Chapter 94: Light Core Fruit

"Hi, welcome to the treasure room! Ha, did you think Paula would trust you to come in here by yourself?" A beautiful woman in a black dress smiled, her pale skin shimmering, her eyes glowing like two beautiful orbs full of flecks of moonlight.

"Sorry to surprise you! Hahaha! I'm Benna by the way! I'm a Ki Enigma made personally by the demon king!" Benna waved her arm and slightly moved to the side, opening up the space for Howard's entry. "You'll see all types of treasures here! There is hundred year Ki Strengthening Fruits, Ki Enmeshing Plants, Diamond Lily Organs. You name it!"

"Huh," Howard said, walking after her in the room and studying her body. "You're a human? How are you the only I've seen here that isn't a Ki Enigma!"

"Heh, there's a village behind the mountain!" Benna pointed to the east and smiled. "Hahaha! It's easier for humans to live here than in the Furnace! If you wanted to, I'd be defenseless to stop you from taking me with you, but please don't."

Benna stopped in front of a bookshelf, and tossed Howard a book. When he opened it, he'd find an inventory with over 10,542 rare items still remained in the room. A few had been marked in golden that counted as two items, and only one had been literally written in diamond ink.

"What's the best item?" Howard didn't have time to look through all the items. "I-I just want to get stronger quicker, but not so quickly that it messes with my future."

In most webnovels, the main character always made a mistake of getting strong too fast, and Howard always remembered that. If he got strong too fast, then his future prospects could be harmed. Obviously, he cherished improving above all else, but also valued being able to protect others!

Benna smiled and gently pointed at the book before she kicked a swiveling ladder to her right. It coasted down to a section full of ripening fruit. Strangely, they seemed to be growing from Vines on the wall.

"Hmmm, well I am supposed to memorize the details about everything in the book! Heh, I think I can help you little man." Benna tapped a fruit before a strange nectar fell out of it. "Try putting this on your skin right now. It's on the house."

"What is it?" Howard looked at the strange, soft liquid she had in her hand and somewhat nervously put it on his skin. "Ugh, it feels weird. What does it do?"

"It's called Nectar of the Night Seed. It will make it easier to think clearly when you're trying to make decision in this room, hahahaha! Look around."

"Hmmm, I do feel a little smarter," Howard picked up the inventory book again, and began to look through it. "I-I guess do you know what the Bristol Night Fruit is?" Howard handed her the book and pointed to that section. "I-I heard from Hakrele you had fruit hundreds of times more effective here."

"Hundreds, hmmmm, maybe 3 times." Benna walked over to a glass jar. More precisely she walked over to a shelf with hundreds of large glass cases that contained various glowing fruits and flora. The beautiful plant you see right here is completely and totally useless, hahaha, but the one above it. It's called the Light Core Fruit. It takes roughly 1000 years to grow! Hahaha! However, it's worth 2 of the 3 items. Do you want it?"

"What will it do?" Howard gently touched the glass case, feeling a protective layer of Ki around it. "Will it make my body reach the peak of the C rank?"

"Well, if you ate it all in one day you'd reach peak of the B rank, but then you'd die," Benna sighed and opened the glass case. "You have to eat one bite a week for a year. There is instructions that come with how to eat it! You can't just take big bites or you might go boom! Hahaha!"

Benna had a very optimistic outlook, but her tone carried a little bit of fear. She seemed to be scared to even touch it, and turned to Howard with her eyes watering.

"Uhm, I can't really move it. You mind saving my kids from losing their beautiful mother?" Benna gently moved aside. "Heh, oh yeah, I got to remove the shield!"

"It's fine!" Howard smiled, picking up the glass lid of the jar before he reached in and grabbed the fruit. "Heh, I just learned how to use Ki Projection a little bit. Hence, I can remove the protective layer on the glass!"

"That-that's bad for security," Benna wiped the sweat off her head.

She literally had began to shiver almost a meter away from Howard, trying her hardest to avoid the temptation she felt from the fruit. "Anyways, heh! Come take the manual! As for your final item, can you make your decision fast! My shift is almost over and if that fruit touches me I'll die."

"Hmmm, do you have any good presents for a girl? One that's struggling with her confidence?" Howard smiled and tossed the book on the desk. "I-I know someone who will really need a present when she finally sees me again! Something that can help deal with injuries?"

"Ugh, I do!" Benna exclaimed, holding up her finger in an 'L' shape with her finger pointing upward. "There-there is another fruit, but I also can't touch it."

"Actually, you remember the one I told you is useless. It's that one! That one just makes you forget everything that happened for 100 days in exchange for an increase in strength. However, that's obviously not valuable! Who'd want to forget what happened in the last two months?"

"I hope no one," Howard smiled and broke the case, putting the fruit in his back pocket before he took a smile bite out of the Light Core Fruit.

Benna could hardly believe her eyes.

He'd just taken a bite three times the recommended portion!

"Howard, oh no! Stay right there! I-I'm so fired! If I ended up killing the next demon king, they won't give me a raise!"

"Relax, I can feel the Ki in the fruit. I'm sure I can handle it!" Howard smiled and waved his hand, holding his stomach as it gently rumbled. "Heh, I promise! I'm much stronger than I look! A bite that size a week means I can digest this in three months!"

"You-you're brave!" Benna smiled and wiped the sweat from her head. "I'll miss you! Come visit another time! Maybe when you reach the B rank Paula will let you get one more item! Heh, don't die okay!"

"Thank you, Benna," Howard smiled and tossed the so called 'useless fruit' in his hands. "I'd love to meet your family next time. Maybe we can have dinner and I can see your husband! I bet he's awesome!"

"Oh, he is. Except he's not the best people person! Anyways, don't explode remember! If you do, I'm fired!"

RRRRR!

Howards stomach rumbled again before he laughed and put the Light Core Fruit in the satchel he'd been given by Benna. It was worth the pain currently spreading rapidly though his body right now.

"Ugh, Una, I really hope you're alright," Howard put the other fruit carefully in the second flap of the bag. "Once we win this competition, I'll fill every single day we're together with a smile."