Chapter 31: Starry Mountains II

Ben looked at Lumi for a few seconds.

"Maybe she can sense different types of energy because of her special constitution."

Morbius nodded.

"That is possible. Null Slimes are strange creatures. Their abilities can develop in unexpected ways as they absorb different energies."

Ben looked at the little slime.

"Then I should probably let her absorb some star energy while we’re here."

Lumi immediately bounced happily.

"Looks like she agrees," Ben said with a laugh.

Morbius shook his head.

"Just don’t let her consume anything you haven’t identified first."

"Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on her."

Ben stored the remaining Star Crystals before looking at Star Stream again.

The sword was still pointing toward the mountains.

"Looks like the Starry Beast is still ahead."

"Then keep moving," Morbius said.

They continued through the rocky area.

As they climbed higher, the surrounding star energy became denser. The sky was filled with countless bright stars, even though it was still daytime inside the secret realm.

Ben looked upward.

"The stars here look much brighter than the ones I can see from Earth."

"That’s because this secret realm contains a large amount of natural star energy," Morbius explained. "The environment has been affected by it for countless years."

Ben nodded.

"Does that mean the plants here are valuable too?"

"Some of them are. If you see anything glowing strongly, don’t touch it immediately. Some plants absorb star energy and can become dangerous."

Ben nodded.

"Understood."

They continued climbing.

After several minutes, Star Stream suddenly began vibrating more strongly.

Ben stopped.

"This reaction is much stronger than before."

Morbius looked toward the mountain ahead.

"There is something powerful nearby."

Ben raised the sword.

The blade pointed toward a narrow valley between two mountains.

"Let’s check it out."

They carefully entered the valley.

The number of Star Crystals scattered around the area increased as they moved deeper.

Ben collected a few of them but didn’t stop for long.

He wanted to find the source of the energy first.

Suddenly, Lumi began bouncing on Morbius’s head.

"What’s wrong with her now?" Morbius asked.

Ben looked ahead.

"Maybe she sensed something."

Lumi jumped down and moved toward the side of the valley.

Ben followed her.

She stopped beside a large stone and began digging into the ground with her tiny body.

Ben stared at her.

"Did she find something?"

Morbius approached and examined the area.

"There is a strange energy signature beneath the stone."

Ben moved the stone aside.

A small cave entrance was revealed.

The moment the entrance appeared, Star Stream reacted violently.

Ben’s expression changed.

"There’s something inside."

Morbius nodded.

"And judging by the energy, it isn’t a small Starry Beast."

Ben gripped Star Stream firmly.

"Could it be a nest?"

"Possibly."

Ben looked into the dark cave.

"If there is a nest inside, there might be a Starry Heart."

Morbius nodded.

"But remember what Amanda told you. A Starry Beast nest is never completely unguarded."

Ben nodded.

"I’ll be careful."

He activated his celestial energy and slowly entered the cave.

Lumi followed closely behind him while Morbius remained in the air above them.

The deeper they went, the stronger the star energy became.

After walking for several dozen meters, they reached a large underground chamber.

Ben immediately stopped.

Several glowing crystals were embedded in the walls, illuminating the entire chamber.

But what caught his attention was the center of the room.

There were several diamond-shaped crystals lying on a circular stone platform.

Ben’s eyes widened.

"Are those..."

Morbius looked at them carefully.

"Starry Hearts."

Ben smiled.

"We actually found them."

"And there are so many of them," he said happily.

However, before he could move closer, a low growl echoed from the darkness behind them.

Ben slowly turned around.

A large Starry Beast stepped out from a passage.

The Starry Beast looked like a massive lion surrounded by the night sky. Its entire body was covered in dark fur, with countless tiny stars glowing across its body.

"So, this is a Starry Beast," Ben murmured.

Before he could say anything else, several more Starry Beasts appeared from the surrounding passages.

This time, they looked more like lionesses.

"Hey, kid. It seems we’re surrounded by a pack," Morbius said.

Ben nodded.

"Of course I can see that."

He rolled his eyes before suddenly remembering something.

"I always wanted to try this."

Ben reached into his inventory and pulled out a card.

"Summon! S.U.R. Angel of Celestial Radiance!"

He raised the card in his hand.

A large magic circle appeared on the ground, glowing with brilliant energy.

A foot stepped out of the magic circle, followed by the rest of the figure.

A beautiful angel emerged from the summoning circle.

She had long black hair decorated with tiny points of light. Her wings looked like a starry night sky, while her body was covered by elegant armor that shimmered like the cosmos.

"Hmm. A Peak Gold-Rank summon. Not bad," Ben said with a nod.

Morbius, however, was completely stunned.

His eyes widened as he stared at the angel.

"What the fuck?!"

He immediately became serious.

"How can a member of the Celestial Race be here?"

The Celestial Race was one of the Prime Races and was considered one of the most powerful races in existence. Its members were among the strongest beings known throughout the universe.

Morbius looked at Ben in disbelief.

"How did this kid summon one of them?"

The angel walked toward Ben and stopped in front of him.

"Are you my master?" she asked.

Ben chuckled.

"Yes, that’s me."

He pointed toward the Starry Beasts.

"Go and take care of them."

The Starry Beasts immediately became wary of the angel.

Although they were Bronze-Rank creatures, they could clearly sense that she was much stronger than them.

"Should I kill them all?" the angel asked.

Ben shook his head.

"No. Just keep them away from me."

He didn’t want the Starry Beasts to be killed unnecessarily. If they survived, they could continue reproducing and create more Starry Hearts in the future.

The angel nodded.

"Understood."