The marks of battle were still fresh, and the air was thick with a scorched, acrid scent.
“Wait, could there be something else here?” Bai Xuan quickly crouched down, ducking behind a nearby pile of rubble.
After a moment, he slowly poked his head out to scan the area.
The most conspicuous feature was a door embedded in the opposite wall. It was massive, easily twice Bai Xuan’s height.
Complex magical patterns were carved into the door’s surface, but they looked dim now, as if their energy had been completely depleted.
【Magic Door: Requires a “key” to open.】
“A key?” Bai Xuan muttered to himself. “Another key. It’s probably hidden under a brick somewhere, isn’t it?”
Bai Xuan shifted his gaze from the door and finally let it rest on a heap of jagged rocks.
The pile wasn't particularly high, but it covered a wide area, looking as though it had been forced together.
“This... looks suspicious.”
Habitually, Bai Xuan expended mental energy to investigate, but he was suddenly hit by a wave of intense vertigo. He stumbled back several steps before falling flat on his rear.
“What's going on? Why did that take so much out of me?” He clutched his forehead, waiting a long while for his vision to clear before looking at the panel.
【Rock Core Guardian Lv. 10 (Transcendent)】
【Status: Heavily Injured, Slumbering, Dark Element Corrosion】
【Health: 80/2900】
【Mana: 70/900】
【Potential: 3-star (Monarch)】
【Earth Element Body (Undergoing Dark Corrosion... Trait transformation... Dark Element Body: Physical damage taken is greatly reduced, magic damage taken is reduced, Light element contact damage is massively increased)】
Bai Xuan swallowed hard.
The mental strain this time far exceeded anything before, several times more draining than when he had inspected the Ogre.
It seemed the cost of inspection was tied to the target’s strength—especially for a being that had stepped into the Transcendent rank. Even if it was on the verge of death, its fundamental nature was far beyond that of an ordinary creature.
Just look at those stats! Level 10, Transcendent rank, and its health was more than triple the Ogre’s. Its mana capacity was even more staggering at 900 points, over ten times that of the Ogre.
That trait was even more ridiculous—physical and magical damage reduction, with its only weakness being the Light element.
“To think such a thing was right under my nose.”
“And this Light element damage...” Bai Xuan recalled his own skills and immediately pulled up their detailed descriptions. A new elemental attribute had appeared in the skill notes:
【Holy Light Catalyst Lv. 0 (4%) (Holy): Tap a wound to use mana vibrations to quickly stop bleeding and stimulate muscle healing.】
【Redemption Strike Lv. 0 (2%) (Holy): A heavy, empowered strike.】
“Holy? Does that count as Light element?” he wondered. But for now, the key was more important.
With such a dangerous creature nearby, Bai Xuan moved with extreme caution.
He began to tip-toe around the space, hoping the panel would help him find the key’s location.
Near a corner, a dark, heavy rod caught his eye.
It was half-buried in the rubble, making it difficult to spot if one wasn't looking closely.
The rod's surface was smooth but bore several obvious impact dents, as if it had broken off from a much larger piece of equipment.
【Goldsand Iron: Rarity ★★★. A metal found within wind-eroded rock layers deep in the desert. It is wear-resistant, durable, and can be used to forge weapons, armor, and items.】
“The key?” Bai Xuan walked over curiously and picked it up.
It was heavy. Wielding it with one hand was a struggle, but two hands felt just right. It could serve as a makeshift weapon in a pinch.
But this didn't look like a key at all!
Bai Xuan turned his attention back to the rock pile. This time, he scanned it meticulously until he finally saw a panel prompt near the center of the heap:
【Rock Seal: The key to open a certain door. It will trigger automatically when brought near the door.】
Found it! But the problem was how to get it. The key was buried under the rock pile, and the Rock Core Guardian was part of that pile.
Bai Xuan hesitated.
Would digging for it wake the thing up? Even if it only had 80 health left, it was still a Level 10 Transcendent creature. A single slap from it would probably cost him several lives.
“I can’t just stand here and wait.”
After a brief internal struggle, Bai Xuan finally made up his mind. “It’s heavily injured and asleep; it shouldn't wake up that easily. If I’m careful, it should be fine.”
He slowed his breathing and crept toward the rock pile like a thief.
One step, two steps... until he reached the marked location, and the Rock Core Guardian showed no reaction.
Bai Xuan grew a bit bolder, squatting down to start clearing away the stones.
He had barely moved a few rocks when a slight tremor suddenly vibrated through the ground beneath his feet!
Terrified, Bai Xuan scrambled backward, only steadying himself when his heel hit the corner of the wall.
His entire body was tense, his hands gripping the Goldsand Iron rod tightly. Cold sweat poured down his face as his eyes remained glued to the rock pile.
Rumble—
The pile began to heave, rising higher and higher. Stones tumbled off its surface, revealing a giant, humanoid silhouette.
Its entire body was a dark, obsidian black, with only a small patch on its chest retaining its original earthy yellow color.
Its left arm was severed almost at the shoulder, while its right arm was relatively intact, propping up its upper body. Both legs were gone, severed at the hip, making it impossible for the creature to stand.
It turned out that the so-called rock pile was actually its broken limbs.
The Rock Core Guardian faced Bai Xuan and let out a low, hollow sound, but it made no further move.
No expression could be read on its stone-carved face, but its eyes—which should have glowed with an earthy yellow light—now held only faint, flickering red sparks that looked like they might go out at any moment.
It merely gave Bai Xuan a hollow look before slowly slumping back down, motionless.
At that moment, the health bar on the panel flickered:
【Health: 80/2900】→【Health: 79/2900】
“So it’s already dying...” Bai Xuan’s frayed nerves relaxed slightly, but he still didn't dare lower his guard.
He emboldened himself to take two steps closer; the Rock Core Guardian did not react.
Looking at this once-powerful guardian, now gasping for its final breaths and unable to even stand, Bai Xuan couldn't help but feel a complex sense of pity.
“You seem to be in a lot of pain...” Looking at the dark corruption marks, he felt as if he could sense the struggle occurring within its body.
Finally, he made a decision and tentatively walked over to the Rock Core Guardian’s side.
“I’ll see if I can help you.” Bai Xuan raised his hand and activated 【Holy Light Catalyst】.
A golden light surged from his palm, falling upon the Rock Core Guardian.
In the next second, something entirely unexpected happened!
The Rock Core Guardian’s body convulsed violently, and its health plummeted instantly:
【Health: 79/2900】→【Health: 31/2900】
At the same time, a system prompt appeared: 【Extremely high concentration of dark corruption detected. Skill triggered “Light Purification” damage.】
“Crap!” Bai Xuan scrambled back in a panic.
The Rock Core Guardian went into a frenzy, its remaining right arm slamming down violently onto the spot where he had just been standing.
With a thunderous crash, stone fragments sprayed everywhere, and a deep crater was smashed into the ground.
But that strike seemed to have exhausted the last of its strength. The massive body collapsed with a heavy thud, moving no more.
Bai Xuan stood there, shaken. He leaned against the wall, panting, his palms drenched in sweat and his heart hammering against his ribs.
“That... I didn't mean to do that, do you believe me...?” He felt awkward and guilty, though he knew the creature couldn't understand him.
The panel had mentioned that “Light element contact damage is massively increased.”
It turned out that whether it was healing or an attack, as long as it had the Holy attribute, it was lethal to the guardian in its corrupted state.
Looking at the Rock Core Guardian’s sliver of remaining health, Bai Xuan felt a pang of unease.
He tentatively stepped forward. He had 10 mana left, just enough for one last use.
“Since I can't help you, then I’ll at least give you a quick end.” Bai Xuan activated 【Holy Light Catalyst】 once more.
The golden light descended.
【Health: 0/2900】
The Rock Core Guardian’s body began to crumble, turning into fine dust from the edges and scattering with the wind.
Only two items remained where it had been.
Rate on N.U.
