Free Web NovelChapter 20: Chapter 20: The First Rescue
The stone pillar field was narrow and uneven, which made the situation more dangerous.
The three trapped climbers had chosen a poor defensive position. Their backs were against a cracked pillar, but the surrounding stones gave the hounds multiple angles of attack. The injured climber on the ground was bleeding heavily from the thigh, and the smell of blood had made the beasts more aggressive.
The Level 7 Black Stone Wolf stood behind the hounds, its gray-black fur bristling with stone spikes. It did not rush forward like the others. Instead, it circled slowly, waiting for the trapped climbers to exhaust themselves.
That alone made Qin Yuheng more cautious.
Low-level beasts were not mindless.
Tower monsters learned from instinct, environment, and blood.
"Qin Lian," Qin Yuheng said quietly, "left flank. Take the hound closest to the injured climber."
Qin Lian disappeared between the stones.
"Yuchen, with me. Break through the front."
"Understood."
"Qin Mo, restrict the wolf if it moves."
Qin Mo took out a small formation nail. "I will try."
Qin Yuheng did not wait.
He stepped out from behind the stone and charged.
The trapped climbers saw him immediately.
One of them shouted, "Help us!"
That shout drew the beasts’ attention.
Two Black Stone Hounds turned toward Qin Yuheng, growling.
Qin Yuheng accelerated.
His sword flashed.
The first hound lunged. free𝑤ebnovel.com
He lowered his body, let its claws pass over his shoulder, and cut upward through its throat.
Blood sprayed.
The second hound attacked from the side.
Qin Yuchen intercepted it, his sword piercing into the beast’s mouth and out the back of its skull.
At almost the same moment, Qin Lian appeared beside the injured climber and drove her dagger into the neck of the nearest hound. She kicked the dying beast away and pulled the injured youth back by the collar.
The battlefield changed instantly.
The trapped climbers had been on the verge of collapse. With Qin Yuheng’s team entering from the side, the beasts lost their encirclement advantage.
The Black Stone Wolf reacted.
It lowered its head and rushed toward Qin Lian.
Its speed was much faster than the hounds.
Qin Mo threw the formation nail.
The nail struck the ground in front of the wolf and released a thin net of black light.
The wolf was only slowed for a fraction of a second.
But that fraction was enough.
Qin Lian twisted away.
Qin Yuheng arrived.
He did not use obvious thunder, but he allowed the Black Thunder Pattern Sword’s sharpness to show. The blade cut across the wolf’s shoulder, breaking several stone spikes.
The wolf roared and swung its claws.
Qin Yuheng retreated half a step.
The claws missed his chest by inches.
Qin Yuchen attacked from the side, forcing the wolf to turn.
The two remaining hounds tried to interfere, but the two uninjured climbers finally regained some courage and blocked them.
Qin Yuheng watched the wolf’s movement carefully.
It favored its right front leg after his cut.
Good.
He feinted toward the head, then shifted low and slashed the wounded leg.
The wolf stumbled.
Qin Lian appeared behind it and struck the tendon.
Qin Yuchen pierced its side.
Qin Yuheng finished with a clean thrust through the throat.
The Black Stone Wolf collapsed.
A Tower message appeared.
[Black Stone Wolf killed.]
[EXP +35]
[Black Stone Core acquired x1]
[Black Stone Wolf Fang acquired x1]
Qin Yuheng’s EXP rose again.
[EXP: 82 / 100]
Close to Level 2.
After the battle ended, the rescued climbers looked at Qin Yuheng’s team with a mixture of gratitude and embarrassment.
They were academy students, though not from Core Class. Qin Yuheng vaguely remembered seeing them among the Awakened Class group.
The injured youth clenched his teeth while one of his teammates tried to stop the bleeding with a low-grade recovery powder.
Qin Yuheng frowned.
"That is not enough. The wound is too deep."
The youth’s face was pale. "We used our best pill earlier."
Qin Yuheng took out a D Grade Recovery Pill, not the B-grade one. He had thousands of D-grade mana pills, but recovery pills were fewer; still, after enhancing some and keeping ordinary ones, he had enough for emergencies.
"Use this."
The student hesitated. "We can pay—"
"Survive first."
The student swallowed the pill.
His bleeding slowed after a short while, though he still could not walk properly.
Qin Yuheng then handed over a simple bandage.
"What happened?" he asked.
One of the uninjured students answered, still breathing hard.
"We were looking for Black Stone Cores. We found three hounds and thought we could handle them. Then that wolf appeared. It drove more hounds toward us."
Qin Lian asked, "From where?"
The student pointed deeper into the pillar field.
"There is a cave path there. We saw black light inside, but we did not enter."
Qin Yuheng’s eyes moved.
A cave path with black light.
Possibly a resource point.
Possibly a monster den.
Possibly both.
Qin Mo immediately looked unhappy.
"That sounds like exactly the kind of place we should not enter."
Qin Yuheng ignored him for the moment. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
He asked the rescued students, "Can you move?"
The injured youth tried to stand and nearly collapsed.
"No," Qin Yuchen said. "He cannot continue safely."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
"Use your emergency return option if you have one, or find a safe camp nearby and wait."
The student looked ashamed.
"If we withdraw now, our evaluation..."
Qin Yuheng’s expression became serious.
"Your evaluation is meaningless if you die."
The words were blunt.
The student lowered his head.
After a moment, he activated his emergency rescue mark.
A Tower message appeared above him.
[Emergency withdrawal requested.]
[Penalty applied.]
[Transporting injured climber to exit zone.]
White light covered him.
Before disappearing, he looked at Qin Yuheng.
"Thank you."
His two teammates hesitated, then decided to withdraw with him. Their morale had collapsed, and continuing would only create more danger.
After they left, Qin Mo sighed.
"We did a good deed. Can we now do a safe deed and leave?"
Qin Yuheng looked toward the cave path.
"No."
"I knew kindness would lead to suffering."
Qin Yuchen studied the cave direction.
"The wolf came from there. More cores are likely inside."
Qin Lian added, "And possibly the safe camp. The pillar field has defensive terrain."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
"We proceed carefully."
Before moving, he inspected the Black Stone Core they had obtained.
Now they had three.
The kill count also updated.
[Side Mission Progress]
Kill 20 monsters: 19 / 20
Collect 10 Black Stone Cores: 3 / 10
Locate safe camp: incomplete
One more monster for the kill mission.
Seven more cores.
They advanced into the deeper pillar field.
The cave path was not large. It opened between two leaning stone pillars and descended into darkness. Faint black light pulsed from within, synchronized with the cold energy in the ground.
Qin Mo placed a warning mark at the entrance.
Qin Lian scouted first but returned after only a short distance.
"Multiple beasts inside. At least six hounds, maybe more. Also... something like an altar deeper in."
Qin Yuheng’s eyes sharpened.
"An altar?"
"Broken stone platform. Black light. I could not get close."
Qin Yuheng immediately thought of the hidden mission possibility.
Black Stone Cores.
Altar.
Offering mechanism.
The pieces were coming together.
But they only had three cores. The side mission required ten. Hidden offering might also require ten or more.
"We clear the outer cave first," he said. "No deep entry until we understand the layout."
The team entered.
The cave was damp and cold. Black crystals grew along the walls, releasing faint light. The air smelled of stone dust and beast musk.
Soon, low growls echoed ahead.
Six Black Stone Hounds emerged from the darkness.
Behind them was another Black Stone Wolf.
The fight was harder inside the cave because movement was limited. Qin Yuheng took the front, using the narrow space to prevent the beasts from surrounding them. Qin Yuchen attacked from behind his shoulder. Qin Lian used side cracks and shadows. Qin Mo placed small light flashes to disrupt charges.
The final hound died under Qin Yuchen’s blade.
A Tower message appeared.
[Side Mission Completed: Kill 20 Black Stone Trial monsters.]
[Reward pending final evaluation.]
They continued and killed the wolf after a short but intense fight.
This time, it dropped two Black Stone Cores.
Their total became five.
Qin Yuheng’s EXP finally reached the threshold.
[EXP threshold reached.]
[Level increased.]
[Level 1 → Level 2]
[Stat growth calculated.]
[Primordial Origin Evolution: auxiliary growth resonance.]
[Primordial Thunder Emperor Body: SSS body growth applied.]
[Strength +6]
[Constitution +6]
[Agility +5]
[Spirit +5]
[Mana +5]
[Perception +5]
Warm power spread through Qin Yuheng’s body.
His muscles strengthened. His breathing deepened. His senses sharpened. The Tower’s level-up was immediate and real, not symbolic.
His updated panel appeared.
[Name: Qin Yuheng]
[Level: 2]
[Strength: 37]
[Constitution: 41]
[Agility: 33]
[Spirit: 30]
[Mana: 35]
[Perception: 29]
[Combat Power: 510]
Qin Yuheng exhaled slowly.
So this was leveling.
For ordinary climbers, one level gave modest growth. For him, with an SSS-grade talent and Primordial Origin Evolution resonance, every level was a significant foundation increase.
Qin Yuchen looked at him.
"You leveled?"
Qin Yuheng nodded. "Level 2."
Qin Mo looked pained. "Already?"
Qin Lian said, "His contribution has been highest."
Qin Yuheng did not dwell on it.
They reached the deeper section of the cave.
There, as Qin Lian had reported, stood a broken black stone altar.
It was circular, cracked down the middle, and covered in ancient runes. At its center was a shallow depression shaped like a bowl.
The moment Qin Yuheng approached, his panel flickered.
[Ancient Black Stone Altar detected.]
[Offering mechanism inactive.]
[Possible activation material: Black Stone Core.]
[Required amount: 10.]
Qin Yuheng’s eyes became bright.
They had found the hidden mission.
But they still needed five more cores.
And in the darkness beyond the altar, another growl slowly rose.
Deeper in the cave, something larger had awakened.
