Chapter 25: The magic pond is not a pond at all
Kaden's gaze lifted, roaming over the twisted remains until it snagged on a pale glimmer near the ceiling—a yellowish sac, hanging like a swollen fruit from the rocky overhang.
He blinked, brow furrowing. It glistened under the faint fungal light, its skin taut and veined with eerie lines. Another drip formed at its base, sliding off in a bead of liquid that fell onto a half-rotted corpse below.
"What the hell is that?" he whispered, stepping sideways to get a better angle.
It was roughly the size of a small backpack, maybe larger, and had a dull, waxy sheen as if something thick and syrupy coated it. An egg sac?
The idea made his skin crawl. Giant insects, mutated spiders, or unknown monstrosities could spawn from such sacks. He needed to kill that thing asap and get rid of it. Maybe he could get some sweet levels from it. One or two would be good.
Kaden took the thron whip and gave the embryo sac a big old whooping.
Crack-splish!
The whip carved into the waxy membrane but to his surprise nothing happened. "What the…" He tried again and again to strike it and when nothing worked, he straightup used a kobold's spear to tear it open but as soon as he struck it, he was almost thrown back.
Kaden grit his teeth, stumbling back a few steps as his strike rebounded off the egg sac's resilient shell.The kobold's spear barely made a scratch. He glared at the sac in disbelief, half-hoping to see some telltale fissure, but it remained stubbornly intact, swaying gently from the ceiling like a taunt.
"What the hell?" he muttered, catching his breath. The thing felt as solid as a vault door. Did that sac just repel me? His shoulder still throbbed from the recoil, and the spear's tip was broken from the collision.
"What the hell is inside that thing?"
As he absent-mindedly stared at the sac, a bead of liquid formed at the base once more. He watched it dangle perilously for a moment, then drop down. Kaden instinctively reached out to catch it.
The next second, he felt a wave of warm nourishing energy spread through his body. He froze as the droplet splashed into his cupped palm—a tiny bead of gleaming liquid that reflected the dim fungal glow.
Instead of hissing through his skin like acid, it seeped between his fingers and spread a gentle warmth through his flesh.
"What…?" he murmured, mouth going dry. He'd expected pain—some corrosive sting, maybe even a toxic burn. Instead, a soothing energy pulsed through his veins, banishing a bit of the fatigue clinging to his muscles.
It felt like Healing Touch, only deeper, richer—like raw mana made tangible. For a moment, the cavern's reek of rot and damp faded, replaced by the phantom scent of wildflowers. His breathing steadied, the tension in his jaw unclenching.
He stared at his hand, where a faint residue of that droplet still glimmered. "Just what the hell is inside that thing?"
Kaden waited. Another few minutes passed in silence with just him and the reeking corpse. Soon the next drop trickled down slowly. He quickly caught the next drop too and the same thing happened.
A wave of warmth swept across his body.
Kaden focused this time to see what exactly was happening. He repeated the same with the next drop and the drop after. He tried his best but even with his past life knowledge understanding this was beyond him.
At most he could equate this to some sort of medicinal elixir. The drops had completely healed his body and even scars from the past disappeared. His skin was as fresh as a baby's skin and had become so soft and moist.
"This is insane," he muttered, gaze snapping to the egg sac. It still dangled from the rocky ceiling, stubbornly refusing to yield to blade or whip. Yet drop by drop, it was dispensing liquid potent enough to erase old scars and replenish his mana like a fountain of vitality.
And then it struck him. Was this the pond the 'savior' talked about?
He stole another glance upward. A fresh bead swelled at the sac's base, trembling in the fungus-lit gloom. Every new drop he'd caught so far had a potent effect—he was basically at peak condition now, if not better.
He had indeed found it! The magic pond was not a pond at all!
But the question remained: Should I keep collecting them? On one hand, the benefits were undeniable. On the other, the second day of the apocalypse loomed, and time was a precious currency he couldn't squander.
Even if this was the magic elixir that would refine his affinity, was he simply supposed to sit here and continue absorbing this?
Kaden let out a sigh.
He approached a half-decayed femur lying nearby—some victim who'd met a gruesome fate. With a grimace, he nudged it under the sac's droplet path. Another bead fell onto the bone.
Sizzle.
The fluid ate into it with frightening ease, leaving behind a plume of acrid steam. He tried the same with a couple more items including his canister and everything was a no-go.
It looked like collecting this thing was out of question. Was he really going to sit here and personally absorb all the drops?
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Just as he was mulling over this thought, voices sounded at the entrance.