Soul Diamond

The massive Withered Beast raised its nearly half-man-sized claws and swiped down. Brando ducked, narrowly avoiding the blow. The gale force generated by the withered branches swept past his head like a blade, striking a piece of shale and sending it flying twenty to thirty meters away with a boom.

Watching the rock change direction three times as it tumbled through the air before crashing into a pile of sharp stones, kicking up a cloud of dust, Brando couldn't help but feel a chill. The sheer power was terrifying. If someone were to take a hit like that—their bones would shatter from the inability to absorb the impact, the fractured pieces piercing their internal organs, which would then deform and rupture from the pressure, causing massive internal bleeding. In simple terms, it was an instant kill.

The elite Withered Beast's 8.9 energy level was approaching the peak for monsters within level 20. In Brando's memory, at this level, besides Berserkers and Dwarf Iron Sentinels, few professions could rival it in terms of strength.

However, he hadn't planned on confronting it head-on. He signaled Freya to provide cover from the flank, then, using his agility advantage, he rolled in and slashed at the monster's left leg with Gleaming Thorn. The massive shrub monster was nearly five meters tall, its claws over three meters long, giving it an extremely wide attack range. But as it lowered its head, it found it difficult to target Brando beneath it.

Brando's sword strike, empowered by the bright Purifying Fire, only left a scorched mark on the monster's lower leg. This defense made him break out in a cold sweat. While the elite Withered Beast had high constitution, its resilience and resistance wouldn't be that high. This indicated a power disparity between him and the monster, a setting from The Amber Sword that he hadn't expected to find here.

Still, the blow had hurt enough to make the massive Withered Beast rear its head and let out a long roar. It was a buzzing sound, the immense sonic wave causing the nearby weeds to tremble.

Brando felt a tightness in his chest, and Freya, not far away, coughed up blood directly. Deterrent Roar—the effect in the game wasn't this pronounced. Was it because their levels were too low? Brando felt as if his internal organs were shifting positions, and the data on his retina showed that some of his organs had sustained varying degrees of damage.

"Brando!" the merchant girl's voice called from not far away.

Brando turned his head and saw that she had already secured the rope and fastened the grappling hook. He couldn't help but feel relieved. Romane was reliable in critical moments; she was calm in the face of major events, truly possessing the potential to be a merchant.

He glanced in another direction. The Withered Beast younglings were already very close; it was time to retreat, with only a few seconds to spare.

"Freya," he immediately called out.

"I'm fine, cough cough." The ponytail girl stubbornly wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, picked up her sword, and assumed a defensive stance again.

"For the final blow, cover me as I exit its attack range—"

Freya nodded, gripped her sword with both hands, and with a low shout, like in the training regulations, she attacked from the flank. The massive shrub monster was about to stomp on Brando, but at this moment, it had to pay attention to the other side. With its level of intelligence, it was hard to discern which threat was more pressing, but from an animalistic instinct, Freya appeared to have more presence.

It immediately unfurled the branches on its body and shot countless thorns at Freya with a swish.

The future Valkyrie, alerted by Brando, had been anticipating this move. She immediately used both hands to protect her head, chest, and other vital areas. Although the thorns sent her flying back into a rock, causing her to bleed immediately, she gritted her teeth with a sense of relief—at least she had bought Brando time.

Brando didn't have time to worry about Freya's injuries. As soon as he was out of the giant shrub monster's attack range, he half-crouched and aimed his gleaming silver ring at its injured left leg.

"Oss!"

The air grew heavy, and a burst of wind pressure boom slammed into the elite Withered Beast's left leg. Wood chips flew everywhere, and half of its body exploded. Shattered branches and leaves were thrown far and wide like a shower of petals. Even with its high defense, this monster couldn't withstand the charged attack of 20 Oz's power. After losing its entire left side, its body lost its balance and toppled backward—

Brando immediately activated his charge skill, leaping beneath the giant beast before it could fall. He knew it wasn't completely dead. The elite Withered Beast had 42 health points, not as high as a Gargoyle, but not far off. He raised Gleaming Thorn upwards, and with a series of light crunching sounds, the sword he held slid into its neck.

The elite Withered Beast let out a mournful cry and tried to resist, but Brando twisted the sword, and a bright silver fire erupted from the blade. The shrub monster finally drooped its head powerlessly, its life force beginning to wane. Purifying Fire, no longer suppressed by the monster's vitality and resilience, surged instantly, turning it into a blazing inferno.

Then, countless golden lights flew from the massive fireball and merged into Brando's body—

17 experience points.

He suddenly felt a coolness in his palm and instinctively opened his hand. A black smoke emerged from the shrub monster, concentrating in his palm. The smoke gradually solidified, forming a cold, black crystal.

Soul Crystal!

He was shocked to find this here, but then a wave of pleasant surprise washed over him. Soul energy was the purest energy in this world, not only utilized by Madara's Necromancers but also studied by other schools of magic. In the game, Soul Crystals could be converted into experience for the character through a ritual, and they could also activate certain items and recharge magical equipment.

For example, the Wind Queen Ring.

Judging by its size, this Soul Crystal contained at least 30 experience points, enough to recharge the Wind Queen Ring once with some left over. How could Brando not be pleased? He had thought he would have to find a safe place to hide for three hours before continuing his journey, as he had used the Wind Queen Ring unexpectedly. Without it, he wouldn't dare to move around this valley.

However, regardless, three hours had been wasted.

But he hadn't expected a twist of fate in the end.

He sheathed his sword and glanced back, only to see the nearest Withered Beast youngling climbing onto the platform. He couldn't help but be startled. Both he and Freya were exhausted and couldn't afford another fierce battle. One was manageable, but getting bogged down would be troublesome.

On the other side, the injured Freya had just breathed a sigh of relief when Brando killed the giant shrub monster. But upon seeing the thorny monsters appear on the other end of the rock platform, her heart clenched again. The girl frowned and was about to struggle to her feet when she saw Brando stride over, scoop her up without giving her a chance to object, and run towards Romane.

"Ah."

"Put, put me down—"

The future Valkyrie, now just a country girl from Bucci, had a burning red face. She struggled a bit, but Brando didn't listen. She could only turn her face away, red to her ears, and let him carry her quietly.

Reaching the base of the cliff, Romane had already climbed up. The future merchant girl was not a timid person and acted decisively. Brando had no doubt that if he and Freya couldn't make it up, she would have climbed down alone again.

More and more Withered Beasts were climbing up; he had only a few seconds at most.

He looped the rope around Freya, then around his own waist. He felt the girl in his arms suddenly tense up, but he couldn't afford to care. Fortunately, he had enough experience to level up and upgrade his mercenary to level 3, increasing his strength by 2.5 energy levels, enough for him to pull both of them up with one hand.

It was a moment of extreme peril. A Withered Beast youngling even leaped up and grabbed his foot, but Brando reacted faster, thrusting his sword straight down, sweeping the creature back into the horde.

The three of them climbed to the top of the cliff and simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. Brando looked down at the shrub monsters below, which were now mimicking them by grabbing the rope and trying to climb up. He didn't hesitate and directly cut the rope with his sword, sending them falling back. Fortunately, there were plenty of ropes, and as long as the grappling hooks were preserved.

Brando knew that this cliff face stretched for thousands of meters. If these servants of the Golden Demon Tree wanted to continue bothering him, they would have to detour to another valley. He had some time for now, so he finally couldn't help but sit down and let out a long sigh.

"Well done!" He couldn't help but give Romane a thumbs-up. The merchant girl's performance was truly excellent; Brando had found a real treasure.

"Really? Auntie always says that little Romane is the most capable."

The merchant girl couldn't help but puff out her chest a little, feeling a bit proud. But immediately, her concerned gaze fell on Freya. Brando knew she was worried about her close friend's injuries and replied, "Don't worry, it's just a superficial wound. Once we find a safe place to clean and bandage it, she'll be fine."

Freya's face was still red, and she hadn't had the courage to respond.

But now that Brando had recovered, he looked at the future Valkyrie and couldn't help but feel a little exasperated. He had wondered how this future Valkyrie had survived such a brutal war—was it due to her strength, her calmness, or other precious qualities?

The past Freya had indeed given him that impression. Although a bit naive, she possessed a calmness that surpassed ordinary people. Perhaps she had other hidden reasons for being here, but her stubborn refusal to let go of that backpack earlier still displeased Brando. Freya was too stubborn, and perhaps it was this stubbornness that had cultivated her strong personality, but it wasn't a good thing on the battlefield.

"Why did you come?" However, as a companion, Brando didn't want to hurt her feelings. He thought for a moment and then asked in a gentle tone.

Freya was silent for a moment and took off a ring from her hand. "It's the Captain of the Guard's Seal Ring. You were supposed to go to Ridenburg to deliver the message, and Uncle told me to bring this to you."

Brando slapped his forehead. It wasn't that he had forgotten about it; in fact, he knew there was little chance of him being taken seriously in Ridenburg. Freya, a militia member, didn't know, but Maden, an old soldier, wouldn't understand? If the nobles of Ridenburg had paid attention to the defense of the Bucci region, the current situation wouldn't have happened.

A significant reason he went to Ridenburg was Romane's aunt, but he hadn't expected Maden to be moved by his actions and actually send the Seal Ring. This was also his oversight; if he had anticipated this, he should have directly told them to refuse.

After all, the ring would be quite useful for the refugees.

"You asked to come yourself, didn't you?" But Brando thought about it again, believing that with the old soldier's personality, he wouldn't let Freya come to her death – even though the Seal Ring was important.

The girl tidied her ponytail and nodded.

"Why bother."

"Brando, you're not from Bucci, so what excuse do I have to avoid it? I'm the captain of the third squad, so I naturally have to lead by example," Freya replied, looking up.

"What's in that backpack?"

The future Valkyrie lowered her head, hugging her backpack, but hesitated for a moment.