Chapter 23: Loot
[You have killed an F rank (Elite) Firestone Ant.]
[1 F rank (Elite) Origin Crystal has been dropped.]
[F rank (Elite) Firestone Gene has been dropped.]
Rohan was in awe.
He was unable to believe that he’d actually just taken down an Elite beast. Well, he and Elane. ’Though I did do most of the work.’
But much more importantly.
’A fucking Gene dropped!! Weren’t the chances in like the single digits or something?? Just how lucky am I to get one, and from an Elite beast at that!?’
He tried his best to suppress his hands from shaking. If Elane saw him reacting like that, then she’d know something was up.
"How does loot distribution work when multiple Awakened injure the same beast?"
His question brought Elane back from her stunned silence, making her think for a moment.
"The one who dealt the most damage gets the kill notification on their Status, as for the loot..." She hesitated, glancing over at the corpse of the Soldier Ant lying in wait.
Should she tell him the truth? Would it even matter if she did or not? He had essentially taken the beast down solo.
In the end, she decided to reveal the truth. He would find out once they went back to Erenhot anyway. The two were already able to coordinate in battle extremely well with each other, so she’d like to keep that working relationship up for the future as well.
The two of them fighting side by side was much more efficient than going at it alone — and it benefited both of them.
"Loot is generally distributed by order of contribution. When there are groups of beasts it usually isn’t a big deal, but when it comes to single kills like this, it goes to the person who received the notification."
She assumed that Rohan had already received it since he posed the question in the first place, which only affirmed her choice to continue working with him.
’He’s someone who basically solo’d an Elite beast on his first day in the Origin Realm... he might even be able to reach Father’s level in the future.’
Rohan kept silent after hearing Elane’s explanation, moving in on the corpse to begin the extraction himself.
’She only knows about the Elite Origin Crystal. I can’t let her know about the Gene that dropped as well. At least not until she rebuilds the trust she lost from me.’
Rohan grabbed his spear near the tip and started carving into the ant’s thick carapace, peeling it aside when he was done with a section. It took longer than he’d like to admit, but he eventually removed enough to begin the extraction.
Once he was ready, he dove both of his hands into the innards of the Ant, feeling around for both the Origin Crystal and the Firestone Gene. The crystal was where he expected it to be, in the heart like always. As for the Gene, he surprisingly found it lodged right next to the Origin Crystal.
’I guess all loot just drops in the heart of the beast then.’
If so, that made life more convenient.
He moved the Gene to his left hand, closed his fist tightly around it to stop any of its red hue from leaking out between his fingers, then grabbed the Origin Crystal with his right hand.
"Say, how much would the corpse of an Elite beast like this one fetch back in the city?"
He asked casually while pulling both if his hands out of the corpse, holding the Origin Crystal tightly between his index and thumb in full view of Elane. A big blooming smile was plastered across his face as he inspected it. The crystal itself was about five times bigger than the Normal tier ones he’d collected.
Elane didn’t react much to the sight of the Origin Crystal.
"Are we talking in dollars or Origin Crystals?" She asked.
Rohan looked at her in surprise.
’Why didn’t I think of that, I forgot that aside from being a cultivation resource, Origin Crystals can also be used as a form of currency to trade with!’
"Origin Crystals."
He wasn’t in need of any money for the time being. Not to mention that Origin Crystals were the number one thing he needed at the moment. They were always in demand, as there were always new Awakened filtering into the Origin Realm. Those Awakened at the peak of their rank weren’t so interested in them other than as a currency, which made trading them both within the Origin Realm and in the outside universe a booming market.
The sooner he could collect Origin Crystals, then the sooner he could reach E rank!
"I’m not a know it all when it concerns the Origin Realm!" Elane pouted.
"...But if I were to guess, I’d say you’d be able to fetch somewhere in the double digits, at least. Especially since this thing’s carapace could make some hardy armour in the hands of an experienced smith."
"Now that’s music to my ears!" Rohan laughed elatedly.
’I’ll use some of the Origin Crystals earned by selling the corpse to replace the ones I absorbed earlier. Otherwise, I have no idea how I’m going to explain the loss to Elane...’
Of the nine Worker Ants the two had killed during the day, five were killed by Elane. So only four of those six and a half he absorbed actually belonged to him.
"I’d say its about time we headed back now..."
He looked up at the night sky, not a single speck of sunlight in sight, and knew they had overstayed their welcome in the area.
One fight against an Elite beast was enough for the day — knowing his luck, there might be another encounter on the horizon if they chose to stay there any longer.
"...Yeah."
Something about Elane seemed different after the fight against the Firestone Soldier Ant, but that was something to bring up at another time.
Right now, Rohan wanted nothing more than a good night’s sleep.