Chapter 63 | C-Rank Core
After finishing the rest of the goblins off, Alicar’s experience point bar shot up to 74%, meaning that he was very close to level 16 and another boost in power.
As for Leon, he managed to get to level 17, and only David leveled up to level 21, making their entire group much stronger and more capable.
"That’s three out of the five great families met I guess," Alicar groaned as he looked around the clearing, all the goblin corpses lying there in scattered heaps. "Can’t say they were great experiences."
First, Jacob Thorne, the man he had met in the Initial Stage had immediately used his skill against Alicar to stop him from leaving.
And now, Valerius had not only attacked them with a skill powerful enough to kill them, even at half fire power, but also launched the fireball to attract these goblins to them.
Fortunately, Alicar managed to eliminate the Goblin Commander, who was the main threat that could have wiped them all out.
"Split the items however you like," David said as he sat on the ground to relax while pointing at Leon and Alicar, his voice filled with genuine appreciation. "You did most of the work."
"Thanks," Leon smiled, clearly pleased with the recognition.
As for Alicar, his expression remained neutral, because beside the cores, he couldn’t really grab anything due to his limited storage space.
Or maybe, there was another way to handle this situation.
"Hey Leon," Alicar asked, turning toward his companion. "Can I just ask you to grab the Goblin Commander’s corpse for me if you can?"
"Sure," Leon nodded without hesitation.
Leon’s Storage Ring worked completely differently from the one Alicar currently had or even the one he was aiming for in the future.
Instead of weight or spatial room, it operated based on how many items it could carry at once.
"I have 15 slots in my Storage Ring but I’ll free up some of them if needed," he said, already mentally sorting through his inventory.
It was advantageous, as it meant even the biggest bodies could be carried over with ease, but also put a disadvantage as it meant you couldn’t carry hundreds of small items either, requiring careful management.
Either way, Alicar quickly tried to butcher the Goblin Commander’s body for the core, but alas, even his Cutting Knife couldn’t pierce through the monster’s thick armor.
He launched several spells at the thing until the armor finally broke apart, the metal cracking and falling away, allowing him to cut through the Goblin Commander’s body.
And what he pulled out made his eyes widen with surprise.
"Wow," he breathed, holding the core in his palm.
It was a C-Rank Core, the best one Alicar had ever obtained from a normal monster, its surface glowing with faint energy.
"Alright, you can store it now," Alicar grinned, and Leon did as told, touching the Goblin Commander’s body as it disappeared into his Storage Space with a soft shimmer.
As for the rest of the goblins, the group did what they wanted with the loot, though Alicar obtained 24 F-Rank Cores, 8 E-Rank Cores and 3 D-Rank Cores from the various creatures.
The Small Goblins and Goblin Warriors unfortunately only gave F-Rank Cores as they were common-rank, their value limited.
Alicar felt at that moment that how the cores were attributed to each monster had to have a certain logic to them, a pattern he was beginning to understand.
For example, it was always common-rank monsters that gave F-Rank cores no matter what, uncommon-rank gave E-Rank, and rare-rank monsters gave D-Rank.
The Goblin Commander seemed to be an anomaly, as he was rare-rank yet gave a C-Rank core, defying the established pattern.
’Or perhaps it’s because of the level,’ Alicar’s eyes widened with realization. ’The Goblin Commander is Level 20 after all...’
Did that mean rare-rank monsters from level 10 to 19 gave D-Rank cores while those at 20 and above gave C-Rank instead?
Either way, while the others were busy dividing the loot, Alicar consumed the C-Rank core, feeling its power swell inside him like a wave of warmth and...
Ding!
[+1 Evolution Point.]
’Hah, so it only takes one C-Rank Core to gain an Evolution Point,’ he grinned, a sense of satisfaction washing over him. ’Good to know.’
That did make him wonder what could the B-Rank, A-Rank and S-Rank Cores possibly give though, the potential rewards were staggering.
Just like that, he kept consuming the rest of the cores, absorbing 5 E-Rank Ones and 3 D-Rank to gain another two evolution points, his power growing incrementally.
"What the hell are you doing?" Leon asked as he looked at Alicar with a confused expression, his brow furrowed with curiosity. "You..."
"EP," Alicar replied calmly, placing his finger on his mouth in a shushing gesture.
"...Alright," Leon replied, understanding the need for secrecy.
Leon had no idea what EP was, but if Alicar didn’t want it to be revealed, then he wouldn’t pry for too long, trusting his companion’s judgment.
Alicar stored the rest of the cores in his Storage Space as it was almost full to bursting, the ring’s limited capacity becoming increasingly apparent.
"Alright," he spoke to the others, who had been busy recovering and grabbing their respective corpses from the battlefield. "Let’s move."
"We should be near the base," David said with a faint smile, "It’s the only one among the many documented that managed to survive an attack intact, as all the awakeners there are really strong and well-prepared."
"Good to know," Alicar nodded, his mind already planning ahead.
The group kept moving, defeating any monster they came across with growing efficiency, until eventually, they found the base emerging from the forest ahead.
The base was a massive fortress of stone and steel, its walls towering high and reinforced with magical barriers that shimmered faintly in the light.
Its gates were flanked by heavily armed guards whose eyes scanned the horizon with unwavering vigilance, ready to repel any threat that dared approach.
"Welcome to Ironhold Base," one of the guards said with a faint smile, his voice carrying a note of pride. "You have done very well reaching this point, I don’t advise going any further until you are ready though. There’s a gate if you wish to leave, and a market where you can buy things to prepare for your journey ahead."