Chapter 135: Thief

Aurelius watched the monsters scramble with relish.

It was one of the few times when a battle was taking place, and he was not participating directly.

Seeing the monsters use bloodline skill after bloodline skill, each one showcasing their strength, made him quite satisfied.

Moreover, progress bars flashed at the edge of his vision. They gradually filled up.

Each time one did, a notification would appear.

"Ding!"

"Gained: ..."

"Gained: ..."

With his enhanced Intelligence and increased knowledge, Arcane Insight now took less time than ever to analyze his enemies’ skills.

More and more skills were being catalogued in his Player Panel, showing that he had learned them.

Of course, while analyzing the bloodline skills of the monsters, Aurelius did not stop paying attention to the cause behind everything—the Silverheart Lotus.

He discovered that despite the large-scale battle, the silver flower had remained intact.

Although everything else in the surroundings had been ruined by the full might carried by the attacks of Rank 2 monsters, the treasure had suffered no damage at all.

’It seems that these monsters are not too stupid,’ Aurelius nodded secretly.

’They know how to restrain themselves from harming the Silverheart Lotus.’

’However, it makes sense...’

’The reason they are fighting is to obtain this treasure. How would they be willing to damage it and make its effects less potent or even destroy it?’

Furthermore, Aurelius suspected that any monster that dared to do something so reckless would swiftly experience the wrath of all the others.

As such, every monster deliberately kept their distance from the Silverheart Lotus, afraid that the aftermath of their attacks would shock it.

Aurelius looked thoughtful.

He stared at the open space before him. It was a path leading straight toward the lotus.

With the monsters now preoccupied, there was a high chance that he would be able to claim it if he wanted to.

With the Sea God’s Trident and his own power, he could likely make a run for it. Once he left the Dryad Forest, these monsters would never dare chase after him.

Aurelius took a step forward, clearly intending to do so.

But halfway through that motion, he suddenly paused.

His gaze slowly swept through his surroundings.

Although the monsters were engaged in a fierce battle, few among them had been seriously injured.

Save for the Millennium-Frost Lizard and the Crimson Gale Wolf, who had been reckless enough to charge forward first, the other monsters were relatively unharmed.

Seeing this, Aurelius stepped back, restraining himself.

’It’s better to be cautious...’

’The number of monsters gathered here is simply too high to charge forward recklessly. It’s better to wait until some of them are injured, or even better, die.’

Moreover, Aurelius had not forgotten that several monsters were likely lurking near the Silverheart Lotus, waiting for an opportunity just like him.

Those that were not engaged in battle like the rest of their kind should be paying close attention to the treasure.

Anyone who obtained it would face their counterattack. Then, they would be surrounded by the rest of them.

Clearly, although Aurelius was greedy for the Silverheart Lotus, he had not gone so far as to lose his composure.

He remained rational and alert, unwilling to take unnecessary risks.

This was a quality he had always possessed. Even in the most tense moments, he could always remain calm and make the most rational decision.

Yet there were always people who lacked such qualities.

Only a few seconds after Aurelius sat back down, waiting for the monsters to decide the victor, a shadowy figure appeared at the edge of the battlefield.

No one noticed it at first. It was able to weave expertly through the monsters, approaching the Silverheart Lotus slowly but surely.

It didn’t take long.

Less than half a minute later, it had drawn dangerously close to the treasure.

Only a dozen feet separated the two.

Even until this point, no one had discovered its existence—save for Aurelius.

Glancing at the shadowy figure that seemed ready to claim the prized treasure, he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.

However, he didn’t step forward to stop it, instead choosing to observe what happened first. He had a hunch their plan would never succeed.

He did not have to wait long to confirm his guesses.

The shadowy figure had long since made its decision. It did not hesitate.

Once it got near enough to the Silverheart Lotus, the shadows constructing its body began to tumble violently.

Soon, their controller was revealed.

It was a man!

Not an animal. Not a monster. But a human!

He smiled faintly, his dark eyes reflecting the silvery glow of the Silverheart Lotus as he reached out and gently picked it.

Crack!

A sound echoed throughout the battlefield. It was the sound of a stem being torn apart.

It was low, almost inaudible. Compared to the battle noises surrounding it, it was far from noteworthy.

Yet the moment it rang out, everything suddenly paused, as though someone had pressed the "Pause" button.

The monsters halted their advance. Their bloodline skills, still suspended in midair, dispersed into nothingness.

They no longer paid attention to the opponents they had battled for so long, instead turning their attention toward the place where the Silverheart Lotus had once stood.

Upon seeing that it was no longer there, having been transferred into the man’s hand and subsequently put away, the monsters’ eyes turned crimson with anger.

"Roar!"

Furious cries emerged from their throats. They appeared to have been completely enraged.

Faced with the eyes of dozens of Rank 2 monsters dripping with bloodlust, even Aurelius would instinctively flinch.

But the man managed to remain calm.

His gaze swept casually through his surroundings, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you, everyone, for this great spectacle!"

"When I have time in the future, I shall visit to repay today’s favor."

"For now, that is it..." he spoke gratefully and bowed.

Before he had even finished his action, his body began to disappear, blending into the surrounding environment.

Within moments, he was nowhere to be seen.