Chapter 16: Ch 16: Curse of Echoing Silence
"So this is the Life Essence Droplet," Emrys remarked as he examined the two drops of shining blue liquid he had just extracted from the Tree Monster's body.
After its demise, the Tree Monster resembled nothing more than a dried-up tree. In addition to the two Life Essence Droplets, Emrys also extracted 100 Soul Points worth of Soul Force from its corpse.
Emrys now has a total of 262 Soul Points.
Emrys looked at the two drops of Life Essence and sighed. Obtaining this treasure had come at a great cost—he had risked his life and lost his only weapon in the process. When he attempted to retrieve the knife from the Tree Monster's body, the slightest pull caused it to shatter into pieces, leaving him without a weapon.
Despite this setback, Emrys had no regrets in his heart. A single drop of Tree Monster's Life Essence could fetch up to 500,000 Credits on the market. With two drops in his possession, he now held a treasure worth a million credits, and it does not include the value of the other Soul Orbs he had obtained.
All of a sudden, Emrys's eyes fell upon the unfortunate Soul Beast, the Two-legged Lava Beast, which had been slain by the Tree Monster. It was a Ninth Order Ordinary Soul Beast.
An idea sparked in Emrys's mind.
"Can I still use Soul Force Extraction on this beast, even though I wasn't the one who killed it?"
If it were possible, he could simply touch the corpses of Soul Beasts in the future, avoiding the need to endanger his life like this again. Corpses of Soul Beasts are available at various places, with the most reliable source being the Federation itself. If it were possible, Emrys could simply visit the Federation, feign interest in purchasing Soul Beast corpses, and secretly extract Soul Force from them, thereby obtaining a significant number of Soul Points.
With this in mind, Emrys approached the Two-legged Lava Beast's corpse and touched it.
"Extract!"
Emrys silently muttered to himself, uncertain whether he could successfully extract Soul Force. However, his restless heart calmed when he witnessed a wave of white smoke-like substance emerge from the beast's body and enter his own through his hand.
It was a success.
Observing the increase in his Soul Points from 262 to 272, Emrys couldn't contain his excitement.
"It really is possible!"
He exclaimed, his face lighting up with surprise and joy.
Doesn't it mean obtaining Soul Points in the future will not be difficult?
Doesn't it mean he can have as many Soul Points as he wants?
Emrys took a deep breath and forcefully calmed his excited heart. Then he shifted his attention back to the two drops of shining blue liquid and decided to absorb them.
Afterward, he spent nearly three hours searching for a safe haven. Eventually, he stumbled upon a small underground cave that appeared to be the dwelling of a beast previously, but now it was abandoned.
Settling down inside the cave and confirming again and again that it was safe to stay here for a while, Emrys finally decided to absorb the two Life Essence Droplets. He took them out and swallowed them in one go.
If possible, he wanted to break through successively and become a Bronze Soul Master in one go.
After Emrys swallowed the two shining blue droplets, a profound power seemed to have exploded inside his body. This power was filled with dense vitality as well as energy that could strengthen his Soul Force and even increase it.
Emrys did not notice, but as soon as a burst of vitality and strengthening energy exploded inside his body, layers of vortexes started to form around him.
.....
"Umm?"
Deep within the Twin Mountain Forest lay a hidden paradise, seemingly veiled from the world's gaze, as neither Soul Beast nor human had ever discovered its existence. It resembled a heavenly garden, with lush greenery and vibrant flowers.
There was a crystal-clear water source at the heart of this heavenly garden. The tranquil surface of the crystal-clear oasis perfectly reflected the surrounding's beauty.
Nearby, on a flat boulder, an ethereally beautiful woman could be seen resting with her eyes closed. She seemed to be basking in the warmth of the sun's rays.
Suddenly, a frown appeared on her beautiful face. She opened her eyes, revealing a pair of bright viridian-colored eyes, akin to a vivid green pigment. She darted a look in a certain direction, her gaze seemed to effortlessly pierce through any obstruction until it settled directly upon Emrys.
"A spatial-attributed Soul Mark?"
The beautiful woman muttered and the corner of her mouth suddenly curled up into a smile. This smile added a layer of intoxicating charm to her already beautiful face.
"Interesting. He managed to awaken his Soul Mark despite bearing the Curse of Echoing Silence. That curse is of an exceptionally high level. Only those old monsters dwelling within this star have the power to cast it upon him. What could he have done to provoke those old monsters? More importantly, how did he succeed in awakening his Soul Mark despite being afflicted by the Curse of Echoing Silence?"
The beautiful lady sat up straight. The more she looked at Emrys, the more curious she became about him. Several questions appeared in her mind silently. In the end, she was unable to hold her curiosity and disappeared, reappearing right in front of him Emrys.
Emrys, who was completely immersed in absorbing the two drops of Life Essence obtained from the Tree Monster, did not notice the presence of this intoxicating lady at all.
The lady's eyes glowed brightly as she continued to silently observe him. She had many questions swirling in her mind, but the one she yearned to know the most was how Emrys managed to awaken a Soul Mark despite being afflicted by the Curse of Echoing Silence.
"Hmm?"
She frowned all of a sudden, seemingly noticing something.
"This boy is truly fascinating. Typically, he should have awakened twin Soul Marks, one Ice-attributed and one Lightning-attributed. Yet, his body, soul, and sealed bloodline show no hint of spatial heritage. Then how did he manage to accomplish the awakening of Spatial-attributed Soul Mark?"
The lady's intrigue deepened. Her curiosity was completely aroused by the fog covering Emrys's body.
She suddenly had a thought and silently muttered to herself, "Will he be able to bring that thing to me?"
She was unsure at first, but her face soon changed colors. A look of determination appeared in her eyes.
"It is incredibly rare to find an individual who has awaken a Spatial-attributed Soul Mark. I will personally train him and guide him there. Perhaps he can truly retrieve that thing from that hellish place."