Chapter 16 : A New Egg

"Dude" Ethan began confidently, "let me tell you, the harvest from this gate adventure is far beyond what I expected. There's no way I can transport all of it out on my own."

"There are dozens of Shadow Wolf corpses outside. I need your help to carry them. Also, I found an abandoned blackstone vein in the Shadow Wolves' cave, and it's filled with valuable resources."

Marcus, the leader of the mercenary group, was silent for a moment. He frowned deeply.

"I understand each word you're saying, but when you put them together like this… it feels like you're speaking in riddles!"

He couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "You destroyed the Shadow Wolves, dug out their lair, and just so happened to stumble upon a blackstone vein? How does any of this make sense?"

Shadow Wolves were infamous for their ferocity. Even experienced mercenaries avoided them, knowing the risk wasn't worth the reward. And Ethan—a young trainee beast tamer—claimed to have wiped them out?

"You said you were surrounded by Shadow Wolves and needed rescue. That, at least, was believable. But this?!" Marcus grumbled.

His mind raced. Just recently, Ethan had mentioned he was still a trainee beast tamer. How could someone like that take on Shadow Wolves?

And a blackstone vein? That was an even more absurd claim. Since the gate's opening, the government had sent several reconnaissance teams, and no one had found even a trace of such a vein.

Finally, Marcus couldn't suppress his disbelief and asked outright, "Are you sure you're not joking?"

Ethan, unimpressed by Marcus's skepticism, responded impatiently.

"Believe me or don't. The real question is, will you take this job or not? If you're going to waste my time, I'll contact someone else. The corpses of the Shadow Wolves won't stay intact forever."

Marcus hesitated. Ethan's tone was so firm, so matter-of-fact, that he started to doubt his own doubts.

"Fine," Marcus said cautiously. "Transfer the deposit first, and we'll come in to check."

"Deal."

Ethan immediately transferred the agreed-upon amount.

At the tavern, Marcus stared at the deposit that had just arrived in his account. His fingers drummed against the table as he pondered Ethan's words.

Finally, he slammed his drink down, startling his companions.

"I don't believe this nonsense, but I'm not going to sit around and wonder. Grab your gear! We're heading into the gate."

The mercenaries, though surprised by the abrupt decision, quickly gathered their equipment and followed Marcus.

Meanwhile, Ethan was back near the battlefield, guarding the Shadow Wolf corpses. He didn't want scavengers or opportunistic beasts ruining his spoils.

Before leaving the cave, Ethan turned to the Black Goat and said, "Let's move out."

The Black Goat, a bizarre and mysterious beast, slowly retracted its tentacles from the mine. But before following Ethan, one of its tentacles dragged out a peculiar object: a black egg.

It placed the egg carefully at Ethan's feet as though presenting a treasure.

"What's this?" Ethan asked, kneeling to examine the egg.

The egg was covered in black crystals that shimmered faintly in the dim light. It radiated strong energy, suggesting it wasn't an ordinary find.

Ethan activated his Beast Familiar talent to analyze it.

[Beast Egg Information]

[Race: Black Crystal Rock Snake]

[Bloodline: Grand Rank (Incomplete)]

[Talent: Black Rock (A)]

[Note: This beast egg does not meet the conditions for a contract. Its bloodline is incomplete, making successful hatching difficult.]

"A Grand Rank bloodline…" Ethan muttered, his eyes glinting with excitement.

This was no ordinary beast egg. Ethan quickly recalled the history of the Blackstone Gate.

When the gate first opened, it was ruled by a ferocious Black Crystal Rock Snake. This creature had killed countless adventurers before it was eventually defeated by a powerful beast tamer.

"This egg must be a remnant of its bloodline," Ethan concluded.

However, the analysis revealed a significant problem: the bloodline was incomplete. Ethan suspected this was due to the Shadow Wolf King, which had likely absorbed energy from both the blackstone vein and the egg to fuel its own evolution.

"Even so," Ethan thought, "this egg is valuable. Plenty of buyers would jump at the chance to own a Grand Rank bloodline."

He made a mental note to sell the egg later, possibly using special techniques to mask its flaws and increase its market value.

Not long after, Marcus and his mercenary group arrived at the gate and contacted Ethan.

Ethan, still studying the egg in the cave, didn't bother meeting them in person. Instead, he sent them the location of the battlefield and instructed them to start collecting the Shadow Wolf corpses.

When the mercenaries reached the battlefield, they were stunned by the sight before them.

The ground was littered with Shadow Wolf corpses, each one a testament to the brutal battle that had taken place. Blood soaked the earth, and the air was thick with the metallic scent of death.

The group fell silent, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the destruction.

Finally, one of the younger mercenaries, a man with dyed yellow hair, broke the silence.

"We're rich!" he exclaimed, his voice shaking with excitement.

Someone nearby scoffed.

"These aren't our spoils. We're just here to transport them."

Yellow Hair turned to Marcus with a mischievous grin.

"Boss, are you sure you don't have any ideas? That kid's just a trainee beast tamer. What if he just stumbled upon this scene? Maybe the Shadow Wolves were killed by another powerful beast."

The suggestion tempted the group. All eyes turned to Marcus, waiting to see what he would decide.

Marcus, however, wasn't so quick to act. He had been carefully analyzing Ethan's behavior.

"That kid doesn't strike me as a clueless rookie," Marcus said finally. "He entered the gate alone, which means he's confident in his own strength. Besides, there's probably a powerful faction backing him."

His words deflated the group's enthusiasm.

"Let's focus on the job," Marcus said with a sigh. "He mentioned a blackstone vein in the Shadow Wolves' cave. We'll check it out later."

Ethan, of course, had anticipated the mercenaries' doubts and temptations.

But he wasn't worried.

"Let them come," he thought, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Ethan was confident in his strength—and ready for any betrayal.