Chapter 296: Opening the Treasure Chest, Stone of Concealment

Chapter 296: Chapter 296: Opening the Treasure Chest, Stone of Concealment

Though riddled with questions, Simon Holt understood the urgency and immediately nodded.

The two of them and the rooster quickly left the temporary shelter, melting into the pitch-black night.

Relying on the night vision from her Analysis Glasses and her own powerful senses, Seraphina Sullivan avoided several groups of nocturnal aberrant creatures.

They finally found a relatively dry and hidden rock crevice. It seemed to have once been the nest of some creature, and a faint, rank smell still lingered in the air.

Just as they were about to enter, a threatening growl came from deep within the crevice.

An aberrant lizard, its body the size of a calf, covered in thick, keratinous scales and with a sharp bone spike on its tail, crawled out.

Its murky eyes stared maliciously at Seraphina Sullivan and her companion, clearly displeased that its home was being invaded.

Aberrant Lizard: HISS-ROAR—! Don’t you have your own home?! How dare you trespass on my territory.

Facing this rather ferocious-looking aberrant lizard, before Seraphina Sullivan could act, Chubbs took a step forward.

It tilted its metal head, a low "Bock bock?" rumbling in its throat.

At the same time, with a SWISH, it unfurled its pair of steel wings, which glinted with a cold light.

The sharp edges of its feathers refracted the bleak moonlight with a frigid gleam as an invisible, menacing aura spread out.

Chubbs: Bock bock! So? You looking for a fight?

The aberrant lizard clearly possessed some animal instinct and instantly sensed a fatal threat from Chubbs.

Aberrant Lizard: Please, be my guest. I’ll just be leaving now!

"Finally, we can get some rest," Seraphina Sullivan sighed in relief.

The continuous fighting, infiltration, and explosions hadn’t been too physically draining, but her mind had been in a state of high alert.

Now that she had found a relatively safe, temporary base, what she wanted most was to return to the absolute safety of the Scavenger’s Space and properly inspect the rewards she had just received.

Nearby, Simon Holt looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

His mind was bursting with questions about the explosion and the Holy Spirit Clan’s gathering place. Seeing that Seraphina Sullivan seemed to have relaxed, he mustered his courage and had just begun to speak:

"Um... Sullivan, just now..."

Before the words were even out of his mouth, he suddenly felt a slight sting and a numbing sensation on his butt!

???

Simon Holt whipped his head around to see that the Steel Rooster named Chubbs had, at some point, silently snuck up behind him.

A familiar syringe, formed from Energy, had appeared at the tip of one of its wings.

And at that moment, the syringe had just been pulled out of his butt.

In Chubbs’s metal eyes, there even flickered a human-like glint of pride, as if to say, "Heh heh heh, a job well done!"

Chubbs: This Anesthetic the master gave me is pretty handy!

Simon Holt: !!!

’What’s the meaning of this? Again?!’

The familiar heavy sensation once again drowned his consciousness like a tsunami.

Before he completely blacked out, he vaguely heard Seraphina Sullivan’s still-calm voice: "Your injuries haven’t healed yet. Get some rest and don’t overthink things."

Simon Holt’s mind raced with frantic complaints: ’I mean, I get it, but... you could have at least warned me! Or even just picked a different spot to inject me! I hate getting shots in the butt!’

Looking at Simon Holt, who was once again out cold, Seraphina Sullivan felt completely unfazed. In fact, she almost wanted to laugh.

’Sorry, buddy. I have to pop into my Space for a bit, and I can’t let you in on this secret.’

Confirming that Simon Holt was completely unconscious, Seraphina Sullivan wasted no more time and picked him up with one hand.

With a single thought.

Their figures instantly vanished from the rock crevice, entering the Space that belonged only to her.

The Space maintained its perpetually comfortable environment.

Perhaps because Chubbs and Tubbs had both been let out for some action and had sensed the Aura of battle, the other pets in the Space were also somewhat restless.

This was especially true for the Decaying Flower, Flora.

Upon seeing Seraphina Sullivan enter, it immediately twisted its seductive, vine-like torso and began to "wheedle" her in a tone that would make one’s Sanity drop—a mixture of rasping friction and mimicked speech:

"Master~ I wanna go out and fight too~ The world outside looks so interesting~ Please let me go out and play~"

This "wheedling" sent a shiver down Seraphina Sullivan’s spine.

’I can feel my Sanity points plummeting.’

She quickly placated it. "Alright, alright, stop swaying..."

She suddenly recalled Tubbs mentioning that it "felt more comfortable than in the Space" during the Aberrant Radiation instance, and how its Flame had become more active.

’Could it be that the special radiation in the outside world isn’t just harmless to certain pets, but actually helps them grow?’

"Don’t be impatient."

Seraphina Sullivan said to her assembled pets.

"When the opportunity arises, I’ll let each of you go out and try it in turn."

’She was also calculating in her head that it was time to properly cultivate her identity as a Beast Tamer.’

’She had so many powerful fighters; it would be a waste not to use them.’

After dismissing the eager pets, Seraphina Sullivan finally had a moment to focus on the matter at hand.

Full of anticipation, she took out the Silver Special Treasure Chest she had received as a system reward.

The entire chest was a bright silver color, its surface carved with simple yet mysterious runes. It emanated a soft glow, felt slightly heavy in her hands, and had an extraordinary texture.

’I wonder what kind of goodies are in here...’

Seraphina Sullivan stroked the cool surface of the chest, her heart filled with the same kind of anticipation one feels when opening a blind box.

She even subconsciously muttered a good-luck charm:

"Sean Chandler, bless me! Let the King of Fortune possess me! Open!"

With a trace of nervousness and even more excitement, she slowly lifted the lid of the Treasure Chest.

The moment the lid was lifted, a soft yet brilliant silver light burst forth.

After the light dissipated, the chest itself slowly vanished as if its mission was complete, leaving behind a single item floating silently in Seraphina Sullivan’s palm.

It was a crystal-clear object, about the size of an egg. Inside, it was as if countless tiny diamonds were constantly refracting light, and it emitted a strange Energy wave.

Seraphina Sullivan looked at the ridiculously beautiful orb of light in her palm, blinked, and wondered aloud, "What is this thing? A gem? An Energy Core?"

As if in response to her question, the system’s notification sound rang out at the perfect moment:

[Ding! Congratulations, Player, you have obtained the item: Stone of Concealment!]

The notification faded.

A brief summary of the item’s information flowed into Seraphina Sullivan’s mind, allowing her to understand the Name and basic use of the object in her hand.

However, after understanding, Seraphina Sullivan looked at the empty space where the chest had vanished, then back at the single item in her palm, and a fire of nameless rage flared up inside her.

"You’ve got to be kidding me?! A Silver Level special Treasure Chest, a reward for completing a difficult side quest, and it only gives me one single item?!"

Seraphina Sullivan couldn’t help but complain to the system, "That’s just way too stingy!"