Noah rolled his shoulder once, letting the faint residual sparks fade from his fingertips completely.
"It makes sense..." he muttered quietly.
After all, he was no longer an Adept Magus.
He was a Core Magus (mid) now.
A mutated-grade mana beast falling in a single properly tid attack wasn’t surprising when viewed from that perspective.
Still, he didn’t let himself get too complacent.
Mana beasts weren’t randomly categorized. They were graded systematically based on mana density, intelligence, physical capability, and threat level.
There were seven grades in total, which were, Common, Mutated, Advanced, High, Superior, Disaster, and lastly Calamity.
Each step representing a massive leap in danger.
Common-grade beasts weren’t dramatically different from normal animals. They were creatures that had absorbed small traces of ambient mana over ti, resulting in minor mutations. Slightly tougher hide. Slightly sharper instincts. Slightly enhanced physical attributes.
An example would be the squirrel he had just seen.
Aside from its faint mana trace and the unusual thickness of its tail, it was practically a normal squirrel.
Common-grade beasts could even be killed by ordinary humans if they were ard properly. Spears, bows, coordinated attacks—those were enough. They were threats to farrs, yes, but not insurmountable ones.
Mutated-grade, however—
That was different.
Mutated mana beasts had concentrated mana circulating within their bodies. Their muscles were denser. Their speed sharper. Their instincts refined by magical adaptation.
They were typically comparable to mid to peak Adept Magi in raw combat capability.
The Green Horned Snake fell into that category.
Deadly if underestimated.
Noah exhaled slowly.
"And I’m mid Core Magus..."
That placed him comfortably above mutated-grade threats.
Only Advanced-grade beasts and above would pose a real danger to him now. Advanced beasts often had specialized abilities—elental attacks, hardened hides, regenerative traits.
High-grade and beyond?
Those were on the level of a High-magus, and were very dangerous.
Superior beasts could wipe out villages.
Disaster-grade could devastate regions.
Calamity-grade...
He didn’t even want to imagine encountering one this early.
He either, glancing at the snake’s corpse.
Than he began approaching it, making sure to remain cautious despite knowing it was dead.
The once vibrant erald scales were now charred black, cracked in places where lightning had split the surface.
A faint trail of smoke still rose from its body, carrying the bitter scent of burnt flesh.
The squirrel’s corpse had been caught in the blast as well.
It too was completely blackened, stiff and half-swallowed, fused grotesquely with the snake’s jaws.
Noah crouched slightly, observing the damage.
[Weekly Quests: Hunt 5 mana beasts (1/5)]
[Reward: 50EXP, 5 Supre Points]
[Penalty for failure: None$&@?]
His eyes rested on the updated number, and he gave a small nod.
"Four more to go..." he muttered.
Noah remained standing over the charred corpse for a few seconds longer before crouching down.
The sll wasn’t pleasant.
Burnt flesh mixed with scorched earth lingered heavily in the air.
He bent down slowly, dipping his hand into his pocket. After a brief rummage, he pulled out a small kitchen knife and a folded cloth bag.
The knife’s wooden handle was slightly worn.
He exhaled softly.
’I’m sorry... mom,’ he thought.
It was one of the spare knives used at ho for chopping vegetables and slicing tubers. Nothing special. Nothing ant for this.
And yet here he was, about to drive it into the belly of a mana beast.
He hesitated for only a second before hardening his expression.
He then pressed the blade against the snake’s stomach and pushed.
The charred scales offered so resistance, but since it was already burnt terribly, it couldn’t protect the body anymore, and the knife eventually pierced through with a wet sound.
Noah carefully widened the incision, ignoring the unpleasant texture and sll as he reached inside.
He searched thoroughly.
Mana beasts—like humans—had sothing called a beast core.
A condensed crystallization of mana, usually ford near the heart or central organ cluster. It was the equivalent of a mana reservoir for beasts, and if preserved, it was extrely valuable.
His fingers moved through burnt flesh and partially cooked tissue.
But he found nothing.
He searched deeper.
Still nothing.
After several long seconds, he withdrew his hand and sighed faintly.
’There’s no beast core...’ he thought in disappointnt.
It was unfortunate.
He shifted his attention to the squirrel’s corpse and repeated the process, slicing carefully despite the smaller size.
Again—
Nothing.
He wiped the knife against the grass with a quiet exhale.
Finding a beast core wasn’t guaranteed.
In fact, it was quite rare.
Most beast cores detonated shortly after the beast’s death. The sudden destabilization of mana would cause the condensed energy to disperse violently, leaving nothing behind.
Only in rare cases—when the core was exceptionally stable—would it remain intact.
That was why they were so valuable.
Beast cores were used to power rune formations, fuel artefacts and so were even carved as ornants by nobles who loved to display their wealth.
If he had found one just now...
He could have sold it.
Even a mutated-grade beast core would fetch decent money.
Money his family desperately needed.
But luck wasn’t on his side this ti.
He clicked his tongue lightly in mild frustration before shaking his head.
No use dwelling on it.
He unfolded the cloth bag and grabbed the snake’s corpse carefully, lifting it with both hands.
It was heavier than it looked.
Even charred, it had considerable weight.
He stuffed it into the bag, adjusting and curling the body to fit. The snake’s length forced him to coil it tightly, and even then it took up most of the available space.
The bag bulged awkwardly.
He glanced at it and frowned slightly.
’Perhaps I should’ve brought a bigger bag...’ he thought.
But then, this was the biggest one he could find in the house.
If he wanted one that could contain more corpses, he would have to buy it, and he had no money currently.
He tied the mouth of the bag securely and slung it over his shoulder. The added weight shifted his balance slightly, but with his increased strength, it wasn’t difficult to manage.
But still, he would need to get better tools if he wanted to continue this, both for cutting and storage.
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