Vengeance of the Returner

Chapter 51: Dark elixir

Their search went on for hours as they continued to climb the mountain. They were constantly made to face battles again and again while they climbed the mountain. The quest team went tired and limp unable to endure the struggle of facing both the monsters and the tiring atmosphere.

Varde grabbed Nix's hand as he was the one close by.

"Hah, Hah... Nix can we stay here for a bit?" He said while panting heavily.

Varde was unable to breathe and maintain his composure after continuously facing battles with the yetis of the mountain. He was the weakest and needed protection among the group as his class was made in such a way. It leans more on the support and healing side a lot.

"Varde we gotta walk a little more. we can't possibly take shelter or take a break in the middle of a bizarre atmosphere. It's best to walk while we can and I don't want to face those sick Yetis."

And added.

"I'd rather endure this than facing those."

Varde smiled and patted his shoulder." I can see your growth rate here. At first, you barely held yourself unable to keep up the team, and now... I am the one that's left-back huh?"

His talk made Nix feel annoyed for some reason.

Nix frowned at him. "Alright- Alright! I will suggest taking a break to Cinzia, Okay?"

"Hmm, Thanks, man!"

Nix walked towards Cinzia and made the suggestion. She turned back and glanced at the members of the Quest and they all appeared dull and tired. She drifted her attention back to Nix again and was quite surprised.

He didn't seem tired like Eshwar, Varde, and Dalia which showed that he started getting the essence of marching speed combined with battling and it showed that his stats were equal or superior to the three of them.

'This guy holds a lot of potential in him and I can't seriously believe that he is still a level one.'

She smiled at the thought inwardly.

She scrutinized the group and ordered. "Alright, we can take a break for ten minutes here not more than that."

Varde's and others face bloomed a smile. After five minutes in. A roar resounded the whole mountain.

"Rawwrr"

A yeti popped out of nowhere. It looked just the same as it is mentioned in myths. Tall, Big footed, white fur, and large arms only exception is they carried weapons with them.

"Shit! Get back to the formation!" Cinzia cursed out and picked up her halberd.

Nix turned and glared at Varde in anger. Nevertheless, they joined hands and began attacking the yeti.

"Swish! Swish!"

Dalia shot a few arrows at the same time Eshwar distracted it while Nix and Cinzia continued brandishing their weapons and Varde used buff abilities to give a hand.

"Rawwrrrr!" With a roar, the yeti fell down on the snow.

"Ahh, That was a pain in the ass," Nix remarked to Cinzia.

Cinzia nodded her head in agreement and said. "Just hold on, a bit more until we find the temple."

They continued their pacing and wandered the mountain to find the entrance of the temple. They sauntered the mountain here and there unable to discover the destination they were searching for. The quest team's morale went downhill as they weren't able to find the entrance of the temple so, did the sun? It was already night before they could even notice it.

Fortuitously they found a cavern in the middle of the mountain and they decided to rest there. The cave was strangely empty and didn't appear to contain any monsters in it. They took shifts to keep watch just like before, for the night. Nix and Cinzia were the ones with the same shift.

"Miss Cinzia, Will we be able to find the entrance?" Nix asked.

"I think this cave is connected to the entrance of the temple," She said.

"What? Can't we search the cave for the entrance now!" He said excitedly.

She placed her fingers on Nix's mouth. "Shh! Let's wait until morning." She eyed at the others.

Nix drifted his attention and saw them sleeping soundly.

"Ah, I see."

Just like that he finished the conversion with her and kept his mouth shut. After a few hours, the shifts changed.

It was already morning before he could even sleep. He was sleepless for some days as his senses were honed to become sensitive. The continuous battles, he was made to face and his distrust and cautiousness made him sleepless.

"Alright, Everybody! According to the map, the entrance is somewhere inside this cavern!" Cinzia said with a cheerful tone.

They began searching for the entrance until a certain point and they began to slow down drastically feeling reluctant as they felt too lazy to search for it.

Cinzia began meditating which in turn released a purple mist from her. The others keenly observed her and slowly the others began to meditate and radiate their energies just like her. The only exception was Nix as he was unable to do it but, he quietly continued to perceive them.

After a few minutes, the fog gathered towards a wall at the end of the cavern. Suddenly Cinzia opened her eyes and walked towards the gate and began to demolish the wall. Nix was in bewilderment as he peered through the hole in the wall. All the others walked towards the wall and helped her.

As soon as the wall broke down a large metallic gate entered their view. Without giving much thought to it, they pushed with all their might and opened the door as the door was quite sturdy.

As soon as they opened it a grand hall with pillars that towered towards the ceiling entered their vision. The floor was made of lime green glassy transparent stone that felt alien to Nix but nevertheless, it showed the affluence of the temple.

And the hall was spacious and at the end of the hall, a towering statue of a man stood in the center, and within his grip was a long jade spear as the sculpture appeared to be made out of jade.

There were two paths on the sides of the statue which paved the route to the interior of the temple.

Nix was in awe and the others were in the same condition. As soon as Cinzia entered, her sight went straight towards the end of the hall where the statue was located.

"Alright, Everyone the exploration begins now. Take everything that seems useful with you," Cinzia said as she stepped towards the statue.

Everyone went through their separate ways while Nix stood in a daze unable to comprehend the beauty and engineering of the temple.

He peered into his surroundings and stepped towards the statue.

After noticing that Nix was still there, She questioned him.

"Nix? Why are you still here?"

"Hmm, I am just looking around... Is this Judas's statue?"

He asked her while pointing at the Jade statue. It portrayed a shirtless burly man with a long beard and a pair of ruby eyes and his long free hair hung down whilst covered his chest.

The statue's face was calm but yet its appearance hinted that he is a warrior. The sculptor's passion was easily conveyed by his sculpture as it was very detailed and appeared to be made by sculpting it inch by inch carefully by pouring his heart and soul into it.

"Yeah, He is Judas. The god of greed and the legendary unrivaled spearman."

"I see, so why are you here? are you here to find some kinda training book of his spear Art or something?"

She denied him and said.

"Nah, I am here for the gold and finding his spear. It's been told that his spear was hidden inside this temple and in this very hall after he died."

Nix nodded his head and said.

"Hmm, I see. Then I'm going."

With that, he walked away from there. Cinzia hurriedly turned towards him and said.

"Oi, If you find anything worth it make sure to report to me."

"Alright, will do."

He walked inside a room and found an altar and a few decorative items inside the room like portraits and some random utensils and many more. He didn't know what is useful and what's not useful, others didn't find that room interesting to check out so, they just seem to be picked up the things they felt useful and left.

He picked up a candle stand that caught his eyes after examining it he threw it away since it had nothing special.

'Damned room! Everything here is just normal utensils, nothing more!' He cursed and kicked something that was on the floor. It was a dark metal bottle with some symbols engraved on it.

[Truth eye activated.]

Since he found it weird he picked up and checked the information about it.

[Dark elixir]

(Information: A potion to raise vitality and increase potential. It is made by absorbing the vitality and essence of various sentience.)

(Note: Increases stat points by 5 and ability points by 2.)

Nix was entranced after reading the details. He opened the bottle which was filled with black liquid and gulped it whole without giving much thought to it and threw the bottle away.

[You have gained 5 stat points and 2 ability points.]

Back when he ate a Cyclops eye while traveling in the desert. He awakened a class and 3 ability points but the second eye didn't give him ability points exempting stat points but this dark elixir is more profitable than that so, he took this chance to become stronger without knowing how rare it was to find a single Dark elixir out.

'Hmm... gotta find more! I can't survive without doing some shady shit. I know clearly that Cinzia needs them but, taking a few bottles wouldn't cause that much of a problem, right?'

He searched for a few more throughout the room and found three more since there wasn't anyone around so he chose to open his inventory and took the two bottles with him and one bottle inside his pocket to give it to Cinzia.

He walked to the other side and found a room with nothing much as he stepped deep in he found a door wide open with stairs that went downward. It appears to be that all the others entered in leaving Cinzia who was out searching for the spear.

'What the fuck!' Nix cursed out as he peered through the basement of the temple.

It contained some weird torturing tools and smelled foul. The hall contained all most more than two hundred skeletons there. He continued to walk through and found a door that was also wide open just like before.

He descended down to the deeper floor only to be surprised. Because the room was drowned with few treasure chests filled with gold coins, jewels, and gems.

The three people in there had smiles that showed madness, It contained satisfaction, greed, and happiness. It contained mixed emotions and they were sitting on the floor and counting the Golds and jewels. Now Nix understood why they were desperate to successfully finish this quest. Nix felt the same emotion but didn't show it on his face. It was his first Ruin seeking mission and It's a huge hit.

"Ohh, It's you, Dude! Welcome to paradise!" Varde said cheerfully.

Nix just nodded and said.

"Yeah, it's me. so tell me... What's my amount of share?"

He was kinda annoyed by Varde recently and he felt like he was faking himself to be able to socialize with others and he disliked it.

Varde's expression saddened by Nix's reply.

"Now-Now... dude? Seriously? Why do you gotta be like that?"

Nix frowned at him.

"Like what?"

Varde came close and wrapped his arm around Nix's neck.

"What's with that face? come on man! chill"

"Alright..." Nix said emotionlessly.

Eshwar opened his mouth.

"Yo anyway, we have gained twelve thousand gold coins and jewels and a thousand gems we can share after we go back to our Base. Okay, Nix? Plus we got two armors, sword, and other weapons "

"hmm, Okay"

Nix drifted his eyes towards the tomboyish woman Dalia. Her face showed some kind of distress but she kept her mouth shut.

They took the loot inside their mana imbued backpacks which could hold more loads compared to its size and it also has the characteristic of lessening the original weight to reduce the burden.

As they walked to the central hall, they found Cinzia who was going on a rampage and destroying the floors and everything there.

Eshwar questioned her worriedly.

"Sis? What happened ?"

"I still haven't found the Spear and it has been hours since I have been searching for it and according to the intel I received. It should be somewhere inside this very hall," Cinzia said with a sad expression.

Nix quietly observed and scanned his surroundings. The hall which looked beautiful previously lost its beauty as Cinzia broke the floor and walls and the only thing that was still in one piece was the statue.

[Truth eye activated.]

He stared at the statue and found a silhouette of something hidden inside the statue.

Nix gazed at Cinzia and said.

"Miss Cinzia I think the spear is inside the statue."

Cinzia furrowed her brows and she couldn't understand where his confidence was coming from.

"How do you know?"

"Just a guess... Mere speculation "

She quietly nodded her head and walked towards the statue and hit it with her Halberd's shaft. As she continuously hit it the statue shattered and the sound of metal clashing each other echoed through the hall.

"Clangg! "

The statue collapsed and a jade green massive metal spear fell on the ground. Cinzia's face bloomed into a smile and the others turned towards Nix with a surprised expression.

Suddenly at that moment, a mocking laugh entered their ears from the entrance of the temple.

"hahaha...."

Everyone turned their heads hastily in a startle.