Chapter 160: The Crystal Glow and the Morning After

The Life Crystal Stone glowed beneath the moonlight, casting a soft white radiance across the surrounding area. Its light spread through the Survival Space, illuminating the lush forest and making the entire landscape look almost like a peaceful clearing beneath the midday sun.

Ethan sat cross-legged in front of it, his eyes fixed on the system panel.

[Current Energy Points: 29,050 / 100,000 (Quasi-S-Rank).]

He studied the numbers for a moment, then let out a quiet breath.

The system had rewarded him with 5,000 energy points for narrowly escaping the Eagle King’s attack.

Another 10,000 had come from his battle against the Quasi-King-Rank Blackscale Drake.

And the remaining 5,000 had been awarded for escaping the jaws of the King-Rank Mutant Beast.

Ethan rubbed his chin.

"System, you sly old fox."

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Are you trying to tempt me with energy points? Is that your way of encouraging me to go looking for trouble?"

The system remained silent.

Ethan shook his head.

It was almost as if the system had realized how dangerous the Apocalypse was becoming. Powerful creatures were appearing at an alarming rate, and his current strength was no longer enough to guarantee his survival.

If he wanted to protect himself and the people around him, he needed to grow stronger. Quickly.

His gaze drifted toward the forest.

More than 800 square meters of trees now covered the Survival Space. Their leaves swayed gently in the artificial breeze, and the air had become noticeably fresher since he began transplanting them.

Still, it wasn’t nearly enough.

The trees were helping, but he was nowhere close to having a self-sustaining oxygen supply. He needed to expand the forest considerably before he could stop worrying about the air supply.

Unfortunately, the mountain forest was no longer a safe place to gather trees.

The image of the King-Rank Mutant Eagle flashed through his mind.

He remembered the violent lightning bolts tearing through the air, the sheer pressure of its presence, and how helpless he had felt when his Time Stop Ability failed to affect it.

His expression darkened.

Going back there now would be foolish.

If a King-Rank creature had appeared in that forest, there was no telling what else might be hiding among the trees. There could be more powerful mutants lurking in the mountains, waiting for an unsuspecting survivor to wander into their territory.

And he had no intention of becoming another meal.

A King-Rank Mutant Beast was far beyond what he could currently handle.

Unless he reached S-Rank and gained enough strength to properly use his various Abilities, fighting one head-on was out of the question.

Even then, there was no guarantee he could win.

His best chance would be to rely on his Time Stop Ability. If it could freeze the Eagle King for even a single second, he might have enough time to escape.

But that was a big if.

Ethan exhaled and shifted his attention away from the forest.

With a slight movement of his consciousness, six Cores appeared in his palm.

Four Elite-grade Cores.

Two Leader-grade Cores.

Their surfaces reflected the white light of the Life Crystal Stone, giving them a faint golden glow.

Ethan examined them with interest.

Compared to risking his life in a fight against powerful mutants just to earn system rewards, there was a much easier way to increase his strength.

The system’s gift-return function.

He had already learned how generous it could be when the right conditions were met. By choosing suitable gift targets and triggering high-multiplier returns, he could obtain enormous rewards without constantly putting himself in danger.

In other words, making good use of the system’s rather shameless preference for pleasing its gift recipients was the smartest shortcut available to him.

He already had two suitable targets in mind for the golden Leader-grade Cores.

The only problem was figuring out how to trigger their high-multiplier returns.

He couldn’t afford to waste such valuable items on an ordinary exchange.

"I still need more than 70,000 energy points to reach S-Rank."

He glanced at the system panel again.

"I hope those two can bring back enough energy points."

After a moment, he put the six Cores away.

His gaze lingered on the numbers displayed before him.

The gap between Quasi-S-Rank and S-Rank suddenly seemed enormous.

He leaned back slightly, lost in thought.

For a while, the only sound was the gentle rustling of leaves.

...

"Ethan, how are your injuries?"

The familiar voices pulled Ethan out of his thoughts.

He blinked.

At some point, he had apparently dozed off while sitting beside the crystal stone.

The moonlight had given way to the warm glow of morning. Sunlight filtered through the trees, and the time displayed on the system panel showed that it was already seven o’clock.

Debbie and Tessa had just returned from Kate’s villa.

Both women looked exhausted. Their clothes were slightly disheveled, and the fatigue on their faces suggested they had spent most of the night treating Kate.

Debbie crouched beside Ethan and gently examined the gauze covering his back.

A soft white light gathered around her fingertips.

"Kate is out of danger now," she explained. "But the injuries to her wings are extremely serious. She’ll need continuous treatment before they can recover completely."

Tessa stepped closer and raised her hand.

A gentle green glow spread from her palm, seeping through the gauze and settling over Ethan’s wounds.

The warm energy eased the lingering burning sensation in his back.

Since Sofia was standing nearby, watching the two women with open curiosity, Debbie and Tessa kept their treatment brief.

They simply focused on healing his injuries and restoring his strength. Neither attempted their more complicated combined healing technique, which tended to leave everyone involved feeling a little awkward.

Under the influence of their Abilities, the scabs across Ethan’s back gradually hardened. The damaged tissue beneath them began to recover, and the dull ache that had followed him since the previous night faded.

He could feel his depleted energy returning as well.

After a short while, Ethan stood.

"You two should take a break and use the crystal stones to recover."

He placed a hand on each woman’s shoulder.

"Thanks for all your hard work. You’ve both been up all night."

Debbie smiled faintly.

"Just make sure you don’t injure yourself again."

"I’ll try."

Ethan gave her an easy smile before turning away.

Debbie and Tessa settled beside the Life Crystal Stone to replenish their energy.