Chapter 43: Tomb Raiders
Wisps of green smoke rose from the twisted corpse. Su Xiao sat beside a pit, took off his shirt, revealing a row of bloody teeth marks on his lower abdomen, with another row on his lower back. The twisted creature had tried to bite him in half, but the crystal layer spreading into its mouth prevented it from closing its jaws properly, while the crystal layer clinging to Su Xiao's abdomen further hindered its bite.
It took Su Xiao several minutes before he felt the searing pain. His physical stamina was fine, but his injuries were severe. This proved that if a lone wanderer's physique wasn't tough enough, death in battle was only a matter of time.
After drinking a bottle of Ancient Secret Medicine, the wounds on his abdomen gradually stopped bleeding. Several chunks of flesh had been torn from his left side, and his right side had been bitten by the twisted monster. Now, even standing up was difficult.
Amu rushed over, thrusting his ice shield into the dirt behind Su Xiao, then stood in front of him to guard against any other enemies approaching.
Only then did Su Xiao have time to check the rewards for killing the twisted creature. Killing it didn't directly drop a treasure chest; instead, it granted Su Xiao 100 Soul Coins to freely purchase from a reward selection.
After looking at the reward options, Su Xiao's injuries hurt even more. Not because the rewards were meager, but because they were too generous—he wanted them all, but he only had 100 Soul Coins.
First, he eliminated Reward 4: Awakening Book (Secondary). He had obtained this item several worlds ago. What he lacked wasn't the Awakening Book, but the ability to complete the second talent awakening assessment. His last talent awakening was still fresh in his memory; without sufficient preparation, he wouldn't attempt a second awakening.
Golden Skill Point × 1, Epic Chest (30%), World Source 12%, Twisted Essence—these were all excellent items. As for the Mithril Potion (Enhancement Potion), this enhancement potion worth 73 Soul Coins was certainly good, but Su Xiao could concoct enhancement potions himself. Given enough time to improve his "Botanical Compilation Chapter," crafting high-tier enhancement potions was only a matter of time.
Through elimination, the remaining reward combinations were: World Source + Twisted Essence + Paradise Coins, or Epic Chest + World Source + Paradise Coins, or Golden Skill Point + Paradise Coins.
After a moment's thought, Su Xiao checked his current World Source.
[Current World Source obtained: 76.3%.]
Most of this World Source came from Su Xiao's annihilation of the Ghost Ring base camp. Otherwise, he would only have about 30% World Source now, with 12% coming from finding the Eye Chamber. This showed how difficult it was to obtain World Source in a Primordial World. He had previously wiped out a small Ghost Ring gathering point, killed several important Ghost Ring members, and destroyed the Joshua Family.
Su Xiao hesitated. Golden Skill Points were rare. From Rank 1 to Rank 4, he had obtained a total of 5 points, with 1 point coming from this promotion mission. But that didn't mean promotion missions always granted Golden Skill Points. The reason he got one this time was that he had blown up the Ghost Ring base camp, causing the first mission's completion rate to skyrocket, giving him the chance to obtain 1 point.
The World Source from the Ghost World determined whether Su Xiao could awaken the Law-Destroying Shadow ability corresponding to 100 points in attributes. Golden Skill Points, on the other hand, could be used to upgrade abilities already at max level, such as Devouring Core, Dragon Shadow Flash, and Spirit Shadow Constitution.
After pondering for a moment, Su Xiao began exchanging rewards.
[You have obtained 12% World Source.]
[You have obtained Twisted Essence (Rare Item).]
[You have obtained 1,250,000 Paradise Coins.]
[Twisted Essence]
Origin: Ghost World (Exclusive)
Quality: Epic
Type: Consumable
Effect 1: Can be used on any Epic equipment to remove a specified equipment ability, thereby greatly enhancing the strength of other equipment abilities.
Effect 2: Can be used on any equipment to increase its rank by 1 to 3 tiers (maximum upgrade to Legendary full rating). The enhancement range depends on the equipment's quality.
Rating: 675 points (Epic item rating range: 530–700 points.)
Introduction: Master, why won't you look at me? Are you... disgusted by me? — Sub-Boss Creature: Twisted.
Selling Price: 357,000 Paradise Coins.
After making his choice, Su Xiao selected World Source and Twisted Essence. Compared to the Golden Skill Point, the Law-Destroying Shadow ability corresponding to 100 attribute points was more important.
As long as he didn't die in some world, Su Xiao believed he would have another chance to obtain Golden Skill Points. But the opportunity to obtain the Law-Destroying Shadow ability corresponding to 100 attribute points might only come once.
Su Xiao wouldn't place all his hopes on Mawen Hua'erzi. The other party didn't owe him anything. Helping him awaken a new ability was a kindness, and not helping was perfectly normal, especially since the other party had passed away many years ago.
That was precisely why Su Xiao had to seize this opportunity. Besides, his mentor Mawen Hua'erzi was somewhat unreliable. The other party's "forgetfulness" had increased Su Xiao's pain tolerance by several times.
After treating his abdominal wounds, Su Xiao tried twice before standing up. Compared to the external injuries, his internal organs, shaken by the impact, were more serious.
For the next 3 hours, Su Xiao couldn't fight Ghost Ring members with three eyes or more. Within 10 hours, a nine-to-ten-eyed Ghost Ring could kill him. He would need at least 24 hours to barely fight a strong enemy. As for fighting Sin, that would require at least two days before it was possible; otherwise, he would surely lose.
Su Xiao had no time to recover. As the Legion Commander of the Execution Agency, news of his injuries couldn't be known to outsiders. Once he showed signs of weakness, all sorts of shady characters in Zuer City would come out to play, making it much harder to find other Eye Chambers.
He had Amu throw the twisted corpse into the river, then slowly walked toward the wooden bridge in the distance.
Returning to Zuer City, Su Xiao contacted Old Hank and asked him to inform the red-haired man that an Eye Chamber had been found.
Forty minutes later, beside a street in the city.
"It's around here. There was a small accident earlier, and the sewer below has collapsed extensively, but the Eye Chamber must be nearby."
Su Xiao dropped the wooden stick in his hand. He had drawn a rough sketch on the ground. The red-haired man glanced at Su Xiao, said nothing, and simply jumped into the sewer.
Su Xiao couldn't go back in there. The sewer environment was too harsh. With his injuries, even if he didn't get infected, it would slow down his wound healing.
Not long after the red-haired man entered the sewer, Su Xiao received a notification from Reincarnation Paradise.
[The Hunter has informed Monarch Harold of the location of Eye Chamber (4). You have obtained 3% World Source.]
[Promotion Mission: Sixteen Eye Chambers, completed (5/16). The Hunter may complete this mission with the minimum evaluation. Yes/No.]
Su Xiao didn't immediately complete the second mission. Unlike the first mission, the second wasn't competitive. Completing it early had benefits, but not as much as finding another Eye Chamber. The higher the mission evaluation, the higher the comprehensive evaluation at the world's end.
Su Xiao strolled through the noisy streets, noticeably more relaxed. Being able to complete the second mission at any time was a significant advantage.