The Mass Replication spell was incredibly useful, but on its own, it wasn’t enough.

The third spell in the Clone category was "Clone Shaper", a powerful ability that allowed the caster to alter a clone’s appearance, gender, physical state, and even species. When combined with Mass Replication, it became an incredibly versatile tool.

The fourth spell was Clone Detection, and the fifth was Clone Concealment.

Clone Detection allowed the caster to identify other people’s clones, while Clone Concealment masked clones from being detected.

Out of all these, the two most practical spells were Mass Replication and Clone Shaper.

Edric had a plan. He would generate around 700 clones, transform them into females, and impregnate them. This way, he could reproduce with himself, eliminating the need for outside partners.

However, even with his limited knowledge of genetics, he understood that the resulting offspring would be a disaster. His clones’ DNA would be practically identical to his own, far closer than even identical twins.

The problem was that Clone Shaper couldn’t alter subtle biological details like genetics. No matter how much he manipulated their appearances or changed their sex, their DNA would remain the same.

That was where the next book came in.

It was titled "Genetic Magic." Unlike most grimoires, it contained mostly theoretical knowledge, with only three spells inside. But those three spells were invaluable.

The first was Genetic Restructure, a spell that allowed the caster to alter DNA.

The second was Genome Sight, which granted the ability to fully perceive a target’s genetic code.

The third was Gene Copy, which let the caster copy and transfer DNA sequences.

However, these spells had limitations. They weren’t designed for large-scale application; they were intended for research purposes. Edric couldn’t just cast them on his clones and rewrite the DNA of their entire bodies.

But he could use them on eggs.

The system doesn’t actually require the babies to be born for them to count. However, as evidenced by the progress bar occasionally decreasing, if an embryo dies, the progress backtracks.

This means that the loophole of implanting eggs, removing them, and then re-implanting them to cheat the system won’t work.

In essence, the system’s task is to conceive viable embryos—once they die, they are no longer considered viable and are removed from the count.

And with that, a plan took shape in his mind.

First, he would use Mass Replication to generate numerous clones. Then, he’d reshape their bodies into females. After that, he would create viable egg cells using foreign DNA—ones unrelated to himself, and then fertilise them using his DNA. Once the eggs were implanted, he would simply wait for the babies to be born.

And when that time came… he would take the children and leave them in an orphanage or elsewhere.

This way, Edric could complete his task without forcing anyone or causing a massive spectacle, unlike Marquis Alaric, who had turned Windwalker City into a mess.

However, there was still a problem.

He could only cast Mass Replication once at a time. If he tried to cast it again, the previous set of clones would instantly vanish. This meant he couldn’t just spam the spell ten times and generate ten thousand clones.

Because of this, there was no way he could reach the 100,000 baby target within the given time.

He had considered workarounds, such as implanting multiple fertilized eggs into each clone, allowing them to give birth to multiple children per cycle. But even that had its limits. No matter how much he optimized the process, it still wouldn’t be enough.

That was when he stumbled upon his next solution.

Book of Weirdness.

The solution was a book that was the most valuable Edric had ever found. A Legendary-tier spellbook, discovered within Duke Stonefist’s personal space ring.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

It contained 66 Silver-rank spells, 6 Gold-rank spells, and one single Legendary spell. Each was absurdly complex, the kind of magic only the most talented spellcasters could hope to cast.

When Edric laid eyes on it, a question burned in his mind: why did Duke Stonefist have something this high ranking?

Some of the spells were utterly terrifying.

One particularly evil Gold-rank spell was "Bloodline Extinction." According to the description, it didn’t just kill the target; it wiped out every living being connected to their bloodline.

Another, "Summon Minions," had no explanation whatsoever. Just an empty section, deliberately left blank.

Then there was "Gate to Hell"—another spell with zero description, just a name ominously scrawled in ancient ink.

One spell that did have an explanation was "Summon Demons." It would call forth two Gold-rank demons from the abyss, with a small chance of summoning a Legendary-rank demon instead. However, the summoned demons wouldn’t be under the caster’s control. In fact, the book specifically warned that they might even attack their summoner on sight.

Another dangerous spell was "Dominate Demon." This one allowed the caster to enslave a demon of the same rank as themselves. But there was a catch—if the spell failed, the caster would become the demon’s slave instead.

And finally, there was the Legendary-ranked spell, the highest-tier magic in the book.

"Summon the Demon of the Weirdness."

The spell’s complexity was dizzying, so convoluted that Edric couldn’t make sense of a single word of it. The book gave no explanation for its effects, and Edric wasn’t foolish enough to test it, not that he could cast it even if he tried.

He had no intention of ever using most of those evil spells.

However, there was one spell in the Book that caught his eye, one that could help him achieve his goal.

A spell called "Happy Farm."

Unlike the others, Happy Farm was relatively simple to cast. With his Gold-rank mana reserves, Edric could use it right away without much preparation.

And if it worked as he hoped…

Then his problem would be solved.

Happy Farm had only one function—reducing the duration of pregnancy.

For all creatures below Silver rank, it cut the gestation period by 95%.

For Silver-rank beings, the reduction was 5%.

For Golden-rank beings who didn’t resist it, the effect was a mere 0.01%.

It was most likely created for breeding vast demonic armies or other similarly twisted purposes. He could tell just by glancing at its chaotic spell formation.

But if the spell worked as described…

Then, it would allow him to complete his 100,000 conceived children goal at an unprecedented speed.

It was an irresistible temptation.

"How did Duke Stonefist even get his hands on this book?"

Edric was deeply puzzled. The Book of Weirdness was beyond valuable. Secret organizations like the Bloodstone Order would fight over it, if not to use it, at least to destroy it; after all, in the wrong hand, it could cause a disaster. If word of its existence got out, Bloodstone County and Elowen County might even go to war for it.

Then another thought struck him.

Duke Stonefist had been an aging Silver-rank warrior for decades. Then, out of nowhere, he broke through to Gold rank.

"...Don’t tell me he made a deal with a demon?"

The more Edric considered it, the more logical it seemed.

Even with Legendary-level talent, breaking through Gold-rank at an advanced age was nearly impossible. Especially given how scarce high-rank resources were. Throughout history, there have been many individuals with Legendary talent, but few of them have managed to reach Gold rank.

Demons were nothing more than legends, just tales passed down through the ages. No one had seen a demon in years.

But then again, the same could be said for dragons.

Just because they didn’t exist here and now didn’t mean they weren’t real.

Edric knew for a fact that demons and the Abyss were real.

Edric narrowed his eyes.

The book itself didn’t mention any side effects of using these demonic spells. But, obviously, a demonic book wouldn’t be honest about the consequences.

Still…

"I must complete the task."

With Happy Farm, he could finish the mission in record time.

He spent hours deliberating, weighing the risks. But in the end, his ambition won out.

He would use the spell.

And he would complete his task.

Now that he had decided, he moved quickly.

First, he melted down some of his Silver and recoined it into Elowen currency. Then, he visited a real estate dealer and purchased a massive estate in a remote rural area for 300,000 silver.

To put that into perspective, the average annual expense of a normal family in the Elowen Kingdom was only 25 silver.

A 300,000 silver property was colossal.

Next, he visited countless shops, purchasing hundreds of tons of food, water, and other essential supplies for 800,000 silver. He paid another 100,000 silver to have everything delivered to his new estate.

With money, everything was easy.

Of course, his sudden bulk purchases caught the attention of government agents. They had begun to grow suspicious.

But that was nothing a few hundred thousand silver couldn’t solve.

With enough bribes, Edric "convinced" them to erase all records of his transactions.

A few days later, the first shipments of supplies were delivered.

Upon arrival, he quickly set everything up.

He dedicated the entire mansion to his upcoming plan.

No servants were allowed inside.

This would be a place for his clones alone.

The replicated clones had barely any intelligence.

They couldn’t speak or think independently, but they could perform basic survival functions, such as eating and drinking, as long as Edric provided the food.

That was enough.

Without wasting another second, Edric activated the Mass Replication spell.

A blinding light flashed through the mansion.

And then—hundreds of identical figures materialized before him.

Just as he was about to cast Clone Shaper to alter their sex, a sudden system notification rang out in his mind.

Ding!

[New Task Available]

Edric’s eyes widened.

"Finally!"

He nearly jumped in excitement.

He had been waiting for this moment for so long.

The second task!

His heart pounded as he hurriedly opened the system interface.