100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? Chapter 510 - Fruit

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Previously on 100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full?...
Lucien leaves Moltsage with the Liberators while he oversees the mass production of communication devices, accelerating the process with his own powers. The second wave of devices is prepared for sale, prompting warnings of increased competition and potential danger from rival powers. Meanwhile, Moltsage begins rigorous training under Astraea, and Lucien sees off the second merchant caravan, now heavily guarded by ancient beasts and including Sylvia and Edric. The focus then shifts to constructing mass production machinery and a vast instant teleportation array, which Lucien plans to test by traveling to the Starforge's conquered world to see Lilith.
Lilith lingered in Starforge’s newly conquered world within the void, long after Lucien had been returned to his home dimension. Initially, she offered the explanation to the others that her intention was to hone her skills and grow more powerful. While that statement held a degree of truth, it was not the complete story. The deeper reality was considerably less pleasant. The moment Lucien perished, a profound and damaging shift occurred within her, so intense that even recalling it now brought a sharp ache to her chest. It wasn't solely grief that consumed her; it was a crushing sense of helplessness, a bitter pill that wounded her pride and refused to fade. The most agonizing part was the uncertainty regarding her desire to return. What if her return yielded only silence? What if she discovered their efforts to revive Lucien had been in vain? What if she had to witness their sorrow for someone she couldn't even manage to shield?This pervasive fear anchored her to the void world. It was fear, coupled with something else—something far more humbling.The initial seeds of this humiliation had been sown long before Lucien’s demise, dating back to her very first encounter with Seran and his companions. That meeting was when Lilith truly grasped the vast disparity between them. They discussed matters unknown to her, spoke of worlds she’d never witnessed, and introduced concepts from alien lives, memories predating their current existence. They referenced systems, cheats, peculiar idioms, ingrained habits, gut feelings, inside jokes, and sorrows shaped by a reality she couldn't fathom because she hadn't been born into it.They were reincarnators; she was not. They possessed another origin; she did not.Even Eirene, whom Lilith had long regarded as a rival, held an advantage she lacked. When the world collectively forgot Lucien, and Eirene transformed into a Lunarian to desperately restore his memory within their hearts, Lilith understood with heart-wrenching clarity that there were depths to the others, connections she could never bridge through sheer power alone. They shared bonds with Lucien that she couldn't replicate. She had only herself: her physical form, her innate talent, her unyielding stubbornness, and her pride. As a Solhorn, her strength had always been a source of immense pride. But as a woman—that pride proved less effective. Strength could shield a man, fight alongside him in the heat of battle, and stand as an equal in times of war. Yet, could it inspire his love?That question began as a faint whisper.It soon festered into a painful wound.Many nights, Lilith sat alone in the conquered world, the question gnawing at her ribs like a living entity. She had always abhorred admitting vulnerability, even to herself. Nevertheless, love possessed a peculiar ability to drag a person toward truths she’d rather obliterate than acknowledge.She cared for Lucien. No. That simple word had long proven insufficient. She yearned to be noticed by him, to be chosen by him, to stand before him without the gnawing comparison to every other woman in his orbit. Because she harbored these desires, insecurity began to flourish where her pride had once resided undisturbed.She detested it. She despised the way her thoughts constantly drifted to the others: Eirene, with her gentle, enigmatic nature and an ancient quality Lilith could never match; the elemental women, each possessing a unique affinity with him; those who remembered another world alongside him; those who could articulate aspects of him she couldn’t even identify. In comparison, Lilith felt crushingly ordinary.Beauty had never been a significant concern for her prior to this. Then, she started questioning whether she should have been more attractive, softer in demeanor, or possessed a different kind of intelligence. And that very thought was what ultimately shattered her pride. For the first time in her life, Lilith didn’t feel like a warrior striving to overcome an adversary; instead, she felt like a woman terrified of simply not being enough.She informed Eirene that her desire was to remain in the conquered world for training. This was true. However, it was also a fabrication. The more complete truth was her longing for a place to conceal herself. If she immersed herself in rigorous training, perhaps the void within her heart might subside. If she pushed her physical limits far enough, perhaps the fear could transform into something pure. If she attained sufficient strength, perhaps the answers to all these burning questions would become irrelevant.And so, Lilith trained. She trained until the passage of time dissolved into an indistinguishable haze of exertion, sweat, injuries, and an intensely focused purpose. She drove her Law of Forging to new limits, pushed her physical capabilities further, and delved into the peculiar materials of the conquered void world until even her dreams were permeated with the scent of ore, heat, and sharpened essence.The Beloved Bastion had failed to protect Lucien. That grim reality never left her.Consequently, she dedicated herself to creating something that would not falter again—something capable of standing against a Primordial Incarnation. This world significantly aided that singular obsession.The planet was abundantly rich with exotic metals and minerals, unlike anything she had ever encountered. It was here that they had discovered the primary components for the Abyssal Core Shards, and these shards had already demonstrated their potent ability to accelerate comprehension.Lilith employed them without restraint....Months elapsed in this manner.And she underwent a transformation.

Her forging skills grew more precise, her comprehension deepened, and her cultivation realm advanced. The very essence of the world, its materials, bestowed upon her resilience, profound insight, and novel perspectives on structural integrity under immense strain.

However, even as her powers expanded, a new sense of suspicion began to take root within her.

This world held secrets.

Its nature was far too peculiar.

Consequently, during her training, Lilith started exploring further afield.

Between her forging endeavors and legal proceedings, she embarked on tours across the subdued lands.

Initially, it was merely a stir of curiosity.

This then evolved into a consuming fixation.

Eventually, it transformed into an all-encompassing obsession.

And in time, the world itself began to respond.

An additional month elapsed before she first sensed it.

A distinct pull.

Lilith halted, her eyes narrowing.

Something within this realm was beckoning to her.

Or perhaps, not beckoning.

Perhaps, responding.

She couldn't ascertain which possibility unnerved her more.

Could it be the consequence of prolonged exposure to the world's materials? Had her meticulously crafted forging laws somehow synchronized with an ancient, hidden principle? Or had obsession itself, in its purest form, unlocked a hidden key?

Whatever the underlying cause, the sensation only intensified as she followed its guidance.

Her movement through the world was tentative at first, then grew with burgeoning certainty, until the persistent pull guided her towards one of the deepest mining sectors. This was the identical, vast excavation site from which Starforge had once extracted the principal components essential for the creation of Abyssal Core Shards.

The yawning maw of the unearthed mine welcomed her, resembling the gaping entrance of some colossal, subterranean beast.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lilith stepped inside.

She ventured down through the remnants of ancient excavation tunnels, relentlessly following the intensifying pressure, delving deeper and deeper.

By then, her heart had already begun to pound with accelerated vigor.

...

Ultimately, the magnetic pull led her to what appeared to be an insurmountable dead end.

A solid, natural stone formation.

Standing before it, Lilith knew with unshakeable certainty that this was not the true end.

The immense pressure was at its absolute peak right here.

She pressed her hand against the rock face, allowing her Law of Forging to permeate its structure, attempting to force the wall aside through sheer comprehension and will.

Yet, nothing yielded.

Her gaze became piercingly sharp.

Then, without expending precious energy on surprise, she commenced her work.

Initially, she employed tools. Subsequently, she utilized her Law. Then came raw, brute force. Finally, she resorted to meticulous structural chipping, targeting minute areas where the stone exhibited the subtlest signs of internal stress.

Days bled into one another.

Lilith did not falter.

On the seventh day, the barrier finally fractured.

The final section crumbled inward, and the pressure from beyond surged forth with such sudden ferocity that she nearly lost her balance.

Then, her eyes beheld the reality of what lay within.

A colossal hollow within the earth unfurled before her.

The sheer scale was beyond comprehension.

And precisely at the heart of this concealed world—

Lilith's breath hitched in her throat.

A single, colossal segment of bark was deeply embedded in the cavernous ground, rising like the solitary remnant of a tree so ancient that comprehending its original, full stature felt utterly impossible. It emanated a pressure that caused every instinct within her being to tense to its limit.

She recognized that pressure.

Or more accurately, she recognized something terrifyingly similar to it.

The Law of Creation.

And that, astonishingly, was not the most improbable aspect.

For from that ancient bark grew a solitary fruit.

A single, radiant fruit. So brimming with vibrant life force that it appeared less like something that had grown and more like life itself, condensed into tangible form.

Lilith remained transfixed.

A mere segment of bark should not bear fruit. Not in such a manner.

Yet, there it undeniably was.

She began to move towards it.

Or at least, she attempted to.

The instant she crossed a certain threshold, the formidable pressure intensified dramatically. Her movements became sluggish. Her breathing grew labored. Even possessing strength at the Celestial level, she found herself incapable of progressing towards the bark with any semblance of ease.

Lilith clenched her jaw, determination hardening her features.

Then, she exerted herself once more.

And once more, she failed.

A wave of helplessness washed over her with such swift and vicious intensity that, for one sharp, agonizing moment, a scream threatened to escape her lips.

So weak.

She was still so weak.

Weak enough that she couldn't even approach a lifeless piece of bark within a hidden realm.

Weak enough that the chasm between her desires and her current reach still cruelly mocked her.

That deeply ingrained vulnerability reopened.

The burning need to attain greater strength. The imperative to reach beyond her current grasp. The necessity to cease being outpaced by things she could not comprehend.

Her obsession reignited with full force.

Lilith pushed forward again.

One deliberate step. Then another. Followed by a third.

She trained within that oppressive space. She faltered there. She collapsed there. She rose anew there.

Repeatedly, endlessly.

The pressure fiercely resisted her every endeavor. The fruit quivered upon the bark. She persisted, unwavering. She continued to resist. She kept pushing, as if sheer force of will alone possessed the power to rewrite the fundamental laws governing their proximity.

And then—

a subtle shift occurred.

The fruit responded.

Lilith became utterly still.

It vibrated once, then again, as if acknowledging not her physical strength, but the sheer, concentrated intensity of her unyielding desire to shatter her own limitations.

She took another determined step forward.

The fruit twitched on the bark.

Lilith's eyes widened in astonishment.

She dared not even blink.

Summoning her resolve, she propelled herself forward once more, pushing against the oppressive pressure.

At that precise moment—

The fruit detached itself.

For the span of a single breath, it remained suspended in mid-air.

Then, it moved.

It flew directly towards Lilith's outstretched hand.

...

She gazed at it, utterly speechless.

For the first time in days, perhaps even weeks, her mind offered no coherent thought.

Only a profound, stunned silence.

Now that it rested securely within her palm, the truth became undeniably clear.

This fruit had been the source of the call, beckoning her.

She could distinctly feel the nascent connection now.

Lilith's gaze sharpened. Not a second was wasted as she pivoted and exited the hollow. She emerged back onto the surface first. It was only once she found herself under the vast, open sky once more that she finally settled into a cross-legged position, presenting the fruit before her. The mere aroma radiating from it possessed a palpable strength, and its peel glimmered with an vibrancy that defied reality. Lilith observed it for an extended period. Then, without any delay— she took a bite. The instant the fruit's flesh met her tongue, a surge of power, more potent than anything she had ever experienced, erupted throughout her entire body.