The Crystal Nexus was a Legendary-rank cavern system that spawned monsters encased in nearly unbreakable mineral shells. It was the most difficult farming site near Solaria, typically requiring Rank S hunters operating in full platoons. It was my testing ground for the Explosive Growth I had recently undergone.
The dungeon was beautiful but lethal: a subterranean landscape of giant, razor-sharp amethyst and quartz growths. The enemies were Diamond Terrors, giant scorpion-like beasts whose exoskeletons were harder than hardened steel, forcing hunters to rely on arcane penetration or sustained chemical fire.
My Specter Sight immediately revealed the core weakness: the joints in the Terrors' legs, where the shell was thinnest, and the concentrated, dense energy signature of their Legendary cores.
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The Diamond Terrors did not rely on subtlety; they relied on overwhelming, coordinated frontal assault. I found myself facing a platoon of six Terrors simultaneously—a force that would instantly crush even a team of Rank A hunters.
This was the perfect test for my Storm Titan AoE power.
I didn't wait for them to close the distance. I channeled all the electrical chaos of the Storm Titan Core into a complex Kinetic Thunderclap. I didn't aim the energy; I allowed it to explode omnidirectionally from my gauntlet.
BOOOOOM!
The sound was less a crash and more a pure, deafening, electrical shockwave that traveled instantaneously through the dense crystalline structure of the cavern. The shockwave hit the Diamond Terrors simultaneously. The raw, chaotic electrical surge violently resonated with the mineral structure of their diamond-hard shells. The Terrors did not fall; their shells exploded outward in a blinding, shattering rain of pulverized crystal, leaving only the exposed, pulsing core of their bodies.
They were neutralized in an instant, their primary defense obliterated.
I moved through the nexus, repeating the process with chilling efficiency—one Kinetic Thunderclap per group, reducing hours of grinding into seconds of pure, overwhelming force.
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In the final chamber, I defeated the Nexus Guardian—a massive, immobile quartz behemoth—with a sustained Lich Soulfire drill to its crystalline heart.
The loot was beyond expectation: dozens of perfect Amethyst Crystals (a material worth a king's ransom in Solaria's trade market), and a stack of highly valuable Legendary-grade Hardening Essences.
But the true prize was a skill card lying beside the Guardian's remains. It wasn't a combat card; it was a rare, growth-type skill card.
Void Alchemist (Legendary Rank, Growth-Type)
Type: Growth/Absorption
Uses and Benefits: Grants the ability to consume and refine unstable or overly abundant elemental essences within the user's artifact. It allows the user to convert raw, unusable power into highly focused, stable catalyst essence. This eliminates the risk of absorbing multiple chaotic powers.
This was the final piece of my puzzle. My current Epic Gauntlet was a masterpiece of fusion, but its limit was the sheer chaotic nature of Mythic essences. The Void Alchemist card would allow me to subdue, filter, and stabilize a Mythic essence, effectively eliminating the risk of internal combustion during consumption.
My next leap in power was now fully secured. I was ready to target a true Mythic entity.