Chapter 266: A Single Sword Strike!
The [Continuous Flow of Life] did not enhance the recovery speed of stamina and energy, but when Sterl had an abundance of life energy, he could substitute part of it in place of missing energy and stamina.
Of course, the biggest highlight of this Infinite Evolution was the insights he gained into Plant Law Power!
Sterl felt that with just a bit of study, he could comprehend a legendary peak version of Plant Law, which he could then enhance with blood force!
Wow!
It was important to note that his natural divine authority clearly needed the power of Plant Law to fill and convert into Divine Power!
After contemplating the effects of his new ability, Sterl moved forward to collect all the BOSS's dropped orbs of light.
He opened them one by one; the three colorful orbs contained plenty of good items.
First, there were the [Breath of Transformation], [Soul Solidification Gem], and [Heavenly Curtain Core]—three materials in total.
The first two were materials used for crafting formations, and there was no need to elaborate on them.
As for the properties of the Heavenly Curtain Core, it was displayed on Sterl's panel.
[Heavenly Curtain Core]
[Description: A mysterious material used by a great being to construct the Hall of Valor. After being submerged for countless years, it has undergone a transformation; perhaps only the Hall of Valor can repurpose it.]
[Effect: This item cannot be used, but destroying it will emit a plague effect, causing all nearby units to lose 10% of their maximum life force per second, regardless of ally or enemy.]
"Seems pretty useless for now."
"But I can check later to see if there are any new effects after enhancing it."
Sterl first stored the three materials in his small world before examining the other drops.
First, there were some minor items that didn't catch Sterl's interest—four pieces of legendary equipment, all of platinum quality.
Three golden skill books.
Several materials.
And finally, there was a diamond-grade legendary equipment piece.
[Tooth of Crushing (Diamond)]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Description: …]
[Effect: …]
Sterl glanced at it briefly; this equipment was suitable for melee fighters specializing in strength.
It was mainly focused on charging into battle and cutting down enemies with unmatched prowess.
For someone like him who often engaged in higher-level challenges, it wasn't very useful.
"I'll sell it."
"My main weapon is still the energy condensation; that suits me better." Sterl thought for a few seconds and made his decision happily.
Then…
He quickly prepared to head to the location of the next BOSS.
"It's a bit far…"
"But that's okay."
Sterl swiftly activated the teleportation effect of Cursed Vision, entering hell once again, transforming into a blood-red arrow!
At this moment, he was heading southeast of the Heavenly Curtain Canyon.
In a dense forest, a ferocious-looking wild monkey suddenly lunged forward, snatching a fruit from the hands of a weaker member of its species.
"Gah gah!"
It cackled triumphantly.
But in the next moment, the monkey's laughter was silenced as a blood-red sword arrow pierced through its chest, exploding it into a shower of blood and viscera!
The weak monkey, which had lost its fruit, watched helplessly as the fruit rolled back to its feet.
"Gah?"
It expressed a look of confusion, then, glancing at the gruesome sight of its fallen kin, it quickly grabbed the fruit and bolted deep into the jungle.
The blood-red arrow soon transformed back into Sterl's body.
"While I can't teleport directly to the BOSS, using a wild monster as a transit point works just fine."
He felt a sense of satisfaction; his thinking was indeed on point.
Just as Sterl was about to initiate another teleportation attack, he suddenly heard a strange sound near his ear.
What is that?
He looked ahead…
"Help! Save me!"
"Pull me up! I am a member of the Shelter Association! We are an S-rank guild with several demigods!"
"There will be rewards in the future!"
A woman dressed in thin, flowing garments, with snow-white skin and a slightly mixed-race appearance, was running directly toward Sterl.
Delicate patterns adorned her face, indicating she belonged to a different race.
Hot on her heels was Sterl's original target: a legendary high-tier giant skeletal beast, its body engulfed in raging flames, making it blinding to behold. The surrounding jungle was being trampled and set ablaze, turning into a sea of fire.
Sterl keenly noticed that the beast bore numerous wounds, clearly having survived a fierce battle.
However… when faced with the woman's plea for help, Sterl felt no inclination to intervene.
Under normal circumstances, he would be willing to lend a hand, but he had recently been targeted by a group of demigod guilds.
The mere mention of a demigod guild made him bristle with annoyance!
It was better to let that woman fend for herself…
Unexpectedly, just as Sterl was thinking this, the woman took a few steps forward and seemingly cast a detection skill, her expression changing dramatically.
"Run!"
"What are you standing there for? Do you want to die?"
"What is a third-class doing in a place like this?"
"Quickly leave the Heavenly Curtain Canyon!"
As she spoke, she threw out an item that created a blinding flash and a shockwave effect, momentarily flooding the entire forest and even the skies above with brilliant white light!
The woman seemed to have activated a PvE mode, where all attacks and skill effects were only effective against monsters.
As a result, Sterl only saw a flash of white light before everything returned to normal, while the giant skeletal beast behind her was temporarily immobilized for over a second.
The woman quickly changed her direction and fled.
Seeing that Sterl was of no help and not wanting to get this third-class junior killed, she reluctantly surrendered a life-saving item.
"Such bad luck!"
The woman was exasperated, but her usual composure prevented her from resorting to any foul language; she could only mutter helplessly.
"What is a third-class doing in such a dangerous map? If you want to seek death, that's one thing, but why waste my life-saving item?"
"If I manage to survive, I'll definitely demand compensation from him."
She tried to find some humor in her predicament, but the reality was grim: she, a legendary high-tier, was being chased by a BOSS of the same rank, especially one with a high intensity like those found in the Heavenly Curtain Canyon.
It was basically a death sentence.
Her only hope was to find some legendary powerhouses within the Heavenly Curtain Canyon, preferably peak legends who could lend her a hand, or at least a specialized BOSS raiding team.
But the only figure nearby was that of a third-class…
How frustrating!
Especially when the woman couldn't help but glance back and saw that the third-class was standing there, completely motionless, nearly causing her to spit blood from anger.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Run!"
Her eyes were red with fury. After using such a precious item, how could he just stand there like an idiot?
"Do you think this is acceptable?"
After a moment of thought, the woman decided it was pointless to worry about that third-class any longer and focused solely on escaping, while silently cursing—
Someone this foolish wouldn't survive long in the Hall of Valor…
Meanwhile, Sterl watched as the woman ran to his left, while the BOSS continued to ignore him, pursuing her from a kilometer away.
Sterl activated Star Insight: "Beast of Iniquitous Flame?"
"A legendary high-tier… and it's just ignoring me."
"It doesn't even regard me as a threat."
Although he was disguised as a third-class, his appearance and identity were completely mismatched with his usual look as David.
Sterl analyzed the situation for a few seconds.
The Beast of Iniquitous Flame was indeed stronger than the usual BOSSes found in the outside world.
However…
The relationship between water and fire was comparable to a system of mutual restraint.
With that in mind, Sterl swiftly moved to position himself between the woman and the BOSS.
"He's seeking death!"
"Wait, how can he move so fast??"
The woman was taken aback by this sudden turn of events.
Then, two completely opposite thoughts flashed through her mind.
On one hand, she wondered if this third-class player was seeking death. On the other hand, she thought that if this third-class player dared to teleport in front of the BOSS, he must have some hidden cards up his sleeve.
No, wait…
Even if he had some hidden card, what good would it do?
This was a legendary high-tier BOSS, a reinforced version found in the Heavenly Curtain Canyon. Throwing himself in front of it wouldn't help, even if he had a trick or two.
No, no…
If this player wasn't an idiot, he might actually be a favored one of some deity, possessing special items that could delay the BOSS but wouldn't be able to kill it outright.
With her thoughts racing, the woman finally clarified her reasoning and concluded that she needed to prepare to accelerate her escape.
Then she saw…
The third-class player had summoned Flowing Water, forming a massive blade that was swirling with a light purple glow.
That makes sense!
To block such a powerful BOSS, he would need to buff himself before using an item.
As for the water coalescing into a sword, it appeared incredibly solid; this must be the life-saving item granted to him by whatever entity was backing him.
The woman, having seen much in her time, knew that many deities loved to gift their followers with such powerful one-time attacks.
But the next second, she felt puzzled.
There was no divine presence in the air, only the aura of that third-class player.
Wait, could it be that he really was seeking death…?
Swish!
With one swing…
The massive blade shattered upon striking the BOSS, but it wasn't broken by the impact; it actively disintegrated.
In that moment, the blade cleaved the Beast of Iniquitous Flame in half, sending forth a torrent of water that extinguished the flames engulfing it.
In the blink of an eye, the BOSS lay dead!
All that remained was that third-class player casually shaking off his hands. The power of the sword formed from Flowing Water had not yet been exhausted; it merely evaporated from the intense heat, creating a large amount of steam that condensed in the air, resulting in a gentle drizzle.
Amidst the rain, only a slim figure could be seen, his expression relaxed as he walked slowly, while behind him, the fearsome beast lay lifeless.
All that remained were its remains, being softly pelted by the falling rain.