Chapter 45: Lancing the Boil

Qin Yuan simultaneously pulled out a bottle of Swiftness Potion and drank it down in one gulp.
The flashing rune, on the verge of taking shape, was already gathering momentum in his hand.
The next moment, a burst of magical radiance flashed, and his figure darted forward, closing a portion of the distance instantly.
Without a moment's hesitation, his feet moved just as quickly, charging forward rapidly under the augmentation of the Swiftness Potion.
Of course, even with the potion's enhancement, his movement speed was still far inferior to that of the Abyss Broodmother.
However, a considerable distance separated them to begin with, which bought him a certain amount of time.
He was getting closer.
50 meters, 40 meters, 30 meters...
His position grew ever closer to the Abyssal Pustule.
Yet the series of dense, rapid footsteps closing in around him was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle involuntarily.
Qin Yuan held his breath, feeling his heart pounding so hard it threatened to burst out of his chest.
He quickly retrieved the Purifying Powder, preparing to make his move.
Suddenly, with a soft *thwip*, a mass of spiderweb shot swiftly toward him.
Qin Yuan executed a nimble sideways roll on the spot.
He successfully dodged it.
Yet the very next instant, another mass of spiderweb assaulted him from the other side, slamming heavily into his body.
Instantly, it wrapped him tightly from head to toe, leaving him completely immobilized.
"I'm done for!"
A chill ran through Qin Yuan's heart, and he hurriedly activated the teleportation crystal he held in his hand.
Such resilient spider silk made it impossible for him to break free using sheer brute force alone.
At present, using teleportation to run for his life was his only remaining option.
Clearly, these monsters had no intention of giving him a moment to catch his breath.
The distance between them was closing rapidly.
The current situation was far worse than the last time.
Sure enough, before the casting channel had even reached the halfway mark, the Abyss Broodmothers had already closed in collectively.
Right at that moment, another sudden change occurred.
A buzzing, sizzling sound rang out abruptly.
Qin Yuan strained his neck, turning his head with difficulty toward the source of the sound.
His expression shifted from alarm to pleasant surprise.
With a significant portion of the monsters' attention diverted onto him, the pressure on Feather fluttering in mid-air had plummeted drastically.
Finally, seizing an opportunity, Feather opened the pouch and scattered the Purifying Powder directly onto the Abyssal Pustule.
Under a phenomenon resembling snow meeting a red-hot iron ball, the Abyssal Pustule was dissolving at a speed visible to the naked eye.
What thrilled him even more was that upon seeing this, the Abyss Broodmothers completely ignored the person pinned to the ground. Swerving past him, they anxiously charged back toward the location of the Abyssal Pustule.
This development naturally allowed Qin Yuan to heave a sigh of relief, and he hurriedly whistled to recall Feather back to his side.
The next moment, the brilliant light of the teleportation crystal flashed.
His body vanished from the spot.
...
"That scared the life out of me just now..."
Sitting in his chair, Qin Yuan, having survived the ordeal, still felt lingering terror.
In the heat of the moment, the surge of adrenaline had temporarily caused him to block out all other emotions.
Now that he was finally safe, recalling the scene that had just transpired still brought on a cold sweat.
"In the end, I owe it all to Feather..."
After taking out a bottle of Mana Spring and drinking a few sips, Qin Yuan sighed with emotion.
Next, he planned to rest for a while, adjust his state, and then head back to the floating island.
Without the Abyssal Pustule, deprived of a suitable environment, these abyssal creatures would initially experience a rapid decline in their stats, eventually perishing as they failed to adapt to the surroundings.
The exact timeframe was difficult to estimate, but Qin Yuan figured it was safer to wait a little longer and set off after a few hours.
He might even be able to pick up some experience points or the like.
Although the journey had its twists and turns, he had made it through without a hitch and successfully cleared out the Abyssal Pustule!
...
It wasn't until five in the afternoon, after taking a short nap to fully restore his energy, that Qin Yuan returned to the floating island.
The lighting here remained excellent, so with a quick glance, he noticed that the entire scene had undergone a drastic transformation.
The oppressive abyssal aura that had previously permeated the area had dissipated without a trace.
Even the Abyss Broodmothers were nowhere to be seen.
However, he quickly noticed several faint, glowing objects scattered across the ground.
"Dropped loot!"
Qin Yuan immediately realized what they were.
At the same time, he discovered that a drop item had appeared precisely where the Abyssal Pustule used to be.
Judging by the light it emitted, it was noticeably brighter and more intense.
He immediately stepped forward and picked it up.
Upon examining the information transmitted by the Eye of Revelation, a fresh wave of joy washed over him.
[Magic Rune Paper (Flame Barrier ★★ Rare): A miraculous piece of paper dropped by a monster. Upon use, you will directly activate the corresponding magic rune.]
[Flame Barrier ★★: Domain skill. Generates a zone of flame barrier within a certain range around yourself. All fire-attribute skills you cast within the barrier are amplified, all enemies entering it take continuous damage and suffer reduced resistance, and a certain number of "Fire Spirits" are generated to attack enemies. This skill occupies two skill slots.]
[Your level is currently too low to use this.]
A two-star spell! And it was rare!
However, he noticed the note indicating that he was temporarily unable to use it.
Qin Yuan immediately asked the Grimoire of Murmurs for the specific reason.
"To use a two-star magic rune paper, your level must reach at least level nine," the Grimoire of Murmurs explained swiftly. "As for domain spells, they are a type of spell that begin to appear widely at two stars and above. Their characteristic is that they occupy two skill slots, and each person can only learn a single domain spell."
"I see..." Hearing this, he had no choice but to put the magic rune paper away for now.
He was currently only level five, still a long way off.
Next, he picked up the remaining glowing orbs scattered across the ground nearby.
[You have obtained Spider Fang ★ *1.]
[You have obtained Tough Spider Silk ★ *1.]
Both were one-star crafting materials.
"However, this isn't all; this should only be a portion of them."
Qin Yuan summoned Feather and, with its help, began searching the area.
Due to the dissipation of their adapted environment, some of these monsters had already perished.
Yet a good number of stragglers could still be found struggling for breath.
Moreover, with their survival environment gone, their combat effectiveness had plummeted significantly.
Qin Yuan stood on no ceremony, picking them off one by one.
His experience points began to skyrocket rapidly.
Higher-level creatures naturally provided more experience points, and after a thorough harvest, his level successfully reached level six.
[Your level has risen to level six. Detecting that your class is "Mage," affected by the power of the "Soul" contract, you may choose one of the following three magic runes to acquire.]
[Enfeeblement ★ Common: Active skill. Target a chosen foe to slightly reduce their physical attack power for five minutes.]
[Light of Blessing ★ Common: Active skill. Bless a target unit (cannot be cast on yourself), slightly increasing all attribute values for ten minutes.]
[Source of Mana ★ Common: Passive skill. Slightly increases your maximum mana pool and spell power with a permanent passive effect.]
Three different skills appeared before him once more for selection.
Qin Yuan swept his gaze over them and made his choice swiftly.
[You have learned the magic—Source of Mana ★ Common.]
[When you reach level eight, you will be able to select another rare-grade magic rune.]