Chapter 167 - 162: Original Blood Crystal Mineral Vein
Something was definitely not right.
The Ether Energy concentration in this area was far higher than on the surface.
Logically, with such abundant resources, the Magical Beasts here should have been higher-level, and the competition fiercer.
Yet after walking for half a day, the strongest creatures they had encountered were just a few malnourished Level 2 Magical Beasts.
There was only one explanation.
This area had an absolute ruler.
Its presence suppressed the growth of all other Magical Beasts, and it might have even wiped out any species that posed the slightest threat.
The Magical Beasts on the surface were nothing more than scavengers, forbidden from entering the core territory.
The team pressed on.
The deeper they went, the more bizarre the surrounding scenery became.
They had seen Echo Mushrooms that mimicked sounds to lure prey, and they had also spotted "stone maggots" that crawled slowly across the rock walls, feeding on ore.
Kael took action several times, clearing out some of the weaker Magical Beasts that tried to launch sneak attacks.
These creatures weren’t high-level—none exceeded Level 3—but their strange abilities made Ola and Barrett afraid to let their guard down for even a moment.
The next afternoon, they passed through a narrow rock crevice, and the view before them suddenly opened up.
The dense Ether Energy in the air had almost condensed into a thin mist. Every breath sent a cool, refreshing sensation through their minds.
Velin opened his system panel and was surprised to see a [Growing] status next to his bloodline. The increase was faint, but it was definitely there.
They stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a much vaster cavern below.
Countless blood-red crystals dotted the cavern walls, pulsing with light and shadow, casting a dreamlike, ethereal glow over the entire space.
And Velin was very familiar with these crystals—they were Original Blood Crystals.
This was an entire vein of Original Blood Crystals!
"We’re rich..." Ola muttered to himself.
Veins of Original Blood Crystals only formed in areas with extremely high concentrations of Ether.
This could no longer be described as class-defining wealth—this was class itself!
The great, established noble houses all possessed Secret Techniques to forcibly enhance bloodlines using them. This was true for all major powers—the Duchy, the Empire, the Evergreen Council, Five Peaks Mountain, and the Ten Thousand Beasts Court—with no exceptions.
But after the initial ecstasy came an even stronger sense of crisis.
Velin was certain that the Level 5 Magical Beast resided in the heart of this mining area.
"Don’t get ahead of yourself," Barrett said, pouring cold water on his excitement. "A place like this is bound to have a Guardian."
Velin ignored their conversation and ordered two Soldier Ants to crawl down the cliff face and collect a few samples of the Original Blood Crystals.
The Crystal Stones felt warm and smooth to the touch. The energy flow within was stable and abundant.
They were of perfectly standard quality.
The team spent another half-hour skirting down the side of the cliff, then continued to advance along the edge of the vein.
The ground beneath their feet grew hard, turning into pure rock.
A smell of sulfur mixed with a foul stench drifted toward them on a faint breeze from the depths of the cavern.
’Smell that?’ Barrett asked, his nose twitching.
Velin’s focus sharpened. He ordered all the Soldier Ants to tighten their formation and enter a state of maximum alert.
’Follow me.’
He took the lead, walking toward the source of the smell.
The underground space began to narrow. The smell of sulfur grew stronger, and the air became hot and dry.
They finally stopped before the entrance to a massive cavern.
The entrance was nearly ten meters wide. It was even darker inside, with the smell of sulfur constantly pouring out.
With a single thought from Velin, everyone immediately flattened themselves against the rock wall, taking cover.
He ordered one Soldier Ant to crawl silently into the entrance.
The image from the Soldier Ant’s compound eyes was projected into Velin’s consciousness through the hive matrix.
Its limbs felt vibrations through the ground. The smell of sulfur in the air was so thick it was suffocating.
Its vision pierced the darkness, revealing massive piles of Original Blood Crystals ahead, reflecting a dim, red light.
They were heaped in the center of the cavern, forming a rugged little hill.
The Soldier Ant continued forward and crawled onto the hill.
On the far side of the hill, an opening at the base of the slope spewed a jet of scorching air, scattering sparks that had burned the surrounding ground black.
As the Soldier Ant’s limbs moved across the hill’s surface, Velin, through its sense of touch, felt that something was wrong.
’The texture of this rock is too smooth, and it has some kind of... regular pattern?’
He ordered the Soldier Ant to stop and lightly scratch the surface with the sharp claws of its forelimbs.
The Soldier Ant’s movement caused some Original Blood Crystals to roll away, triggering a small landslide of Crystal Stones and revealing the true surface beneath.
Beneath was not the grayish-white of rock, but a deeper black with a metallic sheen.
With another thought, Velin directed the Soldier Ant to move diagonally downward, bypassing the air vent.
When the Soldier Ant looked back at the hill, it finally saw the whole picture.
This was no hill at all.
It was a colossal serpent, coiled up and sleeping.
To describe it as just "a" serpent seemed like a gross understatement.
Beneath the vast covering of Original Blood Crystals, the serpent’s form was vaguely discernible. Its body was like a black mountain range, covered entirely in black, rock-like Scale Armor. Each scale was curled up from the base, sharp and menacing.
On either side of its spine, a row of bony barbs snaked from its neck backward, disappearing into the darkness.
A dark red glow flowed from the gaps between its Scale Armor—highly concentrated Ether Energy that it had absorbed into its body.
Its head, covered in barbed scales, rested on a massive Original Blood Crystal. Its eyes were slightly closed, and with every breath, two streams of air laced with sparks shot from its nostrils, scorching the ground.
It seemed to be in a deep sleep.
Velin forcefully suppressed his emotions and transmitted the image to the others.
Everyone was stunned by the sight, not daring to move a muscle. They even subconsciously softened their breathing.
Before this slumbering behemoth, they were as insignificant as ants.
Ola gripped his battle axe, his palms slick with cold sweat.
As a Level 4 Knight, he could sense the terrifying power it possessed.
It was a difference in the very tier of their existence.
Barrett was in worse shape. He leaned against the rock wall, his face pale, his single eye filled with terror.
Kael, however, had completely melted into the shadows, suppressing his presence to the absolute minimum, as if he were a lifeless stone.
Time seemed to stand still.
The expedition team remained frozen in place, no one knowing what to do.
Just then, the great beast’s head, resting on the Original Blood Crystal, shifted slightly, as if its sweet dreams had been disturbed.
Then, to everyone’s horror, its lower jaw twitched slightly.
A forked tongue as thick as a water jug shot out, flicking rapidly through the air.
Velin immediately had the Soldier Ant lie flat and motionless. Compared to the serpent’s immense body, the ant’s small size meant it might not be noticed.
Everyone waited for the great serpent’s reaction, like prisoners awaiting their sentence.
The tongue flicked a few more times, then curled around a pile of Original Blood Crystals and swept them into its mouth. Then there was silence.
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Velin sent a message.
’I’m going to get a closer look.’