Death… And Me

Back in Besgol, the twins’ group entered cultivation seclusion once again. This time, however, things were somewhat different from before. The Godly Horror Crystal contained an astonishing amount of energy, yet it still couldn’t compare to the combined value of more than one hundred and sixty Godly Predator Crystals. As Celis had explained long ago, the crystal’s greatest advantage wasn’t the sheer amount of Godly Energy contained inside it, but rather the purity of that energy.

The difference between the two was enormous.

When ordinary cultivators used Godly Crystals, a considerable amount of energy was inevitably lost during the process. Some of it dispersed into the surroundings, some of it was rejected by the body, and some of it simply couldn’t be refined properly. The higher the purity of the energy of the crystal, the lower those losses became.

That was precisely why Godly Horror Crystals were so valuable.

Even so, the twins couldn’t simply absorb all that energy recklessly. If they did, they would end up harming the very foundations they had spent years building.

Still, the benefits were astonishing. Instead of spending almost an entire year cultivating as they had before, they required only a little more than two months to exhaust the crystal completely.

Could they have done it faster?

Absolutely!

However, Celis had no intention of allowing even the smallest amount of that precious energy to go to waste. Every step of the process was carefully controlled. Every circulation cycle was calculated. Every fluctuation in the flow of energy was observed.

Celis was especially strict whenever Kentucky complained.

"We could simply absorb more at once," Kentucky argued for what was probably the hundredth time.

"That is why you are a bird," Celis replied immediately.

"And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything."

Kentucky snorted. "I knew I shouldn’t have asked."

In the end, Celis got his way, just as always.

Naturally, the Godly Horror Crystal wasn’t their only source of energy. Since the objective was to advance as far as possible through the Late Stage of the Aura God Realm, they also consumed seven of the nine remaining Godly Predator Crystals. The last two were preserved for emergencies. Rean occasionally used them to power the airplane’s thrusters, so completely exhausting their reserves would have been foolish.

By the time their cultivation session finally ended, all of them had advanced slightly beyond the halfway point of the Late Stage of the Aura God Realm.

—

The twins’ group wasn’t the only one who had benefited greatly from the previous Elite Exploration Mission.

Lukay had also received an enormous reward, both for acting as the group’s protector and for participating in the battles against the Godly Predators.

Like the others, he immediately secluded himself after returning to Besgol.

Unfortunately, his situation was quite different from theirs.

Not only was he already a Middle Stage Zone God, but his body couldn’t absorb and refine Godly Energy nearly as efficiently as the twins’ group could. Their bodies had always been monstrous, and that was even before Roan made the pills.

As a result, Lukay was still in the Middle Stage even after an entire year of cultivation.

That didn’t mean he was disappointed, of course.

On the contrary, he was extremely satisfied with his progress.

Before meeting the twins, he had already walked a considerable distance along the path toward the Late Stage. The large number of Godly Predator Crystals he had received definitely accelerated the process.

According to his own calculations, another year should be more than enough for him to reach the point of making an attempt.

"At this rate, I might really succeed," he murmured.

As soon as those words left his mouth, his RC suddenly rang.

"Hm?" Lukay opened his eyes and immediately recognized the number. "Roan?"

-That’s me,- Roan answered.

Lukay couldn’t help but feel surprised. Since returning from the previous expedition, they had hardly spoken to one another. "Why are you calling me? Did something happen to the fox?"

-No,- Roan replied. -We’re preparing another Elite Exploration Mission. You accompanied us last time, and I’m almost certain Clasou intends to assign you to us again. You should prepare yourself.-

"This soon?" Lukay asked. "Shouldn’t you finish consuming the rest of your Godly Predator Crystals first? There doesn’t seem to be any reason to rush."

-They’re gone,- Roan answered calmly.

"...Gone?"

-We used everything except two crystals. We need more. Our bodies require much larger quantities of energy than those of ordinary cultivators. Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say. Clasou will probably contact you soon. Farewell.-

The connection ended immediately afterward.

Lukay remained seated in silence as he stared at the wall before him. "Another Elite Exploration..."

He couldn’t deny that the idea excited him.

The previous expedition had completely changed his understanding of what was possible outside the influence of the Sacred Relic. They had fought Godly Predators directly, hunted them one after another, and returned alive with enough resources to transform the cultivation speed of everyone involved.

Even now, the whole thing still felt surreal.

"I’ve also used most of my crystals," he muttered. "The remaining ones aren’t enough to support a breakthrough. Perhaps going out again really is the correct decision."

Of course, one thing hadn’t changed.

Throughout the entire year, he had faithfully kept his promise.

Not a single word regarding the methods the twins’ group used to deal with Godly Pressure had ever escaped his core. "Well, let’s do it."

—

Meanwhile, Rean stood in the backyard of their residence with an expression of complete satisfaction on his face. The little fox sat comfortably on his shoulder while both of them observed the airplane.

"Look at that beauty," Rean said proudly. "It’s slightly larger than before, but that’s a small price to pay."

*Rawr!*

The fox tilted her head.

"What did I change?" Rean asked with a smile. "A lot of things, actually."

He walked around the airplane while pointing toward various sections of its structure.

"I reinforced the outer shell, improved the stabilization arrays, increased the efficiency of the propulsion arrays, and added several energy-conversion arrays. The biggest improvement, however, is definitely the cultivation system."

*Rawr!*

"That’s right."

Rean nodded enthusiastically.

"I took the same arrays we use inside our residence and reduced their size enough to fit them into the airplane itself. Naturally, there was some loss of efficiency, but I still managed to preserve around 96% of their original performance."

The little fox immediately cried out again.

*Rawr!*

"Exactly! That means we won’t have to return to Besgol nearly as often. We can continue cultivating while travelling, which should save us a tremendous amount of time."

*Rawr!*

Rean smiled and rubbed her head. "You really are smart, aren’t you?"

The fox proudly puffed out her chest.

At that exact moment, Rean’s RC suddenly activated. "Oh?"

Seeing the number displayed in his mind, he answered immediately. "Senior Clasou, good day. I assume you’ve already received our request regarding the next Elite Exploration Mission?"

-Do you truly have to leave so soon?- Clasou asked. -Couldn’t you stay here a little longer? Both the Arrays Guild and the Alchemy Guild would greatly benefit from you four.-

Rean shook his head. "What more can I teach them? Roan and I have already shared everything we know through the guild networks."

-You know perfectly well that it isn’t the same,- Clasou complained. -The Array Masters you trained became famous throughout the region. The blacksmith you taught became famous as well. Practically everyone has been asking me to convince you to take on more students.-

"You mean the slav— Ahem... I mean, the volunteers?"

Clasou wisely decided not to acknowledge what Rean had almost said.

-Your methods involved using your own energy, elemental affinities, and skills to guide their development directly. How exactly are they supposed to imitate something like that?-

Rean shrugged. "That’s true, but I still can’t teach everyone personally."

Then something suddenly occurred to him. "Oh, I almost forgot. I recently uploaded another set of arrays to the guild network. They are compact energy-gathering, circulation, and extraction arrays designed specifically for long journeys."

Clasou paused. -You already finished them?-

"Of course. They’re installed inside the airplane already."

-You really have no intention of staying, do you?-

"You know me too well."

Clasou released a long sigh. -What if Besgol provided your group with enough Godly Predator Crystals? Would you stay then?-

Rean immediately laughed. "Hahaha! Senior Clasou, we consumed more than one hundred and sixty crystals in a single year. Are you truly willing to provide us with that many?"

-No,- Clasou admitted. -Unfortunately, that isn’t possible.-

"Then I suppose the answer is obvious."

-Fine,- Clasou conceded. -Even so, I’m assigning a Zone God to accompany you. I’m not changing my mind about that at all.-

"That problem has already been solved. Roan contacted Lukay several days ago."

-I know,- Clasou replied. -But it’s not just that. There is something else you should know.-

Rean raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

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