Chapter 26: Death of the Elite-Ranked Fox
The fox collapsed on the ground, its massive form hitting the earth with a heavy thud. In its remaining eye, Draco could see the flicker of unwillingness.
The fox was still in disbelief that, as the stronger predator, it had been defeated by such small and seemingly weak prey.
[You have killed the Elite-Rank beast, Red Leaf Fox]
[You have completed the Mission: Survival I ]
[You have been rewarded: +1 to all stats, +2 EXP]
Draco smiled despite his exhaustion and injuries. The rewards were absolutely deserved for the risk. The attribute gains were equivalent to completing four days of his daily missions, representing a massive acceleration in his development.
[Master! Master! We won! We actually beat that big, bad fox!] Zephyr chirped excitedly, doing a celebratory loop in the air above the fallen beast.
"We did it together, Zephyr. I couldn’t have survived without you."
After the notifications faded, Draco’s attention was drawn to something unusual beside the dead fox’s body, an orange orb glowing.
An equipment drop. This is incredibly rare.
Orbs like this were typically only found in boss rooms where elite monsters were guaranteed to drop rewards. However, there was a second, much rarer way to obtain them: killing a monster significantly more powerful than yourself.
The academic consensus among awakeners was that these orbs represented crystallised soul power from the defeated beast, manifesting as tangible treasures when the victory was particularly impressive or unlikely.
Draco picked up the orb, and information immediately flowed into his mind:
[Stone Heart (Uncommon) Level 1: Greatly increases resistance to emotional manipulation and mental influences from those who are not close to you. This effect is particularly strong against romantic manipulation from the opposite gender. Side effect: Your emotional bonds with those you truly care about become significantly deeper and more powerful.]
Draco examined the skill description with growing interest. This was exactly the kind of mental protection that could prove invaluable in his future dealings with nobles, merchants, and potential enemies who might try to manipulate him.
The side effect actually isn’t concerning. There’s nobody close to me in this world except Zephyr, and strengthening our bond would only be beneficial.
Without hesitation, Draco activated the skill. The orb dissolved into particles of light that flowed into his body, integrating seamlessly with his abilities. He didn’t feel any immediate change, but passive skills often remained dormant until their effects were needed.
[Master, you’re glowing a little bit! Did you get stronger again?]
"I learned a new skill that should help protect my mind. Now, let’s collect our other prizes."
Draco approached the elite fox’s massive corpse and began the grisly task of extracting its beast core. Using his sword to split open the creature’s chest cavity, Draco carefully removed the valuable crystal that housed the monster’s concentrated power.
An elite-rank core. This alone is worth several hundred gold coins.
After securing the precious core in his pouch, Draco began walking back toward the female fox’s body to extract her core as well. He had been forced to abandon the task earlier due to time pressure, but now he could claim all the rewards from their dangerous expedition.
As he approached the location where the female fox had fallen, Draco spotted movement that made him frown in disgust. Another common-rank Leaf Fox was hunched over the corpse, tearing flesh from its deceased pack member with obvious hunger.
The sight of watching an animal eat its own kin was revolting, to say the least.
Despite his distaste, Draco remained focused. He was still injured from the elite fox battle, and rushing in recklessly would be foolish when he was so close to successfully completing his mission.
"Zephyr, can you distract that fox? Draw its attention away from the body so I can get into position."
[Leave it to me, Master!]
Zephyr immediately took flight, darting toward the scavenging fox with obvious hostile intent. The creature raised its head from its meal, lips curled back in a warning snarl as it saw the tiny hummingbird approaching.
Zephyr calmly began executing evasive manoeuvres around the fox, baiting it away from the corpse with carefully timed dives and retreats. When Draco had entered striking range, the fox suddenly spotted him as well.
Realising it was outnumbered two-to-one and recognising the blood of a powerful fox on Draco’s sword and clothes, the scavenger fox made the intelligent decision to retreat rather than fight.
The creature immediately bolted in the opposite direction, seeking easier prey elsewhere in the gate.
As Zephyr prepared to give chase, Draco called out, "We aren’t here for him, Zephyr. Come back."
[But Master, he was being disrespectful to the dead!]
"Let him go. We have what we came for."
Draco quickly extracted the female fox’s common-rank core and stored it alongside the elite core in his pouch. With both objectives completed and valuable loot secured, it was time to leave this dangerous realm.
"Come on, Zephyr. Let’s get out of here, we’ve gotten what we came for."
Zephyr immediately complied, landing on Draco’s shoulder before they made their way to the gate’s portal.
On their way back, Draco avoided encountering any of the foxes once again. Despite killing the elite-rank fox, Draco didn’t want to waste his energy fighting other foxes when he could get ganged up on randomly.
There was no need to take any risk. He had already completed his objective and earned more than he even wanted to!
As Draco made his way back towards the gate, he couldn’t help but check on the evolution requirement.
Requirements for D-Rank talent Evolution:
1x Common-Rank Beast Core
► Status: [Obtained ☑️]
1x Four-Petal Swiftleaf
► Status: [Obtained ☑️]
Daily usage of Micro-Vision and Super-Sonic for 7 consecutive days
► Progress: [6/7 Days Complete]
The requirement update put a smile on his face; the two hardest requirements were completed before the easier one.
There was only one day separating Zephyr from his evolution.
"Hopefully the evolutions brings something good." Draco muttered under his breath, as he stared at the dead fox Infront of him.