After going into the sea, I met the witch.

Current [Spiritual Essence]: 2388

Looking at the quantity of "spiritual essence," Freyne blinked, and then, a huge surprise overwhelmed her.

"Traveler, I knew it! You're the best!"

Miss Witch jumped up excitedly, and it took her a lot of effort to suppress her overwhelming emotions.

"Calm down, calm down, Freya. You are a princess, how can you be so happy about such a 'trivial matter'? You must be mindful of your manners..."

"But I'm all alone here, so forget about etiquette!"

"Hahahaha!"

The girl stood with her hands on her hips, and the fluffy witch's hat on her head swayed along with its owner.

"Whoosh..."

After a moment of joy, Freya turned her attention back to the screen.

Because the travelers had won, the scene did not stop, which means that the viewing can continue.

After observing for a while the abstract lines outlining the figures, the "travelers," moving through the towering forest, and wondering what they were planning to do, Freya thought for a moment and opened the exchange list.

Because I have more than 1000 Spirit Essence, new items have been unlocked on the exchange list.

[Second-Tier Spiritual Enhancement Crystal: A specially processed and refined pure spiritual crystal. After a short period of digestion, its use permanently increases one's maximum spiritual energy by 0.1. This enhancement does not affect the original spiritual energy limit of one's original cultivation path. The maximum increase is 1.0. Please note that this item can only be used when one has reached the second tier; otherwise, unpredictable dangers may occur. Required [Spiritual Essence]: 1000 points.]

[Second-Tier Physique Enhancement Crystal: A specially processed, refined crystal of flesh and blood. After a short period of digestion, it permanently increases one's physique limit by 0.1. This enhancement does not affect the difficulty of increasing the physique limit; it is an additional boost, with a maximum increase of 1.0. Please note that this item can only be used after reaching the second tier; otherwise, unpredictable dangers will occur. Exchange Requirement: 1000 Spirit Essence.]

[Second-Tier Healing Crystal: A specially processed and refined pure healing crystal. After use, it can rapidly heal injuries in a short time; the extent of healing depends on the severity of the injury (it can cause small severed limbs to regrow, such as fingers, toes, ears, and noses). Exchange Requirement: 1000 Spirit Essence.]

[Tier 2 Spirit Recovery Crystal: A specially processed and refined spirit recovery crystal. Used to quickly restore consumed spirit within a short time (Tier 2 professionals can fully restore their spirit upon use). Exchange Requirement: 1000 Spirit Essence.]

(When you have 10000 [Spirit Essence] (including those already used), you can unlock new items.)

-

The newly unlocked items in the exchange list are nothing new; they are all upgraded versions of previously available exchangeable items.

Far from disappointing Freyne, this made her extremely happy.

She doesn't need anything fancy; this simple yet powerful "precious resource" that can't be found in the real world is what she needs most.

only……

"It takes 1000 spirit essences to exchange for one."

Frey was speechless.

This thing is way too expensive!

This made Freya, who had just experienced a period of "small wealth," experience the taste of "poverty" again.

"Ugh……"

With a slight sigh, the witch sat down again, resting her chin on her hands, staring blankly at the scene on the observation deck.

"2388 Spirit Essence" is enough for her to exchange for 9 [Tier 1 Spiritual Enhancement Crystals] to raise her spirituality to its current limit.

Based on this, she will advance to the second tier. In addition, with the witch power that also undergoes a transformation due to the advancement, once she advances to the second tier, she will undoubtedly be the strongest among those in the second tier.

Even against a "second-tier limit professional" who is relatively more restrained than her, namely the twelfth Black Knight, she is not afraid at all.

However, this will cause her [Spiritual Essence] to drop back to 588 points...

"I wish I could make another successful investment."

Freyne thought to herself.

She knew her idea was wrong, but the lure of profit, like a swampy abyss, slowly dragged her in. Even though she was aware of the risks, the thought of the rewards after success made her feel that even taking a risk was worthwhile!

At that moment, the view from the observation deck changed.

High in the sky, a crimson shadow streaked rapidly toward the traveler, and at that moment, the scene froze.

The wandering adventurer, still full of youthful passion, encounters a powerful foe—the Rathalos leader—and a fierce battle is about to erupt.

【Comparison of combat strength between the two factions: Wanderer (33) vs. Rathalos Leader (39)】

Your current investment amount is [Spiritual Essence: 2388]

[Battle Ratio – Traveler: Rathalos Leader = 9.0:1.1, Minimum Investment: 100 Spirit Essence.]

You have thirty seconds to place your bet...

Upon seeing the prompt before her, Freya's expression hardened, and she began to analyze it rapidly.

After defeating the female Rathalos, the traveler's combat power increased from "30" to "33", a significant improvement. However, compared to the male Rathalos leader, whose combat power was a full "39", the gap was still very large.

This can be seen from the return on investment ratio.

Freyne still remembers the first time she saw the Travelers encounter the Rathalos leader. The combat strength of the two sides was 24:39, while the return on investment ratio was 9.9:1.01.

Now, the Travelers' combat power has increased to 33, and the numerical difference between them and Rathalos is only 6 points. However, the return on investment ratio between the two sides is still an exaggerated 9.0:1.1.

Despite such a significant increase in combat power, the proportions have not changed substantially.

Such an exaggerated proportion means that it is almost impossible for modern travelers to defeat the Rathalos leader.

Instinctively, Freyne wanted to directly invest in the Rathalos leader.

After all, a ratio of 1.1 and a profit of 10% is already quite good. If she invests all 2388 [Spirit Essence], she can also gain 239 [Spirit Essence] in return.

But just as her finger was about to click, she suddenly paused.

Freyne recalled the travelers' "thorough preparation"—their full set of fire-resistant gear...

9.0 ROI... 9.0 ROI... 9.0 ROI...

The devilish temptation kept echoing in my mind.

As the countdown was about to reach zero, Frey took a deep breath and moved her finger to "Wanderer".

"I've chosen you, Traveler. Don't let me down!"

"Invest 588 Spirit Essence!"

At the last moment, the witch still maintained some rationality and did not put in the 1800 spirit essences needed to exchange for 9 [Tier 1 Spirit Enhancement Crystals].

However, 588 Spirit Essence is not a small amount.

If the investment fails, and 1800 spirit essences are exchanged for 9 [Tier 1 Spirit Enhancement Crystals], then next time she can only start from 0, ah, no, from 100 spirit essences.

The price is not small.

With the selection complete, Freyne's vision froze on the screen: "[In the midst of battle, please await the final result...]".

And this wait turned into a very long period of time.

Frey was first nervous, then apprehensive, and finally, she became somewhat numb.

With nothing else to do, she even secretly began to practice her spirituality and control over magic.

After a long while, the view from the observation deck finally changed.

Freyne perked up and immediately stopped what she was doing, turning her attention to the screen.

The battle log is as follows:

After setting up three larger pitfall traps and burying secret treasures to create a "special fireproof environment," the travelers retrieved the "bait" and began to lure the Rathalos leader.

Upon seeing the first sentence, Freya smiled.

Good, good. The pre-battle planning is thorough. With this approach, it's not entirely without a chance of victory.

[With old and new grudges piled up, the enraged Rathalos leader launched a fierce attack, unleashing its signature move, "One-Word Breath," in mid-air, unleashing a torrent of flames.]

The "special fireproof environment" set up by the travelers has taken effect; the weakened sea of ​​fire can no longer harm travelers wearing "fire resistance gear."

[After unleashing a single breath, the Rathalos leader skillfully followed up with the "Heavenly Cripple Kick," its dragon claws slashing down from above, aiming to tear the traveler to pieces.]

Upon seeing this, Freya's heart tightened.

She had a vivid memory of the "crippled leg".

Before today, travelers had died several times from the "Heavenly Crippled Foot".

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, the witch continued reading.

Faced with the incoming "Heavenly Crippled Kick," the traveler, intimately familiar with this move, did not attempt to dodge. Instead, just as the "Heavenly Crippled Kick" was about to strike, he used a "secret technique."

[Affected by the "secret technique," the Rathalos leader has fallen into a "fainted state" and is about to plummet.]

The traveler once again used his secret technique, unleashing a powerful, devastating strike on the Rathalos leader's tail just before it was forced to "land."

The Rathalos leader's tail has broken off!

The fallen Rathalos leader slammed into a cliff face, sustaining secondary injuries and falling into a state of "severe unconsciousness."

The traveler pressed his advantage, delivering a powerful blow to the head, smashing the Rathalos leader's skull into the mud.

Freya was stunned when she saw this.

Why have the travelers suddenly become so powerful?

Can such a huge change be brought about by just 3 points of increased combat power?

No, that's not right.

The reason why the situation was completely different this time was that the traveler had made ample preparations in advance. The so-called "special fireproof environment" and "fire-resistant equipment" allowed him to ignore the Rathalos leader's fire breath. In addition, the unexpected "stun technique" led to the current results.

Wouldn't that guarantee a victory?!

What kind of ratio is 9.0:1.1? That's complete nonsense.

My dear traveler will surely triumph over the strong with the weak!

The witch's face grew increasingly expectant, and she beamed with joy.

The traveler unleashed another powerful strike, attempting to kill the Rathalos leader. At the critical moment, the Rathalos leader erupted in fury.

The Rathalos leader has entered "Crimson Frenzy" state, greatly increasing its combat power (+1), breaking through the threshold and reaching the "Weak Upper Rank"!

The sudden turn of events left Freyne stunned.

Wait, no, is it possible to do this?

Red Obsidian is going berserk! What is that thing?!