Chapter 12: Benefit
Oliver couldn't say he wasn't scared or worried about his condition.
As he ran, the pain only grew worse.
Enduring the pain made him feel like his head was going to explode.
"Die!"
He shouted as he slashed his spear toward the anaconda that was already right behind him, ripping through its head.
It was one of those that tried to self-destruct.
But when its brain was destroyed, its body failed to explode.
However, there were two other anacondas slightly behind that one, also trying to detonate their bodies.
At the same time, four other anacondas crawled in from either side, heading toward him.
Boom! Boom!
The two exploded, and Oliver chose to use whatever void particles he had to shield himself from the blast.
A few drops of blood still landed on his body, adding more wounds.
Fortunately, it was still better than before.
He could have used Void Step to dodge, but he chose not to.
That's because he was waiting for the four anacondas that attacked from his sides.
"Die!" he yelled, spinning as he swung his spear toward each of the anacondas.
They dared to get too close to him, so he struck—and they couldn't withstand his attack.
His spear suddenly looked enlarged as the void particles coating it surged drastically.
Oliver chose to spend his Spiritual Energy to unleash even more void particles so he could cover a larger area.
One by one, the anacondas' heads shattered as they were struck by his spear.
The other anacondas chasing just behind were suddenly hesitant when they saw the wounded Oliver still able to counterattack and kill their comrades.
"Hmph, don't even dream of winning…" Oliver snorted, feeling fired up again after that round of success.
He began to ignore the pain coursing through his body and leapt toward the nearest anaconda.
Shua!
He stabbed its head as the anaconda appeared indecisive.
But this time, his spear no longer released void particles. Not even a single one.
The anaconda's head wasn't destroyed, but was pinned to the ground as the spear pierced straight through into the earth.
"I can still do this," Oliver said as he transformed his right hand into void.
Buzz!
That void hand penetrated the anaconda's head, turning whatever it touched into nothingness.
He moved his hand around inside the anaconda's head. This wasn't like void particles that could cover a wide area, though it erased things much faster.
Most importantly, it didn't require Spiritual Energy—this was pure physical strength.
He could only lament that he still couldn't fully transform into void.
Although it was a bit slow, he was still able to remove the entire head of the snake, which of course killed it.
Its Monster Core appeared and was absorbed by his Observation Ring.
"Anacondas, so many of you—come on, let's level up here!"
Suddenly, Oliver heard a man's voice from somewhere.
He quickly looked around and spotted five young men who appeared to be about the same age as him.
Each of them seemed strong—one had a ball of fire above his palm, and another had turned his nails into long claws.
As he watched them, they charged toward the group of anacondas.
Of course, he couldn't say they were reinforcements.
But this wasn't much different from reinforcements to him.
The anacondas started retreating since now there were many more humans around—right after they'd just battled a single human who had killed many of them.
This seemed to have left them a little traumatized.
Naturally, the five young men gave chase.
They were Awakener trying to level up. There was no situation they preferred more than when the monsters they targeted barely fought back.
If Oliver had been an Awakener, he surely would've leveled up by now, considering how many monsters he had killed—most of them Level 6 Monsters.
Feeling somewhat safe, Oliver quickly summoned his portal, returned to his room, sat down, and began absorbing Spiritual Energy to restore himself.
When he lacked Spiritual Energy, he could absorb it in a way different from cultivating.
This was absorption to refill the emptiness in his Spiritual Space, not the type that fused with the body to later expand the Spiritual Space once enough was gathered.
Right now, he really needs to replenish his Spiritual Energy. With Spiritual Energy, he can endure the pain from his injuries more easily.
In addition, Spiritual Energy is also the best medicine for any Cultivator to heal wounds.
It will regenerate the injured body quickly.
"Mmm…"
As he started absorbing Spiritual Energy, Oliver instinctively closed his eyes and suddenly wore a serious expression.
Enlightenment—something every Cultivator longed for, especially when they couldn't understand scripture or techniques.
This wasn't like earlier when he discovered how to improve his use of void power—this enlightenment gave him a flood of new insights because he had found many ways to improve his shortcomings.
Without a doubt, it was because of that intense battle—since enlightenment often came after a fight.
That's the main reason cultivators fight. Otherwise, they could just lock themselves in their rooms and meditate endlessly.
It's just that, in most cases, one had to fight dozens of times and nearly die repeatedly just to gain one enlightenment.
Oliver gained it after his first intense battle. He knew this was thanks to talent.
Different talents produced different results in cultivation.
But what really caught his attention was his Will.
He wasn't trying to absorb Will Energy, but somehow, his body began to absorb it on its own—and the rate of absorption felt absurd.
He guessed it was because his brain had been enduring so much pain, which eventually boosted the strength of his Will.
And as his Will grew stronger, his body naturally absorbed Will Energy.
In the end, he lost track of time, no longer paying attention to his surroundings—focused on cultivating and began absorbing Spiritual Energy to also raise his cultivation.
Breakthrough! He actually felt that his cultivation was about to advance again.