Chapter 317: Malevolent Power [Bonus Chapter]

The strange Whopperflower, with purple-white flames flickering at the tips of its petals, had already witnessed the power of Nolan's translucent threads earlier. Staying cautious, it didn't allow them any opportunity to get closer.

In a flash, the creature's purple flames spun, spreading out like a blossoming flower. They morphed into what looked like a cannon muzzle, aiming at Nolan's threads and firing bursts of flame bullets in rapid succession.

The bullets flew through the air unhindered, striking the spiritual threads.

"Ouch, that burns!" Nolan felt his threads scorching, unable to shake off the pain. With no other option, he was forced to disperse the translucent threads.

For a creature just over level sixty, it possessed impressive strength. Clearly, there was more to its origins than met the eye.

He'd already sent the "Sword God" off to investigate Wyrmrest Valley, so summoning him back to deal with this creature, only to send him out again, would be a waste of time.

It was a perfect opportunity to test the archery skills he had recently learned from Amber. And just before trying it out, he could level it to max, unlocking its extraordinary trait.

Adventure EXP - 4499

Sharpshooter Archery Lv.1 (1/100) → Sharpshooter Archery Lv.10 (Perfect Accuracy)

Using over 4000 Adventure EXP, he easily maxed out the ordinary skill. Nolan's Adventure EXP now sat comfortably above fifty thousand.

[Adventure EXP: 49829]

With plenty left, he figured he could level ten more basic skills to their max without any problem. Nolan grinned, pleased with the calculation, then checked the effects of "Sharpshooter Archery's" extraordinary trait.

[Perfect Accuracy: When Aiming At A Target, Factors In The Environment That Might Influence The Arrow's Flight Will Appear In Your Mind, Allowing You To Adjust And Eliminate Interference, Achieving Pinpoint Accuracy.]

Absorbing the new information, Nolan found this trait remarkably useful. As long as the bow's quality held up, he could strike even the most distant target in sight.

With this in mind, Nolan took out his trusty Adventurer's Hunter Bow.

As he drew the string, countless Water elements began to coalesce on the arrow, drawn from his "Wonderland" space. Given that this odd Whopperflower seemed to be a Pyro-elemental creature, Water would be the most effective against it.

In truth, Nolan's strength vastly outmatched that of the Whopperflower. Even with a lesser weapon, a single hit would be enough to take it down.

"Swish!" The arrow shot forward like a streak of water-blue light.

Though he could achieve perfect accuracy, quick reactions would still allow the target a chance to evade—especially for this Whopperflower, which had teleportation abilities.

True to form, the Whopperflower was no fool, with intelligence surpassing that of most other creatures. The instant it noticed Nolan's arrow, it teleported once more, shifting its body away from the ice peak.

When it reappeared, it was at the base of the icy mound.

"Heh, I was waiting for this!" Amber's skills as a Scout Knight allowed her to predict the monster's most likely escape spot.

Just as the Whopperflower reappeared, her Pyro-infused arrow was already pressed against its face.

At this moment, even though the Whopperflower sensed the danger, it was too late for it to teleport again. It had no choice but to take the full force of the arrow.

The Pyro element exploded upon impact! The Whopperflower was blasted into the icy lake, and its purple-white flames were visibly extinguished.

As the creature struggled in the water, Nolan summoned his translucent threads, preparing to finish it off.

Just then, they noticed a golden-haired young man emerge from a passage on their right, who gave them a slight nod in greeting.

The young man raised his hand toward the creature in the lake, summoning a surge of Geo energy that condensed in the water to form a structure like a coffin, trapping the Whopperflower within it.

Eula raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Albedo? What's he doing here?"

"His camp might be nearby," Nolan suggested. "He's motioning for us to come over. Let's go down and check it out."

Nolan, though slightly surprised to see Albedo here, led the group as they spread their Wind Gliders and descended directly to where Albedo stood.

"Albedo! Hey, what brings you here?" Amber asked with a curious blink.

"Hello, everyone," Albedo greeted them with a slight chuckle. "Actually, I should be thanking you all. That creature is the reason I'm here."

"Oh, so you were tracking it?" Amber mused, "This Whopperflower is unique—you want to study it, don't you?"

Albedo nodded. "Originally, it was an ordinary Pyro Whopperflower, but for reasons unknown, it absorbed some malevolent power, drastically altering its form."

"Malevolent power..." Nolan murmured thoughtfully. "Could it be the power of the Abyss?"

In Teyvat, if there's any malevolent power, the Abyssal energy is undoubtedly among the most sinister.

"Something like that," Albedo agreed, nodding. "The shadow dragon Durin may have fallen, but traces of his power linger on Dragonspine.

"This power is indeed related to the Abyss. Certain creatures exposed to it undergo sudden mutations, increasing their aggression."

"Increased aggression?" Amber exchanged glances with Nolan and Eula. "Could that mean the Cryo Hypostasis we're here to investigate has also been corrupted by this malevolent energy?"

"That possibility can't be ruled out," Nolan said, folding his arms and nodding thoughtfully.

"Albedo, is that why you're studying this creature?" Eula asked.

"Yes," Albedo replied. "From what I know of Durin's power, under natural conditions, it wouldn't corrupt creatures to such an extreme degree so quickly. And this isn't the only mutated creature I've encountered.

"It's possible that someone on Dragonspine is deliberately experimenting with Durin's power."

"Huh? You mean these creatures were purposely created?" Eula's eyes widened in disbelief.

Could it be the work of those Abyss Order schemers?!

"It's highly likely," Albedo confirmed with another nod.

"If that's the case, we need to uncover the mastermind behind this," Amber declared, clenching her fist, the tension making her red bunny ears almost stand on end. "Otherwise, no matter how many corrupted creatures we defeat, it won't fix the root of the problem!"

"Exactly," Albedo said, his gaze deepening with thought. "By capturing and studying these corrupted creatures, I hope to trace the source of this energy and possibly pinpoint its origin."

(End of Chapter)

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