Once the leopard died, its remaining underlings fled in panic and fear. The villagers didn't chase them and chose to celebrate their victory.
Aveline deactivated her Radiant Sanctuary magic and gave instructions to her people to collect the beast cores and treat the injured ones.
"Mother, are you fine?" Elara's expression turned worried when she saw her mother's condition.
"I'm fine." Aveline's body turned frail because she had almost drained her mana.
"Village head, what should we do to the corpses?" Sofia asked.
"Burn the goblins and take the bodies of edible magical beasts." It was free food, so Aveline didn't want to waste it.
"Understood," Sofia responded politely.
After completing what she had told them, they entered the village and locked the gate.
"Father…"
"Mother…"
"Brother…"
"Sister…"
Those inside the underground shelter rushed to hug their families.
They were relieved when they saw them. But not everyone was happy because many people had fallen in the war.
"Where is my father?"
"Mother… mother… where are you?"
"Uncle, have you seen my brother?"
"Sister… sister…"
"My daughter, where are you?"
Some elderly people and children could not find their families.
Aveline and the others felt sad, especially when they saw the children searching desperately while crying.
She approached them and tried to calm them.
She told them that their families had gone to heaven and would watch over them from there.
Like Aveline, the other townspeople also tried to comfort them.
Even though they were not blood-related, they lived in the same village, so they considered them family.
After they calmed down, Aveline and the others buried those who had fallen on the battlefield together.
"Waa…"
"Sob…Sob…"
"Sniffle…sniffle…"
The cemetery was filled with the sound of weeping.
They could not hold back their sadness when they stood in front of their families' graves.
They joked, chatted, and laughed together last night, but they could not do that again because they had died.
All that remained were only their memories together, nothing more than that.
----
Aveline was currently distributing the spoils of war in the Village Square. Some people received beast cores, while the rest were given beast meat.
Once Darian received his share, he approached Ren to show his gratitude.
"Ren, thank you for saving me." Darian looked for Ren immediately because he had saved his life.
"You are welcome," Ren replied as he smiled. "How is your condition now?"
"Much better. I only need to rest for two days to fully recover." Sofia had given him a healing potion, so Darian's injuries were slowly healing.
"Good to hear that," Ren responded.
Several minutes later, the division of the spoils of war was finished, and they returned to their homes.
Once Ren was in his room, he sat on the bed and stared at a ball the size of his palm.
'So this is a beast core, huh?'
His contribution in the war was high, so Aveline and the others agreed to give him one beast core.
'But how do I absorb the energy in it?'
As a question flashed through his mind, Elara's voice rang out from the other side of the door.
"Ren, are you there?" Elara asked.
"Come in. The door isn't locked." Ren replied.
Elara stepped into his room before finally speaking, "Ren, this is the beast absorption manual. My mother told me to give it to you."
"Thank you." He received the book with a soft smile.
"Then, I will leave now." She felt shy being alone with him in his room, so she chose to leave right away.
"Un." He nodded.
Once she closed the door, he began learning the manual.
An hour later, he mastered it.
'I will absorb the beast core now.'
He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
He let out his energy to envelope the best core, causing it to levitate in front of him.
Five minutes…
Ten minutes…
Fifteen minutes…
Crack lines appeared on the surface after he absorbed half of the energy.
The moment he emptied it, the beast core broke into pieces and fell on the bed.
"Hufff…" he exhaled slowly as he opened his eyes.
'The energy inside it is so little. Is it because it's a 1-star beast core?'
He cleaned his bed and headed to the trash can.
After taking a bath, Ren sat on the swing and recalled his battle in the war. Even though his contribution was good, he was still not satisfied because he was in danger several times.
'If only I knew lightning magic…'
He believed he could fight much better if he knew magic as well.
Unfortunately, there was no lightning mage in the village.
"It seems like you really like spending time here when the night comes." Aveline's voice rang out from behind him.
He turned to her and replied, "Yes. The night sky in this place is so beautiful and peaceful. It calms my mind and improves my mood."
She sat on the other swing and turned to him. "Ren, thank you for helping us deal with the magical creatures."
"It's nothing. I just did what needed to be done." He believed anyone would do the same if they were in his shoes.
"Oh, right. Have you mastered the beast absorption manual?" she asked curiously.
"Yes," he nodded. "I had absorbed the best core as well."
Aveline was startled, but she didn't show it on her face and only smiled softly. "I know you're special, but it seems you're even more extraordinary than I expected."
"You are praising me too much. I'm sure other people can do the same," he could still act calmly because he was used to being praised.
"Hehe." She giggled softly. "If others heard you, they would definitely feel offended because your words sound like you are pretending to be humble to show off."
The corner of his lips twitched. "Is that…how it sounds?"
"Yes," she replied. "I've never seen or heard of anyone mastering it in just an hour. It would normally take at least a day, so what you did was incredible."
She then continued, "And it seems like your absorption speed is also abnormal."
"I see." he was new in that world, so he thought his achievements were nothing special.
As they were continued talking, he suddenly remembered his elemental path.
"Mrs. Aveline, does your village have a library?" he asked.
Instead of answering his question immediately, she asked, "Do you want to learn lightning magic?"
"Yes," he nodded slightly.
"I will take you to our secret library tomorrow morning." Even though he was an outsider, she was willing to allow him to enter their library.
"Thank you." He smiled happily.
Shortly after that, Elara stepped into the front yard and joined the conversation.
That night, the trio was so happy to the point that they felt like the front yard had transformed into a little paradise where only happiness existed.
After chatting for several hours, they returned to their room and slept with a smile on their faces.