The slime retreated back a few steps while checking his surroundings, ignoring Lucan.
Lucan wasted no time as he flew away, healing himself using that instant. He was rushing towards his spaceship.
The slime was still hesitant because he was expecting the Great Lord to appear anytime now.
Lucan reached the spaceship using this bought time, and he took off with no delay.
The slime found out that this was Lucan's bluff to buy time; his veins popped and his brows furrowed.
He instantly teleported beside the flying spaceship. Lucan pulled the handle up.
The slime tried to teleport inside, but his reaction time wasn't quick enough.
So he teleported in front of the spaceship and spread his hands, blocking Lucan's escape.
But Lucan's eyes glowed brighter, like it was the moment he had been waiting for all eternity.
He grinned wide as he pulled the handle so hard that it broke off. The spaceship flashed as lightning and rumbled like thunder.
The slime's expression turned pale as he immediately tried to defend himself with the love crystal.
But surprisingly, nothing happened as he was crushed into paste. The love crystal had multiple cracks.
Both of their expressions were completely contradicting each other.
Lucan had a faint smile and curled-up lips.
The slime clenched his hands as he healed himself.
Lucan shifted the gear and turned around. He had no more control over the speed; it was at its max.
The slime dodged him and shouted, "Shameless kid! Weren't you just fleeing?".
But Lucan started laughing crazily.
The slime's gaze shifted towards the love crystal; it was shattered into thin fragments, turning invisible.
The love crystal was destroyed.
The spaceship was unmarked. Lucan's laughter ceased as it turned into his trademark grin.
The slime was heartbroken. His love crystal was broken; it was his only hope left to meet her.
His eyes turned red and water filled them. His hands pierced the ground as it bulged deeper.
He asked, "Why? Why did you destroy it? You could have at least refined it back into yours."
Lucan snorted, "Hmph! If I had attempted that, the gains are huge, but so are the risks. Destroying it was indeed a disadvantage to me. But that is if I am destined to get the crystal. What are the odds of you not getting it? Your chances are much higher than mine."
The slime begged, "Please help me meet her—"
Lucan teleported beside him, stabbing through his chest.
The slime coughed out blood, but Lucan stabbed repeatedly using both his hands. The slime shifted his gaze towards Lucan.
"Is... this how... your hesitations you mentioned are like... and your non-cold side?"
Lucan spoke, "Hehe! It is still fighting me mentally, but my physical control over the body is never threatened at all!"
The slime laid down, shutting his baggy eyes. He said, "Well, in the end, I still failed, even at my 2nd and last chance! Hahaha!"
Lucan landed his final blow and verified his death. The slime had finally perished, taking his last breath.
Lucan was panting heavily. He was painted in blood as he fell down, getting fully exhausted.
He had nearly died two times during this fight.
Lucan sighed, "Hmm! I am too weak. I have almost died multiple times since I left Earth! But now my losses are not low anyway. I lost my crystal of betrayal, my crucial intel about this place, my cosmic energy... But right now, I am at one of the happiest moments in my life! Because I am alive! Being alive is my greatest gain ever, which could never be replaced by any gains!"
Suddenly, he saw a strange sight. The slime's body was getting disintegrated into the ground, sinking down.
Lucan quickly flew ahead and analyzed him. He found out that as the slime died, his lifespan was getting absorbed by the place.
"Lifespan increasing location!" Lucan's eyes widened.
Lucan started deducing as he also counted the decrease in the lifespan of the slime.
"10 years... 50 years... 100 years... 300 years... 485 years and A FEW HOURS? He did not fully lose 500 years because he had already lived a few years (25 years). The few hours? Where did they come from?"
His thoughts went back to the beginning.
"First, he got revived by me, hehe! It was a lie anyway; nobody can revive the dead until the fate crystal exists. I had just kept him alive because of my intuition, but to think he would actually threaten my life, hmm! I have to be more careful from now on. Next, I asked him to walk. He did for a few hours, then we dug underground. Later, he got annoyed. He took the risk of converting his life energy into cosmic energy, and later he refined the love crystal and almost killed me before getting killed."
Lucan had three doubts. One was that because of his walk, he gained lifespan; it seemed like the most logical one.
Next was when he started converting his life energy into cosmic energy; this was also possible because there was a direct interaction between his lifespan and the place.
Last was during the refinement process; the mysteriousness of each crystal spoke for itself.
Lucan checked his own lifespan, but he wasn't able to find it out. He frowned, "This might be the limitation imposed on me by this place."
Lucan went into deep thought for a few minutes before deciding to try all three.
There was nothing to lose except for his time, but his lifespan would increase anyway, nullifying that loss.
Lucan walked forward without stopping even for a moment. He was also converting his life energy into cosmic energy bit by bit, patiently.
Because as long as he doesn't use this cosmic energy, it can be restored back as life energy with ease.
But for the last method of refining a crystal, he kept it aside for now. He does not have pride like the Great Lord or love like this slime.
Betrayal can be refined easily, but there was only himself alone in the entire place; he cannot betray anyone to lose focus.
Although he could refine the crystal of insanity, he can't turn insane now as he had to maintain composure to stabilize his life energy.
The crystal of calmness was the most possible option right now.
Of course, any other new crystals could be refined, but he didn't have enough intel about them, so he put them away.
He decided to try refining the crystal of calmness. There was a Vice Lord from the organization who could actually shatter his hope.
But Lucan knew that the organization would kill him for just a small mistake or failure, so he was likely dead by now.
He continued to walk.
Hours passed... Days passed... Weeks passed... Months passed.
Lucan had long, fluttering hair covering his eyes.
His legs should usually feel numb after facing so much pain, but he used cosmic energy to ease it.
With cosmic energy, he easily restored his firmer hairstyle.
Lucan spoke, "Hmm! Cosmic energy is really useful. If I was on Earth, I could literally take control over the entire world. I can do anything at my own will, hehe! But I don't care about it; it is just pointless and useless to do so."
Lucan suddenly remembered something as he sat down to have some rest. He said, "My birthday is coming soon! I almost forgot it myself. Oh no! I have to send my golden butterfly to dad. He said he wanted to wish me and give me a gift? Hmm! I am turning 17, huh! A few more days! But how am I going to get my golden butterfly right now? If I go back to the spaceship, I can't return to this place to increase my lifespan."
It was from his earlier intuition and deducing.
"But I don't know how or why? I was able to return to this place after that fight with my spaceship, though. But who would reject benefits even if they come free?"