Chaos Carrier With A Broken Talent

Not all monsters were valuable. In most cases, the Carriers had to fight and kill monsters because it was necessary for survival.

Monsters attacked the Carriers not only to protect their territories, but also to absorb the energy that filled their bodies. This also worked with ordinary humans, but they contained far less energy than even a Broken Carrier.

Sure, sometimes monsters attacked humans out of hunger. However, this was a rather rare occurrence, as monsters could satisfy their hunger by preying on other, weaker monsters or hunting beasts.

But the Carriers had other reasons.

Most often, if it was a hunt for a specific monster rather than a chance encounter, it was done to gather materials for sale. Koros, Diatra, and other hunters lived off this.

Not all monsters were desirable hunting targets, and even those that were, such as the Crooked Growon, could not be sold whole. The claws, fangs, and meat were worth something on the market, but other parts were not. Each monster had its own unique, valuable parts, and experienced hunters and traders who bought everything and often placed orders knew this better than anyone.

However, there was another case when killing a monster turned out to be not just profitable, but an unexpected treasure - the Energy Core.

"What is this...?" Ethan stumbled, looking at the glowing crystal in the corpse of the Voracious Plant.

Menir gulped. "Shit, we're so lucky. Come on, I'll explain everything. We can't let the light from the core spread any further!"

Without a further word, Ethan moved forward. His interest in the unusual crystal prevented him from hesitating.

The Energy Core could appear in any monster, but finding them was extremely rare. The reason was that the Energy Core could only form in a monster that was ready to evolve to the next stage.

In this case, it was the Voracious Plant, which meant that it would soon advance to the Silver Tier, making it much stronger and more dangerous.

Such monsters were called the Borderline Monsters, and determining that a monster was about to evolve was not an easy task.

If anyone received information that a Borderline Monster was wandering somewhere, the merchants immediately gathered squads to get the Energy Core first. However, they were often overtaken by strong loners or members of factions.

Obviously, no one knew about the situation with the Voracious Plant, as hardly anyone except Ethan, Menir, and the recently deceased group of Carriers had ventured into the Poisonous Field.

The Energy Cores were valuable in many ways. They were a good source of energy that could help Carriers progress, not as much as an Essence, but still worthwhile. The Energy Cores could also be sold for a good price. Not only merchants, but also many Fabricators were interested in the Energy Cores as they could be used to create large amounts of the Products. 

The Energy Cores could also be sold for a good price. Not only merchants, but also many Fabricators were interested in the Energy Cores as they could be used to create large amounts of the Products.

It all came down to the monster's features and its element. The possible ways to use the Energy Core in crafting depended on that.

As a last resort, the Energy Cores could be wielded as a weapon, a single-use one. It was wasteful, but sometimes there was no other choice.

Step. Step. Step.

Ethan and Menir approached the Voracious Plant's corpse, accompanied by the sound of breaking branches.

With a nod, Ethan pulled the crystal out of the monster's body. Blood dripped from the sharp edges of the white crystal, which trembled slightly in Ethan's grasp.

The magic circle hovered inside, indicating the monster's Rank. Two pillars crossed a circle showing the monster's Tier. If the Voracious Plant had evolved to the Silver Tier, there would be three pillars inside the crystal.

The most important thing was in the center - a cluster of energy resembling a green flame. It pointed to the Voracious Plant's affinity with the element, with nature, and plants.

Traders and especially Fabricators paid attention to this detail before buying the Energy Core.

Tap.

Ethan tossed the crystal, catching it deftly.

"It seems like there's always something valuable in dangerous places, doesn't it? Even if the Essene weren't here, we'd definitely make our money back by selling this Energy Core."

Menir tapped her cheek. "Hmm? Such pragmatic thoughts. I was sure you'd want to absorb it right away. You whined so much about having to spend years using the Revolve."

"Hey, I wasn't whining! It was a valid complaint. Three years! That's... I don't want to reach the Second Rank by my hundredth birthday. What's more..."

Ethan's expression grew serious.

"I know that the Essence awaits us ahead. The energy from it will be enough to bring us closer to forming the First Ring, for both of us," he said, and hid the crystal in his pocket. "Let's move on. We took care of that monster like you wanted, now we're safe."

In response, Menir nodded silently. She had nothing to add, but something was bothering her. A strange feeling wouldn't leave her.

'Hmm.' Menir frowned as she stared at the two corpses hanging from the tree. 'Only two? Then, where is their equipment? I doubt that monster needed their weapons. Tsk, looks like a rat is running around the forest. I need to… I need to strangle it!'

Sometimes, Menir's thoughts could be much darker than her words, and especially her appearance. She couldn't stand it when something interfered with her plans.

It would be useful to know for the secret observer who had been watching them from the moment they attacked the Voracious Plant. But it was here earlier, wanting to search the other corpses as well.

Its eyes did not linger on Menir, but pierced Ethan, who was striding confidently forward toward the bright light in the distance.

They knew each other.

But how?

Soon, Ethan would find out, because unlike him and Menir, the silhouette did not know that the Essence was very close, yet.

At the same time, Ethan and Menir plunged into the depths of the fog to see the outline of a great tree with branches that seemed to reach the sky.

"This... Are we there?" Ethan asked uncertainly, looking at the bright green orb trapped at the base of the trunk.

Menir clenched her fists tightly.

"Definitely. The Essence of Rotten Forest will be ours."