Chapter 11: Unveiling the Secrets of the TalentThe echoes of battle still lingered in the air as Lucas stood amidst the fallen beasts, his breath heavy but steady. The once-serene forest clearing was now littered with the corpses of bronze and copper-ranked monsters, their lifeless eyes staring into the void.

  "How many were there?" Lucas asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.

  "At least fifteen," Elena replied, cleaning her sword with a cloth. "I didn’t expect such an ambush."

  "But it’s not all bad!" Lisa grinned as she collected monster cores from the fallen creatures. "With these, we can absorb their energy and boost our mana cultivation!"

  Lucas, however, was not paying attention to the conversation. Kneeling beside the corpse of a bck panther, he reached into its chest and pulled out its still-warm heart. Staring at it for a moment, he then threw it into his mouth and swallowed it whole.

  [Bck Panther's Copper Heart Absorbed.][3 Talent Shards Obtained.]

  The notification appeared once again. But this time, Lucas didn’t dismiss it. He had noticed a pattern in how Talent Shards were awarded.

  Over the past few hours, he had consumed numerous monster hearts, and not all had given him the same amount of shards. There was a distinct retionship between a beast's rank and its innate talent grade.

  Standing up, he muttered, "I think I finally understand how this works."

  Elena and Lisa turned to him with curiosity.

  "What did you figure out?" Elena asked.

  Pointing at the dead bck panther, Lucas expined, "This beast was copper-ranked, and its talent was Grade D. After consuming its heart, I received 3 Talent Shards."

  Lisa blinked. "And? What’s strange about that?"

  Lucas took a deep breath before expining, "After eating multiple hearts, I noticed a pattern. The number of Talent Shards I receive is determined by multiplying the talent grade's point value by the monster's rank multiplier."

  Seeing their puzzled faces, he continued,

  "For example, a Grade D talent grants 3 points. Since this panther was a Copper-ranked beast, it provided a 1x multiplier. So: 3 × 1 = 3 Talent Shards."

  Elena narrowed her eyes. "So if the monster had been Bronze-ranked instead of Copper, it would have provided a 2x multiplier, meaning you’d have received 3 × 2 = 6 Talent Shards?"

  Lucas nodded. "Exactly. The stronger the beast, or the higher its innate talent, the more shards I get from its heart."

  Lisa’s eyes sparkled. "That’s amazing! If we find monsters with Grade A talents or higher, you could amass Talent Shards ridiculously fast!"

  But Elena wasn’t as excited. She crossed her arms and said seriously, "There’s a catch, isn’t there?"

  Lucas sighed. "Yeah. I realized earlier that I can't store talents indefinitely. If I don’t decide whether to absorb a talent immediately, its essence remains as Talent Shards. And after some time, I lose the chance to obtain the original ability."

  Elena thought for a moment. "So you always have two choices: Either absorb the monster's talent directly or convert it into Talent Shards for ter use."

  Lucas nodded. "Exactly. But there's another issue—I can't store an unlimited number of talents. If I absorb a new talent, an old one might have to be repced."

  Looking at the fallen monsters and the glowing monster core in his hand, Lucas clenched his fist. His path to power was becoming clearer, but it was also filled with tough decisions.

  "Alright, we have a pn now," he said firmly. "We'll focus on hunting higher-ranked monsters, and I'll be more selective with the talents I absorb. I won't waste any more opportunities."

  Elena nodded approvingly. "Good. Let's rest for a bit and then continue. There's still much more to discover."

  With that, the group pressed deeper into the forest, knowing that each battle would bring them closer to unimaginable power—but also greater dangers.