He carefully portioned the cooked at, steam rising from each piece as he prepared to taste sothing that likely no other awakener in recorded history had probably ever experienced.
The al of a lifeti awaited.
Moon took his first bite, prepared for whatever might follow.
[ 5 Mana]
Staring at the notification, Moon almost choked on the piece, shocked by the spectacle.
His eating pace imdiately hastened, motivated by the promising notification. Beside him, Mirage was also feasting on portions of the Supre-rank creature, both savoring their unprecedented al.
[ 3 Mana]
[ 1 Mana]
The more he consud, the smaller the attribute gains beca—a pattern consistent with diminishing returns from natural treasures. Despite the decline, the total increase was still imnse considering his current power level.
Moon's base statistics were already significantly higher than other awakeners at his rank, not to ntion his level. Combined with previous natural treasure consumption that had inflated his attributes beyond normal, even these smaller incrents represented substantial improvent.
"Soone with fewer base stats would probably gain significantly more from this al," Moon muttered thoughtfully between bites.
[ 1 Mana]
[ 1 Mana]
Seeing the final two minimal notifications, Moon decided to stop eating. He'd clearly reached his personal limit for attribute absorption—continuing would be wasteful rather than beneficial.
"It's better to save the rest for Selene and Yara," he decided practically. "There are still several pounds of at remaining. That should be enough to bring both of them to their natural absorption limits as well."
Moon's eyes returned to Mirage, who had also stopped eating, no longer displaying the sa intense drive to consu the fox at.
In total, Moon had gained eleven points to his Mana attribute, raising his total from 71 to 82—a significant boost that would increase his already massive mana reserves.
After their feast, Moon carefully stored the remaining cooked at in his storage ring, where it would remain in perfect condition. He then fully cleaned the cave, removing any traces of their presence or activities.
Once they'd left the cave behind, Moon and Mirage continued their journey towards the Crimson Wasteland that served as their ultimate destination.
During their travel across the wilderness, they encountered beasts of various ranks. Everything from F-rank creatures to A-rank predators fell before Moon and his companion, their corpses collected for later sale as a profitable side benefit of their journey.
Ti passed quickly as they maintained steady progress across the varied terrain.
Looking at the map in his hands after a full day of travel, Moon sighed before storing it back in his spatial ring.
"We're still two days away from our target destination, let's stop by the next base for so good rest. I also need to check on Yara and see if Selene has returned from whatever business her brother needed her for."
Before entering this Sanctuary, Moon had instructed Yara to remain at his apartnt, suggesting she use the ti to browse the Internet and continue learning about human civilization.
The arrangent was necessary due to bureaucratic complications. Since Selene was officially registered as Yara's owner according to Awakener Association records, Moon couldn't simply bring her into the Second Sanctuary without proper authorization. Yara was still classified as a potentially dangerous intelligent beast unless her registered owner accompanied her or granted explicit permission for co-ownership to others.
With neither condition currently t, Yara had no choice but to wait safely at ho while Moon pursued his advancent goals.
The restriction was frustrating but unavoidable, another reminder of how bureaucratic systems could complicate even reasonable arrangents.
Moon guided Mirage toward the nearest base, its defensive walls and guard towers becoming visible as they approached the settlent.
♢♢♢♢
"There's a five hundred dollar entry fee," an elderly guard announced at the gate, extending his hand toward Moon with a bored expression on his face.
Moon retrieved the money from his pocket without complaint and paid the guard before being granted passage into the base.
After Moon had passed through and disappeared into the crowd, several people near the gate began murmuring among themselves, including a younger guard.
"Hey, why do I feel like I've seen that person's face sowhere before?" A young guard muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he tried to find the familiar face in his thoughts.
The truth flashed across his mind, and his head snapped towards his colleague in shock, stamring slightly, "Y-You just made one of the strongest awakeners in the First Sanctuary pay a standard entry fee like he was so random traveler!"
The old guard stared at him as if he was an idiot, speaking nonsense, "What are you talking about, kid? You're still new to this job—not everyone who wears expensive-looking equipnt is automatically among the world's elite awakeners. At most, he's probably just wealthier than the average awakener."
The younger guard shook his head frantically. "N-No, you don't understand! He's one of the ten people who cleared the first S-rank gate recently! You might not know him since you haven't returned to earth yet, but his pictures are everywhere!"
The older guard's expression changed to uncertainty and growing dread. "Are you absolutely certain about this? Don't joke around with , kid. This kind of mistake could have serious consequences..."
He'd heard news about the S-rank gate incident and the ten awakeners who'd cleared it, but he hadn't paid much attention to the details. As a low-level gate guard approaching his later years, the affairs of young, powerful individuals were far beyond his ability to influence anyway. He was focused on his job, trying to earn enough to support his family back on Earth through his work.
"Yes, I'm certain! Look at those people over there—they're recognizing him too!"
Several other people inside the base had indeed begun murmuring agreent, saying the man did look familiar and matching the descriptions they'd seen in news coverage.
The older guard cursed internally, panic rising in his chest as he rushed after Moon, who had already vanished into the crowd.
A look of desperation and fear spread across the old man's face, "He wouldn't report to the base lord for treating him like an ordinary visitor... right? If I lose this job, my family is finished! I'm too old to find other work!"
The guard pushed through the crowd frantically, hoping to catch up and sohow apologize before word of his mistake reached the wrong ears.
anwhile, Moon continued deeper into the base, completely unaware of the minor crisis his presence had triggered behind him.
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