BXBX NOVEL Chapter 65: Solo Action, Soul Crystal
The closer one got to the edge of the Land of Eternal Night, the darker it became. Conversely, the nearer one got to the core, the brighter it was. This deduction came from his observations of light intensity and the information he had gathered from previous activities.
Jeremy gazed intently towards the core of the Land of Eternal Night.
Whether it was to complete the mission or to obtain more soul essence, he had to go and see for himself.
Just then, Jeremy had caused quite a commotion, and even now, white light points were still cascading down onto him from the sky. However, the other players seemed unable to see these soul essences and showed no reaction.
Jeremy was about to leave.
Just then, a red-haired young man and a short-haired woman suddenly approached him.
The red-haired young man, Marshall, had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He glanced at Jeremy briefly and then shook his head.
"This kid is too young. Probably hasn\'t even finished high school. Even if he has some combat ability, he lacks experience and can\'t be that strong." he thought.
The short-haired woman, Agnes, didn\'t mind these details. She introduced herself, "I\'m Agnes, a level 23 assassin. This is Marshall, a level 21 berserker. We\'re forming a team to break out of here. Do you want to join us?"
Jeremy looked behind them
Then saw that everyone else had already joined Agnes and Marshall\'s team, leaving him as the only one not in a group.
Jeremy didn\'t hesitate and shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I plan to go solo."
With his strength, he didn\'t need to team up with others. He could move faster alone.
Besides, Jeremy doubted this team would make it out of the Death Desert.
While Agnes and Marshall seemed capable, the others lacked the necessary strength and mindset. One wrong move, and they could drag the entire group into the abyss. Jeremy doesn\'t want to clean up their messes after them.
"Solo action?" Both Agnes and Marshall were taken aback by his response.
Marshall\'s voice turned cold. "Kid, are you insane? Do you know what solo action means here?"
In an instance like this, going solo was practically a death sentence.
Agnes frowned as well.
The young man seemed tall and handsome, but apparently, he had a few screws loose.
She said earnestly, "You might want to reconsider. This is no joke."
Their intentions were clear, but to their dismay, Jeremy still shook his head.
"Idiot!" Marshall sneered, turning away in disdain.
Agnes could only sigh, "Good luck, then."
"Same to you." Jeremy nodded slightly.
He doesn\'t have much of a grudge against the two. In a situation like this, someone who still thinks about taking others out must have good character.
As Marshall and Agnes\'s group gradually moved away.
Jeremy refocused. He turned and headed towards the outskirts of the Death Desert.
Despite his favorable impression of them, he had his own agenda and no time to worry about others\' survival.
A blue glow enveloped Jeremy\'s body as he activated Extreme Shadow Step, swiftly moving towards the edge of the Death Desert.
At this point, his agility stat had surpassed 4000. When he moved at full speed, his figure was like a bolt of lightning, kicking up a massive dust cloud on the gray-white desert, resembling a sandstorm.
The commotion immediately caught the attention of Marshall and Agnes\'s group.
When they saw Jeremy bulldozing through the terrain and disappearing in the blink of an eye, everyone was left dumbfounded.
Marshall exclaimed in shock, "Damn, is this kid really that strong?"
Agnes, standing beside him, said nothing but had the same look of astonishment in her eyes.
Both were seasoned players and could instantly see the disparity between themselves and Jeremy. This made it all the more unbelievable.
Jeremy looked no older than seventeen or eighteen, yet his power was astonishing.
Who exactly was this guy?
They were filled with questions.
Such a powerful individual couldn\'t possibly be unknown, yet they couldn\'t recall anyone of his age being so formidable.
A female player nearby seemed to have a sudden realization and her expression turned odd.
After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Could he be, Jeremy?"
Both Marshall and Agnes perked up, thinking of the same person.
A young and powerful player, the only one who fit that description was the top-ranked Jeremy.
After a long silence, neither spoke.
Marshall lit a cigarette and said self-mockingly, "No wonder he dares to act alone. I thought it was just youthful recklessness, but he actually has the capability."
...
Meanwhile, as Jeremy ventured deeper into the Land of Eternal Night, the Death Desert was no longer a barren wasteland. The surrounding flora and fauna became more abundant, with poisonous insects and sand rats appearing every now and then.
Jeremy slowed his pace after a short distance, finally setting his sights on a massive sand rat.
[Desert Giant Rat (Elite)]
[Level]: lv33
[Attack]: 7537-7619
[Defense]: 698
[Skills]: Earth Spike, Gnaw, Sand Burrow...
[Note]: A giant sand rat at the bottom of the Death Desert\'s food chain. Killing it can yield a "Soul Crystal."
"Soul Crystal? What\'s that?" Jeremy wondered upon seeing the note.
He had initially thought it might be an energy crystal, which was why he had stopped, but it seemed he was mistaken.
He searched his memory but couldn\'t find any information on Soul Crystals.
Deciding not to dwell on it, he figured he would find out once he defeated the creature.
"Squeak, squeak—"
The Desert Giant Rat had also spotted Jeremy and let out excited squeaks.
Its short limbs suddenly pushed off the ground, propelling it towards Jeremy like a truck.
Facing the charging Desert Giant Rat, Jeremy\'s expression remained unchanged.
He flipped his hand, and a white bone spear appeared.
"Bone spear!"
By then, the Desert Giant Rat had reached Jeremy.
It opened its maw, lined with sharp fangs, aiming for Jeremy\'s head.
However, from Jeremy\'s perspective, the rat\'s speed seemed like slow motion.
Mental attributes could enhance a player\'s reaction and cognitive abilities. Jeremy\'s mental attributes had already reached over eight thousand, allowing his agile mind to perceive the creature\'s movements as if in slow motion.
"Boom!"
The Desert Giant Rat landed with a thunderous crash, sending gray sand flying everywhere.
Jeremy easily dodged its attack.
Before it could make another move, his eyes turned cold. The spear in his hand glowed dark red, like a venomous snake, and swiftly plunged towards the rat\'s head.
Brain matter splattered everywhere.
The Desert Giant Rat\'s body stiffened instantly, unable to resist. Jeremy\'s spear pierced right through its skull.
[You have killed a level 33 Desert Giant Rat (Normal), gaining 14,763 experience points!]
The kill notification appeared as the Desert Giant Rat collapsed to the ground.
Jeremy walked over and rummaged through its body, finally extracting a fingernail-sized, translucent white crystal from its stomach. It looked like a beautiful snowflake.
"So this is a Soul Crystal?" Jeremy examined the crystal for a while, but no item description appeared. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
He frowned, and brilliant starlight appeared in his eyes.
"The Eye of Omniscience, activate!"
The next moment, The Eye of Omniscience provided an insight.
[Hint: Soul Crystal, condensed from soul essence, a unique extraordinary material found in the Land of Eternal Night. Using it can increase the user\'s soul power, but it can only be used by certain special entities.]
Jeremy was initially surprised by the description. A crystal formed from soul essence was bound to contain immense soul power.
However, as he read further, disappointment filled his eyes. If he couldn\'t absorb it, the crystal was just a useless rock, no matter how powerful the soul energy within it might be.
Jeremy was still a bit unwilling to give up.
He tried to mobilize the power of gluttony, attempting to forcibly devour the soul crystal.
However, in the next moment, Jeremy\'s expression changed.
He felt the soul crystal in his hand suddenly become unstable, and cracks began to appear on its surface. An incredibly violent force was about to erupt!
Something went wrong!
At the critical moment, Jeremy reacted quickly and threw the soul crystal away.
"Boom!!!"
A dazzling burst of soul energy erupted, and the deafening roar echoed through the sky.
Jeremy was blown away by the immense force.
More importantly, the energy not only attacked his body but also his consciousness.
At that moment, even with his mental strength, Jeremy felt he was about to pass out.
When the energy from the soul crystal dissipated, all that was left at the site of the explosion was a massive crater, dozens of meters wide.
The surrounding sand and rocks were pulverized into dust by the terrifying energy, falling like snowflakes from the sky.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Jeremy couldn\'t help but curse.
"Why didn\'t The Eye of Omniscience mention that this thing could explode?"