Reborn as an Extra Chapter 602: Let’s Go Home. Part-2.

Rio received a warm and hospitable welcome at the elderly dwarf's dwelling.

They not only served him some freshly prepared homemade tea, but also offered him a comfortable seat to unwind and relax briefly within their cozy home!

’Sigh... Months have flown by since I last sank into a plush sofa or a soft bed... I truly miss that luxurious bed in Lia’s chamber back at the Silver Mansion...’

Rio's previous instance of genuine rest happened right here in this house, just before he set off for the Spirit Realm the very next day.

Within the spirit realm, Rio limited himself to quick ten-minute meditation pauses at the very most; beyond those, he skipped all forms of sleep or relaxation completely!

Being a formidable S-ranker capable of harnessing miasma as his power source and replenishing his mental and spiritual fatigue by extracting a monster’s soul essence and infusing it into his own body, Rio truly required no sustenance or slumber.

Because of this ability, he pressed forward relentlessly for half a year without so much as a breath, a wink of sleep, or a bite to eat!

All that time, he sustained himself solely on miasma and mana, nearly erasing from memory the sensation of a full eight hours of deep sleep!

The spirit realm brimmed with ferocious monsters and perils around every corner, leaving Rio unable to lower his defenses for even the briefest moment, especially with that sinister Raika prowling about unchecked.

Even once Rio confined Raika, he still found no chance to rest, his mind wholly consumed with devising some method to rescue Ellie.

And when he finally pulled off Ellie’s salvation using his freshly created skill, ’Soul Merge,’ the ’laws’ of the ’world’ aided his breakthrough into the subsequent realm.

This breakthrough instantly purged every trace of weariness and strain from his physique and psyche amid the ascension process!

In mere minutes, Rio was restored to his absolute prime state, eliminating any urge to catch some sleep.

’Sigh... Lately, life has been utterly chaotic... It’s been ages since I managed a solid, extended break...’

To start, Rio suffered severe wounds during the Spire of Ascension fiasco, followed by months of labor tracking down fugitives and assisting in the awakening of Ashtel and Jin.

After that, he plunged into an absolute nightmare dimension to extract Liam and Ellie, with the ordeal dragging on endlessly for six whole months!

Events piled up relentlessly one after the other, denying Rio even the slightest opportunity for a quick breather!

’Ugh... How can I possibly lead a serene, joyful existence like this?...’

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Rio let out a sigh, took a sip of the tea Kehrid had brewed, and employed his telekinesis to retrieve a compact box crafted from dragon scales, setting it down on the table.

"Thank you for such a gracious reception... here, I’ve fetched those uncommon ores you requested... sourced straight from the spirit realm..."

"However, keep in mind that nearly everything in the spirit realm carries heavy taint from miasmic corruption, so handle these with extreme caution..."

Kehrid felt both astonishment and alarm upon detecting the potent corruptive energy emanating from the tiny box.

"Hold on... this feel... did you fashion this holder from shadow dragon scales!? Incredible! You really crossed paths with an actual shadow dragon and somehow retrieved a fragment of its scale!"

"That material outshines any ore harvested from the spirit realm in value, you realize!"

Kehrid beamed with delight over the priceless item Rio had delivered, yet he refrained from handling the box carelessly or unsealing it without proper safeguards.

Given the intense miasmic energy seeping from it, Kehrid recognized that it housed something extraordinarily potent.

"W-what exactly is inside... the miasmic aura it’s emitting feels incredibly thick..."

In response to the query, Rio rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly and answered,

"Truth is, I searched for ores, but as you’re aware, miasma taints even the soil and stones; there wasn’t anything worthwhile left to retrieve..."

"Therefore... the only items I managed to carry back were several ’Miasmic Crystals’..."

Kehrid teetered on the edge of toppling from his seat and passing out from the overwhelming surprise at Rio’s revelation!

"You retrieved what!??!"

"Miasmic crystals!?"

Kehrid sprang into action without delay, swiftly inscribing countless seals upon the diminutive container; he additionally summoned multiple spatial anchors and temporal sealing devices to lock the box down securely with layers upon layers of protections!

It was only after completing these measures that Kehrid at last mopped the beads of cold sweat from his brow and uttered in a fatigued voice.

"Kiddo, you’re truly an astonishing oddity... not just keeping the infamous ’Sword of Absolute Destruction’ close at hand, but also mastering an untamable relic like the cube of possibilities..."

"Now you’ve hauled out ’miasmic crystals’ too!? You’ve got nerves of pure iron!"

"Those gems possess the power to unleash catastrophic damage and could eradicate multiple cities from existence in mere moments, you know!"

"And you carried them around in your pockets the whole journey! Such audacity!"

Rio managed only a sheepish grin in the face of all that effusive acclaim.

"Uh... yeah, I needed to repay you somehow for borrowing the cube... So, does the compensation please you or not?"

In reply to Rio’s inquiry, Kehrid bobbed his head vigorously; a broad grin spread across his features.

"Absolutely, I love it! Stumbling upon miasmic crystals is akin to striking the grand jackpot! It ranks among the priciest and scarcest resources across the globe!"

"Lending you the cube was a fortunate decision after all!"

Rio found it unexpected that Kehrid took such immense joy in merely a handful of miasmic crystals.

’Well, since they tend to detonate unpredictably, they probably don’t persist in the physical realm under normal circumstances... which renders them scarce and costly...’

’On second thought... I could produce them whenever I please these days... maybe I ought to peddle them for gain?... That could turn me into an instant millionaire?’

As these notions raced through Rio’s thoughts, he directed his telekinesis to set the cube onto the table next to the miasmic crystals’ holder.

"Since we’re on the topic of the cube, take it... it’s yours again; appreciate you loaning it out..."

The cube of possibilities stood as an undeniably mighty artifact, yet it wasn’t Rio’s possession—he had merely borrowed it from Kehrid temporarily.

And as Rio had no desire to provoke a top-tier SS-ranker over something as trivial as an artifact, he handed it over promptly.