Chapter 44: Another difficult task

The Grimclaw Bear’s corpse lay motionless on the ground.

Kael remained crouched beside it, staring at the enormous body with a growing sense of uncertainty.

He had defeated the thing, the problem was what came afterward.

In Eclipse Hearts, monsters had been wonderfully convenient. Defeat one, and its valuable materials would either appear in a loot window or automatically become available for collection. There was never any blood, messy dissection, or awkward question about where exactly a monster’s valuable organs were located.

Reality, unfortunately, had none of those conveniences.

Kael slowly raised his sword.

"All right. Let’s see if I remember this correctly."

He wasn’t completely clueless. The Grimclaw Bear was a monster he had encountered countless times in the game. He knew that its claws, hide, fangs, and especially its Core were valuable materials.

What he didn’t know was how to remove them from an actual corpse without ruining them.

Kael stared at the bear’s thick fur.

"Alright this will be my first time."

Kael sighed and got to work.

He started with the claws.

The first attempt immediately reminded him that game mechanics and reality were two very different things. The claws were firmly attached to the monster’s paws, and cutting through the surrounding tissue required considerably more effort than Kael had expected.

After several careful cuts, he finally managed to separate one.

He held it up.

The claw was almost as long as his hand and considerably heavier than it looked. Its dark surface had a faint metallic sheen that caught the light from the moon.

Kael turned it over in his fingers.

"Okay. That’s definitely useful."

He placed it beside him and continued.

The process was slow. Kael had to work carefully around the valuable parts, using the edge of his sword whenever possible and relying on his memories of the game’s material descriptions to determine what was worth keeping.

"Should I really do this?"

"But well, the examination also required valuable materials. I’m sure the materials from this beast were all valuables."

The hide was too large and cumbersome to take with him, so he cut away several smaller sections from the thickest areas instead.

The fangs were easier.

The Core was the most important.

Kael eventually found it deep within the monster’s chest.

When he pulled it free, he paused. A small crimson crystal rested in his palm. It was roughly the size of a plum, but the amount of energy contained inside it was immediately noticeable. Faint mana pulsed beneath its surface like a tiny heartbeat.

Kael stared at it.

"That’s a Beast Core."

Even after everything he had experienced tonight, the sight still fascinated him.

This was one of the fundamental laws of this world. Monsters could naturally accumulate magical energy within their bodies, eventually forming a Beast Core.

Kael brought it closer to his eyes.

The crystal gave off a faint warmth.

"Not bad."

He wasn’t sure the exact value of a Grimclaw Bear Core right now, but it was definitely worth something. More importantly, materials from stronger monsters could be used for alchemy, equipment enhancement, and various magical applications.

Kael carefully wrapped the Core in cloth and placed it inside his coat. He looked at the remaining corpse.

"I think that’s enough."

Trying to carry the entire bear back would have been ridiculous.

Kael took another cloth for the remaining materials he gathered. When all the work was finally done, he stood and stretched his shoulders.

His body immediately protested.

Kael winced.

"Tsk. Butchering was definitely another difficult task."

But the main reason for his aching body was the battle.

The fight had drained him more than he initially realized. The mana enhancement had made a significant difference, but maintaining it had also consumed his energy at a frightening rate. His breathing had finally settled, yet his arms and legs still felt heavy.

Kael looked at his hands. He got excited after thinking about the mana. He tried circulating the mana again.

The energy responded almost immediately. It flowed from his Hero Core and spread through his body, following the pathways which were commonly known as mana channels.

Kael concentrated for a few seconds.

The faint glow became slightly stronger.

He smiled.

"At least I’m not imagining it."

This was real.

His Hero Core had a significant breakthrough.

Kael lowered his hand and distinguished the mana. Then he looked toward the forest. The surroundings had become unnaturally quiet.

The Grimclaw Bear had been loud enough earlier. It either attracted other beasts or scared them away. He believed the weaker ones got scared by it and the stronger ones got attracted. However, speaking of stronger, there weren’t really many beasts around this area that would be stronger than the Grimclaw Bear.

Kael glanced toward the direction of the campsite.

"I should head back."

Kael carried the materials with him.

He quickly checked his surroundings one last time before moving.

The walk back to the campsite was considerably easier than he expected.

Although Kael was finally able to summon mana, his fighting style wouldn’t change overnight. His swordsmanship and physical conditioning were still the foundation of his combat ability, while his mana was another tool he could add to that foundation, not something that could replace everything else.

Kael still needs to learn some useful magic ability or spells. So far, his mana could only help him temporarily boost his combat capacity.

He reached the campsite several minutes later.

As he stepped through the trees, he noticed Quinn waiting above him. The small white spider was clinging to a branch, its bluish markings faintly glowing beneath the moonlight.

"Qiu."

Quinn waved one of its tiny legs.

Kael looked up.

"How are things here?"

"Qiu."

The spider crawled down the branch and landed on Kael’s shoulder.

He glanced at it.

"I see. That’s good. Thanks for guarding the camp, Quinn."

The white spider tilted its head.

"Qiu!"

Quinn raised its front legs.

Kael smiled.

The bonfire had burned down considerably.

Mira was asleep near the center of the camp, with her medical supplies carefully organized beside her. Elias was lying against his rolled-up blanket with his bow within arm’s reach.

Darius had fallen asleep near the edge of the campsite.

None of them had noticed the battle.

Kael quietly stepped into the camp.

Quinn immediately crawled from his shoulder toward a nearby branch. But Kael caught it gently before it could disappear.

"Not yet."

Quinn looked at him.

Kael pointed toward the sleeping members of Team 37.

"There is still time before the others’ turn to guard. Let’s keep watching for a bit."

"Qiu."

Quinn nodded.

Kael then released it.

The spider climbed onto the nearest branch and settled there, its eyes fixed on the surrounding forest.

Kael smiled.

He didn’t expect Quinn to be so useful in this examination.

He then stored the materials inside his backpack.

Only after that did he realize something. His hands were covered in blood.

Kael looked at them.

"...Right."

He had completely forgotten.

He walked toward the nearby stream.

The cold water immediately washed the blood from his hands. He also splashed some water onto his face.

"Butchering for materials is a pain."

He stood and returned to the campsite. Instead of immediately sleeping, Kael sat down near the dying fire.

He couldn’t stop thinking about his Hero Core.

The breakthrough had happened during meditation, which meant Kael had absorbed a considerable amount of spiritual energy from the surrounding area.

Still, Kael suspected there was more to it than simply absorbing a large amount of energy.

One of the biggest reasons his cultivation had been able to gather enough spiritual energy for a breakthrough was probably his breathing technique. The technique made the absorption process far more efficient, allowing him to draw in spiritual energy at a better rate instead of relying on little by little absorption. More importantly, it seemed to multiply the effectiveness of his cultivation, letting him quicken his cultivation.

Then there was the First Principle of the Moonlit Blade.

Kael had only experimented with it during meditation because he was curious about how it interacted with his cultivation. The result had been surprisingly effective. Every time he initiated the technique, it felt as though a concentrated bundle of spiritual energy was being drawn directly into his body. But even with such effect, surprisingly, there was no discomfort or resistance. The energy simply flowed through him and merged with the spiritual energy he had already gathered.

It was almost like having two separate methods working together.

The breathing technique improved the efficiency and acted as the multiplier for his cultivation, while the First Principle of the Moonlit Blade provided an additional boost to the amount of spiritual energy he absorbed.

Kael could not say exactly how much each technique contributed to his breakthrough, but the results were difficult to ignore.

If his calculations were even roughly correct, the breathing technique had effectively doubled the efficiency of his cultivation, while the First Principle of the Moonlit Blade added another significant bonus on top of that.

No wonder his Hero Core had finally reached a breakthrough.

Just after one night of meditation, the result was astonishing. Kael felt excited thinking about the future.

He sat near the bonfire. He looked toward his sleeping teammates. For a moment, he simply watched them.

Mira was sleeping peacefully. Elias had somehow managed to sleep with one hand still resting near his bow, while Darius was snoring quietly enough that Kael almost smiled.

They had no idea what had happened.

Kael wasn’t sure whether he should tell them. The fact that he could now use mana was important, but there was no reason to make a big announcement about it.

Kael shook his head.

"Nah. Forget it."

He looked toward the forest.

"They’ll eventually find out."

For now, Kael was content to keep it that way.

He arrived in this world being known as the weakest student. Tonight, for the first time, he had taken another step away from what he was before.

It wasn’t enough to change everything. But it was another good start. Kael rested his sword beside him and watched the fire.

The wilderness examination still had several days left. And now, he had one more weapon at his disposal.