Re: Timeless Apocalypse-Chapter 48: Rewards(II)

[Item: Pill Card

>Grade: Diamond

•Details: Use this card to exchange for any pill in the Nihil Shop of the Diamond grade, or sacrifice it to elevate any pill to the diamond grade.

...

[Item: Artefact Card

>Grade: Diamond

•Details: Use this card to exchange for any artefact or tool in the Nihil Shop of the Diamond grade, or sacrifice it to elevate any artefact or tool to the diamond grade.

...

[Item: Life Endowing Pill

>Grade: Gold

•Details: A pill that, once consumed, mends all injuries of the body, plunges all foreign parasites within into slumber, and extends lifespan by a hundred years.

...

[Item: Runic Language Template

>Grade: Diamond

•Details: A template able to forge a Runic Language of the diamond grade of any type, or perfect an already existing runic language to the diamond grade.

...

[Item: Core Mending Pill

>Grade: Silver

•Details: A pill that, when consumed, heals and revitalises the core of any Ascendant below the S Rank, with a spark beneath the Gold Grade.

——

Uriel was about to rapidly glance over the rewards’ descriptions and then continue his train of thought, but he suddenly paused as he read through the cauldron’s offerings.

Part of his shock came from the fact that he’d even received anything at all, as he was certain Thoryl had told him he wouldn’t be getting any rewards.

But that was only a small part of it.

According to what he knew, the cauldron advent granted three items, three things one needed most.

He had received three items, yes, but in truth it was closer to seven: three pills, three templates, and one card.

And that still wasn’t the true problem.

’...Three items I need most? Why would I need something to mend my core?’

The Life Endowing Pill might have seemed like the biggest oddity, but it wasn’t. Didn’t he already know he had only a few weeks left to live?

In fact, with his million crystals, he’d planned to search the shop for a solution, but it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary anymore.

The Runic Language Templates, on the other hand, were perfect. Exactly what he needed most, especially since he was planning to focus on that path soon. They were also his only true offensive boon, so if survival was the metric the cauldron used, such a reward made sense.

But the Core Mending Pill made no sense at all.

Uriel stopped and sat down, cross-legged. He closed his eyes, focusing entirely on his core and the layered structure of his body.

It was perfect.

If anything, his core had grown slightly larger than before, and the three pills he’d taken from his arcane pack had only refined and polished it further.

Even his natal aether was in flawless condition; thick and silky, suffused with a golden-white glow that faintly reflected runes with every churn and coil.

’If my core is in perfect condition—’

His eyes snapped open. He surged to his feet, rushing upstairs and bursting into Enoch’s room.

Instantly, he was blown back as a powerful surge of dark aether slammed into him.

Inside the room, Enoch had shrivelled into little more than a corpse, his skin dark purple and deeply wrinkled, his heart on the verge of collapse.

Uriel’s eyes widened, both at the sight itself and at the sheer amount of dark, chaotic aether surrounding him.

How had he not sensed this?

His thoughts raced, and in a blink, a plan formed.

The Pill Card appeared in his hand alongside the Core Mending Pill. He immediately applied it, and the pill began rapidly evolving toward the diamond grade.

He didn’t spare it another glance. Instead, he drew out two Life Endowing Pills—two shimmering marble spheres of radiant emerald, elaborate leaves etched across their smooth surfaces.

Four rewards, gone, and he didn’t hesitate once.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

For the first time since the end of the cloud trial, Uriel unleashed the sea of natal aether within his core, a flood of white and crimson that shattered the dark chaos around Enoch and carved a path toward him.

Uriel rushed forward, shoving the three pills into Enoch’s mouth. He slammed a hand onto Enoch’s abdomen, forcefully resonating their cores.

CRACK!

Uriel’s entire body rattled as he bore the backlash Enoch was suffering, only this time, it was far more violent.

His coughing flared instantly, his vision darkening and swimming.

But he didn’t relent.

With a low roar, he seized control of Enoch’s natal aether, forcing it to cycle through his body, violently activating his spark and dragging his consciousness back to the surface.

He didn’t truly know what he was doing. He was running purely on instinct, just as he had earlier, but it worked.

PAH!

Enoch’s eyes snapped open as his consciousness was dragged awake. He bit down hard, the pills cracking before being swallowed deep into his body.

WHOOOSH!

The dark aether filling the room surged inward, streaming into Enoch’s body and feeding his core.

Second by second, his hollow, withered frame regained fat and muscle. His skin returned to its natural colour, and his lungs finally expanded enough for him to gasp for air.

Uriel collapsed backward as the resonance between their cores broke. His coughing worsened, blood splattering across his once-clean clothes.

Desperate, he summoned his final Life Endowing Pill and swallowed it. A loud bang echoed within his stomach as a surge of vitality flooded his body.

His core, which hadn’t stopped rattling, finally settled. Any lingering injuries vanished.

The dull, languid ache that had plagued him since escaping Lirik disappeared entirely, and his coughing stopped.

"..."

Enoch’s room fell silent, filled only with the echoes of their heavy breathing.

"Sorry," Enoch finally said as his breath steadied. He slicked his hair back and exhaled. "I didn’t know it was going to be that bad."

Uriel rose to his feet. "It’s fine. You’ll have to clean this, though."

He pulled off his shirt and headed for the bathroom.

"There’s also blood downstairs," he added.

"I just almost died. Can I not—"

Uriel snapped his fingers. Enoch flinched, narrowly dodging a high-speed bullet of water that tore past his head.

"...Bastard."