Gerard was heartbroken. He had spent years with these people, and they just died or had their lives completely ruined because of these crystals. He was devastated. He tried to tell them that his master had told him to never take more than 1/20th of a crystal, but never explained why. He only ever told him that it would be dangerous.
Warriors didn't care about danger though. That was their lives, whether it was hunting down fugitives, fighting beasts, or being guards. They quite literally went looking for danger. The more danger, the more stimulation, the more stimulation, the faster your body would integrate spirit energy. This was a key point of cultivation. Without struggle there will be no advancement. This is a major reason that most creationists were weaker than warriors. They were protected so well that they didn't face the struggles needed to stimulate their spirit to that extent.