It was a crystal core.
A type of energy crystal that occasionally remains after a Spirit Beast's death.
To put it simply, it could also be called the Spirit Beast's "inner core."
It was the only thing that could prove the existence of the Spirit Beast after its death.
Inside, it stored the essence of the Spirit Beast's spiritual energy from its life.
Humans couldn't use it, but it could be used by Spirit Beasts.
In addition to boosting the power of the Spirit Beast, it was also one of the key sources of energy for low-tier Spirit Beasts to accumulate enough spiritual energy and evolve to the next stage.
It was incredibly precious and highly valuable items.
Even the most ordinary crystal cores could fetch at least a thousand beastdollar on the market.
However, Ash just glanced at it for a second before tossing it to the Larvavine, who was practically drooling in anticipation nearby.
Although she was poor, Ash always made sure to separate personal grudges from what she owed to others.
"Hmm…?"
This time, it was Larvavine's turn to be bewildered.
It had not expected Ash to give it the crystal core of the giant Vespitoxin.
The Larvavine raised its small head to look at the shiny crystal core in front of it, then glanced at Ash, who had plopped down on the ground and was now tending to her wounds.
The desire for the crystal core was written all over its face—even the antennae on its head twitched several times in response.
Yet, in the end, it refrained from touching the crystal core Ash had tossed in front of it.
Instead, it let out a soft chirp at her.
"Larvanine~"
Are you really giving this to me?
As a Larvavine, it was well aware of its lack of strength to defeat any Spirit Beast on its own.
Before Ash handed it the giant Vespitoxin's crystal core, the idea of obtaining one had never even crossed its mind.
Yes, it had participated in the fight against the giant Vespitoxin earlier, but Larvavine didn't feel like the few strands of silk it had spat out were enough to qualify it to share in the spoils.
After all, it was Ash who had dealt the final blow to the giant Vespitoxin, and logically, the crystal core belonged to her, not it.
And yet, here it was, holding in front of it the spoils of a victory that rightfully belonged to Ash.
Larvavine could hardly believe its eyes.
For a moment, it even wondered if it was imagining things because of how much it craved the crystal core.
Could it really own such a precious crystal core?
Unable to suppress its doubt, Larvavine turned its gaze toward Ash again and let out a soft chirp, hoping for a clear answer from her.
Ash, who was in the middle of bandaging the wounds on her arm, didn't leave Larvavine waiting for long.
Noticing its hesitation, she paused what she was doing and looked at it.