Chapter 238

"Yes. Let’s all vote on what to do with the cores."

"Fine."

"I’m down."

The duo uttered simultaneously, their voices overlapping as the sharp edge of the tension finally began to dull.

Kai shifted his stance and cleared his throat, sensing that the immediate threat of a brawl between teammates had subsided.

Surveying the weary Aspirants gathered in the dim light of the cavern, he performed a quick mental tally.

Caster, Van, Chloe, Trish, Felix, and finally, himself.

That made six individuals who would decide the fate of the glittering prizes.

Ray, as the subject of the debate, had no say in the matter for the time being.

"Fine then. All in favour of selling the cores and splitting the credits equally among everyone here, raise your hands!" Kai shouted, his voice echoing off the crystalline walls.

Immediately, Trish and Chloe thrust their hands into the air.

Kai frowned slightly at the meager support for this option, but regardless of his personal feelings, he pressed on with the proceedings.

"All in favour of giving the cores—both of them—to Ray, raise your hands."

Within a heartbeat, Felix, Van, and Caster’s hands were raised high.

’Huh? What’s his deal?’ Ray mused inwardly, his eyes lingering on Caster.

He wasn’t the only one surprised; Kai was thinking the exact same thing as he stared at the mysterious Aspirant.

"Uh... why?" Kai asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

Caster simply shrugged nonchalantly, his expression bored.

"Well, I don’t need the cores to increase my meta-force, nor do I have any particular need for the money. I’ve got plenty of both." He paused for a few seconds, his gaze shifting toward the dead monster, before adding,

"And Felix was right. Without Ray here, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. If he hadn’t finished the beast off in time, it would have entered its berserker mode, and we would have all lost our lives in the process. I consider this a debt paid."

Trish fumed inwardly at the boy’s reasoning, though she kept her features schooled into a mask of cold indifference.

"Well? What’s the final count?" she asked, looking pointedly at Kai.

The blonde-haired boy sighed deeply, his shoulders dropping slightly.

"Unfortunately for you, my vote goes to Ray as well. Compared to the rest of you, I didn’t contribute nearly enough in the final clash because I was drained of mf.

If I had been at full strength, it might have been a different story. In that sense, I don’t feel entitled to a share. It would be unfair of me to demand we sell them when I wasn’t the one on the front lines at the end."

"Nice!" Felix grinned triumphantly.

He bolted forward and shoved the glowing cores into Ray’s palms before anyone could protest further.

"But—"

Felix glared at the boy, cutting off any attempt at a refusal.

With a tired sigh, Ray accepted the cores with a grateful nod and shoved them into his pockets.

However, unknown to the rest of the group, he had already triggered his system, sending the items directly into his secure inventory.

’Well, let’s see what kind of rewards these will bring me once we’re back at the Corps,’ Ray thought.

Trish dropped her hand, her eyes flashing with irritation as she scanned the faces of those who had voted against her.

She was clearly annoyed, yet strangely, she didn’t seem entirely furious.

’Hm,’ was all she muttered to herself.

Chloe, meanwhile, let out a dejected sigh, her shoulders slumping.

’Oh darn. I really would have loved a share of those credits so I could buy my own beast-grade bow and arrows. Now I’ll have to return this weapon to the Captain the moment we get back.’

Ray scanned the group one by one, his expression calming as the internal conflict settled.

Kai then turned his attention toward Van.

"You said you found the way out? Shall we move?"

Van nodded, tapping rapidly on his bracelet before twisting and turning, searching for a specific landmark in the shadows.

"There!" He pointed toward a narrow, obscured tunnel embedded in the far wall.

"No need to look so bummed out about the cores. There will be plenty of other opportunities for us to grow stronger," Kai rallied, his melodious voice bringing everyone back to the reality of their situation.

"We need to move now before the other squads leave us behind."

Van took the lead, walking toward the designated tunnel. "Come on. Let’s get back to the surface."

Kai urged the others forward as he followed close behind Van.

Soon enough, the rest of the group fell into line.

Ray brought up the rear, his feet dragging heavily against the stone floor in sheer exhaustion.

One by one, they disappeared into the dark tunnel, beginning the long and arduous journey back to the world above.

***

Seven Aspirants could be seen walking through a narrow tunnel that barely allowed them to move side by side.

Consequently, they were forced to proceed in a straight line, placing their collective trust in Van to lead them out of the dark underworld.

As they trudged forward, Ray finally found a moment of solitude within his own mind.

’Well... that was nice of them,’ he mused inwardly as a thought began to take shape.

’... Right. I received a barrage of notifications when Bruce dealt with the beast. Let’s see...’

[Quest Completed]

[Host has managed to survive the throes of death. Shocking. By the system’s calculations, the Host should be deceased; however, he has survived. Not only did he endure, but he also managed to defeat the beast.]

There was a brief pause in the stream of text, as if the system itself were lost in contemplation.

[... Well, with the assistance of one of his bloodlines—which is still a part of him.]

’Just get on with the rewards already, damn it!’ Ray urged mentally.

[Rewards: +1000 EXP for surviving. First time defeating a King rank beast: +1000 EXP. +10 to all attributes. +10 free attribute points. +2 new bloodline skills.]

Tring—!

[Congratulations; Host is now Level 11]

[+2 free attribute points.]

’Oh hell yeah! This is what I’m talking about! Show me my status tab now!’

======= [Status] =======

[Name: Ray Dawson]

[Age: 15]

[Race: Tribrid Adept]

[Level: 11]

[Exp: 1250/2000]

[HP: 50/90]

[MF: 0/80]

[Energy: 20/170]

{Attributes:}

[STR: 58 >>> 68]

[AGI: 59 >>> 69]

[INT: 33 >>> 43]

[PER: 36 >>> 46]

[END: 47 >>> 57]

[Stat points: 12]

==============

The sudden, violent surge of strength coursing through Ray’s frame caused him to let out a sharp yelp.

Without warning, he collapsed to his knees with a loud, heavy thud.

The group halted instantly, spinning around to face the boy.

Ray’s muscles, tendons, and even his internal organs twitched and spasmed in a frantic response to the overwhelming power flooding his veins.

He clawed at the wet earth beneath his feet, his fingers unconsciously ripping through the soil.

Worry flashed across the faces of his teammates as they prepared to dash toward him.

However, before they could reach his side, the agonizing fire in his veins subsided as quickly as it had arrived, allowing him to finally draw a steady breath.

"I—I’m fine. Let’s proceed," Ray uttered with a lingering, pained grimace as he pushed himself back to his full height.

Seeing that he was no longer in immediate distress, the others turned back around and resumed the journey.

’Th—th—that was exhilarating!’ Ray thought, his heart still hammering against his ribs.