Garet and Korona were lucky that no one except them and the Stone Groug headed for the cleaved hill that night.
It was actually very fortunate because if they had encountered any monsters or hostile Awakened, mercenaries, or rogues, they would not be able to defend themselves. They were both exhausted, even though they had come to the battle full of strength and ready to fight to the end.
They were helped by the fact that at the foot of the cleaved hill on this side, there was nothing remarkable except for the Spiky Moon Flower.
This flower opened its bud on most nights, as long as there was no thunderstorm and the clouds did not block the moonlight. However, this was of little use without energy.
If the Stone Groug had not found the Green Flower Bracelet, he would not have come here as well. The Spiky Moon Flower was like a treasure chest, but to get the gems hidden inside, a key was needed.
"Hah, when we were fighting, I didn't even realize how big he was." Garet smiled as he walked around the Stone Groug, examining their battlefield for his future battles.
It was a great opportunity to gain experience. He was already much stronger than he was a few hours ago, but there was always room for improvement. Garet did not doubt that.
Korona nodded. She leaned against the Stone Groug's head, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yeah, this big guy, he didn't steal that artifact for no reason."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you remember how I dealt with the Azure Bull, right?"
He nodded.
"I mean, the difference between a Second Order monster and a First Order monster is significant, but not that much. If most Second Order monsters were in this Stone Groug's place, we would have dealt with them much faster and easier."
Garet scratched the back of his head, not understanding where Korona was going with this.
"Are you saying that this Stone Groug was a Third Order monster?"
"Nah, I would never agree to attack someone like that with our forces. We would have just been smashed into the ground like bugs. I'm saying that if we hadn't intervened, after absorbing the energy from the fruit, Stone Groug would have evolved. I'm sure of it."
She shrugged.
"In other words, he was just one step away from the next level. Tsk, we were really unlucky. We almost died!" Korona clenched her fists.
Unlike her, Garet wasn't angry at all.
"Well, now I understand why such a giant needed to steal this bracelet." He smiled as he looked at the Green Flower Bracelet on his wrist.
The green crystal in the center had lost almost all of its light, but Garet wasn't worried. Korona assured him that in a few hours or, at worst, a few days, the artifact would restore its energy reserves.
[Green Flower Bracelet (Natural Artifact)
Stage: First
Type: Accessory
Call: Roots of Life
Energy Pool: 4% (severely depleted, any use of the Call may destroy the artifact).]
[Roots of Life: The energy contained within the bracelet, born from a piece of ore and rich foliage, is capable of summoning several controllable roots that can either suck the life out of a target or heal it.]
'Not a bad artifact. I'll have to give it away, damn...' Garet frowned, raising his hand. 'I'd like to see what it's capable of, but then I'll definitely lose it and fail my mission!'
After a few moments, he shook his head, touching the Stone Groug's head.
"I understand why you're angry, but wasn't our victory worth it?"
"Agh?" Korona faltered. His question stumped her.
Garet patted the huge head with a smile on his face.
"I won't argue, it was difficult, but we are now much stronger than before."
"Pffft!" She snorted. "Don't be ridiculous! There's nothing cool about it, and you're talking as if you enjoyed the fight!"
"Hah, I am. I was scared, but in the end, I won. Isn't that the best I can hope for?"
Korona didn't say anything for a while.
"Khm." She coughed. "What are you going to do with the Stone Groug? They don't have much of value, but beneath their chest plate is a crystal that powers their body. I'm sure this crystal is big and worth a lot."
Garet thought for a moment, touching his chin.
"I understand there is only one crystal and it cannot be divided, right?"
Korona nodded awkwardly. She didn't want to pressure Garet, it would be rude and greedy of her, but it was true, only one of them could get the crystal.
"You can have it." Garet waved his hand carelessly.
"W-What?" Korona's eyes widened. "Don't you realize how much something like this could be worth? Don't you need the money?"
Garet shrugged.
"I do, just like you. However, now that I'm Awakened, I know I can earn the amount I need anyway. And, to be honest, you deserve this reward more than I do."
Korona wanted to argue, because she, like many others, believed that the final strike was the most important and that whoever made it had more weight in the loot distribution.
He interrupted her mid-sentence.
"If it weren't for your attack on his back, I would have died. My ability was fully revealed during the battle, and it requires too much energy. So..."
Garet turned and stared her straight in the eyes.
"You saved my life, Korona. Thank you. Giving you this crystal is the least I can do."
Korona's pale face quickly flushed without her realizing it, and by the time she noticed, it was too late.
"Idiot! Don't thank me for that, I was just doing my job!"
"Sure." He smiled knowingly.
...
As a result, they spent the next hour at the Stone Groug's corpse, waiting for the Spiky Moon Flower to use up all the energy it had received from the bracelet earlier.
Next to Korona lay a filled sack with only one thing inside — a bright yellow crystal, its bloodstained tip sticking out. She had to cut it out for almost half an hour because of how strong the protective plate in the Stone Groug's chest was, but her happy expression made it clear that she was satisfied with today's hunt.
The horn of the Azure Bull hung from her belt, the crystal core of the Stone Groug was in the sack, and very soon she would get something else — the Spiky Moon Fruits.
Garet was looking forward to that too.
The Genesis Core wanted to create the First Anchor, but it needed energy to do so. These were unusual fruits, full of energy, and there would be more than enough.
"Is this it...?" Garet faltered as three bright flashes lit up the blue bud.
Korona gulped. "Yes."
Before their eyes, the dense energy disappeared, leaving three long, blue fruits covered with sharp spikes in the previously empty sockets. Each was large, bigger than a head and heavy, causing the bud to lean forward as if offering Garet and Korona to taste it.
"Hah, I'm sure this will be the best fruit of my life!"
The First Anchor shuddered in anticipation.