The scent of blood still hung in the air, a sharp metallic tang mixed with light smoke rising from between the piles of corpses. Fifty Evil Black Wolves, or rather, fifty monsters that should have torn him apart… if he wasn't the real monster here.
Shaun stood atop a small mound of ash-stained dirt, watching his Shadow Soldiers drag the corpses one by one.
Small magical crystals were scattered in the dirt like stars, glowing with a pale violet light. Despite their beauty, Shaun knew their value was limited. E-Grade crystals contained only a tiny amount of magical energy—between 10 and 50 units at most.
"Useless for direct upgrading..." he muttered, collecting the crystals into his inventory slot.
Over the past hours, he had realized that these crystals were not just a source of energy, but the game's primary currency.
They could be used to trade for rare resources or purchase advanced summoning permits. As for him, now that 'Leet's' facility had been upgraded to Level 2, he was capable of generating between 300 to 500 magical energy naturally per day. Thus, he didn't need to waste the crystals now.
In fact, the production creatures generated the pooled energy for the Regional Center, while combat classes consumed it for summoning, training, or upgrading. For this reason, he decided to keep the fifty crystals as a strategic reserve.
"Collect the fangs… the claws… and the fur. Leave nothing behind."
Of course, he had to discard a few hundred kilograms of wolf meat for nothing, as the beasts were unfortunately inedible.
The Shadow units moved in complete silence. The only sounds were the crunch of breaking bones or the rustling of the leather baskets being filled with loot.
He then commanded the Shadow Soldiers to carefully gather the fangs, claws, and fur.
While they worked, Shaun opened the system interface. The cold blue light emanating from it looked strange amidst the ash and blood haze.
A text window appeared clearly:
[Do you want to sell: low-level 50 kg of Black Wolf Fur, 600 Claws, and 1000 Fangs?]
[Estimated Price: 19 Magical Crystals of the lowest grade]
He raised an eyebrow lightly and said with faint sarcasm, "Nineteen only? For fifty corpses? Damn… even the village merchants in old survival games were more generous than this system."
He paused for a moment, then let out a soft, whistling laugh. "But… there's no one here to negotiate with me. The system is a greedy merchant, but it's the only one available."
He reached out and pressed the [Yes] option. In the next moment, the blue light vanished from the interface, leaving a faint metallic hiss, as the corpses and bones disappeared with a brief black flash.
Then a new notification appeared:
[Sale successful.]
[19 Magical Crystals of the lowest grade have been deposited into the Region Treasury.]
[Local Economy rating has increased by +290.2%.]
Shaun smiled coldly as he reviewed the numbers.
Then the system's voice echoed in his ear, sharp and clear:
[Warning: Unstable magical activity detected within a 3-kilometer radius.]
[Confirmation: Probability of new Corruption Outbreak highly likely.]
"Corruption Outbreak? It seems the game doesn't intend to let me rest tonight either."
"Get ready..."
…
[Congratulations! You have acquired the title "Pioneer Trader "]
[When purchasing from the system store, you will receive a 4% discount]
He paused for a moment... then let out a dry, soft laugh. He looked at his hands, covered in dark spots of wolf blood. The blood was drying quickly.
He felt a strange thread of exhilaration pass through his body.
Suddenly, a faint flash crossed his Status Window.
[Magical Energy Pooled: +850]
[Warning: 1% of your personal Magical Energy has been consumed to stabilize the Shadows]
He frowned. "Stabilize the Shadows?"
But before he could think further, faint murmuring sounds rose from his soldiers.
"Hey, don't start singing now…"
He raised his head towards them—they were still standing motionless, but their shadows on the ground began to move slowly, independently of their bodies. They stretched like tongues of smoke heading toward the Village Center… toward the ancient stone gateway that still bore the mark of the "Authority of the Shadows" energy.
A heavy moment of silence hung over the area before the system flashed again:
[Activating Sub-Authority of the Shadows: "Corpse Melter"]
[Magical energy from the collected corpses has been converted into a permanent resource for the Village Center.]
"Corpse Melter!!"
Shaun opened his mouth to shout, but the air around him changed. The smoke froze in place, and the ground began to absorb the traces of blood.
The corpses disappeared one by one—evaporating into dark, snake-like threads that writhed before being drawn toward the Village Center. Every particle of flesh and bone, excluding the claws, fangs, and fur, turned into a fine black substance, like magical ash pulsating with faint heat. This substance gathered above the ground for a moment, then melted into the Village Center as if being swallowed by an invisible mouth.
[Fifty bodies absorbed]
[+50 Regional Experience gained]
The messages flashed one after another before his eyes. Shaun froze in place for a second, then slowly rubbed his eyes. "Did… did I just get experience from the corpses?"
The idea was ridiculous at first, but the numbers didn't lie. He felt a thread of electricity run through his spine, and that distinctive expression appeared on his face—one only seen on those who have found a "loophole" in the game.
Then he whispered with an increasingly wide smile: "Very good… just half a step more to get the required points to upgrade the Village Center."
His voice was low, yet charged with both excitement and suspicion. He was surprised that absorbing the remaining flesh of those black monsters via the "Corpse Melter" granted him direct experience points.
Everyone who had tested the beta version of the game knew the golden rule: Villages only gained experience through construction, farming, or defending against attacks. There was nothing like this… nothing about a melter or corpse absorption.
"Hahaha…" Shaun laughed softly, then stared at the Village Center as if he were looking at a hidden treasure. "Did I just find another way to level up quickly?"
Then he continued, in a tone verging on madness: "A way that no one else knows?"
His laughter broadened as cold sweat ran down his forehead. He wasn't sure if this discovery was genius or dangerous, but he had no intention of stopping.
As long as the system didn't issue a warning or penalty, it was allowed… wasn't it?