The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 65: Elixir (1)

[The leech demonic beast has died.]

I frowned as I looked at the message from Professor Elisha.

‘The leech demonic beast has died?’

The leech demonic beast was a crucial clue in tracking down Jackal.

It was kept alive by Professor Elisha herself, using a life-support system, but now it was dead all of a sudden.

[Did someone break in and kill it?]

[No, it just suddenly exploded.]

Suddenly exploded, huh.

‘Looks like Jackal's doing.’

Clicking my tongue, I replied to Professor Elisha.

[It’s Jackal's work, isn't it?]

[That's what I think too.]

Regardless of the reason, with the leech demonic beast—the only clue—now dead, further pursuit was impossible.

‘Well, we’ve already gathered most of the information we could.’

On the bright side, this sudden death provided new intel: Jackal could kill his minions remotely.

Not a total loss.

[Since there are no other leads, we'll just have to wait for him to make a move.]

[Looks like it.]

[Got it. I’ll contact you again later.]

I was about to close the message window when—

[Wait.]

[c( 'o')っ]

Professor Elisha sent one of those special character emoticons that had been trending among the cadets lately.

‘Wait, she’s using an emoticon?’

It wasn’t uncommon for cadets to use them, but seeing someone as mature (?) and distinguished as Professor Elisha using one was quite... surprising.

[What is this? I suddenly feel really irritated…]

What was going on? This gift of insight...

[Cadet Dale. Are you perhaps having impudent thoughts right now?]

[I swear by my parents' names, I’ve never had such thoughts.]

[Hmm… But aren’t you an orphanage graduate?]

[Are you calling me an orphan who doesn't even know his parents' names?]

[Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that…]

I could sense Professor Elisha’s flustered expression even through the text.

I didn’t let up and pushed further.

[To assume that orphans don’t know their parents’ names is a narrow-minded insult to not only me but millions of orphans!]

[My apologies, Cadet Dale. I wasn't thinking.]

[As long as you understand.]

[Would you care to share your parents' names to make amends?]

[So, what was it that you wanted to say earlier?]

[…Cadet Dale.]

For some reason, I could almost hear Professor Elisha sighing deeply on the other side of the message.

[Let’s get back to the main topic.]

[Yes, ma'am.]

[A magic stone was found in the crocodile demonic beast.]

A magic stone.

It was a type of magical crystal found within demonic beasts and was used in various fields, such as artifact production, magical devices, and elixir creation.

Even the Hero Watch I used to message Professor Elisha contained a magic stone.

‘Though, the ones used in everyday items like this are mostly low-grade magic stones.’

Low-grade magic stones were mass-produced and didn't require hunting demonic beasts for them, which is why they were mainly used in everyday magical tools like Hero Watches.

However, stones above the intermediate grade could only be acquired by hunting demonic beasts, making high-grade and above magic stones significantly more expensive.

‘Not that you always get one by hunting a demonic beast, either.’

In fact, the more eyes a demonic beast had, the higher the chance of getting a high-grade magic stone, but the lower the chance of finding one at all.

In other words, the fact that a magic stone had been found in an eight-eyed demonic beast was quite exciting news.

[What grade is it?]

[They said it's high-grade, close to the highest.]

[High-grade is high-grade. What do you mean "close to the highest"?]

[It contains as much mana as a top-grade stone, but its purity and quality fall short, so it was classified as high-grade.]

[Wow.]

Still, the fact that its mana rivaled a top-grade stone was impressive.

[How much is it worth?]

[At the very least, around 5 million gold.]

5 million gold.

Converted to the old Republic currency, that was over 5 billion—an enormous fortune.

‘That’s enough to buy a house in the center of Valhalla City!’

It was too big of a sum to ignore.

‘The problem is, I don’t have the rights to dispose of the demonic beast’s corpse.’

As a cadet without an official hero license, I had no right to dispose of the demonic beast’s body or claim any spoils.

On top of that, the crocodile demonic beast was one of Jackal’s minions, which meant it was under investigation, making it hard to demand a share.

"Ugh."

I couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.

Just then, a new message from Professor Elisha arrived with a clear bell sound.

[I'll leave the disposal of the magic stone to you, Cadet Dale.]

What?

[Are you saying you'll give me the magic stone?]

[That's right.]

[But…]

[You killed the crocodile demonic beast, didn’t you? Even if you don’t have an official hero license yet, I can’t dispose of something that belongs to you.]

‘Ah, this is true mentorship!’

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If it had been Professor Lucas, he would have given it to me, sure, but not without making a big show of it and being a pain.

On the other hand, Professor Elisha, with her extensive (?) life experience, knew exactly how to handle people!

[…Are you thinking something unsavory right now?]

[If that's your decision, Professor, then I’ll accept it and make sure to put it to good use.]

[.......]

[૮(⇀‸↼‵‵)ა]

Professor Elisha sent an emoticon of a grumpy face, as if she had a bad feeling about this, but fortunately, her insight didn’t extend to reading my mind.

She didn’t press further.

[I'll send the magic stone to you via Assistant Vincent.]

[Understood.]

About 30 minutes had passed since I finished my conversation with Professor Elisha.

Knock, knock.

I heard someone knocking on the door of my dorm room.

‘That was quick.’

When I opened the door, there stood Vincent, the assistant, holding a square box.

"Professor Elisha asked me to deliver this to you."

"You’re quick."

"It’s the professor’s order."

I could feel Vincent’s unwavering loyalty to Professor Elisha in his short response.

I smirked and took the box from Vincent.

When I opened it, there was a black magic stone, emitting a sinister, dark glow.

I nodded as I held the magic stone, about the size of my fist.

"Well-delivered."

"It was a magic stone, huh?"

"You didn’t even know what it was, yet you delivered it?"

"It’s the professor’s order."

"…."

Does becoming an assistant turn you into that kind of person?

As I stared at him with a faint laugh, Vincent stared back, as if observing me, and spoke.

"These days, the professor seems to be very interested in Cadet Dale."

"Yes, I’ve noticed."

Wasn’t it because I matched her type?

Though it seemed like a ridiculous reason, I could tell from her behavior that Professor Elisha had some degree of affection for me.

"Are you jealous by any chance?"

"Of course not."

When I playfully asked, Vincent gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

"To me, Professor Elisha is like a mother. She’s the one who saved me when I had lost all hope in life."

"A benefactor?"

"I, too, survived a demon attack, like the professor."

Vincent’s face softened as if recalling a distant memory.

"There are many others who owe their lives to the professor. She even runs a foundation for those who lost their families and homes to the demons."

"…I didn’t know that."

It was my first time hearing that Professor Elisha was operating such a foundation.

"The professor donates all the money she earns from her hero work and her salary as a special professor to that foundation. She won’t even buy herself decent cigarettes, sticking only to the cheap brands."

"…."

"She’s someone who has sacrificed her entire life for the sake of others."

Vincent continued, his eyes full of respect for Professor Elisha.

"Honestly, I think it's a relief."

"A relief?"

"That the professor now has someone else to focus on—like you, Cadet Dale."

Vincent smiled softly as he looked at me.

"I…."

"Haha, there’s no need to take it so seriously. You can’t force a person’s heart to change just by pushing them."

Vincent chuckled quietly and shook his head.

"But just remember this one thing."

For a moment, his eyes flashed fiercely.

"If you hurt her... I won’t let it slide."

Vincent gently stroked the hilt of his sword as he spoke.

I stifled a chuckle and nodded.

"I’ll keep that in mind."

"Well then, I’ll be on my way."

Vincent gave a small bow and turned to leave.

"Oh, by the way, that magic stone… Are you planning to sell it, or do you have another use for it?"

"Hmm. I’m not sure."

It was a valuable item, worth at least 5 million gold if sold, but...

‘It’s better to use it than sell it.’

A high-grade magic stone could be used to make an elixir that enhanced one’s mana.

‘Especially since I still have that elixir I got from Yuren.’

With Professor Jade’s skills, mixing the magic stone into the elixir to amplify its effects should be possible.

"If you’re planning to use it, you’ll need to purify it first. Otherwise, you won’t be able to use it."

Vincent pointed to the magic stone, still emanating a sinister glow.

He was right.

A freshly harvested magic stone from a demon’s body couldn’t be used unless it was purified by divine power.

"If you need, I can introduce you to a purification priest from the Holy Kingdom."

"No, that’s alright."

I grinned and shook my head.

Why would I need to rely on a purification priest?

"I already know someone who can purify the magic stone."

I had someone far beyond the reach of an ordinary purification priest—someone blessed by the seven gods, the 'Saint' herself.

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