Transcendent Resurgence: Regressing on an abandoned Earth

“Ugh..” Jacob groaned as green light pulsed on the magic circle. The ogre’s heart was pulsing with mana on his chest. Bit by bit, it dissolved in a red liquid.

Although the whole scene was filled with gore, the red liquid gave out a surprisingly pleasant scent.

“Am I weird for liking the smell?”

“it’s quite natural I’d say. Do you know how we developed the notion of good and bad smell? It is closely related to our evolution as a species. Dead bodies of animals and rotten food were harmful for our survival, thus we evolved in a way that makes us averse to such things. Some sensitive people might feel discomfort and unease when staying with old people or patients for this reason as well.”

“Is that so..”

“Indeed. The opposite is true as well. Hot food, fresh vegetables, and fruits smell good for this reason as well. The scent itself is neither good nor bad, it is our body that separates them due to evolution. For example, the things we consider foul might seem pleasant for some animals.”

“You seem quite knowledgeable on the subject!” Zyrus exclaimed as he looked up at Shi kun who was talking with Ria.

“Haha, I’m no doctor I did study a lot about biology due to my curiosity. Those were the good old days of my childhood,”

“Makes sense. Your generation had quite a lot of free time on their hand.”

“What a discreet way of calling someone old and jobless at the same time. I’ll take note of that.”

“Knowledge is meant to be shared after all. That aside, what did you do before coming here?” Ria shrugged and asked Zyrus who had finished the spell.

“That’ll take a while to explain. Let’s talk as we distribute the rewards,” Zyrus beckoned the duo as he walked toward the pile of weapons and armors.

Be it the orcs or the humans, they would eventually turn into particles after their death. Only their equipment was left behind.

Unlike humans though, monsters dropped an additional body part or two.

Zyrus asked about the details of the battle, and in return, he also talked about his ‘Treasure hunt’.

To summarize, There was an underground cave at the heart of these plains. It was below a hundred feet of ground level with a radius of ten meters.

Many such locations were situated throughout the first ring. In most cases, rare monsters dropped the map fragments of such places. And apart from the difficulty in completing a map, there weren’t any dangers in these places that could stop the players.

Even with all his knowledge, Zyrus only knew about two such places.

“So you got a map after killing a rare monster, and after going where the map led you, you found a bunch of treasure chests. Sounds a bit too convenient, doesn’t it?”

“I mean, he did fuse an ogre’s heart with Jacob just now. This seems rather tame in comparison.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

As they chatted on, the pile of loot was cleared up in no time. After a while, only the fangs and two hearts were left.

“Do you plan to use them on us?” Ria asked with a mix of curiosity and discomfort. Although she wanted more power, this method was a bit extreme in her opinion.

“Unlike that brat, you don’t need them.”

“Oh!”

“You look surprised. Well, to sum it up, that kid had more mana than I do, but with a body that’ll make goblins proud of themselves.”

“Will he get physical strength from the heart?” Shi kun asked as he looked at Zyrus with wide eyes. Wouldn't this thing be perfect for him then?

“Technically, no. This will not be recognized by the system until he fully assimilates with the heart. Which, by the way, is impossible in the first ring. Anyway, I'll keep the fangs and heart as I have better uses for them.”

“No problem.”

“Don’t worry, I have other stuff for you,”

“Really?” Ria asked in a tone laden with excitement.

“Yup. I got five items from the chests, two of which you’ve seen already. I’ll need one of them for general use as well.” Zyrus spoke as he held his hands forward.

Two screens popped up in front of Ria and Shi kun. They couldn't help but clench their fists after looking at the item’s details.

[Mbeku’s shattered pride (Rare)]

A pair of braces made from Mbeku’s shell. It can create a protective shield to ward off enemy attacks.

Effects: DEF +50. Successful blocks have a 10% chance of triggering the “Trickster Turtle” effect.

Trickster Turtle: One of the three events will trigger at random.

The braces will shine with a golden light, giving the enemies a (Blind) debuff.

Lowers the enemies aggression and casts an 'Injured state' illusion on the user

Recover HP by 10%.

Although it was only a rare item, it was a very special and niche one. Its value was no less than an average unique weapon.

“This is perfect for me,” Shi kun grinned happily as he caressed the pair of green bracers given by Zyrus.

Beside him, Ria was still dumbstruck as she looked at the other screen.

[Conductor’s Tiara (Rare)]

A replica of the ##*#-##.

INT +5

Effects: Conveys your commands to the desired party simultaneously.

Range: 1Km CD: none

Unlike the other equipment, the description for this one was rather lackluster. For those capable enough to utilize its effect though, it was a game-changing equipment.

And Ria was exactly such a person. Giving her this tiara was akin to adding wings to a tiger.

“I’m glad you guys liked it,”

“Of course we do. However, isn’t that a bit unfair for him?” Ria looked at the fainted Jacob. She couldn’t help but feel guilty as he was the only one who had lost the crown.

“That’s life for you. He needs the heart more than stuff like this anyway. Besides, it’s not like I won’t get any new equipment in the future.”

The trio chatted on as they walked around the temporary camp. Zyrus wanted to start the field boss raid as soon as possible, but even then, he couldn’t overlook the player's fatigue.

The upcoming fight would be far more arduous than this one. Only those who give their 100% in the battle would be able to survive and increase their strength.

“By the way Zyrus, what does MP do? I haven’t seen a skill or equipment that requires mana to activate, the same goes for stamina. Shouldn’t there be units for that?”

“Of course there are, but you are glossing over something important,”

Ria raised her brow at his remark. Even with all her intelligence, she wasn’t able to come up with a plausible cause.

“The way we obtained skills and mana isn’t the ‘common’ method. Only after entering the second ring would everyone get their skills and classes. As for the items, do you think high-grade equipment would follow the norm? They have hundreds of times more mana than you currently possess, so why would they need yours to function? Items like these are usable even in higher rings.”

“Hmm… I get the second part, but can you explain the first one?”

Shi kun perked up his ears at their conversation. He didn't have anything to do with mana at this point, but he would have to rely on it sooner or later. It was a golden opportunity to learn the basics before that time came.

“To put it simply, after passing the first ring, our status screens will change. They’ll have new functions and stats like stamina as you’ve mentioned. Imagine if everyone had the advanced version of the status from the get-go, wouldn’t that be confusing for the masses? Besides, we’re supposed to figure out stuff like that on our own. The system is a tool to make things more convenient, not a means to spoon-feed us.”

“Makes sense,”

Zyrus explained about trivial stuff during the time they rested. Of course, from Ria and Shi kun’s perspective, the information they got was anything but trivial.

Jacob also woke up after a couple of hours. Apart from his rosy complexion, there weren’t any visible changes on him. Zyrus explained about the ogre's heart and things he should take care of in the future while he ate the porridge.

The group took off after everyone was back at their full strength. Although their numbers had dwindled quite a bit after the fight, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The field boss would reap the lives of many, Zyrus was certain about that. He was overwhelming his enemies after his race change, but it’ll be different in the next fight.

His strength was balanced if one took into account that he was the only being representing an entire race. Could he face off against hundreds? Yes. But what about thousands? Millions?

Zyrus knew what he needed in order to stand on top. He needed an army, one that could overcome any and all obstacles on his path to invincibility.

*MUUUUU*

[Alert! The field boss “Tauranox” makes his appearance]

[The field boss raid commences!]

[All the players in the vicinity are forced to participate]

[Current players: 357]

A five-meter-tall black bison stood in front of the players.