As Black Star ran, he let out a warrior's shout, completely unlike a mage.
The wind whistled past him as his small frame unleashed enormous power, like a black cannonball, crashing into the shield of rock and light surrounding Rhett.
A dull sound echoed.
Rhett's shield was completely unharmed, with the earth element steady as ever—exactly as expected.
In contrast, Black Star's right hand, along with his arm, trembled from the strong recoil, leaving it numb.
However, a warm current surged through his body, healing the minor injuries in his arm almost instantly.
Now fully conscious, Black Star clearly felt the changes in his body. Reflecting on the way he had harnessed his strength just moments before, he fell into deep thought.
Rhett narrowed his eyes slightly, "That strike had the power of a Sky Knight!"
"What? Sky Knight?" Black Star was stunned, staring at Rhett. "But I'm… well…"
His words trailed off, unsure of how to describe himself. Was he a mage or a knight? Neither term seemed to fit—he no longer had battle energy, nor could he use spiritual energy.
"Uh… a level four transcendent?"
In the end, Black Star scratched his head and settled on that description.
Rhett shook his head with a smile. "You're certainly not a Sky Knight, but your strongest strike has the destructive power of one in close combat. However, in terms of combat techniques, you're still far from a Sky Knight."
"Hmm… describing you as a level four transcendent seems accurate. I can sense that your spiritual energy has transformed into another form, though its overall amount isn't vast—it's still at the level of a fourth-grade mage. Comparatively, your physical strength is lacking. From what I can see, if you could enhance your physique, your overall power would rise another level..." Rhett rubbed his chin, analyzing the situation.
"Really?" Black Star's eyes brightened, but then a thought dimmed his excitement.
With a bitter smile, he said, "What good is that? My potential has already been capped. I've just realized that with the changes in my spiritual sea, I can no longer meditate. From now on, it seems my spiritual energy will never grow again..."
"Unable to meditate?" Rhett frowned. That was a significant drawback.
However, after a moment of contemplation, he realized that Black Star's current state—a mysterious fusion of body and spirit—seemed… perfectly suited to bloodstones.
Clearing his throat, Rhett asked, "Black Star, how long have you been at Rocky Volcano?"
"About three or four months, I think. Why?" Black Star responded after a moment's thought.
"Have you heard of a new substance called bloodstones, or more precisely, bloodforce crystals?"
"No, we've been cut off from the outside world for the past few months. What are bloodstones?" Black Star tilted his head in confusion.
Rhett then proceeded to explain everything that had been circulating about bloodstones.
Black Star blinked, murmuring to himself as he lowered his head, "Unbelievable… a power like that, it almost feels like it was made for me..."
A glimmer of hope returned to his eyes, only to dim again. "But if it's as powerful as you say, the requirements for making it must be extremely high..."
Rhett smiled, eyes gleaming. "Of course. At the moment, only the higher echelons of major kingdoms have control over the recipe and the necessary materials. Other factions—whether the recipe or the resources—face enormous difficulties and can't produce a finished product. So, what do you think? Interested in joining my side? If you perform well, you'll have all the bloodstones you need!"
Rhett's words struck a deep chord in Black Star, causing him to shudder.
He was no longer the carefree youth who once sought nothing more than becoming the world's greatest villain.
He now had a new, crucial purpose in life—to avenge Sands, to march into the Netherworld, and to wipe out the Soul Demons!
Although… the goal was wildly unrealistic, even in Rhett's eyes, Black Star wasn't the first to harbor such madness.
The Blood God Cult's leader had been willing to destroy the world for a similar cause.
Compared to the Blood God Cult leader, Black Star was at least more grounded. No matter how reckless he became, he still had limits. He wouldn't go as far as to destroy the world...
"R-really?" Black Star's voice trembled.
Before he had entered Rocky Volcano, he had heard about Rhett's ultimate battle with the orcs, where he achieved resounding success and established a new kingdom.
Every word Rhett said carried weight and trustworthiness.