Leo watched the Elk as it nudged and scraped through the golem's shattered remains with its muzzle. Shyra's intent brushed against his mind, urging that she should finish it off.

Leo quietly denied her.

It was, after all, thanks to the Elk that they'd managed to bring down the Behemoth and secure the treasure. And the creature wasn't showing even a hint of hostility toward them. There was no reason to attack.

Yes, the experience gained from killing the Elk would be tempting… but stabbing a partner in crime in the back left a sour taste in his mouth. So while the Elk continued digging for whatever it sought, Leo focused on the flickering notification panel instead.

<Initiate Soul Plundering?>

He stared at the Behemoth's core resting in his palm—still faintly warm and thrumming with earthy wood mana. Shyra had handed it to him right after the kill. His talent clearly stated that there was a chance to extract talent from intelligent beasts, which meant he could potentially receive the Rootspire Behemoth's talent—whatever it might be.

But there was also Lily's Cedar Treant to consider. The core was compatible with it. If he plundered the soul, the Treant would lose the chance to raise its bloodline rank percentage. But—

"Sorry, Lily," Leo murmured under his breath

"But I need to see what this second effect of my talent actually does…"

He tapped the prompt.

Besides, the Treant already possessed a noble bloodline. The essence of a super-blooded beast wouldn't do much—barely a ripple. Negligible even.

The phenomenon that followed mirrored the one Lily created when she summoned spirits from a core. The Behemoth's core dissolved into motes of warm, brownish light. They circled Leo like drifting embers caught in a gentle whirlwind, then sank into his skin, seeping deep into the anchor of his spiritual space.

A pleasant rush of wind swept across his spiritual island, stirring the tranquil air. Niri, who had been curled up and resting, lifted her head in wonder, eyes shimmering as she basked in the soft warmth brushing over her.

Ding!

<Talent extraction failed>

Leo slumped as if someone had yanked the strength out of his spine. "Haaahh… It did mention an extremely rare chance. What was I expecting? That I'd nail it on the first try?" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.But then—

Ding!

<Two skills have been extracted.>

<Can be assigned to oneself or given to a being connected through the soul>

[Golem Construct]

Allows the user to form a functional golem using available materials. The golem requires a steady supply of mana to operate unless linked to an external power source. Over time, it accumulates experience, growing in size and developing primitive consciousness. Due to its evolving structure, periodic repairs are essential; without maintenance, it may collapse before reaching optimal efficiency.

[Scream]

A piercing, mana-laced screech that assaults the target's hearing and balance. Weaker foes may be stunned, disoriented, or completely incapacitated. Stronger or equal-ranked opponents can resist most of the effects, experiencing only sharp discomfort or temporary pain.

"…"

"That… was a fucking skill?" Leo said blankly.

Even though getting two skills was surprising since nothing about it was mentioned in the description, what really made him freeze was the realization that the ear-splitting shrieks he'd taken head-on earlier weren't just raw sound—they were an actual skill.

Then he read the description again—equal or higher foes might feel discomfort and irritation.

Yes. That was absolutely true for him. In fact, "discomfort" was an understatement; he had been outright stunned when he'd clamped his hands over his ears. Considering its intelligence stat placed it firmly in the mid–3-star bracket, the effect it had on him made perfect sense. He could only imagine what even a fraction of that disorientation could do in a fight against beasts of similar strength.Thankfully, the Behemoth had been too distracted to capitalize on Leo's momentary lapse.

He glanced back at the skill panel.

"[Golem Construct], huh?" he muttered, scratching his chin. "But we don't have any earth-related skills or talents… which only leaves Niri's wood element. But wooden golems… are those even a thing?"

He pictured it briefly—chunky wooden puppets, joints creaking, frame splintering.

"I mean, maintenance would be cheap, I guess… but nah. Not worth it. They'd burn the moment someone sneezed fire at them. Let's keep that for later."

His gaze shifted to the next skill.

"Now, [Scream]… Shyra's out. Assassins don't need loud, obvious abilities. And Niri…"He looked at the petite, dreamy-eyed teenager-like spirit sitting in his spiritual space, trying to imagine her unleashing a bone-rattling shriek. The mental image was so absurd, his brain rejected it on instinct.

"Yeah, no. Let's… just put these aside for now." He could directly apply it to himself, but why do that when he can share it with his beasts after giving it to them.

He let out a slow exhale. "I guess the Behemoth must've had some kind of earth or control-related talent. Maybe both."

As his thoughts settled, another rustle sounded beside him. The Elk was still digging through the rubble, methodically, its hooves scraping stone and its breath puffing lightly through the dust.

"What the hell is it doing…?"

With his mind finally clear, he stepped closer—but kept a respectful distance so the creature wouldn't feel threatened.

As he watched, his eyes widened. Nestled neatly in a shallow pit were multiple glowing orbs, each pulsing faintly with earthy violet light.

Earthpulse Heartstone – Low Purple-Tier Treasure

Charged – 5%

Charged – 10%

Charged – 18%

Charged – 15%

Charged – 62%

Charged – 71%

"They're purple-tier?" Leo breathed, astonished.

He remembered clearly: the single-cored golems had used Intermediate Blue-Tier heartstones. But it made sense—a Low 3-star golem wouldn't function on lower-grade ones. The Behemoth must have used superior cores to operate… which meant the Titanbreath Lotus could generate energy cores across multiple tiers.

The Elk kept digging diligently until it uncovered all ten cores. Six of them held charge in the 50%–80% range—likely the ones that flew off first when the Elk blasted the golem with its antler discharge. The remaining few, depleted to 5%–20%, were probably the ones forced to overload themselves to keep the golem active. Judging by the numbers alone, overloading was horrifically inefficient.

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