Chapter 1106: Ancient Karst Spring, Secret Underwater Base
System Alert: You have resisted the powerful energy!
Izroth was not concerned about the powerful energy attempting to invade his body thanks to his Heavenly Golden Body and his newly upgraded Ring of the Primordial Colossus.
'As expected of a unique item. The effects are even better than I anticipated. The moment the powerful energy feels like it's going to invade my body, it is immediately expelled.'
Accessory Name: Ring of the Primordial Colossus(Soulbound)
Accessory Rank: Unique
Might: +1
Physical Strength: +1,000%
«Might of the Ancient Colossus>> - The wearer of this ring unlocks the <<Might». This stat cannot be increased using stat points and must be raised through combat or other methods.
<<Strength of the Primordial Colossus>> - Temporarily increases the user's Might and amplifies its effects by 200% for 1 minute.
Cooldown Time: 10 minutes
<<Might of the Primordial Colossus>> - The user's physical attacks deal [360%] (2% bonus physical damage per 10% of the user's bonus physical strength) as physical damage. The user also recovers 100% faster from all negative status effects and physical irregularities. Special Note: Might greatly enhances the user's physical strength and physical capabilities. If trained properly, the user's body can become a virtually indestructible weapon, capable of crushing even raw magic with their bare hands! Once equipped, this item is soulbound to its wearer and cannot be traded or sold. If soulbound, this item is automatically destroyed if dropped from the user's inventory. Having this item equipped does not consume an accessory slot.
'Although it's a shame the amount of might it gives did not go up, the increase in my physical strength is beyond my expectations. The Strength of the Ancient Colossus is also now the Strength of the Primordial Colossus, doubling its amplification effects with a much lower cooldown. Of course, the reason it's a unique item is undoubtedly due to the Might of the Primordial Colossus. This effect alone has taken my attack power to a new level.'
With his current bonus physical strength from the Earthly Golden Bones of his Heavenly Golden Body, might stat, and the Ring of the Primordial Colossus, Izroth's was 18 times stronger than the vast majority of players. If he managed to train his might and Heavenly Golden Body to their peak states, even with his physical body alone he would be able to face off against those in the legendary realm!
If he also mastered the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection on top of that and reached 100% completion with the Great Void Merging, the attack from earlier would pale in comparison to what he was truly capable of.
As Izroth swam deeper into the Ancient Karst Spring, several strong underwater currents emerged out of nowhere. However, the currents were unable to obstruct Izroth's pace. Because of the Breath of the Great Sea skill he received after clearing the final phase of the Great Sea Palace raid, he was resistant to Flow. Additionally, movement restrictions no longer applied to him when submerged in water; therefore, his speed was no different than if he was on land.
'Hm? That area... The flow of water changes around there.'
Izroth's Energy Vision Sense was still not functioning properly because of the infected mana; however, he still had his natural senses to rely on.
A bit more than fifteen meters away from his position, Izroth discovered a hole roughly three meters in diameter. The strong underwater currents seemed to originate from that hole. But, more than that, Izroth could feel it even without his Energy Vision Sense-the infected mana was strongest in that location.
'Is this what Peaceful Chaos and the members of Blue Oasis were trying to investigate? If so, it's no wonder they tried to keep this a secret.'
It would not be impossible for those of Blue Oasis to reach this place. The powerful energy that attempted to invade his body was most likely the infected mana. However, infected mana was only a genuine threat if one possessed a high quantity of mana. Even if one included his artificial mana pool, Izroth's total mana did not exceed 10,000 points. For someone like him, the "attacks" from the infected mana would be weak in comparison to Empyrean who had over 120,000 mana.
There were also numerous methods at one's disposal to get past the strong underwater currents. Certainly, for a top guild like Blue Oasis, employing such methods would be relatively easy.
That being said, Izroth did not believe that Blue Oasis had ventured into that place just yet. And, even if they did, it would not have been more than a small scout group seeing as how Peaceful Chaos was not involved.
Izroth arrived in front of the hole. He was greeted by darkness, accompanied by a chilling energy that leaked out and could be felt to one's bones. After briefly examining the entrance, Izroth wasted no time heading onward.
-The <<Mad Alchemist, Polkentin>> will consider you an enemy.
-X1 <<Polkentin's Elixir of Dreams>>>
-x1 <<Epic Item Treasure Chest>>
Failure:
-The <<Mad Alchemist, Polkentin>> will consider you an enemy.
-Lose 3 levels.
-Lose -500 world fame.
Back when Izroth first met the guild leader of Sacred Beasts, Meng Jiang, they were facing off against a world boss monster with their guild. That monster was called Polkentin's Failed
Chimera.
A person who had the ability to create a level 50 world boss monster and have it be considered a failure was not someone to be underestimated. More importantly, the fact that they let such
a monster loose into the world spoke of their character. Of course, that and the Mad Alchemist title they seemed to hold.
Regardless, it was not someone most people would want to get caught up with, whether it was as an ally or foe.
'Isn't this quest favoring one side a little too much?'
Not only were the rewards for aiding Polkentin greater, but the failure penalty was also not bad. However, when it came to obstructing the Mad Alchemist, the rewards were not that good compared to its counterpart. Furthermore, the failure penalty was much harsher. The allure of a unique rank item alone was too difficult for most players to ignore, especially those top guilds like Blue Oasis.
But, even if the rewards were not as great and the failure penalty was much harsher, Izroth knew what choice he had to make.
[System Alert: You have accepted the quest <<To Dream of Being Divine»>!
[System Alert: You have chosen to obstruct the <<Mad Alchemist, Polkentin>>![] System Alert: 0/1 Destroy <<Polkentin's Secret Underwater Base>> before the time limit is up!
[System Alert: Warning! The location of <<Polkentin's Secret Underwater Base>> will be announced to the world in 10 minutes.[]
'Of course, it couldn't be that simple for an S-rank quest.'
The fact that the system was going to announce its location to the world meant that it would
not be long before players began to swarm here. Of course, there were some who would have to make preparations first; however, he still had to destroy this place for eight hours. Not only that, but the fact that the system was going this far to attract other players to this location could only mean one thing-quests. Not just any quests, but quests that were made to work against him. After all, if there were two sides to a coin.
Still, either way it went, Izroth would likely have to face other players who chose the side
opposite of him.
'If this Polkentin is a threat to the Mortal Realm, then our paths are bound to cross as enemies, eventually. If that's the case, I might as well gain some benefits along the way.'