Chapter 147: One of Them Is Still Alive[Bonus Chapter]

Following Nox's instructions, both Thirteen and Fluffington had sneaked past the ongoing battles and were now heading into the cave. However, there was an obstruction in their path—a huge boulder blocking the entrance.

It was the result of Nox's destructive Shadow Oblivion. Fluffington looked at the structure with a slight trace of fear in his eyes. Most of the frozen mountain was slowly falling off, and the cat was scared that the mountains might collapse and bury them under its crushing weight.

Thirteen, however, didn't display any sign of fear. The panda confidently walked towards the large boulder, lifted it off the ground, and threw it to the side effortlessly as though the boulder, which weighed several tons, was nothing more than a pebble. His immense strength and calm demeanor made quick work of the obstacle.

Fluffington's eyelid twitched slightly. Why did it feel as if this panda was showing off? Dismissing this thought, the duo stepped into what appeared to be a tunnel; a wave of biting cold poured out from the depths of the cave, causing Thirteen to shiver slightly. There was no powerful aura or anything of the sort, but the cold was so intense that it could force anyone to their knees.

Regardless, the panda and the cat pressed forward, and as they headed deeper into the cave, the sound of the intense fighting that was going on outside gradually faded into the background. What accompanied them was the occasional clattering of falling ice.

[Umu?] After what appeared to be twenty minutes, Thirteen and Fluffington arrived at an opening that was over a hundred feet wide and seemed to extend endlessly into the heart of the mountain.

Fluffington, who was much older and experienced, paused in his steps, frozen in shock.

[This—so many beast cores!] The cat's eyes sparkled when he saw the shimmering blue crystals adorning the walls and scattered throughout on the ground. Though the room was partially destroyed with rocky outcroppings everywhere, it couldn't hide the treasures that seemed to be announcing themselves to the world.

Even the panda's eyes lit up when he saw this scene!

[Beast cores!] Thirteen jumped up in excitement. Although the panda didn't know many things, it knew what beast cores were... after all, it was these shiny things that had increased his strength tremendously.

Thirteen began to salivate, imagining how strong he'd become if he absorbed all these beast cores... perhaps he could even break through the bottleneck he had been stuck at for years.

[Nox, you were right!] Fluffington telepathically relayed what he had seen to Nox, his voice filled with excitement. [There are indeed treasures inside this place... from my estimation, I think there should be over 300 beast cores and some magical items.]

[If there is a way, I want you to take everything... oh wait, you don't have inventory like me.] Nox's clear voice rang in both Thirteen and Fluffington's heads. He was speaking a bit fast, and the two beasts could tell he was in the middle of something. MVLeMpYr.com-verified

This was even more apparent because the connection line disconnected as a blaring noise, far louder than anything they had heard before in their lives, boomed in their heads. It was so loud that the two were forced to disconnect from the connection.

[I guess it's up to us now.] Fluffington turned to Thirteen, and a brief glint of understanding flashed across their eyes as a mischievous thought invaded their heads.

[Since there is no place to store them, why don't we store them in our bellies?] Fluffington suggested with a slightly mischievous grin. He looked like a rebellious older brother trying to convince his younger sibling to go against their parents. [You know, like how some animals store food for later. It's not like we'll be needing those snacks anytime soon, right?]

Thirteen's gaze swept over the beast cores; he seemed to be having an inner conflict. One part of him wanted to absorb the beast cores, while another part wanted to bring them to Nox, as he could also have use for them. The panda thought long and hard, and then he thought of someone.

[Asta.] Thirteen spoke up.

[Of course, we'll bring some for her too... besides, I think she needs them more than us because she's just a LV1 Wilding.]

Nod! Nod!

Thirteen nodded in agreement.

Far away, Astralux, who heard her brother's plans for her, smiled sweetly.

While the two were lost in thought, Fluffington noticed a boulder that had fallen on a man. Though he was dead, his eyes remained open, showing the confusion from his final moments.

This man was one of the powerful Awakened who had bypassed the elemental beast's terrifying ability. Fluffington and Thirteen ignored the man and headed deeper. Soon, they spotted something—or, more specifically, someone.

It was a middle-aged man, who was also crushed by a giant frozen rock, but in his grasp were two crystals...

Thirteen and Fluffington paused, captivated by the crystals. They had never seen such beautiful ones before. Even though the middle-aged man held the crystals tightly, the freezing blue aura blending with a shadowy glow was clearly visible.

[T-this.] Fluffington and Thirteen didn't know what these crystals could do, but their instincts screamed that these were the most important treasures here. If they didn't take them, they'd surely regret it in the future. The two looked at each other and shared an unspoken agreement that they'd take these two shiny things back to their master.

Unlike the beast cores, this wasn't something they could absorb casually; it needed to be taken to Nox to be examined.

Fluffington nodded at Thirteen, and the panda squatted down to pry the dead man's hands open. As soon as they did, the intense glow of the crystals bathed their faces, casting shadows on the walls. Thirteen felt the intense power radiating from the crystals and swallowed saliva. He was tempted to absorb them but resisted.

"Stop!" Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Before they could put the crystals away, a voice called out.

Thirteen and Fluffington looked further ahead and saw a tall, green-haired youth with an athletic build coming out of what used to be an ice prison.