Tracking the "Azure Star" could be described as an incredibly perilous endeavor. Although the creature paid no mind to the tiny ants on the ground, this uninhabited "island" was naturally fraught with all sorts of dangers.
The ubiquitous monsters, the uneven terrain, the sudden precipices found everywhere...
During the tracking process, they had to look up frequently to observe the sky. To prevent falling into holes or other accidents, the three would pause their pace. The most frustrating part, however, was that no matter how hard they chased, the distance between them never seemed to close. This feeling of making immense effort with zero reward was enough to drive anyone to despair, but fortunately, none of the three paid it much mind.
Heng had succeeded in reaching this place, but he had failed countless times along the way. He had encountered situations far more hopeless than this. Being this close to success was something he had never experienced before, so rather than frustration, he felt mostly excitement.
Lancer was much the same. In his years of combat, he had seen environments far worse than this. Moreover, he currently possessed the power to steamroll through most obstacles. As long as he wasn't swarmed by a massive pack of large monsters, he wouldn't feel even a hint of danger. To him, this was a simple chase.
As for Olga Marie, while she felt the situation was a bit absurd, her curiosity was piqued by the strange plants everywhere. She simply followed behind Lancer and focused her extra attention on the things that interested her; it was practically a field trip.
However, this relatively simple life changed completely once they crested a certain ridge.
Countless crystals of varying shapes were piled together to form massive crystalline structures, which in turn formed a forest-like expanse. These crystal groves shimmered brilliantly under the light, but beneath this intoxicating beauty lay a hidden, deadly intent.
Below the crystal forest was scalding lava; only a few areas consisted of solidified obsidian.
Gulp~
Even though they were still a distance from the crystal woods, the heatwave—no longer blocked by the ridge—hit them full force. This made Heng, the weakest of the three, reflexively swallow hard.
Lancer pulled out a bottle of "Cool Drink" and handed it to Olga Marie, but then he looked at Heng with a serious expression.
"The path ahead probably won't be so easy to walk."
Although Lancer had claimed all along that he "just wanted to see what the legendary Azure Star looked like," both Olga Marie and Heng knew that the ease of their journey thus far was entirely due to him. He had preemptively cleared out the monsters that might have ambushed them.
Facing Lancer's reminder, Heng didn't waver as he had before. Instead, he pulled a face covering from his backpack.
"I'm ready!"
The death of his parents in a dragon attack during his childhood had forged a resilient character, eventually turning him into a true man of action. These past few days with Lancer had shown him things he previously lacked. From the moment he appeared, this man's gaze never faltered, no matter what they faced.
Seeing only Heng's eyes visible above the cloth, Lancer nodded seriously and handed him a bottle of "Cool Drink."
"In that case, I won't say anything more."
With that, Lancer led the way toward the obsidian-like ground in the distance...
The lava appearing from time to time and the light reflecting off the crystals under the glow of the fires made the three humans and three cats feel as if they weren't in a cavern at all. Strangely, however, they hadn't encountered a single monster attack along the way. This was undoubtedly suspicious.
While volcanic environments are harsh, Lancer recalled many creatures living in such places. Yet, after walking for several hours, they saw nothing but special plants and fungi. It was eerie.
It was because of this that Lancer became certain of one thing ——————
In the depths of this strange crystal cave, even if the blue dragon called the "Azure Star" wasn't there, a powerful monster definitely was. Aside from the naturally aloof and non-aggressive Kirin, the territories of powerful monsters are usually devoid of other creatures.
He just didn't know if it was an Elder Dragon whose special abilities affected the survival of other monsters, or if it was something like a Deviljho that slaughtered everything in sight. Either way, it spoke to the creature's terror.
Suddenly, Olga Marie tapped Lancer on the shoulder.
"What is it?"
She didn't answer directly but held out a fragment of "crystal" to him.
While these strange crystals were beautiful, Lancer had no concept of wealth because of the "System." Since 1 point could be exchanged for a massive amount of money, gems to him were just pretty rocks. At most, he'd pick one up as a souvenir before leaving. He hadn't paid them much attention, but seeing Olga Marie's serious face, he took the crystal.
To the naked eye, it was just a piece of crystal with mediocre transparency. Neither its shape nor color was particularly odd. Judging by the break point, Olga Marie had likely snapped it off by force.
While silently thinking, 'How did this high-born lady turn into such a brute?' he closed his eyes to sense it carefully.
At first, he felt nothing, but as his blood aura began to permeate it, Lancer's brow furrowed.
He used to be unskilled in the fine manipulation of blood aura; to him, it was just a combat buff. He focused more on physical training. However, to save the souls of the girls turned into "Grief Seeds," he had purified tens of thousands of them. During that time, his control over blood aura—especially for permeation—became masterful, and he had even developed new techniques.
Now, as the aura seeped in, he detected an anomaly. Though faint, the crystal contained a strange energy.
Heng, noticing Lancer's odd behavior, stopped in his tracks. He looked at Lancer curiously but didn't speak.
After spending time together, he had realized Lancer and Olga Marie were unusual, but he didn't pry.
Just as he was waiting silently, Lancer snapped his eyes open. He didn't speak but instead walked quickly to a massive crystalline pillar and pressed his hand against it.
This time, Lancer didn't close his eyes to help focus. There was no need...
He looked at the massive pillars with shock. After a moment of silence, he spoke with deep admiration.
"This is simply a miracle of nature!"