Leo looked over the Earthpulse Heartstones Dale had forwarded towards him. He hadn't paid attention earlier, but now that he inspected them properly, each one pulsed with a faint cool shimmer, stronger—Peak Blue-tier, two minor ranks higher than the ones harvested from single-cored golems.

He made a mental note of that. Now that he'd gained the skill to construct golems, proper cores mattered—especially if he ever wanted to automate them.

Golems between 4 and 6 meters required one mid-blue-tier heartstone.

7 to 10 meters needed three peak-blue-tier heartstones.

And the hoge 15 to 20 meter ones demanded ten low-purple-tier heartstones.

Now that he thought, he'd missed scanning these earlier when the wolves tore one apart, assuming they were the same as the mid-blue-tier ones.

But…

I don't actually need them… I already have more than a dozen after defeating so many. And the entire treasure that generates them now belongs to me. And seeing how he didn't pocket them for himself, he really doesn't want to get on my bad side. Not that I would've remembered them after receiving the purple-tier ones…

Leo thought for a moment, eyes drifting to Dale's attire—expensive-looking fabrics, a faint herbal fragrance on the sleeves, and a metal ring on his finger, probably a storage ring like Brant's. The conclusion was obvious: the guy was loaded.

These must be priceless treasures to people like him, especially when they enhance physical stats. I wonder if he's ready to buy them.

But then again… maybe he shouldn't say he didn't need them.

After a moment of internal sifting, Leo nodded.

"Alright," he said, tone casual but decisive. "Since you were nice enough to keep them for me, I'll give you a chance to buy them. But don't think it'll be chea—"

He didn't even finish.

Dale instantly pulled his hands back as if afraid Leo would change his mind. Eagerness radiated off him; his breathing quickened with pure anticipation.

"Don't worry! I have the money. I can pay right now. How much do you need? Just tell me the price," Dale said, voice tight with expectation. For Beast Masters, even a single stat point mattered. And these cores—when processed properly, unlike Leo who ate them raw—could push his stats by ten, maybe even fifteen. That was enormous. That was survival.

Leo stiffened inwardly.

Shit. I don't know market values for natural treasures… Fuck! Alright, let's act like a smartass.

"You set the price," Leo said evenly. "I'll see if it's sufficient. Might even reach out to you first when I sell other similar things."

Leo meant it casually, but Dale heard something entirely different.

He's testing my sincerity… And 'similar things'? Does he have more treasures? Or is he confident he can find more? Dale swallowed hard. Right now, securing these heartstones mattered more than speculating.

He took a moment, then offered cautiously, "5 gold coins for each."

When Leo frowned, Dale panicked and immediately raised it.

"6 gold for each."

Meanwhile, Leo's frown wasn't at the price—it was at how ridiculous it sounded.

Six?! Bloody hell, I barely have thirty silvers… Alright, let's push my luck.

"Seven," Leo said, firm as stone, tone leaving no room for debate.

Dale visibly flinched. Paying 21 out of his 23 gold coins would leave him broke for a whole month—until his stipend arrived or his sugar mommy bailed him out again. Two gold coins wouldn't even keep four girls and himself comfortable.

He lowered his voice.

"At least take twenty for all three…" His expression said he fully expected rejection.

"Alright. Twenty it is." Leo shrugged. "Just so you know, next time I won't haggle. I reduced the price because you didn't run off with them."

Dale exhaled in unfiltered relief, tension melting off his shoulders.

"Of course," he said quickly. "I wouldn't dare cheat my benefactor even in my dreams."

"Good."

And with that, the deal was sealed.

Leo became rich on the very first day of the trial—before even setting foot into the academy.

The sun had already dipped below the horizon, leaving the forest to sink deeper into darkness with every passing second. Dale and his party exchanged a few weary looks before deciding to search for a safe spot to rest and set up camp. They had everything they needed packed neatly inside Dale's spatial ring.

As for Leo, the dark barely meant anything. Sharing Shyra's traits made the surroundings appear almost washed in muted light; shadows were clearer, outlines sharper. So he simply chose to follow the Elk—wherever it decided to guide them.

Even so, Leo made sure to ride on Shyra's back. If the Elk suddenly turned hostile, he could leap off and reposition instantly while Shyra barreled into it. To keep things under control, they even made the Elk lead the way.

The Elk clearly understood their caution. It didn't protest, didn't even glance back. It simply obeyed—more because it had to. The man atop the black predator was, to its senses, at least its equal… perhaps even more dangerous.

After what felt like an hour of alternating jogging and running through thick underbrush, they finally reached a small clearing. It lay beside a low, mound-like rise in the terrain, where a cave mouth yawned open—stone, dirt, and mineral-rich walls catching faint glimmers of residual light.

As soon as the Elk stepped toward the cave, Leo tugged lightly on Shyra's fur and made her halt. He met the Elk's gaze and shook his head once—sharp and clear.

He wasn't going inside.

The Elk's ears twitched in understanding. Without complaint, it headed in alone.

Moments stretched. Then muffled thuds echoed from within—slow, uneven footsteps scraping against stone. When the figures finally emerged into the clearing, Leo's brow rose.

Three creatures stood before him.

The first was the familiar Elk—the 7-meter giant.

The other was a smaller Elk, barely two or three meters tall, with tiny budding antlers and faint blue stripes running across its coat like dim streaks of lightning.

But the third…

The third was the real concern.

It limped heavily, leaning against the larger Elk for support. Four meters tall, hornless, blue stripes vibrant even in the dark—but its entire body was a map of injuries. Dried blood clotted its fur in patches, while some wounds still oozed sluggishly. Whatever happened to it hadn't been recent… yet the wounds still refused to close.

The most striking injury ran across its abdomen: a massive four-way claw mark. It sliced from near the spine all the way to the belly, the gashes deep enough that Leo suspected torn organs beneath.

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A/N: The auxiliary chapters have been updated to 80 chapters.

I found some inconsistency in Lily's intelligence stat. At one place it was 80ish, and then later it became 50ish? Like, what the actual fuck? 30 point difference? Anyway, I will try correcting it soon and see where I made the mistake.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.