Chapter 564 - 502: Blood Crystal, Uninvited Guest

Chapter 564: Chapter 502: Blood Crystal, Uninvited Guest

He studied Roland’s face—bloodstained, yet unable to conceal its handsome, youthful features. He simply couldn’t reconcile this sight with the hulking, savage brutes that were supposed to be masters of hand-to-hand combat.

"And your movements... It’s like you’ve practiced them a million times. No, more like... instinct?"

Holland struggled to his feet and patted the dust off his rear, his gaze fixed intensely on Roland.

"Buddy, you really don’t remember anything? Including this... uh, extraordinary ’skill’ of yours?"

Roland didn’t immediately respond to Holland’s barrage of astonishment and questions.

While Holland chattered on, catching his breath, Roland had already lowered his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over the goblin corpse at his feet, its chest ripped open.

He then bent down, his fingers probing the mangled flesh and shattered Leather Armor, and quickly pulled something out.

This was a product of his [Plundering] Trait.

It was an irregular crystal, about the size of a thumbnail, and an ominous, dark red color.

Its surface still seemed to hold a trace of warmth. It wasn’t completely hard to the touch; instead, it possessed a strange, slight resilience, as if it were faintly pulsing with life.

Inside the Crystal, murky, dark red wisps resembling congealed threads of blood flowed, visible to the naked eye, along with deeper, faint glimmers of light.

’Magic Power... Crystal?’

Roland rubbed the crystal’s slightly rough surface, and his memory was instantly pulled back to the faraway Black Water Territory.

Back then, when he had first slain the mutated Kobold covered in strange Scales, he had also obtained a similar object—a condensation of Magic Power.

However...

He focused, carefully examining the dark red crystal in his hand.

Unlike the Magic Power Crystal from his memory, which had been relatively pure and merely sealed chaotic Elements, the Energy contained within the one he held now seemed...

...far more complex.

Besides the impure yet exceptionally active Magic Elements he could perceive, the dark red hue and the flowing ’blood threads’ within seemed to have coalesced some other kind of Power—something more primitive and savage, originating from life itself. Or perhaps...

’...fragments of a bloodline?’

Just as he was absorbed in this subtle difference in perception, Holland’s voice cut in, tinged with obvious surprise.

"Huh? Your luck isn’t half bad, kid!"

Holland had already leaned in closer, staring at the dark red crystal in Roland’s hand. The shock on his face gave way to the expression of someone who had just spotted something valuable.

"You found this on that Green Skin? Nice luck! That thing’s called a ’Blood Crystal.’ It’s said that only Demons whose Magic Power is deeply and... ’richly’ fused with their bloodline have a chance of one forming after they die."

He rubbed his hands together and continued to explain.

"As for what it’s used for... To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. Regular general stores and Magic Materials merchants don’t usually buy them. They say the Energy is too chaotic and violent, making it difficult to process. But..."

His tone shifted. He lowered his voice, speaking conspiratorially.

"In certain black markets, or if you’re trading with some... well, more unorthodox Alchemists or bloodline scholars, this thing can fetch a pretty good price! I’ve heard it’s connected to forbidden rituals for enhancement, grafting, and even Curses. Long story short, hang onto it. You won’t regret it!"

Seeing that the Blood Crystal had captured Holland’s attention and made him temporarily forget about questioning the source of his skills, Roland took the opportunity to nod and carefully put the dark red crystal away.

He then turned briskly to the other goblin corpses and began to inspect them one by one.

His [Plundering] Trait had only worked on one more of the goblins he had slain, producing another Blood Crystal. The loot from the other two was far more mundane:

A few rough, worn-edged coins of unknown origin; a small, hide-wrapped pouch of suspicious powder that gave off a pungent odor; and a decent-quality plate of hardened steel that looked like it had been stripped off a fine piece of Armor.

"These Green Skins are a little more ’loaded’ than they look."

Holland, having regained his usual shrewdness, commented as he helped rummage through the remains.

With practiced hands, he stripped the relatively intact Leather Armor components and undamaged weapons from the corpses.

"They’re bloodstained, but if we clean them up, we can sell them to a Blacksmith Shop or an equipment dealer for a few coins. At least it’ll compensate us for our ’emotional distress’ on this outing."

The two worked together in tacit agreement, quickly bundling the valuable loot into a somewhat bulky package that reeked of blood.

Holland hefted the bundle, grunting in satisfaction at its weight.

Looking around, they saw the morning sun had already dispelled most of the fog, clearly illuminating the battlefield, which was thick with the stench of death.

In the distance, the silhouette of the Black Forest looked even more deep and mysterious under the sunlight.

"We shouldn’t linger here."

Holland’s expression grew serious as he spoke in a low voice.

"The smell of blood will spread and could attract more dangerous creatures. We’ve got what we came for; it’s time to go."

Roland nodded in agreement. He grabbed one corner of the bundle, and together, he and Holland turned and quickly walked away, following the path they had come on.

Only when a relatively open dirt road came into view, and they began to see several squads of fully-armed, wary-looking Mercenaries and lone Adventurers hurrying past, did the tension in Holland’s shoulders finally ease.

He let out a long sigh of relief. The morning sun, now higher in the sky, seemed to dispel some of the lingering chill from his back.