Novel Full Chapter 160: Danger [7]
Chapter 160: Danger [7]
’If I fail, Ethea and Auntie will die.’
The thought hammered into his mind, giving him the raw grit to endure the burning torment in his pathways and keep his stance anchored against the pressure.
A few moments later, the brutal collision finally ended as the torrent of flames choked out.
Soren began to shift his weight to transition into a counterattack, but a massive shadow cut through the steam, denying him the chance to react. Swinging its body with explosive momentum, the beast drove its tattered wing in a brutal horizontal sweep.
The impact was instantaneous.
The fragile ice wall shattered into ten thousand flying shards, offering zero resistance against the sheer kinetic force of the blow. The muscular limb tore straight through the glittering debris and slammed directly into Soren’s chest.
"Pft!"
Soren’s body hurled backward through the air while coughing out a spray of crimson blood, slamming hard against the solid tunnel wall.
The blunt force resonated through his bones, and the agonizing pain intensified, threatening to short-circuit his consciousness entirely. Thankfully, the Vitality Anchor sub-effect of his Accelerated Regeneration kicked in just in time, sending a sudden surge of stabilizing energy to lock down his internal organ damage and instantly seal the hemorrhaging vessels.
Seizing that brief window before the pain could paralyze him, Soren actively channeled Amplification directly into the skill, doubling its healing output to jumpstart his battered system forcefully.
As his vision cleared, his eyes snapped forward. The monster was already closing the distance toward the cloaked vehicle.
Ignoring the ache in his ribs, he pushed off the wall and executed a maximum-output Quick Step. He blurred across the ground in a desperate sprint, closing the gap before the beast could reach the car.
Launching himself upward with a powerful jump, he vaulted high into the dark upper tier of the tunnel, directly above the monster’s blind spot.
He channeled every single drop of his remaining mana into the haft of his weapon. Unlike his past, unpolished attempts, in which the technique bled energy into the surrounding air, his refined execution now acted like a vacuum. The spearhead sucked the ambient heat right out of the tunnel, condensing a jagged, blindingly bright crystalline spike of absolute zero around the blade.
Swoosh-!
Dropping like a fallen meteor, he brought the weapon down with the entire weight of his momentum and executed the final form of Glacial Edge Arts.
"Grr?"
The monster sensed the sudden drop in temperature and tried to pivot, its thick hide and dense layer of defensive flame mana flaring to intercept the strike.
But the sheer velocity of Soren’s descent, stacked with Amplification, left no room for resistance.
The hyper-compressed ice spike tore through the heat barrier like a hot knife through wax. It punched clean through the creature’s reinforced skull, driving deep into its brain stem.
The impact detonated a shockwave of absolute cold from the point of contact. The beast didn’t even have the chance to roar; the frost traveled down its spine instantly, turning its entire nervous system into brittle glass and freezing its boiling blood before a single drop could spill.
"ARGH!"
He rode the momentum of his descent all the way down, driving the weapon completely through the beast’s skull until his boots planted firmly onto its frozen head. The massive creature collapsed beneath him with a heavy, echoing thud, its body going entirely rigid.
The tunnel fell dead silent, save for the crackle of expanding frost fracturing the creature’s hardened hide.
Standing atop the statuesque corpse, he kept his weight pressed into the spear, his chest heaving as the adrenaline began to drain from his system. The sudden lack of motion made the entire space feel eerily vast.
The backlash hit a second later.
A sharp, needle-like sting flared up through his pathways, a direct consequence of forcefully channeling Amplification and Adrenaline Rush while his system was already reeling from the injuries. His knees buckled slightly, but he caught himself against the shaft of the spear, maintaining his footing on the monster’s head.
Releasing his grip with one hand, he pulled out a pair of recovery potions and flicked the caps off with his thumb. He swallowed them in quick succession, forcing the fluid down his throat as the familiar, cooling sensation spread from his stomach, soothing his burning pathways and searing muscles.
He didn’t have time to wait for the medicine to take effect fully. His eyes darted to the corner of his vision, where the countdown timer was steadily ticking away.
[03:56]
Less than four minutes remained.
Gritting his teeth, Soren quickly opened his status and accessed the latest Investment.
In an instant, a cascade of translucent screens flickered to life across his vision, casting a pale blue glow over the dark tunnel.
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[Investment detected.]
[Target: Ethea Everly]
[Analyzing Investment...]
[Investment: You have provided the target with a Legendary-grade mental cultivation technique, giving her the foundational tools to cultivate and successfully break through to the first stage of the mental path. Furthermore, you utilized rare, highly specialized dietary resources to stabilize her volatile condition and fuel her breakthrough. Through consistent psychological grounding, you guided her to fully acknowledge, accept, and commit to her role as your wife, intertwining her path completely with yours.]
[Analyzing target response...]
[As a result of your actions, the target has shattered her previous limitations, actively executing the legendary technique to force a breakthrough into the Intent Foundation Realm. The nutritional and energetic foundation you provided directly prevented her fragile pathways from collapsing under the strain of the advancement. By embracing her identity as your partner, her soul and mind have aligned with yours, turning a passive survival instinct into an active, burning will to live.]
[Evaluating investment significance...]
[Evaluation complete.]
[Investment Grade: SUPREME]
[Calculating returns...]
[Calculation complete.]
[Applying Authority Modifier: Amplification (Passive) — Baseline bonus applied. Reward tier scaling upgraded.]
[Returns granted:]
[1. Intent Foundation Realm (Mental Path Synchronization)]
[2. Sovereign Soul-Refining Scripture]
[3. Resonant Bond -> Soul-Binding Symbiosis]
[4. Investor’s Insight → Advanced Appraisal]
[5. Glacial Marrow Consommé]
[6. Soul-Soothe Infusion Tea]
[7. Vitality Surge Rice Cake]
[8. Braised Spirit-Beef Stew]
[8. Clear-Mind Serenity Pills x10]
[Integration initiated...]
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