A geo vision, a second Vision, was obtained this easily? Could it be that I am the protagonist?
Arkz shook his head fiercely, reminding himself not to think that way. The last person who thought he was the protagonist already ended up as a clown.
Speaking of which, what kind of secret deal did the System make with Zhongli to make Old Master Zhong so generous? This is a Vision! And the second Vision at that!
Arkz had a premonition that once he mastered this geo vision to perfection, his strength would break through his current limitations and bottlenecks, reaching the same level as the gods.
By then, Arkz could righteously shout at Venti, "Barbatos, I have ascended to godhood! You're paying for drinks tonight!"
Putting away the newly acquired geo vision, Arkz held his little lamp grass lantern and explored deeper into the mine.
Following the small path dug out by the miners, Arkz found the entrance to the first level of the mine—a pitch-black opening with a ladder.
The wooden ladder had likely been here for a long time, appearing to be rotted by the damp environment inside the mine. Stepping on it might cause a fall, but this was no obstacle for Arkz.
He used his Dendro Element Vision to summon vines, wrapping them around the wooden ladder to reinforce it. The extremely tough vines could easily bear Arkz's weight.
"What a pity. I just got the geo vision, and I'm still not proficient enough in controlling the Geo Element. Otherwise, I could just petrify this nearly rotten and broken wooden ladder directly, ensuring it would be very sturdy!"
Holding the lantern in one hand and gripping the vine with the other, looking at the pitch-black, finger-numbing environment inside the mine, Arkz felt it was best to send a clone down first to scout the path.
Although the contract stated that Rex Lapis would promptly intervene to save Arkz in moments of crisis, Arkz did not want to gamble with his own life.
The mine was protected by Rex Lapis's contract, but the outside was not. Since his own life was at stake, it was better to be cautious.
Drip! Drip!
Arkz held his lantern high. His movements while traversing the cave constantly changed—sometimes ducking to avoid rock pillars overhead, sometimes lightly leaping over deep pits below. His shadow shifted into bizarre shapes on the rock walls.
Halfway through, Arkz felt a sensation of being watched. He subconsciously turned back, only to see his shadow on the rock wall behind him quietly staring at him, standing in the shadow cast by the lantern's light, like a monster hiding its sharp fangs and claws.
Arkz withdrew his gaze and continued forward, his vigilance constantly increasing. He used the vines sprouted by the Dendro Element to spread continuously beneath his feet.
Under Arkz's control, the vines spread out like cold, merciless, terrifying snakes firmly locking onto their targets, constantly flicking their tongues, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy at any moment.
These Dendro Element vines acted as detectors. As soon as they detected a hostile creature or received an attack, Arkz would immediately receive the news.
Considering that the green vines were discordant in color in this place full of ore residue and dust, Arkz even meticulously applied a layer of camouflage to the vines.
Although he had just obtained the geo vision, the basic application of Elemental Power was the same. Naturally, creating armor equivalent to Zhongli's Jade Shield was wishful thinking, but covering the vines with a rock-colored disguise was not difficult for Arkz.
In the dimly lit mine, this camouflage was enough to fool the enemy's eyes.
"Gaa!"
A shrill, strange roar echoed from the darkness behind him. This sound seemed to carry a kind of magic; it was terrifying enough to make one's guts rupture, yet it made people drowsy.
He knew clearly that falling asleep meant losing his life, but the'sleepiness' uncontrollably clouded his mind.
In the last moment of consciousness, the moment of memory loss—how desperate the victim must be!
"Heh, beg for mercy!"
Arkz beckoned with his finger, and the vines hidden on the ground immediately lunged into the air, accurately locking onto the malevolent monster and trapping it in an inescapable cage.
Arkz walked up to the sturdy cage constructed of rock vines. A bat with a purple eye was struggling violently inside. Its piercing roar and fierce glare indicated it was not an easy opponent to provoke.
"Truly impressive. Even I was affected by this sonic wave. If I hadn't been prepared in advance, I might have actually been tricked by you."
Arkz stuck his finger into the cage to tease it, then withdrew it when the purple-eyed bat attacked, watching it crash embarrassingly against the cage.
"Squeak squeak squeak, just kidding. For a brainless fellow like you, even a few hundred attempts wouldn't hurt me."
Arkz's eyes turned cold, his five fingers clenched into a fist, and the vine cage immediately contracted, wrapped, and strangled!
Bloody residue leaked out from the gaps in the entangled vines, and then a stream of light flew out from within, landing quietly on the ground.
As the light dispersed, a purple bat wing lay quietly on the ground.
"Monsters dropping materials—it really feels like a game."
"But this bat clearly has two wings, why did it only drop one? System, are you taking kickbacks?!"
The System naturally gave no response, and Arkz didn't bother pressing the issue. He turned to study the wing.
Arkz cautiously poked the purple bat wing with a vine. Only after confirming it was harmless did he carefully lift it with the vines and store it in his inventory space, without any direct contact throughout the process, just to avoid any potential toxins on the bat wing.
Under the System's appraisal, Arkz received a brief introduction to this bat wing.
[Bat Wing (Iridium Star): Material dropped by a powerful Iridium Star Bat. It is an excellent component for manufacturing potions.]
Arkz's eyes lit up. He wondered what the market price for this kind of bat wing was? Ordinary people probably wouldn't buy bat wings, right? Those who would buy bat wings are either witches or alchemists, and neither of those professions lacks money.
So, this Iridium Star Bat Wing might sell for a high price.
In the System's settings, for most item qualities, it was divided into four tiers, successively: Common Quality, Silver Star Quality, Gold Star Quality, and the highest tier, Iridium Star Quality!
To be appraised by the System as Iridium Star Quality, the quality of this bat wing was definitely top-tier.
Thinking this way, the more of these bats, the better! They were like messengers bringing wealth; as long as he worked hard fighting monsters, he could become rich in minutes.
Unfortunately, as Arkz continued deeper, until he reached the undeveloped area deep within the mine, he did not encounter a single demonized creature.
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