Chapter 53: Into an Awry Situation

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'Bang!' 'Peng!'

Vren's stalwart figure pounced forward dealing with a mature Violent Stone Bear. Unlike the one Apollo faced, this one was an early stage Rank 3 adversary and yet Vren seemed capable of handling its blows. Of course, it wasn't a simple walk in the park. Using his greatsword, he deflected a majority of the incoming attacks. As a result, his health in Apollo's eyes was barely moving!

'Definitely the defensive type!' mused Apollo as he continued to spectate the ongoing battle. Journeying with them, he took the time to digest their styles.

"Crushing Slash!" roared Vren as his greatsword became encased in an earthen yellow hue before landing on the spine of the Violent Stone Bear. Although it wasn't enough to render it immobile, it dealt substantial damage!

Following up, Slaid waved his arms as multiple knives carrying wisps of wind pierced the bear's body, "Windscore Prison". The projectiles crisscrossed as the weaving wind element formed a net which continued to lacerate the spirit beast.

"Haha, how can I be left out of the fun?" unsheathing two sabers from his waist, Krone dashed forward at breakneck speeds comparable to Apollo's extreme top speed. A crimson glint appeared on his sabers.

Twisting his wrist, 3 arcs of crimson energy left from the tips of his weapons. "Chained Scarlet Strikes!" The area they landed upon bubbled, seemingly cooked from the temperature of the strike. Rather than joining it, Apollo dissected their actions. He noted their strengths and weaknesses.

'Slaid's attacks are light but continuous and happen faster than the other two. Vren is slow but each strike carries an overbearing weight behind it. As for Krone, his strikes appear to be more trained. Overall, their strikes should be at least 3 times heavier than my normal ones. I wonder…'

Apollo began to silently speculate about the elements of Natural Essence which then made his thoughts take a turn. 'What warrants a person being able to wield an additional element? I've opened my acupoints but I can only manipulate trace amounts of the fire element.'

[Well, that's easy to explain. As you saw, your cultivation method can help determine the elements you train with. However, in a regular situation, a person's third set of meridians will determine the elements one carries an affinity for.]

'You mean to say, that one can only realize their affinities upon reaching the Spirit-Grade Inner Physique?' questioned Apollo as he looked at the 3 handling the beast with tacit movements. In his eyes', the beast's health drained at a stable rate despite its attempts to protect itself.

[Partly correct. It will determine the elements but the dantian is what truly forms the connection. At that moment, when it is opened, your meridians will meld with it causing a phenomenon you'll become privy to.]

'I see. Although...Azridan, you omit a lot of information. It wouldn't hurt to give me some extra details would it?' complained Apollo as he found Azridan's way of speaking to be quite disgruntling.

[Heh, then that'll be no fun. After all, I'm partly a being of mischief~ I take pleasure in seeing you pursue knowledge and desire for more! Ahahaha!]

"Tch…" clicking his tongue Apollo shook his head in contempt as he shifted his gaze towards another foe. The trio had already finished dealing with the Violet Stone Bear, hence, there was no reason to continue looking in their direction.

Removing the Vantablack Knife from his waist, Apollo initiated a battle of his own. After all, why would he give up the chance to accrue experience? However, rather than utilizing the Phantasmal Daemos Movement Technique, he only used his natural agility. Nevertheless, his speed caught their eyes as the trio turned their head.

'As I expected, he's an agility-type. I'm sure of it now, his speed more than justifies him slaying the beasts if he used the hit and run style of battle. However, that weapon…' thought Krone as he glanced at the Vantablack Knife in Apollo's grasp. From the workmanship alone, he felt it to be of a decent grade.

'Rank 3?' thought Krone before glancing at his own weapon and differences in their material. 'It could be so. Without testing its conductivity, I'm willing to bet that weapon is on par with a Rank 3 Weapon Artifact.'

Regrettably, one thing he overlooked was the lack of fluctuations from the weapon in and of itself. That was a clear indicator of an artifact reaching Rank 3. It'll be able to channel Natural Essence easily. Nevertheless, it was a justifiable misconstrued thought; the material of the knife was stellar.

To the unlearned eye, it would be perceived exactly how Krone did. On the other hand, a flash of desire appeared within Slaid's eyes as he peered at the weapon, 'That weapon. Even if I don't use it, it'll fetch a pretty penny! The question remains...how do I get my hands upon it? Snatching from a child seems rather…'

Snapping his fingers, Krone signaled to Vren and Slaid to remain in place. Instead of joining, they stood in place spectating Apollo's battle with a late-stage Rank 2 Violet Stone Bear. It turned out to be within his limits as long as there wasn't anything he needed to split his attention on.

'They're evaluating my strength...so let's give them a false notion,' thought Apollo as he stuck to basic movements. Needless to say, with his agility it was enough to deal with the bear. Dodging its earth element attacks, Apollo landed strike after strike on its joints then proceeded to mutilated its Lesser Earthen Armor. As the large pieces of stone fell, exposing its vital area. Apollo went in for the kill; clean and swift!

'This kid...he has the makings of a killer! His unmoving expression while killing is on par with professional mercenaries. I wonder… what has he experienced? Perhaps, we'll be able to do that with his addition. We wouldn't need to worry about a 4th. Not to mention, he doesn't seem to have a cultivation method.'

A small smirk formed on Krone's lips as he formed slightly dark thoughts, 'He'll be within our control due to this sole reason. If we lead him deeper, he'll have to listen to our every direction lest he wants to forfeit his life.'

[NEGATIVE INTENTIONS! And there are 2 sources. It seems those two seeks to harm you or at the very least, they covet something you carry.]

'Oh? I guess they think I'm some naive child who'll offer my neck to them. Little do they know, I'm aware of all their intentions,' inwardly chuckled Apollo after claiming the murky yellow Essence Core.

As he proceeded towards the rest, Krone offered praise, "You're more capable than my previous estimations. As such, I'll treat you as close to our equal. With that being said, I seek for you to become our fourth and let us journey across the border."

Gazing in the direction Krone pointed, Apollo looked at the border of the central region. According to Azridan's prior information that was where the high-level Rank 3 beasts resided. This was also the point at which the disparities became apparent.

"The question is, now that you know my capabilities… are you able to guarantee my safety?" inquired Apollo with a stern expression. Of course, this was all a facade as he truly couldn't care less. He was confident in his ability to escape on his own. Not to mention, a hidden path he left for himself.

For a moment, Krone's expression staled from being questioned by a child not even one-third of his age but it soon recovered its earlier amicability. "With what I've seen, I'm sure of it."

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Not long after, they departed only for Vren's bellow to echo into the distance. "What de' FUCK! This is why I said nay' to this venture!"