"Oi, brother… what's your MME class?" Grimwald asked, his eyes glinting with curiosity as he turned to Valerius.
"MME class?" Valerius repeated, tilting his head slightly. "The Ministry of Mana Evaluation one? I wouldn't know. Never registered for a test."
A stunned silence followed.
"You've got to be joking," Grimwald scoffed. "With your strength? You've got to be at least a top-tier Master… maybe even a Grandmaster."
Valerius let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "Flattering, but that's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"
Draven, who had been quietly observing, narrowed his eyes. "How old are you, anyway? You don't look that old."
"Twenty." Valerius responded nonchalantly.
"Twenty?!" The trio exclaimed in unison, their voices echoing through the forest.
Grimwald exhaled sharply, rubbing his hands on his temple. "Damn… We're all in the twenty-five, twenty-six range. To think someone younger than us could be that strong… makes you wonder what we've been doing all this time."
Before the conversation could continue, a voice cut in.
"Uh, aren't we forgetting something?" Serephina interjected, crossing her arms.
Draven turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "What now?"
She pointed a finger toward the massive, unmoving body beside them and said in a tone filled with sarcasm "I mean… is it just me, or is there a giant Lycan corpse lying here?"
Grimwald let out a nervous chuckle. "Ahh… Right. Kinda forgot about that."
"So, what do we do with it?"
Draven rubbed his chin, considering their options. "Vihadi is a huge town also known as the best business hub between the kingdoms of Caelumir and Aldoria. There should be lots of merchants willing to pay for it. Those guys sink a lot of money into acquiring rare monster parts, and a calamity-class Lycan? That's bound to fetch a high price."
"Not to mention," Grimwald added, snapping his fingers, "we can claim compensation from the city head. If that thing had gone on a rampage, Vihadi would've been wiped out in a day."
Valerius nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I could use the extra coin."
"Then it's settled." Draven clapped his hands together. "Let's get moving before the corpse starts rotting."
As the others prepared to leave, Valerius turned and began walking in the opposite direction.
"Uh… where are you going? The town's this way," Draven called out.
Valerius barely glanced over his shoulder. "Getting my horse."
Draven blinked. "You have a horse?"
"I do."
"Well, we don't," Grimwald muttered. "Guess we'll have to meet you in Vihadi, then. Where should we…"
"That won't be necessary," Valerius interrupted as he untied the reins of a sturdy black steed. "I'll walk with you."
Draven looked surprised. "That's… considerate of you."
Before they could continue, Serephina hesitated before speaking up. "Um… would it be okay if I ask for something a little selfish?"
Draven shot her a tired look. "What now, Serephina?"
She gave him a sheepish smile. "I hurt my leg earlier not that it was a difficult fight or anything, but still… Since you're walking the horse anyway, would it be alright if I rode it?"
Valerius glanced at his horse, sighed and then looked back at Serephina. "Well, I don't think a little stroll would hurt him. And I think he'll be fine with it too."
Draven raised an eyebrow. "He? You mean the horse? It's that smart?"
Valerius smirked, patting the steed's mane. "Smart enough. He was stolen once but found his way back."
Serephina's eyes widened in amazement as she swung herself onto the saddle with Valerius's help. "Wow… I've never seen a horse this sturdy before. Usually, they shift a little under my weight, but this one? It's like I'm not even here."
Valerius folded his arms, his smirk deepening. "Well, I have taken care of him for years. Fed him high-quality mana-rich food. Unlike us, animals and monsters get stronger depending on what they eat."
The group resumed their journey, walking through the dense forest as the last traces of daylight faded behind the treetops. By the time they reached the outskirts of Vihadi, the town's lanterns were already flickering to life, as it they are welcoming them back from their hunt.
As they stepped onto the bustling streets of Vihadi, Grimwald let out a low whistle. "Damn… this place is massive. And look at all these people!"
"You're not wrong," Draven muttered, taking in the market district, where merchants shouted over each other to attract customers. "Business is booming. We should find someone who deals in monster parts before it gets dark."
"Good idea," Grimwald nodded. "Let's split up and ask around." Without another word, he dashed off to the left.
"I'll check the right," Draven added before heading in the opposite direction.
Valerius turned to Serephina, who was still seated on his horse. "I guess I should uh…" He hesitated. "Wait… what was your name again?"
Serephina gasped, clutching her chest dramatically. "Huh?? How rude can a person be? We just introduced ourselves!" She huffed, crossing her arms. "Serephina Thorne. And that's Ms. Serephina to you. Have some respect on my name." she said with a smug look on her face.
Valerius raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that's not happening."
"Tch. No fun."
"Just stay put on the horse. We'll be back soon." Without waiting for her response, Valerius walked off into the crowd.
Minutes later, Draven returned, this time with an older man beside him. His silver hair was neatly combed, and his posture was straight, exuding the air of someone who had seen it all. Two guards flanked him, keeping a wary eye on the surroundings.
Draven glanced around. "Grim and Valerius aren't back yet?"
"Nope," Serephina replied, idly swinging her legs. "But they should be soon. By now, they've probably found someone who can point us in the right direction."
As if on cue, Grimwald came jogging back, slightly out of breath. "Alright… found out the best guy for this kind of trade. Name's Bart Vance biggest monster merchant in town. Let's look for him."
A deep chuckle came from beside Draven. "That would be me."
The older man stepped forward, adjusting his coat. His voice was steady, the kind of calm confidence that came with experience.
"I am Bart Vance. I deal in monster-related goods," he said, offering a nod. "And while I don't like to brag, I'd wager I'm the biggest monster related trader in this city."
Valerius, who had just returned, gave him a respectful nod. "Mr. Bart, then. I am Valerius. Good to meet you."
Bart raised an eyebrow. "Well-mannered one, aren't you? That's rare these days."
Valerius simply nodded. "Draven found you, then. That makes things easier."
"Indeed," Bart said with a chuckle. "Now, about this monster of yours I'll need to inspect the body before we talk numbers. I can't make an offer without knowing its condition. Generally I wouldn't be the one appraising the monsters, but this time something that your friend said interested me. So I came to check it out personally."
"Fair enough." Valerius turned to Serephina. "Hop down. I'll take Mr. Bart to the site on horseback."
Serephina sighed as she slid off the saddle. "Fine, fine. Thanks for letting me ride it, by the way."
"It was nothing," Valerius replied simply. "Mr. Bart, let's go."
Bart nodded in approval before mounting the horse. "Let's see what you've got, then."
With a light kick, Valerius urged the horse forward, and the two rode off, leaving the others behind.
When they arrived at the rocky Cliffside overseeing Vihadi, Bart's sharp eyes locked onto the massive Lycan corpse lying still beneath the fading sunlight.
"…So this is it." He swung his leg over and dismounted, stepping closer. There was no rush in his movements just the patience of someone who had done this a hundred times before. "Been a while since I last saw one of these up close."
He ran a hand over the fur, pressed lightly against the limbs, and checked the claws. His eyes were sharp, taking in every detail.
"Did you kill it yourself?" he asked finally.
"Yeah," Valerius answered. "Is there a problem?"
Bart let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "No. Quite the opposite." He straightened, brushing dust off his coat. "This is the finest condition I've ever seen a monster in after a hunt."
Valerius asked with a slight curiosity. "What does that mean exactly Mr. Bart?"
Bart exhaled through his nose, his gaze lingering on the corpse like it was a rare treasure.
"When I hire mercenaries to take down a monster, their priority is survival, not preservation. They hack, burn, or blast their way through whatever it takes to get the job done. By the time the body reaches me, it's so mutilated that the cost of processing it barely makes the trade worthwhile. And when I ask them about it, they don't hold back, either. 'What, you want us to die just to keep the body pretty?' that's the kind of response I get."
Bart let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "And I can't exactly blame them. We merchants aren't the ones out there risking our lives. In the end, we have no choice but to rely on those strong enough to do the hunting for us. As they say beggars can't be choosers."
He gestured toward the Lycan. "But this? This is pristine. You crushed the head, but the body is untouched. Do you have any idea how rare that is? In my forty years of this business and 60 years of life, I've never seen a cleaner kill."
Valerius let out a small breath. "Well… good to know it's worth something."
Bart chuckled. "Worth something? Kid, this exceeds expectations. You could start your own hunting business if you keep this up."
Valerius just shrugged. "So, what now? Do we take it back?"
Bart rubbed his chin. "Yeah, but not like this. We'll head back to Vihadi first. I'll pay you what you're owed, then I'll send my men to retrieve it properly."
"Sounds fine." Valerius motioned to the horse. "Get on."
Bart gave him an amused look but climbed up. "Not much for chit-chat, huh?"
"Not really," Valerius admitted, gripping the reins. "Let's go."
"Well, for someone as strong as you, you're surprisingly polite. I like that," Bart said with a grin.
Valerius let out a small chuckle. "Appreciate it," he replied, offering a nod.
With that, the two galloped back toward the city, the deal all but sealed before the price was even named.