The Empyreal Gem Master

A glimmer of frost and lightning flashed.

Bones cracked and splintered!

In the skies, Alexander glided down gracefully with Claire behind him, watching a heavy wheeze of unfathomable pain escape Bobo’s mouth as all of its limbs were fractured or broken, the bones on its chest and back collapsed into itself and even piercing some of its own organs!

"..."

It was a gory scene.

On the earth below, a deep concavity could be seen with limbs and blood strewn about all around

But Alexander faced it head on as he spoke lightly.

"Ice Wave."

He still saw signs of life in this beast even though it was gravely injured.

So he sought to finish it.

Yet another glacial brilliance flashed as the massive figure of Bobo was frozen- a booming impact shattering this glacial block a moment later before Bobo’s body was frozen again!

And then, it exploded for the final time as at this point, the rageful eyes of Bobo that were looking up into the skies…were covered entirely by frost as they began to dim.

Its heart was entirely frozen over.

Its lungs and all other organs were encased in ice as, by all means, it should be dead!

And yet its splintered jaw still opened as somehow, its voice echoed out.

"Dirty. Humans. Tricked. Bobo."

…!

It’s last words.

It took great effort to even utter these as after that.. all light faded from its eyes.

Dirty humans tricked Bobo.

Alexander and Claire had these words repeat in their minds again and again as they both understood what they meant.

This Beast of Corruption before him was given information about Claire- a newly Awakened Five-Link Gem Master who would be entering the Jungle Grounds for her Expedition.

But there was no information on Alexander.

Well, there was- but it was that he had a Defective Life Socket so he wasn’t someone to worry about!

In the skies, the figure of Alexander tapped Claire’s shoulders as she let him go, his body coming down and landing on Bobo’s chest as he went towards the nearest crimson Gem near him, his voice echoing out.

"There are traitors."

…!

His words were filled with calmness as he was just noting something about the weather.

Claire nodded with anger at these words as she didn’t watch Alexander retrieving the Four Gems on Bobo, but her gaze was on their surroundings where dozens of dead, injured, and some very alive Two-Link and Three-Link Black Furred Gorillas were beginning to rise- those who could move anyways.

Alexander moved towards the Gem Sockets of this Beast that was as large as him, but the moment he made a lifting motion on the crimson Gem within this Socket that had no Life...it lifted off without any resistance as it even began to dwindle in size until it fit the palm of his hand.

The size of the Gem was always enlarged or miniaturized to fit a Life Socket- so long as it held the same universal circular shape of Sockets!

The Gems on defeated Beasts of Corruption could be plundered and utilized by Humans freely.

But this wasn’t all.

There was one additional thing inside the bodies of powerful Beasts of Corruption- especially those that reached Tier 4.

Behind their Life Sockets, after any Tier 4 Beast of Corruption or above died…the remnant accumulation of their Life Force actually converged into something fantastical.

Something that could be utilized by Gem Masters to further increase their own life force at a faster pace!

After Alexander picked four dazzling crimson Gems from the fractured chest of Bobo, his foot forcefully smashed onto the Linked Sockets as they shattered and allowed the already fractured chest of this creature to open freely.

There, shining with a dazzling red radiance, was a gem the size of Alexander’s head.

Ascendant Life Gems.

Inside of a Breach, one could locate Primal Life Gems that Awakened an adult human to become a Gem Master in areas with concentrated energy that formed into mines.

Unique and rare Breaches filled with powerful Beasts of Corruption even had Ability Gems of specific elements appear in regions of extreme heat or coldness- anything relating to the elements.

And then, there were Ascendant Life Gems.

Located and found only in the bodies of Tier 4 Beasts of Corruption and above.

The Ascendant in the name was because these were the rarest resources utilized by Gem Masters to go towards their first Transformation that enhanced their Life Sockets!

Alexander reached out and grabbed this dazzling Ascendant Life Gem, and the moment he did so…

HUUM!

His Enneagram lit up.

The humming of energy buzzed as he felt the Gem he held gush out its pristine life force within, all of it going towards his Enneagram as the rate it was spinning became faster and faster!

The Gems connected under the Gem Recipe of Ice King within that had already become small continued to do so rapidly at this moment as in the next second…they seemingly became smaller than even a grain of sand as they entirely disappeared.

The Ice Wave Ability Gem.

It’s 5 Support Ability Gems.

Every single one disappeared completely as in the next moment, the Enneagram stopped spinning.

It was lit up brightly on all ends as Alexander could feel an unfathomable sensation spreading from it, his brain feeling like it was about to overload as next- he heard a voice!

He heard his voice.

As if it was something he thought.

[The Enneagram Life Socket has been innervated successfully.]

[The Ability Gem Database has been successfully constructed.]

[The Gem Recipe designated as Ice King and all the Gems within its makeup have been recorded in the Ability Gem Database.]

…!

All the gems he had socketed in his Enneagram had disappeared.

Thereafter, he heard a voice inside his head.

He heard his own voice ringing out inside him, but it wasn’t his thoughts!

He could feel these thoughts…come from the currently shining Enneagram on his chest as he couldn’t help but ask…

"What are you?"

…!