As the golem disintegrated, the being behind it was revealed.

A large Black Feline creature.

The beast that stepped forward was more terrifying than the golem they had been moments away from dying to.

Its entire body was a void-black mass of sleek muscle and predatory grace. Its eyes—velvet slits of molten gold—cut through the air like blades, sharp enough to pierce straight into a person's soul. Around her body coiled a living harness of green vines, each strand twitching and tightening like hungry serpents. They slithered across her four-meter-tall, seven-meter-long frame, glowing faintly with pulsating life.

And atop her—

They hadn't even noticed him.

A young man sat casually on her back, as if none of them existed. He didn't spare Dale or the girls a glance. His focus was fixed entirely on the glowing core in Shyra's claws.

A message blinked in his eyes.

[Earthpulse Heartstone] – Intermediate Blue-tier Treasure

Charged - 57%

A smooth, milky-white core that emits a gentle, rhythmic pulse—almost like a slow heartbeat. Its energy feels pure, steady, and deeply grounded. When used in cultivation, it subtly reinforces a person's body constitution, strengthening bones, muscles, and internal channels with remarkable stability. When placed inside constructs or tools, it functions as an exceptionally efficient powercore, providing consistent output and impressive endurance. Its reserves rarely fluctuate, making it a prized and dependable treasure.

A… battery? Leo thought, raising an eyebrow.

He also noticed something else.

There was no kill notification for the golem.

<The Rock Golem is a puppeted construct, not an individual. Therefore, it is considered an extended limb of the puppet master and provides no experience.>

"Hm. So I just chopped off a limb instead of killing the body. Makes sense…" he muttered.

He rolled the Earthpulse Heartstone in his hand, feeling its soft thrum resonate through his palm. Shyra had handed it over gently—unusual for her predator-like demeanour.

"If it's a puppet master… why does it even need a treasure to power things? Couldn't it just control the golem directly?"

Then the logic snapped together.

"Wait—maybe it's to save mana. Direct control and powering it would be too demanding. But if the power supply is outsourced and he only needs to control movements, then it's way more efficient." Leo's expression darkened slightly. "But doesn't that mean he's running multiple golems at the same time?"

That thought carried weight. Enough weight to make him realise the opponent behind this was far from simple.

"But where is he getting these treasures…?" His eyes narrowed as he glanced in the direction of the golden beam, which was now very near.

"I think it's related to that…"

Before he could think further, Shyra suddenly shifted—her muscles tightening beneath her black fur, vines coiling defensively around her torso. She took a low battle stance, eyes locked forward. Leo followed her gaze.

Dale was approaching.

Dale and the girls had snapped out of their daze once they understood the monstrous creature wasn't going to harm them—especially with that strange, child-like nature creature hovering over Rys, its soft green glow visibly mending her wounds little by little. Their attention then fell on the youth sitting atop the beast—calm, unreadable, analysing the white, pulsing core as if they didn't exist.

Even half-dead, Dale forced himself upright. He had to thank the person who saved them. But when he got a proper look at the man, he froze. The girls did too, though exhaustion left them barely able to react.

How could they forget the man who had completely ignored their existence during their first encounter?

And even now… he barely acknowledged them.

"What is it?" Leo asked casually, noticing Dale go rigid.

"Uh… yeah. Thank you for saving us!" Dale said, bending into a full ninety-degree bow—so deep he coughed up a few drops of blood.

"Don't bother. It just leaves a bad taste to let people die in front of me," Leo replied, his voice dismissive… though his gaze sharpened on Dale. Clearly, he had more to say. Dale noticed this and fell silent.

"But I wonder…" Leo tilted his head slightly. "Why did you try to hit on me that day?"

Dale grimaced so hard his jaw almost cracked.

He holds the grudge!

And lying now—after being saved—would be both shameful and dangerous. If the truth came out later, Leo might decide he wasn't worth sparing twice. So Dale swallowed and revealed everything about being ordered to poach Lily.

Leo's brow furrowed, the faint movement enough to make Dale flinch. Right now, with all his beasts incapacitated and his body barely upright, his life was balanced on Leo's mood.

So he quickly added,

"It wasn't my decision! A higher-up sent me. I swear I won't pursue you or her anymore! In fact, I positioned myself as far away from her as possible for this entire trial!"

Leo squinted, then glanced at the four girls clustered near Dale.

Of course, they stuck together--they possibly had a way to direct their spawn point. It made sense.

But something didn't sit right.

"…Doesn't that also mean I'm very far from her? Shouldn't I take that as them still trying something?" Leo questioned.

Dale's spine went cold.Leo wasn't releasing a full aura, but the pressure he leaked out was suffocating.

Shit! Of course Zeira still played tricks!Panicking, Dale blurted out—

"Don't worry! I'll properly discipline her next time I see her!"

Leo blinked, confused for a moment.

"Discipline? Isn't she your superior…? Wait. 'She?' Ah…" He rubbed his forehead as realisation dawned. Of course, he has an indecent relationship with his superior.

Leo looked at the collapsed girls again.

"Just how many do you need…?"

Lyss, standing beside Dale, also shook her head—small, tired, but firm. Even if her master wanted many girls in his team, seducing an Elder of the academy was outrageous. Ridiculous, even.

Still… they were treated well at the academy, and Elder Zeira hadn't mistreated them in any way. So Lyss didn't think badly of her... just a bit perverted.For all they knew, behind that youthful face could be an old hag pretending to be young. That thought eased her embarrassment a little.

Dale scratched the back of his head, exhaling slowly. Relief loosened the tightness in his shoulders. Leo's expression—and that slight drop in tension—told him enough: he wasn't in danger anymore.

Then Leo spoke.

"By the way… which city are you from?"

"Hm? Me?" Dale pointed at himself, confused. "I'm from an inner city. Gardenhold"

"Oh, great," Leo said. "Then you should know about the phenomenon from a few hours ago. And this pulsing white core?" He lifted the Earthpulse Heartstone slightly. "I'll take this as compensation for your earlier behavior. But that doesn't mean what I did just now counts toward that," he added, his dark eyes narrowing—sharp and piercing.

Dale swallowed. "O-of course! Whatever you ask, I'll answer to the best of my abilities. And for saving our lives…"

He gestured toward Rys, now sleeping peacefully, her complexion no longer pale thanks to the child-like creature healing her.

"And for pulling her out of danger… I owe you two." He subtly emphasized the number, hoping to place Leo in a good mood. Befriending a future powerhouse was simply common sense.

Leo nodded, satisfied enough, and began questioning him. Since Dale was from an inner city—and a noble—his information pool was valuable.

So Leo asked:

– about the golden light,

– about the treasure he was holding,

– and about why the Emperor was conducting such a wide-scale selection where death rates were essentially guaranteed.

Dale answered what he could.The golden light? He explained in detail—theories, rumours, known city records.The pulsing core? He could only confirm it was a treasure; something Leo already knew.But the Emperor's selection… even he paused at that.

Why would the Emperor hold a trial where death was practically expected?

There was something eerie about that. And it was only when Leo pointed it out did Dale thought it was weird. Especially when every manpower with a talent is a valuable resource.

Leo didn't gain anything revolutionary—but the clarity about the golden light stuck with him.

At minimum, a Purple-rank treasure…?

He glanced at the Heartstone in his hand again.

This one is only Blue rank…

Then he remembered the treasure already in his possession:

[Elasian Aetherbloom] – Low Red Quality

And its product:

Elasian Bloom – Orange Rank

A realization formed.

Another Growth-type treasure?

This Heartstone could simply be the product, not the main treasure.

If its product alone was an Intermediate Blue-tier power core…

Then the mother treasure was something he had to claim before anyone else.

Especially since he needed to boost his physical stats as much as possible before he started power levelling.

His fingers closed around the pulsing core, the thrum syncing faintly with his heartbeat.

A must-claim treasure. Plans started to form in his head as he glanced towards the fallen rock golem.

Since it was fighting, there should be more of these elsewhere in the forest, fighting others—making them unable to reach the core location.

He still has a chance.

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