"That's.... "
Zilya stumbled, trying to take in and comprehend the spectacle before her.
'A 4-metre class!'
She bellowed internally as a profound sense of fear started to envelope her.
The 4-metre class were monsters that were able to terrify weaklings like Zilya even while dead. They were natural calamities that were currently at the top of the food chain.
Currently, very few people in human domain has reached a level where they are merely even eligible to stand before them.
And yet, such a creature lay on the ground helplessly, the jagged edges of its severed limbs and the deep gashes across its body a testament to the excruciating pain it endured before finally succumbing to death.
Nothing needeed to be said. The culprit of the sight was obvious. In the whole of Northen continent, only a single man was capable of reducing a general class to such a sorry state.
Ron, unbothered by the look Zilya was giving him, walked towards the monster. But he didn't move towards the cleaved torso, but rather towards the severed head.
He approached the detached head with a cold, expressionless demeanor. Without hesitation, he knelt beside it, pulling out a small, sharp knife from his pocket.
With meticulous precision, he made a careful incision around the top of the skull, his hands steady and sure. He then channeled mana around his hand and applied the most delicate of force, prying open the skull, the bone cracking with a sickening sound.
Reaching his hand inside, Ron delicately separated the brain matter from the surrounding tissue, using both the knife and his fingers to ensure nothing was damaged. His face remained devoid of any emotion as he worked, his eyes focused solely on the task. Once he had the brain fully exposed, he carefully lifted it out, the mass heavy and slick in his hands. He squeezed it a bit and the remaining ghastly fluids came out of the matter. He then made use of his tattered shirt to clean away the dark, viscous fluid, a grotesque mixture of cerebrospinal fluid and congealed gore. He did it a few more times before stopping.
Standing up, he turned and walked toward the girl, holding the brain matter out to her, his expression unchanged and his movements steady.
/Blech/
Zilya, who was watching the whole process with a pale look on her face finally throwed up as she dropped to the ground, trembling violently.
/Thud/
Ron, ignoring her, throwed the brain to the ground and started moving towards the monster corpse once again, the sound of the brain matter hitting the ground echoed and settled in her head.
He took out his sword and started slicing the monster apart, also skinning him in the process. Usually, he wouldn't put in this much effort for a single monster but an eatable 4-metre class was an important merchandise, too important to let go to waste.
Slash/Slash/Slash
He kept slicing and skinning the monster, also removing his blood in the process.
Finally, he stopped after nearly two minutes of work. Zilya, at this point, finally regained her bearings as she stood up but her body was still trembling vigorously.
She gazed at the neatly arranged pieces of flesh on the ground and...
/GULP/
The gulp this time was rather loud as saliva started dripping from a corner of her mouth.
"Hah.. Hah.. "
She breathed heavily, panting again and again. Her eyes fixed on the pieces of meat laid before her. She gazed at them like a hungry beast, who has been deprived of food for generations. She unconsciously took a step forward, not able to hold herself back.
"Calm down."
Ron's voice, which was not as emotionless as before and had a gentle touch to it, brought her out her rapture.
"Ahh.. I-I am sorry... "
Zilya apologized, reflecting on her actions.
"U-uhmm...."
She finally gathered her courage to ask the question that has been plaguing her mind.
"That thin- "
"A monster's brain.... Or should I say an Ascendant's brain... "
Zilya words were cut short as Ron started giving the answer to her question.
"An Ascendant's brain.... Whether human or monster, is incredibly rich in mana and can help strengthen both body and mind, directly increasing one's chances to ascend to the next rank. And this brain that came out of a 4-metre class.... "
Ron paused for a bit and looked at Zilya. He raised his eyebrows a bit as he looked at her childlike eyes which, instead of being devoid of life were now filled with greed.
An imperceptible smirk appeared on Ron's face but it quickly returned to normal.
Zilya realised what she had done and lowered her head once again, but this time she didn't speak anything, not even apologizing.
"You said your brother is 13 years old and at the Corporal rank, right?"
"Y-yes, he will turn 14 after one month." Zilya raised her head to give reply to the question.
"He's rather talented. For being a Corporal at only 13 years old.... Not many has achieved it."
A faint smile appeared on Zilya's face as she heard her brother getting praised from their leader. At the same time, she suddenly turned curious.
'I wonder what rank Marshal was when he was 14....' She kept those thoughts to herself, not voicing them out.
"As I was saying before, a brain that came out of a 4-metre class will be able to help a Recruit like you directly advance to Soldier Rank and will greatly increase your brother's chances to rank upto the Commander rank, given he's already at the later stage of it."
Zilya eyes gleamed brightly as she heard that, her heart filled with hope and joy.
'Yes, this is it! I have to get this brain at all cost!'
She thought internally.
"M-Marshall Ron.. I-I... "
Zilya started to speak, prepared to do anything to obtain this brain. She was completely aware that it was only her own strength that she could rely on in times of disaster to keep herself and his brother away from harm!
"I will do an-"
"You can take it. The whole brain will not be required,you can take part of it, also advancing to Soldier rank."
"The sudden increase in mana inside your and your brother's Mana heart might be overwhelming so remember to consolidate it using meditation and only consume it in parts. You can ask kenny for more help and advise. Don't worry, he won't punish you for this offense, neither will he take it away from you."
Ron explained, his tone reverting to how it was before.
Zilya's eyes were filled with tears to the brim, as she felt overwhelming emotions assaulting her. It was as if all the pains she went through have been rewarded.
"Thank you."
Her voice was extremely soft, just like that of your average 10 year old.
"I will never..ever forget this favor."
She said while picking up the brain that was still on the ground. The brain didn't look as grotesque as before, rather in Zilya's eyes, it had an unsaid charm to it.
"Take some of the pieces of flesh for your brother and yourself."
Zilya done as instructed and started putting some of the meat in her backpack. She didn't took too much in consideration of her return journey.
"You can take a bit more. I came here to train and survey the area. There aren't any more monsters in the vicinity. Your journey back to the stronghold should be safe. The monster corpse you encountered....It was killed by the 4-metre class I defeated. It went off without caring to devour it. The ape monster must have been attracted to the location by the smell just like you and attacked you in the process."
Zilya heared intently, trying to learn as many things as she could from their renowned leader and her new idol. She took a bit more of the meat and prepared to go back to the stronghold.
At the end, she gave a deep bow to her protector, once again asserting how she will never forget this favor.
"One last thing."
"What is it?"
Zilya asked curiosly, while tilting her head. She looked no different than a 10 year old girl, apart from her appearance.
"Just as the monsters brains are beneficial to us humans, the same goes for monsters. And not only beneficial, but to them it's a real delicacy. And not just brain, but other parts too."
"And those ferocious beast will never be as mannered as I was while feasting upon it."
"They would just tear it apart."
Towards the last part of his sentence, a thick killing intent started to seep out of Ron, but only a small amount of it.
"hiss.... "
Zilya drew in a cold breath when she heard the word 'mannered'.
Couple with the thick killing intent she felt from Ron, she was again reminded of the cruel reality of the world.
The strong will prey on the weak, and the weak will be preyed upon.
A determined look appeared on her face as she tightly clutched the strips of the bag which contained the brain from the 4-metre class.
She gave a final bow and started moving away from the place and headed towards the North-East direction, where her stronghold, the New Flussufer stronghold was located.
Ron watched her figure as it moved further and further away. He muttered under his breath,
"A favor, huh... "
He then turned around and moved towards the large piece of flesh he has seperated for him to carry.
He muttered again while carrying the piece of flesh on his shoulder.
"Make sure you repay it in full."
His look was expressionless as he started moving away again.
As he travelled through the desolate moor, under the howling winds and the same terror inducing crimson moon, he stopped for a moment as his keen senses sensed a presence at a distance.
His hands moved towards the tilt of his sword, ready to dispatch any of those hateful beasts that might obstruct his path.
He removed his hand from the sword as he identified the presence as an ally.
Soon, a silhouette of a burly man was visible, moving towards at him fast speed.
Ron too started approaching the man and both of them reached each other after a few seconds.
"Connor."
Ron was the first one to speak as he asked with an impassive look on his face.
"How's the situation?"
Those simple words held the weight of a century upon them.
"It's not looking good."
The man Connor replied with a solemn look on his face.
"What about you? Did you manage to confirm it?"
He asked in return after giving his own piece of information.
"It's almost confirmed."
The reply was small and hinting at something. The man, Connor's expression, knowing the meaning of those words, instantly turned grim.