Chapter 526: End of the hunt
Chapter 526: End of the hunt
Moon exhaled slowly, lowering his sword.
Killing the massive behemoth had provided him with a total of eight thousand lives. The body refiner’s dense vitality had paid off handsomely.
Far more than the Dark Mamba.
Moon flexed his injured left hand, wincing slightly, then glanced back toward where Mirage waited at the edge of the clearing.
"Dinner’s ready." Moon smiled.
Mirage slowly galloped toward him. His eye flickered with hunger as he took in the massive corpse of the behemoth.
Moon approached the body and raised his sword again.
He swung.
~Whoosh~
~Whoosh~
~Whoosh~
The strikes were clean, the B-Rank sword slicing through hide and muscle as if cutting through soft clay. Within a minute, Moon had carved off a substantial portion of the behemoth’s meat.
Moon set the edible, non burnt pieces aside on a flat stone slab.
Then he conjured blue fire in his palms.
The flame burned steadily in his hand, hot enough to sear the meat quickly. Moon kept the fire under control to not char the meat. He worked the fire across the cuts, turning the slabs over to ensure even cooking.
The smell that rose from the searing meat was rich and intense.
Mirage huffed eagerly behind him.
When the meat was done, Moon stepped back. "All yours, partner."
Mirage moved in immediately, his massive jaws closing around the cooked portions and tearing into the meal with relish. Body refiner meat contained a ton of benefits since their body was honed to perfection.
For Mirage, eating it would translate directly into growth. The horse would gain a noticeable boost from this single meal, possibly enough to push him meaningfully closer to his next breakthrough, which was three-star stage.
Moon watched him eat for a moment, then he turned back to the rest of the corpse.
The behemoth’s body still held enormous value. The hide alone, with its natural density and resistance, would fetch a small fortune.
The bones could be used as material for forging powerful weapons. The eyes, given the creature’s exceptional vision, would be prized by alchemists working on perception enhancers. The blood and various organs each had their own uses in beast core supplements.
Moon ran a quick calculation in his head.
’The behemoth should be worth ten million, easily. Maybe more if Tom is generous enough.’
The behemoth was the kind of beast that produced materials for C-Rank weapons. The weaker parts of the sword at his hip had been built from creatures just like this one.
The market for these materials was robust.
He stored the entire corpse in his ring for preservation. Then, Moon turned back to Mirage, who was just finishing the last of his meal.
"Eat well?"
Mirage tossed his head with a satisfied snort.
’Yes.’
Moon smiled and patted the horse’s neck.
"Then let’s keep moving. I’ve still got a few hours before sunrise."
The pair of horse and master continued their journey across the floating island, slaughtering every beast that crossed their path.
In the span of an hour, Moon had cleared the entire fog zone of its few inhabitants. After the behemoth’s death, the area had been surprisingly empty. Whatever ecosystem the mist supported, it didn’t host many large predators. Apparently the behemoth had been the apex creature there, and with it gone, the zone offered little else of interest.
Two Three-Star beasts had crossed his path in the mist. Both fell quickly to Moon’s attacks. He stripped their bodies of valuable materials and stored them in his ring.
Eventually, his explorations carried him close to a familiar structure.
The spirit pavilion.
The site of his last major battle on this island stood before him in the distance.
Moon had told Rowan and the others to convert the pavilion into a second base of operations. The structure was naturally defensible, built at the peak of a mountain with multiple chokepoints and elevated vantage points. It was far better suited as a stronghold than the underground hideout near the portal entrance had been.
He rode toward it now, curious to see how the work was progressing.
He didn’t have to look far. As Mirage carried him into the pavilion’s outer courtyard, two familiar figures came into view.
The burly man and the tank.
Both were freed Evolvers from Layla’s captives, and both had attached themselves to Moon since then, following his lead.
The tank and the burly man were close friends.
The two of them were currently moving heavy stones across the courtyard, reinforcing what looked like a new defensive wall.
The burly man spotted Moon first. He nearly dropped the stone he was carrying.
"BOSS!"
His voice boomed across the courtyard, drawing the tank’s attention immediately. Both of them set down their loads and hurried over, their faces lighting up with delight.
Their eyes glittered as if seeing their favourite person walk through the door.
"Boss! What are you doing here? We thought you were stuck on Earth for the tournament!" The burly man grinned. "Did you come to inspect the work? Look at this. We’ve made huge progress."
"He probably came to make sure you were not messing around." The tank added, his serious expression undermined by the obvious pride in his voice. "Boss has high standards."
Moon dismounted Mirage and gave both of them a warm smile.
"I came to check on the progress as I made my way back to the portal." He turned slowly, taking in the work. "You two have been busy."
"We never stop, boss." The burly man flexed his arms playfully. "While you’re out there beating up contestants, we’re here making sure you have a proper base to come back to."
Moon talked with them for a few more minutes, asking about their progress, their conditions, whether anyone in the camp needed anything specific. The two of them answered eagerly, eager to give a good report. Then Moon checked the time.
"I need to head back. Things to do before tomorrow."
"Of course, boss!"
"Stay safe out there!"
"Win the tournament for us!"
Moon smiled and waved as he remounted Mirage. He nudged the horse forward and rode out of the pavilion’s courtyard, leaving the two of them behind.
The burly man watched Moon disappear into the distance.
He waited until his master was well out of earshot. Then he turned slowly to the tank, his expression suddenly thoughtful.
"Hey. Don’t you think the boss has become more handsome?"
The tank tilted his head, considering it seriously.
"He does look more lively," He paused. "Maybe he found a girlfriend?"
The burly man scoffed loudly.
"Found a girlfriend? You mean a lucky girl found HIM. Boss isn’t the kind of guy who goes looking. Girls would line up around the entire earth if they knew what he was really like. Only a very, very lucky one would be fortunate enough to actually get him."
The tank rolled his eyes.
"You sound like a fan girl."
"I am a fan! And so are you, don’t lie."
"Fine. I’m a fan too." The tank shrugged. But internally, he nodded in complete agreement with everything the burly man had just said. Whoever the lucky girl was, she had earned the prize of a lifetime.
The two of them returned to hauling stones.