Monster Core

"Grab tight." Duke Kayn warned.

"What—?"

Zeus didn't get to finish his word as the monster gorilla suddenly ran towards their position.

Then,

Whoosh!

it leaped into the air, cusped its hand, and slammed its arms to the ground.

Roooooar!

Anticipating the incoming attack, Duke Kayn steady his feet as rose-colored flames condensed in his right fist. He pulled back his elbow and met the monster's attack with his fist.

Woosh—

At that moment, as if the wind was ripped into shreds, the two collided.

Booom!

Crack!

A powerful shockwave swept through the land, uprooting numerous trees and bombarding the vicinity in a strong gust of wind.

Their collision destroyed the surroundings. Zeus desperately held onto his staff that was stabbed on the ground, trying to resist the shockwave.

However, in the end, his body couldn't hold. He flew into the air and crashed through several trees until he landed on the ground with an aching body.

Kayn noticed Zeus but after sensing that he was still alive, his eyes shifted towards the monster.

"What a powerful monster." Kayn muttered as he felt his fist a little numb. He tried to overpower it but the monster seemed unfazed. No doubt, in the contest of physique, they were both equal.

"Then, how about this?"

At that moment, Kayn vanished from his position.

Swish!

The next moment, he appeared on top of the monster. Aiming his fist forward, Kayn launched a devastating blow to its unguarded head.

Boom!

Kayn slammed its head to the ground.

Countless sand and gravel were stirred into the sky by the generated whirlwind. Cracks appeared on the floor before forming wide crater.

Roooooar!

The monster struggled to get up as its humongous body was pressed to the ground. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kayn raised his left hand and conjured a red magic circle.

[Flame Creation: Hell Binding.]

The next moment, rose-colored chains protruded from the ground. As if they have a life, the chains enveloped the monster's body, rooting it tightly in a powerful lock.

Roooooar!!!

The monster began to wiggle its body but the lock was too powerful to break.

"Stop struggling." Kayn said as he set his jaw and lit up a cigarette. Blowing the smoke to the surroundings, he groaned heavily.

"My spell is not something that can be broken easily."

Roooooar!

"Angry eh? What a pity, you're going to die here." Kayn said as he looked back in the direction where Zeus flew. Using his perception, he managed to pinpoint his location.

'This kid has a powerful physique?'

A puzzled look appeared on his face. He clearly saw Zeus crash into several trees. Even if he had a gifted physical defense, it's still not enough to offset the damage of his crash.

At least, he should have a few broken bones. However, looking at the kid who's already walking his way here unharmed, it seemed like his evaluation was wrong.

'I underestimated you.'

Step—, step—

The bushes wiggled uncontrollably before Zeus' figure stepped outside of it. His face was filled with dirt while parts of his clothes were torn apart in the aftermath of the collision.

"Are you alright?" Kayn asked.

"Yeah, just a few cuts."

Roar!

Zeus glanced at the immobilized monster with a hint of admiration. The battle didn't even last for a minute and the Duke already managed to capture it alive.

That's more difficult than killing it!

Furthermore, the Duke only used his fist as far as he remembered!

'Just how strong is he at full power?'

His eyes then surveyed the devastated land. Aside from the shattered floor, the area had now become an open field.

The forest collapsed.

Blocks of rocks occupied the now uprooted trees. It's as if a scene from a movie where the world ends.

"Are you going to kill it?" Zeus asked.

"Well, that's the law of the jungle. Kill or be killed. Since it attacked us with the intent to harm, I won't let it go."

Duke Kayn threw the cigarette and crushed it under his foot. The next moment, he raised his hand and manipulated the chains to pierce both the monster's head and heart.

The monster released a painful cry as blood gushed out of its wound. As time passed, its breathing became ragged and its eyes started to lose their light.

In another minute, the monster's body twitches uncontrollably as it tries to hold on to its dear life. Groans escaped its mouth before its body completely collapsed.

"Life is meaningless without the power to protect yourself. You can have wealth, fame, and women or everything life could give you. But, without power and the ability to think, it won't last long." Duke Kayn said, looking at the corpse of the monster.

"If possible, always avoid a battle where it's meaningless even if you win. That's how powerful men think. Look where they are now, standing above others like gods. So, Zeus, practice well and not be an idiot like this one."

"Yes, sir!" Zeus nodded. Now that he found motivation, he felt even more inspired to train harder.

He knew this is not the earth anymore. This is a place where your every move needs to be calculated. A world where you can kill and get away with it. A world where people do not distinguish between a child and an adult.

"What are you doing?" Zeus asked the Duke with a bewildered expression.

Currently, the Duke is running his fingers onto the monster's back as if trying to find something.

"Monsters above 1st Order have something called the core in which their essence and accumulated aether were stored. This is a 4th Order Monster and its core is quite expensive, but…"

Duke Kayn stabbed his hand onto the monster's skin. His hand delved deeper until it stopped just above his elbows. Then, in a quick motion, he pulled his hand back.

Splat—

Blood splashed outside, tainting the land in red. It even reached Zeus' clothes but he didn't worry about it. After all, his clothes were already damaged beyond repair.

"A sorcerer can absorb this to increase their aether capacity."

On the Duke's hand, a glowing ball emitted a yellowish light.

"Here."

Duke Kayn threw the core at Zeus, surprising him.

Despite the gooey feeling he felt on his hand, Zeus still asked, "What's this for?"

Duke Kayn smiled. "For you. Absorb it."

Zeus was filled with many questions. However, before he could even ask, Duke Kayn already interrupted.

"Cores lose their effect after 3 days. Even if I sent it back to the manor, it's useless. Though there's a way to prolong it, I don't have the materials right now so it's better to give it to you."

Zeus nodded. It's not like he wanted to reject it but it somehow felt a little uncomfortable receiving help after another help. Now, it feels like he's obligated to give something in the future.

"How do I absorb it?"

"Just crush it."

Immediately, Zeus closed his palms.

Crack—

The core crumbled in his hand. At the same time, a refreshing feeling rushed inside his body. These energies flowed through his circuits before his source madly devoured these energies like a hungry wolf.

[ Aether +1]

[ Aether +1]

[ Aether +1]

His aether stats rapidly grew from its previous 10 points. It wasn't until a few minutes before it stopped.

Zeus opened his eyes and checked his aether amount.

[Aether: 50.]

His face frowned. For some reason, he's troubled by the fact that a 4th Order Monster only increased his aether by a measly 40.

'Maybe there's a restriction.'

After all, it would be a balance-breaking thing if these cores don't have restrictions. Without it, anyone could become a powerful sorcerer just by absorbing large amounts of cores.

As if sensing his emotional fluctuations, the Duke shook his head.

"Don't be greedy, that's already a lot. Do you want to die huh?"

"I didn't even say anything." Zeus grumbled as he stood up and patted the dust off his back.

"Anyways, we should go now while it's bright. We're already lucky we encountered a weak one otherwise…" Duke Kayn sighed.

Shortly afterwards, the two continued on their journey. This time, it was a smooth trip.

…

Somewhere around the Rocco Kingdom.

In a dimly lit room illuminated by the small lamp on the wooden desk, a figure sat with his eyes closed. Walls blocked the light outside therefore only his silhouette could be seen.

In front of this figure, a man covered in a mask kneeled with his head lowered. However, the fanaticism in his eyes glinted with a strong glow and cannot be hidden despite the lack of light.

"What's the purpose of your visit?" The silhouette said. His rough and hoarse voice echoed in the room.

"My lord, this servant had something to report."

The man leaned on his seat and nodded. "Let's hear it."

"Yesterday, one of our men saw Duke Kayn enter the Vram Trail."

Hearing his servant's report, the man remained indifferent. However, there's already a trace of malice emanating outside his body.

The pressure shrouded the room in a heavy atmosphere.

"If you're here to report such useless information, I don't mind sending you to hell now."

"My lord, please listen to me!" The masked man hurriedly said. "According to our men, the Duke was accompanied by a young man."

"Oh?" The silhouette withdrew his aura. "Who is this young man?"

"W-we don't know yet but we saw him accompanying the Duke's daughter, Elise."

"Is that so?"

"Y-yes."

"A young man huh." The silhouette smiled showing his perfectly aligned teeth, "But it won't change anything, Kayn."

Silence permeated as the two people stopped speaking. The silhouette fell into a deep thought before his attention shifted to his servant.

"Ignore them for now. Focus all manpower on the plan. I cannot let others disturb it while we prepare."

"As you wish, my lord."

The masked man suddenly vanished into the room, leaving behind the silhouette alone in the gloomy room.

"A month… just a month."