Chapter status: Unedited
“So, how can I replenish this magic?”
In an instant, the scene of when Zhen Jin dispatched the silver level scorpion entered his mind.
Indeed, that moment of life and death was deeply imprinted on the youngster’s heart.
Zhen Jin immediately stood up and walked towards a dead scorpion.
The silver level scorpion was already ash and the other scorpions had fled, but there was still a dead ordinary scorpion around.
Zhen Jin activated the magic core and his palm flooded with red light.
But the red light did not immediately shoot out.
“Do I need to make contact for it to activate?” Zhen Jin frowned.
He did not rush to place his palm on the scorpion carapace, rather he stopped first.
Zhen Jin carefully perceived the magic core and quietly mumbled: “I can activate and deactivate it at will, and without any backlash, because it seems my human body does not transform, therefore the consumption amount is negligible.
“So, lets experiment with the blood first.”
Zhen Jin had penetrated the scorpion's head with his tail and blood constantly flowed from the puncture wound.
There was a lot of scorpion blood on the ground that was evaporating on the volcanic surface and was quickly spreading the stench of blood.
Red light was enveloping Zhen Jin’s palm.
Zhen Jin’s palm touched a small blood pool.
The red light instantly spread like lightning.
The small blood pool immediately carbonized. As blood continued to flow, the carbon dust mixed into the blood.
“As long as it is a part of a lifeform, the magic core can convert it.”
Zhen Jin patiently waited for a moment.
He waited until the small blood pool was mostly blood again before he activated the magic core’s absorption again.
“This time the magic core absorbed and converted a bit more than last time.
“Because scorpion blood had been recently stored, does that mean that the magic was better absorbed?”
Zhen Jin guessed.
“Although the magic core cannot directly convert magic power, as long as it targets a lifeform, then the more magic power contained within the lifeform, the more special magic power can be converted and stored within the core.”
“So it seems under normal circumstances, absorbing and converting stronger lifeforms that have more magic power will give the magic core more power.”
“What is the upper limit of this?”
“The magic core can, at minimum, absorb silver level lifeforms.”
Finally, Zhen Jin’s glowing red palm touched the scorpion corpse.
A similar scene from before played out.
The red light from Zhen Jin’s palm extended out as four blood threads.
The blood threads wrapped around the corpse like snakes, quickly turned dark, and then seemed to seep into the scorpion.
After two breaths, the four blood threads turned brighter and dense.
The blood threads quickly returned, and a lot of new magic entered the magic core.
At the same time, the scorpion corpse also turned to dust.
“It does not compare to the amount I absorbed from the silver level scorpion.”
This proved Zhen Jin's previous guess.
“Hold on, I can now transform scorpion pincers!”
Originally, Zhen Jin could only transform a scorpion tail and carapace, but after absorbing a bronze level scorpion, he had gained a new scorpion transformation.
The young knight’s eyes flickered with deep thought.
“According to what I know, it seems more lifeforms of the same type will increase the amount of transformations.
“These transformations are also related to the lifeform’s body.”
“As long as I absorb and convert enough scorpions, could I theoretically transform into a complete scorpion?”
Zhen Jin continued to clean up the battlefield.
During the battle, his spider sword had been shattered into many pieces.
He carefully collected these pieces from the battlefield.
He then activated the magic core.
The red light appeared and quickly carbonized the spider sword fragments. Zhen Jin sprinkled the ash into the air.
Zhen Jin focused his attention on the magic core.
A cheerful look quickly appeared on his face.
He tried to activate the magic core again, this time the fingers on his left hand rapidly transformed into five slender spider swords!
The five spider swords were very small and could not compare to the previous spider sword as they were only finger sized.
But the sword’s shine emitted a cold light. Zhen Jin clacked his fingers together with a sound of metal hitting metal.
“It is very evident these swords are as sharp as my spider sword.”
Zhen Jin then tried to activate more of the magic core’s power.
His five fingers grew even longer and emulated the smashed spider sword.
But consumption of the magic core increased accordingly.
Zhen Jin quickly stopped the attempt.
“I must save the magic core’s magic. My repeated attempts today have already used up enough of it.”
“It is indeed powerful!”
The youngster sincerely exclaimed in admiration.
This kind of formidable trump card could let him calmly face many dangers. Previous menaces were now menaced by him.
“By mastering this mysterious and wonderful magic core, I will surely leave this island alive!”
From the moment he had awakened to this very moment, the youngster never had this much confidence in escaping.
Zhen Jin finally looked around him.
This was the place where he first controlled the magic core.
“Perhaps this is the place where my fate shifts.” Zhen Jin smiled.
Without hesitation, the youngster left the battlefield.
He effortlessly returned to the cave.
Cang Xu and Zi Di were already nowhere to be found.
“The scorpion group lost and routed, but if they encountered Zi Di and Cang Xu, the two of them would be in a terrible situation.”
“I must find them without delay.”
“But before that……”
Zhen Jin concentrated on the dead scorpions in the cave.
Red light constantly flickered from the cave.
The exploration team made their last stand here and killed many scorpions.
Under the red light, these scorpions turned into piles of dust.
Although they had laid there for only one night, the majority of the scorpions’ internal magic power had dissipated, but many drops make up an ocean, this was the most energy Zhen Jin’s magic core had ever stored.
“What?” Zhen Jin raised his eyebrows as sure enough, the magic core reacted!
“Scorpion carapace, scorpion tail, chelicera, scorpion feet……I can transform into a complete scorpion!”
Zhen Jin had already foreseen this outcome.
He merely did not think that he would reach it so soon.
All of the scorpion corpses were absorbed by Zhen Jin, but the youngster did not leave, rather he entered the depths of the cave.
There he found Bai Ya.
“Sure enough as expected.” Zhen Jin quietly sighed.
Bai Ya was abandoned.
Regardless of whether it was Zi Di or Cang Xu, both were powerless to defend themselves and could not burden themselves with Bai Ya.
But Zhen Jin could not blame them.
Everything existed in order to survive.
Zhen Jin put his finger next to Bai Ya’s nose and immediately sensed his weak breath.
Bai Ya was not dead yet.
Zhen Jin reached out and stroked Bai Ya’s forehead.
The fever had already gone down!
“You did well.” The youngster happily praised.
Since awakening, he had constantly stood and fought in order to survive and to strive for a dream.
Bai Ya similarly also did not give up.
Even though he was in a coma, he too also possessed the will to live.
This kind of spirit and willpower made Zhen Jin sympathetic.
But very quickly, the youngster’s expression turned complex and subtle.
Seeing Bai Ya, he could not help but think of the time when his fate hung by a thread.
In the moment of death, Zhen Jin was in that kind of dilemma.
Facing death, he could not help but be fearful and sink into panic.
The intense desire to survive made his heart bellow and attempted to break his most basic morals.
“Can those weaker than me escape? Am I, the stronger one, going to die?”
“If I listened to Cang Xu’s advice and ate a human, perhaps I would have survived.”
“Why did I recall that memory of my peers and listen to hell is at one’s feet, depravation is instantaneous’? Bullshit! Truly stupid.”
“I found that nothing is more important than survival!”
“Even……even if others die, why should that affect me?”
“I want to live!!”
These were all genuine thoughts, coming from the bottom of his heart!
Though these opinions never arose under ordinary circumstances.
Although it had happened not long ago, it still seemed as if it were a dream.
“It was indeed a nightmare!”
“Don’t tell me……I really am someone afraid of death?”
“Am I a shameless and despicable person?”
Zhen Jin now asked his heart.
After the happiness of surviving had waned and the curiosity of exploring the magic core’s secrets left, Zhen Jin finally had no choice but to confront himself.
The fight against the silver level scorpion had allowed him to see an ugly aspect of himself.
“Was that really me?”
“Do I really think that way?”
The youngster knelt next to Bai Ya and buried his face in what seemed to be ash.
He hung his head low, and his prior straight posture seemed somewhat crooked.
“No, no, I am indeed a templar knight.”
“I am indeed a templar knight!”
Although he told himself this, in his heart Zhen Jin still felt ashamed, he blamed himself and doubted himself.
“Cough cough cough.”
At that moment, Bai Ya coughed and after a moment, he slowly opened his eyes.
“Zhen, Lord Zhen Jin……” Bai Ya weakly said when he realized Zhen Jin was at his side.
Zhen Jin’s body shook and promptly leaned over Bai Ya: “It's me Bai Ya, you are still alive!
“My Lord……many thanks for saving me.” Bai Ya looked at Zhen Jin with gratitude.
Upon saying that, his eyes closed as he sank into a coma once again.
He was very weak and in poor condition.
“Yes, yes I will save you. I will definitely save you.” Zhen Jin foolishly mumbled as he blankly gazed at Bai Ya.
It was if Bai Ya were a light, a pure white dawn that illuminated the youngster’s heart and dispersed his gloomy expression.
In the darkness, it seemed as if some power entered the young knight’s body.
The young knight lifted his head and his posture no longer seemed crooked.
He scanned the cave and the scene of the previous night appeared before his eyes.
His ears seemed to hear the voices echoing here.
As dawn came, the young knight powerfully and resolutely said——“I will not treat humans as food!”
He was very staunch then——“Don’t try to persuade me again, I have already decided.”
Even though he was in a desperate situation, he still remained optimistic and had a hopeful heart——“Go, by the time we reach the cave’s mouth, we will be able to see the light of dawn.”
The young knight’s mind once again recalled the An Hui Clan’s family motto——A foot in hell means imminent depravity.
Zhen Jin’s eyes gradually became clear.
“I did not become depraved.”
“I stuck to my bottom line and to the principles of a knight.”
“Rest assured.”
He looked towards the unconscious Bai Ya.
“I will save you.”
“And I will not……eat you.”
The youngster put Bai Ya on his back and slowly stood up.
Carrying Bai Ya, he left the bitter cave battlefield.
Dawn had already arrived.
Notes
How dare Bai Ya interrupt the MC’s introspective therapy. His youthful optimism is making everything less dark and more noble compared to how much Zhen Jin beats himself over his choices. I wonder if magic power from dead lifeforms can be converted into ATP, that would easily fix food problems but alas nothing is ever so convenient. Bai Ya literally skipped the entire battle and still managed to live cause he is popular with Chinese readers or something, idk.