Chapter 215 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 6

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มี.ค. 2569 07:38

Everyone audibly swallowed, exchanging looks of resignation mixed with nervousness. Finally, they nodded one by one, their faces a mixture of dread and determination. "I suppose it’s the least we can do," admitted Mira. "Considering that with what we’ve collected, the exam is basically passed." "Exactly," Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing with approval. "And don’t worry, I have a method that minimizes the risk." Two molting chambers later, their backpacks were completely full, and some had even had to improvise additional bags with cloth they carried for emergencies. The weight made the shoulders of some ache, but the promise of success outweighed the discomfort. "We can’t carry any more," announced Taro, adjusting his already overflowing load. "It’s time to return." "First," Ren intervened, pulling the weaver thread from his pack, "we have one last pending matter." The group visibly tensed, shoulders rising and jaws tightening, but nobody protested when Ren began explaining the process. "This weaver thread you collected," he instructed while demonstrating how to manipulate it, his fingers working with hypnotic precision. "It’s extremely good for dealing with shadow stalkers. The key is approaching close enough to loop it around the neck, but not so close as to enter their passive absorption range." "And if it wakes up?" asked Han, studying the thread with skepticism, rolling it between his fingers. "Then you back away and run to alert me," Ren responded pragmatically. "I’ll use the male’s core to give us time to escape... But if you do it correctly, the other females will never know we were here." They cautiously returned to the main chamber, where hundreds of female shadow stalkers continued sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the intruders’ presence or the looting of their molting chambers. Though they wouldn’t care... One’s trash could be another’s treasure. Ren approached the edge of the wall where one of the females hung. With fluid and precise movements, he extended the thread and looped it around its neck. A clean pull, and it stopped breathing. The creature twitched slightly, but didn’t wake in time before oxygen ceased flowing to her brain. Her tentacles went limp, the bioluminescence fading like a dying light. "That simple," he whispered, carefully storing the specimen and covering the tentacles with one of the molt skins. "Now you." With evident nervousness, the group dispersed throughout the chamber, each selecting a target and preparing for the procedure. Their hands trembled slightly as they stretched their threads, the silence broken only by the soft, collective sound of controlled breathing. ♢♢♢♢ Almost everyone had succeeded their first one, though Ren had to help "nervous fingers Taro" as Min whispered teasingly. Min approached a female slowly, still chuckling under his breath, the thread secured between his fingers. But when he was about to loop it, his right foot slipped slightly on a small slope. Min managed to regain his balance, his arms windmilling almost comically. But the sound was enough to make the shadow stalker stir. Its tentacles began moving erratically, and Min froze in place, panic evident on his face, the blood draining visibly. Ren gave him a light tap on the head and quickly silenced the female just before she could wake the others... he had been close as a precaution, knowing Min was distracted teasing Taro. From the other side of the wall, Mayo rolled her eyes and mockingly gestured at Min’s failure, as if saying "seriously?" Her exaggerated expression of disbelief was comical. But the distraction of her own mockery almost resulted in an equally serious disaster. While gesturing with her arms mimicking Min, her thread tickled another sleeping female. This time, the creature emitted a low hiss that made the entire group hold their breath. For a few eternal seconds, no one moved, no one breathed. Finally, the shadow stalker returned to its resting state, and the tension in the chamber dissipated slightly, replaced by collective relief. Larissa and Luna each presented one of their elbows to Mayo’s ribs, the synchronized jabs making her wince silently. Min and Mayo exchanged embarrassed looks... before returning to their tasks with renewed concentration, their earlier smugness completely evaporated. After several minutes of meticulous work, each group member had captured two females without waking the others. The bundles of inert creatures were carefully wrapped and stowed, tentacles safely contained. "That’s enough," Ren finally announced, observing the contributions everyone carried. "Now we can leave." Exiting the cave proved considerably less tense than entering. With their objectives fulfilled and their backpacks bursting at the seams, the group advanced with renewed confidence through the tunnels. The weight of their bounty, though physically burdensome, seemed to lighten their steps. Upon emerging into the afternoon light, Lin congratulated them with something resembling pride on her face. "The expedition was successful," she commented, her crane manifesting briefly in approval. "More than successful," responded Larissa, unable to contain her enthusiasm. "We have enough to pass the exam three times over!" "One hundred skins each, approximately," calculated Liora with precision. "Between twenty-five and thirty-five thousand crystals in value, depending on the final quality." Mira still couldn’t believe it... genuinely impressed at accomplishing it so easily thanks to Ren. "Who would have thought we’d get all that on the first day?" "Very impressive," acknowledged Han, studying Ren with renewed interest. ♢♢♢♢ The group returned to the main camp, where Zhao and the other professors supervised the rest of the students. Even from a distance, they could see the expressions of astonishment on the faces of those who noticed their bulging loads, jaws dropping as they approached. As they neared the camp, Ren noticed Jin and his group watching them with disbelief and barely disguised resentment, their eyes narrowing as they took in the obviously successful expedition. "Seems we have admirers," murmured Luna, following Ren’s gaze. "Not for long," he responded, his mushrooms pulsing softly. "Let’s leave everything with the teachers who keep count and return." "Return?" Min groaned dramatically. "Can’t we just relax and enjoy our success for the next half of the day?" "We could," Ren smiled enigmatically. "But then we’d miss out on an extra 30,000 crystals for today that can be 50,000 after processing." Min sighed with melodramatic resignation. "I suppose rest will have to wait." "There’s always time to rest when you’re dead," commented Mayo cheerfully. Your next chapter awaits on Freewebnovel "Then I’d prefer never to rest," replied Min with a mock scowl. "Perfect, work then," responded Mayo, flicking his arm playfully. As the group finally reached the camp, ready to register their impressive haul, Ren couldn’t help but feel a quiet satisfaction. Not just for the valuable materials they had obtained, but for how decently the group had functioned. At least to help him carry more than 40 females... And to make his adventure more enjoyable. The tentacles he would accumulate were valuable for his cultivation, without doubt, but the bond forged during this expedition might prove even more valuable than he had expected.

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