Chapter 93: Gambling
Watching the Goblin Warlock be encased in a thick layer of ice and hearing Selene urge him to obliterate the monster, Aurelius felt speechless.
The reason was simple.
The Goblin Warlock was Rank 3. He was at Rank 2.
And to actually annihilate a sealed target, he needed to be in the same Rank as him.
Looking at his Player Panel, he only needed to make a quick calculation to confirm that it was impossible to reach Level 40 with his current Experience.
Of course, even if he could, he would have never been able to complete the required Advancement Ritual to reach Rank 3.
Staring at his face reflected in the ice prison and then at Selene, who was staring at him expectantly with a triumphant expression, Aurelius sighed.
He had never expected that her reliance for killing the monster was this.
Whether it was because she knew of the Sea God’s Trident’s effects, or she had seen him kill the monsters earlier with incomparable ease, she had decided to bet on this.
It made sense. This was indeed a powerful trump card.
But what she never expected was that this ability was Rank-restricted.
"You should have told me about this before exerting your full strength... Now, it’s too late..." Aurelius shook his head with regret.
Although he spoke no further, Selene realized his meaning just based on the fact that he hadn’t taken action upon receiving her signal.
Disappointment washed all over her face.
Not only because her plan had failed, but also because cresting the seal had completely consumed her strength.
The silver light surrounding her slowly vanished, as did the silver strands in her hair and glow in her eyes.
At a speed visible to the naked eye, Selene’s aura began to fall.
Level 40. Level 39. Level 38.
In the blink of an eye, she had fallen back to her original Level, as though everything before it had been an illusion.
Things didn’t stop there. The decreasing momentum continued unabated.
It was only when she fell three Levels further that everything finally stopped.
The decrease was permanent–a price she had to pay for using the Moonlight Necklace.
The backlash she had sustained was obviously tremendous.
But the fact that they could no longer contend against the Goblin Warlock weighed even more heavily in her heart.
Watching this woman, who was battling against the Goblin Warlock only a few moments later, nearly burst out in tears and break down, Aurelius couldn’t help but sigh.
"It’s okay..." Selene forced a smile when she saw this.
"This was expected. I was merely gambling after all."
"Thankfully, the price I have to pay is not anything big. I’ll recover in a couple of days at most."
Selene clearly did not know that Aurelius was able to track her Level at all times.
She seemed to want to pretend that nothing had happened.
Unfortunately, that facade shattered before she even finished speaking.
"Blurgh!"
A wet sound came out of her lips as several mouthfuls of blood poured out of her mouth.
Accompanying it were chunks of internal organs, making it clear that things were far from as simple as she tried to make them seem.
Aurelius’ reaction was quick.
With a flap of the Solar Wings behind his back, he appeared beside her, retrieving a small glass vial from the System Inventory.
After uncorking its lid, he let the green liquid inside of it pour down Selene’s throat.
The paleness on her face gradually faded away.
Yet her aura continued fluctuating violently, as though she was about to fall in Level even further.
"What were you thinking?" Aurelius rubbed his forehead while pouring a second Healing Potion down her mouth.
"You would have ended up in such a state regardless of whether your plan succeeded or not. Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Hearing the concern in his voice, Selene smiled weakly.
She shook her head.
"Hehe. Don’t think too much. The Blood Temple has promised that they will help me recover."
"As for seeking death... I would have been able to recover instantly if we had killed this Goblin Warlock. Unfortunately..."
Selene struggled to raise her head and look at the block of ice not far away.
Within it was the Goblin Warlock, standing motionless like a powerless insect in crystal amber.
It seemed as though his fate had been sealed and he would soon die.
However, that was an illusion.
Attacking him at this point in time would only help him break out of the seal.
As for leaving him here...
Selene glanced at the outer layer of the ice. Part of it had already melted.
The impact was spreading even further as the outline of the sun was starting to appear on the horizon.
Five minutes.
This was the maximum amount of time they had.
More than enough to escape. However, far from being enough to make any preparations to kill the Goblin Warlock.
Noticing the vacant look in Selene’s eyes, Aurelius paused for a brief moment.
He considered everything that had happened, his gaze subconsciously wandering toward the Sea God’s Trident in his hand.
In the end, he gritted his teeth.
’She has already fulfilled her part of the agreement and helped me obtain the Epic Relic.’
’Since that’s the case, I at least have to try my best to fulfill hers. There’s nothing to lose in the first place!’
’She was willing to bet on the slightest chance of killing the Goblin Warlock. Now, I’ll be betting as well!’
With that thought, Aurelius no longer hesitated.
Holding Selene’s body, he gently laid her down on the ground.
Then, before she could ask what he was doing, he sat beside her.
Selene didn’t notice it, but a burst of light flickered within his azure pupils.
His vision rapidly shifted, as though he was ascending to a higher dimension.
When the process was completed, several lights, each with a unique color and aura, appeared in his field of vision.
For the first time in a long time, Aurelius used the signature skill of every Arcanist.
Synthesis!