Chapter 604: In Pursuit of Power
Chapter 604: In Pursuit of Power
"Vivian, you should get some rest," a voice echoed through the pitch-black mine tunnel, illuminated only by the flickering light of a torch.
Two figures, one tall and the other small, were resolutely advancing into the darkness.
Leading the way was Lindsey, determined to scout the situation, while beside him was Vivian, her face still pale with weakness.
As Lindsey arranged a temporary camp for the others, Vivian quickly regained consciousness.
He had initially planned to let Vivian rest with the rest of the group.
With dozens of mutated Scythebugs guarding the area, there was no doubt about the safety.
However, Vivian displayed an unusually stubborn attitude.
Her unwavering determination reminded Lindsey of his younger self.
In the Hidden Frontier, he had shown the same resolve, which led to Anre taking him to explore the Black Mountain Realm.
Now, facing Vivian, whom he wanted to nurture, Lindsey felt a strange sense of touch. He relented and agreed to her request.
After all, with his current strength, exploring underground shouldn't result in losing an arm, right?
He had no intention of giving Vivian a straw hat.
When Lindsey inquired, Vivian candidly shared her thoughts:
"Mr. Lindsey, I feel that I should at least know what took those people's lives and understand who our future enemy is!"
"..."
Lindsey's eyebrows arched, considering her sense of responsibility and protectiveness towards his subordinate.
Vivian's maturity continued to defy her young age.
For a child living in the Wildlands, this was undoubtedly an exceptional advantage, but Lindsey didn't view it as good news for a child's development.
Other children might not be able to face such psychological challenges.
But Vivian... Lindsey believed she could handle it, so he tried to convince the young girl:
"I heard about it from Uncle Mil."
"On your escape route, a boy mentioned his father."
"..."
As expected, Lindsey had brought up the topic.
Vivian fell silent, unlike her previous quick responses.
Lindsey continued, "Vivian, I don't know what your true thoughts are, but ever since the Aro Camp was attacked, you haven't mentioned Mr. Aroen. What's on your mind?"
"..."
Vivian remained silent.
But after a few seconds of patient waiting, the young girl spoke:
"I, Mr. Lindsey, I don't have the ability."
"In a world where strength is paramount, I'm not even an Awakened."
"Of course, I'm worried about my father, but at a time like this, if I continue to be willful, it will only cause trouble for the others!"
"No... isn't that so?"
Vivian's maturity was almost heart-wrenching.
Lindsey's tone turned to one of concern:
"At your age, you should be willful."
Vivian lowered her head and said, "But being willful doesn't change reality."
"I've always faced problems with a practical attitude."
Suddenly, the girl lifted her head:
"Mr. Lindsey, do I have a chance to become an Awakened on the next Harvest Day?"
"..."
Lindsey couldn't provide an answer to this question.
In his understanding, increasing the chances of awakening was indeed possible.
It required an Upgrader with a high degree of Primal Essence fusion, who would assist an ordinary person in adapting to the Primal Essence over an extended period. Additionally, some rare materials were needed as aids.
And after paying such a price...
The result would only be an increased probability of awakening, not a guaranteed 100% success rate.
Lindsey couldn't deceive a child.
But at that moment, he glanced at his own backpack.
[Unusual Artifact/Material: Primal Essence Seed]
[A seed that condenses Primal Essence. When consumed by an ordinary person, it increases the probability of becoming an Awakened. Can also be used as a material to craft other items.]
[An extremely rare and valuable mystic item.]
Three of these can be synthesized into a [Primal Essence Emblem].
Based on Lindsey's understanding of the equipment system, the [Primal Essence Emblem]...
These synthetic items provide attribute boosts and have a high chance of awakening users. Unfortunately, they are only produced by Stage Five and above Awakened individuals and are rarely obtained. Up until now, Lin Sai had only acquired two of them.
If...
"Lord Lin Sai, may I learn martial arts from you?" At this moment, Vivian suddenly spoke up.
The young girl recalled the story Lin Sai had once told her. In the Hidden Frontier, the person who had saved her twice was the one who had learned martial arts from that Lord and had not followed the path of the War School.
Lin Sai was curious about Vivian's request: "Vivian, don't you want to become an Awakened?"
"Do you want to follow the path of the War School in the future?"
"Actually, if you want ordinary combat abilities, you can just train at our Soldier Training Ground and gain them immediately!"
Vivian shook her head: "I'm learning martial arts not to kill, and not to become an Awakened. I just... I just want to possess the power to protect, even if it's very weak. I want to acquire it myself."
"..."
Vivian's maturity left Lin Sai speechless.
He recalled the past and naturally spoke: "Child, have you learned combat skills before?"
Vivian answered honestly: "My father taught me some basic swordsmanship."
"But at the time, I didn't think I could become an Awakened, so I didn't learn seriously."
Lin Sai continued to ask:
"What do you want to learn now?"
Vivian replied without hesitation: "Swords! I want to learn how to wield a sword!"
Lin Sai nodded seriously, making a promise: "No problem, I'll teach you."
"..."
In the darkness, the two figures, one large and one small, continued to venture deeper into the mine tunnel.
The monsters that had been driven away earlier seemed to have completely given up on fighting.
Lin Sai and his party didn't encounter any attacks on their way, and they only stopped when they reached the bottom of the broken mine tunnel: "Vivian, is this where they came out from?"
The girl nodded seriously: "Yes, right here."
"Before the earthquake, there was no crack here!"
Vivian had thought they would continue deeper underground.
But at that moment, Lin Sai stopped and remained in his original spot. With a tone of instruction, he said:
"Vivian, have you noticed something strange?"
Vivian looked perplexed: "Strange? What?"
Lin Sai spoke:
"Where are the corpses or bloodstains?"
Vivian was even more puzzled: "Aren't they hunting for food?"
Lin Sai shook his head:
"But where are the corpses or even bloodstains?"
"The people you lost or those who originally lived in the mine tunnel, there should be traces of limbs or blood, but we haven't seen any along the way."
"..."
Vivian's expression froze, and she lowered her head in shame.
Indeed, this was something she hadn't considered before.
Lin Sai continued to confirm:
"Vivian, have you seen them devouring humans?"
Vivian carefully recalled.
Lin Sai's question was something she had overlooked before.
At this moment, in the midst of tension and intensity, and even facing several direct crises, she hadn't witnessed any scenes of these monsters consuming humans.
"No, I haven't seen it!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Sai opened the map.
The strategic map could, to some extent, describe the trajectory of his subordinates' activities,
and in front of the mine tunnel, there were routes that had been explored, leading straight to the underground, four to five kilometers away, and then disappearing!
"Up to here, the marks gradually disappeared."
"That's their nest. They either kill their prey once they reach their destination, or there's another answer."
"Invaders, Corrupting Venom, Flesh Mutation..."
Lin Sai sighed lightly.
He then held up a torch and stepped into the darkness of the mine tunnel's depths.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
