Chapter 115 - 105: The Battle Begins

Chapter 115: Chapter 105: The Battle Begins

’Source Ore, the legendary living Metal Life... I can’t wait!’

Chen Qi stood quietly before the abandoned main mine shaft.

To avoid provoking the Source Ore, he had deactivated his Exoskeleton Armor.

After all, the core of that ability originated from a portion of the Source Ore that had been devoured.

He was here to collect the Source Ore, not to start a fight.

’The Source Ore has merged into the vein, like a drop of heavy water in the ocean.’

’It can only be captured by using a specific code to find the frequency of its Spirituality.’

’The Chris family was truly a renowned noble house. Even after centuries of decline, the few scraps of knowledge they retained are enough to make any Transcendent envious.’

According to Jomoya Chris, even the Temya Magic Academy coveted the Secret Techniques he possessed.

His impending expulsion wasn’t just because he couldn’t achieve a Spirit Awakening; the Academy was also pressuring him to surrender his knowledge.

This was despite the fact that these remnants of their legacy no longer formed a coherent system and couldn’t even be used to train a proper Transcendent.

But its roots lay with a Count’s family from the Outer Ring World, so of course these Inner Ring provincials at the Temya Magic Academy were desperate to get their hands on it.

Unfortunately, Jomoya Chris hadn’t left any of that legacy behind; his diary only recorded how to collect the Source Ore.

’That makes sense. Why would anyone write their most vital secrets in a diary?’

Of course Jomoya Chris would have committed it to memory and taken it to his grave.

...

"3.1415926..."

THUD! Chen Qi’s right hand shot out, plunging deep into the ground.

The next instant, the hand buried in the earth began to glow with a white radiance.

This was Chen Qi, vibrating his own Spirituality to send out a specific code.

Right now, Chen Qi was like a fisherman casting his bait.

At first, Chen Qi sensed nothing.

But gradually, he realized the waves he was emitting had attracted something.

’It’s the Source Ore’s Spirituality!’

’It took the bait!’

’Jomoya Chris wasn’t lying!’

The moment he became aware of its presence, Chen Qi’s Spirituality made contact with that of the Source Ore.

Already prepared, Chen Qi instantly locked onto the Source Ore’s spiritual frequency: 3.17.

’So weak.’ Chen Qi’s Spirituality formed into a giant hand and seized the Source Ore’s Spirituality.

The latter offered a token struggle, but it was weak and powerless.

...

’Was it really that easy?’

If he hadn’t been so certain he’d captured the Source Ore, he would have thought he’d caught a fake.

This was even easier than catching fish in the river when he was a boy; at least then he had to grope around for them.

’So this is the Source Ore?’

Chen Qi pulled his right hand from the ground, a mass of silvery-white liquid metal held firmly in his palm.

He gave it a squeeze. It was surprisingly supple.

It was incredible, really. Perhaps because the gulf between their two Spiritualities was so vast,

the instant Chen Qi captured the Source Ore’s Spirituality, he had already subjugated it.

As a result, the Source Ore struggled for but a moment before choosing to submit.

’Change!’

At Chen Qi’s command, the silvery-white liquid metal in his hand began to writhe, finally forming a silvery-white glove that covered his right hand.

Of course, this wasn’t the Source Ore’s main function. Its true ability was never about transforming into weapons.

’I feel like I can control all the metal in the entire mine.’

’And not just that—every Matter Field in the entire mine is now within my Spiritual Sensing.’

’So, this is what the Source Ore does? It’s turned the entire mine into its own domain.’

’And through it, I have become the master of this domain.’

Above the ocean of magnetic light, Chen Qi cautiously extended his Spirituality.

Previously, it had been confined to a forty-meter radius around him; any farther and it would be torn apart and devoured by the magnetic light.

But now, Chen Qi’s Spirituality had expanded to a hundred-meter radius, and still nothing unusual happened.

It was as if the surrounding Matter Fields had suddenly lost their hostility toward his Spirituality, even welcoming its arrival.

...

’Incredible... truly incredible!’

Life Magnet Fields and Matter Fields were supposed to be two diametrically opposed, uncompromising forces.

Whenever they met, conflict would erupt.

Before encountering the Source Ore, Chen Qi had always believed this to be an ironclad rule.

But now, thanks to the Source Ore, the Matter Fields throughout the entire mine maintained a "neutral" stance toward him.

This completely upended Chen Qi’s previous understanding of the world.

The Source Ore was even more wondrous and precious than he had imagined.

That bastard, Jomoya Chris, had let a Card Devour half of it. What a reckless waste.

’It’s true that treasures belong to the worthy. The Source Ore has finally met its rightful master in me.’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Chen Qi offered his Compass to his "darling treasure." The latter dissolved into a silvery liquid and completely merged into the Compass.

And so, the surface of the once-bronze Compass became speckled with countless silvery-white starlike points.

The entire Compass now looked even more mysterious.

...

’Haha, my idea actually worked!’

’Even with the surrounding Matter Fields remaining neutral, my Spirituality inevitably loses momentum after expanding out to 150 meters.’

’That’s because my Consciousness is still too weak to sustain it over that distance.’

’But humanity’s greatest strength is the ability to make use of tools.’

’By merging the Compass with it, I’ve essentially equipped my Spirituality with a Telescope and an amplifier.’

’Spin!’

The long needle of the Compass began to spin. Chen Qi’s Spirituality, which had reached its limit, suddenly received some kind of support and continued to spread outward.

This time, Chen Qi’s Spirituality was free of all shackles. It expanded with wild abandon, taking in every Matter Field in the entire mine.

’Magnificent... Absolutely magnificent!’

’I doubt even the scenery of the legendary Immortal Lake could be more beautiful than this!’

With the Compass’s aid, Chen Qi’s Spirituality leaped out of its own little puddle and truly witnessed a glimpse of the ocean of magnetic light.

It was a shimmering, seven-colored Immortal Lake, with different Matter Fields emitting magnetic light in various fiery hues.

The colorful lights collided and interwove, conjuring one soul-stirringly beautiful scene after another.

Chen Qi’s Spirituality wandered through the splendid Immortal Lake, admiring the wondrous sight while searching for his target.

’Strange. I still can’t find that player.’

’Is he really not in the mine?’

Chen Qi’s Spirituality now covered the entire mine. Forget a human’s Life Magnet Field—not even that of an ant could escape his senses.

And yet, besides himself, there were no other human Life Domains anywhere in the mine.

If it weren’t for the tens of thousands of insects arranged in regularly distributed swarms, Chen Qi might have actually mistaken the mine for a peaceful place.

Though it seemed incredible, Chen Qi could only come to one conclusion: if the player existed, he must be hiding outside the mine.

That made things a bit tricky!

...

"Hahaha, I can feel it! The mine has changed."

"Red Heart 7 must have taken the Source Ore."

"It’s mine! It’s all mine!"

BUZZZZZZ. Inside the mine, the drone of insects suddenly shook the heavens as a dark cloud gathered overhead.

Swarms of insects flew into the sky, gathering into a dense mass. They moved as one, a sun-blotting cloud flying toward Chen Qi’s position.

The sheer scale of it was like a great army on the march.

Especially against the backdrop of the mine’s unique environment, it looked as if a Demon Monarch was marching to war.

...

’Not surprising in the slightest.’

Of course Chen Qi couldn’t fail to notice such a massive disturbance.

Although he had long suspected his opponent could control insects, the sheer number of them was absurd.

Chen Qi made a rough estimate—at least a million of them.

But that wasn’t the most critical part. The real headache was that even now, he hadn’t found a single trace of his opponent.

That left only one answer: his opponent was hiding outside the mine, controlling the swarm from several kilometers away.

That put his opponent in a nearly invincible position.

Well, *almost*.

Clutching the silvery-white Compass, Chen Qi looked up at the sky-blotting swarm with disdain. ’You really think I can’t touch you just because you’re hiding so far away?’

’Time to show you what real skill looks like!’

The next instant, the Compass needle began to spin frantically.

...

"Hahaha, Red Heart 7, we finally meet!"

"You must have known I was here for a while now." ℴ

"But I’d advise you not to waste your energy looking for me. No player can find me, let alone a mere LV2 like you."

The overwhelming swarm of insects arrived above Chen Qi, coalescing into the shape of a giant human figure.

The figure was able to speak by manipulating the swarm’s vibrating wings to perfectly simulate human vocal cords.

This showed that even from a great distance, the one pulling the strings still had masterly control over the swarm.

"Hello, Insect Human Trudeau. We meet again!"

Chen Qi calmly gazed at the swarm in the sky and, in an impossibly composed tone, spoke words that sent a chill through the figure above.

"You—how could you possibly know my identity?"

"Did the person who told me about the Source Ore tell you?"

"Impossible. He doesn’t even know my name."

Abruptly, the swarm in the sky froze for a second.

This showed just how stunned the Insect Human was by Chen Qi’s words—because his name really was Trudeau.

This sudden turn of events left Trudeau completely dumbfounded.

"Have you ever considered the possibility that our battle is already over?"

"As for how I know your name, you told me, of course. Right before you died."

Chen Qi spoke softly, his voice like a summons from Hell itself, making Trudeau’s form in the sky crawl with terror.

’What in the world is going on?’

’Is this guy insane, or am I?’

"Hahaha, stop playing mind games!"

"I don’t know how you found out who I am, but you’re sorely mistaken if you think you can beat me with psychological warfare."

"I’m not some rookie player like you."

Trudeau forced himself to remain calm. For some reason, he had the feeling that something was strange.

Of course, the strangest thing of all was the guy on the ground.

But it didn’t matter. His swarm would descend and swallow everything.

"Go! Devour that bastard!"

The swarm in the sky exploded outward, covering a third of the mine.

A torrential rain of insects began to fill Chen Qi’s vision.

"But I’m telling the truth!"

Facing the overwhelming swarm, Chen Qi opened his right hand with a sigh.