The narrow passage ended, opening into a large, circular cavern. This was the heart of the corruption. The air was so thick you could almost taste it—a mixture of decay, dark magic, and despair. Hundreds of black veins on the walls and ceiling all converged at a single point in the center.
There, hovering just above a pool of black sludge, was the source of it all. It wasn't a monster, but a dark purple crystal heart, the size of a human head, beating with a slow, sickening pulse. Each beat sent ripples of dark energy pulsing throughout the cavern.
Yanaki didn't need [Appraisal] to know this was her target. But she used it anyway, to get the maximum amount of information.
[Corrupted Magic Heart (Dark Object)]
Level: 5
Description: The remnant of a dark mage who died in the Great Cataclysm. His heart absorbed a massive amount of dark magic and became a living object, constantly seeping corrupting energy, poisoning everything around it.
Defense: Enveloped by a [Dark Energy Shield].
Behavior: Will automatically attack any living creature that approaches with energy beams.
Weakness: Extremely weak to pure energy.
The moment Yanaki stepped into its range of awareness, the Corrupted Heart reacted. A gem at its center flashed, and a beam of dark purple energy shot straight at her.
Fwoosh!
Yanaki quickly dodged behind a stone pillar. The energy beam grazed past, hitting the wall behind her. The spot where the beam hit began to corrode and disintegrate with a horrifying sizzle. Its power was terrifying.
She couldn't get close. Her dagger was completely useless against the magic shield. The only solution lay in the words "Weakness: Extremely weak to pure energy." Once again, everything depended on Elara.
"Elara, we need to break that shield," Yanaki transmitted. "But you're too weak to face it directly. I'll draw its attention. You find a way to approach the sludge pool and purify it. The pure water might break the shield from below."
Elara nodded, determination shining in her ethereal eyes.
The plan began. Yanaki dashed out from her cover. Immediately, another energy beam shot towards her. She did a somersault, narrowly dodging it and hiding behind another stone pillar. A game of cat and mouse began. Yanaki constantly moved between the rock formations in the cave, forcing the Corrupted Heart to turn and fire its energy beams at her.
Meanwhile, Elara silently floated to the edge of the sludge pool. She placed both hands on the viscous surface, beginning to pour all of her remaining energy into it.
The sludge pool began to bubble. Where Elara's hands touched, the inky blackness slowly faded, turning grey, then gradually becoming clear. The pure energy of an Erathos native was fighting head-on with the corruption that had poisoned her homeland.
The purple shield enveloping the Heart began to vibrate. It was being attacked from below by the very water it was corrupting.
The Heart seemed to sense the real threat. It ignored Yanaki. Its central gem began to gather a much larger concentration of light, aiming straight for Elara. It was about to unleash a finishing blow!
"NO!" Yanaki screamed.
She had no way to block the energy beam. But she could create a diversion. In a desperate act, she pulled out her homemade torch and scraped her dagger hard against a black vein on the ground.
Phwoom!
The green flame erupted. Without a second's hesitation, Yanaki threw the burning torch with all her might at the ceiling, directly above the Corrupted Heart.
The torch lodged in a thick patch of Oily Moss. Fire met oil.
A rain of greasy, green fire, belching black smoke, poured down directly onto the Corrupted Heart. The corrupt flame didn't deal much damage to the dark object, but it was the perfect distraction. The Heart was taken by surprise, its charging attack interrupted.
CRACK!
At the same time, its energy shield, already weakened by the pure water, finally shattered.
The Corrupted Heart was now completely exposed. It let out a mournful shriek in her mind.
This was the chance Yanaki had been waiting for. She threw her poisoned dagger with all her remaining strength.
The dagger flew through the air, embedding itself deep into the Heart's crystal surface.
A small crack appeared. It quickly spread like a spiderweb.
CRACK... CRACKLE... SHATTER!
The Corrupted Magic Heart shattered into thousands of black crystal shards, which rained down into the lake below and dissolved.
Silence enveloped the cavern. The deadly purple glow had vanished. The black veins on the walls stopped pulsing and gradually receded into the stone.
[You have destroyed the [Corrupted Magic Heart]. The Covenant condition with the [Withered Treant] has been fulfilled!]
[You have received a large amount of EXP from purifying a high-level source of corruption. You have reached Level 3!]
[The spirits of the stream and the Willow of Memories have been freed from the corruption.]
[The [Withered Treant] is fulfilling its promise. The Covenant is being finalized...]
Yanaki panted, running immediately to Elara's side. Her companion was exhausted, her form nearly transparent. Yanaki quickly sat down, placing a hand on Elara's shoulder, trying to transfer a portion of her MP through the covenant to help her stabilize.
As the corruption faded, the water in the cavern's lake gradually became crystal clear. And from the center of the lake, where the Heart had just shattered, a new light began to rise.
It wasn't the purple of darkness, but a brilliant, vibrant green, full of nature's vitality.
Her second familiar, a reborn Treant, was about to appear.