Crystal Core

The spacious room was filled with the sounds of two figures clashing and grappling with each other.

Before him, a pale, corpse-like woman was sent flying again, crashing hard onto the ground.

Seeing the enemy fall, Arthur didn't press his advantage. Instead, he stood his ground, his expression extremely grim.

After a long, grueling battle, he was drenched in sweat, his sword-wielding right hand trembling slightly. His left hand, holding the scabbard, was also clenched tightly.

His expression was grave. Even as he repeatedly sent the corpse before him flying, he dared not let his guard down even in the slightest.

As expected, in the next moment, the woman's corpse on the ground got up as if nothing had happened. Wounds all over her body writhed and stretched, forming small buds of flesh that reconnected her horrific injuries.

Arthur's face darkened at the sight.

This monster, a corpse brought to life, was bizarre. Not only were its strength and speed immense, but it also seemed to possess endless stamina. Even after fighting this long, it was still full of vigor, almost no different from when it first attacked.

Even more terrifying was its apparent immortality. No matter what kind of blow it suffered, it could heal rapidly, not resembling a true life form at all.

Arthur had never encountered such a strange life form, neither in his past life nor in any previous world.

Before him, the humanoid monster roared again and charged at Arthur with incredible speed. The wounds on its body had completely healed, leaving no trace.

Arthur coldly watched the monster before him, his sword-wielding right hand twisting slightly as he changed to a more energy-efficient stance and thrust forward.

The two figures once again became entangled, fighting fiercely in the not-so-spacious room, leaving the surroundings in disarray.

Meanwhile, the three local inhabitants who had been watching the entire scene from the side were completely stunned.

The two non-human monsters before them were locked in a brutal melee. Each heavy blow sent tremors through the room, leaving craters a meter or two wide in the thick earth.

Arthur fought with the valor of a Knight sung in epics, battling the humanoid monster before him. Every swing of his sword carried a whistling gale, leaving deep marks around them.

To avoid being caught in the crossfire of their battle, the three had to retreat to a small corner of the room, watching the two non-humans fight from afar.

"What a powerful warrior, to be able to suppress a Corpse Spirit head-on!"

Watching the two figures locked in combat in the distance, a young man among the three's eyes flashed with fanaticism. "So it's possible for such a terrifying warrior to be born among humans, one who can directly confront even these horrifying abominations!"

"This must be a genius from a top Knight family. I've seen similar descriptions in historical records, supposedly some powerful Knights could fight a hundred men on the battlefield. I always thought it was exaggeration and rumor, but now it seems like absolutely true accounts!"

A woman beside him had an excited glint in her eyes, looking at Arthur in the distance as if she had found a treasure.

On the other hand, watching the battle unfold, the middle-aged man leading them felt a surge of excitement mixed with a touch of worry.

He was the oldest and most observant among the three. Even though he was excited, he hadn't forgotten to observe the battle.

Through his observation, he clearly noticed Arthur's stamina weakening, gradually losing his dominance as time passed.

No matter how powerful one was, in essence, he was still human. Even though his strength was enough to fight a Corpse Spirit head-on, he was still flesh and blood, capable of thirst, hunger, and fatigue.

As the battle dragged on, even the most powerful Knight would be worn down and fall to the opponent's immortality.

Arthur understood this as well.

With the fight, his stamina was rapidly depleting. From absolute dominance at the start, he could now only slightly suppress the opponent.

His eyes hardened as he looked at the corpse before him and leaped.

A faint green radiance enveloped his sword. The Life Seed within him boiled, its life energy rapidly empowering the sword crafted from Black Rui Steel.

Seeing Arthur's charge, the Corpse Spirit abruptly raised its head. Its eyes, filled with negative emotions, were a chaotic mix of madness and brutality.

It didn't dodge or evade, instead reaching out with its hand to grab Arthur's sword.

ROAR!!

A sharp scream erupted, like the terrified cry of a woman in her death throes, piercing deep into the soul.

A flash of faint green light struck the outstretched arm of the corpse, severing it.

The Corpse Spirit stood still, its face blank and ferocious, its body pale like a corpse.

Its right forearm had been cleanly cut off by the sword, and dark blood slowly trickled from the wound.

In such a long battle, this was the first time its wound had not healed.

"It's effective!"

Feeling the change in the enemy, the thought flashed through Arthur's mind. The oppressive feeling in his heart immediately eased.

He raised his sword high, seizing the moment the opponent was stunned to charge forward. His sword flashed with dazzling light.

The Life Seed within him vibrated rapidly, and Arthur's entire body's life energy was drawn out and channeled into this strike.

A faint green sword light flashed. Before him, the dazed female corpse slowly fell, its grotesque head separating from its body and rolling to the side.

Sensing this, Arthur breathed a silent sigh of relief.

By this point in the battle, even a Knight-level physique was starting to falter. If the stalemate had continued, his only option would have been to activate the Life Seed.

However, the cost of activating the Life Seed was too high. Arthur did not want to resort to that unless absolutely necessary.

He turned around to look behind him, intending to check the corpse on the ground, but suddenly froze, discovering an astonishing sight.

On the ground lay a pale, headless corpse, looking rather gruesome.

Under Arthur's gaze, the corpse before him began to change.

A faint light slowly emanated from the corpse, like a kind of flame, burning fiercely upon it, as if intending to consume the entire body.

"Main body affected by unknown power, physical fitness beginning to improve!" Inside his mind, the Chip's mechanical voice echoed.

A stream of heat flowed rapidly through his body, slowly integrating into his entire physique. His depleted stamina was also recovering under the influence of some unknown power, restoring some of his strength.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The faint sound of his heartbeat continuously rang in Arthur's ears. Within his heart, a Life Seed seemed to have been affected by something, growing slightly, almost imperceptibly.

When all of this ended, Arthur looked at the ground again.

On the ground, the originally pale corpse had changed. The pale flesh and blood seemed to have been consumed by the previous flames, leaving only a woman's skeleton, lying quietly on the ground, motionless.

Seeing this, Arthur frowned.

He squatted down and carefully examined the skeleton on the ground.

There wasn't a single trace of burning on the bones, as if they had weathered over a long period of time, naturally becoming like this, appearing ancient and natural.

His hand gently stroked the skeleton of the corpse, finally stopping below its chest.

There, he felt a very small protrusion.

It was a black Crystal, about the size of a fingernail, emitting a faint glow, appearing very mysterious.

Holding this Crystal, in Arthur's mind, the familiar voice of the Chip continued to sound.

"Detected unknown energy within the Crystal, direct use will produce beneficial effects!"