Chapter 944: Ocean Heart (2/2)

Nevertheless, the ability's name was the most important indicator. Krune thought about the two ingredients he had used, getting out of the pool as he began to jog while remaining in the same place, working out to see the improvement in his physique.

There were remarkable differences, making him realize that he was able to barely go toe to toe against a Mutated Monster Gecko. Though, if he was careless, he would still die. Then again, it wouldn't take one hit like before. He would be able to withstand at least three to four hits before dying.

Krune exercised until he was able to obtain a good understanding of the change, finally gazing at a boulder as he lifted it. It was hard, forcing him to put all his might into it. Even then, he was struggling to lift it.

And in such a situation, he focused on his heart, intending to summon more power. Suddenly, the image of five crimson rings flashed in his mind as the topmost ring shone with a crimson hue. In an instant, his heart began to pump energy through the blood.

As the blood circulated through his body, Krune was able to exert slightly more strength, being able to lift the boulder more and more. He quickly dropped the boulder, relaxing as he tried to stop the energy flow, sighing in relief once it stopped.

There were some difficulties, but as he repeated the exercise of lifting the boulder, he was able to get the hang of the energy flow. Eventually, he realized that every time he activated the ability, the image of the five crimson rings would flash in his mind.

Upon every activation, Krune noticed the topmost ring slightly dull in its radiance every time. Eventually, he determined that he had five rings worth of energy in his heart, shown as the five crimson rings. Unexpectedly, each ring had the same energy as a Blood Essence Crystal, which was a tremendous amount.

He eventually stopped experimenting, returning to another chamber where he had stored his food, filling his belly first. He then rested, patiently meditating as he concentrated on the sounds of his heartbeat, realizing that if he heard it long enough, he could hear the sounds of the ocean.

A couple of hours later, Krune activated the ability once again, gazing at the topmost ring to see that its radiance had increased by a slight amount. ”So, the expended energy will recover as I eat. Though, it seems I need to eat for at least 10 days to recover enough energy for a ring. That's how much I can replenish it after my body sustains itself using energy from the food intake. Nevertheless, this serves as a good trump card.”

”Moreover, this doesn't seem like the end for this ability,” Krune muttered, clenching his hand into a fist as he heard the sounds of the ocean through his heartbeats. He tugged his skin armor, revealing a part of his body as he used the Whale Tooth Dagger to make a small cut.

Then, he focused on his heart, noticing that nothing happened. After that, like before, he activated the ability as the image of the five crimson rings flashed in his mind. With that, he continued to focus on the ocean sounds, concentrating further and further when the image of the five crimson stripes in his mind turned blue.

”Success!”

Krune bellowed in joy as energy streamed out of his heart, being transferred through his blood. When the blood reached the injured part, his injury began to slowly heal. Even though it was really slow, taking more than ten minutes to heal it completely, Krune was exhilarated.

It was the power of the Water Essence. Just as he had expected, by making the Mutated Monster Gecko swallow the Water Essence, it finished its evolution, reaching the peak of its race. When the bone tree absorbed it while it was still alive, most of the Water Essence's power was still circulating in its body.

After all, when Krune used it, its power was in him for a couple of weeks. The Monster Gecko Emperor hadn't expended it completely yet. So, when it was being absorbed into the bone tree, its dominant ability had been recognized as the ability of the Water Essence.

If Krune had absorbed its blood then, he might have obtained the passive ability of the Water Essence. But, since it was condensed by the bone tree into a gem, he obtained an even stronger passive ability.

Now, Krune had a reserve of energy to bank upon and also an ability to heal. Even though it was slow for a mortal, just the notion of being able to heal made them almost invincible. Not only that, but the speed of healing was considerable.

So, as long as his heart wasn't shattered and he had enough energy, Krune would be able to recover from any state of injury.

For the following week, Krune continued to experiment to the limit, watching the amplifications to his other passive abilities using Ocean Heart. He also consumed a Blood Essence Crystal, noticing that its energy directly refilled his crimson stripes and the fact that the side effects he felt after its use had been halved.

Finally, after trying out everything, he concluded, ”Each crimson stripe has the same energy as a Blood Essence Crystal. When I use it to heal, by consuming two crimson stripes worth of energy, I obtain the same healing effect as a Water Essence.”

Krune smirked as he continued, ”I guess, even after I return to being a cultivator, this would still prove useful for me.”