Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Another Draw, Seizing the Red Sun Fruits!
Seeing the Black Turtle seething with rage, yet too hesitant to attack, Dean Bruce quickly assessed the situation.
His mana was running low, and the spells he had taught others were primarily defensive and supportive in nature. He lacked the power to outright kill the Black Turtle. However, by prolonging the standoff and leveraging the unique properties of Blood for Blood and Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain, he was confident he could extract even more Red Sun Fruits from the beast.
The standoff also gave him time to better understand the rewards he had received. After all, he had only just acquired Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain and wasn't yet adept at using it to its full potential.
If the Wind and Fire components of the spell possessed offensive capabilities or special effects, he might even have a chance to defeat the Black Turtle and claim the Red Sun Sacred Tree!
For a moment, the scene turned awkward. The Black Turtle, unwilling to speak or attack, simply stared intently at Dean Bruce.
Meanwhile, Alita Miller hid behind Dean Bruce, panting heavily as she worked to recover from her previous injuries.
Seeing the Black Turtle stuck in its position, Dean Bruce decided to multitask. He discreetly summoned the system interface and used the ten-draw voucher to initiate a lottery draw.
[Heavens, bless me! Lady Luck, be kind! If I can pull a special item that can take down this Black Turtle, I promise I'll offer more tributes in the future!]
[Come on, give me something good. I don't want to waste the Annihilation Blood Nail on a beast that's not even Saint level!]
Dean Bruce silently prayed as he watched the lottery interface flash before his eyes, his whole body tense with anticipation.
Ding!
"System Alert: Congratulations, Host, for successfully consuming a ten-draw voucher and initiating a ten-draw!"
"System Alert: Congratulations, Host, for drawing a reward: Incendiary Grenade X1!"
"System Alert: Congratulations, Host, for drawing a reward: Blank Spellbook X1!"
"System Alert: Congratulations, Host, for drawing a reward: Ginseng Fruit X1!"
"System Alert: Congratulations, Host, for drawing a reward: Diluted Dragon Blood X1!"
"..."
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"System Alert: Congratulations, Host, for drawing the grand prize: Primary Space Stasis Spell Scroll X1!"
"System Alert: Since the Host has drawn the grand prize in this lottery, you may choose to refresh the prize pool. Would you like to refresh?"
"Refresh!"
Dean Bruce didn't hesitate for a second. If his luck held, he might win another chance to draw and potentially score another grand prize!
After refreshing the prize pool, Dean Bruce kept one eye on the Black Turtle's movements while checking the rewards he had just drawn.
[Blank Spellbook (Special Item)]: Can store another's magical insights, allowing the host to directly comprehend them.
[Ginseng Fruit (Heavenly Treasure)]: Permanently increases the host's physical constitution by 10 points upon consumption.
[Kiwi Fruit (Heavenly Treasure)]: Permanently increases the host's mana by 10 points upon consumption.
[Entangling Magic Scroll (Special Item)]: When activated, it casts an advanced binding spell on a target, immobilizing them completely.
[Intermediate Pet Blood Contract (Special Item)]: Can be used on a beast of Sixth-Level or lower to forcibly form a blood contract, making it your pet, with its life and death under your control.
[Lightning Arrow Magic Talisman (Special Item)]: After infusing it with mana, this talisman can unleash a basic Lightning Arrow spell.
[Incendiary Grenade (Special Item)]: Upon being thrown, it ignites and burns everything within a 100-yard radius, capable of killing any target below Sixth-Level. The flames last for 30 minutes.
[Diluted Dragon Blood (Special Item)]: Though diluted, this dragon blood still carries a strong draconic aura. If successfully absorbed, it could greatly enhance your constitution or empower a treasure.
[Primary Space Stasis Magic Scroll (Special Item)]: When used, this scroll activates a space stasis spell, freezing all space within a 300-yard radius. All Seventh-Level beasts, Archmages, Sword Kings, Martial Kings, and lower-level enemies will be immobilized and unable to cast spells for 3 minutes. The duration decreases if the stasis field is attacked.
This time, Dean Bruce's luck seemed even better than before, causing his eyes to light up with excitement and his heart to race with joy.
The highlight of the draw was undoubtedly the Primary Space Stasis Magic Scroll. With this in hand, he could freeze the Black Turtle in place, making it impossible for the beast to move. They could then pick as many Red Sun Fruits as they wanted!
As for the other items, though impressive, they weren't immediately necessary.
A sly smile crept onto Dean Bruce's face as he looked at the Black Turtle, a smile so chilling that even the mighty beast felt a shiver run down its spine.
Alita Miller's voice whispered urgently from behind him, "Dean, are you sure you can take it down? If not, I have a teleportation scroll. Hold it off for a bit, and we can escape. I already got five Red Sun Fruits—it's a decent haul!"
Under different circumstances, Dean Bruce might have agreed, but now, with the Primary Space Stasis Magic Scroll in his possession, there was no way he'd let the Black Turtle off so easily.
Without replying to Alita Miller, Dean Bruce stepped forward toward the Black Turtle. The beast, now visibly shaken, retreated in fear, its eyes locked onto Dean Bruce with terror as it gruffly said, "I don't want to fight you to mutual destruction. Don't push me into a corner!"
The Black Turtle had no choice but to be suspicious. Dean Bruce's sudden shift from defensive maneuvers to boldly walking straight toward the beast was too unusual, making the Black Turtle wary and hesitant to retaliate.
"Hahaha! Force you to fight? I'd like to see how you intend to do that!"
Dean Bruce didn't stop advancing, drawing ever closer to the Black Turtle. Though the Black Turtle was a Seventh-Level beast, its strength had long been sapped by the Red Sun Sacred Tree. Yet, it still retained the pride of a high-level beast.
As Dean Bruce closed in, the Black Turtle, filled with fury, stopped retreating and opened its mouth to unleash a water curtain. However, before the water could fully form, Dean Bruce quickly tore open the Primary Space Stasis Magic Scroll.
Buzz—
A peculiar ripple spread through the air, instantly freezing the entire space within the cavern.
Even the water curtain halted mid-air, no longer flowing. The Black Turtle, though still conscious, found itself completely paralyzed, unable to move even a muscle, let alone blink.
"What?"
"What... what's happening?" Alita Miller, who had been preparing to flee, stared wide-eyed in shock.
This time, her astonishment wasn't an act.
She was genuinely stunned, unable to believe that Dean Bruce had just subdued a Seventh-Level beast. What level of mage could he possibly be?
"Don't just stand there! I can only hold the Black Turtle for three minutes. Hurry up and start picking the Red Sun Fruits!"
Dean Bruce shouted as he leaped onto the Black Turtle's back, frantically harvesting the Red Sun Fruits. He called out to Alita Miller, urging her to join him.
Alone, Dean Bruce could only gather so many fruits, but with Alita Miller's help, they could potentially double their haul. Even if he had to share some of the fruits with her, the total yield would be far greater than what he could collect on his own.
And if Alita Miller disagreed with his proposed division, well... ending the partnership and turning against her wasn't out of the question.
These were fruits from the evolved Red Sun Sacred Tree—rare and powerful enough to justify making enemies, even with the organization backing Alita Miller.
Fortunately, Alita Miller understood the importance of the Red Sun Fruits. Without hesitation, she ignored her previous injuries and pain, jumping onto the Black Turtle's back and frantically picking the fruits alongside Dean Bruce.
As they continued to gather the Red Sun Fruits, Alita Miller couldn't help but ask, "How on earth did you do it? How were you able to freeze the Black Turtle in place for a full three minutes?"
"Shouldn't we take this opportunity to uproot the entire Red Sun Tree?"
As she spoke, Alita Miller's gaze shifted to the thick roots of the Red Sun Sacred Tree.
Dean Bruce glanced at the roots and immediately shook his head. "No, it's impossible. The roots have completely fused with the Black Turtle. Trying to pull it out would take far too long. Instead of wasting time on that, it's better to pick as many Red Sun Fruits as we can!"
"And... I still feel like something is watching us."
For some reason, even though the Black Turtle was immobilized by the space stasis spell, Dean Bruce couldn't shake off a deep-seated sense of unease, a feeling that danger was still lurking nearby.
Given that, it made more sense to gather as many Red Sun Fruits as possible and return for the tree later, when they were stronger.
Alita Miller pouted but didn't argue with Dean Bruce's reasoning. She bent down and focused on frantically harvesting the fruits.
Time ticked by slowly.
As they neared the three-minute mark, Dean Bruce could feel the water curtains in the space starting to tremble.
"Stop! We need to get out of here, now!"
Dean Bruce immediately called out to Alita Miller and dashed toward the exit. With a swift leap, he jumped past the frozen water curtains and bolted out of the cave.
In just a few short breaths, Dean Bruce and Alita Miller reached the cave's entrance. They grabbed Ace and took off running, not daring to look back.
They had no choice. Under normal circumstances, they were no match for a Seventh-Level beast, even one not at its full strength.
Dean Bruce wasn't willing to waste his Annihilation Blood Nail on the Black Turtle, so putting as much distance between them and the beast was the best option.
Meanwhile, back in the cave, the Black Turtle finally broke free from the space stasis spell. The water curtains coalesced, forming a massive wave that violently crashed against the cavern walls.
Boom!
The explosion reverberated through the cave, shattering the walls and sending shockwaves throughout the entire structure. Even outside, Dean Bruce, Alita Miller, and Ace could feel the ground trembling beneath their feet.