Chapter 10: The Dark Green Ring

"Core Sphere, indicate the optimal direction to evade!"
Lin Wei forced his mind to calm, issuing a command to the intelligent core sphere.
A chime sounded.
"Twenty-eight point nine degrees to the right of your frontal position is the optimal direction to evade!"
In an instant, Lin Wei flung away the cross sword in his hand, lest its weight slow his speed. He focused all his attention on his legs; the pressure in his muscles made his legs ache in agony.
In the face of mortal danger, Lin Wei unleashed a terrifying burst of speed. In nearly half a breath, he was ten meters away.
Just as he hung suspended in mid-air, Lin Wei felt a dreadful force graze the back of his head. He turned slightly, catching sight of a ghastly green glow.
That sinister green light barely missed Lin Wei, striking a giant tree thirty meters tall in the distance. Its roots twisted, its branches lush, yet as the green light seeped through, the tree… melted.
Lin Wei could scarcely believe his eyes!
A tree, dissolving like a candle, slowly collapsing! From leaves to branches to the sturdy trunk, the entire tree oozed away like molten wax, layer by layer, until it transformed into a puddle of ghastly green pus. The pus squirmed back and forth, occasionally bubbling, and a pungent acidic stench instantly filled the air.
But what shocked Lin Wei even more was that, after unleashing this bizarre attack, Feilick himself turned into a shriveled corpse!
Feilick's abundant flesh and vitality poured in a single instant into the dark green ring in his hand.
Even a fool could see it: all this was caused by the strange ring Feilick wielded!
The boiling pus gradually settled, and the whole scene fell into utter silence.
Sweat beaded Lin Wei's forehead—a biological instinct, when facing inexplicable danger, he could only proceed with utmost caution.
"This power clearly can't be explained by human potential… In other words, there are mysterious, terrifying forces in this world!"
A surge of intense desire erupted in Lin Wei's eyes.
He picked up his cross sword and cautiously approached Feilick's desiccated corpse.
Lin Wei first poked the corpse with his sword.
A sudden rustle—
Feilick's body immediately disintegrated into ash; Lin Wei quickly covered his eyes and nose, retreating rapidly. When the dust had settled, he drew near once more, staring at the dark green ring lying on the ground.
He dared not act rashly, only observing from afar.

Suddenly, with a hiss, a streak of sinister green flame emerged from the ring, eerily haunting in the darkness.
Lin Wei retreated swiftly, wary that the flame might harm him.
But the flame showed no intention of attacking him; instead, it spun around, growing larger and larger.
Lin Wei felt his nerves stretched to the breaking point—if he relaxed even slightly, he would be reduced to ashes.
"Core Sphere, scan the ring and the flame's composition."
A chime sounded.
"Unknown energy and substance detected. Insufficient database. Comparison failed."
Lin Wei clenched his teeth. "As expected, this is a power beyond common understanding."
With a sudden crack, the green flame, now fist-sized, transformed into a human face—
Feilick!
Lin Wei recognized him instantly.
But Feilick's expression was grotesquely twisted. Soon, the flame morphed into a woman's face, one Lin Wei did not know. The woman seemed to be screaming, yet only the image flickered, soundless, making the scene unspeakably eerie.
Lin Wei was already considering retreat. The lure of mysterious power was not worth the cost of his own life.
"From across the coast… power… a kingdom slumbering for a thousand years… awakening…"
Lin Wei almost thought he was hallucinating—a hoarse voice murmured intermittently in his ear, sending chills through his body.
"Come… I will grant you power beyond the mundane!"
Suddenly, the hoarse voice grew feverish, shouting beside Lin Wei's ear.
"Such tempting persuasion!" Lin Wei's molars trembled.
"But I am not interested!"
He exploded into action, gripping the cross sword tightly and slashing hard at the dark green ring!

A sharp crack—
Contrary to Lin Wei's expectations, the ring offered no resistance; it snapped in two instantly.
In a flash, the bizarre voice and flame vanished, as if they had never existed.
The ring, now broken, lost its green glow, fading until it was pale gray, like two tiny fragments of stone.
Lin Wei's heart, near bursting, slowly calmed, and his instinctive sense of danger faded entirely.
"Is the threat finally gone?" Lin Wei breathed out in relief, only now realizing the sweat had soaked his back.
He approached, confirming several times that the ring was damaged, then picked up the broken pieces.
"This material is just like ordinary stone… Perhaps it's because it lost its mysterious energy?" Lin Wei rubbed the ring, and after scanning with the core sphere, received the same answer.
"Maybe… I should tell Count Tulip and Nacken about this? They're higher up than I am; I might gain some secrets from them."
Lin Wei pondered silently.
Actually, besides seeking information about this mysterious energy, Lin Wei had other concerns. If Nacken wanted to examine the site, the melted giant tree and Feilick turned to ash would be impossible to explain. No matter what, he was still a mere ant in front of the Tulip family.
Resolute, Lin Wei turned to leave.
He glanced back, recalling the words Feilick shouted before his death.
"Order will eventually be restored! Die, dogs of the nobility! You will be despised and hated in history!"
A faint smile appeared on Lin Wei's lips—not mockery, but pity.
"Until productivity and social relations reach a certain level, even if you overthrow the nobles, you'll only replace them with new privileged classes. Then, the so-called dragon-slayers will become the most wicked dragons themselves, treating the brave even more cruelly, because they know… they were once among them."
"It's not your fault; it's the limitation of the era, the choice of history. Especially in this world, the path to ascension lies not in technological productivity, but in mysterious supernatural power."
Lin Wei no longer hesitated, quickly departing toward the direction of Tulip Manor.