"Beep! Beep!"
Kael's smartwatch let out a sharp alert. It was synced to his laptop. After tapping the screen-switch button, a green radar grid appeared on the watch display.
According to the tracking chip's data, the red dot representing the giant Rhydon had started moving—and its direction was straight toward the cave where Kael currently stood.
The giant Rhydon was heading home.
He had to move faster.
The seven-colored orb embedded in the rock wall was absolutely something he couldn't leave behind. Kael had a strong intuition—this was no ordinary treasure. Unfortunately, with no internet connection, he had no way to look up information about it.
He reached out and gently patted Lulu's little head, snapping her out of her entranced state.
"Can you sense anything from that orb?" he asked softly.
"Mm! Mm!" Lulu nodded repeatedly, her small hand pointing excitedly at the rainbow orb in the rock wall. "Lulu can feel a very strange kind of energy inside it. I can't describe it exactly, but it's very abundant… like the sun. It feels full of life…"
"Wea~ Wea~"
Weavile nodded from the side as well. She, too, could sense a comfortable aura emanating from the orb.
From Lulu's description, Kael was almost certain now. This seven-colored orb was very likely a magical item—and one containing a considerable amount of energy. Even standing three or four meters away, Lulu and Weavile were still affected by its radiating power.
"Lulu, can you try using telekinesis to pull it out of the wall?"
"Lulu can try!"
She nodded and stepped forward. Raising both hands, a faint blue glow flickered in her eyes. The air around them grew heavy as invisible psychic force, guided by her mental strength, slowly approached the orb.
She didn't dare unleash too much power at once. She had no idea how durable the orb was. If she accidentally shattered it, Kael definitely wouldn't be happy.
As her telekinesis gradually enveloped the orb, a faint smile appeared on Lulu's lips. Just as she prepared to pry it from the rock—
A sudden repulsive force exploded outward from the orb!
Her psychic energy was instantly dispersed. Worse, the backlash formed a brief magnetic storm that blasted Kael, Lulu, and Weavile straight into the opposite rock wall.
"Cough—!"
Kael clutched his lower back as he staggered up. That hit had not been light.
"Lulu, Weavile—you two okay?"
He helped Lulu to her feet and glanced at Weavile, who had already flipped up nimbly like a spring-loaded toy.
"Lulu's fine!"
"Wea!" Weavile shook her head, signaling she was unhurt.
They looked back at the orb.
The once-still sphere was now blazing like a miniature sun. The rainbow vortex inside had vanished, replaced by a searing brilliance. For a moment, the entire cavern—once dim and shadowed—was illuminated as bright as day.
"What the hell is this thing…?" Kael muttered. No one could answer him.
After two full minutes, the intense radiance faded. The orb gradually returned to its original appearance, the swirling rainbow glow reappearing within its transparent shell.
Kael fell into thought before speaking again.
"Lulu, try touching it with your telekinesis again. Just a little."
"…Okay."
Lulu complied. She raised her hands once more, psychic energy spreading through the air and approaching the orb again.
This time, Kael prepared himself. He flattened himself against the ground to avoid being blown away by another magnetic storm.
Weavile, quick-witted as ever, dropped flat without needing instructions.
The psychic force lightly brushed the orb.
Sure enough—the rainbow vortex inside began spinning at high speed, and the brilliant glare returned. Lulu immediately withdrew her telekinesis. Perhaps because she had used only a small amount of power this time, the orb did not unleash another magnetic storm.
"As I thought!"
Kael sprang to his feet, pumping his fist in excitement.
This treasure was extraordinary. It actively repelled psychic force.
What did that mean?
It meant the orb had a self-protection mechanism.
"Not simple… not simple at all…" he muttered to himself. He had never heard of a magical item with such an autonomous defensive response. Once he left this island, he would definitely research similar artifacts.
He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out an electric cutting tool.
If Lulu's telekinesis wouldn't work, then he'd have to resort to a more straightforward demolition method.
Holding up the cutter confidently, Kael said, "Lulu, lift me up with your telekinesis in a moment. I'll cut out the orb along with the surrounding rock."
"Lulu understands!"
Her eyes curved into crescent moons. In her view, Kael was always this clever.
...
Meanwhile—
The giant Rhydon, rushing back toward its cave, suddenly felt a sharp unease in its heart.
Its treasure.
Its treasure had been touched.
When the rainbow orb had flared twice earlier, the Rhydon—having grown up alongside it—had felt a strange connection stir between them.
An unnamed fury ignited from the depths of its being. Bloodshot veins appeared in its once-brilliant golden pupils, a sign that the massive creature's rage had reached its peak.
Its cave had been invaded.
Its most cherished treasure had been disturbed.
With a mind too simple for complex reasoning, it focused on a single conclusion:
The intruder must be torn to pieces.
"Zzzzt! Zzzzt!"
The harsh screech of cutting metal echoed through the depths of the cavern. Kael used the electric cutter to carve a circle roughly ten centimeters wide around the orb.
"Done!"
He wiped the dust from his face and stowed the cutter, its blade already heavily worn. The rock here was far harder than usual, which had cost him some extra time.
Still, it was no major issue. Just as he'd expected, this primitive demolition method did not trigger the orb's defensive reaction.
No matter how special it was, the orb wasn't alive. Having a self-protection mechanism proved its rarity—but it wasn't some invincible, mythical being.
"What, you planning to come to life or something?" Kael snorted. "You're not some legendary artifact."