"If it were just one teleportation scroll, perhaps the mercenary leader wouldn't have made a choice, as he couldn't abandon his brothers-in-arms. However, with more than a dozen scrolls in Eddie's hands, it was enough for him to lead his most trusted and loyal brothers to safety from this deadly predicament.
"I understand. What one obtains should match their abilities. You are a strong warrior, and you deserve more… I choose the second option and accept the trade. As a leader, I hope to take all my brothers out of here. You might not be satisfied with just a Hardshell Fire Dragon Fruit. If needed, I can stay as your guide…" the mercenary leader proposed a surprising request to Eddie.
He was willing to stay behind as a hostage and guide in exchange for his companions' safety. This alone qualified him as a competent leader.
A muscular black man immediately protested, "Boss, anyone can stay behind, but it can't be you. I'll stay, you take the others and leave!"
"Quiet! You need to listen to the deputy and be extra cautious when you leave to avoid fatal trouble!" the leader exchanged a glance with a slender, intelligent-looking middle-aged man, swapping their backpacks.
Then called out to Eddie, "Once my brothers reach the ant tunnel, I'll take you down two more levels. That's where we found the Hardshell Fire Dragon Fruit. Perhaps with your abilities, you'll discover more secrets… and gain more!"
"Aren't you afraid I'll forcefully take it?" Eddie asked with a slight smile.
"True warriors have their pride, looking down upon the world. They would not stoop to greed like bandits. If you wanted to rob us, you could have killed us all earlier. Why wait until now?" the leader replied.
"Open the backpack, let me see this 'Hardshell Fire Dragon Fruit' first." Eddie's reason for not attacking wasn't due to any pride of a warrior; he wanted to know more about the location of the Hardshell Fire Dragon Fruit, hoping to uncover more secrets.
This unique fruit, unlike ordinary Fire Dragon Fruits, grows only near volcanic springs and is believed to be born from dragon venom. If used to make the 'Warrior's Elixir,' it can stimulate a warrior's potential.
If a Beast Spirit Enlightenment Pill is worth a fortune, then the Warrior's Elixir is priceless. Contracting summoning books is rare, but stimulating human potential is something every warrior needs.
Some people never overcome their limits in life.
If they could take a Warrior's Elixir, they could instantly stimulate their potential, break through barriers, and even continue to advance further.
Three hundred years ago, there was a warrior who, despite training hard until his forties, remained a novice apprentice and couldn't rise to the rank of a warrior.
He was ridiculed by everyone as a 'Dunce'.
However, after consuming a Warrior's Elixir, he instantly awakened his body's potential and broke through from a novice apprentice…
Eventually, this man, once mocked by all, achieved a realm beyond people's reach, becoming a 'Saint', one of the two Guardians of the Daxia Kingdom.
Although not everyone who takes a Warrior's Elixir will become a Saint, this 'Dunce', indeed, unlocked his potential with the Elixir, transforming himself to achieve his current status.
Without that Elixir, he might have remained a dunce forever.
The Warrior's Elixir is a hundred times harder to make than the Beast Spirit Enlightenment Pill. Just the main ingredient, the Hardshell Fire Dragon Fruit, is enough to give people a headache.
It's not because the Hardshell Fire Dragon Fruit grows near volcanic springs or that it's often found near dragon nests, but because it only ripens once every thousand years!
You can't harvest it before it ripens, nor will it have any effect.
Waiting for it to mature takes a millennium, by which time most people's bones would have turned to dust in their graves… Moreover, when it ripens, powerful magical beasts usually come to fight over it.
Given these challenging conditions, the Hardshell Fire Dragon Fruit is considered one of the 'Top Ten Most Difficult to Harvest Exotic Fruits and Flowers in the World'.
"I can't open it because once I do, the scent will seep out, and the entire ant nest will go crazy. Respected warrior, I swear, please believe me. I guarantee with my life that it is a mature Hardshell Fire Dragon Fruit," the leader shook his head. He tossed the backpack high into the air, letting it fall before Eddie.
Eddie wouldn't easily trust a stranger, but he had the Eye of Wisdom and could sense innate qi.
To verify whether it was a Hardshell Fire Dragon Fruit, he didn't need to open the backpack. He could tell just by touching it.
Once the backpack was in his hand, Eddie sensed the immense energy stored within… so strong it was palpable even without sensing.
Eddie unceremoniously put it into his Witch-Devil Ring, then, holding up his Ashen Magic Blade, casually remarked, "If you can keep up, I can lead you into an ant tunnel. But don't expect me to take you out of the cave. I'm not your nanny!"
Even though Eddie had no intention of rescuing them, the mercenaries on the platform were profoundly grateful.
Nowadays, not kicking someone when they're down was already rare enough.
They hastily threw insect attractants far away, hoping to momentarily distract the horde of fire ants and carve out a path for escape.
Many smeared mud on themselves, in addition to spraying ant water and insect repellent, hoping these measures would last longer.
The three men carrying the golden ant eggs embraced the leader tightly, and several of the most loyal team members handed over their throwing knives, poison sand, and other weapons to the leader, hoping to enhance his combat capabilities and chances of survival.
The dangers of delving deeper into the ant nest were well understood. It was a near-certain death mission. Yet, for the sake of survival, they were willing to take the risk.
Eddie also threw insect attractants he bought in Hope Town far away, causing the ant swarm to agitate and rush toward the broken attractants, mindlessly killing any creature touched by the attractant, even if they were their own kind. To them, a foreign scent meant an enemy!
The Ashen Magic Blade's purple flames soared into the air. Eddie, imitating Quinn Yew's 'One Slash that Rends Mountains and Rivers', unleashed a powerful strike.
His understanding and execution of the technique had greatly improved since he first performed it at the Yew Family Castle.
Now, even someone familiar with 's techniques like Alexanderor Elder Haye Yew might mistake it for the original. This slash's power had at least doubled compared to before, and Eddie was still holding back.
"Get out of my way!"
Eddie noticed a giant ant guard with several fire ants approaching, seemingly detecting an abnormal scent carried by the wind, possibly from the blood of injured mercenaries. Knowing that facing tens of thousands of fire ants would leave him no option but to flee, let alone rescue anyone, he intensified the purple flames of his Ashen Magic Blade, creating a massive explosion that scorched the entire area.
The mercenaries felt the intense heat wave, their hearts pounding with fear and awe. Fortunately, they only suffered singed hair and not the severe burns they expected. They were utterly amazed by Eddie's control over fire, as they saw fire ants in the vicinity writhing in agony, burned by the purple flames.
His move was as cool as the legendary Fire God who could control all the flames in the world!
"What are you waiting for?" Eddie shouted, noticing that the mercenaries were still stunned, foolishly gazing at him.
"Yes!" The quick-witted deputy leader was the first to respond.
The deputy leader swiftly took an object from the mercenary captain and, following the path Eddie had cleared with his fiery blade, sprinted ahead.
A large group of mercenaries hurriedly followed behind. Eddie, leading the way, slashed several times with his blade, using the purple flames to repel the fire ants and create a sparser path for the mercenaries to reach the nearest ant tunnel.
The deputy leader and the burly black man, who were the first to rush into the tunnel, were already fighting the fire ants inside, and more mercenaries joined the fray in a desperate struggle for survival.