Chapter 5: The First Skill Core
Monsters in Etheron rarely possessed skill cores, but those that did were considered highly valuable.
These cores contained the distilled essence of an ability, and if absorbed, they could grant the user the corresponding skill.
Skill cores were ranked from F to SSS, but no one had ever discovered a core above S rank. Most skill cores found were C-rank or lower, while B-rank and above were almost exclusively from boss-class monsters.
For centuries, scholars had debated the existence of an SS-rank and SSS-rank skill core, but despite relentless hunts, no one had laid eyes on one.
Some even theorized that they could only be found in forbidden dungeons, or perhaps within monsters yet to be discovered.
Alex, however, wasn't thinking about any of this. Instead, he stared at the corpse of the Shadowfang Leader, the monstrous wolf he had slain after a brutal battle.
With an exhausted sigh, he pulled out his cheap Ether Extraction Dagger, a tool used by adventurers and researchers to harvest ether cores and rare materials from monsters.
His initial plan was to simply collect its fangs and pelt, but he decided to try his luck.
"Alright, old buddy, let's see if you've got anything special for me," he muttered, pressing the dagger against the creature's chest.
A faint hum resonated from the blade as it detected the presence of something unusual. A few seconds later, the dagger vibrated, and a small, dark purple crystal rolled out from within the Shadowfang Leader's body.
Alex's eyes widened. "No way... did I actually hit the jackpot?"