[You managed to clear the Mystic Ruin: Queen Mother of Spiders, on your own]
[Congratulations, you cleared a ruin solo!]
The weight on his heart lifted as soon as he read those messages, and he smiled, relaxing... at least.
[You have received the title: Conqueror of Ruins.]
[A title can level up by conquering other ruins.]
[Titles grant important bonuses. Remember to check the system to see what they are.]
From increased critical hit probability, like in video games, to passive healing and even immortality, like in the cultivation novels. Titles on Earth were among the most coveted things for all ruin hunters.
But a title was like a child... it had to be raised. Slowly.
[Level 1 Root of Life has been evolved to Level 2. Congratulations!]
[Divine Swordsman Legacy Technique: Windy Fire Swordsman has been delivered; visit the inventory to claim it.]
[1,000 Spirit Crystals have been delivered!]
[Congratulations...!]
The system messages spread out before him, congratulating him on everything and announcing the various rewards. Xiaotian was sure he had missed reading some of them, but he was forced to ignore them.
His attention was suddenly focused on something else.
A sudden tightness in his chest caused him to kneel down in an instant. His body, bent forward, almost made his head touch the ground.
"Buagh!"
He couldn't hold on for even a second before blood shot out of his mouth. His stomach churned as if he had been given a deadly poison and wanted to reject it.
But it wasn't that.
It was fear.
Real fear!
'What the hell is this?' He tried to clench his teeth to stop himself from shaking, but a terrifying pressure overwhelmed him, and he couldn't control his body.
His mind succumbed to the darkness, and he couldn't see anything else...
Only the pressure throughout his body, particularly in his heart, reminded him that he was still in the same place.
Ssshhh!
A strange, soft, continuous, and dangerous hissing sound came from the depths of the darkness.
It seemed as if... something had awakened.
Ssshhh!
That wind came from all directions; it wasn't whispering, but rather enigmatic.
Xiaotian clenched his teeth as hard as he could; his fingers dug into his palm, and his eyes slowly opened.
That pressure was still there, but he couldn't succumb to fear.
He was the hunter!
He stood up again and looked up, albeit with great difficulty.
"You... Who are you?" he asked. Even speaking required three times the willpower.
Ssshhh!
"..."
Xiaotian was trembling inside, but on the outside, he had mustered up the courage to speak.
"I understand..." he said. "You're the item, right? This black ball..."
Ssshhh!
"So that spider was here to contain you..." Xiaotian frowned. He couldn't comprehend it, but he understood who it was. He didn't hear its words, but thanks to his extensive knowledge of the world of ruins, he could understand more than others.
He then understood something. "You... caused this destruction, didn't you? This city... was once prosperous. The queen, its spiders, its population. You are the reason for its downfall."
Fffuuuuhh!
Suddenly, the breeze was no longer gentle, but powerful. Now the wind could be felt. It even seemed to ruffle his hair slightly, although it didn't.
'I've hit the nail on the head, haven't I?' He smiled.
"You're an amazing guy; I guess you have your secrets." Xiaotian laughed. "How about sharing them with me?"
Fffuuuuhh!
"Heh, you've fallen into my hands; sooner or later, I'll find out. Don't you think it's better to do it sooner? The world out there is more interesting than this endless darkness."
He was being capricious, vain, and quite egocentric, but he didn't care.
These kinds of legendary items, which come from past eras and can understand you, have exotic personalities; they are often extreme. Thanks to the immense amount of years they spend in solitude, they tend to develop curious fetishes, and when they show themselves to a human in such a way, it is because they are intrigued.
They usually like bold people.
Fffuuuuhh!
Fffuuuuhh!
The strong wind hit him, increasing the pressure on him, but this time it was easy to control. This is not real wind.
This is mental pressure.
Although he was new to this body, his mind remained powerful. He could withstand these kinds of attacks as long as he knew they were coming.
Even so, he understood what it meant and looked up.
"I know. Getting out of here may be impossible, but so is dying, right?" He looked at the darkness that oppressed him from all directions.
That darkness was everywhere, including the ceiling. It was surely impossible to get out of here.
But he smiled mischievously, for he had discovered something. "Time here... seems to stand still."
He noticed it as soon as he entered....
…
The wind no longer blew.
He had hit the nail on the head.
"That means I have all the time in the world to discover your secrets, and you can't kill me. Your mental attacks are just child's play."
...
"That's why." He took the trouble to be more proactive when he noticed its silence. "Just share them with me. Do you want to know who I am?"
"That's easy."
"I am Zhang Xiaotian, a traveler of worlds. Am I weak, or perhaps very strong? Behind my words, there are always secrets of the swordsman who seeks to unravel the mystery of the universe. I am the one who died once but came back to life. Why then not travel with me?"
"Little item, you are not the first, and you will not be the last. So don't refuse. Like you, I am not just anyone."
"I am Zhang Xiaotian."
His words were interrupted again by the wind, but it did not come alone.
"#@&!!?##&!!?"
It brought inaudible words, strange feelings... Memories of the past.
Zhang Xiaotian looked slightly surprised, but nodded.
"Yes... the same."
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