Tyrus' arms and shoulders felt heavy and weighed down as if he had been carrying a heavy load. Ten scales and droplets of blood were scattered on the ground after he finished. As he sat down and leaned back, he wiped away a bead of sweat from his forehead. His right arm quivered as he observed it with a quiet intensity.

"Disassembling appears to come naturally to you," observed Elder Treant. "Do you engage in skinning and disassembling your own game?"

“Yeah, it wasn't easy for me to get the hang of it. At first, I had to watch some hunters and memorize their actions. There was a lot of trial and error, resulting in spoiled meat and blood all over the place. Although I can eat raw meat, it tastes metallic, so I prefer it cooked. That led to me skinning and all that.”

Tyrus meticulously recounted the ten scales and deposited them individually. The fifth one caused his finger to feel weighed down immediately. As the other scales vanished, that sensation grew at a leisurely pace. Initially, he harbored suspicions but dismissed them as mere fatigue. A long day was over, and a good night's sleep would help.

He scuffled his feet and positioned himself in front of the drake's head. The feeble mana readings he had been picking up were originating directly from its head, which held nothing but a brain. The mana core must’ve been hiding somewhere in there, and he’d have to get it out quickly. Luckily for him, he was able to get there through the drake’s eye sockets.

The dagger stabbed into its left eyeball, piercing through tough skin and soft tissue. A visceral sound—a wet, tearing noise—filled the air as the dagger’s edge scraped against the eye’s protective layers. The drake’s body reacted, muscles twitching involuntarily. The once-fierce eye, now lifeless, stared into the abyss.

His grip tightened as he withdrew the eye, the sensation of cold blood and gelatinous fluid staining the blade. He turned his attention to the second eye, a mixture of determination and revulsion churning within him. The process repeated—another thrust, another violent tear, another eye rendered lifeless. Finally, both eyes were in his possession. He stuffed the wet objects inside the ring with a grimace.

Without pause, Tyrus re-entered and squatted, plunging his dagger into the socket on the left, where the flow of mana was strongest. He continued to burrow inside as the wet slapping and squelching sounds filled the surrounding air. It sounded to him like someone was eating with their mouth open and making a revolting noise. That endured for a brief period until the tip of his dagger met with something sturdy. He lifted the hilt, looking for the bottom until he felt a soft feeling. Slowly, he withdrew the dagger and the mana core from the socket.

The mana core was way different from a rock spider. The item was double the size of a rock spider core, yet it wasn't completely white in color as over fifty percent of it was covered in black spots resembling ink drops. There was some blood here and there, but that was expected of his surgeon-like actions. As for its strength, it was much more powerful; as expected of a cousin of the dragons.

“The mana core is about to be contaminated,” Elder Treant stated. “The fact that a mana core holds a fraction of an animal's soul suggests that the soul was strained. It must have experienced grueling hardships if it transferred over to the core. The black spots visible indicate impurities. Mana, like breathable and unbreathable air, follows the same principle.”

Tyrus frowned. “Does that mean it’s too late to absorb it?”

“While the mana remains absorbable, one must exercise caution regarding the impurities. Ingest the untainted mana, and ensure to avoid the corrupted mana. It is up to you to select what you wish to assimilate into your body. Take heed that the more potent the mana core, the greater its resistance to absorption. Despite being fragmented, souls still carry strength. A weak soul will rescind to the powerful, but a sturdy soul won’t bend the knee.”

Selena never told me this. Is it because she didn’t find the need to or that I’ll learn on my own? Now that I think about it, she’s the type to hide information and let others find out on their own. She did hide the fact there was a beast hiding nearby…

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Moving on to significant issues, Tyrus confirmed Elder Treant's explanation and held onto the core with a firm grip. Just as he had done, he imagined the thrumming power flowing into his hands. Everything was going well for him; the flow of mana coming from the core was entering him like a steady stream, and he was methodically casting away the impurities like a child refusing to eat vegetables. Since he was doing two things at once, absorbing the core took a lot longer.

As Elder Treant noted, there was some resistance, but it only resulted in a mental tugging sensation. Gradually, the strain escalated until it felt like a barrage of punches to his skull. That feeling swiftly transmuted into something more critical, like being hammered. A groan escaped Tyrus's mouth as he fell to his knees. Abruptly, without warning, his mind was inundated with a flurry of unfamiliar images.

It was difficult to monitor all of them, but he jotted down the most notable ones. One of them depicted a dimly lit cellar filled with gruesome tools and restraints. Tyrus recognized whips, glowing swords, and a collar.

Another was a region of rolling, grassy hills and distant mountains. Next to a towering hill stood a settlement of tents adorned in white and blue. Armored soldiers were stationed at the forefront, and one among them was bearing a tall flag with yellow, dual swords embroidered on blue fabric.

The last image exhibited the fringes of a thicket, and Tyrus rapidly discerned it as Wildwood. Before he could grasp the situation, the flashing images subsided, and he was jolted back to reality. He was staring intently at the core, devoid of its white luminescence and enveloped in pitch-black impurities. Tyrus immediately clutched his pounding head and dropped it. As he shook his head, Elder Treant’s deep voice alerted him.

“I see you have returned.”

Tyrus whipped his head toward Elder Treant, who was staring at him with sad eyes. “H-How long was I out for?”

“About one second, I suppose. Your distant stare signaled to me that you had entered the memories of the mana core. The drake's reality was reflected in what you have perceived.”

“Really? It felt a lot longer than one second. How come this experience is different from the last? Absorbing a rock spider mana core didn’t allow me to see memories.”

“The fragmented soul of the drake exhibited immense strength compared to the rock spiders and was in a state of active struggle. Its memories slipped through despite the struggle and were involuntarily displayed to you. The view you witnessed is what the drake observed firsthand.”

If what I saw was true, then the dark cellar with all those items must’ve been where it was kept. And the people I saw must be in battle against something or someone…The only place I know that has rising tensions are Lethos and the Beastfolk Kingdom. The blue and white tents must belong to Lethos. Was the drake part of the battle if it was there itself or was it passing by? No, that couldn’t be it because it had shackles. Did it belong to the soldiers of Lethos or the Beastfolk?

“No use thinking about it,” he said with a sigh. “It has nothing to do with me. I have better things to think about.”

After reducing the throbbing pain to a dull ache, Tyrus meditated and pushed away what he had seen. When he accessed his Sorcerer Plane, he saw that his third branch was halfway full. He couldn't complain about it not being completed since the mana core was contaminated, but he did feel glum.

For his elements, the candle-like size of fire increased slightly, and so did lightning and light. In the end, there was little progress made. Tyrus would have to keep on diligently training to see any substantial progress. He would simply need to train his mana heart in the usual fashion and trust that he stumbles upon another magical beast similar to the rock spider.

A magical beast like the rock spider…

As though a blaze had been kindled beneath him, Tyrus sprang up abruptly and exclaimed, "A magical beast like the rock spider!"

Confusion befell the Elder Treant this time around. “Pardon me? What of the rock spider?”

“I fought against a rock spider a while ago and earned myself a mana core. If I want to increase my mana heart quickly, then I’ll have to hunt them. Improving myself as much as possible in a week would better my chances of succeeding in the monthly examination! Elder Treant, are there any places where I can go hunting for them tomorrow?”

“Are you sure about this, Savior? Rock spiders tend to aggregate in colonies of significant size. Regrettably, it is beyond your capabilities to single-handedly vanquish them all.”

Tyrus shook his head. “It’ll be alright. My plan doesn't involve going alone or battling an entire colony. I’m not stupid enough to do such a thing.”

“If you're not keen on fighting alone, then who do you plan to have as your companion?”

Just as Tyrus was about to speak, he spotted a shining green light hurrying towards him. After narrowing his eyes at the tiny figure, he nodded in realization.

“Don’t worry, Elder Treant. I got the perfect person in mind.”