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Suddenly, a mournful voice echoed through the cave, causing the Black Turtle to freeze in its tracks, its eyes immediately filling with fear.

Trembling, the Black Turtle spoke, "Master, I am unworthy. I failed to protect the Red Sun Fruits!"

The voice responded again, "It is not your fault. Just keeping the Red Sun Sacred Tree safe is already a great accomplishment. I will return in some time. Endure this last stretch for me."

Realizing that there was no anger in the voice, the fear in the Black Turtle\'s eyes began to fade slightly. It then asked with a fierce glint, "Master, why didn\'t you let me chase them down? That human may have strong defenses and strange abilities, but he is still just a human. His endurance and stamina are no match for mine.

If I went after him, I could definitely recover some of the Red Sun Fruits!"

"If you pursue him, the only outcome will be your death!" The mournful voice lingered in the air, "I can sense within him a power capable of annihilating anything below the Saint level! Unless I return in my true form, you are no match for him."

Upon hearing this, the Black Turtle\'s pupils contracted in terror. It felt a wave of relief, thankful that it hadn\'t fought Dean Bruce to the death. If it had, it might have died right then and there.

"Very well. Protect the Red Sun Sacred Tree. I will return soon."

"And don\'t sleep anymore. Seal this place completely. Do not allow anyone or any beast to enter..."

As the voice grew weaker, the Black Turtle understood that the presence had already faded away. Though the fear had subsided, the anger still lingered in its heart.

Glancing around, the Black Turtle spotted Luis, who was still under the effects of the sleep spell. With a cold glint in its eyes, it stepped forward, bringing its massive claw down, crushing Luis into a pool of blood.

Still in his slumber, Luis had no idea what was happening and died without even waking up.

After killing the human, the Black Turtle felt a bit better. It muttered to itself, "I may not be able to kill you, but I can certainly kill your kin. When the master returns and helps me advance to the eighth level, I will make sure you die under my claws to avenge today\'s humiliation!"

Dean Bruce had no way of knowing the turmoil in the Black Turtle\'s mind. However, once the presence of the ghostly voice faded, so did his sense of impending danger, and he promptly stopped in his tracks.

"Is it safe here?" Alita Miller, realizing the same, halted beside Dean Bruce. She shot a glance at Ace, signaling him to keep watch.

Understanding the situation, Ace, although tempted by the treasure, obediently went to patrol the area, ensuring no one else could approach.

After a quick survey of their surroundings, Alita Miller broke into a smile, her voice filled with excitement. "I managed to gather one hundred and twenty-seven Red Sun Fruits! It\'s a pity the Red Sun Sacred Tree hasn\'t yet formed a core. If we could absorb one, it would guarantee a breakthrough to the Saint level!"

"Eating the Red Sun Fruits alone only increases the chances of reaching Saint level,"

She added, a note of disappointment creeping into her voice.

Dean Bruce, however, wasn\'t the least bit bothered. For him, the haul was already substantial—after all, these fruits were rare treasures even mentioned in ancient texts!

He figured that simply handing over a few to the academy would likely secure the top spot in the competition.

Of course, Dean Bruce had no intention of handing over the Red Sun Fruits. Keeping them for himself to consume was far more beneficial than any first-place prize.

Glancing at Alita Miller, Dean Bruce calmly stated, "I collected one hundred and fifty-two fruits. Adding your earlier five, that\'s a total of two hundred and eighty-five. I\'ll take seventy percent, which means two hundred fruits for me, and the remaining eighty-five will be yours."

"…"

Alita Miller pressed her lips together, about to speak, but Dean Bruce cut her off. "If I hadn\'t used my magic to immobilize the Black Turtle, how many would you have managed to get?"

Her mouth twitched slightly, and although she wanted to argue, Alita Miller knew she couldn\'t match Dean Bruce\'s strength. She sighed in resignation and agreed to his terms.

Dean Bruce wasn\'t being overly greedy. After all, it was thanks to Alita Miller\'s help that they were able to gather so many Red Sun Fruits.

And besides, the two of them still had future collaborations to consider. Sharing a bit of the bounty with her now wouldn\'t hurt, and if necessary, he could always reclaim the advantage later.

With a look of reluctance, Alita Miller handed over the Red Sun Fruits to Dean Bruce. She knew he wouldn\'t go easy on her, so she wisely kept her complaints to herself.

After dividing the spoils, Dean Bruce and Alita Miller called Ace back and began making their way to the designated gathering point.

With the day\'s tasks completed, all that was left was to wait for nightfall and embark on the exploration of the new ruins.

On the way back, Alita Miller handed Ace a valuable item as a reward. Although the Red Sun Fruits were too precious to reveal, she compensated him with something else to maintain his loyalty.

Once they returned to the gathering spot, Dean Bruce and Alita Miller finally felt a sense of relief. Even if the Black Turtle or its mysterious master were to pursue them, they would have the strength of numbers to defend themselves.

Horton Martin also breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that any unforeseen event might disrupt their plans.

The group didn\'t engage in much conversation. They simply gathered together and waited for night to fall.

Taking advantage of the downtime, Dean Bruce consumed both the Ginseng Fruit and the Kiwi Fruit, aiming to boost his strength as much as possible.

While a 10-point increase in physical constitution might seem modest, the effects were quite pronounced.

Dean Bruce could feel his muscles and bones becoming more resilient, and even his skin grew noticeably tougher. Injuries that previously would have pierced his skin now would at most leave a slight red mark.

He also used the Blank Spellbook to merge with the Polymorph spell he had obtained earlier. After using it, Dean Bruce successfully comprehended the spell.

Unfortunately, this method of comprehension didn\'t grant him the tenfold insight and power he had hoped for. His understanding of the spell was merely on par with Horton Martin\'s.

Having sorted through his various treasures and items, Dean Bruce began to strategize for the future. [With the Annihilation Blood Nail, I don\'t need to fear powerful opponents. At the very least, I can hold them off for a while. The Incendiary Grenade is effective against groups, so even if we succeed in the ruins, I don\'t have to worry about Alita Miller and her group turning on us.]

[As for the Entangling Magic Scroll and the Intermediate Pet Blood Contract, those can be used against mid-tier beasts. The Decoy Scarecrow is a good safeguard, so I should be safe enough. Still, I need to stay cautious!]

[They say Notting City is a backwater town, yet I encountered a Seventh-Level beast. Who knows what greater dangers might lurk within the ruins? I need to be on guard!]

[Oh, and I still have that diluted dragon\'s blood. I wonder if it can be used to upgrade the Dragonheart Pendant?]

Without hesitation, Dean Bruce decided to fuse the diluted dragon blood with the Dragonheart Pendant.

Since everything was being done within the system, there was no outward sign of the process, and Dean Bruce didn\'t have to worry about being interrupted.

Soon, the crisp sound of the system\'s notification echoed in his ears.

"Ding!"

"System Alert: Congratulations, Host, on successfully using the diluted dragon\'s blood to upgrade the Dragonheart Pendant. You have obtained an SS-tier treasure—Dragonheart Pendant!"

[Dragonheart Pendant—SS-tier Treasure]

[Trait 1: For every 60 seconds the Dragonheart Pendant is worn, the wearer\'s mana is permanently increased by 2 points.]

[Trait 2: Increases the host\'s affinity with fire elements by 40%, enhancing the power and effectiveness of fire-based spells by 40%.]

[Trait 3: Reduces the damage taken from fire-element spells by 40% when the host is targeted by such magic.]

All three effects had received a significant upgrade, leaving Dean Bruce thoroughly satisfied. With these enhancements, even if he couldn\'t cultivate in the traditional sense, it wouldn\'t take long for him to break through to the Archmage level.

When that time came, with the combination of various magical systems and his tenfold comprehension and power, he would have sufficient means to protect himself, unless he encountered a top-tier opponent.

[Speaking of which, I have to thank Lucy Michelle for successfully comprehending Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain today. The rewards I received from that were substantial. Otherwise, I would\'ve had to waste more time dealing with that Black Turtle!]

[That girl may be slow in her comprehension, but the rewards are much richer. Not bad at all. Tsk, tsk, those two sisters—Lucy and Michelle—not only are they good-looking and attentive, but they also have decent talent. Next time, I\'ll have to see if I can trick them into learning a few more spells!]

Having made up his mind, Dean Bruce focused on mastering the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain spell. He was particularly curious as to why this spell was deemed to have the potential to advance to a forbidden spell.

As it turned out, Lucy Michelle\'s interpretation of those phrases had indeed divided them into various elemental attributes. However, in this world, the concept of "Forest" as an elemental attribute didn\'t exist. Instead, she interpreted it as "plants."

"Swift as the Wind" was understood as concentrating wind elements at one\'s feet to increase movement speed, making the caster\'s movements too fast for the enemy to track, effectively dodging incoming attacks.

"Steady as the Forest" was interpreted by Lucy Michelle as the ability to connect with nature, drawing continuous strength from the environment, similar to how plants sustain themselves. Although she misunderstood the original meaning of "steady" and didn\'t recognize "Forest" as an element, her interpretation accidentally imbued the spell with the ability to heal.

"Fierce as Fire" was the simplest of all. It involved harnessing fire elements to launch relentless attacks, leaving the enemy no room to breathe.

"Immovable as a Mountain" meant that the caster could remain motionless, yet become as solid as a mountain, capable of withstanding any assault.