Descending to the bottom of the slope, Lynch immediately sensed the change in the environment.
The Death Energy in the air was far more concentrated; just standing there, a pervasive aura of decay and despair began to seep inexplicably into his heart.
As far as the eye could see, the world was a lifeless wasteland—withered trees, rotting leaves, utterly devoid of vitality. It felt as though he had stepped into a realm where death reigned supreme, with no trace of hope in sight.
The temperature was much colder too, a chilling cold that crept from within to the outside, sending shivers down his spine, as though some unseen, unclean presence was clinging to his back.
It was astonishing how a mere few steps could feel like crossing two distinct worlds. Lynch truly didn't understand why the change was so profound.
"Get on with it," he muttered.
Shaking his head, he suppressed the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind and refocused on the task at hand.
Standing at the edge of the wasteland, he refrained from recklessly stepping forward and instead took a few moments to carefully survey the area.
The ancient oak tree embedded with the Soul Crystal appeared to be roughly less than five hundred meters away—a distance that was not particularly far. If he sprinted, he could reach it within two minutes.
But this was only a straight-line estimate, and who could say what lay beneath the piles of decayed leaves: solid ground or treacherous, man-eating swamps?
"I must pinpoint the exact path first."
With this thought in mind, Lynch promptly retrieved seven or eight silver-colored metal spheres about the size of eggs from his Space Pocket. He tapped them lightly with his Magic Wand, and the spheres immediately unfolded, transforming into intricate little Alchemy Spiders.
Their design was almost identical to the Alchemy Spiders used by the noble apprentice during the assessment—but with one distinction: these spiders were crafted from ordinary gray-silver material, making them low-cost, at just 3 Magic Stones for ten units.
Lynch picked up one of the spiders and tapped it on its back with his Magic Wand, then proceeded to control it to crawl toward the direction of the ancient oak tree.
Previously, during assessments, he had used his wand to perceive the terrain for convenience. But now, with his life on the line, he opted for extra caution, sending these expendable Alchemy Spiders ahead to probe for potential dangers.
"Rustle…"
Just then, about thirty meters ahead, the seemingly calm surface stirred. The solid ground suddenly transformed into a muddy swamp, snaring the spider in its center, rendering it immobile.
Soon after, ripples rapidly spread across the surface, roiling like boiling water. In the next instant, with a resounding 'whump,' the swamp seemed to morph into a gigantic mouth, devouring the spider whole in one gulp.
"So fast..."
Calling this a swamp didn't do it justice—it was more of a trap. Witnessing the spider vanish in a mere instant spurred an involuntary twinge of fear deep in Lynch's heart, tempting him to retreat.
"Stay calm. Trust your own abilities. If you lack the courage to claim treasure within your reach, how will you survive in this treacherous world?"
Slapping his cheeks lightly, Lynch compelled himself to regain composure.
Dispelling the shadow in his heart, he took out the remaining Alchemy Spiders and resumed probing the paths ahead.
The second spider advanced 80 meters…
The third 150 meters…
The fourth spider…
The fifth spider…
Finally, after sacrificing five Alchemy Spiders, Lynch mapped out a definitive route: first heading left, then diagonal to the right-front, and finally looping back to the left. The path generally formed a zig-zag shape.
"Nearly two kilometers…"
What initially appeared to be a mere five hundred meters had now multiplied several times over. With his physical endurance, it would take at least ten minutes, and running back and forth would demand even more time.
"If only the Soul Crystal could simply be pried off the tree trunk by brute force…"
Were that possible, Lynch would have gladly sent Parker to fetch the crystal directly. But that would only destroy the artifact's integrity—the originally priceless item worth tens of thousands of Magic Stones would become utterly worthless.
Extracting something as precious as a Soul Crystal required utmost precision and skill.
"Let's go."
No longer delaying, Lynch set out on his path, Parker accompanying him.
Even though the route had already been probed by the Alchemy Spiders, Lynch didn't dare let his guard down. With every step, he meticulously used his Magic Wand to perceive the road beneath him while scanning his surroundings for any potential Magic Plants.
Previously, a mistake would merely result in injury or assessment failure; now, a single misstep could cost him his life.
One step...
Two steps...
Lynch cautiously crossed the wasteland, surrounded by an eerie silence, interrupted only by the occasional system notification echoing in his ears.
[Spirit Perception Skill Level +1]
Advancing at a snail's pace, crossing the short two kilometers took nearly two hours. Yet it was precisely Lynch's prudence that allowed him to avoid potential dangers—
The path was riddled with hidden swamps. These swamps were small and scattered like trap pits along the center of the road. They hadn't been triggered earlier likely because the Alchemy Spiders were too compact to tread directly over them. Without Lynch's Spirit Perception guiding him, he would have inevitably stepped into one.
Although these swamps weren't expansive enough to swallow him entirely, their proven ability to devour suggested they could easily claim a leg or part of his body.
"Whew!~"
Lynch let out a long breath. Whether due to tension or exhaustion, the mere two kilometers felt more arduous than his entire journey from the Tower. Sweat drenched him, and his spiritual power was significantly drained.
[Spirit Perception Skill Level +1]
[Spirit Perception Skill Level Maxed. Spirit Perception Upgraded]
[Spirit Perception lv1: 1/1000]
At that moment, a cascade of system prompts rang in his ears. Simultaneously, the Will Rune within Lynch's Sea of Consciousness blazed with light, instantly triggering a transformation in his spiritual energy.
This change felt peculiar—his spiritual power became purer, strengthening its connection to the world and enhancing his tactile perception significantly.
When Lynch activated his Perception Skill again, the improvement was evident.
Previously, his perception could only extend two or three meters around him and remained superficial, barely distinguishing physical differences.
Now, however, his perception ranged up to ten meters—and delved into elemental layers, allowing him to discern the elements affixed to substances and the material samples within ten meters with remarkable clarity.
"So this is what the world truly looks like…"
Reining in his wandering thoughts, Lynch lifted his gaze to the exquisite crystal embedded in the tree trunk ahead.
Shaped like a meticulously crafted teardrop, it was transparent, resembling the darkest night sky yet emanating a faint blue glow from within. This glow seemed otherworldly, both mysterious and entrancing, standing out vividly within the dim Corrupted Forest.
Lynch understood that the blue luminescence came from the souls of the departed. If you moved closer, you could even hear faint whispers—fragmented echoes of their past lives.
After briefly examining the crystal, Lynch swiftly retrieved Magic Stone Water, Rune Pen, Rune Knife, and the corpse of a Corrupted Tree Demon from his Space Pocket.
The Soul Crystal was a parasitic lifeform. It couldn't survive independently and required a host body to absorb energy. Without a host, it would perish quickly.
Given the wilderness, Lynch couldn't find a suitable host on short notice. As such, he decided to repurpose the corpse of the Corrupted Tree Demon. Despite being dead, residual energy in its body would remain intact for a time—enough to sustain the Soul Crystal until he returned to the Tower.
After all, he couldn't use himself or Parker as hosts.
Taking out his Rune Pen and Magic Stone Water, Lynch began inscribing a Magic Array onto the tree trunk—a Disruption Magic Array to destabilize the energy link between the parasite and the host, a necessary step for separating the two.
The process proceeded smoothly—at first—but fortune had met its end.
Just as Lynch's Magic Stone Pen touched the tree trunk—or rather, as his position fully entered the proximity of the ancient oak tree—an unexpected upheaval occurred!
"WHOOOSH!"
Out of nowhere, the seemingly dead ancient oak came alive. Its towering branches twisted and stretched toward Lynch's neck, resembling nightmarish hands poised to strangle him then and there.
"Clang!"
At the critical moment, a scroll flung into the air intercepted the advancing branches. Lynch pointed with his fingertip, conjuring a faint glimmer of light that caused the scroll to unfurl rapidly.
The parchment, yellowed and aged, revealed Rune Language markings, writhing like twisted tadpoles. Alongside a complex Hexagram pattern, they radiated dazzling light as an eerie chant rose—a bizarre, indecipherable spell performed by the Elemental Spirit's conductor's baton.
As the cryptic chanting grew more intense, the surrounding elements began to stir, bursting into frenzied activity. They rushed toward the scroll, forming a transparent barrier etched with intricate runes that encased Lynch completely.
Defense Scroll: Element Barrier!