CHAPTER 403: DISTRIBUTION OF LOOT

He calmly engaged the beasts using only his Intermediate-grade Sword Aura. His movements were smooth and casual, each strike precisely hitting the weak spots of the beasts.

To Orion, these Tier 7 beasts posed no real threat; his attention was subtly split, carefully observing how the rest of his group coordinated their battle.

The group attacked in perfect synchronization, showcasing the impressive teamwork they’d forged over the previous battles and rigorous training.

Arya’s lightning spells crackled fiercely, immobilizing the beasts momentarily, allowing Emilia’s spear and Sylvia’s astral swords to pierce their vulnerable spots precisely.

Nyss elegantly danced between opponents, her dual daggers slashing swiftly and lethally. Kale and Elias attacked decisively, while Fiora and Rina didn’t move ahead to help the group and stayed behind to provide support if the need arose.

Orion silently watched their performance from the corner of his eyes, his lips slowly curling into a satisfied smile.

Seeing their perfect coordination and swift resolution, he turned his full attention back to the two larger beasts before him.

His mana surged slightly, amplifying the sword aura encasing his blade. With a single fluid motion, he executed his Blazing Execution Arc.

Brilliant flames erupted from his sword, tracing a graceful, deadly arc that cleanly decapitated both beasts simultaneously.

The creatures’ lifeless bodies crumbled heavily onto the damp stone floor, their heads tumbling forward briefly before stopping at Orion’s feet.

Sheathing the Realm Guardian sword casually, Orion calmly bent down and covered his hand with mana as he extracted the valuable mana cores from their bodies, examining them briefly.

He looked thoughtfully at Magi, casually asking, "Hmm, Magi, how valuable do you think these cores might be?"

Magi instantly brightened, practically skipping forward excitedly, his eyes glowing with greed, "Boss, these are fantastic! They’ll fetch a great price at our shop, no doubt about it!"

Orion chuckled softly, casually tossing both mana cores toward Magi. "Alright, they’re yours to handle. Take whatever else is valuable from their corpses as well."

Magi grinned happily, immediately retrieving a specially-prepared knife. The blade was imbued with stored mana specifically designed for normal people like him, easily slicing through the tough beast hides like a hot knife through butter. He quickly set to work, humming contentedly.

Meanwhile, Orion calmly approached the rest of his group, who were standing over their own defeated opponents, clearly pleased with their victory.

Smiling faintly, Orion gently asked them, "So, how was your first proper battle down here?"

Arya immediately broke into an exhilarated grin, her eyes sparkling enthusiastically, "Hehe, this was not even enough for warmup. We might not be comparable to you but we are some of the top geniuses of our academy."

Elias nodded his head and jokingly said, "Yeah Orion, stop treating us like kids. We could have handled both of those Tier 7 mana beasts easily as well."

Sylvia just silently stared at Orion, agreeing with the others.

Orion shook his head with a smile, looking at the group, "Sure sure, from next time you can choose your opponent. Even Rina and Fiora didn’t have to fight this time. Looks like the outer area of this ruin isn’t that hard."

Hearing this, the expression of the group became serious. Felira said with a slightly worried voice, "But this is merely the outer area. We don’t know what we will find deeper in the ruins."

Rina and Fiora slowly approached the group as Rina said, "Yes, even at the outer area we already found Tier 7 beasts. At the core, there might very well be Tier 8 or even Tier 9 beasts."

The rest of the group looked at Orion as he seriously nodded his head, "Of course, nothing can be easy. And since the Old ones have decided to send us here then they trust us enough that we can handle this."

The rest of the group exhaled a sigh as smiles returned to their faces, what Orion said made sense to them as their houses wouldn’t send them to their deaths.

Turning his head, Orion addressed the Lotuses. "So, who will take the lotuses?"

Currently among the group, there were six body path awakeners: Orion, Emilia, Nyss, Sylvia, Kale, and Fiora.

Fiora softly said, "I won’t take it since I didn’t fight."

Orion looked at her for a second and nodded his head. Looking at the rest, Nyss also shook her head, "This is opposite of my nature, I can’t use it."

Sylvia also shook her head and said with a hint of pride in her voice, "Kale and Emilia can have them. I can manage with my family resources."

Orion chuckled lightly upon hearing Sylvia’s slightly proud words, amusement clear in his eyes as he stepped toward the shimmering pond.

Carefully approaching the pristine water’s edge, he gently extended his hand toward the Blood Jade Lotuses, their crimson petals glowing softly with dense vitality.

Delicately harvesting the three lotuses, Orion turned back toward the waiting group, walking casually as droplets of water fell silently from the flowers.

Stopping in front of Kale and Emilia, he handed them each a lotus, nodding encouragingly, "Here you go. Use them wisely."

Kale’s expression brightened visibly, a hint of excitement clearly visible in his eyes as he quickly accepted it, nodding appreciatively, "Thank you, Orion. I’ll make good use of it."

After all, he was only from a Marquess House and couldn’t compare with Sylvia and the rest.

Emilia also accepted hers graciously, holding it with care, her face softening into a sincere smile, "Thank you, Orion."

Orion held up the third lotus, a playful smirk crossing his lips as he declared with seriousness, "Then I’ll take the last one. After all, I’m also quite poor."

A brief silence hung awkwardly in the cavern before everyone’s lips twitched simultaneously, none believing Orion’s blatantly absurd claim.

Arya stifled a giggle, muttering quietly, "Brother Orion, that’s the least believable thing you’ve ever said."

Elias openly chuckled, nudging Kale teasingly, "The sole Heir of a House comparable to a Duke House has shamelessly proclaimed himself to be poor. Look what the world has become."

Nyss shook her head softly, amusement evident, "If Orion is poor, we might as well be beggars."

Magi grumbled quietly, "If you’re poor, Boss, then what am I?"

Orion merely shrugged innocently, putting the lotus carefully into his storage ring, "Well, I did contribute a little."

The group rolled their eyes in collective amusement but didn’t argue.

Everyone knew Orion’s strength and contribution justified him keeping the third lotus, no matter how absurdly he phrased it.

Without lingering longer, once Magi had finished carefully dissecting the mana beasts and retrieving valuable parts, the group continued their careful advance deeper into the ruins.

***

For the next few days, the group continued to head deeper into the paths. They encountered many beasts and treasures along the way, with beasts ranging from Tier 5 to a few even at Tier 8.

Orion and the rest had to work together to kill the Tier 8 mana beasts. The rest of the members could handle weaker Tier 7 mana beasts, while the stronger ones among them like Sylvia and Nyss were able to contend against stronger Tier 7 beasts, but even they were helpless against a Tier 8.

But thankfully, Orion in his Draconic form was able to contend against Tier 8 mana beasts while the rest of the group bombarded the mana beasts with attacks.