Chapter 13: Harvest and Dark Crystals

“How does it feel?”

“It feels... a bit easy.”

That was indeed Lu Cang's first impression.

Whenever he encountered a monster, he simply aimed his magic at them, and they were all killed in a single strike.

They posed absolutely no threat whatsoever.

“Mhm. With your current strength, this dungeon indeed holds little difficulty for you.”

“But what if you were without Light Magic?”

Regarding Iz's question, Lu Cang pondered for a moment before answering, “It would likely be very difficult.”

Without Light Magic, he wouldn't be able to see those bats clearly.

More importantly, he wouldn't be able to immediately detect the black panthers hiding in the shadows when entering this open space.

If he failed to react in time, he might truly fall victim to them.

If a vital spot were hit, he might actually die.

Especially since there was currently no healer in the party.

“Your mastery of the three spells—Fireball, Wind Blade, and Ice Lance—is already comparable to decades of bitter cultivation by other Level 1 mages.”

“But even so, you could still be injured or even killed in a dungeon like this.”

“All of this would be caused by the inability to accurately judge the potential dangers within the dungeon.”

“That is why, in the vast majority of parties, there is an Observer to gather intelligence.”

“That is usually my job.”

After hearing this, Lu Cang gained a deeper understanding of dungeons.

In the very center of this open cavern sat a massive treasure chest.

Lu Cang did not approach the chest immediately.

Instead, he blasted the area around it with Ice Lances and Fireballs.

He also fired several Ice Lances at the chest itself.

Only then did he move closer.

This action earned a slight, approving nod from Iz.

Sufficient caution.

He wasn't like certain reckless rookie adventurers who would rush forward to open a chest the moment they saw it.

Some chests could actually be Mimics; in uncertain situations, throwing a few spells at them was a valid way to respond.

“Those black panthers just now were the guardians of the chest. If you hadn't discovered them and had approached the chest rashly, they likely would have attacked the moment you attempted to open it.”

Lu Cang's lip twitched slightly. “That is truly insidious.”

Iz: “However, it is safe now. You may open the chest and take a look.”

Opening the chest.

Inside was a single silver coin and a copper sword.

For such a massive chest, the loot was meager.

It felt like a significant letdown compared to his expectations.

[Copper Sword] [Quality: Good] [Decent sharpness] [Special Effect: Increases slashing intensity (Activated by Level 1 Warrior)]

Very ordinary equipment.

Lu Cang handed the copper sword to Iz, who tucked it away.

“A decent copper sword. It can be sold for about 1 silver and 50 copper.”

1 silver and 50 copper.

Come to think of it, when they ate yesterday, it seemed Kumironi paid 23 copper.

That was for four people.

Now that he had arrived in this different world, he needed to get a sense of the cost of living.

He couldn't keep spending their money forever; at the very least, he should be responsible for his own expenses. Once he earned money, his first priority would be to pay back his room fees.

Lu Cang carefully observed his surroundings to confirm there were no other dangers nearby.

Then, he walked up to the carcasses of the fallen monsters.

Iz spoke up to introduce them: “Shadow Leopards, Tier 2 magical beasts.”

“They excel at ambushing from the shadows and live in packs, usually numbering no more than twenty.”

“Their attack methods are similar to wild leopards; they only possess physical attacks and cannot use magic.”

“However, they are extremely agile in combat. Combined with their pack hunting and their natural advantage in terrain, they can cause immense trouble for rookie adventurer parties.”

“They are even the cause of many adventurer parties being wiped out. According to statistics from the Kingdom of Loren, rookie adventurers killed by them this year account for approximately 1.7%.”

“That is already a very high proportion.”

Dungeons contained all sorts of strange monsters and various dangers.

The fact that adventurer parties dying solely due to Shadow Leopards accounted for 1.7% was indeed a high ratio, considering that powerful entities like Dungeon Lords also existed.

Lu Cang marveled inwardly, saying, “It seems they truly are dangerous creatures.”

Iz: “However, their fur can be sold for a good price.”

“The meat is also quite delicious, and their teeth and bones can be used to craft bone equipment.”

“A complete Shadow Leopard can sell for about 2 silver.”

“But after deducting the fees for skinning, butchering, and bone extraction, you would only be left with 1 silver and 20 copper. Furthermore, the skins of the Shadow Leopards you killed are already damaged, so the actual price you'd receive would likely only be 75 copper.”

Eh...

It dropped from 2 silver straight down to 75 copper. That was a huge loss.

“If there were a Gatherer in the party, they could process them into complete materials without needing to commission others. And even though the skins are damaged, they could be somewhat salvaged. Even if you couldn't get the full 2 silver, you could get at least 1 silver and 90 copper.”

The value suddenly jumped significantly—more than double.

It seemed a Gatherer was indeed necessary.

Trying to fight monsters while keeping their corpses intact was asking too much.

Iz was teaching him common knowledge about dungeons rather than just blindly telling him to kill monsters.

Truly a good teacher.

Iz's hand touched one of the Shadow Leopard corpses, her tone carrying a hint of surprise. “Oh! There is actually this.”

As Iz pressed her palm against the skull, a faint magic circle lit up.

*Swish!*

A dark crystal emerged in her hand.

“Dark Crystal.”

“A crystallization of dark elements. Monsters may evolve to a higher tier because of them.”

“They are materials for crafting dark element staves and can also be used to forge weapons with added dark element corrosion effects.”

“Furthermore, by using a Dark Crystal to sense dark elements, one can perceive them more clearly, which is very beneficial for learning magic.”

“Sensing dark elements?”

Lu Cang sensed his surroundings. There was indeed a lot of flowing darkness in this cavern; these must be the dark elements.

Iz: “Try it.”

Lu Cang took the Dark Crystal.

He held the crystal and tried to sense his surroundings, but he found no difference.

After injecting mana into the crystal, the effect remained the same.

Lu Cang shook his head. “There is no difference.”

Iz: “That is because your innate sensitivity to elements is already at the highest level.”

“I have practiced empathy with many students.”

“In reality, most mages can only sense two or three elements when they first change classes, and even then, they only feel a faint presence of the elements without being able to manipulate them directly.”

“That is why when you completed your class change and immediately condensed flames in your palm, it gave Kumironi such a special surprise.”

“Most people need external objects like Dark Crystals, Light Crystals, or Fire Crystals to enhance their connection to the elements before they can gradually sense more of them.”

It seems... my talent really is incredible. So I really am a genius mage.

Iz's words gave Lu Cang a new understanding of his own talent.

Iz took the Dark Crystal back.

“This Dark Crystal can be sold for 20 silver.”

“It could likely allow a mage who cannot sense dark elements to establish a weak connection with them.”

“However, for a Dark Crystal to drop here...”

Iz glanced toward the ceiling of the cavern.

“Perhaps this is a sign that the Harvest Moon is approaching early...”

(End of Chapter)