radicalducati Chapter 62 Core of the Rift
Chapter 62 Core of the Rift
"I'm serious, Ronan, should we retreat now? If these skeletons actually summon something evil, we won't even have a chance to escape."
Swan lowered his voice and made a suggestion to Luo Lan beside him.
Without answering immediately, Luo Lan raised a finger and pointed to the center of the altar platform:
"Trying to run away again? Didn't you come for the core of the Rift? Look over there carefully."
About two meters above the altar, a multifaceted gemstone is quietly suspended in mid-air.
The gemstone itself is crystal clear but opaque, with several rays of light of different colors slowly flowing inside, as if the chaotic aura of the entire rift was compressed into a stone.
The runic markings on the edge of the gem lit up every few seconds as the skeleton priest chanted, pulsed, went out, pulsed again, rhythmically, like a heartbeat.
"This is... the core of the Rift! It truly takes the form of an ancient treasure!"
Swan's eyes, gleaming with a faint light, looked in that direction, and after a moment, he let out a gasp.
Every Rift, regardless of its type, must have an energy hub node, which is the [Rift Core].
The core's form is always incredibly diverse. It could be a rusted sword, an ancient classic, a stone tablet with a mural, or even the egg of a demon lord...
Regardless of its form, the [Ripple Core] is generally the most valuable thing in the entire Ripple. It is also the core node of the chaotic aura of the entire Ripple. Once it is removed from the Ripple, the Ripple will gradually dissipate.
The gem in front of us is undoubtedly one of the most valuable types of "ancient treasure cores" in the Rift Core.
If it's an ancient book, you might need to find a sorcerer to translate it; if it's a rusty sword, you might need to find a blacksmith to consecrate it.
However, the core of the Ancient Treasure Rift is often a highly valuable magical item or a powerful enchanting material.
Even the lowest-grade core of a Rift in the form of an ancient treasure would fetch at least 300 gold coins on the black market, and demand far exceeds supply.
Sure enough, Swann, who had just been complaining and even looking for a way out, now had his Adam's apple bobbing. His greedy instincts finally overcame his fear of the unknown, and he was motivated again.
"Brother Ronan, since you're not planning to leave, you must have come prepared, right? What's the plan now?"
Having abandoned his previous posture of being ready to slip away at any moment, Swann instantly entered a state of high concentration and readiness for battle.
Luo Lan waved his hand, summoning Spider Thunder from the end of the line. The skeletal hound, its body wreathed in eerie blue flames, also stepped half a step out of the shadows.
"The plan is simple: I'll break through with Ah Gou. We can create an opening for you among those skeletons and slimes. You're agile; use this opportunity to retrieve the Rift Core..."
Upon hearing this, Swann's figure began to blur, leaving behind afterimages, clearly preparing to use some kind of ability:
"It's that simple? Then I'll go for it..."
Just as Swan was about to act, Roland pulled out a handful of scattered bones from the magical cross on his chest.
Pale holy light flowed in his palm, and Luo Lan tossed fragments of monster remains toward the skeleton hound. Victor silently activated [Dead Remains Assembled Lv.9].
A ball of eerie blue flame suddenly shot up, and a skeletal creature resembling a feline skeleton landed nimbly beside the skeleton dog.
"Brother Ronan, what's this?"
Swan stared at the newly created corpse with a hint of doubt.
"Take it with you."
Luo Lan placed the skeleton cat on Swann's shoulder:
"You can treat it as my magical pet, for location tracking and communication. Otherwise, what if you get the core and run away?"
Luo Lan gave a completely undisguised reason.
Swan looked down at the little blue cat on his shoulder, then looked up and smiled broadly.
"Haha, brother, you're overthinking it. Go ask around in the Brotherhood; everyone knows Swann's good reputation."
Having spent years operating outside the law, Swan felt far more secure with this blatant display of vested interests than with well-intentioned but disguised traps.
With the skill [Soul Splitting Possession Lv.5], Victor can control multiple bodies simultaneously.
Relying on Victor's [Psionic Communication] expertise, Roland whispered in his mind:
"Victor, keep a close eye on him. If anything unexpected happens, make sure you get the Rift Core first."
The skeletal kitten perched on Swann's shoulder and let out a lazy meow, which echoed in Luo Lan's mind:
"receive."
Everything is ready.
Luo Lan and Swann exchanged a glance, and then charged out simultaneously.
The first strike came from three damaged spider mines that had been waiting in the rear.
Plant tendrils crawled along the stone slabs, silently sliding along the ground to the edge of the battle zone.
The slime's tentacles and the skeleton soldiers' broken weapons were pulling back and forth in the middle, and none of them noticed the few small bony things on the ground approaching.
The first spider mine burrowed into the bottom of a slime that was fighting with a skeleton soldier and exploded with a bang!
The slime was blasted into pink slime that splattered everywhere. Fragments of bone spikes, imbued with pale holy light, embedded themselves into the bodies of the monsters in the melee. White scorch marks spread outward from the points where the fragments were embedded. The two skeletons twitched and lost their vitality.
One after another, spider mines exploded.
The moment the exploding magic crystal was ignited, Luo Lan also casually tossed out several glass bottles filled with double-layered plant acid solution. The violent shockwave, carrying strong acid, transformed into a wall of fire.
In a short while, Luo Lan tore open a huge gap in the middle of the fierce battle between the skeleton soldiers and slimes.
The two sides of monsters in the melee were attacked and reacted immediately.
Several large flesh-and-blood slimes that were closest to him twisted their semi-liquid bodies, and the skeleton soldiers also turned their rusty weapons toward Roland, the iron can that had suddenly appeared.
However, the monsters were in a state of collision and stalemate, creating utter chaos.
As the slime's tentacles swung towards Roran, they also crushed the skeleton mage who was trying to chant; and the bone spears thrown by the skeleton soldiers were corroded and melted by the slime's acid before they were even thrown.
Taking advantage of the brief chaos, Luo Lan drew his sword and charged inside.
The broadsword in his hand, imbued with a blinding pale holy light, drew a brutal crescent arc.
The slime tentacles that collided head-on didn't even have time to withdraw before bursting into a large cloud of white smoke upon contact, scattering carbonized residue all over the ground.
Beside Luo Lan, the skeleton dog controlled by Victor moved with agility as if gliding along the ground.
The skeletal hound Blue Flame snapped its jaws shut, crushing two rough skeletal spears that were trying to pierce through Luo Lan from the side and rear.
The thief Swann transformed into a completely intangible gray afterimage.
The gray shadow's movements in the melee were difficult to track; the dark iron scimitar was on the right, the serrated long dagger on the left, and the shadow-enchanted glow flickered intermittently.
Each time a dagger or scimitar pierces through the low-level skeletons, a skeleton falls silently to the ground.
In just a few breaths, the two people and the dog broke through to the area below the altar.
This is the core area of the entire Blood Sacrifice Chamber.
The area was filled with skeleton mages constructing fel energy shields, as well as twelve tall skeleton priests who maintained a certain prayer posture.