CHAPTER 73: SPOILS AND SECRET

Caius stood over the motionless body, the faint smell of scorched stone and residual heat still clinging to the air. The training hall had fallen unnaturally quiet after the battle, and the only sound remaining was the faint hiss of cooling stone beneath the assassin's body. Caius lowered his blades and secured Nightdancer into its sheath before turning his attention toward the raised platform. The elders remained seated in stunned silence, their expressions revealing that none of them had expected the battle to end as quickly as it had. Their eyes moved between the fallen assassin and the boy who had defeated him.

Caius looked directly toward the leader of the house. "May I?"

The Patriarch stared down at him for a long moment, studying the calm expression in the boy's eyes. There was no excitement from victory and no hesitation after taking a life. Caius simply waited for permission. Finally, the Patriarch gave a slow nod.

"You may."

Neither the Patriarch nor Old Bones found the request unusual. Victorious warriors had claimed the possessions of fallen opponents since the founding of House Vel'drin. A warrior who survived a death match was entitled to whatever remained of the defeated opponent, whether that meant weapons, equipment, valuables, or even a trophy taken from the corpse. If Caius wished to strip the dead assassin of his gear or take something from the body for later study, no one present would question it.

Caius knelt beside the corpse.

His attention immediately passed over the dark elf's mana core. There was nothing of value there. He already understood that the cores of dark elves were fundamentally different from those of magical beasts. A beast's core could retain residual energy after death, making it possible to harvest or refine what remained. A dark elf's mana core, however, collapsed almost immediately when life left the body, dispersing its remaining energy into the surrounding environment. There was nothing for him to take.

Instead, Caius examined the assassin's head.

Near the crest of the skull, partially embedded within the bone, he noticed a faint crystalline formation. His eyes narrowed as he recognized its structure. It was a crown bead, and its shape and resonant signature were almost identical to the essence bead he had obtained from the Arachne princess.

Caius reached for his small utility blade and carefully worked it beneath the crystal. After several moments of delicate effort, the bead came loose from the bone. He held it between his fingers for a moment, studying the faint crimson glow before placing it safely away. He then reached for the assassin's storage pouch and removed it from the corpse before taking the dark elf's lone sword.

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The weapon was different from his own, but it was well made and carried the marks of countless battles. Whatever remained inside the storage pouch, along with the sword itself, could be traded or sold later. Caius made no attempt to inspect the contents in the training hall. He had no desire to remain there under the eyes of the elders any longer than necessary.

He rose to his feet and gave the Patriarch a brief, respectful nod before turning away. Without another word, he walked out of the training hall, leaving the elders behind with the body of the assassin and the questions his victory had created.

Later, in the privacy of his personal chamber, Caius locked the heavy stone door behind him. He sat cross-legged upon the floor and placed his spoils before him. The crown bead rested beside the assassin's sword and storage pouch, illuminated by the soft glow of the mana crystal mounted within the room.

Caius picked up the crown bead and held it beneath the light.

The crystal shimmered with a faint crimson hue. Its structure was almost identical to the Arachne essence bead he had previously absorbed, although its energy felt different. Caius activated Far Sight and carefully examined the energy contained within it, following the faint currents moving through the crystal.

"Refine or absorb?" Caius murmured.

He studied the bead for several more moments before shrugging. He had already developed a method for dealing with foreign energies, and there was little reason to hesitate now.

Caius closed his fingers around the crystal and began channeling his mana into it and used his refining and cultivation technique.

The Calamity Forge

The technique allowed Caius to safely refine external beast cores and essence cores instead of absorbing their raw energy directly. He circulated his personal mana through the foreign energy at extreme velocities, forcing the two energies into controlled contact without allowing the foreign power to spread unchecked through his body.

As the energies collided, the Black Core responded.

Violent friction developed between Caius's Black Core energy and the foreign essence. The pressure intensified until something darker began to form within the flow.

The Black Flame emerged.

It was not an ordinary flame. It was the product of the conflict between Caius's own Black Core and the foreign energy contained within the essence bead. The Black Flame burned through the remnants of the beast's will, instincts, and elemental impurities, separating what could be used from what would damage his body.

Caius remained completely still as the refinement continued.

The impurities that could not be absorbed were gradually destroyed and forced toward the surface of his body. Through his pores, the remnants were expelled as waste, leaving the purified energy behind.

That purified mana was then drawn inward.

Instead of dispersing through his meridians, it was gradually incorporated into the foundation of the Black Core. Each cycle strengthened the density of the core and increased the amount of energy it could contain. The refined essence became another layer within the core, permanently reinforcing it without allowing the foreign energy to corrupt his internal pathways.

Caius continued the process patiently.

The Calamity Forge was more than a method of absorbing power. It was a method of transforming foreign power into something that belonged to him.

The crown bead slowly lost its crimson glow.

Inside Caius, the Black Core grew denser.