from the DC Universe, but rather an evolved being surpassing existing humans. How many researchers in biochemical technology hadn't dreamed of creating a drug that could truly evolve humanity? Annette naturally had similar aspirations. She had always believed that the G-virus would be the starting point for humanity to reach a higher level, and now Ethan seemed to have proven that.

"It's a shame this agent wasn't developed by me."

Ada, on the other hand, considered the combat power of Ethan and Loki, wondering whether she could catch up to them. Logan, meanwhile, began thinking about whether he should enhance himself further. If things continued like this, he would only be able to do odd jobs for Ethan.

He couldn't follow the path of a druid who specialized in nature's power. His talent in that area wasn't even comparable to Laura's. Before, he had struggled with how to become stronger, but now Ethan reminded him—he could continue to strengthen his physical attributes. Close combat was what he was most familiar with and best at.

More importantly, Ethan had already mastered a reliable way to enhance physical attributes. This method was safe and had no side effects. The only concern was whether it would affect his mutant gene.

"I should find time to ask."

Everyone had their own thoughts. The only two who weren't thinking too deeply were the little ones, Sherry and Laura. The two of them were watching as if it were a fight show, shouting and cheering from the sidelines. Laura even acted as a commentator, explaining to Sherry why a certain punch was thrown, why Ethan suddenly launched a sneak attack with a kick, why Loki looked annoyed, or why they suddenly stopped to argue...

Except for Selene, who was in charge of steering, all members of the Goddess of Dawn were gathered in the training room designated for combat.

Scenes like this had been playing out over the past few days. After Ada and the others had a basic understanding of the ship's situation, Ethan taught them how to use the learning device he had developed, following their usual routine.

After countless iterations, the latest version of the learning device had no side effects and would automatically adjust the 'transmission speed' based on the user's condition. There was no need to worry about someone accidentally selecting the wrong 'setting' and suffering mental damage.

All three women, even the youngest, Sherry, could absorb the basic knowledge of this world and the local language at a relatively fast pace. After several days of learning, including Sherry, they could all communicate in the local language to some extent.

Ethan, meanwhile, had been sparring one-on-one with Loki to quickly adapt to his new power.

With Loki as his opponent, Ethan had indeed been able to quickly master the strength he had just gained. From being beaten by Loki at first to now fighting to a draw, this proved that Ethan's control over his own power was improving rapidly.

"Let's stop here for today."

Ethan touched his split lip. Loki hadn't held back at all these past few days, throwing punches with full force. After each sparring session, Ethan was often bruised and swollen, and a split lip like this was nothing.

Sometimes, when Loki was really enjoying the fight, he would casually pull out a dagger and stab Ethan. Seeing Loki's smug expression up close, Ethan often had the urge to blast him away with all his magic.

Of course, he never actually did that. Instead, he would condense a heavy hammer of Holy Light and smash it into Loki. Fortunately, both of them knew their limits and didn't escalate things into a full-blown battle.

Otherwise, it was hard to say who would win, but the ship would definitely be destroyed in the process.

Neither Ethan nor Loki were the type to get hot-headed and reckless, so after 'messing around' a bit, they would decisively call it off.

The recent fights hadn't been as 'intense.' They were all standard close-quarters battles. Both of them went all out. Ethan reflected on the recent fights with Loki and estimated that his current strength was similar to Thor's, especially in terms of magical power, which had also improved significantly.

He had completely broken free from the limitations of equipment. Spells that had once required equipment to cast could now be used freely.

Things like walking on water, underwater breathing, Feather Fall, water and fire manipulation, and even the flame wings he developed by referencing jet engines were all easy to cast now.

As his magic depth increased, the biggest limitation with casting the flame wings—insufficient endurance—was also greatly alleviated. Now, he could use the wings at will, much like he had used the Flame Cloak before.

Moreover, the flame wings no longer had the strict limits they originally had. As his strength continued to grow, their power and flight speed would also increase.

Of course, the spells Ethan had mastered were not limited to these. Mirror Dimension, teleportation, energy weapons from Kamar-Taj, Asgardian teleportation and illusions—he had all of these in his repertoire.

More importantly, the vast number of spells recorded in Merlin's Book of Inheritance remained his most important magical resource. It contained countless spells, and as his strength grew, more of the content was gradually being unlocked. Now, some of the lower-level spells had been completely mastered, the mid-level ones were being studied, and parts of the high-level spells had begun to reveal their mysteries.

Beyond magical knowledge, Ethan had also unexpectedly discovered a new attribute.

Originally, after fully mastering the water and fire elements and infusing his magic with dual attributes, his next goal had been to master Holy Light or Arcane energy.

Considering Holy Light was more difficult to manage, he chose to deepen his understanding of Arcane energy, due to its high adaptability. If his magic possessed Arcane traits, he would be able to simulate and cast spells with attributes he hadn't yet fully mastered.

To put it in analogy, his magic, which already fully integrated water and fire traits, could become water or fire at will. Arcane energy, by contrast, could simulate water or fire as needed.

Once he integrated Arcane characteristics, if he wanted to cast lightning or other unmastered elemental spells, he could simulate those energies through Arcane traits. Although not as strong or effective as full mastery, Arcane's versatility brought great convenience when attribute diversity was lacking.

But something unexpected happened. After Ethan absorbed the sudden surge in magical power, he discovered that his magic had developed a trace of lightning characteristics.

This attribute appeared under strange circumstances. He had never studied lightning magic before, so he thoroughly examined it again and finally traced its origin to the divine blood potion he had previously used, with the G-virus enhancement agent acting as a catalyst and activator.

"The power of thunder controlled by Ares?"

Before Ares was killed by Diana, he had wielded Zeus's power of thunder. Could Ethan have gained it through divine blood?

After repeated confirmation, Ethan finally concluded that this wasn't Zeus's thunder power, but rather that his body had become more attuned to the lightning attribute. As his magical power grew stronger, this minor affinity was amplified and stimulated by the G-virus enhancement, allowing him to initially gain control over a trace of lightning energy.

Divine blood was divine blood, after all. He also discovered he had gained a bit of divinity. He was now, in essence, a demigod.

(To be continued.)