Chapter 251: A Spent Force

Chapter 251: Chapter 251: A Spent Force

Regardless of whether he was telling the truth, Rex Shaw’s plea to be spared wasn’t tempting in the slightest.

’If I kill Rex Shaw, won’t I get all of his supplies anyway?’

"Too late."

Seraphina Sinclair’s cold voice was like a death sentence.

Two runes were torn simultaneously. In the awe-inspiring glare of the flames, Seraphina Sinclair’s face was illuminated like that of a deity descending upon the world—cold and majestic.

Rex Shaw’s pupils contracted sharply. His final bargaining chip—the negotiation he thought could save his life—seemed so laughable and pathetic in the face of absolute power and killing intent.

He watched helplessly as the two fireballs caught up to him. After incinerating another one of his defensive items, they broke through his final line of defense and engulfed him.

Rex Shaw let out a bloodcurdling scream as his entire body was instantly swallowed by the scorching flames.

He rolled and wailed in agony on the ground, trying to put out the flames on his body, but it was all in vain. The fire clung to him like a disease, spreading rapidly. The pungent stench of burnt flesh filled the air.

In just a few breaths, Rex Shaw’s struggles weakened, and then he stopped moving altogether.

He was still hanging on by a thread, not yet dead, so the arena match wasn’t over.

Rex Shaw was a spent force, yet he was still wheezing, his eyes locked on Seraphina Sinclair, practically overflowing with venomous hatred.

Seraphina Sinclair raised a hand and fanned the air in front of her nose, waving away the pungent smell.

She gave Rex Shaw one last look, then approached with her long blade, intending to send him on his way. Just as she did, Rex Shaw’s lips trembled and he mumbled a few words:

"Wh... why... You... knew."

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t know what he was talking about. She was indeed a little curious, but the match wasn’t over, and she couldn’t be certain that he wasn’t still a threat.

More than her curiosity, she feared a last-ditch attack from a dying man.

Caution was the most important creed that had kept Seraphina Sinclair alive this long.

She didn’t hesitate in the slightest, nor did she let her guard down just because he appeared to be on the verge of death.

Her long blade shot out with precision, the cold Blade instantly piercing Rex Shaw’s heart and extinguishing the last spark of his life.

Rex Shaw’s body shuddered violently. The eyes filled with venom and confusion completely lost their light, becoming hollow and lifeless.

Seraphina Sinclair was still disgusted by the smell in the air. She frowned, waiting for the system to teleport her back. Just then, she glanced down and saw a rune clutched in Rex Shaw’s hand.

It was on black rune paper with vermilion markings. Seraphina Sinclair immediately bent down and snatched it just before the system’s teleportation activated.

At the very last moment of the teleportation, Seraphina Sinclair got the rune.

The runes she crafted were all on yellow rune paper, which felt coarse and had a distinct grainy texture.

But this rune wasn’t just black; rubbing it with her fingertips felt like touching silk. The texture was fine and smooth. The instant she touched it, Seraphina Sinclair knew it was something special!

But before she could use Insight, the scenery changed, and she was back in her mobile cabin.

What followed was a storm of frantic @mentions in the group chat.

"@Blacktiger Ford, Master! Master! What’s going on? What happened?!"

"Yeah! How did you just kill Rex Shaw? And so quickly! @Blacktiger Ford, the Master is incredible, as expected!"

"I just looked away from the chat for a second, how is Rex Shaw already gone?!! Who killed him? Oh! Master Blacktiger. Never mind, then."

...

There were too many messages, and the notifications were endless. Seraphina Sinclair decided to just leave the group chat open while she examined Rex Shaw’s belongings.

First was the rune in her hand.

Seraphina Sinclair used Insight. When she saw its grade, her pupils constricted.

This was a C-level Talisman!

[Lunar Thunder Rune (C-level)]

[Effect: Summons Netherquake Thunder to inflict continuous soul-scorching damage on the target. Its power increases with the user’s Intelligence!]

’A rune like this actually exists!’

Seraphina Sinclair’s breath hitched. She had previously thought that there were only the three basic types of runes she had learned, with countless variations derived from different materials. She never expected such an unreasonably powerful rune to exist!

She didn’t know what Netherquake Thunder was, but she certainly knew what thunder was.

The damage from a lightning strike went without saying, not to mention the Description made it clear that this thing burned the soul—it was practically impossible to defend against.

Rex Shaw was still clutching it right before he died, clearly intending to use it.

Seraphina Sinclair could vaguely guess why he hadn’t used it right away. It was similar to her Purifying Flame Rune that he had blocked; in his mind, if he had so many defensive items, then Blacktiger Ford must have some as well.

If he was going to use this, it had to be a one-hit kill.

Unfortunately for him... the truth was that, aside from this item, he had no way of harming Seraphina Sinclair at all.

Furthermore, the Purifying Flame Rune was far more powerful than he had imagined. Even after being blocked by an item, the residual flames were still enough to incapacitate him.

He probably never imagined that the simple act of tearing a rune would become so difficult on the verge of death. In the end, he gifted his trump card to the very person who killed him.

Seraphina Sinclair’s lips curved into a slight smile. ’If Rex Shaw could see this from the great beyond, he’d probably cough up blood from sheer anger, wouldn’t he?’

She carefully put the rune away. From now on, this was her trump card.

After stowing the Lunar Thunder Rune, Seraphina Sinclair began to inspect Rex Shaw’s other belongings.

She sorted the Basic Supplies and crystals, then stared at the last few items, lost in thought.

One was a golden card—the very same special area entry ticket Rex Shaw had mentioned.

[Special Area Entry Ticket (E-level)]

[Description: A golden certificate that grants access to a mysterious special area. The holder can use this ticket to enter a unique E-level exploration area. Inside, you may obtain rare materials, special blueprints, Inheritance Stone Plates, and more! Whether you strike it rich overnight or meet a violent end, anything is possible here!]

[Note: The exploration area is fraught with peril! Each special area entry ticket allows up to five people to enter. A deposit of 5,000 Black Fog Coins is required upon entry. The highest Level for monsters in this E-level area is D-level!]

[Remark: A proving ground of the unknown and of opportunity. Do you dare to enter?]

Rex Shaw hadn’t lied about being able to form a team, but his claim that it was untradeable was, as she had suspected, a lie.

Combined with the man’s dying words, Seraphina Sinclair was even more convinced that she had made the right call in using her arena certificate.

Seraphina Sinclair studied the entry ticket for a few more moments before putting it away.

Besides this item, there was also a stack of arena certificates among Rex Shaw’s supplies.

Seraphina Sinclair picked them up and counted. There were a whopping twenty-three of them.

’This guy really was a combat fanatic, hoarding so many of these things.’

’Well, look where it got him. Play with fire, and you’re bound to get burned.’

’And now they’re all mine for the taking.’