Chapter 16 - Spider Essence Core... Heading onwards to the 13th floor (1/2)
This cold, white-haired individual, who seemed to have emerged from nowhere, appeared to have walked out from within a painting. Other than Li Jiayu, who else could he be?
Li Jiayu felt as though he had experienced a roller-coaster ride with countless contrasting turns, and an endless amount of ascents and descents during the last minute! As a person who had spent his previous life as a cold-hearted person, never would he have thought he would go through such fl.u.s.ter.
After returning to the youthful age of 19, Li Jiayu was no longer a Dark Summoner; nor did he possess the overwhelming strength that had allowed him to run rampant in his previous life. Not only that, even his personality seemed to have reverted back to the younger, sensitive and energetic self of the past.
“Hua Xiaolu!”
Upon retrieving Frost Moon, the first thing he did was rush toward Hua Xiaolu. He crouched down and held her in his embrace, instantaneously taking note of her paled and ashy complexion.
The wound inflicted by the barbed appendage of the Venomous Spider oozed with black pus. The toxins appeared to have already spread throughout her entire leg, causing it to darken into a coal-like color.
In this situation, Hua Xiaolu was already knocking on death’s door and would most likely be unable to persist through the following few seconds!
“Jiayu… Is that Jiayu?”
Hua Xiaolu’s parched lips parted slightly. Her exhausted and reluctant gaze lingered fixedly on Li Jiayu. This action alone appeared to have taken all of her strength.
“Y-You are probably annoyed, right…? I- I pestered you everyday… You know, I am a vain woman. I bothered you only because you are too adorable. I want to attain you. I want to turn you into the school’s flowerboy to make those women envy me… D-Don’t be sad… Dying in your embrace is much, much better compared to those who died between the insects’ mandibles…”
“Are you r.e.t.a.r.ded?! Why did you stay? Would you have died if you were a little less smitten? How much is vanity worth? Being handsome won’t provide food on the table, so what’s the use of being handsome?! f.u.c.k! Who cares if they die, I just don’t want you to die!”
Li Jiayu’s breathing turned rugged. His memories which had acc.u.mulated dust over the past years gradually began to resurface. These memories had almost been forgotten. It had only been a few months for Hua Xiaolu, however, it had been several decades for Li Jiayu!
He vividly recalled the outspoken girl named Hua Xiaolu. The girl who boldly announced her interest in Li Jiayu during the freshmen gathering and proclaimed that no one was allowed steal him from her, causing Li Jiayu to feel extremely embarra.s.sed.
He remembered the Hua Xiaolu who had: pestered him tirelessly for the entire day; occasionally sent him lunch in the cafeteria; also barged into the boy's dormitory to serenade her love for Li Jiayu with a guitar!
It could be said that Hua Xiaolu was a person who caused the biggest headache for Li Jiayu. However, despite her continual requests for him to be her s.e.xfriend, Li Jiayu treated her as an intimate confidante and was extremely unwilling to see her end up like this.
”DARK OCTOPUS! Why the f.u.c.k are you idling around for?! Go scavenge the spiders carca.s.ses and retrieve their insect core! You’re dead if there aren’t any!”
Li Jiayu hollered at Dark Octopus agitatedly. Dark Octopus was riddled in injuries, however, the moment it heard the orders, both of its eyes widened in fury as it muttered stuffily,
”This... I search... Blame me... No strength... Harmed beautiful female... Poisoning...”
As Dark Octopus muttered, its nine tentacles began to move as they pried apart the Venomous Spider's bodies, searching through the brain dredges.
The Venomous Spider's bodily fluid often contained strong-acting toxins, but as the saying goes: when things reach an extreme, they can only move in the opposite direction.
Not only did their brain matter not contain any sort of poison, they also contained heat-clearing and detoxifying properties that nourished one's body and also a medicine to stop the bleeding!
Venomous Spiders were regarded as First Tier Insects. So, naturally, their brains would not contain any insect cores. This, however, was not the consolidated fact for all of its kin. Those that neared their evolution would condense an Essence Core which aided resistance and provided relief against the spider's toxins.
All they needed was to acquire one inferior core and Hua Xiaolu would have a chance of retaining her life!
Dark Octopus moved efficiently and in a matter of three seconds, it had already drained the brain essence of the eight spiders! Even after this, it had not come across any cores! Dark Octopus became momentarily stunned from shock and, following this, felt dejected.
”Did... Not... Find...”
”b.a.s.t.a.r.d! How can this be? There must be one! Definitely!”
Inwardly-
Li Jiayu inwardly yelled out regretfully. ‘Am I, Li Jiayu, really destined to be a lone wolf? Will my friends fall one after another just like they did in the past? Will these tragedies continue to repeat themselves?’
‘If so, what was the point to my oath? To repent for my mistakes and to make up for my regrets?’
Li Jiayu had not felt anything after the deaths of the other male students. Rather than sadness, it was more of guilt as their relations.h.i.+ps had been rather shallow.
Hua Xiaolu and Zhou Jiamin, however, had been on good terms with him and he sincerely wanted to change their destinies.