Reorieved a frying pan from his spatial ring a aside, then reached bato the ring and summoned his sword. With a dark aura fring to life around it—bck fmes as deep as midnight—the swlowed with the power of his Sword Aura.

  The aura danced over the Sword with a quiet iy. Reon focused, his movements smooth and graceful as he sliced through a nearby dried tree, redug it to stacks of wood for the fire.

  His aura wasn't yet solidified, a reminder of his progress ahead, but the task of chopping wood was effortless, even at his current level.

  Moving over to the Shadow Cw Bear, Reon prepared its body with precision, carving it into portions. He carefully stored the bear's fur and bones in his spatial ring, reizing their value in the right market.

  Just as he finished, his eyes caught two crystals lying among the remains. One was a small, Blood-Red crystal, glimmering like a ruby ember, while the other was rger, with a soft green glow radiating faint pulses of energy.

  He k down, pig up the orbs and feeling the surge of power within each.

  The red crystal, warm and rich with energy, was unmistakably a Blood Essence crystal—a rare treasure found only in higher-ranked beasts and a critical ingredient in alchemy.

  "Will he sell it in the Skyreach Mission Pavilion in exge for Sect Point? Not a bsp;

  This could be crafted into a potent Grade-3 Blood Essence Pill, one capable of fortifying his blood and bones, but it required an Advanced-Level Alchemist's skill.

  Without the skill of an Advanced-Level Alchemist, this Blood Essence crystal would be wasted. Reon o find a alchemist capable of unlog its full potential; otherwise, its rare power would remain untapped, a precious resource lost to him.

  He knew someone like that in the sect very well. Smiling, he slipped the crystal into his spatial ring. "Not something I'll let go of so easily," he murmured, already envisioning the pill that would one day strengthen him.

  His gaze then shifted to the other crystal—the Primal Core, pulsating with the raw power of the Shadow Cw Bear. These cores were present in all beasts but varied in potency.

  This core acked with the bear's strength, a perfect resource for Cloudia to reach the Rank. He'd initially po use an Ironcw Direwolf's core, but the bear's core was eveer.

  "Cloudia," he said, holding out the Primal Core, "this is for you. Once we finish eating, find a safe pce to absorb it."

  Cloudia's eyes brightened as she took the core, nodding in silent gratitude.

  With the fire crag and the pan sizzling, Reon quickly prepared some bear meat, the aroma filling the grove as they sat down to eat. Yet as he bit into the rich, savory meat, somethi missing.

  "What's missing?" he muttered to himself, puzzled. Then it struck him—beer. In the forests of this world, though, there was no ce of finding any.

  Seeming to uand his longing, Cloudia nudged him, pushing forward a fsk of the Shadow Cw Bear's blood that he'd set aside for her. Its st was surprisingly entig, earthy and fragrant like a rich red wine.

  "You… wao drink this?" Reon asked, surprised.

  Cloudia nodded, her expression insisting, as if saying that this was the true drink of this world's warriors. He hesitated; oh, he'd never even sidered drinking blood.

  Yet, the thought of tasting the essence of such a powerful beast stirred something within him. Previously he also felt this feeling. What was that feeling?

  How could a human drink the blood of a beast? But He remembered protagonist of the novel also drank the blood of beasts to increase his cultivation.

  "Will it be really ok?" He question himself.

  Cautiously, he poured the thick, crimson liquid into a gss. It gleamed, deep red ay, like the fi wine he could imagine. Brag himself, he took a sip, letting the blood wash over his tongue.

  To his astonishment, a rich aroma spread through his mouth, smooth aalizing, its essehrumming with life.

  The effect was instant and overwhelming. Energy surged through his veins, a warmth blossoming within him, spreading to every part of his body.

  His long hair lifted slightly as though a breeze flowed around him, rejuvenating and sing him from within.

  It felt as if he'd ed a mystical elixir rather than blood—a drink far more potent aalizing than any beer he had known.

  Reon lowered the gss, his eyes wide in disbelief. "What... what was that? I broke through two stages in one go." he breathed, already feeling his senses sharpen, his mind clear as a crystalline ke.

  Cloudia watched him, a quiet satisfa in her gaze, as if witnessing the transformation she had anticipated all along.

  For Reon, this moment marked aep into this strange, powerful world—ohat both weled him and challenged him to bee something greater.