A streak of easy creature hunting had already been kicked off on Max's second day in the sanctuary, three months ago.
Using his knowledge of the world he was currently treating as his personal sandbox, along with a bit of luck (a lot of manipulated luck, courtesy of [Domino], bolstered by [Instinct]), Max had easily managed to hunt creatures called black beetles and earned plenty of their beast souls—the very same bugs Han Sen had been taking down at the beginning of the Super God Gene novel.
After his first hour of hunting, he had already captured multiple variations of the creature, from ordinary black ones to a silvery-colored Mutant variety that hadn't been mentioned in the original novel at all, gaining quite a few new beast souls in the process.
His luck there was the polar opposite of Han Sen's.
Funnily enough, there was no sign of the crystal or the beetle it supercharged that Han Sen would find in this very spot in about five years, which actually made a lot of sense.
Even if it was only an Ordinary class creature right now and had possession of the powerful gem, it had more than enough time to have allowed the little bug to turn into a Super creature—several times over—before Han Sen had come across it in the future.
Later that night, Max copied Han Sen's technique when it came to eating small creatures with shells... He made a stew after sending Wang Wei to fetch him a sizeable cauldron—which he immediately turned into a beast soul as soon as his new 'hired' hand was out of sight.
"Flesh of black beetle eaten. One ordinary geno point gained."
"Flesh of black beetle eaten. One ordinary geno point gained."
"Flesh of black beetle eaten. One primitive geno point gained."
"Flesh of black beetle eaten. One mutant geno point gained."
"Flesh of black beetle eaten. One ordinary geno point..."
A new and peculiar voice echoed endlessly in Max's mind after eating the meat stew he had seasoned well, filling him with not just a comfortable warmth but an incredible and exhilarating sensation that seemed to lift his spirit and envelop him in an extraordinary sense of quickly gained might.
His extra-large size meant he now had an extra-large stomach, and the appetite that came with it. After his first day of hunting near the shelter, he had already skyrocketed in attributes.
Over the next couple of weeks, he had gone after any small thing that was bird- or rabbit-like, or that maybe tasted like succulent crab meat—the way the beetles did—that he could envision crossing paths with using [Destiny].
He hadn't found an appropriate Sacred Blood class creature to hunt yet, as most of them looked far too disgusting to eat. He wasn't in need at the moment, and while he didn't mind eating the beetles—the meat of which tasted like a delicious seafood meal—he had no desire to eat things like monkeys or other, more creepy-looking bugs.
Aside from the Obsidian Ape alpha, Super creatures were also off the hit list for now. But just for the time being, as Max had already maxed out his Ordinary and Primitive geno count, and wanted to finish collecting the rest of his Mutant geno points and then get his 100 Sacred Geno Points first. Not that he wouldn't attempt to consume the special core that Super creatures would leave behind when slain: a life essence.
These gem-like cores were more or less highly condensed life energy, capable of delivering the one who consumed them Super Geno points.
In the original novel, only Han Sen had an easy time obtaining his Super Genes in the First God's Sanctuary by simply licking the life essences he got his hands on.
The life essences would simply melt in his mouth—with help from one key factor: the Qi Gong he practiced, which let Han Sen simulate a creature's energy flow, or aura, and was called the 'Dongxuan Sutra'. It made him able to absorb the life essence by simply placing his tongue on them.
Max had already gained the life essence of the Obsidian Ape alpha; he just hadn't bothered trying to consume it yet, as he wanted to gather his Sacred Blood geno points first, as mentioned previously.
He had a solid idea for emulating Sen's method, believing that his [Electromagnetism] could achieve a similar effect.
And if it failed, Max would simply bide his time and keep tabs on Han Sen until he was supposed to discover the cave where Han inadvertently learned the Sutra. By forcing himself to be a tagalong, Max could join him so that he, too, could master the basics of the Dongxuan Sutra and begin absorbing life essences.
Presently, just a few miles beyond the far side of the mountain range that Biao Zhang and the others were striving to conquer, a vast shadow slowly stretched across the landscape, falling upon Max's eager face.
'I didn't think I would find one of these 'mystery islands' so fast. This is going to be perfect! Wait till the boys see this! This one totally looks like the floating island Knuckles lives on in the Sonic the Hedgehog games!'
His eyes sparkled with anticipation as he tilted his head back, gazing upward with unrestrained excitement at the source above.
A huge landmass, looking like an impossibly large, upside-down mountain, floated high above his head.
In the distant skies of every sanctuary, fleeting glimpses of things the humans called 'mystery islands' sometimes appeared—huge, floating landmasses shrouded in mist, shimmering with an otherworldly mysteriousness.
Rumors whispered of especially strong Sacred Blood creatures dwelling there—beasts of legend who would always relinquish a beast soul upon being slain while protecting these strange, physics-defying islands.
Some said the islands appeared at random and attracted a singular, powerful creature to protect themselves—like a summoning of bloodlines of ancient beasts, always happy to attack anyone who dared to set foot on one of these huge floating isles.
One of these islands was normally very hard to run into—unless you possessed some kind of foresight like Max.
After reading about them in the novel, Max had considered tracking down one of those levitating land masses. He pictured them as ideal bases of operations—mobile, hard to find, and potentially a Sacred Blood-level kill that would give him Sacred Blood geno points and a beast soul.
He often spent his free time engrossed in his beast soul copy of 'Super God Gene', diving into its pages whenever he wasn't out hunting or exploring the sanctuary. It served not only to refresh his memory of the intricate plot but also to provide the simple pleasure of a captivating read.
Yet, as he turned each page, he couldn't help but wonder if it should truly be considered just a work of fiction anymore; to him, it felt less like a mere storybook and more like a collection of prophecies waiting to unfold—seeing as he was living it in real time!
There were a few characters he was looking forward to crossing paths with from the book. He wanted to see if they looked like they did in the Super God Gene manhwa, or if they looked closer to his personal headcanon.
This interested Max a great deal.
His plan right now, however, was relatively simple: after 'slaying' the beast that dwelled on the island—he would harvest its beast soul and take over ownership of the place.
To take command of a floating island that he could then move from place to place at will, controlled through his mastery of magnetic fields... being the captain and dictating where it went got Max all fired up!
Harnessing the sanctuary's naturally occurring alloy particles embedded throughout the ground, he envisioned fortifying the island he had discovered a month prior in his mind's eye.
By manipulating the landmass's magnetic field, he would transform it into a mobile, armored fortress—a personal stronghold, more rugged and rustic than the opulent mansion from his Marvel jump days.
For the past several months, he had been 'roughing' it in the wilds, summoning the bed he had taken from his room at Steel Armor Shelter and placing it before a crackling campfire, content to lay there beneath the open sky as he prepared for the grand secret hideout operation ahead.
If any creature wanted to sneak up on Max while he rested by the fire—which several did—they would either be met with a simple yet powerful and disrespectful open-handed slap, which had already killed several ordinary and primitive creatures, or pinned with a nearly invisible metal needle...
Max looked up again at the giant floating rock and knew that by manipulating the magnetic forces embedded within the island, he could control its field, shaping it into a protective shell, a mobile battleground, and most importantly, a place to store and sell all of the beast souls he intended to collect over the next few years.
Max extended his senses outward, feeling the magnetic threads woven deep into the island's foundation. With a sharp mental command, he focused his [Electromagnetism], and the ground trembled subtly beneath him.
All around for miles, it seemed as if a sparkly, silver mist was rising out of the ground. This 'mist,' which kept rising continuously, rushed toward Max's location, condensing together as it traveled—forming massive alloy pillars—thick, brutal strands of steel and titanium particles—that began to form. Like shimmering serpents awakening from slumber, they writhed and twisted toward Max, their surfaces gleaming with a silvery sheen that caught the light.
The pillars coiled into the air, snake-like and sinuous, as Max guided them with unerring precision. Some stretched for miles, their metallic bodies shimmering like silver vipers as they pierced through the soil and into the sky, reinforcing the very soil of the floating island.
They turned into particles again and permeated into the soil of the floating island, anchoring the land with unbreakable strength—a testament to his mastery over magnetic forces.
The scene was a living sculpture—massive, serpentine pillars spiraling upward, their scales shining brightly as they coiled into the air, forming a natural yet impossibly reinforced body for the floating island he was planning to claim as his own.
The soil responded, lifting and reshaping beneath Max's watchful grip, while he also adjusted the magnetic field of the floating island for his purposes.
Max cracked a toothy grin, watching his metallic serpents coil and weave until they disappeared into the island—silent, hidden guardians of his masterpiece—an soon to be island shop that also served as a fortress, born of steel alloy, magnetism, and a master plan to amass even more beast souls.
All he had to do now was fly up to the island, kill whatever Sacred Blood creature was most likely up there, then wait for his stooges to cross the nearby mountain range.
In true Max fashion, he refused to leave anything to chance and promptly activated [Destiny] to glimpse the kind of beast he might soon face—if there was even one waiting for him at all.
He hadn't bothered to check out what kind of creature he might run into when reaching the middle of the island—that was just too far into the future for him to sit and watch a month ago.
While his ability allowed him to perceive the future in what felt like an instant to anyone observing him, he still had to watch those visions unfold at a relatively measured pace within his slowed perception of time—which could be downright tedious!
Max much preferred to reserve that power for moments closer to the exact event he sought—unless, of course, he was scheming up some clever money-making plan. Then all bets were off!
Moments after activating the skill, the glow it caused in his eyes faded, and a huge grin settled on his face.
"Nice."