It might seem that Garet and Korona's battle against the Stone Groug should become the main event of the forest that night, but the Bloom Forest was too big for that to be true.
Hunting and deadly battles continued constantly, day and night, and they did not always intersect.
Thus, Garet and Korona simply became part of this system, waiting for their reward.
"Damn, it's really them!" Korona's eyes widened as she approached the Spiky Moon Flower.
Step.
Garet stepped forward and smiled broadly.
"Two for you, one for me, as we agreed earlier, right?"
After everything that had happened, Korona wouldn't dare refuse Garet if he wanted to take most of the fruits, but his gaze showed that it was a rhetorical question.
"Ah, yeah… something like that."
All she could do was sigh.
Thus, they took the Spiky Moon Fruits as the flower trembled. The sockets were empty again, and even with the large amount of energy and moonlight, three fruits in one night was the limit.
Calling forth gusts of wind, the great petals gathered together as the blue bud closed, waiting for the next night.
Garet carefully held the large fruit with both hands so as not to jab himself with its spikes.
'If I press even a little, I'll definitely cut myself. Hah, I think they're sharper than my sword! And, the smell, I want to try it right now!'
A voice from the side interrupted his thoughts:
"Alright, I think it's time to go back," Korona said as she threw the fruit into another sack.
"Agh?" Garet was puzzled as he picked up the fruit. "Aren't we going to eat them?"
Korona tilted her head as if wondering if he was joking. Then, she giggled, unable to hold back her laughter.
"Hahaha, because of how you performed in battle, I completely forgot that you're still a novice! No, we're not going to eat them, not now, not ever!"
"But, why? Aren't they supposed to be delicious?"
Korona glanced at the fruit.
"Yeah, most likely, although I don't know, I've never tried them. Look, Garet, I appreciate your generosity, but it shouldn't always be this way. Each Spiky Moon Fruit is worth a lot of money. I'm going to sell them myself, and I advise you to do the same."
On Korona's part, it was sincere advice, which she rarely gave. She was more experienced and could help Garet in such moments, but it didn't seem like Garet understood her.
"Korona, that's strange."
"W-What?"
He pointed to the horn and the crystal.
"If you're not a blacksmith, then the only use for them is to sell them, I understand that, but these fruits are just begging to be tasted. Don't you want to reward yourself for your victory? Right now, not by getting a few coins later."
Korona didn't deny it, she didn't answer, and just stroked her shoulder. The truth was hard for her.
'Tsk, of course I want to. But, do you think I can afford to be so careless?' Her gaze dropped. 'That... that would be great.'
Crunch.
A loud crunch echoed through the quiet forest, catching Korona's attention.
Her eyes widened at the sight of Garet biting into the top of the fruit. Amber, rich juice dripped from the corners of his mouth and down the fruit between the spikes.
Gulp.
Garet swallowed the piece of fruit as his Genesis Core trembled.
The Spiky Moon Fruits were not only rare and delicious, but they were an excellent source of energy. The Stone Groug could absorb energy from the Green Flower Bracelet, but he knew it would not be as effective as giving energy to the Spiky Moon Flower so that it would grow the fruits.
Then, pale blue streams of energy entered Garet's inner space, heading toward the Zenith Grid, straight to the first star.
[First Anchor received energy. Current progress: 0% -> 10%. Create the First Anchor to get access to its Sigil.]
A mechanical voice in Garet's mind tried to convey important information to him, but Garet was thinking about something else entirely.
"How delicious!" Garet exclaimed with excitement.
Korona bit her lip as her gaze darted to the sacks on her belt.
"Hey!" Garet called out to her. "Korona, you have to try this!"
"But, Garet, I don't think..."
Slice.
Before she could finish, Garet swung his sword and cut off a third of the fruit, handing her a piece.
"Be careful, those thorns are really sharp!"
Now, that was something the ever-resilient Korona couldn't resist. Her eyes welled up, but she quickly brushed them away with her hand and took the piece.
She took a greedy bite, holding on tightly to the edges as if afraid someone would take the fruit away from her.
"Thank you..."
Korona did not raise her gaze.
"It's really delicious."
In response, Garet just smiled broadly.
"I told you so!"
Unlike Garet, who was in no hurry, Korona quickly ate the whole piece. It was her long-standing habit to eat quickly.
Then, she took a deep breath and regained her calm expression.
"Garet, I understand that your mission is complete, right?"
He looked at the bracelet and nodded.
"It's time for me to go back too. This time, my hunt was surprisingly profitable. I don't know if we'll meet again, but I'll be glad if we do." Her official voice was fake, trying to hide her anxiety.
"But, Korona, if you know about the Iron Gate, why don't you go to the city? I'm sure you can sell the materials there for a much better price, and you're strong, the Thornspire will definitely accept you."
Korona shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but I can't. Let's put it this way... When you become part of a gang, you have a number of obligations to it. I have to go back to my gang, there's no other way." Korona clenched her teeth. It wasn't the answer she wanted, but she couldn't give any other.
Garet nodded understandingly as he turned north.
"I see. Then, until we meet again!"
Korona nodded. "Yeah, I hope so..."
...
Step. Step. Step.
Garet walked through the forest, eating fruit while his Genesis Core gradually absorbed energy. He didn't pay attention to it because he understood that he had to return home first.
He was moving towards one of the exits when two wild eyes appeared from under a bush.
"Rark!"
Sharp claws appeared from below, moving towards his feet.
"Wow!" Garet jumped aside in surprise. "Easy!"
It seemed that he should prepare for battle with a dangerous monster, but the beast before him was not in that state.
Looking closely, Garet saw a small black beast, resembling a cross between a wolf and a fox because of its storm-like fur and elongated face with sharp ears.
This attack was not aimed at Garet, but to drive him away out of fear.
Garet's gaze filled with sadness as he looked at the bloody stains and the beast's missing front paw. Thick blood dripped from its shoulder from time to time, indicating that the wound was fresh and serious.
'He's just trying to survive, like yesterday and Korona once did, that's all, right?'
Then, his gaze moved to the remaining piece of fruit in his hand, full of rich energy.
'And what am I supposed to do with this?'