Chapter 323 - Fire Essence Bead
Leyvi cursed, his instincts kicking in. He leapt from the Crown Rider, fiery Qi surging into his right hand, glowing with intense heat. But the rock closed in too fast, forcing him to unleash his punch before it was fully charged.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the rock, its flames snuffing out in a burst of sparks, but Leyvi's rushed punch couldn't fully counter its momentum. Jagged fragments slammed into him, sending him tumbling through the air. He hit the ground hard, skidding across the charred earth.
"Ouch, ouch. Phew, it's just a normal rock. I thought it chased me," Leyvi groaned, standing shakily, his body aching but intact.
"Oi, Leyvi, you good?" Crown Prince Dastan shouted, having stopped the Crown Rider a short distance away.
Before Leyvi could reply, his spiritual sense detected another huge flaming rock hurling toward him.
BOOM!
This time, Leyvi dodged, leaping aside as the rock crashed into the ground, sending up a spray of debris.
"Dastan, go away first! I'll catch up to you later. This monster is targeting me," Leyvi shouted.
"Okay!" Dastan replied, revving the Crown Rider without a moment's pause, its tires kicking up ash as it roared into the distance, leaving a trail of dust.
Leyvi was speechless. What the heck? Show some hesitation! Are you really my friend? This guy is becoming less and less concerned about my safety as time passes. I miss the time when he just found out what friendship is.
BOOM!
Another flaming rock came crashing, but Leyvi was prepared and dodged easily.
Without pause, he broke into a burst sprint, chasing the faint glint of Crown Prince Dastan's Crown Rider while paying attention to the situation behind him, dodging all the flying rocks.
Leyvi suspected that the fire rock monster might be an introvert since it didn't chase him, only using long-range attacks. As long as he went beyond its attack range, the attacks would end.
However, the further he ran, the more relentless the attacks became.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of flaming rocks rained down, each impact shaking the ground, carving new craters in the blackened landscape.
Far ahead, Dastan glanced back, his eyes widening at the apocalyptic sight. Hundreds of massive rocks fell like a meteor shower, exploding in fiery bursts, shrouding Leyvi's position in smoke and flame. A second wave followed, then a third, each more relentless, the inferno's glow intensifying with every crash. The scene was terrifying, a storm of destruction that seemed to defy survival.
Unwilling to be involved in the chaos behind him, Crown Prince Dastan accelerated the Crown Rider and fled even faster. Leyvi was a human tank, immortal, indestructible, so Dastan believed that even if he got smashed by those flaming rocks, he would survive. Over the past year, he had seen Leyvi emerge unscathed from worse.
Due to this, whenever Leyvi told him to run first, he didn't hesitate anymore and just escaped to safety. Crown Prince Dastan knew he would be a burden, hindering Leyvi's methods if he stayed near.
Some time later, the distant tremors and explosions ceased, the air growing quieter. Dastan had reached a greener landscape, where sparse vegetation dotted the earth, a stark contrast to the crater's desolation. After a few minutes, his spiritual sense picked up Leyvi entering its range, looking battered—clothes torn, skin smudged with soot—but ultimately fine.
"See. This prince knew this bumpkin would be fine. What a monster," he smiled.
Very soon, Leyvi approached Crown Prince Dastan, his breathing heavy. After a few moments, his breathing steadied, and a grin spread across his face.
"Hahaha! We're finally out of its range. That introverted guy was persistent. Just how many rocks did it throw at me? And it could throw so far, whew," Leyvi said, wiping sweat from his brow, his voice buoyant despite the ordeal.
"Introverted? How do you even know its personality?" Dastan asked, leaning against the Crown Rider. His tone dripped with skepticism, one brow raised.
"Well, it didn't even come out of the crater to chase me. It reminded me of my introverted wife, hiding in her garden all the time. Well, not anymore, though. Haha," Leyvi replied, chuckling.
Crown Prince Dastan rolled his eyes. There was probably another reason it wouldn't leave that crater. What introvert? How can a monster be introverted? Nonsense.
"So what did you do to offend that monster?"
"Hahaha. Look at this," Leyvi said, his grin widening. From his internal storage room, he produced a glowing bead, its surface swirling with a mesmerizing blend of red, crimson, orange, and other fiery hues, radiating potent fiery Qi that warmed the air around it.
"Fire Essence Bead! You really got one!" Crown Prince Dastan exclaimed.
"Tch, tch. Not one, but tens of thousands of them. HAHAHA!" Leyvi boasted, throwing his head back with a triumphant laugh, the bead glinting in his hand.
"Fuck! That many? Give some to this prince."
"Sure. How many do you want?" Leyvi asked, feeling generous. They had been searching for Fire Essence Beads in many hot and fiery places before, and today was his lucky day.
Crown Prince Dastan was stunned. Even though he knew by now how generous Leyvi was, it still surprised him every time it happened.
"Then give this prince 500," he replied.
"Huh? Only five hundred? I got over ten thousand, you know. I'll give you half instead."
"Stop! Stop! This prince doesn't need that many! Just give 500," Dastan insisted, waving a hand, his tanned face flushing slightly.
Leyvi's extreme generosity truly made him uncomfortable. Crown Prince Dastan couldn't understand how a person could share such valuable treasure so easily when others would kill without hesitation to keep such treasures.
He had received so much during his adventure with Leyvi that it felt awkward taking more without contributing much. After all, Leyvi did most of the heavy work.
As a prince showered with wealth since birth, who never cared about others' well-being, yet even he felt embarrassed to take more. He'd feel better taking something from a commoner by force and laughing at their helplessness. Though, after spending time with Leyvi, he now knew such behavior would make everyone hate him, so he would stop such acts.
Leyvi blinked, muttering, "Weird, why do so many people act like this when I'm a little generous? Oh well, more stuff for me." His voice carried a mix of confusion and amusement, shrugging as he reached into his internal storage room.
Leyvi produced a big pouch, filled it with 500 Fire Essence Beads, and gave it to the crown prince.
Crown Prince Dastan rolled his eyes. Bullshit! You call that a little generous? This prince calls that a little retarded! he thought, while receiving the pouch.
"Now let's find somewhere nice and safe. I want to consume the Fire Essence Beads as soon as possible and become the man loved by fire," Leyvi suggested.
Crown Prince Dastan's mouth twitched. You're already immune to fire. Are you saying that's still not loved by fire? Then what is this prince? The man loathed by fire? Oh, right.
"Leyvi, let's go back to that bamboo forest we passed last time. It has a great mind-calming effect, right?" Dastan suggested.
"Ohh! Great idea. Even a clown prince can have a great idea sometimes, eh? Hahaha!" Leyvi laughed.
"Dammit, Leyvi! This prince always has great ideas! Who do you think suggested we find the Fire Essence Beads at the volcanoes? Didn't we find them now? Hmph!"
"But in the end, I found them in the crater, not the volcanoes," Leyvi said.
Crown Prince Dastan was speechless, his mouth open. He didn't know how to counter that.
"Hahaha! That's the clown prince, alright! Living up to his title!" Leyvi laughed.
"Arrghh! Dammit, Leyvi! This prince is done with you!" Crown Prince Dastan powered his Crown Rider and sped off.
"Oi! You coward! Wait for me!" Leyvi chased.
And so, the two men backtracked their trails as fast as possible to return to the bamboo forest they had visited before, since they had no map for reference and had traveled randomly from one fiery hot place to another while treasure hunting for Fire Essence Beads.
A week later, they reached the outskirts of the bamboo forest they had passed by before, its towering silhouette looming under the clear sky.
The bamboo forest stretched across a vast expanse, a serene sea of towering emerald stalks that soared to an average height of 100 meters, their slender forms swaying gently in the breeze like sentinels of tranquility. Each bamboo was adorned with delicate, feathery leaves that shimmered in the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy, casting intricate patterns of light and shadow on the soft, moss-covered ground below. The air was alive with a magical, refreshing aroma—a blend of crisp greenery and subtle floral notes—that seemed to cleanse the mind and soul with every breath.
Just like the last time they passed by, magical refreshing aromas escaped the forest, breezing through them. They both took a deep breath.
"Haaaa…" Leyvi exhaled, his voice soft, eyes half-closed. "Nice… this really feels amazing. My mind is rejoicing. Everything feels calm. This is a great place to meditate and cultivate."