Chapter 12: The Herb Everyone Wants
Whispers soon spread among the cultivators.
"That man... he just defeated Big Zhor in one hit."
"Zhor was already at the Tempering Stage of the Mana Cultivation Realm..."
"And this guy just... punched him like it was nothing."
Those who were still in the Circulation Stage paled. If Zhor could be easily defeated, they knew they would die instantly.
That’s why none of them dared to step forward and face him.
Garion glanced around and chuckled.
"What? Nobody else wants to play?"
Garion sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You all make big noise, but the moment someone strong shows up, you become little puppies."
All the cultivators lowered their heads, gritting their teeth in shame.
Garion ignored them and turned back to the deeper part of the cave.
He rushed toward it and quickly saw some Titan Ores in the wall.
He could feel teh strange weight of this ore. Mindlessly, he chipped it loose and tossed it into his system storage.
"This is really the best."
He quickly filled his storage space with Titan Ore and then thought momentarily.
"I heard from them that this Titan Ore is heavy, and when you put mana into it, it becomes heavier. Let’s test it."
He picked up a smaller chunk and channeled his mana into it.
Immediately, the stone grew denser, sagging his arms slightly from the sudden weight increase.
"Wow, no wonder all the people who wanted these ores were big guys. For them, this could be forged into a strong, heavy weapon."
Garion smirked as he tossed it into his storage space.
"But for me, its biggest use is to use them to forge dumbbells, barbells, and weights."
Garion dusted his hands and looked at the remaining Titan Ores.
"All mine."
He spent several minutes, taking out every last fragment, filling his storage space.
Garion was now satisfied with the amount he got from this cave and turned to leave.
And the moment he disappeared from their view, the cultivators rushed insdie in frenzy, trying to get the remaing titan ores.
But Garion only smirked as he looked back.
"Too bad that I already claimed the place out."
He turned back to the forest.
"Now... let’s search for other good materials."
---
In the deeper part of the Treasure Realm forest, there was a lot of noise from fighting.
A massive snake slithered across a clearing. It had dark green scales with black streaks.
Its body was as thick as a tree trunk, and its eyes were glowing yellow. Every time it hissed, the air seemed to vibrate.
And behind it, nestled in a patch of glowing soil, was a single herb.
Its petals were white and sharp, shaped like the teeth of a beast. This herb was called the Dragon Tooth Flower.
The sight of this special and rare herb quickly made cultivators’ eyes burn with greed.
"Dragon Tooth Flower! Don’t let anyone else take it!"
"It’s mine! With this, I’ll definitely step into the Mana Core Realm!"
The snake snapped forward, opening its jaw wide open.
A cultivator barely managed to dodge, rolling across teh dirt before scrambling to his feet.
Another man slashed his sword at the serpent’s scales, but sparks flew as the blade glanced off, leaving only a faint line.
"Damn it! Its scales are too tough!"
"Keep hitting it! Sooner or later, it’ll tire out!"
But even as the snake was the main enemy, the cultivators fought each other.
One of them shoved another aside, snarling.
"You’re too weak! Go home before you die here!"
The one who got shoved retaliated with a palm strike.
"Shut up! If I can grab that flower, I’ll surpass you!"
They fought hard, but the snake was still there. Soon, they were nearly crushed as the snake whipped its tail across teh clearing.
Some of the cultivators were flung like dolls, coughing blood.
But still, even seeing how strong the snake was, they didn’t back down.
The Dragon Tooth Flower’s value was just too great.
It needs to be known that eating it not only strengthens your body but also fills the mana pool faster.
It also gives the person a small chance to awaken a dragon trait mana when going to the Mana Core Realm.
In this world, where traits were the cultivator’s path forward, any cultivator was mad to get the best one.
And this Dragon Tooth Flower was just what they needed to get one of the best traits in history.
More cultivators also soon arrived, pushing forward.
"Kill the snake! Whoever slays it gets first claim!"
"No, we split the flower after the beast is dead!"
"Are you crazy? Do you think I’ll share something like this? Dream on!"
The clearing soon descended into pure chaos. Dozens of cultivators clashed with each other and the snake, risking everything to get what they wanted.
---
The sound of the battle was too loud for Garion to notice, and he quickly came to the clearing.
Garion raised an eyebrow as he looked at the chaos.
"Wow. This is even louder and fiercer than the one in the cave."
When he stepped into the clearing, his eyes widened slightly. He could see a really giant snake that he thought wasn’t even possible.
"The hell... what kind of snake is that? That thing should belong in a zoo, not a treasure realm."
But then his gaze moved past it and quickly saw the special herb anyone fighting for.
It was a strange flower with sharp and curved fang-shaped petals.
Suddenly, a new notice appeared.
[New Objective Detected: Secure the Dragon Tooth Flower]
[Completion Rewards:]
[Reward: Unlock Second System Function]
[Reward: Auto-Exit Realm to God Gym upon completion]
Garion stared, then chuckled.
"So that’s what it’s called. Dragon Tooth Flower, huh? What a fierce name. It should be really good if the system is fussing about it."
He stared at the flower, stretching his shoulders.
"Good. Let me take it. And since the system will send me back to the God Gym once I succeed, I don’t need to worry about the others."
Garion planted one foot forward, eyes gleaming as he watched the chaos.
"Let’s see if you’re worth all this chaos."