Hunt In Reverse

A path forged in the fires of demonic power, a shortcut, was actually stronger and more flawless than the true Crystallization method, as if it were woven into my very being.

The dim tent, smelling of damp canvas and woodsmoke, bore silent witness as my initial excitement faded. My brow furrowed, a contemplative gaze replacing the eager anticipation in my eyes.

Perhaps my past life had made me wary, always expecting a catch.

The Vampire Devouring External Crystal Method was simply too tempting. This, ironically, made me uneasy.

Everything comes at a price, that's just how the world works.

Even if perfection existed... surely a Leviasaur and a fox vampire couldn't just stumble upon it in a mere two hundred years.

If that were the case, the Crystallization methods would be as common as dirt.

A moment passed, punctuated only by the soft sigh that escaped my lips.

"Who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth?"

My eyes flickered with self-deprecating amusement as I thought back on my journey from Pinewood County.

The black-skinned jackalvamp, the golden chief, the ape vampires in the Berkshire Mountains, the foxvamp of the North Cliff... the sea vampire, the young Leviasaur, the fearsome Crystal Realm Leviasaur. Each encounter flashed before my eyes, a whirlwind of danger and desperation.

If I'd played it safe and taken the slow and steady route, I'd be six feet under – eight times over!

With my limited talent, playing it safe was never an option. I was destined to leave the safety of home and scour the world for a way to extend my life. Outside the city walls, danger lurked around every corner.

Along the way, I was always everyone's safety net. When the Atzmon siblings were defeated, or when Chandra Banerjee and Kenya Washington miscalculated, it was me who saved them. I was the only one who could turn near-certain death into a narrow escape.

But who's there to catch me when I fall?

H.A.R.M.?

Rose Hightower, with her powerful Cascadia connections and peak Wave Realm capability, should have been untouchable in Pinewood County. Yet, she owed her survival to a lucky swing from a terrified courtesan of Velvet Pleasure.

Relying on such long odds was enough to make anyone's stomach churn.

"Still," I mused, "better safe than sorry."

I took a deep breath, holding back the flood of lifespan. For the first time, I carefully reviewed the newly deduced technique in my mind.

I needed to be cautious. This was Crystallization, after all.

If any unresolved dangers lurked within the method, I'd have to shelve it, no matter how much absorbed lifespan went to waste.

Even I found the Vampire Devouring External Crystal Technique a bit obscure. After all, it was largely the work of a Leviasaur and a fox vampire.

Lines of text scrolled through my mind's eye as the night deepened. The glow of the LED strip softened, its once vibrant hues fading to a muted shimmer, casting subtle shadows that danced and stretched across the tent. The air grew heavy, pressing down on me with the weight of centuries.

I frowned, straining to decipher the text with the meager knowledge gleaned from my system panel. This external crystal method was proving a tough nut to crack.

Finally, I reached the last line: "Crafted with this profound method, one obtains a fearsome artifact, a crystal devourer."

Crafting, artifact?

My eyes flew open. Bewilderment etched itself across my face. What did that even mean?

For some reason, I thought of the peak Wave Realm Leviasaur.

I recalled its scales, clearly tempered by some powerful magic. They were both weapon and armor, and when the black blade had scraped them off, the creature hadn't even flinched.

"So, this external crystal..." I pondered, "it doesn't have anything to do with my realm? It doesn't even have anything to do with me? It was more like... a magical artifact?" Once again, I was out of my depth.

I sighed. I was hampered by my lack of experience. My knowledge of martial arts was rudimentary at best, with no proper master to guide me. But if this was an magic artifact, well, I could work with that.

I focused my mind, cautiously channeling the vast reservoir of lifespan towards the Vampire Devouring External Crystal technique.

… …

[Year 1: Within the Melting Sun Furnace, you begin to shape your jade dew into the magic artifact described in the External Crystal Technique.]

This prompt brought a wave of relief washing over me. I kept my gaze fixed on the panel as a torrent of prompts scrolled past.

[Year 32: You continue to gather jade dew...]

[Year 98: You draw the boundless essence overflowing your veins and flesh into your essence pool. Within the Melting Sun Furnace, it is tempered and then forcibly crystallized through arcane methods.]

[Year 172: Jade dew accumulates within you...]

[Year 370: A nascent form emerges within your essence pool, the External Crystal, floating serenely.]

[Year 690: The External Crystal within you is enveloped in a luminous cocoon of golden jade dew. It pulses with life, drawing in essence with a hunger of its own.]

[Year 931: The golden glow within the Melting Sun Furnace fades. At its heart rests the External Crystal, a perfect sphere, hollow and awaiting your essence.]

[Vampire Devouring External Crystal Technique: Grandmaster]

[Remaining Absorbed Lifespan: 1,125 years]

...

The final prompt confirmed what I had already suspected. The External Crystal was exactly that – a crystal.

The Vampire Devouring method had jumped straight from untrained to grandmaster. Clearly, this was more akin to crafting a vessel than training a technique, hence the lack of intermediate stages.

I closed my eyes, my consciousness sinking inwards to examine my inner landscape.

My internal organs shimmered with radiant light. Golden plasma surged through my veins. The Melting Sun Furnace, a network of countless crimson veins, pulsed like a fiery inferno.

Within this inferno, a gleaming transparent orb hung suspended, smooth as polished crystal.

Unless actively directed, my jade dew flowed around the orb as if it were a foreign object, an anomaly within my otherwise perfectly integrated body, held at bay by the fiery prison of the Melting Sun Furnace.

Over nine hundred years of absorbed lifespan, poured into this endeavor, and yet... no increase in cultivation. No boost in power. Nothing.

… …

Instead of disappointment, a flicker of curiosity crossed my face. I opened my eyes and slowly extended my palm. And there it was, materialized in my hand – the prismatic crystal.

"It could even be taken out of my body..."

Vampires were vampires, after all. Their cultivation was a brute-force affair, achieved through sheer longevity. What could they possibly know about true Crystallization?

I pressed my lips together, bringing the peak Wave Realm Leviasaur's vampire core in my other hand. Suddenly, the crystal pulsed with a voracious hunger, a desperate need to consume!

Then, I remembered. With a jolt, I pulled the beast core away, returning the crystal to my essence pool.

I'd almost forgotten about the chance to glean a new talent from the vampire core.

The Vampire Devouring External Crystal only cared about the raw power within the vampire core, after all.

I popped the vampire core into my mouth, the fishy sweetness coating my tongue. Time to check the panel again.

I focused my will, channeling lifespan into the Vampire Devouring External Crystal technique.

[Year 1: You consumed the peak Wave Realm Leviasaur beast core. A torrent of vampire power surged through your veins, refined and purified before flowing into the Vampire Devouring External Crystal.]

[Talent Acquired: Wave Realm — Hundred Renewal Exoskeleton]

[Hundred Renewal Exoskeleton: An innate molting methods of aquatic creatures for bodily refinement. Your physical strength is enhanced, with significant breakthroughs occurring every century.]

Flexing my fingers, I tested my newfound strength. Unlike the dramatic boost from the Leviasaur Power, this enhancement was more subtle. My strength had increased by roughly thirty percent—noticeable, yet still within my control. The prospect of a centennial power-up could wait; for now, I had more pressing matters to consider.

I took a moment to acclimate to my enhanced physique, then turned my attention inwards once more. What I saw made me pause. The External Crystal remained unchanged, a perfect, transparent sphere.

I peered intently, finally discerning a thin film of crimson liquid within the crystal orb – barely a drop.

"A thousand years of cultivation, and for what? This measly drop?" I stared, dumbfounded. I popped the Crystal Realm Leviasaur core into my mouth. Another year of lifespan down the drain. I channeled the Leviasaur core's demonic power into the External Crystal, as before.

[Year 1: You consume the Leviasaur core...]

A deafening roar erupted within my ears! My blood ran cold. I instantly located the source of the commotion: the Melting Sun Furnace, that network of crimson veins, was quivering violently!

Within this fiery prison, the External Crystal remained eerily still. But now, the demonic liquid within had surged, filling fully half the orb! The Melting Sun Furnace strained, but after a few heart-stopping moments, it managed to subdue the volatile External Crystal.

"Was it going to overload?" Thank goodness the furnace held. If it hadn't, all those Leviasaur cores, all that lifespan… would have been wasted. I'd have to extract the External Crystal and render it useless. The thought was agonizing.

I focused on the External Crystal, following the External Crystal Technique's instructions for establishing a connection.

I reached out with my consciousness, attempting to make contact. And then, the Melting Sun Furnace yielded, slowly opening its fiery gates.

From the prismatic crystal orb, tendrils of crimson demonic essence seeped out, staining its surface with a bloody sheen. Then, following the pathways opened by the Melting Sun Furnace, the essence surged outwards, coursing through my veins, invading every inch of my being.

… …

My eyes snapped open, the black pupils within swirling with crimson.

My face was a mask of calm, betraying nothing of the turmoil raging within.

Words failed me. No expression could capture the sheer awe of this moment.

Power, raw and untamed, surged through me, unlike anything I'd ever known. It thrummed with a terrifying energy that defied comprehension.

It was as if some colossal beast had been unleashed from the abyss, its monstrous form rising to claim the world!

I slowly extended my hand, each knuckle a testament to my newfound power. I felt as if I could crush stone with a mere flex of my fingers.

This was the culmination of over three thousand years of cultivation, the full might of the Crystal Realm Leviasaur...

Meanwhile... high above, on the peak of Crown Mountain, dawn painted the sky with soft hues.

Behind Skyler Grant, two Crystal Realm elders stood in silent vigil. Suddenly, they both looked up, their gazes drawn to some distant location, eyelids fluttering in unison.