Chapter 212 Seven Stars Alignment
When Flame Blade kicked in, Sprint got going too.
Thanks to Flame Blade's sick effects, it looked like William swung his blade first, then moved.
Actually, there was a tiny delay before he swung. The red flames only shot out when Sprint kicked in.
Sprint doubled his speed for three seconds. As a two-star Evolving dude, William was already pretty quick. With the speed boost from his Bloodstride Boots, his Edge of the Moon blade moved forward about 10 feet. What would've been a direct hit on the Deceptive Ghost Tree's tendrils turned into a diagonal slash from the side.
If he was up against another level-three mutated critter, William wouldn't have used this move. Most mutated animals are fast and reactive, and even with Sprint, the evolution level difference would probably make him miss.
The Deceptive Ghost Tree, despite its creepy rep and tricky abilities, wasn't level four yet and moved like a snail.
The blade hit right where its tendrils met the trunk.
With the Edge of the Moon and Radiant Seal Blade Master's skills, the wooden level-three Deceptive Ghost Tree couldn't handle it. A big chunk of its tendrils got chopped off, and thick green goo oozed out, smelling nasty.
Pill and William were getting better at working together. As Flame Blade hit, Pill had already moved to the side and pounced. Knowing that biting, scratching, or using Fine needle and dense thread wouldn't work on this plant, Pill rammed into the Deceptive Ghost Tree's trunk, uprooting it. The weight and force made the tree tilt forward.
Even though its roots were yanked out, some stayed in the ground. When the tree tilted about forty-five degrees, it started to straighten up.
However, the Flame Blade's damage not only cut off a lot of tendrils but also burned it. Fire is a wooden plant's worst enemy, and this double whammy made the tree's remaining tendrils spread out.
As the level-three mutated plant stood up again, William's second skill was ready. Knife Light sliced into the spread-out tendrils.
Unlike the first skill that cut from the outside, this one sliced from the inside. The result was the same: the remaining tendrils were severed and fell to the ground.
The Deceptive Ghost Tree was now just a trunk.
Maybe feeling pain, the tree trembled. The bark covering its Magic Crystal shifted, turning into two sharp wooden spikes aimed at William, who had just finished his swing.
William jumped, barely dodging the attack with the last second of Sprint.
This must've been the tree's special move. After missing, the spikes turned back into bark, looking a bit faded.
William cut off the piece that almost got him.
The tree's attack and defense relied on its tendrils. Now, it was just a stick, defenseless.
William circled it cautiously. After confirming it was no longer a threat, he picked up the severed tendrils, checked them out, and collected the evolution fruits without killing the tree.
'This thing might still be useful,' he thought.
Clarissa and the others watched in shock.
This weird tree had cost them many lives trying to get evolution fruits. Only three of them had become Evolving persons, and even together, they couldn't beat the tree. Just that morning, they had been badly beaten.
But now, this guy took it down in less than five seconds. The difference was mind-blowing.
He patted Pill's head and said, "Stay here." Then William entered the cave behind the Deceptive Ghost Tree.
His footsteps echoed in the empty cave, but he didn't care. As he went deeper, he felt a bit tense.
Choosing this place as a base was based on his past life's knowledge. Even though he was over ninety percent sure, he still felt a bit anxious without seeing it for himself.
In his past life, Arthur had taken over this place and became a nine-star powerhouse. If everything was true, could he reach that level too?
William realized his unease wasn't about fearing surprises but the common uncertainty about the future.
He turned a corner and entered a stone chamber, breaking into a wide smile. As expected, this was the place!
In the center of the stone chamber stood four roulette wheels!
Four!
The crystals in the middle of the wheels, showing their levels, were white, black, green, and blue! This meant the wheels were levels two, three, four, and five!
Including the three level-one wheels outside, Cloud Peak Manor had a total of seven wheels.
Seven Stars Alignment!
This was why William picked this spot for his base. This was why Arthur, in his past life, laid the groundwork for becoming a nine-star powerhouse by taking over this place.
By owning Cloud Peak Manor, one could safely level up to a five-star Evolving person without the need to venture into risky territory to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Moreover, with enough confidence, one could charge survivors for wheel usage, transforming the base into a bustling trading hub. The resulting tax revenue alone would make the base owner incredibly wealthy.
But those were future plans. William's excitement grew as he looked at the four wheels.
The level-two wheel was basic, offering Evolution Elixir and immunity potion. But starting from the level-three wheel, each one had something valuable. For example, the level-three wheel had a function card, the level-four wheel had a piece of white-grade equipment, and the level-five wheel had an item that would make William's heart race.
As long as he held this place, all of these would eventually be his.
William clenched his fist, feeling more confident about facing the unknown apocalypse.
Seeing so many wheels, he had to give them a spin. He had a bunch of level-two Magic Crystals, so it was a good time to try his luck.
Using a basic Exclusion spell, the level-two wheel began its first spin.
Pill sat at the cave entrance, watching the people outside, its ears twitching occasionally to catch any noise. But none of this concerned Pill; it just needed to guard the place.
At that moment, a woman ran into the basement, looking panicked. "Clarissa, Brittany has committed suicide," she cried.
The people waiting for the mysterious man to come out were stunned at first, then all rushed out, following the woman to the second-floor bathroom. There, they found Brittany sitting against the wall, lifeless, with a large pool of blood beneath her and one hand soaked in it.
Everyone felt a heavy weight. They knew why Brittany had taken her own life. Of the four who went out tonight, only Gemma and Morris were still alive.
They could barely imagine the torment the four had faced to make them all think about death.
"Find a nice place to bury her. She died for us," Clarissa sighed, sorrowful.
Sobs broke out, and everyone felt confused and scared about their future. Even with William's arrival, nothing felt certain. Who could say he’d be better than Zane and his men?
Footsteps approached from outside, sounding like a lot of people.
Clarissa and the others looked out and saw Gilbert, notorious in Cloud Peak Manor, leading dozens of people toward them.
"Grab weapons, quick!" Clarissa urged, her face pale. When Zane was around, they dealt with other factions. Now that Zane was dead and Gilbert had shown up, Clarissa wasn't sure if the two events were connected, but she knew it couldn't be good.
Gilbert had just come from Brian's place. He knew Brian had attacked Jennings' people and killed three Evolving persons. The two sides were in a standoff, but it probably wouldn't escalate. Both sides were equally strong and didn't want to risk their lives. After leaving a few people to monitor the situation, Gilbert brought his men to the Hot Spring Villa Area.
Despite his brutal reputation, Gilbert wasn't stupid. He sensed that if Jennings and Brian were fighting, why were there gunshots from Zane's side?
There were only four factions in the manor. Was Zane's side having internal strife, or were they being attacked by an external force? Either way, Gilbert saw an opportunity.
In the villa where Zane had been, Gilbert found bodies—more precisely, shattered bodies. The bloody scene confirmed his thoughts. So he hurried over, knowing the women were here.
"Clarissa, where's Zane?" Gilbert waved his hand, and his men stopped a few dozen feet away. His beady eyes scanned the crowd, noticing a few men but not Zane or his followers.
"Where he is isn't your concern. You've crossed the line, so you'd better leave." Clarissa knew that constant retreat wouldn't work, so she tried to respond as firmly as possible.
Unfortunately, they only had three Evolving persons among them. Gilbert squinted for a few seconds before laughing.
He arrogantly declared, "No matter where Zane is, today, I'm taking over the Hot Spring Villa Area!"
Before Gilbert could finish his sentence, a scream suddenly came from behind him.
