After the defeat of the Nine-Headed Dragon, the guardian of the moving labyrinth, the spoils it left behind were staggering.
The immense magic crystal, brimming with magical power, was a treasure in itself. And as for the scattered dragon scales, they were priceless. If taken to the outside world, they could easily fetch a sky-high price.
Even though the Emperor-level Fire Magic had obliterated most of the Nine-Headed Dragon's remains, many of the scales that Wood had sliced off earlier managed to survive the flames of that spell.
The fact that these scales remained intact after enduring the intense heat of an Emperor-level spell was a testament to the absurd level of magic resistance the Nine-Headed Dragon possessed.
Without exaggeration, if these scales were handed over to a skilled craftsman, they could be crafted into an incredibly powerful set of magic-resistant equipment.
After the magic crystal was shattered, the moving labyrinth vanished, as it had lost its power source. Yet, even in pieces, the fragments of the magic crystal remained immensely potent.
If someone were to absorb all the magic within the entire crystal, even a high-level mage could have their mind overwhelmed by the sheer amount of magic and potentially end up as a vegetable. However, if handled with care, these crystal fragments could become invaluable tools for enhancing one's magical power.
After the magic crystal shattered, Zenith, aware that Wood had fallen into a coma due to over-exerting his magic, placed the largest piece of the crystal inside his body.
The effect was immediate: the magic that had been drained from Wood's body was instantly replenished, and his power had increased significantly. However, his deep coma wasn't solely due to magical exhaustion. The aftermath of using the Heart of God was also a major contributing factor.
Unaware of the true cause of Wood's condition, Zenith grew increasingly anxious when, despite his magical power fully recovering and his injuries healing, he still wouldn't wake up.
With the disappearance of the moving labyrinth, they found themselves in the territory of the Millis Holy Kingdom, Zenith's homeland.
Given Wood's strange condition, Zenith decided to seek help from the Pope of the Millis Church, thinking someone of such power might have a solution. She purchased a carriage and began their journey toward the capital of the Millis Holy Kingdom.
The money for the carriage and their journey to the capital came from selling off materials harvested from magical beasts.
Let's not forget, aside from the Nine-Headed Dragon's scales and fragments of the magic crystal, Wood and his companions had slain numerous other magical creatures and beasts while inside the labyrinth.
They traveled to a nearby town and visited the local Adventurers' Guild. Since both Zenith and Wood had adventurer statuses, they were easily able to sell the materials they had gathered.
However, as Zenith was selling a large quantity of magical beast materials and herbs, an incident occurred.
The creatures and beasts inside the moving labyrinth weren't just strong—they were extremely rare. The materials obtained from them were, naturally, worth a fortune.
The labyrinth was infamous as an "Unconquerable Maze," and most adventurers who entered never came out. As a result, the materials Zenith sold fetched an enormous sum of money.
Wealth draws attention. This is a universal truth, no matter the world.
Wherever there is enough profit to be had, there will always be those willing to take risks.
When Zenith entered the Adventurers' Guild, she was accompanied by two small children and carrying an unconscious, heavily scarred young man.
A beautiful woman with two young girls, carrying an incredible amount of wealth—this was practically inviting trouble.
Sure enough, Zenith and her companions had caught the eye of some unsavory characters.
But Zenith was no longer the naive young lady she once was, when she had run away from home and nearly been sold into slavery.
Sensing they were being followed, Zenith didn't panic. Instead, she calmly led Norn and Aisha out of town, keeping her composure.
The men trailing them, initially hesitant about making a move within the town due to potential complications, were delighted when they saw Zenith willingly heading out into the open. They exchanged cruel grins.
"That woman's got a nice figure. After we take her down, we can have some fun with her before selling her to a brothel."
"Those two little girls aren't bad either. Some of the richer, twisted nobles love that kind of thing. We'll get a good price for them."
"As for the unconscious kid, just kill him. No point in keeping him around."
"I can't believe our luck today—this woman's practically begging to be robbed!"
As the gang of adventurers and thieves ogled Zenith with perverted smiles, their expressions quickly froze when several large, crimson-furred wolves suddenly appeared behind her and the girls.
One particularly sleazy adventurer, mid-sentence, felt something heavy fall on his head. When he looked up, he realized with horror that what had just landed on him wasn't rain—it was the saliva of one of the giant wolves!
If seeing a few red-furred wolves hadn't been enough to scare them off, the appearance of the Demon Wolf King behind Zenith was enough to crush any remaining hope they had.
They might not know exactly how strong the Demon Wolf King was, but its towering form—standing over five meters tall—immediately filled them with dread.
Adventurers understood well: powerful magical beasts didn't have to be large, but large magical beasts were rarely easy to deal with.
The Demon Wolf King, originally about three meters tall, had grown even larger after consuming part of the labyrinth's magic crystal.
Not only that, but its smaller pack members, as well as Zenith, Norn, and Aisha, had all absorbed some of the crystal's power too.
There was simply no other option— the magic crystal was enormous, easily the size of an adult human body. Along with the Nine-Headed Dragon's scales and other treasures, they had gathered so much loot that they couldn't carry it all out of the labyrinth.
So, to avoid wasting any of it, each of them absorbed as much as they could safely handle.
Wood had consumed the largest portion of the crystal, taking in more than half of its total size.
The remaining half had been divided among the Demon Wolf King, its smaller pack members, and the others, including Zenith and the girls.
*******
P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a