【Interstellar Contract Magician】Ruyuanke

Chapter 319 [Empire] "Two minutes to kill monsters, two hours to pick up equipment."

The seedling's growth was so vivid before my eyes, its leaves growing thicker, its roots seemingly digging deeper into the soil. I could even feel the power fluctuations from its "feeding." It fought and ate at the same time, with an eerie composure, as if fighting were merely a hassle it needed to solve in order to satisfy its hunger.

However, I understand that the opponent is a "Lord-level" combat plant.

The documentation clearly states that ordinary battle plants can have their essence cores excavated after death, but Lord-level battle plants are different. Their vitality is tightly bound to their essence cores, and as long as their essence cores remain intact, they won't truly die. This means that even if they're weakened to the point of near collapse, they'll continue to regenerate.

I looked toward the leafy figs. The dense green had begun to gather, its tendrils tangling in the air like a vast net, encircling the seedling in its center. This wasn't an ordinary attack; it was a predator locking onto its prey, trapping the seedling and forcing it to stop feeding.

My palms are slightly sweaty.

"We can't let it waste time." I knew this battle couldn't drag on. Even if the seedling had the upper hand, its growth had its limits. And the opponent's sperm core hadn't yet emerged, yet it still firmly controlled its "life switch."

The seedling suddenly trembled violently, its roots digging deep into the soil. Several tiny cracks appeared on the surrounding surface, as if something underground was being violently torn apart. Then, I noticed that its leaves were faintly glowing.

"Is it trying to force out the sperm nucleus?" I thought to myself, this might be one of its strategies.

However, the vines' attack became even more rapid and fierce. The dense branches woven into a twisted green barrier in the air, pressing in from all sides.

"Hurry up!" I couldn't help but feel anxious in my heart.

At that moment, a deep rumble suddenly erupted from the earth, as if some barrier had been breached. The vines froze, then trembled for a moment before rapidly withdrawing as if struck by electricity.

"It worked?"

A faint green light emanated from the ground, shrouding the seedling in a shimmering halo. At the core of that green beam, I vaguely discerned a fist-sized object, emitting a dazzling fluorescent light.

——Sperm nucleus!

boom!

The energy ejected from the "water gun" transformed into a brilliant green light, accurately striking the essence core. The fluorescence flickered, and a crack quickly appeared on the surface of the essence core, like the first crack on the surface of a frozen lake, spreading from the core to the surrounding area.

The ground shook violently, and the fig vines suddenly seemed to have suffered irreversible damage, twisting and shrinking wildly. The once dense green barriers were now in chaos. They no longer extended outward, but instead retracted into the ground, as if protecting a core.

"It's not enough." My heart tightened.

Although the cracks in the sperm core had spread, they hadn't completely shattered. I quickly adjusted the "water gun" in my hand, my finger pressed firmly on the trigger, feeling the energy inside the gun slowly gathering.

"Faster, faster!"

At the same time, I noticed that the seedling had stopped devouring, as if realizing it was a critical moment and had become quiet. It gently swayed its tiny leaves, emitting a faint but determined green light, as if gathering strength, waiting for the moment of the final blow.

The fluorescence of the sperm nucleus began to flicker, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and the cracks continued to spread, and the entire ground continued to crack as it became fragile.

"No, we can't delay any longer!" I almost roared and pulled the trigger again.

boom--!

The second beam of energy shot out, accurately hitting the center of the essence core. The crack finally couldn't withstand the huge impact and exploded!

The moment the essence core shattered, the entire lord-level battle plant let out a deafening roar, then collapsed like a torn canvas. Countless vines lost their vitality and fell limply to the ground, their winding roots no longer struggling. The once lush green area was now reduced to a field of withered branches and fallen leaves.

Won!

The leaves of the seedling began to tremble slightly, as if it had breathed in purer air and gradually regained its vitality. Its stem seemed more upright, its leaves fuller, and the entire plant was shrouded in a faint green glow.

It was full and seemed to have "grown up".

I sat down against a rock, gripping the almost scalding "water gun," breathing heavily. Everything before me fell silent, leaving only the afterglow of the battle in the air.

"Is this a victory?" I asked myself in a low voice, but got no answer.

I approached the center of the devastated area and stared at the huge crystal core debris in front of me, and couldn't help but click my tongue.

"This isn't a sperm nucleus the size of a fist..."

Indeed, the information I'd seen previously wasn't even close to the actual situation. Even a small fragment of this shattered crystal core wouldn't be comparable to the essence of an ordinary combat plant. Putting it all together, it would be twice the size of a basketball.

I looked down at the fragments. Each one emitted a faint fluorescence, its surface smooth and translucent, like some high-purity ore. As I approached them, I could still sense residual energy fluctuations in the air, a slight sense of restlessness.

"Is this thing really made of plants?" I muttered to myself in disbelief.

If this is the core of a lord-level battle plant, its power and complexity are simply astonishing. I carefully reached out and touched one of the pieces. The moment my fingertips made contact, I felt a faint but clear resistance coming from the fragment.

"It's really spiritual..."

The seedling beside me trembled restlessly, its branches and leaves trembling, as if it was eager for these crystal core fragments. I hesitated for a moment, picked up a fingernail-sized fragment from the ground, and carefully placed it next to the seedling's roots.

It instantly became active, its roots immediately entwining the crystal core fragment, as if catching a delicious treat, and rapidly absorbing the fragment. At the same time, the seedling's azure glow intensified, and its previously delicate leaves began to take on a faint metallic sheen.

"It seems that this thing is of great help to you." I whispered.

But I also understand that the rest of the crystal core cannot be handled casually.

"So, what should I do next?" I sighed softly, looking at the crystal core fragments all over the ground, thinking quickly in my mind.

I squatted on the ground, my fingers brushed the edge of the last crystal fragment, and carefully picked it out of the soil. The area had been turned over by me, like some stubborn gold miner excavating a mineral deposit.

The starlight gradually dimmed, leaving only a faint glow on the horizon. I stretched my stiff back, looked down at the trophy in my hand, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Twenty minutes to kill monsters, two hours to pick up equipment."

Each fragment of the crystal core glowed faintly, scattering like stars across my makeshift container. I casually wiped my mud-stained hands, only to find they grew dirtier. Giving up, I patted my trouser legs, retrieved a piece of gauze from my space button, and carefully wrapped the fragments. Then I lifted the large piece from the ground. It was quite heavy.

The seedling swayed restlessly beside me, clearly still interested in the remaining crystal core fragments. I squatted down and reached out to touch its branches and leaves:

"That's enough, little thing. You'll die if you eat too much."

It seemed to understand what I said and stopped for a moment, but still circled around the fragments twice reluctantly before retracting its roots reluctantly.

After cleaning up, I looked around. The scene after the battle was empty and desolate, with only scattered plant debris and traces of the battle.

"It's finally over."

I stood up, dusted off my dusty clothes, and placed the last crystal core fragment into the space button. It was already completely dark, and the night chill was slowly rising. I knew it wasn't a good time to stay in this area for long.

After packing my luggage, I picked up the seedling that had grown a lot taller, took a deep breath, and walked towards the docked cargo ship.