Start as a Spiritual Planter: I Have a Game Panel

Chapter 106: Truth Behind the Sacrifice

Korrin nodded. "Yeah. Every once in a while, some Half-Drows would come to inspect our tribe to check on the statue and ask us to offer sacrifice with the bodies of dead cavemen. That's all I can remember about it."

Ram rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowing as he studied the rubble. There had to be more to this than just a statue. He felt an odd pull toward it as if something was hidden beneath the surface.

"Alright, help me move this statue," Ram said, signaling to Korrin as they began shifting the broken pieces.

Bit by bit, they removed the shattered stones, finally clearing the space around the statue. Beneath it, to their surprise, was a dark underground cave, stretching below the statue's base.

A chill breeze escaped from the opening, carrying with it the scent of earth and something faintly metallic.

Without hesitation, Ram led the way down into the cave, Korrin following closely behind. The passage quickly opened up into a large underground chamber.

In the middle of the room, a huge crystal sat glowing brightly, casting a pale, light that illuminated the entire space. It was positioned at the center of an intricate spiritual array that pulsed with energy.

Off to one side, a dark passageway snaked further into the cave's depths, disappearing into the unknown.

Ram's eyes were immediately drawn to the crystal, and his curiosity spiked. Without wasting time, he activated his Spiritual Eyes to get a better understanding of what it was.

His vision sharpened even in the darkness, Ram blinked, digesting the information.

[ Low-level Source Crystal]

[ Type: Artificially created source crystal]

[ Description: A crystal formed from the collection source power dissipated from dead creatures. It gathers this energy and condenses it into a usable form. It can be absorbed by various creatures born in Monster Dens to increase their strength.]

[ Energy Remaining: 11 units]

[ Additional Feature: Summon Half Drows]

Based on the description he read, this crystal was part of a source power gathering array, designed to collect energy from the dead creatures—like the cavemen's bodies that Korrin's tribe brought here as a sacrifice to Goddess of Wildfire, Ignara. And at the heart of it all, the crystal was exactly what he needed: a Source Crystal.

But to his disappointment, the amount of energy stored inside this crystal is only eleven units, "I don't know how much these 11 units can be if Korrin wants to summon more Half Drow cavemen." he pondered looking at the crystal.

But what caught his attention was its additional feature to summon Half Drows, he immediately concentrated on it and new details appeared again.

[Summon Half Drows: Once the crystal is fully charged, the source-gathering array will automatically summon fifty Half-Drow Fire Mages from the third level.]

He immediately told Korrin and others about what he discovered, "This array here gathers the source power from dead creatures, like the dead cavemen you bring here as a sacrifice."

"This array doesn't just collect source power from dead creatures," Ram continued, turning to Korrin. "It's designed to summon Half-Drow Fire Mages once it's fully charged. But right now, it only has eleven units left. That's not enough."

Korrin's face twisted in confusion as he processed the information. "So... all those cavemen we brought here, the sacrifices... they weren't just to honor the goddess?"

Ram nodded. "No. They were being used to fuel this crystal. It absorbs the energy from the dead, and when it reaches a certain point, it summons more Half-Drows."

Korrin's eyes darkened, and he clenched his fists. "The other tribes… the Half-Drows encouraged us to fight, to kill our own kind... all for this?"

Listening to Korrin Ram suddenly realized that the dead caveman bodies used for sacrifices were not only from their own tribe but also collected from other tribes.

Korrin let out a frustrated breath. "So that's why they gave us food based on how many sacrifices we brought. They were keeping the tribes fighting each other. We thought it was for survival... but it was just a way to make us more useful for them."

According to Korrin when the Hald Drows visit their tribes, the amount of food they receive depends on the number of sacrifices made, leading to frequent conflicts and killings among the caveman tribes.

Ram's thoughts raced as he pieced it together. "That's why your tribe has so many evolution points stored up. You've been fighting and killing other cavemen, and the energy from their bodies was being harvested here."

Within the range of the monster den, once the creature born from the monster den dies, it will turn into energy particles and dissipate, and if no one collects this energy, this energy reforms into another new creature after a certain period of time.

Professionals hunting these creatures can utilize the professional seeds awakened from the Divine Spirit Tree.

This energy, which would otherwise dissipate, can be transformed into various cards with a certain probability, a fact well-known among humans and other races.

"However, the Half Drows were able to harness this energy differently, although it was unclear why they were doing this? Just to increase their numbers?" From the description he saw, Ram noticed that there was a third layer beneath the second one they were currently on. "If so, how many did they summon so far?"

Ram's expression hardened, just thinking about it, he looked at Korrin and spoke. "And now that we know this, we need to figure out what to do with this crystal. It's almost depleted, but if we can use it... Try and see if you can use it."

Korrin immediately stepped forward, his hands wrapping around the glowing source crystal.

He concentrated, his eyes narrowing as he began absorbing the energy stored within, channeling the source power into his body.

A few seconds passed, and Korrin's eyes flickered open. "Master," he said, his voice steady but tinged with disappointment.

"The energy inside this crystal isn't much. I can only summon two Half-Drow cavemen with a little bit of energy left over."

Ram nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, that's fine. Go ahead and summon them. We already know where these crystals are hidden. We can collect more from the other cavemen tribes if we need to."

He had already done the math in his head. Based on his earlier observations, Korrin required 100 points of source power to summon 20 Elite Fire Mage Half-Drow cavemen—5 points each. This crystal, holding just 11 points, would be enough to summon two.

"Just as I thought," Ram murmured, it confirmed his suspicions, which means the energy value displayed on Korrin's attribute panel is constant with the remaining energy units displayed on the source crystal.

Korrin nodded in understanding and placed his hands over the crystal, preparing to summon.

The room began to hum as the energy condensed, swirling and gathering around Korrin's outstretched palms.

As the energy swirled and condensed, the virtual shadows of two Half-Drow cavemen began to take shape.

They appeared translucent at first, wearing luxurious mage robes and clutching mage staffs in their hands.

Slowly, the source power gathered more densely, and the shadows started to solidify, becoming real before everyone's eyes.

Their eyes brightened with intelligence, and emotions flickered across their faces.

The other Half-Drow cavemen and Wood Spirits that had gathered stood in awe, frozen in place as they watched the process unfold.

Ram's eyes widened, momentarily surprised by the stark contrast between the newly summoned Half-Drow mages and those he had evolved.

The new arrivals wore fine robes, far superior to the crudely made clothing of the others.

The mage staffs they held gleamed, adding to their refined appearance.

In comparison, the evolved Half-Drow looked like rustic cavemen, dressed in makeshift gear.

He sighed softly. "Even though I can evolve creatures, I can't just create clothing or weapons out of nothing." The thought gnawed at him.

Ram knew he could push the evolution of creatures to new heights, but creating equipment he never tried.

"Maybe I could try creating something from plants later," he wondered if his new plant Affinity could be used to fashion robes or staffs made up of plants, but he decided to set aside the idea for the time being.

Instead, his gaze drifted toward the dark passageway that led deeper into the cave.

There was something unsettling about the hidden depths that beckoned him. He straightened, his focus shifting back to the task at hand.

"Let's see what else this place is hiding," he muttered under his breath, preparing himself for what lay ahead.

Without hesitation, Ram took the lead, his steps confident as he moved toward the dark passage.

The newly summoned Half-Drow mages fell in line behind him, their glowing staffs casting faint light over the jagged stone walls.

Korrin followed closely, and the rest of the group—Wood Spirits and Half-Drow cavemen alike—trailed behind, their curiosity piqued by what they might find.

The walls seemed to stretch endlessly, and the deeper he ventured, the more oppressive the air became.

The passage is still spacious and long, Ram estimated that he had walked hundreds of meters, but he still couldn't see the end.

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Note: Thank you, Josh_Wawrzy, for your comments. I attempted to respond, but it appears that Webnovel has locked my account, so I can only do this.

Your support, even for my previous work [Awakening: I Have a Game Panel with Recovery(unique)] which I dropped, is greatly appreciated.

I never Planned on writing another, since I was already struggling to get a new job, but I saw you and AncientDragonGod, who constantly supported me through Golden Tickets and Power Stones, which made me continue again.

Thanks, Josh_Wawrzy, Archmage, LonlyRose,Joseph_Wooten, Daoistf6YjjP, Splatari, 115599_, Toothpick_Of_doom, Daoist713551, and many other book friends for your support.