Under Starlight’s astonished gaze, Carlos strode toward the valley entrance and began to meticulously inspect the barrier he had personally set years ago.
After a careful search, he finally discovered a gap several meters wide behind a dense cluster of bushes on the side.
“It seems this Shadow Leopard broke in through here, but something still feels off... Am I overthinking things?”
Carlos pondered to himself as he worked to repair the gap. Starlight stood quietly by his side, focused on watching his master perform the restoration work.
“Master, why would a piece of the barrier you made suddenly fail? You showed me before—normal attacks shouldn't be able to break it, right?” Starlight asked curiously once Carlos paused his work.
“Little Star, remember this: everything in this world inevitably has flaws and loopholes. No matter how powerful the barrier I set is, such a situation can still occur. Even magic left behind by the gods is not always perfect,” Carlos said, patting the youth on the shoulder and speaking with earnest gravity.
“The appearance of this gap is a warning to me. We need to spend the next few days checking the entire barrier. Tomorrow’s lessons are canceled for now.”
Starlight nodded gently, but his mind was stuck on what his master had just said—that even the creations of gods aren't perfect.
“If that’s the case, then I must strive to make it perfect.”
Soon, the master and disciple returned to the Shadow Leopard’s side and began to consider how to handle its massive carcass.
Starlight suggested that Carlos use light elements to directly decompose the body into small pieces so they could carry it back in several trips.
However, Carlos flatly rejected the idea. After all, the most valuable part of a Shadow Leopard was its hide, which was saturated with dark elements. With proper processing, it could even retain its innate invisibility. Cutting it up carelessly would be a waste.
But neither of them were warrior types. Even though Starlight’s physical fitness was quite good, he was at a loss when faced with a magical beast whose weight was measured in tons.
Ultimately, they lit a campfire nearby. Carlos decided to camp there for the night to strip the hide as intact as possible. Starlight jogged back to the house, and after briefly processing the wild boar, he brought back their bedding.
When he returned to the clearing, he saw his master struggling with the magical beast’s corpse. Although Carlos had some experience adventuring in the past, he was truly unskilled at skinning. Having spent years focused on his own research, his hands were quite rusty.
Regardless, before late night arrived, he and Starlight managed to bleed the massive body and remove the internal organs so it wouldn't rot and stink too quickly.
After roughly deciding on the order of the remaining work, the two rested casually by the fire.
Early the next morning, Starlight and Carlos set to work.
Due to the innate properties of the Shadow Leopard’s hide, ordinary knives had difficulty cutting through it. The two could only carefully condense light elements to cut it bit by bit.
During this process, Starlight’s control over light elements seemed to improve significantly. After all, maintaining the condensation of elements for a long period was excellent training.
Though it took a lot of time and they made a few mistakes, they didn't stop until the sun was high in the sky. When they saw the deep, night-sky-like hide stripped completely, the master and disciple smiled at each other, filled with a sense of accomplishment.
While Carlos was cutting out the harder and more valuable claws and teeth, Starlight wanted to take the opportunity to butcher the meat. However, Carlos told him that Shadow Leopard meat was likely terrible and that they should just dig a hole and bury it.
Having been busy since early morning until noon, the two hadn't eaten yet, and Starlight was famished. After smelling the meat and finding no strange odor, he refused to believe his master. He cut a piece off and roasted it over the fire on the spot.
Seeing this, Carlos didn't stop him. After all, Starlight had been responsible for the cooking all these years, so Carlos didn't have much of a say in the matter.
However, the truth once again proved the old saying: if you don't listen to your elders, you'll suffer for it.
Although the Shadow Leopard meat smelled fine—and even gave off an enticing aroma while roasting—when Starlight took a bite with high expectations, an indescribable, strange taste hit his brain, nearly making him vomit on the spot.
The meat in his hand was both hard and tough, like chewing on a piece of rubber. Not only that, it was accompanied by a mysterious sour, foul stench, like the smell of fruit that had been rotting in the scorching sun for days.
Seeing his disciple’s handsome face instantly contort like a bitter melon, Carlos couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.
Starlight threw the meat skewer aside with a look of disgust and repeatedly rinsed his mouth with water. It took quite a while before he finally recovered.
“How can this guy’s meat be so disgusting? Master, have you eaten it before?” Starlight asked with a mix of confusion and complaint.
Carlos laughed and replied, “Magical beast meat is naturally quite strong. While some species do taste good, feline magical beasts generally have sour and unpalatable meat. Now you know, Little Star. This is the kind of knowledge they don't write in books.”
“But the book on magical beasts at home isn't a cookbook! Who would write about that in there? It’s just a waste of so much meat... Luckily we still have the wild boar, so at least we won't lack meat for a while.”
Starlight complained while using earth magic to dig a large pit in the ground, burying the remaining chunks of meat.
After carefully extinguishing the embers on the ground, the two carried the massive hide back to their dwelling.
If they wanted to turn this hide into equipment, it still needed to be processed and tanned, which was completely outside their expertise. Thus, Carlos directed Starlight to spread it out in a sunny spot to dry completely. He would take it with him to find a professional to process it whenever he next went out.
At that moment, Carlos didn't rush back into the house. Instead, he stood quietly watching Starlight work, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.
“Once upon a time, I used to go on adventures outside with them just like this, and now... sigh,” Carlos murmured, letting out a long sigh.
Just as he fell into contemplation, Starlight finished his work. He arrived at his master's side just in time to hear that meaningful sigh.
“Master... the ‘them’ you mentioned... are they my parents?” the youth sat down beside him and asked softly.
Carlos glanced back at Starlight. The boy’s appearance gradually overlapped with a figure in his memory, and he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotion. “Yes... unfortunately, I will never see them again.”
With that, he stood up and walked straight back to his room, his mood clearly somber.
Starlight just stared blankly as the door slowly closed. He didn't move to disturb him, but ripples of emotion stirred in his heart.
Carlos had told Starlight about his background in detail before. Starlight’s parents were Carlos’s like-minded friends from his youth and his adventuring companions.
After traveling across the entire continent, the three of them eventually chose their own paths.
Carlos decided to live in seclusion in this quiet valley to focus on his great research. Meanwhile, Starlight’s father, Arthur White, answered the kingdom’s call and resolutely joined the crusade against the Demons.
However, one day sixteen years ago, Arthur suddenly arrived at this isolated valley with his wife, who was several months pregnant. He solemnly entrusted his wife and unborn child to Carlos.
At that time, the war between humans and Demons was at its most intense, with brutal battles happening almost every day across the continent. Arthur truly couldn't bear to leave his wife in a world torn by war, so he chose this safe haven. Carlos did not fail his friend’s trust and readily agreed to the request.
After settling his wife, Arthur resolutely threw himself back into the battle to protect humanity. Sadly, he was never heard from again.
Despite being a top-tier mage, an individual’s power still seemed so small in a large-scale war. Even Carlos didn't know what had ultimately happened to him.
A few months later, Starlight’s mother gave birth to her child in the valley. Following the customs of her hometown, she named the boy Starlight.
Unfortunately, she also fell into an eternal sleep in this peaceful valley due to complications during childbirth, leaving Starlight as a lone child.
This was everything Starlight had learned from Carlos. To Starlight, who had never seen his parents, this somewhat eccentric but kind-hearted Carlos was his only family.
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