Chương 81: Crystal Assimilation

After relishing the joy of the Elixir's price tag, Arthur read the potion's description. He was very happy that the potion provided exactly what he had asked of Ava; it had brewed it with great effort. However, there were side effects if he did not control the manifestation after consuming it. The potion would turn one of his body parts into crystal without the possibility of removal.

'Did the skeleton create a living being as a sluggish potion?' Arthur was dumbfounded by this specific detail to control the manifestation. This meant the potion was sentient. It would try to take over his body, and he had to take control of it. Only through dominance could he control it as he wished. That was a scary thing to do. What if he was not able to control the potion and it turned his face into crystal? He could not even imagine living his whole life with a crystal face.

Furthermore, would the turned body part possess the natural characteristics of human skin and flesh? Arthur's mind instinctively went to his private parts. Arthur shook his head, clearing all these thoughts. He had to take risks in order to grow. Otherwise, he would be left behind by the world as weak, and he could achieve nothing in life. Arthur started to motivate himself, increasing the courage in his heart. However, looking at the half-full vial of dark blush potion, a hope came.

Since the quantity was very small, he could do it. With that confidence, he read the rest of the details. After reading them, another wave of shock hit his head.

'What does it mean I can't take another vial?' If he were to think back, the amount of crystal the Ant King must have consumed to turn its body into crystal was enormous. Now, this vial contained only a drop of Faunite Crystal essence. How much would it provide him? A fist-sized amount? Arthur had spent the whole day daydreaming of his entire body becoming crystal. Now, he could not do so unless he manifested that crystal outside of his body.

'What does that even mean?' Arthur wondered.

'Does it mean that the crystal could be used as a weapon, like a crystal shield or a crystal sword?' If that were the case, would it be an overwhelmingly powerful weapon? Just thinking about manifesting the crystal into a shield or a sword to fight, Arthur's eyes shone. He wanted that kind of weapon in his arsenal. With these kinds of benefits, Arthur was not going to consider the danger of his body turning into permanent crystal. He was ready to drink! He gulped hard as he brought the vial towards his mouth.

However, before he could tip the vial into his mouth, he suddenly felt a connection sever. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! The skeletons in the quarry every single one of them was severed.

'Did the ants come back to claim their territory?' Arthur thought.' Or maybe people from the safe spot had started to roam different places and found the quarry.' He speculated that both scenarios were possible, and the latter would be an issue for him. If someone were to find the Faunite Crystals and identify their usage, they could definitely monopolize them instead of him doing it. However, it did not matter for now.

Soon, he summoned all the skeletons that had worked on the mining, as well as Zero: Gerard, Fulbert, Mya, Sty, Paleo, and finally, Zero.

Fortunately, they had taken all the crystals with them when they were dismissed upon noticing people or ants. The quantity they brought was smaller than the one Cross brought, but it was enough for him now. If he had to guess, a total of 250 individual Faunite Crystals lay in front of him. Although his greed nagged him to mine more crystals, he could not let it overwhelm him; it would definitely put him in his place sooner or later. He should always move forward, not thinking about what had already happened.

Following that thought, he dismissed the minor skeletons, and his mind came back to the potion. He quickly moved into the Dead End Cave and stood at the center just to be safe. Flip. Without thinking, he flipped the vial. However, the potion did not come rushing out of the vial; it moved slowly, like a slug. Arthur held the position for a while until the whole thing landed in his mouth. It felt disgusting in his mouth, but clutching his fists, he swallowed it whole. Gluck.

Fortunately, it did not taste like anything but a plain sponge, though he did not know what a sponge tasted like. Once he swallowed the potion, he waited for a moment for the change to happen. Yet, nothing happened for a while. Arthur looked at the empty vial, then turned to look at the Ava skeleton, who stood silently. Before he could ask the skeleton anything, a sudden sensation erupted in his stomach. It felt like a cramp one would experience in the middle of the night.

"Ahhhh!" Arthur screamed loudly as excruciating pain assaulted his stomach. Clutching his abdomen, he collapsed to the ground and groaned. His cry echoed all over the Dead End Cave, echoing out into the forest. As time passed, his breathing grew heavier. What should he do now? How was he going to control the crystal? Arthur's mind raced, trying to find a solution to the pain. The pain intensified manifold, and his breathing quickened. Finally, his eyes rolled back, and he fell unconscious.

Arthur opened his eyes in front of a large, bright white ball. He immediately knew where he was; it was the place he had visited earlier.

"Is this the Core Layer Space?" While thinking about why he had appeared here, he forgot that he was no longer feeling any pain. However, that was a negligible detail. The important part was the bright white core turning into crystal!

"What the hell?" Arthur cursed as he walked forward, forgetting there was an invisible barrier between himself and the core. While he struggled to think of a way to control the crystal and stop it from engulfing his Alpha Core, it continued to crystallize, looking similar to the Ant King.

'Would my body completely turn into crystal if the crystal were to engulf the core?' a thought arose in his mind. If so, he was in a bad situation. He needed to quickly find a way to stop this, but he could not find any connection between himself and the core. How was he supposed to take control of the crystal?

'Argh!' With frustration growing, his mind raced for a solution. Since he could not feel any connection to the core, he might have to exit this place. With that intention, he closed his eyes and willed his intent to exit the space, utilizing the same method he had used the last time. In the next second, he emerged from the space. However, the pain in his stomach assaulted him in the very next moment, and he directly slipped back into unconsciousness.