Return

"The host is being affected by an unknown power, and its physical fitness is beginning to improve..." a mechanical prompt sounded in Arthur's mind.

A warm current flowed slowly throughout Arthur's body, and while it improved his physical fitness, it also significantly reduced the pain and fatigue he felt.

He stood in place and estimated that the strength gained from defeating this single Ghost was enough to be equivalent to hunting several Knight-level Insect Beasts.

However, this was not the entirety of his gains; the real prize was yet to come.

Thinking this, Arthur endured the sharp pain and exhaustion from all over his body and slowly walked forward.

At the spot where the Ghost had fallen, he bent down and searched the ground carefully, finally picking up a Crystal Core.

This Crystal Core was about the size of a fingernail and emitted a faint red glow in the darkness, resembling a ruby.

"Red?"

Picking up the ruby-like Crystal Core, Arthur muttered in confusion.

Although the Crystal Core wasn't large, a vast power was constantly transmitted through his touch, far stronger than any Crystal Core he had obtained before.

Arthur estimated that this single faint red Crystal Core was probably equivalent to all his previous gains combined.

BOOM!!!

At this moment, a violent tremor sounded from the front of the village, accompanied by the faint sound of heavy footsteps.

Arthur put away the Crystal Core in his hand and instinctively looked in the direction of the sound.

At the village gate, a massive shadow enveloped a large area and was slowly moving towards the center of the village.

Thanks to the excellent eyesight inherited from the Elves, Arthur could clearly see the true form of the shadow.

It was a Giant, eight to nine meters tall, covered in fat. From a distance, it looked like a huge, obese man walking towards the village.

Its immense size brought immense weight. With every step the Giant took, it left a huge footprint on the ground, the tremors of which could be heard throughout the entire village.

It carried a massive white bone in its hand and swept it fiercely forward.

CRASH!!!

A strong tremor sounded. In front of the Giant, several buildings were directly swept away, leaving only debris.

Amidst the debris, it extended its right hand, found several bloody corpses, and stuffed them directly into its mouth.

CRUNCH!

A crisp sound echoed. It was the sound of corpses being chewed, bones and internal organs shattering.

Seeing this scene, Arthur's heart grew cold.

A monster of this caliber, let alone in his current injured state, even at his peak, if he dared to stand in its way, he would likely only be feeding it.

A sound of footsteps suddenly rang out. Arthur's head snapped up, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

The eight to nine-meter-tall Giant seemed to have sensed something unusual. It turned and stared directly in Arthur's direction, a flicker of confusion in its eyes, and then walked straight towards him.

It walked slowly, but relative to its enormous size, even walking slowly, each step covered a distance far greater than a normal person running.

"Not good!"

Listening to the approaching footsteps and feeling the faint tremors beneath his feet, Arthur had this thought.

"The path is completely blocked!"

He looked behind him. Under the night sky, a strange howling filled the surroundings, as if something was lurking in the darkness, roaming outside the village.

This situation immediately made Arthur abandon the idea of using another Life Seed to escape.

This place had become a hunting ground for various monsters. Arthur, trapped within it, seemed to have reached a dead end with no way out.

"It seems this is the only way."

He sighed inwardly and, in an instant, communicated with his soul origin, illuminating a coordinate.

In his mind, a point of light slowly appeared, gradually transforming into a tangible door. As Arthur's will slowly opened it, the light within enveloped his entire body, causing his form to gradually become ethereal.

This process required some time. During this period, Arthur could not move and could only remain still, waiting for the door to fully open.

ROAR!!!

A furious growl came from ahead.

As it slowly approached, the Giant finally detected Arthur's presence and let out an excited, low growl.

Its speed instantly increased. Its thighs, thicker than an elephant's, slammed into the ground, leaving deep footprints.

Reaching Arthur, the Giant extended its right hand and clawed fiercely downwards, as if intending to grab Arthur directly.

A strong stench of decaying corpses mixed with a terrifying odor assaulted him. Arthur looked at its rotting body and the white fat exposed on its belly, his expression unchanged, only slowly closing his eyes.

THUMP!

A massive palm slammed down.

The next moment, the Giant looked at the black soil clutched in its hand with confusion and let out a furious roar.

In the dead of night, in an empty room, a figure suddenly appeared.

Arthur opened his eyes, looking around as the terrifying auras that had filled the surroundings vanished.

"I'm back..."

He looked at the familiar scenery, feeling a bit dazed.

The fresh air carried a faint fragrance, coming from the potted flowers outside the room.

It was already night, and the faint chirping of insects could be heard from all around, creating a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere, a world away from the terrifying place Arthur had just been.

As if remembering something, he reached for a pocket on his waist and pulled out a black Crystal Core.

A familiar warm current slowly spread from his palm, gradually reaching his entire body, and his previously weary body began to recover.

"It works!"

Confirming the effect of the Crystal Core in his hand, a hint of joy flashed in Arthur's eyes, and a heavy weight was lifted from his heart.

Having returned to this world in a hurry, Arthur had been worried that these Crystal Cores would lose their effect, but now it was finally confirmed.

"Although it's a bit of a shame, with these Crystal Cores, it should be enough for me to use for a while."

He stood there, muttering to himself, a sharp glint in his eyes.

With a thought, a coordinate slowly appeared in his mind, but it was very dim and did not respond to Arthur's mental fluctuations.

Upon contact, information was immediately fed back from the source of his soul.

"It will take at least another five years to accumulate enough energy for one more traversal."

Feeling the information transmitted into his mind, Arthur's expression immediately turned grim.

The previous two traversals had completely depleted the power Arthur had accumulated in his past two lives. To traverse again, he would have to start from scratch.

However, this energy accumulation time clearly exceeded Arthur's psychological expectations; it was too long.

"It seems I won't be able to go to other worlds for a long time to come."

Standing there, Arthur shook his head and sighed with some helplessness.