Scarlet light flashed in the sanctuary, and a short staff, over a meter long, formed in Wen Wen's hand.
This was the Staff of Frenzy 2.0 that Wen Wen had been crafting for the past month.
The handle of the short staff was a peculiar crystal stone, transparent on the outside, but with slow-flowing black substance within.
At the center was a red gear, a scarlet frenzy orb spinning between the gears.
At the end of the short staff appeared a brown spearhead, and upon closer inspection, it seemed to have textures similar to human skin.
The crystal stone was something Wen Wen had bought from the Hunter Association at a great expense, a material of Catastrophe-Level.
The black energy within the crystal stone possessed immense kinetic power, allowing it to move at incredible speeds, and it could record a person's mental waves, enabling the individual to control the stone perfectly with mere thought.
By embedding the crystal stone into the Staff of Frenzy, Wen Wen could control the staff's ultra-fast movements using only his mind.
He already owned the Black Blade and Blood River Sword; he could not spare a hand to maneuver the Staff of Frenzy.
The red gear was a component from the body of Pioneer One Hundred, a powerful containment item, as Pioneer One Hundred had described.
First, it possesses indestructible properties, and anything connected to it becomes incredibly hard.
Secondly, the gear can absorb surrounding energy to propel its rotation, and after ten cycles, it transforms accumulated energy into a particular force that bursts out all at once.
The energy absorbed does not affect the operation of the Staff of Frenzy, but rather the resistance felt during its flight, the attacks encountered, and the force from collisions with other objects.
Through Wen Wen's modifications, the gear now only emits pure frenzy when it unleashes its force.
Finally, the brown spearhead at the bottom of the staff was acquired from Egger, originating from mysterious desiccated flesh with strong corruptive power; ordinary people would lose their sanity even at the mere sight of it.
Even the likes of Red Beard, a Disaster-Level monster, dare not have prolonged contact with it.
It's at least an inheritance of Catastrophe-Level expert's power, likely from a strong practitioner of wicked forces. Follow current novels on novel_fіre.net
Using this as the spearhead, even a Catastrophe-Level expert would suffer from its corruption to some degree.
Adding Wen Wen's initially crafted Staff of Frenzy, the new short staff becomes a Catastrophe-Level formidable weapon, problematic even for Catastrophe-Level experts.
This thing, only in Wen Wen's possession, qualifies as a weapon; otherwise, it's a complete containment item needing to be sealed away.
Having sat for a month, Wen Wen stood up to stretch his muscles, realizing his strength and realm had advanced significantly.
He could sense he was drawing ever closer to becoming a Catastrophe-Level expert.
Now, all he lacked was merely an opportunity.
Suddenly, Wen Wen heard a call.
It was the voice of the Man in Black Robe.
"It's been a while since he last spoke to me. What does he want this time?"
Wen Wen closed his eyes, and his consciousness entered the Black Stone Palace.
To his surprise, the palace remained pitch black upon entry, with no lights turning on.
A foreboding premonition surged through Wen Wen's mind; he waved his hand, conjuring a light orb floating before him.
Entering the palace interior, he found the Man in Black Robe absent from the chair, dust accumulated significantly, as he hadn't sat there for quite a while.
"You should still be here; you called me over. Come out and meet."
However, Wen Wen's voice got no reply, only echoing through the empty Black Stone Palace.
Quiet for a long time, Wen Wen suddenly felt a gentle breeze on his face, paused, then proceeded behind the chair, retrieving a letter.
'By the time you read this letter, my time should be up.'
'I'm not good at farewells, so I'm leaving you this letter.'
'I originally planned to leave once you could stand independently, but as it stands, I overestimated myself.'
'As you become stronger, my power weakens to the point where maintaining form is impossible; by the time you read this, my consciousness might have vanished.'
'When I roamed the Star Sea, never did I expect my farewell to the world to be .'
'When you first appeared, I was genuinely joyful, because you showed me hope; you were fate's greatest blessing to me, so I hope you make it to the end.'
'Beyond today, I won't be able to assist you any longer and probably add more trouble.'
'Perhaps without my restraint, you'll be joyful. But no matter how happy you become, never forget your duty; please carry on with the sanctuary.'
'Upon reaching the Catastrophe-Level, the gate to the Catastrophe Zone will open; you may find the thing inside familiar, but believe me, it's not as you perceive.'
'It will want to devour you; it will seek to destroy anything it encounters. You must defeat it! Kill it!'
'If you lose, you and this world are finished!'
'If you win... you'll know all the secrets you wish to know.'
'Over the years of encountering you, I've always wished to tell you, you've done well; I'm very pleased.'
'Lastly, farewell forever.'
Having finished the letter, the paper in Wen Wen's hand turned to ash, disappearing from his grasp.
Wen Wen held that posture for several minutes, then moved beside the chair, sitting on the steps instead.
Now sitting, he wouldn't be kicked off by the Man in Black Robe, but currently he had no desire to occupy that spot.
His mood was peculiar, neither sorrowful nor joyous—an odd emotion.
He knew this day would come as the Man in Black Robe grew weaker with his increasing strength, just uncertain it would arrive so quickly.
As someone stronger than heavenly gods, the Man in Black Robe's condition had reached the utmost fray.
Without a physical body, his existence solely depended on the sanctuary, subtly diminishing inside Wen Wen as well.
Perhaps when he met Wen Wen, the Man in Black Robe was already undergoing a prolonged demise, his spectacular death unusually drawn out.
During this long dying process, encountering Wen Wen, he sacrificed the remaining time to expedite Wen Wen's growth.
Originally, in Wen Wen's myriad dark thoughts, the Man in Black Robe might resurrect through his body.
Only after his actual disappearance did Wen Wen comprehend the limitations of his narrow mindset.
"Before leaving, at least tell me your name, damn it..."