Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

Besides close-range slashing, it could also be used to project Holy Radiance from a distance.

It possessed considerable cutting damage on its own and could ignore a portion of physical defense, making it quite effective against heavily armored units.

And then...

Only after it was imbued with Flame Burst was he able to so easily slay the Thunder Roc.

’I should check the market later to see if there are any greatswords for sale. Or, I could have Gong Jun forge a Soul Sand Greatsword for me when he rejoins the team.’

Su Chen was starting to get fired up. Deep down, he still preferred the melee playstyle of fists and blades.

This fixation was mostly a matter of habit from his past life. Besides, it would be a real waste if his superior physical abilities were only used for ranged attacks.

Interestingly, the slain Thunder Roc dropped two Thunder Element Runes and a portion of Spiritual Dust Sand.

’It must be fate.’

One of them was even a Thunder Rune Lv. 4. Including the ones he had already obtained, he now had three in his possession.

’No more hesitation.’

The area-of-effect damage from conducting electricity through water, especially when combined with the Torrential Flow Skill for surfing, was remarkably effective.

Moreover, the Thunder Rune’s high-voltage, instantaneous strike was incredibly fast. When paired with Flame Burst, even if he failed to kill a target on the first strike, he could still leave the opponent paralyzed and stiff.

It was a necessary addition to Su Chen’s Damage Attachment Stream build.

’Alright then.’

Su Chen, who had always been cautious about wasting Magic Slots, finally absorbed a new rune after his promotion to Grand Elemental Master.

What was great was that after absorbing the two Thunder Rune Lv. 4s back-to-back, it immediately leveled up to Lv. 5 without him needing to add any Spiritual Dust Sand.

[Thunder Rune] (Lv. 5): Adds 230% bonus thunder-strike damage to all of the Spellcaster’s attacks and causes arcing electricity and a paralyzing stiffness effect.

Upgrade Requirements: Thunder Rune 0/16, Spiritual Dust Sand 0/5, Spirit Marrow Crystal 0/1

...

Su Chen already knew its effects like the back of his hand.

On its own, it wasn’t tempting enough. The reason he was only now revisiting this option was because it had to be combined with the Grand Elemental Master’s weaving and fusion abilities. Only by forging multiple types of Attached Damage into one could its unprecedented, tyrannical power be revealed.

’Let’s begin.’

The Holy Sword in his palm suddenly hummed.

First, a layer of scorching Sun Flame ignited on the milky-white blade. Immediately after, the power of the Thunder Rune surged from the Light Wings on the crossguard, wrapping around the sword and weaving with the flames into an intricate pattern of lightning and fire.

Not only was there no conflict between the two elements, but they also merged perfectly with the Holy Sword itself.

In an instant, the Holy Sword had transformed into a thundering blade of lightning and fire. Its brilliant flames extended three feet, and the air warped and shrieked from the immense heat and pressure.

”Come on.”

Su Chen found a test subject.

Nothing made a better target than an ancient, primeval tree so thick it would take several people to encircle.

WHOOSH!

With a flick of his wrist, Su Chen slashed forward.

A sound like the air itself cracking open exploded. A condensed, almost solid Blade Radiance of thunder and fire shot from the sword in a crescent arc, hurtling forward. Before their branches even had a chance to sway, three ancient trees standing side-by-side were sliced clean in half at the trunk.

The sacred Blade Radiance, its momentum not yet spent, slammed into the trunk of a fourth tree behind them, burying itself halfway through before finally dissipating.

”Incredible,” Yan Ruoruo remarked with sincere admiration.

Su Chen’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t even used his full power in that small test. To achieve such a long-range cutting effect was truly unexpected.

For a moment, the three giant trees stood still, then they slowly tilted and crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and fallen leaves.

’The effect is pretty good.’

Su Chen didn’t conduct any more tests. He’d have to wait until the greatsword was forged to determine the upper limit of its cutting damage.

”Let’s go.”

After gathering a bag of Red Millet grains, he used his phone to mark the location of this agricultural resource point on a map.

The forest was full of many other useful resources.

Many types of fruit were worth picking, but most people kept their distance, likely due to the parasitic swarm.

Of course, some large fruits that looked sweet and delicious from afar would immediately emit a foul stench upon approach, a defense mechanism to avoid being eaten.

In this natural treasure trove, they also found bulging Airbag Mushrooms. They could have been used during their last cave exploration; crushing one would release a large amount of oxygen, and its sensitivity to carbon dioxide concentration could also alert people to dangers in underground caverns.

”Is there anything that can help with diving and swimming?”

They had to take every precaution to ensure their safety while diving into the underground river.

On that note, Yan Ruoruo had indeed made a discovery at the large lake to the north. ”By the lake, there’s a type of Bright Unicorn that can part water. It doesn’t seem to be a Skill; it holds a pearl in its mouth.”

After hearing her general description, Su Chen found it fascinating. It sounded like a Water-Splitting Treasure Pearl, but he never would have expected a Unicorn to use one to eat aquatic plants.

...

”Let’s stop here.”

An hour later, as they ventured deeper into the forest and began to constantly see elk, they got a general idea that the Bloodthirsty Fungus’s distribution probably didn’t extend this far.

Compared to the previous area, which had been empty and had few monsters, the variety of monsters in this rift valley oasis was clearly much greater.

One possibility was that this area had no tree cover and was completely exposed to the sun. The intolerably high temperatures would leave no room for the fungal spores to begin propagating.

”Termite mushrooms only have a lifespan of about three days after they sprout.”

Su Chen was reminded of Zhang Haoyang, the young man from Yunnan. According to him, most mushrooms grew quickly after it rained and then withered just as fast, so villagers had to rush up the mountain to pick them during that window.

’I wonder how much longer this Bloodthirsty Fungus can run rampant.’

At the very least, the hatchery he’d destroyed earlier was tiny. With a mere three incubation chambers, it was more like a laboratory; even mass-producing minions would have been a struggle for it.