Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1831: The Fifth Attempt

The Glass Root was a rare and unusual resource. Adam understood this because Krador had asked him to obtain it. Krador was much stronger than he was, so if Krador needed Adam’s help, it must have been something special.

This was one of Adam’s theories as to why Krador had asked him to do this in exchange for the compass. To be honest, Adam had been expecting a completely different, more casual explanation.

He thought Krador was simply too lazy to go to the Silent Hills and fight countless mist tigers. Or perhaps his intrusion into that territory might have caused problems with his work.

However, now that Adam had reached the iron tree at the end of the rift, he began to realize just how serious the situation really was.

“She… How did she end up here…?” Adam muttered with difficulty, looking at the girl in the crystal.

Unlike the four skeletons at the tree’s roots, she looked well-nourished, neither emaciated nor dead. She had smooth skin, crimson shoulder-length hair, and even her clothes were only slightly dusty, not torn.

However, it took Adam only a few seconds to realize that her heart wasn’t beating, even though her aura continued to radiate outward.

Adam turned to the King Elemental.

“Hey, explain what’s going on here…” His voice was hoarse as his aura grew stronger. “Before it’s too late for you.”

The King Elemental flinched with a faint glow.

[You can attack us, but there’s no point. We didn’t harm this girl or the other four humans who came to this land at different times. They were all here for one reason.]

“Agh…?” Adam blinked several times. “What do you mean? Are you saying they came here for her?”

The King Elemental was silent for a moment before continuing:

[Just like you did, didn’t you? You came here to get the Glass Root, so… it’s right in front of you.]

“Wait, what does that mean? She’s a human, a Phantom! She’s not some kind of root!” Adam exclaimed, a sense of impending panic in his voice.

[Sure. She’s a human, she was one. However, she’s been dead for a long time. Her death… it occurred under specific circumstances…]

As soon as the King Elemental said this, Adam’s eyes widened as he realized something.

If he could find out more about this girl’s fate, he would learn more about what happened to Queen Elisa. It was a logical conclusion he had only just reached.

“You! Tell me what happened to her! Why did she end up in this crystal? Some powerful monster did this to her, right?”

Adam had several theories about what might have happened here, but hardly any of them were correct.

The King Elemental shuddered.

[No. It happened because she was trying to survive… She used all the energy she had to save herself… That amount and density were enough to create armor around her, this crystal…]

For a moment, the King Elemental fell silent, as if deciding whether it should continue speaking.

[However, she was doomed either way… Even if she’d had the strength left to keep breathing, she would have suffocated soon enough. Even if she hadn’t needed air to breathe, her energy reserves would have run out in a few days… It was a desperate, but futile, attempt to save her life.]

Adam gulped.

It might have seemed that the King Elemental was rather harsh, but Adam understood that it was right. If the Phantoms could so easily avoid death, then they would all do so, and then someone would have to rescue them from these crystals.

“But this is the second Phantom I’ve seen in this state, isn’t she?” Adam muttered as his pupils suddenly dilated. “No, she’s the only one…”

‘Queen Elisa… Her iron tree and crystal are much larger than this. It’s the difference between an ocean and a puddle. Moreover, Queen Elisa’s aura remains as powerful as it was when I first met her, and more importantly, unlike this girl, Queen Elisa is alive.’

Adam also understood that every 250 years, Queen Elisa expended enormous reserves of energy to protect the First Ring of the Citadel, and this had been going on for over a thousand years.

However, the girl in the crystal before him didn’t look as though she had come from ancient times. Her clothes weren’t much different from his own or those of the other female Phantoms he had encountered.

“She died recently, right during this World Wipe…” Adam muttered. It was the conclusion he had reached after some thought.

[Yes…]

To his surprise, the King Elemental confirmed his theory.

[It happened over a hundred years ago… Though, I don’t know the exact date… I wasn’t here yet on that day. My predecessor told me this story.]

“Hmm.” Adam touched his chin thoughtfully. “This crystal and the tree appeared because she desperately wanted to save her life. Basically, these are the consequences of her final, desperate burst of energy, an extremely powerful burst that indicates she was very strong in life. But…”

His gaze fell on the four skeletons at the roots.

“What about them? Why did they come here, and why did they die?”

[They wanted to get the Glass Root… They found this girl just like you did, and then… then each of them failed.]

“Failed to do what?” Adam narrowed his eyes.

[To set her free… Each of them failed, and for that they had to pay a heavy price.]

Only now did it begin to dawn on Adam what had happened here.

For a moment, he froze, his gaze shifting from the skeletons to the girl in the crystal.

“What will you do if I try to get the Glass Root?”

[Nothing.]

The King Elemental’s voice was firm and calm.

[It’s your right, and for me and the others, it would be the right thing to do. This girl and this tree were never meant to be here. She doesn’t belong here.]

“In that case, why haven’t you and the others tried to get rid of her? Apparently, her energy and powerful aura are getting in your way.” He stared at the King Elemental.

[That’s true… and many have tried, but they perished just like these phantoms. The elementals didn’t stand a chance, unlike your allies.]

Adam narrowed his eyes as he recalled his conversation with Krador.

‘I see, now everything makes sense. Krador was afraid to do it himself. At first, I thought the Glass Root was some rare resource, but in that case, Krador could have easily obtained it himself, couldn’t he?

‘Moreover, even if he didn’t want to do it, he would have asked another monster. However… it seems only a Phantom can free this girl from the crystal. Maybe a monster could do it too, but even a high-level Lord like Krador doesn’t possess enough power…’

Even though Adam had figured out many aspects of the situation, things hadn’t gotten any better for him.

On the contrary, his quest to find a rare resource had now turned into something far stranger and more dangerous.

“Tsk.”

Adam clicked his tongue as he looked at the four skeletons with a deep frown.

“It’s not that simple at all…”

He turned to the King Elemental.

“Do you think I’ll be able to get the Glass Root?”

[I cannot know that, young man. It all depends on you, but you must understand that four Phantoms have tried before you, and none of them succeeded.]

Step.

Adam took a step forward, about to touch the crystal, but something stopped him.

“You’ve faced these Phantoms before, right?”

[Yes. There was just one I didn’t recognize… You’re the fourth Phantom to come here for this girl.]

Adam nodded deeply as his eyes grew more intense.

“Can you compare us? Which one of us seems the strongest?”

[You.]

The King Elemental replied without hesitation. It was completely certain.

“Got it. I hope neither you nor the other elementals will get in my way?”

The King Elemental flinched.

[Sure… We want this girl to leave and finally get a proper death… Her heart and mind have long been dead, but not her energy… It’ll be better for all of us, and for you as well.]

Adam smiled bitterly.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I never would have thought a flying rock could make such a good conversationalist.”

[No… comments…]

Step!

With his next step, Adam placed his palm on the crystal. He knew what he had to do, since it was the only option he knew.

The energy pulse ran through his arm, heading toward the crystal.

Tremble! Tremble! Tremble!

Soon, the iron tree trembled as Adam’s eyes shone brightly.

The next moment, when he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by nothing but darkness, and standing before him was a girl made of crystal.

“I see…”

Adam shrugged.

“I should have expected this, shouldn’t I?”

He had never once fought against someone who had already died, but if he wanted to obtain the Glass Root, he had to do it.

Moreover, he wanted to find out if there was anything else behind this girl’s fate besides the desire to survive.