Fallen Chronicles

"I'm sorry! Damn it! I deserve to die! Lord Creator... I, I am not entirely sure about it. They kept it extremely secret. After I inquired many times, I only heard a little bit of information. I only know about the appearance of the 'Relic'; it seems to be something like..."

"Similar to a crest or family emblem, " Doctor Roca's eyes revealed a look of recollection.

Renji, upon hearing this description, realized what it was.

'So it's the [Brand], huh?'

[Brand]is part of the Eclipse nurturing system in the game, belonging to the 'equipment' category, but unlike ordinary equipment such as swords and guns, Brands are 'internal' equipment that provides various buffs and special effects to the Eclipse. In games with a cultivation theme, it would be akin to internal martial arts skills.

In "Descend", the details are very precise, so the expression of [Brand] varies according to the race. The human-type [Brand] is like what Doctor Roca mentioned, emblematic, while the mechanical-type is a chip, the elf-kind is a rune, and for the beastmen, it's a totem.

It's just unknown whether the [Brand] unearthed by the Church is a 'set' or 'solo pieces'. If it's a 'solo piece', then whether it's the [upper], [middle], or [lower] part, and what the effects are...

Given that Doctor Roca can't even figure out a basic [Eclipse Source Essence], Renji doesn't expect him to be able to answer these more detailed questions.

Having obtained the information he wanted, Renji stood up.

At this moment, seeing Renji about to leave, Doctor Roca hurriedly crawled over on all fours, begging Renji desperately:

"Are you leaving? Please, take me with you! Let me follow you, let me serve you! I... I can be your assistant, I am willing to do anything for you! I only ask Lord Creator, to allow me to learn from you, even if... even if it's just for a year... a month... no, no, no, even a week would be good!!"

Dr. Roca had become the chief scientist of Callewa, and he had developed the Tainted Miasma Reagent, which was quite impressive in the context of the world five hundred years later. His strength should not be underestimated just because of his current humble posture.

If Roca joined, not to mention anything else, at least taking Callewa into his hands would be a breeze, indirectly controlling most of the Blackhole Plains gathering area.

Behind the young man, Eileen, witnessing this scene, repeatedly seemed to want to say something to Renji but ultimately didn't speak up, pursed her lips tightly, and lowered her gaze to the ground.

After all, she had no right to interfere with Renji's decisions.

Regarding this.

Renji did not refuse Roca, but seemed to ponder for a moment, then opened his own palm towards the crazed doctor.

That wasn't to pull the doctor up.

Instead,

A spiral of red mist rapidly rose from Renji's palm, whirling faster and faster, then becoming more and more condensed, until in the blink of an eye, it completely transitioned from "gaseous" to "solid" state.

Under Roca's stunned expression, out of nowhere, a brand new dark red crystal floated in Renji's palm.

[Tainted Miasma Crystal (Small)]

Yes, after Eileen completed the sweep of Callewa factory, the huge experience points allowed Renji to smoothly leap to level 7.

Not only did it add an additional Eclipse "contract" slot, but it also unlocked the protagonist's new ability -[Crystallization]

Now Renji could use his own experience points to actively produce [Tainted Miasma Crystals], though still only small ones.

"Lord Creator... this... this is!!"

"Given to you."

"Uh... consider it a reward, I guess."

Renji wasn't lying; he said and did, casually tossing the newly created [Tainted Miasma Crystal (Small)] to Doctor Roca on the ground.

The man in the grey coat hurriedly caught it, overwhelmed with favor to the extreme.

He completely missed the fact that once he was away from Renji, the dark red crystal began to radiate intense Tainted Miasma contamination around it; all his attention was now fully immersed in the wonderful crystal.

In just a few seconds, the crystal's emitted Tainted Miasma mist had already penetrated the man's entire body through his nose, ears, mouth, and even eyes. Although he was academically accomplished, he was just an ordinary person, and the result of such a concentrated Tainted Miasma infection was predictable.

"Uh... Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Finally, Doctor Roca, who had once turned countless innocent people into Tainted corpses by force, holding his most beloved and dreamy crystal, also became a Tainted corpse.

Renji thought this ending was quite fitting for him.

"What are you still dazed for?"

Renji's urging voice woke up Eileen, who hadn't yet come back to her senses with everything happening too quickly.

The girl wilding her sword, swiftly ended the life of Doctor Roca, who had turned into a Tainted corpse, with a clean and decisive slash.

[Ding, your Eclipse "Eileen" has successfully killed [The Fallen Mad Scientist Roca], you have earned 329 experience points for this]

[Current Level: Lv7]

[Experience needed for next level: 412/1200]

"Hmm, it seems we've found a good shortcut for leveling up. Turning those with power and status into monsters with the crystal and then killing them gives a neat experience gain without much effort, quite like getting something from nothing, eh?"

"Uh... it does sound a bit like something a villain would do, though. Better not use this tactic unless absolutely necessary."

Renji was quite frugal by nature. Experimenting was one thing, but Roca had taken the experience points of Ajax and many gangsters, so Renji felt he deserved to reclaim that somehow.

On the other side, Eileen, hearing the young man start talking to himself again in ways she couldn't understand, couldn't hold back the question that had been festering in her heart.

"I... I thought you would"

"What? take him on as a subordinate, or give him a contract like yours? You think he was worthy?" Renji replied with a question of his own.

"He…"

Of course, he wasn't worthy, and Eileen knew this deep down.

This was precisely what triggered another question in the girl's mind.

Was she worthy?

Since the moment she and Renji had entered the Callewa factory up until now, Eileen remembered the self-introduction Renji had made back in the [Relic Cave].

That simple introduction of just four words— "I am Emperor Ashen."

Looking at it now, Eileen, no matter how blind she might have been before, was convinced that Renji truly was some legendary figure from five hundred years ago. After all, the crystals, the relics, and the miraculous contract all proved this point.

Even the possibility, just a possibility, was too much for Eileen to consider.

'Maybe, just maybe…'

'What Old Timer said was true.'

'Is... he really the emperor?'

Eileen didn't dare to delve any deeper into that thought.

And what about herself? A tomb raider? A scavenger? Someone who had even... once pointed a sword at Renji? Seeing the tragic end of the Callewa leader, the doctor turned into a monster, Eileen felt that her own survival was a miracle, indeed.

"Hey, Miss Eileen, stop daydreaming. Even if you regret it now, it's too late. You've consumed so many of my resources, I won't let you go that easily. At least, not until I've fully utilized your remaining value."

Renji's words were harsh, mimicking the stinginess of a miserly landlord. Eileen was momentarily speechless, then bowed her head in silence for a while before softly uttering two words.

"Thank you."

"Ah! Now you're making me want to start a CPU teaching class," Renji shook his head.

"Let's go. Although I have a feeling that Auntie is still doing fine and isn't in trouble, it's still better for us to hurry."

Eileen wanted to say that the church was not the same as the Callewa gang; it was the largest and only official power in the Holy Kingdom. She didn't want to burden the young man because of her anymore.

But seeing the indifferent expression on Renji's face, Eileen understood that what might seem a powerful force to her, to this young man...

'Is it really that powerful?"

'This feeling of being at ease is really nice'

Eileen nodded and was about to follow closely behind Renji when suddenly, before she could take another step, she felt heavy-headed and light-footed. Her vision darkened, and she collapsed towards the ground.

Fortunately, Renji reacted quickly, catching the girl in his arms.

After a quick check, Renji breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't a big deal, probably just the aftereffects of reaching the "Danger Rank" and going through a fierce battle. With her mind tense the whole time, her exhausted body couldn't handle the sudden relaxation, causing Eileen to faint.

When you calculate it carefully, it's really terrifying. From the moment the young girl started "digging graves" to now, just half a day had passed, and so many things had happened. It's no wonder Eileen couldn't handle it anymore. So,

;is this some kind of curse or retribution for tomb raiding? ;

Renji shook his head.

'Well, it is what it is '

'You win even when you're lying down'

'But it's not necessarily a bad thing.'

It just so happened that there were some things coming up, and it would be troublesome to have Eileen with him. After discovering the involvement of the "Church" behind the scenes, the nature of this matter had changed for Renji. It was no longer just about "saving people."

"The Church, huh?"

Muttering to himself, Renji carried the unconscious Eileen and walked out of the factory. However, halfway there, he stopped because he had almost forgotten.

"Wh-Wh-Wha!"

In a secluded corner, a member of the gang who had been tied up was looking at the approaching young man with a terrified expression.

This person was none other than Artur, the gang member who had initially led Renji and the Eileen into the factory to "get a free meal."

"Um, Artur, right? Sorry, I kinda forgot your name, but thanks anyway. Thanks to you for showing the way and telling me about the 'relic' inside. As a reward, I've taken care of this factory for you. How about that, fair enough? Now you don't have to keep making dirty money against your conscience!"

"Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh!" With a cloth stuffed in his mouth, Arthur shook his head frantically, tears streaming down his face.

It seemed like he didn't quite appreciate Renji's reward.

Renji sighed regretfully.

"Don't be so nervous. Everyone here is dead, and you're the only one left who can testify to my good deed. I'm not the type to do good deeds anonymously, so I'll have to rely on you. By the way..."

"Can I borrow your phone to make a call?"