Superb Element

Rayne nearly cried out, barely managing to hold it back.

Outwardly, he remained calm, but inside, his emotions churned like stormy seas. He could hardly believe his eyes—he had actually seen three elements in the soul of a Gold-Eating Ant!

"Stay calm! Stay calm!"

"Don't let anyone notice."

Rayne looked away. The other customers were each making their selections, and no one was paying attention to him. Especially the Wizard who seemed to be a skilled Soul Appraiser—he was standing some distance away. Only then did Rayne secretly let out a breath of relief.

Pretending that nothing had happened, he took two steps forward and leaned closer to examine the Gold-Eating Ant carefully.

This Gold-Eating Ant looked utterly ordinary. At first glance, it was no different from the other ants. But upon closer inspection, its coloring was darker and deeper, while the edges of its body and limbs were more sharply defined. It was slightly smaller than an ordinary ant, seeming more compact and sturdy.

For some reason, it also remained completely still inside the glass jar, devoid of vitality, like a work of art cast from steel.

Within the Soul Eye, the Gold-Eating Ant's elements emerged again. This time, Rayne saw them with perfect clarity.

"Holy shit, it really has three elements!"

Rayne was filled with amazement. After sensing them carefully, he quickly identified all three elements. He had seen every one of them in the Book of Thousand Souls not long ago.

The first was the Strength Element, which could greatly increase physical strength. This was a basic element of Gold-Eating Ants; Rayne had just seen it in another one.

However, he discovered that this Gold-Eating Ant's Strength Element was far stronger than the previous one's.

Strength was a Physique Element that could be enhanced. Every enhancement would greatly increase one's strength, sometimes multiplying it several times over.

And this Gold-Eating Ant's Strength Element had clearly been enhanced.

Most likely, it devoured the souls of its own kind, which strengthened its Strength Element.

Rayne had his suspicions, but he did not pay much attention to the Strength Element. The second element had left him utterly stunned.

"Body of Steel!"

If there had not been other people around, Rayne would certainly have shouted aloud to vent his shock and awe.

Body of Steel was a Superb Physique Element!

Master Taimandola, author of the Book of Thousand Souls, had divided the several thousand elements he knew of into four grades according to their strength and rarity.

The most common and widespread elements were called Common Elements, such as Strength, Stone Skin, and Fire Breath. Next came rarer elements with greater power, known as Rare Elements. The core abilities of many transcendent professions were built around Rare Elements.

Then came the even rarer and more powerful Superb Elements. Obtaining just one could have a decisive impact on a transcendent profession, bringing an unimaginable increase in strength.

Last were the Legendary Elements. Every Legendary Element was renowned, and only a handful of known Legendary Elements existed. Even the Book of Thousand Souls listed only a dozen or so.

Common, Rare, Superb, Legendary.

The rarer the elements in these four grades were, the more powerful they tended to be, but that was not absolute.

Common Elements could achieve the power of Rare Elements through enhancement or advancement. With enough enhancements, they could even become stronger than elements of a higher grade.

For instance, if the Strength Element could be enhanced many times, it could rival a Superb Element or even attain the power of a Legendary Element. It was simply extremely difficult to accomplish.

In short, an element's grade represented both its rarity and its power.

Body of Steel was one of them. It was a Superb Element, second only to Legendary Elements, and one of the most famous Superb Elements at that!

Rayne had only just read the Book of Thousand Souls, and he clearly remembered its description of Body of Steel.

It could give a Transcendent an incredibly hard body. Their skin, muscles, bones, and even their hair would become indestructible. Their entire body would have almost no weakness, and ordinary weapons would find it difficult to break through their defenses. They would resemble an iron man truly forged from steel!

Someone whose entire body was like steel would naturally possess immense strength. That was likely why the Gold-Eating Ant's Strength Element had been enhanced.

There were only a few known sources of the Body of Steel Element, and every one of them was a terrifying monster. The most famous were the Bronze Giant and the Steel Dragon.

One was a Giant, the other a True Dragon. Both were Legendary monsters, far beyond the reach of ordinary Transcendents.

This Superb Element was the element every Iron Guard dreamed of obtaining.

Of course, other Transcendents desired it as well. No matter their profession, possessing Body of Steel was equivalent to gaining half another life. It would be difficult for enemies to kill them.

A Transcendent with Body of Steel could stand motionless before ordinary people and let them slash with blades or stab with swords, yet they might not even scrape off a patch of skin.

Moreover, Body of Steel could be enhanced again.

A flood of thoughts crossed Rayne's mind. What would it be like if Body of Steel were enhanced to its limit?

If a Wizard possessed Body of Steel, would that mean they no longer had any weakness in close combat?

An idea vaguely flashed through his mind.

But that was not all. This Gold-Eating Ant had a third element as well, and when Rayne saw it clearly, he exclaimed again.

The third element was called Metal Touch, a Rare Ability Element.

Ability Elements were already uncommon, and this one was Rare Tier. Rayne was almost numb with shock. What exactly was going on with this Gold-Eating Ant? What had happened to it?

He was no stranger to Metal Touch, because he had seen it in another shop not long ago.

It had belonged to a Rust Wraith Demon Soul, contained within a Soul Stone and priced at three hundred Gold Shields, drawing many people over to inspect it.

Rust Wraiths were a type of spirit. Their souls contained three elements: Heartrust Shriek, Light Body Technique, and Metal Touch.

The reason Rayne had paid such close attention to Rust Wraiths was that they were key to becoming a Mechanic.

After successfully undergoing Soul Transformation, one could change professions into a Mechanic by fusing with a Rust Wraith. Of the elements involved, the core element most important to a Mechanic was Metal Touch.

Metal Touch gave Mechanics a special sense. As long as they touched any metal object with their hands, they could immediately understand that metal's properties and structure as clearly as reading the lines on their palms.

With Metal Touch, Mechanics could make the most of it when crafting all sorts of equipment primarily made from metal, producing the strongest weapons!

After being enhanced, Metal Touch could grant Mechanics even more abilities. They would no longer be limited to touch; through scent, sound, and shape, they could identify information about metals.

This ability was extremely useful. Whether prospecting for minerals, locating internal damage in metal equipment, or casting metal-related spells, it would be of tremendous help.

In short, Metal Touch was like an affinity for metal, the foremost core element of every Mechanic.

After examining the three elements, Rayne nearly lost control of himself. Even his breathing grew heavier, and he almost suspected that he was hallucinating.

He had actually seen three elements in the soul of a weak Gold-Eating Ant, and none of them were ordinary.

Enhanced Strength, Metal Touch, Body of Steel!

One was a Common Element, one was a Rare Element, and one was a Superb Element.

Every one of these three elements was rare, yet they had gathered in the same soul—and such a weak soul at that.

Rayne checked again and again. Even though this Gold-Eating Ant possessed three elements, its soul was still much weaker than that of an ordinary Demon Soul. Furthermore, all three elements were extremely faint. If it were stored in a Soul Stone, many Soul Appraisers might overlook them entirely.

But no matter what, the three elements were unquestionably real. There could be no mistake.

"This is a miracle!"

Rayne praised it inwardly, then grew a little nervous. This time, he could not let someone else get there first.

Fortunately, this Gold-Eating Ant was inconspicuous in appearance and seemed lifeless, so no one had yet noticed anything unusual about it.

He stood in front of the glass jar containing the Gold-Eating Ant to prevent anyone from taking it. As he observed the other Gold-Eating Ants, he considered how he could take this one away.

"I definitely can't kill it here."

"If someone discovers this Gold-Eating Ant's true value, never mind whether I can keep the Demon Soul—I might not even make it out of the market alive."

Rayne could not make a precise judgment of the Demon Soul's value, but even with his knees, he knew what a sensation a Demon Soul containing a Superb Element would cause.

Even though the Gold-Eating Ant itself was weak, it could sell for at least ten thousand Gold Shields!

With so many Transcendents nearby, while he was merely an ordinary person, he was like a child carrying gold through a busy market. Once exposed, he would be courting death.

He might not even be able to take the Demon Soul out of this shop. The owner would be the first to object.

Rayne glanced at the shop owner and thought that he should first let the man make some money to avoid arousing suspicion. Pretending to have made a careful selection after observing for a while, he chose three Gold-Eating Ants, picked them up, and handed them to the owner. Full of anticipation, he said, "These three. Help me extract their Demon Souls."

Before the Gold-Eating Ants were killed, he paid three Gold Shields.

The owner happily accepted the money, then used an ironhammer to smash the ants to death one by one. As expected, none of the ants contained an element.

Rayne had known this would happen, but he still put on a disappointed expression.

The watching customers all had a hint of schadenfreude in their eyes, while the owner was even more delighted. Chuckling, he released the Gold-Eating Ant Demon Souls from the Soul Stones, restoring them to their clear crystal state.

After releasing a Demon Soul, a Soul Stone could be reused.

Rayne pretended to be extremely unwilling to accept it. After that, he selected several more Gold-Eating Ants in succession, still gaining nothing.

Seeing his expression, the owner thought that this young man had clearly gotten carried away. He said nothing, secretly rejoicing inside. Gambling on souls was how people like this made him money.

After giving away ten Gold Shields, Rayne felt that it was about enough. He snorted unwillingly and said loudly, "Boss, I've bought so many, but I haven't seen a single element. Haven't all your ants already been picked over?"

"How would I know whether they have elements? How could I pick them?"

The owner immediately became somewhat displeased. He had plenty of experience dealing with people who lost money and refused to accept it. With complete confidence, he said, "Your luck is bad. Don't talk nonsense. That gentleman just found an element, and you saw it yourself."

The other customers were drawn over, and someone nodded. "That's right, young man. A bet is a bet. You have to accept the result."

A few people who were likely planted by the shop also criticized Rayne, saying that he could not accept losing.

Rayne's face alternated between pale and flushed, as though he deeply regretted spending so much money. He touched his wallet, hesitated for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth. "Who says I can't afford it? I've got plenty of money. Give me another five!"

As he spoke, he angrily took out five Gold Shields and threw them to the owner, then selected five Gold-Eating Ants in one go.

This time, the Gold-Eating Ant with the three elements was among them.

The owner did not care about Rayne's attitude in the slightest. After putting away the Gold Shields, he began killing the ants and extracting their souls.

The ironhammer struck the anvil with loud bangs. One Gold-Eating Ant after another was killed. None of the first three Demon Souls contained an element, and Rayne's expression grew increasingly desperate.

Just as the owner raised the ironhammer to kill the fourth Gold-Eating Ant, Rayne finally could not hold back any longer. He shouted, "Boss, I'm done playing! Give me my money back!"

The owner looked thoroughly unhappy. He lowered the ironhammer and pointed at Rayne. "Items bought in our shop are nonrefundable. Young man, if you don't have money, don't gamble on souls."

The surrounding customers all wore expressions of eager amusement. They had seen this sort of thing plenty of times in the Magic Soul Market.

"I don't care. I'm not playing anymore." Rayne seemed flustered and angry as he insisted, "Those two ants are still alive. Give me back my Gold Shields."

"A refund is impossible. You already bought these two Gold-Eating Ants; they belong to you. Whether you kill them or not is up to you." Naturally, the owner was unwilling to spit out meat that had already entered his mouth. He gave a meaningful look, and the shop clerks, along with those planted customers, gathered around Rayne and stared at him with unfriendly expressions.

Rayne took a frightened step back, though he nearly laughed with delight inside.

His face flushed red with panic. In the end, he did not dare demand a refund again and stubbornly said, "Then I won't kill them. Give me the ants. I'll try it myself when I get home."

The owner casually spread his hands, allowing Rayne to pick up the two glass jars and leave.