Awakened Talent: 10,000 Exp Converter!

Her companions were surprised as they called out, "Sister Orian!"

However, they did not dare to move, afraid that the Howling Spire Lord was still alive.

Orian managed to catch Maggie before she fell to the ground.

"Sister Maggie! Are you alright?!"

Maggie let out a cough, blood spraying onto her hand, earning Orian's concern.

"Sister Maggie!"

"G-Get out of here, Orian. It's still not safe," Maggie said forcefully, brushing away the blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Orian ignored her words and asked in a slightly panicked voice, "W-Where's your recovery potion? Take it out. You have to heal yourself."

However, Maggie just kept her gaze on Orian and smiled at her.

Gently caressing her cousin's face, she responded, "You know it—recovery potions won't heal me. You have to get out of here. Bring everyone away with you. Better use the reserve escape scroll and leave the Origin World for now."

"N-No, what are you saying? We won't leave you here to fight alone. We can fight!"

"Orian!" Maggie interrupted her words before continuing, "You know I won't die in Origin World, right?"

"B-But—"

Maggie shook her head. "There's no 'but'! You all are a burden to me right now…"

Her words shocked and silenced Orian.

Maggie felt bad saying it, but she had no choice. To make them leave without worry, she had to say it.

After a short silence, Orian's stunned expression slowly turned resolute.

"I understand, Sister. I will bring everyone away with me." Orian stood up and turned around, her hands clenched into fists.

"Orian…" Maggie muttered under her breath.

Orian halted and looked over her shoulder, not directly at Maggie. She said, "Please, fight to your heart's content. Be safe. We're going to wait for you…"

After saying this, Orian no longer gave Maggie her attention and went to her companions to convey Maggie's decision.

Despite saying it in a straight and calm voice, Maggie could sense the subtle worry in Orian's tone. She couldn't help but smile warmly in her heart.

Her face then turned bitter as she watched them leave. She already knew what was going to happen to her after consuming all her lifespan in the Origin World.

She would also die in the real world.

She had realized this the first time she used the ominous energy in the Origin World.

The lifespan she consumed in the Origin World was the same as consuming her lifespan in the real world.

She had the choice to leave with them, but she wasn't sure how long she could hold on to her sanity. Once she lost consciousness, the dark, ominous energy would turn her body into a mindless monster that would attack everyone in sight.

If she returned to her world in her current condition, she feared she would harm her clansmen. Hence, she decided to stay behind. Additionally, she still hadn't heard the system's notification yet.

Therefore, she turned toward the thick smoke where she had bombarded the Howling Spire Lord.

"Why don't you come out now, windbag? Let's end this!"

As soon as she uttered those words, a fierce wind swept away the thick smoke, followed by a loud screech.

Screeeeech!

It revealed the Howling Spire Lord. Its massive height had shrunk to around six feet, and its previously transparent body had become more human-like.

Its genderless features were now masculine, resembling a Greek god with sculpted muscles, a sharp jawline, and curly hair. Its lower body was draped in silk cloth. The Howling Spire Lord resembled an emerald-painted Greek statue.

Although the flames in its eyes had been extinguished, likely due to its transformation, they had left scars.

Even its wind spear, formed by hundreds of spires, had materialized.

Its strength had also reached Tier 3 (3★).

"That's right, little bitch! I will end you now!" it roared.

Maggie's expression hardened as she saw the Howling Spire Lord's transformation and newfound strength. However, it was only for a moment. Her face turned ferocious, breaking into a wicked smile.

Despite her exhaustion, she clenched her lance and mustered all her strength, thrusting herself forward with her dark, fiery wings!

At the same time, the Howling Spire Lord charged, gripping a jade-colored spear in his hand.

They grunted as their weapons swung, both aiming to deliver a killing blow. Yet, both strikes missed by a hair's breadth.

Despite the miss, the force of their strikes unleashed a heavy blast, shaking their surroundings.

They simultaneously pulled back their weapons and hurled their left hands, brimming with their signature energies, at each other.

Bam!

Another shockwave erupted as their attacks missed once more.

One shot into the sky while the other chased immediately.

Bam!

Bam!

Heart-stirring sounds and brilliant lights filled the sky as they exchanged relentless blows. They were evenly matched, despite both being exhausted.

Neither dared to make a mistake, sending precise and deliberate strikes one after another.

Soon, the Howling Spire Lord began to bleed green blood. Even so, he showed no signs of retreat. He counterattacked every time Maggie struck with her lance and skills.

On a distant hill, Orian and her companions watched the battle in the sky with worried eyes. Muttering something under her breath, Orian resolutely led the others away.

Meanwhile, Vincent and Mochi stood atop the broken town wall, observing the clash of these two formidable individuals.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Mochi, the fat black rabbit, spoke in a childlike voice within Vincent's mind. "She's killing herself…"

Vincent didn't need her to explain. He could see it clearly.

Maggie was wielding Primal Energy without restraint.

That's right.

The ominous energy Maggie was using was Primal Energy. Vincent could now distinguish it from Chaos Energy.

Chaos Energy was pure destruction, while Primal Energy carried an aggressive intent for destruction.

Though they sounded similar, they were fundamentally different.

One was destructive in nature; the other sought destruction with purpose.

Despite their differences, both energies were extremely difficult to wield.

Even now, Vincent didn't know how to use them without suffering backlash or losing his mind.

So, he was lost in thought.

How could Maggie wield it without losing her sanity?

He wanted to ask her but hesitated, fearing the consequences.

Based on Mochi's prediction, Maggie was destined to die. If true, Vincent feared interfering might worsen her fate. Enjoy more content from empire

While he pondered, the sounds of battle abruptly stopped as a figure was blasted into the town's pavement.

When the dust settled, Maggie's battered figure was revealed.

Half of her hair had turned white, and half her face bore cracks like dry land. A massive gash stretched from her abdomen to her chest. She gasped for breath.

A shadow loomed over her as the Howling Spire Lord hovered above, glaring down at her.

Seeing him, Maggie tried to stand but failed. No matter how much strength she mustered, her body wouldn't obey.

'No! Stand up! I can't die here! Not now!' she screamed in her mind, gritting her teeth.

But no matter how many times she tried, she couldn't rise.

'I haven't uncovered the truth behind my father's disappearance!'

'I haven't avenged my sister's murder!'

'I can't die yet!'

Her unwillingness turned to despair as the Howling Spire Lord spoke.

"You're a strong warrior, kid. Unfortunately, you chose to go against me. You've wasted too much of my time. I still have a debt to settle with the one who freed me from my prison. It's time for you to meet your maker."

Maggie could only watch in despair as the Howling Spire Lord raised his spear.

She wasn't afraid of dying in battle. She was afraid of dying without uncovering the truth of her father's disappearance, her sister's death, or fulfilling her promises to her mother.

She wanted to live.

She wanted to see her clan prosper.

She wanted to have her own family.

Facing death, her despair and unwillingness turned to sadness, regret, and finally, acceptance.

"I guess this is my fate…" she muttered bitterly, closing her eyes as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Farewell—"

Before the Howling Spire Lord could finish his sentence, he sensed a powerful force approaching rapidly from behind.

He turned, only to see a fiery purple crescent-shaped energy hurtling toward him.

His eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, it sliced through his body as if it were nothing.

His shock turned to disbelief.

"Haha… That scared the hell out of me. I thought it could affect my physique—"

His voice stopped abruptly as his vision flipped.

In the corner of his eye, he saw a headless body standing beside him.

"Isn't that my body?" he thought as consciousness faded.

Before his mind went dark, he glimpsed a figure in the distance—a man with a plump rabbit perched on his shoulder.

Boom!

The ground trembled as the fiery purple energy landed, causing a massive explosion.

Mochi turned to Vincent, her expression shocked and dumbfounded.

"H-How can you kill a Tier 3 Primal with your level?!"

Vincent didn't answer. He couldn't.

He was in shock himself.

It was his first time using his Tier 2 armament, along with his new skills and upgraded stats.

He never expected it to kill the Howling Spire Lord in one strike.

He had planned only to distract it long enough to escape with Maggie.

The system's confirmation rang in his ears.

You have killed a Tier 3 (1★) Howling Primal Lord!

You have received +100,000 experience points!

Talent Activated!

Ignoring the talent multiplier this time, Vincent focused on Maggie, wondering why the system classified the enemy as Tier 3 (1★) instead of Tier 3 (3★).

Perhaps that was its true strength.

He ignored the details and rushed to check on Maggie.