Chapter 49: Chapter 33: Fusing the Crystal Core
With the crystal core, Chun journeyed through danger and finally found the landing zone of the boulder.
Sure enough, from a distance, he saw a large mass of flames gnawing at the boulder! Chun was very pleased, this feeling of having everything within expectations was indescribably satisfying, just like a student who could accurately estimate their score after finishing an exam. It had been a long time since he felt such an achievement of mastering scores as a top student.
——System Prompt: Warning! You have been discovered by the hidden Boss Molten Giant Lizard.
Come on! This time, I can skip unnecessary problem-solving steps. But I have to take the opportunity to practice "Flying Hoe."
This time, after maneuvering for more than twenty minutes, Advanced Throwing and Intermediate Module Combination quickly leveled up to level 6, and the anticipated boulder appeared again!
This time, Chun was more skilled; with a loud bang, it landed—no suspense!
——System Prompt: Congratulations! You have killed the hidden Boss Molten Giant Lizard, leveled up to 15, Attack +5, Life +5, Physical Strength +5, Physical load +5, you have obtained loot "Molten Lava Earth Fire Crystal Core."
——System Prompt: Congratulations! Your Marathon skill has successfully leveled up to Intermediate level 2, Physical load +1, Physical Strength +1.
——System Prompt: You possess two "Molten Lava Earth Fire Crystal Cores," which can be fused into a higher-level form of the crystal core for a significant effect enhancement.
...
Success!
This time Chun’s mindset was relatively calm. Leveling up past level 10 wasn’t easy, but to level up 5 levels at once was remarkable.
Nothing more to say, fuse the crystal core!
As the two crystal cores merged into one, their color and radiance displayed high-end quality.
——Advanced Molten Lava Earth Fire Crystal Core: Advanced Divine Artifact-level material, Flame Barrier increases Flame Resistance by 60%, absorbs 60 points of flame damage stored as flame energy, efficiency to transform the user into Flame Demon physique improved. Current flame energy 200 points, maintains Barrier for 1 second per 1 point.
Very good, the attributes after fusion are simply and brutally doubled in effect, immediately go find the third Boss!
Since it’s confirmed there’s more than one Boss, there’s no need to wait for the sulfur boulder to lead the way; given the distances between these two Bosses, it’s possible there’s another two, one in each of the four directions around the volcano.
Chun directly hollowed out the sulfur inside the boulder, continued on his fiery path, and happily discovered that now the crystal core truly allowed for swimming in magma!
Very good, as soon as there’s an opportunity to gather enough mushrooms, dive directly into magma to train expert swimming!
Chun arrived at the general location over the mountain and tossed down the sulfur excavated from two boulders, piled up like a small golden mountain half as tall as a person.
Then vigilantly waited for the Boss to take the bait.
Sure enough, in the distance, a splash of magma sounded, and another Molten Giant Lizard appeared!
Chun immediately packed up, and the furious lizard chased after him crazily!
The problem-solving continues, practice makes perfect.
But this time, the anticipated boulder appeared so slowly, it took a full forty minutes. Luckily, practicing skills didn’t affect the final outcome.
——System Prompt: Congratulations! You have killed the hidden Boss Molten Giant Lizard, leveled up to 18, Attack +3... you have obtained loot "Molten Lava Earth Fire Crystal Core."
——System Prompt: Congratulations! Your Intermediate Marathon skill successfully upgraded to level 3...
——System Prompt: Congratulations! Your Advanced Throwing skill leveled up to level 10...
——System Prompt: Congratulations! Your Intermediate Module Combination skill leveled up to level 10...
...
Finally...
Fuse.
——Advanced Molten Lava Earth Fire Crystal Core: ...Flame Barrier increases Flame Resistance by 90%, absorbs 90 points of flame damage stored as flame energy...current flame energy 300 points, maintains Barrier for 1 second per 1 point.
At this moment, Chun was drenched in sweat, and even had a faint premonition that the volcano was losing its strength to erupt, it might really stop!
Should I still search for the fourth one? If the volcano stops midway during the journey, that’s it. After all, this small account bears the main account’s -100,000 reputation; essentially, it’s a prominent red name, and if it dies, the painstakingly accumulated tri-fusion crystal core might drop!
But both skills are stuck at level 10, to level them up further and achieve the three-day newcomer advantage achievement reward of 3 Wisdom points, this might be the chance. Not to mention all three crystal cores have 90% fusion, this last one absolutely overflows into a qualitative leap, making it not just a material but a bona fide Divine Artifact, an opportunity not to be missed...
In any case, let’s get over there first,
Conflicted all the way, observing the volcano, Chun arrived at the last position behind the mountain.
Chun was still conflicted, staring at the crater and hesitating to make a decision.
Just then, the volcano violently erupted again, a boulder flew out from the crater!
Feeling that the volcano is still okay? Chun gritted his teeth, and went for it!
Set up camp, once again spreading the sulfur small golden mountain.
Then, anxiously waited.
Compared to the previous times where victory was certain, Chun now felt uneasy about this final battle. If the mindset is off, could it lead to a problem at a critical moment?
Further complicating matters, if this trial is actually orchestrated by the Supervisor based on whims, with her demonic mood would she really let me easily obtain four crystal cores? After all, this game’s NPCs are tricky enough, not to mention demons?
Before long, a familiar disturbance came from the magma lake in the near distance—it’s here!
In that instant, all of Chun’s doubts and anxieties erupted—all regrets had only this one chance, and if missed, there’d be no turning back!
Fear and reason instantly overcame Chun’s greed—retreat! Run as fast as possible, leave the Sulfur Little Gold Mountain behind!
Once running, there was no turning back after loosing the bowstring; thoughts of gaining what he could from the trip flooded in to comfort him.
Finally, Chun reached the volcanic slope, hid behind a big rock, and looked back. The giant lizard had finished the sulfur but didn’t immediately return to the lake. Instead, it sniffed the air and advanced towards the mountainside, gaining speed.
This was clearly the direction of the previous giant lizard, but what was it up to?
Chun circled around the mountainside to follow and saw the crushed body of the previous giant lizard under the boulder. This one was clearly going to devour the corpse!
Holy shit! After the sewer battle, Chun knew well that when a Boss eats another Boss’s corpse, it likely means it will mutate and advance. Even if it couldn’t mutate by eating one, there were two more!
Soon, the giant lizard dragged the corpse out from under the boulder and tore and devoured it, its size visibly doubling!
After finishing one, it didn’t stop but continued forward, clearly intending to eat the other two.
Holy shit, holy shit, is it going to become a super Boss by eating them all?
Chun’s feelings were complicated—not exactly regret, just indescribable. Watching its obviously slowed pace, Chun immediately thought of bats. After eating too much, they swell into a ball and can’t fly. If this lizard eats three, wouldn’t it also swell into a ball and can’t move?
But the issue was its inability to move; it couldn’t keep up with him, making his rock-throwing strategy ineffective!
Eventually, Chun watched as it circled around, consumed the third lizard, and sluggishly entered the magma lake, disappearing.
Fine, this feeling is melancholic, like raising a pig to fatten and slaughter later, possibly yielding even better crystal cores.
Just as he was feeling melancholic, the roaring sound of the volcano ceased.
Has the volcano really stopped? Chun looked up, the lava flow from the mountain’s summit had ceased, the smoke much reduced, and the retreating lava revealed crystal-like smooth stairs; indeed, the mine was on the mountain!
Should I be grateful for my foresight? Or did the director behind the scenes find it boring and stop playing?
Go up the mountain to the mine.
At this moment, rumbling, rustling sounds came from all directions, and Chun, alarmed, looked around. Numerous little rock-shelled creatures burst from the ground like bamboo shoots after rain, especially from the magma rivers and lakes quickly receding due to the volcanic pause, with various larger stone monsters emerging from the dry riverbed.
Holy shit, there are actually a lot of monsters in this scene!
Chun immediately sprinted up the stone stairs to the mountain waist, and indeed saw a cave supported by stone pillars, inside was the familiar glowing teleportation array—enter!
The scene changed, and Chun appeared in a large, magma-bubbling mine, standing on the same fixed teleportation array as the first level. Surrounding him were a group of level 10 "Flame Little Angels" soaking in the magma pool, staring straight at him.
This was indeed the normal starting point, and these "Flame Angels" were indeed mining magma ore in the lava. Great, this is exactly what I wanted, to soak in the lava, mining and honing the Flame Demon’s body simultaneously.
After staring at Chun for a while, the angels turned back and resumed mining. As they mined, magma splashed, startling Chun into activating his crystal core immediately!
Holy shit, this is not a normal start! How can a newcomer withstand this?
But the next moment, the angels stopped mining, and once again they all turned to stare at Chun.
Chun’s heart raced—just like before, like now—they want to kill me for treasure?
Sure enough, red light exploded in front of Chun, and the "Flame Angels" surrounded him from all directions!
Holy shit!
In a panic, Chun scanned the environment and realized this was a closed space, with no intersecting passages and no corners to exploit. Alone, at level 18, would he have to face off against over a hundred level 10s!
Is this a trial content?
Fortunately, Chun had valuable experience after the sewer battle, managing to evade thousands of players. With his Advanced Swimming, Artistic Swimming, Underwater Construction, and Diving Mastery skills, plus his physical load vastly surpassing peers, he didn’t believe these small creatures could match him. If they couldn’t, it’s a dimensional reduction strike; their numbers wouldn’t matter.
Jump into the magma pool, find the deepest spot!
Swimming proficiency soared again, along with the consumption of physical strength. If his stamina was being so drained, he could only imagine what would happen if they tried diving.
Chun then pulled out his mining pickaxe as a weapon, but the wooden handle quickly charred and the iron head dropped off—a system prompt: Mining pickaxe was damaged by magma...
Then I’ll have to break their pickaxes; theirs look all-metal.
Chun immediately felt a violent disturbance above him, like a foot, so he dragged it downward...
With Chun’s 300-plus weight load, pulling one down was easy.
It struggled desperately at the bottom of the magma pool, reminiscent of drowning, immediately triggering Chun’s long-unused "Basic Mining Pickaxe Disarm." Grabbing the pickaxe handle, he successfully confiscated it.
Indeed, it’s all metal!
Now, Chun had no choice but to crush it with all his might. With his 18 added attack points and this pickaxe’s additional ten-plus points, his attack was pretty high.
The dead demon turned into a soul fire and ascended—demons really don’t die, so there’s even less reason to hold back.
The first victory significantly boosted Chun’s confidence; they were really weak in the water. He was the Boss, the water monster!