The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

An ocher crystal gleamed with a metallic sheen, its long, sharp spikes extending and retracting intermittently.

Liu Ji stared at it, swallowing nervously.

This was a pure earth elemental spirit.

This was clearly earth (element), yet it had a metallic luster and was covered in sharp spikes…

It looked painful to bite into, and chewing would probably be worse.

Noticing Liu Ji's constipated expression, Yaine asked, "Are you sure you can eat that? Don't choke on it. Cali's not here, and I won't be able to heal you."

"Uh, I'll be careful and have a tiny bite first…" Liu Ji said, cupping the pure elemental spirit and squatting down. Recalling the impulse he had when transforming into a burrowrat, Liu turned into a green armadillo of sorts.

Then, with tiny paws, he brought the pure elemental spirit to his mouth and took a small nibble.

Hmm…

Still, with some effort, Liu Ji could bite into it, though chewing was tougher; it was like gnawing on frozen meat.

More surprising was that although there wasn't any taste, Liu Ji, in his burrowrat form, found it strangely "delicious." It was like he was driven by a physiological craving.

Slowly but steadily, Liu Ji gnawed at the entire pure elemental spirit, while Yaine gawked in amazement.

While this was an earth elemental spirit in name, earth encompassed all materials found in the ground. The four fundamental elements of water, fire, earth, and wind corresponded to life, destruction, land, and sky.

Thus, pure earth element couldn't be compared to ordinary rock. The metallic luster wasn't superficial either; an earth elemental spirit's hardness resembled well-tempered steel.

Yet, it had been consumed by Liu Ji just like that.

Are these little creatures' teeth that strong? Or did Liu Ji's transformation enhance even his bite strength?

While Yaine was pondering these questions, Liu Ji's form began to change. He took on a humanoid shape, his skin shimmering with the same metallic luster as the earth elemental spirit.

Liu Ji tried moving his newly formed limbs, and he immediately came to a conclusion—it wasn't as strong as the desert manifestation form.

Seemed like compared to pure elemental spirits, Myza was still way more awesome.

However, Liu Ji was now able to sense the densely concentrated pure elemental spirits in the walls of these structures. Moreover, he could accurately distinguish the differences between earth and water elements.

Liu Ji found water elemental spirits seemingly affable and lively; communicating with them was easy, but without sustained directions, water elemental spirits would disperse very quickly.

Earth elemental spirits, on the other hand, were a complete contrast. Stubborn and inert; requiring effort to communicate with but were steadfast once commanded.

Perhaps that was also the reason Yaine said that smashing through these walls would be difficult. However, that was the case when it was person to earth elemental spirit communication. Things weren't so complicated when one was an earth elemental spirit themself.

"Hey fellas, mind making way? I need to get through!" Liu Ji called out to the earth elemental spirits as if he were navigating through a crowded cafeteria.

After a moment, these earth elemental spirits grudgingly parted, creating a passage. Delighted, Liu Ji pulled Yaine through.

Once Liu Ji had passed through, these earth elemental spirits returned to their original positions, leaving no trace of their passage. It felt like a wall-hacking cheat.

Even Yaine was stunned. In human magic concepts, assuming control of elemental spirits belonging to another's magic was unheard of—because no one had transformed into an elemental spirit before.

Seeing its effectiveness, Liu Ji didn't hesitate and used the same cheating method to swiftly navigate through the layers of this maze.

On his 13th attempt, Liu Ji "opened" another wall and found himself face-to-face with over a dozen earthwalker giants and an endless army of earthwalker grunts behind. The sheer number and scale dwarfed the previous encounter.

"Sorry for the disturbance," Liu Ji muttered, then quickly retreated, scooping up Yaine and running back where they came from.

Their numbers were too much to handle, even if he was nearly indestructible. Facing such overwhelming force head-on wasn't an option…

As Liu Ji planned to retreat and regroup, the arch-shaped construct behind him split open, forming a massive gap. Giants and soldiers poured through, charging at them.

This was the enemy's home ground, and Liu Ji wasn't the only one with a cheat for breaking through walls.

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Elsewhere in the labyrinth, Osar, who was being led by the small potatoes came to a sudden halt, his ears twitching. "Hmm? Did you hear that?"

"Does it sound like activity outside?" Girunini said, pressing her ear to the wall. "But it's faint and hard to pinpoint with these soundproof structures."

"Mm, never mind. Let's just continue following these little ones." Osar sighed. The complex structure made it nearly impossible to trace the source of distant sounds.

Just as Osar was about to continue forward, he realized that the little potatoes had stopped moving. Following that, they heard strange sounds of activity again.

Gradually, it got louder, sounding like it was coming from in front of them.

No, it sounded like it was behind…

Osar had a bad feeling.

Osar's guesses were ascertained as it got closer. The sound of activity was simultaneously coming from their front and back.

Realizing they were surrounded, Osar quickly moved the little potatoes into his basket and tossed it into a corner. "Enemy attack! From both sides!"

"Ah, I know already!" Girunini responded, her eyes glowing red as she brandished her axe. "You guard that side, I'll take this! Don't let a single one through!"

"Rest assured. In this sort of setting, no one gets past me unless I'm dead," Osar said, his body swelling as golden waves rippled across his skin.

"Don't say such ominous stuff. If you can't hold, fall back, and I'll cover you," Girunini said as blood aura surged around her. "Stay alive, got it?"

"Of course." Osar, influenced by the blood energy, grinned.

As their exchange ended, earthwalker soldiers appeared on both sides, swarming forward in an endless tide.