I searched high and low to no avail, only to stumble upon it so easily.
Su Chen had been focused on finding the final Fire Element essence to complete his Flame Burst Rune. Perhaps it was the might of the Fire Axe in his hand, or the stench of blood clinging to him, but the two Demon Dogs he’d spotted on his path had fled from a great distance.
And then, next to a peculiar crystal, he unexpectedly discovered a severely injured Demon Dog.
The trail of blood it left in its wake stretched out in a long, unbroken line.
Right now, it was panting heavily, repeatedly rubbing a wound on its underbelly against the pale green mineral crystal. In response, the ore shimmered faintly, as if the energy contained within was being drawn out and activated.
Su Chen didn’t want to startle it. He watched with cold indifference as he silently pulled a red brick from his canvas bag with his left hand. Then, treading lightly, he began to move slowly forward.
The Demon Dog’s breathing began to slow. Utterly exhausted, it still hadn’t sensed the approaching danger and was focused solely on licking its right paw. It was only when a ripple of elemental energy surged from behind it that the beast was startled into awareness. Its head snapped around, its savage, crimson eyes glaring.
But it was too late.
The Flame Burst Rune’s energy had been fully channeled into the red brick. The moment the creature became aware of him, Su Chen dropped his pretense. He surged forward and, in the same motion, hurled the brick.
WHOOSH!
The brick flew true, unerringly striking the right side of the Demon Dog’s head from a short distance. Its skull caved in and cracked open, spraying blood and brain matter everywhere. As the surging power of the Flame Burst erupted, even the brick that carried it was blown to smithereens.
In a single exchange, the Demon Dog lost all signs of life, falling utterly still.
Taken down with a single brick.
A single, fatal blow.
Su Chen felt the lingering, scorching heat in his palm, but his eyes were already scanning the area, searching for any suspicious movements or hidden observers.
Better safe than sorry. He had no intention of being ambushed while bending down to collect his spoils.
After a few seconds of waiting, two Fire Element essences seeped out from the Demon Dog’s shattered skull. Su Chen had gotten his wish. Not only did he have the final piece of the puzzle for his upgrade, but he’d also received a bonus one.
As he stepped forward to pick them up, the Flame Burst Rune in his Sea of Consciousness began to thrum. Not to be outdone, the pendant he wore also started to grow slightly warm.
VMMMM!!
The moment he closed his hand around them, it felt as if a vortex had formed in his palm. It instantly devoured the essences, then surged up his arm and into the depths of his consciousness. The Flame Burst Rune erupted in a dazzling crimson light as new, intricate patterns spread from its edges.
[Flame Burst] Lv. 1 → Lv. 2 advancement successful!
Enhanced Traits: Damage Amplification, Explosion Radius.
...
[Flame Burst] (Lv. 2): Grants all of the Spellcaster’s attacks an additional 100% fire-type bombardment damage and causes a small area-of-effect splash.
Advancement Requirement: 0/2 Flame Burst Runes.
’After the upgrade, the damage and effective range have been enhanced.’
’To upgrade the Flame Burst Rune to Lv. 3, I’ll need two more runes, which means six Fire Element essences. And to get to Lv. 4... that would probably take four runes, or twelve essences.’
Su Chen mulled it over and realized the difficulty of future upgrades would likely increase exponentially. It wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d thought.
After feeding the spare Fire Element essence to the Flame Burst Rune, its information updated.
Advancement Requirement: 1/6 Fire Element Essences.
Additionally, he discovered that every time he used Rune Power, the glow emitted by the rune in his Sea of Consciousness would dim slightly. For now, he decided to call this his ’Energy Bar’.
It was worth noting that the Elemental Runes didn’t seem to have a skill cooldown. They could be used repeatedly until their energy was completely depleted.
’So, how do I recover the Energy Bar?’
Su Chen’s first guess was that it would recover over time. It would probably recharge fully after four or five hours, or perhaps after a good night’s sleep.
Second, he knew for a fact that when the Flame Burst Rune leveled up, its glow—which had dimmed from use—was instantly restored to its full radiance.
Third...
Su Chen’s gaze shifted to the eerie green crystal. Ever since he’d drawn near, a pleasant warmth had spread through his body. Even his Water Mirror Refraction Rune, which he had used several times, was now emitting a faint halo of light, as if its energy was recharging at an accelerated rate.
’This unknown green mineral... it’s like a portable charger. Even if the effect isn’t that dramatic, it’s clearly a miraculous healing artifact.’
Su Chen used his axe blade to flip over the Demon Dog’s corpse. From this angle, he could clearly see several deep gashes on its underbelly, likely claw marks from another hostile creature.
The wounds varied in severity. Some were still oozing blood, while shallower cuts had already formed red scabs.
’It really works.’
Su Chen sighed inwardly. The creature must have desperately dragged its mangled body to this ore for the sole purpose of healing its wounds.
’Of that, I’m certain.’
The question was, how could he get his hands on this incredibly useful ore?
There were obvious signs of digging around the exposed, eerie green crystal. The earth was overturned, as if the Demon Dog had furiously excavated with its sharp claws to unearth it from the shallow soil.
The exposed portion wasn’t very large. The base was about the size of a palm, from which a prismatic crystal cluster rose to a height of less than thirty centimeters. In a way, it even resembled the famous Jadeite Cabbage sculpture.
At a glance, it looked like the real deal.
Su Chen tried touching it, but he felt no absorption effect.
’I’ll try digging it out.’
With a thought, the new-and-improved Flame Burst Rune in his Sea of Consciousness blazed to life. A surging, potent torrent of fiery energy rushed down from it, flowing through his palm and pouring completely into the Fire Axe he gripped.
The Rune’s power intertwined with the axe’s inherent Fire Element brand, wrapping around it like bulging veins. The vibrations in his hand intensified. Without hesitation, Su Chen lowered his body and swung the axe at the base of the crystal.
BANG!
With a loud CRACK, the iron-hard crystal shattered on impact, breaking clean off from its roots in the ground.
A dozen or so crystal fragments of various sizes flew out, accompanied by a few scattered sparks.
Su Chen reached out and grabbed the main cluster of eerie green crystal. It felt dense and heavy in his hand. If he wanted to take it with him, he’d have to put it in his backpack, where it would serve as a portable power bank—or better yet, a mobile health pool.
Potential radiation or other safety concerns weren’t something he could afford to worry about right now.
However, Su Chen felt the steady warmth radiating from his jade pendant. An indescribable urgency emanated from it, exerting an almost magnetic pull on the crystal in his hand.
’Might as well try...’
He pulled the jade pendant out from under his sweatshirt and touched it to the eerie green crystal.
Instantly, the Elemental Energy within the crystal began to pour out at a frantic pace. Its luster dimmed rapidly. In contrast, the mutton-fat jade pendant began to fill with a green luminescence, as if it were transforming into a piece of jadeite.
To Su Chen’s amazement, the crystal cluster went from vibrant to withered in less than thirty seconds. It lost all its luster and, with a slight squeeze of his hand, crumbled into fine dust.
’There’s more to this than I thought.’
With a complex expression, Su Chen stared at his family heirloom. The pendant now looked as if it were carved from Imperial Green Jadeite, and he couldn’t help but feel that its origins were far more complicated than he had ever imagined.
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