Chapitre 25: Battle(2)
Tom fervently prayed for this battle to end. His struggle with this monster was unlike the one against the elk. In contrast to his battle with the elk, he had suffered massive damage. During the elk encounter, he had taken the full force of its teeth, which had caused pain but couldn't even scratch his training attire.
However, the crystals released by the crystal creature pierced through his attire effortlessly!
Fortunately for Tom, after what felt like an eternity, he spotted a change that was genuinely a glimmer of hope for him. The crystal creature's once sinister blue skin began to turn a light blue like the sky.
Seeing this change in color, Tom was relieved to know that he hadn't endured all those long minutes of suffering in vain. In addition to the changing color, the creature's projectiles were becoming slower and less numerous, easing Tom's mental and physical tension.
Meanwhile, the creature was losing more and more of its blue color, gradually becoming transparent. Tom could even see some of its organs, although he couldn't recognize most of them except for one that seemed to pulsate like a heartbeat.
'That must be its heart,' he thought before dodging a salvo of projectiles.
'This creature is really bizarre. How can a living being made of crystal possess normal organs?' It genuinely intrigued Tom.
Perhaps realizing that its projectiles were no longer capable of getting rid of this little pest, the creature, after all this time, decided to turn towards Tom to finish him off physically if necessary.
Tom, prepared to run around the creature once again to get behind it, hesitated just as he was about to start. Something caught his eye at the creature's head, something that still shone with a deep blue color despite the almost transparent state of the creature.
He decided to focus his Etherium into his legs but refrained from running. He wanted to see what this blue light was.
Tom knew it was dangerous, and it could be a surprise attack from the creature. That's precisely why he had concentrated his Etherium in his legs and was ready to use his Astralum of Time if it turned out to be something perilous. However, when the creature turned around, and Tom saw what this light was, he couldn't help but exclaim:
"Impossible!"
The creature turned, ready to approach Tom and attack. It knew that the annoying pest would attempt to run behind it and was prepared to chase him down if necessary. However, when it turned around, it found Tom frozen in place, staring as if he had seen a ghost.
Seeing that the pest wasn't moving, the creature decided to attack before he could start running again. It hurried towards Tom, running faster than it had ever shown before. It was still slower compared to Tom when he ran, but in his current petrified state, the creature could reach him.
Fearing that the pest might move, the creature formed a crystal projectile. It was probably one of its last projectiles and slower than any it had launched before. However, with its enemy frozen, this projectile would surely rid it of the pest. If that wasn't enough, it would be there to deliver the finishing blow with its pincers.
The creature sent the crystal projectile toward Tom. It was only at that moment, with a projectile heading straight for him, that Tom regained his senses.
"Shit."
He quickly used his Astralum of Time, but due to his lack of concentration, it lasted only a brief moment. It allowed him to dodge the projectile's path, but not without it grazing the side of his abdomen.
"Arg!"
Tom exclaimed in pain after being injured by the projectile, but he didn't stop. He could see the crystal creature rushing toward him, just a few steps away. He sprinted to his left, aiming to create a large circle and bypass the creature.
However, while he ran, it wasn't the creature's struggling pursuit or the bleeding wound on his side that occupied his mind. There was only one thing in his thoughts: that blue light he had glimpsed inside the creature's head.
"Was it a... core? But how? It should be impossible for a monster at this level. How is this possible?"
Core.
Like humans, monsters, and some animals possessed cores. However, it wasn't the existence of cores that surprised Tom; he knew that monsters had cores. What astonished him was that this was typically only possible for high-level monsters.
'What the hell ?...what kind of forest is this ?' Tom wondered as he continued to sprint, his thoughts racing faster than his feet.
Tom was utterly bewildered, especially by the core the creature possessed. Normally, a monster only gained a core at level 3, and some monsters even reached levels beyond 3 before acquiring one.
Unlike humans, who merely needed to unlock their first seal to obtain a core, monsters and animals had to create their own cores. This was why low-level monsters didn't have cores. So you can imagine Tom's shock when he saw that a creature that was most likely at level 1, just like him, possessed a core.
Tom was certain that the crystal creature was a level 1 monster, and he had two reasons for this conviction. The first was that this world was supposed to be where he underwent his "trial of power." In the world of the trial of power, it was impossible for monsters or individuals of a significantly higher level to exist.
The highest-level monster recorded in a trial of power world by Earthlings was at level 2. This certainty led Tom to believe the creature couldn't be of a higher level than 1.
The second reason he believed the creature was level 1 was straightforward and could be summed up in a single sentence:
He was certain that if this monster were of a higher level than 1, he'd already be dead.
The second reason behind Tom's conviction was straightforward and could be summarized in one sentence:
He was sure that if this monster were of a higher level than 1, he'd already be dead.
If the creature he was battling were truly of a level higher than 1, their fight, which had lasted minutes or perhaps hours, would not have extended beyond a few seconds before Tom met his demise, he wouldn't even realize how he died, Astralum of Time or not.
That's how vast the power gap was between level 1 and level 2.
While he continued to evade the creature's relentless pursuit, Tom couldn't help but think, 'If that thing shining in the creature's head is really a core, then... hehehe.'
Tom was so thrilled by the implications of such a discovery that he forgot all about the pain he was experiencing. All that filled his mind now was that core.
If someone could witness what was going on in his head, this shift in attitude would seem incomprehensible, leaving that person perplexed, wondering how someone who initially wanted to avoid combat and would have joyfully chosen the option of escape if possible just moments ago, could become so excited about fighting.
However, when you understood the significance of a monster's core, Tom's greedy attitude would appear entirely reasonable. In fact, some might even argue that his enthusiasm was lackluster.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone