Matthew stared at the wound, his gaze suddenly freezing.
Within the cavity's flesh, no ordinary organs could be seen; there was only a fist-sized, dark red heart slowly pulsating, emitting a faint glow.
“Why is there only a heart? Where are the internal organs?” he muttered, a trace of surprise flashing through his mind. “Even though the 【Energy Missile】 is powerful, it shouldn't have blasted the internal organs completely away...”
He leaned down to examine it closely for a moment, confirming there was nothing else.
“So be it. Instructor Calm said that the flesh and organs of monsters are inedible, so saving the trouble of searching and identifying them is actually convenient.”
With those words, Matthew reached his hand into the flesh. It felt wet, sticky, and warm. The clump of flesh actually seemed to still possess vitality, the muscle fibers wrapping and contracting like living things, tightly binding the heart.
He exerted force with his fingers, suddenly gripping and pulling—
Squelch!
The heart came out with a squish, held firmly in his palm.
As Matthew held the heart, the sensation from his palm was slippery and warm, as if it were still slightly pulsating.
This was definitely no ordinary organ; its form and residual vitality both leaked a sense of strangeness.
But he had no time to ponder it deeply right now.
The explosions from those two 【Energy Missile】 spells had likely traveled far; this place was not safe to stay for long.
He quickly stuffed the heart into his waist pouch. Just as he was about to stand up, his peripheral vision caught a faint, dark red luster shining amidst the charred flesh.
Matthew's heart stirred. He reached in to push aside the shredded meat and carbonized tissue, his fingertips brushing against a hard, cold object.
He pulled it out to take a look. It was a walnut-sized, dark red crystal.
It looked like natural crystal on the outside, but the inside was slightly cloudy, as if containing a viscous, dark liquid.
The crystal's surface was not smooth, having natural irregular facets. It felt ice-cold to the touch, but he could clearly sense a heavy, condensed, and slightly violent energy slowly flowing inside.
“A magical beast crystal core?!”
He couldn't help but gasp in surprise, a wave of delight immediately rising in his heart.
This was identical to the energy crystal produced in the giant bear's body in his memory, only larger in size, and the energy it contained was clearly much more pure and dense.
He hadn't expected that such a high-quality one would be hidden inside Rivera the goat demon.
“What an unexpected windfall... but it also makes sense. Compared to that giant bear which relied solely on brute force and was slow, Rivera the goat demon's threat level is more than a notch higher. So, it isn't surprising that he possessed a crystal core that can aid in a breakthrough. However, a crystal core dropped by a monster might have a different effect on a human.”
Matthew examined the crystal core in his hand, making a silent comparison in his mind.
When he encountered the giant bear last time, although he was at a distance, he estimated that even if he didn't activate his 【Feathering】 state, he could rely on his agile movements to completely evade the opponent's clumsy swings.
But Rivera the goat demon was entirely different—
He not only possessed intelligence on par with humans, knowing how to enslave kobolds and purge threatening individuals within the nest to consolidate his rule, but he could even speak human tongue and employ psychological tactics in battle.
His combat abilities were even more bizarre and comprehensive.
In his normal state, he possessed extremely fast reaction time and agility, and his muscles could autonomously contract to stop bleeding after being injured, displaying astonishing recovery power.
And once he entered that bizarre “demonized state,” his size, strength, speed, and defense would skyrocket. His attacks would become like a tempest, tricky and vicious, enough to suppress or even slay an opponent of the same rank in a short time.
And that “dark red energy barrier” could greatly weaken ranged threats, which, combined with his enhanced physical resistance, formed a powerful guarantee of survival.
Matthew evaluated silently:
“If it were an ordinary person who had just entered the Silver Rank, without special means or enough actual combat experience, facing an enemy with this level of intelligence, resilience, and explosive power, their chances of winning would probably be bleak. A slight mistake, and they would perish here.”
The larger, purer crystal core in his hand was proof of his high life level and condensed energy.
With these thoughts, Matthew stopped overthinking and leaned down to carefully examine the goat demon's remains.
First, he used the tip of his sword to pry open and turn over the charred, curled flesh, preventing himself from missing any valuable parts that might be hidden inside.
After searching for a while, he confirmed there were no other discoveries in the flesh.
He sighed softly, his gaze then shifting to the goat demon's body itself.
This monster, who claimed to be the “son of Darkhoof,” was only wrapped in a piece of rough, linen-like fabric that was already tattered, with no pockets or bags for storage.
Matthew's gaze moved to his limbs, finally resting on his semi-human right hand—
On his ring finger, a simple and ancient-looking ring was worn!
The material of the ring was unknown, glinting with a dark metallic luster in the faint light of the cave.
Matthew's eyes flashed. He immediately took off the ring, hesitated slightly, and did not put it on directly, but cautiously slipped it into his breast pocket.
He quickly checked the goat demon's remains from head to toe.
He confirmed his harvest from the goat demon this time: the goat horns, the heart, the crystal core, and the ring.
After confirming everything, he planned to retreat immediately.
As for the old and weak kobolds hiding in all directions, killing them would bring him no benefit. His harvest from this trip had already far exceeded his expectations.
Retreating right now was the top priority!
Just as he packed up and turned to leave, his foot accidentally stepped on scattered animal bones as he passed by the crude high platform where the goat demon had once perched.
Under the 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 state, his vision was as sharp as an eagle's. Piercing through the dim light and the shadows at the edge of the stone platform, he keenly caught an unnatural outline—
Deep in the stone crevice at the bottom of the high platform, something seemed to be hidden. Its neat, square edges were completely different from the rough, natural stones.
“More loot?!”
Matthew muttered, stepping forward quickly. He pushed aside the heavy stone seat, and indeed, an inconspicuous wooden box was hidden beneath.
He was delighted but had no time to examine it closely. He flipped open the lid, poured all the loose items inside into his bag, and turned to walk out quickly.
Meanwhile,
Aidan was rushing deep into the cave with a tense face.
With one hand tightly gripping his short sword, his other hand was lightly pressed against the hilt at his waist, ready to react to any potential ambush at any moment.
“Brother Matthew told me to guard the outside of the cave,” he took a deep breath, but an unwavering determination flashed in his eyes. “But those two loud bangs... Brother Matthew still hasn't returned. I absolutely cannot just wait here!”
He knew that if even Brother Matthew found the goat demon difficult to deal with, rushing in blindly would probably just be throwing his life away in vain.
But his companion's life was currently hanging in the balance inside the cave; he could not allow himself to just stand by and watch from the sidelines.
“I have to do what I can,” Aidan whispered to himself, forcing down the chaotic thoughts in his mind, though his pace did not slow.
Just then, a hurried sound of footsteps came from deep within the passage ahead—
Aidan's pupils contracted. He instantly tensed all his muscles, holding his short sword horizontally in front of his chest. Forcing himself to calm down, his eyes locked tightly onto the direction of the sound.
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