Chapter 43: Let the Fun Begin

*Splash!*

The scout bolted out the surface of the water like a dolphin. The water splashed all around and the fishes swam away in shock.

The soldiers were dumbfounded and stared at him, but the others who had quick senses reacted immediately.

"Quick! Catch him! He must have the healing herb in his hands!"

A soldier said cunningly. He had a smug look on his face.

'Ha! You think you'll be able to escape with the herb? No way!'

Hearing this, everyone quickly understood what he meant and channeled their energy. If the scout got away with the herb, then they won't have a chance of surviving. That's why they were willing to give their all just for a chance to get the herb. However, before they even attacked, the scout stopped.

"Wait!"

The scout flew towards the riverbank. He didn't run away and looked directly at the crowd. He has a serious look on his face as if he was... scammed.

'That damned soldier who warned everyone! I swear I'll kill him!'

The scout angrily thought in his mind. After all, if an ant bit you, would you be angry, or not? Of course you'd be angry! And that was what the scout was feeling right now.

"Well? What are your last words?"

Gars said threateningly. After all, he also can't ensure that he would leave this place scratchless. That's why he was also fighting for this healing herb.

'Well, it won't hurt to be careful, right?'

Gars said in his mind.

"I finally found what was giving off the life aura, but...."

The scout conflictingly explained.

"Hmm? What is it?"

Gars was curious as to what could have baffled the scout this much.

*Sigh*

Hearing his question, the scout sighed and he had a look of someone who finally gave up. He opened his palm and he revealed a spherical object to everyone.

"This is... the source of life 's aura...?"

Everyone was full of expectations, but when they saw what was in his hands, their hearts sank to the bottom. It was as if they were about to fall off a cliff and they were expecting their friend to help them, only to feel despair seeing their friend lifting his foot to stomp their fingers.

What they saw in the scout's hands was a life mana crystal. It was releasing a soothing aura and looked golden green. The bright yellow and the green color, which was a weird color to mix, actually blended quite well and produced a soothing aura.

"Damn it! I was expecting a healing herb!"

A soldier with an amputated leg screamed despairingly.

"Yeah! I was even about to c*m, yet you stopped me! You just wasted my time!"

A naked soldier complained.

"Bitch, no one asked you to come, nor did anyone stop you."

Another naked soldier retorted, although he was also angry at the fact that his time had been wasted.

"Are you really not hiding something from us? Is this what you really saw!?"

The soldier with amputated legs doubted desperately.

Healers can direct the energy to heal others while you can extract the essence of herbs to heal yourself. A life mana crystal only has the energy to heal, but does not have the substance. If they used the raw energy of life, the life energy might even conflict with their energy.

If we compare the bullet to the crystal, then the gun would be the human(organism). They can't work without each other.

Now that the soldier can't heal his leg, he can't expect to leave this place with just a single leg, can he? Ha! Others even wished that they could grow another pair of legs, when he was already suffering from lacking one.

The scout felt offended but he endured it. If the others thought that he was hiding something, they would try to kill him with only 0.1℅ hesitation. That's why he decided to come clean, to not act suspiciously, and to just cooperate for the meantime.

'However, if they really force my hands, then I hope God won't blame me!'

The scout said in his mind. Cooperating doesn't mean giving up. If someone tried to take advantage of him, he wouldn't hesitate to use force.

"Hmph! Rolly can vouch for me. He was also searching for the source of the life aura at the same time as I did."

Everyone looked at the water, searching for Rolly. Everyone looked at the bush that was as big as a room, which is the place where the life crystal was previously located.

Everyone waited for him to come out.

1 minute.

2 minutes.

3 minutes.

However, Rolly still didn't show up.

"... Is he okay? What happened to him?"

Everyone found it suspicious. Why is he not coming out of the surface? Did something happen to him?

"Should we check on him?"

A soldier asked.

"Well...."

*Splash*

When everyone was still discussing whether they should go or not, the water suddenly splashed intensely and a drenched Rolly came out, gasping desperately for air.

He didn't relax his guard when they were taking a bath earlier, so he has been wearing his clothes all the time. His thin wet clothes enhanced the shape of his muscular biceps, abs, and body, yet obscuring his skin at the same time, making him 2× more hotter and mysterious, as if he was teasing you. Clothes really do make the man, right?

But this image dispersed like a smoke because of his angry bloodshot eyes which were exuding with an almost intangible bloodlust.

Everyone shut up as if their tongue has been bitten by a cat. They looked silently at Rolly but didn't dare to meet his eyes.

*Fizz*

Water vapor suddenly came out of Rolly and his clothes immediately warmed up and dried. He silently looked at everyone and threw an object at them.

*Swoosh* *Thud*³

Three spherical objects landed at the center of everyone. They saw not one, but three life mana crystals.

"This..."

Everyone felt... weird... as if there was a knot in their chest... They don't know what to feel or to say at this moment... They don't know if they should feel shameful for doubting the scout, to feel scared of Rolly's eyes, or to feel angry and disappointed because there was not a single healing herb.

However, Gars felt that something was suspicious instead. He frowned slightly in confusion.

'Why did Rolly give his harvest quickly? Even the scout felt conflicted a little bit. Is there something more to it? Or is it just because he knows that he doesn't have any use for them?'

"S— see? I told you so. There were only mana crystals."

The scout stuttered in nervousness. He was also a bit scared of Rolly's eyes.

'What kind of fucking eyes is that? Did he also stare at his mother with those eyes when he was born? His mother must have killed herself when he was a child.'

The scout endured the fear and hurriedly used this opportunity to prove himself clean. However, it was actually quite unnecessary because everyone was already convinced.

"Damn it! There's not a single herb! It was all a lie!"

"Haaah... Life mana crystals... can they even be used!?"

A wounded soldier asked angrily, but everyone heard a hint of panic and despair in them. He must have been really desperate.

"... I don't know..."

"Well, what can we do about it? Hahaha..."

Some of the soldiers replied despondently, when suddenly, someone answered that gave them hope.

"Maybe.... we can use them in a... formation... right?

Everyone froze in shock. After a brief second, someone echoed back excitedly.

"Right! A formation...! We can use them in a formation! Goodness! Why didn't I think of that?! What a great idea!"

Everyone looked at the person who gave them hope, and their line of sight caught a teenage soldier who appeared like a geek or a weeb. He has a body that seems as if he has developed an unhealthy lifestyle because of his addiction to reading.

"Nice one! You're such a genius!"

A soldier praised cheerfully. Just when they thought that they had no chance to live, he gave everyone the hope they needed. Everyone smiled and praised him.

"Hahaha! You actually had it in you!"

*Slap!*

A rather rough man patted his back intensely and locked his neck inside his elbow.

"Haha, it's nothing..."

The geekish soldier laughed wryly.

"Ha! Idiots. Keep fucking dreaming. A formation needs the right runes and materials. Although we might have the energy holder, we don't have the materials to write the runes. Heck, we don't even know the right runes to begin with. Different lines and shapes produce different effects, and a single mistake can ruin the formation. Tell me, even if your formation worked, can you ensure that it wouldn't kill us?"

Gars said smugly.

Hearing this, everyone's excitement died down like a fire doused in water.

"Now, now, Gars. You can't just kill everyone's hope like that. After all, milk is expensive."

The scout also said mockingly

"Hahaha!"²

They both laughed like bullies, making everyone feel even more helpless.

"Damn it! Kid! You're such an idiot! Don't you have a brain!?"

The rough man who was holding the geekish soldier in his elbow said angrily and clenched his elbow in impulse. He was the type of man who was cowardice and possesses violent tendencies, so he can't control his emotion. Now that he felt ashamed, he can't help but direct his shame into someone else.

*Cough!*

"Wait!... Cough!... B— blood!... We can use... cough! B—blood as a material!!"

The geekish kid said desperately. Hearing this, the rough man got a chill in his spine and he retreated a bit.

"B— blood?"

The rough man can almost imagine the geekish soldier drawing runes in blood and then summoning a demon.

*Pant!*³

The geekish man panted heavily. The choke was too much for his weak body.

"Haaah... Yes... Blood... Cough! Cough!.... H aah... T—The thing is, the blood and flesh actually contains life energy in them... We can use them as a substitute to materials in creating the runes. If you don't want blood, we can use plant essences. Plants also have subtle life energy in their veins... We can collect them through alchemy and apply them in the formation... Lastly, I also have knowledge about the runes of life, albeit they are still basic."

When everyone heard this, they felt... conflicted. They didn't want to be ashamed anymore, so they didn't over react like kids. Instead, they just smiled and encouraged the soldier.

"Hahaha! That's good then! Just tell us what items we need and we'll get them! Tell us, how do we harvest them? Is fresh blood enough? Do you need the fresh blood if this gentleman is here?"

One of the soldiers smiled and asked amiably while pulling the roguish man who choked the geekish soldier. All of his words were pointing to killing the rough man.

The rough man was feeling quite helpless and his legs were shaking in fear. This is because the person who was holding him was infamous in their group, and everyone tried to avoid him as much as they could.

The geek didn't seem to notice this and he muttered so fast to himself while scribbling on the mildly wet ground. However, he was heard by everyone.

"Hmm...WeHave4ManaCrystalAndAllOfThemAreActually[Level5]. ASingle[Level5]Is[10^5]AmountOfNormalEnergyWhichCanHeal10CoreStatesAtTheBrinkOfDeath. WhichMeansWeCanHeal[40–60]MenWithHeavyInjuries. ICanJustUseThe'disperse','cleanse',And 'gather'RunesForLifeElementToHealEveryoneWithinACertainRangeWithoutAffectingTheirEnergies. ThisWayWeWouldBeAbleToHealTheHighestNumberWeCanInTheFastestAndMostEfficientWayAlthoughUsingTheseRoughRunesWouldCauseSomeOfTheEnergyToDisperseOutsideTheFormationTheProsOvercomeTheCons. IfWeUsedThePlantEssencesAsTheMaterialForTheRunesTheConcentrationOfLifeToPlantEnergyRatioWouldBe[3:7]So TheEffectWouldBeQuiteLowAndTheExtractionProcessMightEvenTakeHourstoFinish. HoweverIfWeUsedBloodAsTheMaterialTheConcentrationOfLifeToWaterAirAndMineralIs[6.5 : 1 : 1 : 0.5]. WhichMeansIfWeUsedBloodTheFormationWouldHaveAHigherChanceOfWorkingAndTheEffectWouldBeTwiceAsMoreAsEffectiveAsUsingPlants'. Half-staleBloodWouldHaveMoreLifeConcentrationBecauseTheyWouldLoseTheAirAndIron. HoweverThisWouldAlsoMakeTheDeath EnergyEmergeWhichIsHighlyDangerousToTheLifeEnergySoFreshBloodIsTheBestOption. IfWeAreGoinfToMakeARatherLargeFormationThatCanHouse60People2LitersOfBloodWouldBeTheBestAmount."

Everyone got dizzy from the load of information, readers or listeners alike. However, everyone understood one thing, fresh blood is the best option.

"Hahaha! Dear gentleman, did you hear that? It seems that fresh blood is really the best option."

The smiling soldier said to the rough man while he have an amiable smile at his face. His eyes were squinting and his smile was as warm as the sun, but the words rolling out of his tongue makes one's skin shudder in fear.

"P— Please don't... Stop joking..."

The rough man said pleadingly.

"Quit messing around. Let's get to work."

The woman who was also one of the 4 strongest persons said seriously. She looked at the geekish soldier and asked.

"Well, does fish blood work?"

The geek soldier went out of stupor and stuttered.

"U—ummh... Well, ummh. I— insects or fish blood works the s— same. Also, ummh..."

"Spit it out."

"Ummh.. Please refrain from contaminating the blood with your energies. This way, the concentration of life energy wouldn't dwindle."

The girl nodded. However, the flame users got depressed by that info. The water and air users would have it easy as their magic isn't violent and oppressive, but the flame energy is.

"Aha! Wait! Ladies and Gentlemen! I just had a great idea! Hehehehehe!"

The smiling man said and laughed, as if the idea he found was funny. The others didn't think much of it, but the 4 strongest people immediately tensed up. They knew that something was about to happen.

The blood lust in Rolly's eyes got thicker, the girl made a dent in the ground using her feet, Gars had a cage-like object in his hands, and the scout was already levitating.

The rough man in the smiling person's hand got a chill in his spine. He felt like something bad was gonna happen based on the person's laugh, so he panicked and quickly tried to escape.

"H—Hey! Release me! Let go of me!"

"Hmm? What is it? What's your great idea?"

The other got excited because the previous great idea gave them hope. Now that this man had a great idea, what would happen if they combined them? Just thinking about it gave them hope and excitement. Their faces instinctively smiled and their breathing hastened.

"Well, Mr. Genius, how many people can the formation hold?"

The geek soldier was already scribbling in the ground, writing the groundwork for the formation. He was about to finish when he heard the sudden question, he stopped writing so that he wouldn't make a mistake. He looked at the smiling soldier and answered.

"Ummh... About 60?"

"And how many are we?"

Hearing this question, everyone felt... unsettled.

"About 150."

"Right, so the question is, how can we ensure that we'll be included in the formation, and also ensure the purity of the blood?"

The smiling soldier said innocently, like a cute girl asking for directions.

After this question was asked, it seemed like a bucket of ice was dropped. The atmosphere got more chilly and the people got tense and nervous. It was silent all over, except for the continued pleading of the rough person.

"... H-how...?"

The geek soldier ominously asked.

"Hehehe! I'm so glad you asked. The answer is simple! It's this!"

*Swoosh!*

The smiling soldier laughed. And like a performance, he opened his arms and killed the person in his hands with a wind blade.

The wind of the blade cut a wound in his back and the residual wind energy entered his wounds. They passed through his bloodstream and wreaked havoc inside his body.

"AaaaAaAáAáÀAaaaaArgh!!!!!"

The rough man screamed in pain as he felt the enemies' energy enter his body and destroy his every cell and flesh. Bright scarlet flowed down his mouth and his desperate face along with his tear-filled eye created a beautiful scene.

Blood poured out of his back like a fountain. And when the energy reached his heart... Boom!.... A scarlet flower bloomed in his chest beautifully. It looked delicate, deadly, and exuded a wicked sense of beauty. Time seemed to slow down as the surrounding people tried to process what happened.

*Splash*

The blood splashed on the smiling man, and with a smile, he signaled:

"Hehehe, let the fun begin."