Chapter 414: Natural Treasure On Beasts

Leo’s arms were covered in frost from the ice-cold tusks he was using as handles to lift the entire Mammoth.

The beast was so disoriented and shocked that it even forgot to use its ice-related skills that could have disrupted Leo’s lift.

Never in its life had the Mammoth thought that somebody this small could lift it entirely, not to mention using the long tusks it was so proud of.

For a Low 3-star beast, the Mammoth was already massive, standing at 11 meters— a whole 9 meters taller and far bulkier than Leo; more than 10,000 KG!

"Wah—ah!" Marco fell face-first into the ground behind Leo from the Mammoth’s back, eating dirt.

With a horrified expression, he looked up and saw Leo completely lifting the Mammoth off the ground, holding it above his head.

TRRRAAAAAHHH!

The beast thrashed wildly, but Leo’s hold remained firm.

While both the beings were questioning existence, the main person himself was proud.

Hah! I knew I could lift something so heavy! Hmm, should I also try throwing it?

But then suddenly—

Crack!

A thin hairline crack formed over the icy layer of the tusk. Marco’s heart lurched.

"L-Leo, please don’t let the tusks break! Healers cannot regenerate it, and it will take decades to grow back!" Marco shouted from behind, panic clear in his voice.

If the tusk broke, the Mammoth would lose its most lethal weapon and become a defenseless beast for many years—turning Marco into a useless combatant and dragging down his student ranking. And knowing people like Yano Gilbert existed, his position would be snatched within days.

And Leo wasn’t any mortal enemy of Marco that he would wish such misery upon him.

Leo nodded and carefully lowered the Mammoth back to where he had lifted it from. \

Thud!

The beast collapsed the moment it touched the ground, trembling and panting slightly, seemingly terrified of Leo and eager to back away.

"Fhew... thank you..." Marco exhaled in relief, wiping the dirt from his mouth.

Marco had been with the Mammoth since childhood, and ever since, it had remained the same size. As for why a beast like a Mammoth stayed with him, it was simple.

The Mammoth had once been trapped by Marco’s tribe members as a source of food, beaten and injured to such a degree that even lifting its head felt painful. The only reason it was kept alive was to keep the meat ’fresh’ when needed.

Back then, Marco was only a 10-year-old child. He used to bring it water, leaves, and hay to feed it—until one day, he realized he could sense the beast’s feelings and even command it to do simple tasks.

The chieftain was instantly overjoyed. Having lived a long life as a traveller, he recognised this as a beast-taming talent and concluded that Marco had unintentionally formed a contract with the Mammoth.

From that day on, the Mammoth was freed—though it was kept under strict watch for a few months to ensure it wasn’t pretending, as Mammoths could be highly intelligent. But after several hunting sessions, and especially when a Sabre-Tooth tiger was brought down under Marco’s command, the Chief allowed it to remain with him.

A Sabre-Tooth tiger was a natural enemy of Mammoths, with Mammoths being the prey. And when the prey hunted the hunter under a command, it confirmed that the beast was under contract.

From that day onwards, the tribe flourished. Since the Mammoth was a Peak 2-star being when Marco contracted it, their hunts became far easier. Eventually, hunting Mammoths was banned in their tribe, turning the beast into their sacred animal.

One evening, their chief traveled to a distant city and registered their tribe as an official settlement recognized by the Empire. This granted them protection, as well as access to trade and imperial facilities.

Though no one had become a noble yet due to pending processes, in the city, the chief with his Peak 2-star strength, Marco with his Mammoth, and a few others were eligible. But before that could happen, the academy selection arrived, and they were visited by its staff.

And now, Marco stood here.

"Thank you. Mammon’s worth is even more than my life. I truly appreciate your kindness," Marco said sincerely. It would have been a disaster if Leo broke the tusk, and Leo was under no obligation not to do so as Marco was the one to attack him first.

Leo simply shrugged as if it was nothing, but his next words made Marco’s skin crawl.

"Hmm, these ice-tipped tusks... are they some sort of natural treasure? What would be their market value?" Leo rubbed his chin, looking completely serious.

"W-what?" Marco stiffened, already imagining Leo snapping the tusk off with a backhand strike to sell it.

"No, no, I’m just curious. I won’t hurt it or anything. I promise."

Marco narrowed his eyes but still answered.

"In these past few days, I looked up Mammon’s information in the library. According to that, the tusks would currently be ranked at Peak Blue-tier. They could be higher, I’m not sure, but they can be used to make jewelry, weapons, and equipment. From my estimate, their value alone would be enough to sustain my tribe for a few years..." Marco paused, then his eyes widened as realization struck.

"No wonder the chief made Mammon a sacred beast! That cunning old fox was already planning to use the tusks in times of need!" Marco ground his teeth in frustration, though there was no real anger—he knew the chief only acted in the tribe’s best interest.

That man had lived for nearly a hundred years and kept the tribe alive with his cunning alone, even when his strength wasn’t that great.

Marco and his family had even been elevated in status, just a step below the chief’s family, because of his contribution. And with the chief’s bearing, Marco could never truly be angry. Even if he one day became far stronger than the chief, he would still remain loyal—though at that point, he wouldn’t allow any compromise and wouldn’t use the Mammoth’s tusks if it was absolutely necessary.

"What?" Leo frowned, confused when Marco used tribe sustainment as a measure of value.

"I mean... it’s valuable. Very valuable. Many people would kill to get their hands on it," Marco clarified, confident Leo wouldn’t be interested, considering he likely had access to far better things.

Leo nodded, and as Marco expected, he didn’t seem particularly interested.

Looks like some beasts grow natural treasures on their bodies after reaching the 3-star realm, he thought.

He already knew of three instances: the Thunderhide Elk, the Rock-Ox that Lily hunted and whose horn was used to make his dagger, and now Marco’s Mammon.

Leo thought carefully, wondering if any of his beasts—or any in his surroundings—had such treasures.

Oh shoot...

There were actually three.