The enormous body of the Ashfang Wolf King finally stopped moving.
Its crimson markings gradually lost their glow, leaving behind nothing but a lifeless mass of charcoal-black fur and bloodied flesh.
Eren stood a short distance away, still trying to process what he had just witnessed.
Vaelzara had killed it.
Not through some devastating spell or complicated technique, but with her bare hands, claws, and tail. The way she had torn through the pack made him question whether the creature had ever stood a chance against her.
’She’s absolutely terrifying.’
He swallowed and glanced at the others.
Rowan remained frozen in place, his hunting weapon hanging loosely in his hand. Lyra wasn’t doing much better. Both had witnessed the entire battle, and neither seemed particularly eager to approach the Demon Queen.
As for Vaelzara, she was standing beside the Wolf King’s corpse, breathing calmly.
Her transformation had not completely disappeared. Her enlarged horns, crimson eyes with narrow pupils, elongated claws, and long scaled tail still gave her a distinctly monstrous appearance.
She looked down at the corpse before turning toward Eren.
"Master. It appears our hunt was successful."
Eren stared at her.
"Successful? You nearly destroyed the entire cave!"
Vaelzara tilted her head and asked. "Would you have preferred that I allowed them to eat us?"
"That’s not what I meant," Eren shook his head, causing a faint smile to appear on her face.
"Then I suppose everything went well."
Eren sighed.
There was no point arguing with her.
Before he could say anything else, he rechecked the notification on the interface.
[Monster killed: Ashfang Wolf King.]
[Monster Tier: 9.]
[EXP gained: 100.]
[You have leveled up!]
[Level: 5.]
[EXP: 415/500.]
Eren blinked.
He had reached Level 5.
That was considerably faster than he had expected, especially considering that he hadn’t personally fought most of the monsters. His summoned spirits had done nearly all the work, yet he continued receiving experience whenever they secured kills.
[Vaelzara Veyrath reached Level 5.]
[EXP: 415/500.]
Vaelzara had reached Level 5 too, which means Elena and Hela would have reached Level 5 as well.
Eren glanced at her.
’So the experience-sharing mechanic was still working?’ He smiled.
However, before he could examine it further, another system notification appeared.
[Level milestone achieved!]
[You have received 3 new Summoning Allowances.]
[Summoning Allowances acquired:]
[ F-Rank Summoning Allowance ×2 ]
[ E-Rank Summoning Allowance ×1 ]
Eren’s eyes widened slightly.
’Three new allowances?’
He quickly opened the notification.
[System Notice]
[For every five levels gained, the host will receive 3 additional Summoning Allowances.]
[The ranks of these allowances will be randomly determined.]
[Next milestone: Level 10.]
Eren stared at the information for several seconds.
This was interesting.
He had initially received three SSS-Rank Summoning Allowances and ten F-Rank Summoning Allowances. Those had been part of his starting privileges, but he hadn’t known whether he would ever receive additional ones.
Now he had his answer. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Every five levels would reward him with three more opportunities to summon spirits, and their ranks would be determined randomly.
Of course, receiving an F-Rank allowance wasn’t particularly exciting compared to an SSS-Rank one. However, he wasn’t going to complain about having additional spirits.
Every summoned individual could potentially contribute something to the settlement.
Besides, he had already learned that a spirit’s rank wasn’t the only thing that determined its usefulness.
’Level 10, then.’
He closed the notification and returned his attention to the cave.
That was when another notification appeared.
[Monster Drop acquired!]
[Item: Ashfang King’s Heart.]
[Rank: Rare.]
Eren’s expression changed.
’A drop?’
He looked toward the Wolf King’s enormous corpse.
A faint red glow had appeared above its chest, and a small object was gradually emerging from the dissipating remains.
It resembled a dark-red crystal, roughly the size of a human fist. Its surface pulsed faintly, almost like a living heart, while thin crimson lines ran through its interior.
The object floated toward Eren before settling gently into his hands.
He immediately opened its description.
[Item: Ashfang King’s Heart]
[Rank: Rare]
[Description: A special biological treasure containing concentrated vitality and traces of the Ashfang King’s unique bloodline. It can be used as an ingredient in the preparation of medicines and certain alchemical compounds. When properly processed by a qualified alchemist, it may contribute to the treatment of specific diseases and physical ailments.]
[Warning: Improper processing or consumption may result in severe complications.]
Eren read the description twice.
’A medicinal ingredient?’
He examined the object more carefully.
The crystal-like heart was surprisingly warm, and its faint pulsations made it feel almost alive.
’This could be valuable.’
He didn’t know how much it would sell for, but anything capable of contributing to the production of medicine was worth investigating.
More importantly, the description suggested that it could help treat certain diseases.
That alone made it considerably more interesting than an ordinary monster drop.
If there were people in the Dominion Expanse who specialized in processing materials like this, he could potentially sell it for a substantial amount of money.
Or perhaps keep it until he understood its full potential.
Either way, it was the first valuable drop he had obtained since arriving in the Dominion Expanse.
And he had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last.
Eren carefully stored the Ashfang King’s Heart in the system’s inventory displaying at the top corner of the interface.
He would need to find someone knowledgeable enough to examine it properly before making any decisions.
When he finally looked up, he noticed Vaelzara watching him.
Her transformed appearance had become even more unsettling under the dim light of the cave, but her expression remained calm.
"Something interesting, Master?"
Eren nodded.
"The Wolf King dropped something. Apparently, its heart can be used to prepare medicines."
"How useful?" Vaelzara asked.
"Very. I don’t know how much it’s worth yet, but it might be exactly what we need."
Vaelzara glanced at the place where the Wolf King’s body had disappeared.
"Then perhaps we should continue hunting."
Eren looked at her. "Continue?"
"Naturally. There are probably other monsters in this region, and stronger creatures may leave behind even more valuable drops. If we find enough of them, we could collect a considerable amount of resources for your settlement."
She spoke as though the idea were perfectly obvious.
Eren couldn’t deny that she had a point.
The Wolf King’s Heart was already proof that monster hunting could provide more than food. If they encountered other powerful creatures, there was a chance they could obtain materials worth considerably more.
And with those resources, he could begin funding the development of Ashen Frontier.
However, his attention gradually returned to Vaelzara.
More specifically, her transformation.
He remembered how effortlessly she had slaughtered the wolves. Even the Tier 9 Wolf King had been unable to withstand her physical strength.
If she could maintain that form while they continued hunting, their chances of obtaining valuable drops would increase considerably.
But there was a problem.
Eren knew that Immortal Demon Body was a passive ability. Its basic transformation didn’t consume mana, and Vaelzara had already demonstrated just how destructive it could be.
However, he had also examined her other abilities through the system.
There was something he hadn’t expected.
The description of her complete transformation indicated that certain conditions had to be fulfilled before she could manifest its full potential.
And those conditions were... unusual.
Eren wasn’t entirely sure how to interpret them.
He certainly hadn’t expected anything involving romantic intimacy to be part of an ability’s activation requirements.
’Why would a transformation skill even have conditions like that?’
He glanced at Vaelzara again.
She was still observing him.
"Master?" She called
"Hmm?"
"You seem troubled," she added.
"I’m just thinking."
"About our next hunt?"
"Something like that," Eren titled his head and nodded.
Vaelzara’s lips curved slightly.
"I see."
She took a step closer.
"Then perhaps I can help you with your thoughts."
Eren immediately became cautious.
"What do you mean?"
"I have an idea."
He waited.
"We can continue hunting other monsters. I can use Immortal Demon Body to deal with them, and we can collect whatever valuable drops they leave behind."
Eren understood the suggestion.
It was a reasonable plan.
In fact, it was probably the most practical way to proceed, considering how powerful she had proven herself to be.
However, he hesitated and it hadn’t taken a while before Vaelzara noticed.
Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly, and an amused expression appeared on her face.
"Is something wrong, Master?"
"No. It’s just..."
He stopped.
How was he supposed to explain it?
He knew she could become even stronger if she fully activated her transformation. But the conditions attached to that ability were something he wasn’t prepared to discuss casually.
He wasn’t even sure whether he understood them correctly.
Vaelzara studied his expression for a moment before she ended up smiling.
"Let me guess... You already know what you have to do to manifest my total transformation?"
Eren froze, his eyes widening.
For a brief moment, he couldn’t even find the words to respond.
She knew...
’She actually knew that I can access all her abilities.’
’Crap!’