Xú Yáo became alert and stood up defensively, only then seeing the fleeting glimmer of light emanating from the Rat King's severed head.
Wasn't the Rat King dead?
What was that light?
Xú Yáo drew her iron hammer, about to step forward.
A hand with distinct knuckles grabbed her: "I'll go."
To what extent Gōng Yīxíng had appeared beside Xú Yáo, holding a short blade in one hand.
His eyes were also fixed on the Rat King's corpse.
His tone, though weak, carried an undeniable certainty, subtly revealing an air of authority.
The Rat King couldn't possibly be alive.
So what was this?
Was it another creature parasitizing the rat?
Xú Yáo blocked Gōng Yīxíng, who had a pensive look on his face, and glanced at his condition.
Her tone conveyed disapproval, "What do you mean 'I'll go'? You stay put."
The bloodstains on his clothes weren't dry yet.
His shoulder was wrapped like a zongzi by herself.
His hand holding the short blade was a bit unsteady; he was still trying to be tough at a time like this.
After speaking, Xú Yáo ignored Gōng Yīxíng's stunned expression, grabbed her iron hammer, and walked quickly towards the Rat King.
Gōng Yīxíng hadn't expected someone to speak to him like that, with such a strong yet caring tone, and was momentarily dazed. He was a step too slow.
By the time he reacted, Xú Yáo had already stepped forward and carefully poked the Rat King's corpse with her iron hammer.
A round crystal, emitting a soft white light, rolled out from its severed head.
"Is this... a crystal core?" Gōng Yīxíng caught up and followed Xú Yáo's gaze to the small stone that had rolled out.
A crystal core is the energy nucleus within mutated creatures; all psychic abilities rely on crystal cores for sustenance.
Xú Yáo nodded in agreement, "It should be."
In the game, after defeating monsters, there was a chance to obtain crystal cores, which could be used to upgrade psychic abilities or be embedded into equipment to enhance its attributes.
However, in this world, ordinary forums hadn't yet mentioned the concept of crystal cores.
He could state it accurately, so his background must not be simple.
Perhaps he was even a high-ranking member of a prominent family.
Such people were usually equivalent to trouble.
Xú Yáo frowned slightly, put on her gloves, stepped forward, picked up the small stone, and rinsed it with water.
Gōng Yīxíng watched Xú Yáo's actions from behind.
Even he had only learned about the theory of crystal cores two days ago.
Xú Yáo, however, showed no surprise or curiosity.
But her demeanor didn't suggest she was a spy from another household planted to watch him.
So who exactly was she?
"It's a Mental Crystal Core," Xú Yáo said, holding the crystal in her hand and sensing a familiar mental ability.
What should she do now? Xú Yáo was a bit troubled.
Her current mental power was too weak; she really needed this crystal core.
But the Rat King was dealt with by Gōng Yīxíng, so the crystal core should belong to him.
Gōng Yīxíng noticed Xú Yáo's conflicted expression and couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Take it, consider it payment for the healing potion."
In his current condition, he couldn't use the crystal core even if he had it.
Besides, looking at her, it seemed her ability was a mental ability, a quite good one.
"That won't do," Xú Yáo said, shaking her head as she walked over with the crystal core in her hand. She gazed at Gōng Yīxíng.
After a moment of silence, she continued, her tone unusually calm, "I hate trouble, but I also don't want to owe you a favor."
Before she finished speaking, Gōng Yīxíng's expression turned serious, and he stood up straight, waiting for Xú Yáo to continue.
What was going on?
She looked like she had made up her mind.
"Is there something wrong with your psychic ability?" Xú Yáo didn't look away and asked directly.
Gōng Yīxíng's eyes darkened, and he seemed like a sharp blade unsheathed, radiating killing intent, "What?"
"No need to play dumb. If I wanted to kill you, you would have died countless times over." In contrast, Xú Yáo was unusually calm, unfazed by the tense atmosphere, "The supplement's effect is good, but your complexion hasn't improved at all. It must be ability exhaustion. Your ability can't be recovered with medication?"
Gōng Yīxíng tightened his grip on the dagger, pursed his lips, his eyes sharp, and did not answer.
Xú Yáo did not look away, calmly looking at Gōng Yīxíng, raising an eyebrow.
Tsk.
This oppressive feeling.
Even the top players she frequently interacted with in her previous life couldn't compare.
"I can help you alleviate this condition," Xú Yáo said with a slight smile.
"What?" Gōng Yīxíng was taken aback for a moment, his eyes flickered. He clearly hadn't expected Xú Yáo to say that, and his expression was momentarily dazed.
Did he hear wrong?
Wasn't she a psychic type?
What could she possibly do?
"I said I can help you alleviate your ability exhaustion." Xú Yáo shifted her gaze to the dimly lit sky.
"You're not a healer," Gōng Yīxíng stated with certainty, but the hesitancy in his tone betrayed his nervousness.
After each use of his ability, it took at least two days for him to fully recover.
Healers and healing potions had no effect.
This was also the main reason why he had been hiding.
"Tch!" Xú Yáo scoffed, showing disdain, "Of course I'm not a healer."
What were healers anyway?
In her past life, she had suffered greatly at the hands of healers.
But it was also thanks to those healers that she started researching healing runes.
"Then what can you do?" Gōng Yīxíng softened his tone, trying to appear calmer.
"You don't need to know that. A fair exchange, give me your weapons," Xú Yáo said, holding up the crystal core, her expression serene and her chin slightly raised, exuding a relaxed air.
Yet, a calm, unfathomable aura emanated from her, blending with Gōng Yīxíng's sharp pressure.
Two opposing auras, yet at this moment, they appeared unexpectedly harmonious.
Gōng Yīxíng looked at Xú Yáo before him. He had never met anyone like her – calm, determined, strong, yet making him feel at ease.
At that moment, he felt as if he had seen a light.
He said no more, simply stepped forward and silently handed the two short blades to Xú Yáo.
Xú Yáo took the short blades, turned, and walked towards the small grove behind the cold storage.
"Don't follow."
The words carried on the wind stopped Gōng Yīxíng in his tracks.
Confirming that the person behind her hadn't followed, Xú Yáo slipped into the Workspace.
Start the furnace, forge iron.
She remelted the handles of Gōng Yīxíng's twin blades.
Xú Yáo's iron hammer didn't stop, and soon she reshaped the two short blades.
This fire still isn't good enough.
Sigh, if only Xiao Pu were still here, it wouldn't be this difficult.
It seems I need to find a higher-grade flame as soon as possible.
Xú Yáo extinguished the furnace fire, sighed, and then etched two sets of runes onto the hilts of the blades.
Gōng Yīxíng's injury was indeed serious.
Ability-related injuries require at least a Level 4 healer to alleviate.
But for Xú Yáo, it wasn't too difficult.
After drawing the last rune, Xú Yáo returned to the cold storage with the short blades.
She saw Gōng Yīxíng still standing in the same spot. Seeing her return, he quickly stood up.
Although his expression was blank, his slightly quickened breathing revealed his inner turmoil.
"Take a look!" Xú Yáo didn't play coy and handed the two short blades directly to Gōng Yīxíng.
Gōng Yīxíng nodded, stepped forward, and took the short blades to examine them.
In the next moment, his pupils contracted, and his body stiffened.
He raised his head to look at Xú Yáo with disbelief, then couldn't help but lower his head to scrutinize his weapons again.
"This... it actually has such an attribute?"