Chapter 326: The Curse Of Treasure.

Athom paused briefly before continuing.

"Naturally, the quality and quantity of what it can produce depend on several factors, particularly how well the Spirit Mine is nurtured."

Kael’s expression gradually shifted.

Hold on... he needed a moment to process that. A treasure capable of producing metal ores? And not just ordinary ores, but potentially rare, high-grade materials as well? And it could keep doing so, indefinitely, as long as it received the proper nurturing? Wasn’t that basically an endless source of resources?

Of course, Kael understood there had to be limitations. Athom had already made clear that the Spirit Mine’s capabilities depended heavily on how it was nurtured.

There was probably a significant gap between producing ordinary iron and generating some extraordinary metal that might only appear once every thousand years, naturally occurring or otherwise. The latter would undoubtedly demand far more exacting conditions. But even accounting for those limitations, the value of such a treasure was obvious.

Imagine possessing a resource capable of producing the very materials needed to forge powerful weapons and equipment.

Instead of spending enormous sums purchasing rare ores on the open market, one could potentially draw them directly from the Spirit Mine itself, and even trade the surplus to others in need, in exchange for whatever one needed in return. And as the mine developed further, the quality of its output might improve as well.

For an individual, that alone was already an incredible advantage.

But for an entire organization?

Kael could hardly imagine how valuable it would be. His thoughts immediately drifted toward the Mothlight Guild.

He wanted it to expand.

He wanted it to grow powerful enough to stand firmly on its own, especially in the increasingly competitive landscape that would inevitably emerge after the tournament.

Kael was planning to use the Guild as a foothold to eventually gain influence over this entire world, and only once he’d achieved that would he feel confident enough to leave it behind and travel the vast cosmos, without constantly worrying about the safety of the people he loved.

And obviously, resources were essential to support a growing Guild. If he possessed a Spirit Mine capable of continuously producing valuable ores, he could use those resources to establish entirely new streams of income.

Kael’s eyes flickered.

This thing...

He finally understood why Athom had sounded so excited.

It’s ridiculously valuable.

"Of course it is," Athom replied, his voice carrying a faint trace of amusement. "A treasure capable of producing rare materials is far more valuable than any single rare material on its own, no matter how extraordinary that material might be."

Kael couldn’t disagree.

A powerful weapon held value. A rare ore capable of forging such a weapon held value too. But a treasure that could continuously produce the very ores needed to forge countless weapons, over and over, without end?

That was an entirely different matter altogether.

And the more Kael turned it over in his mind, the more he grasped just how genuinely terrifying the Spirit Mine’s potential really was.

However, Athom’s next words caused his expression to turn noticeably more serious.

"Heh. For daring to covet a treasure like that, it’s no wonder their entire race got wiped out."

Kael paused, his gaze drifting toward Nora. The red-haired woman was still patiently waiting for him to finish examining the Prime Ore, with no way of knowing he was currently deep in conversation with Athom.

Kael looked back down at the strange metallic orb.

So that’s what happened...

He couldn’t say for certain whether the Spirit Mine had been the actual cause behind the attack on the Automatons, Nora hadn’t explained the precise circumstances surrounding her race’s destruction.

But now that he understood what the treasure was capable of, Kael could certainly understand why a powerful civilization might covet it so desperately. A resource capable of endlessly producing rare ores would be an incredibly tempting prize, especially to a civilization that relied heavily on advanced technology and valuable materials to sustain itself.

And if that civilization possessed enough strength to simply take it by force...

Kael sighed inwardly.

That’s the problem with possessing treasures.

Having something valuable wasn’t always a blessing, sometimes, it could become the very thing that brought ruin down upon its owner. After all, the world wasn’t some polite place where everyone respected one another’s possessions out of courtesy.

If someone discovered that another person held a treasure they desperately wanted, there was always a chance they’d try to take it. And if the owner lacked the strength to defend themselves, the outcome was usually depressingly predictable.

Kael understood that better than most.

In fact, he only needed to look at his own situation.

The Mothlight Guild already possessed an enormous amount of wealth and valuable resources. Even as a relatively small organization, the treasures Kael had accumulated were more than enough to draw the attention of far more powerful factions. And that was without even factoring in the full extent of his private collection.

If everything he truly owned were ever exposed, Kael had little doubt countless people would take sudden interest. Some might attempt to build friendly relationships with him. Others would likely try to negotiate favorable deals. And inevitably, there would be those who preferred a more direct approach entirely, threats, coercion, or simply taking what they wanted by force.

The only reason Kael could confidently stand behind the Mothlight Guild the way he did was because he trusted his own capabilities. He might not be invincible, not even close, but he possessed enough strength and enough resources to protect himself against most threats he was likely to face. And as he continued growing stronger, that confidence would only keep building.

But what if he were weak?

What if he possessed the exact same wealth and the exact same treasures, without the strength to defend any of it?

He’d probably be crushed in a matter of moments.

In fact, things might be considerably worse than that. Even his relatively good standing with the Hunter Association might never have existed in the first place. Why would powerful individuals bother treating him as an equal if they could simply take everything he possessed instead? Perhaps some would still choose to cooperate with him out of principle, but there would be no guarantee of that. And if someone discovered the existence of his Infinite Reward Multiplier...

Kael’s expression darkened slightly.

Best-case scenario, I somehow escape with my life and freedom intact.

As for the worst-case scenario?He didn’t even want to imagine it.

That was simply the brutal truth of the world, however unpleasant it was to admit.

Strength determined how much freedom someone actually gets to have.

Kael sighed inwardly. He had never liked that reality, not even a little. But liking it and accepting it were two entirely different things, and he had long since come to accept that if he wanted to protect everything that belonged to him, he needed to grow strong enough that others simply wouldn’t dare reach for it in the first place.

Perhaps that was the lesson the Automatons had learned far too late.

Or perhaps they had simply encountered enemies far beyond anything they could have reasonably resisted. Either way, the result had been nothing short of disastrous.

Just as Kael was turning all of this over in his mind, Nora suddenly spoke.

"Great One?"

Kael blinked. "Hm?"

He raised his head.

Nora was watching him with a faintly curious expression, her eyes briefly flicking toward the Prime Ore before settling back on his face.

"You seem quite interested in it."

Kael paused, then chuckled lightly. "Well, I suppose you could say that."

There was no real point denying it, not after everything Athom had just explained to him. His interest in the Prime Ore had grown considerably in the span of just a few minutes.

Nora smiled.

"Then..." She hesitated for only a moment. "If you want it, you can have it."