“Ugh..” Jacob groaned as a green light pulsed on the magic circle. The ogre’s heart was thrumming with mana on his chest, and bit by bit, it dissolved in a viscous red liquid.
Despite the gory appearance, it gave out a surprisingly pleasant scent.
“Am I weird for liking the sll?” Ria muttered what everyone had in their mind.
“It’s quite natural. Do you know how we developed the notion of good and bad sll? It is closely related to our evolution as a species. Dead bodies of animals and rotten food were harmful for our survival, thus we evolved in a way that makes us averse to such things. So sensitive people might feel discomfort and unease when staying with old people or patients due to this.”
The one who addressed everyone’s curiosity was Shi kun.
“Oh, makes sense.”
“Indeed. The opposite is true as well. Hot food, fresh fruits and vegetables, and many herbs sll good for this reason as well. The scent itself is neither good nor bad; it is our body that separates them due to evolution. For example, the things we consider foul might seem pleasant for so animals.”
“You seem quite knowledgeable on the subject,” Zyrus raised his eyes at Shi kun who was talking with Ria. It was a pleasant surprise.
“Haha, I’m no biologist, but I read a lot due to my curiosity. Those were the good old days of my childhood,”
Knowledge was ant to be shared. The players were exhausted after the tough fight and many had lost their newfound friends. Nonetheless, adaptability was a trait every survivor had. The past week had made them accustod to death.
Zyrus was soon done with the ogre’s heart. Now, it was ti to deal with the pile of weapons and armor.
Be it the orcs or the humans, they would eventually turn into particles after their death. Only their equipnt and a body part or two were left behind.
“Let’s sort it out,”
“Great!”
Ria and Shi kun walked over and rummaged through the pile. Nothing felt better than being rewarded after hard work.
Zyrus asked about the details of the battle and also talked about his ‘Treasure hunt’.
To summarize, there was an underground cave at the heart of these plains. It was below a hundred feet of ground level with a radius of ten ters.
Many such locations were situated throughout the first ring. In most cases, rare monsters dropped the map fragnts of such places. And apart from the difficulty in completing a map, there weren’t any dangers in these places that could stop the players. It was similar to a walk in the park for Zyrus as Navrino had given him a very detailed map.
As they chatted on, the pile of loot was cleared up in no ti. In the end all that was left were the fangs and two ogre hearts.
“Do you plan to use them on us?” Ria asked with a mix of curiosity and discomfort. Although she wanted more power, this thod was a bit extre in her opinion.
“Unlike him, you don’t need them.”
“Glad to hear that, but why?”
“To sum it up, that kid has mana comparable to , but with a body that’ll make goblins proud of themselves.”
“Will he get physical strength from the heart?” Shi kun asked as he looked at Zyrus with wide eyes. Wouldn't this thing be perfect for him as well then?
“Technically, no. This transfusion wouldn’t be recognized by the system until he fully assimilates with the heart. Which, by the way, is impossible in the first ring. The ogre’s heart would only act when Jacob is exhausted from overdrawing mana.”
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“Too bad then,” Shi kun shook his head as it was indeed useless for him. Jacob needed passive and long-term improvent since he already had good combat capability. Shi kun was on the other side of the spectrum as what he lacked were combat prowess.
“Don’t worry, I have other stuff for you.” Zyrus stored the fangs and heart and took out sothing else.
“I got five items from the chests, two of which you’ve seen already. I’ll need one of them for general use as well,” Zyrus held his hands forward, and two screens popped up in front of Ria and Shi kun.
The duo couldn't help but clench their fists after looking at the item’s details.
[Mbeku’s shattered pride (Rare)]
A pair of braces made from Mbeku’s shell. It can create a protective shield to ward off enemy attacks.
Effects: DEF 50. Successful blocks have a 10% chance of triggering the “Trickster Turtle” effect.
Trickster Turtle: One of the three events will trigger at random.
The braces will shine with a golden light, giving the enemies a (Blind) debuff.Lowers the enemy’s aggression and casts an 'Injured state' illusion on the userRecover HP by 10%.
Despite its niche usage, it was a rare and special item. Its value was no less than an average unique weapon.
“This is perfect for ,” Shi kun grinned happily as he caressed the pair of green bracers given by Zyrus.
Beside him, Ria was still dumbstruck as she looked at the other screen.
[Conductor’s Tiara (Rare)]
A replica of the ##*#-##.
INT 5
Effects: Conveys your commands to the desired targets simultaneously.
Range: 1Km
CD: none
Unlike the other equipnt, the description for this one was rather lackluster. However, it was a ga-changing equipnt for those capable enough to utilize its effect.
And Ria was exactly such a person. Giving her this tiara was akin to adding wings to a tiger.
“I’m glad you guys liked it,”
“Of course we do. However, isn’t that a bit unfair for him?” Ria looked at the fainted Jacob. She couldn’t help but feel guilty as he was the only one who had lost the crown.
“That’s life for you. He needs the heart more than stuff like this anyway. Besides, it’s not like I won’t get any new equipnt in the future.”
The trio chatted on as they walked around the temporary camp. Zyrus wanted to start the field boss raid as soon as possible, but he couldn’t overlook the players’ fatigue either.
The upcoming fight would be far more arduous than this one. Only those who give their 100% in battle would be able to survive and increase their strength.
“By the way Zyrus, what does MP do? I haven’t seen a skill or equipnt that requires mana to activate, sa goes for stamina. Shouldn’t there be units for that?”
“Of course there are, but you are glossing over sothing important,”
Ria raised her brow at his remark. Even with all her intelligence, she wasn’t able to co up with a plausible cause.
“The way we obtained skills and mana isn’t the ‘common’ thod. It’s not so easy to find the Elder souls. Thus, only after entering the second ring would everyone get their skills and classes. The system won’t enurate the stats before that, so we have to figure out how much MP is used via practice. As for the items, do you think high-grade equipnt would follow the norm? Their mana storage is big enough to not need the player’s help. Not to ntion the spent mana would recover during cooldown period.”
“Hmm… I get the second part, but can you explain the first one?”
Shi kun perked up his ears at their conversation. He didn't have anything to do with mana at this point, but he’d have to rely on it sooner or later. It was a golden opportunity to learn the basics before that ti ca.
“Sure. Our status screens will change after passing the first ring. They’ll have new functions and stats like stamina as you’ve ntioned. Imagine if everyone had the advanced version of the status from the get-go, wouldn’t that be confusing for the masses? Besides, the strong are supposed to figure out stuff like that on our own. The system is a tool to make things more convenient, not a ans to spoon-feed us.”
The duo nodded in seriousness. Why were they able to beco leaders while others didn’t? It was because they relied on their wits and knowledge to get achievents.
Zyrus explained about trivial stuff during the ti they rested. Of course, from Ria and Shi kun’s perspective, the information they got was anything but trivial.
Jacob also woke up after a couple of hours. Apart from his rosy complexion, there weren’t any visible changes on him. Zyrus explained about the ogre's heart and things he should take care of in the future.
The group took off after everyone was back at their full strength. Although their numbers had dwindled quite a bit after the fight, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The field boss would reap the lives of many; Zyrus was certain about that. He was overwhelming his enemies after his race change. One of the reasons behind that was because he had only encountered humans and goblins who were helpless against his poison. It would be different for the next fight.
His strength was balanced if one took into account that he was a sole being representing an entire race. Could he face off against hundreds? Yes. But what about Thousands? Millions?
Both he and his army had to beco stronger.
The orange sun rose behind the marching troops, making their shadows encroach on the land ahead. It was ti to slay the first field boss.
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