Chapter 105 'Gestation Object'

Everyone was buzzing with excitement, eager to enter the Void Abyss, when Stran suddenly spoke up. “Regarding the ‘Container,’ I’ve had numerous speculations. The ideal scenario would be that it’s merely a lifeless object, but that’s nearly impossible. The most dire and formidable possibility is that it’s some sort of mobile creation or living entity. After being nurtured for so long and tainted by negative emotions, it won’t be a simple opponent!”

This caused everyone to furrow their brows. Jens said, “So, what exactly do you mean?”

Stran smiled and said, “To be safe, let’s make an agreement. If any of us is unfortunate enough to be ‘eliminated,’ in the final moments, we should all pour our efforts into helping the remaining members. How does that sound?”

The final moments referred to the brief window before elimination through the spellcasters’ powers, during which they could still act at full strength. Stran meant that if the nurtured being’s power exceeded what the current group could handle, they should use everything they had to strike at it during those final moments before being sent out of this world, creating openings for the remaining teammates.

Everyone thought it was fair and nodded in agreement.

The descent itself required no commentary; each member demonstrated their own abilities.

Jens summoned the Crystal Wing God Dragon. Thanks to his talent or the healing effect, the dragon’s injuries and poisoning had largely recovered in such a short time, and even the shattered wings had been reconnected. Though it still appeared somewhat frail, it was ready for combat.

Stran transformed directly into a wind elemental being, moving with effortless grace.

Karlvo employed his earth-based talent to carve an S-shaped trench into the abyss wall, which greatly eased the situation for the others.

Lando extended his hand with a smile toward Lea and Alice. Lea looked puzzled, while Alice grinned and leaped into the depths. A fierce wind howled around her, lifting her upward.

Lando: …

Lando seized his bewildered sister Lea’s hand and jumped after her into the abyss amid her startled cry.

The fall was not without incident. Given the overwhelming concentration of negative emotions here, after prolonged nurturing, certain negative emotions had condensed into entities resembling elemental beings. These instinctively attacked Lando and his companions. For the “air force” equipped with flight abilities, it posed no issue, but for the “infantry,” it was quite vexing.

Fortunately, these negative elements were not formidable. Though they irritated everyone, they did not inflict genuine harm.

The abyss did not descend in a straight line. In general, the deeper one went, the wider the space became. Soon the group reached the bottom, yet what they saw left them hesitant. The floor of the Void Abyss was not solid ground but a black liquid formed from highly condensed negative emotions. This substance, which made one instinctively want to avoid touching it, covered the entire bottom. What was more, they had no idea how deep it went.

Just as everyone hesitated, James, standing on the Crystal Wing God Dragon’s back, cleared his throat and said, “Why don’t we all stand on my barrier?”

The infantry shot James resentful looks. Why hadn’t he mentioned this earlier and spared them the long climb!

James awkwardly turned away, ignoring the resentful gazes. He couldn’t help it; if he used his barrier to lift everyone down, he would lose his own response time. These people weren’t incapable of climbing down on their own. And wasn’t it true that they currently had no better option?

While they searched, Jens summoned the Crystal Eagle Falcon. Obeying Jens’s mental command, the falcon carefully flew toward the black liquid below.

Suddenly, as it drew near, it let out a mournful cry and plummeted uncontrollably, like a snapped kite.

Jens reacted swiftly, converting the falcon into a light point with his talent and recalling it. Yet when it reappeared, the Crystal Eagle Falcon was in a coma. No matter how Jens tried with several methods, he could not wake it.

Jens recalled the Crystal Eagle Falcon and said gravely, “The Crystal Eagle Falcon is still alive, but its spirit seems severely impacted, and ordinary means cannot revive it.”

This news cast a heavy shadow over everyone. The thought of fighting the nurtured being in such a hostile environment made their scalps prickle.

This was no game; you could not conjure platforms out of thin air during a boss fight. The boss’s area-of-effect attacks could not be dodged merely by creating gaps at the right moment. Even if Jens kept erecting energy barriers or Karlvo sliced platforms from the abyss rocks, the effort would be futile, for the opponent they faced likely exceeded their counter range, and even with platforms they could not shield one another.

“Speculating now is pointless. Let’s first locate the nurtured being, examine its surroundings, and discuss countermeasures.” Stran added gravely.

The search did not last long. In a clearing they found a massive black crystal, the only special object at the bottom of the Void Abyss. This crystal was unquestionably the nurtured object dropped by that prominent figure from the Arcane Empire.

The battle site was also set. Lando and the others located a high ledge near the rock wall on one side. It was not far from here, and after Karlvo reinforced it, it should meet their needs.

With everything in place, the next step was to determine the nurtured being’s state and check whether it possessed the mobility and combat capability Stran had anticipated.

They had originally intended for the infantry to wait on the platform, but they refused to budge. There was a real possibility that the nurtured being was nothing more than a fragile box that would shatter on contact, in which case, if they stayed too far away, the released spiritual energy would not be theirs.

Thus they remained on Jens’s barrier, though Jens had the Crystal Wing God Dragon fly farther away.

The task of “opening the boss” fell unhesitatingly to Lando and Stran. After they reached a suitable distance and the others were ready, each unleashed an attack upon the giant black crystal.

The crystal surface flickered but otherwise remained unchanged.

Just as Lando and Stran prepared to deliver stronger blows, the giant black crystal suddenly trembled. Their eyes sharpened; they no longer held back but struck with full force. Flames, wind blades, boulders, shockwaves—every variety of assault rained down upon the crystal. Not only Lando and Stran, but the remote attackers also displayed their full skill, hurling attacks without restraint.

The giant black crystal seemed momentarily stunned. “How do these guys have no sense of decency? They haven’t even transformed yet!”

So pitiful!