Zold and Maria walked side by side quietly, their steps steady as they passed by the mountain trees.
Maria's target monster, the Silver Red Eagle, could only be found deep in the mountains.
The Silver Red Eagle was a Tier III Beast with exceptional offensive capabilities.
It was similar to the Azure Blue Owl that Zold had missed last time in the Dark Lunaria Jungle, but even more powerful.
At that moment, the two of them stopped, noticing something flash by on their left.
"Is that…"
Maria widened her gaze, seeing a strange monster that left white dust on its trail.
"It's a White Armament Butterfly!"
White Armament Butterfly.
Zold shifted his gaze, also surprised.
It was five times the size of a normal butterfly, and it was pure white in color.
As it flapped its wings, small, white dust was left in its wake, exhibiting a breathtaking beauty.
The White Armament Butterfly was a mere Tier II Beast, but its fame surpasses that of other Tier III Beasts.
Besides its breathtaking appearance, the White Armament Butterfly possessed a colorless spiritual energy and one extremely useful skill.
Hence, not only did it have a very high compatibility with any Awakener, but its skills were also top-tier.
Maria smiled faintly, glancing at the White Armament Butterfly.
"Cut."
Swoosh!
At that moment, the White Armament Butterfly was suddenly split apart.
It never got the chance to react.
It simply died, not knowing what killed it.
As if she wasn't responsible for it, Maria innocently walked to the Butterfly's corpse, taking the colorless white Spirit Orb that fell on the ground.
"It's so pretty…"
Then, she shifted her gaze to Zold and threw it at him.
"Here."
Zold instinctively caught it, but then he was confused.
"This is your kill—"
"It's fine!" Maria cut him off, waving her hand smoothly. "Consider it as the commission fee for helping me get the Silver Red Eagle's Spirit Orb."
Zold's brows furrowed harshly. But seeing Maria's cool and unconcerned smile, he restrained the uncomfortable feeling inside him and hid the Spirit Orb inside the bag he brought.
"Alright, thanks." He said sincerely.
Maria's smile brightened. "Welcome."
After that, the two of them continued on their search, silently going deeper into the Ridge.
As they walked, Zold thought back to the White Armament Butterfly's death, glancing at Maria from the corner of his eye.
Her honorary title as the Sword Saintess wasn't just for show.
Beneath Maria's kind and gentle appearance was a deep, dangerous sharpness.
If ranked solely by offensive power, Maria would be among the top three in their entire team.
It was because everything she touched became her sword.
Even the air itself was her sword.
But that was not the most terrifying thing about Maria.
It was that…
She could cut anything.
"... Is there something wrong?"
Maria tilted her head, noticing Zold's thoughtful expression.
Zold glanced at her briefly.
But at that moment, Maria did something unexpected.
She suddenly tiptoed, almost colliding with his face. She stared directly at his eyes, a small smile hanging on her lips.
Her sudden actions made his heart unconsciously race.
But with his strong control, Zold's face remained calm, meeting her eyes directly.
Then, he shook his head. "No. Can you stop doing this?"
"Huh?"
Maria was surprised, her tiptoed foot landing on the ground. She squinted her eyes, trying to see deeper in Zold's expression.
But Zold was unamused by her blatant gaze, moving past ahead of her.
"Hey!"
Maria muttered as she turned around, quickly catching up to him. She walked alongside him, with both of her hands interlaced behind her.
"You mean looking at you? I can't promise that." She puffed her cheeks.
Zold let out a small sigh. "How childish."
But instead of being offended, Maria's smile brightened.
As if finding the right time to ask it again, Maria brought back her previous question.
"Zold, where did you get the kids?"
"This again…" Zold sighed, then answered calmly. "You're really curious, huh. I found them on my trip in the Lunaria Dark Jungle, why?"
"Hm…" Maria mused, then she said. "No reason at all."
Zold shrugged, walking ahead steadily.
After a while, the two encountered another rare monster, a Golden Lightning Horned Sheep stranded in the mountains.
Unlike the White Armament Butterfly, the Golden Lightning Horned Sheep was a Tier III Beast with exceptional offense and speed.
It primarily possessed a golden lightning-type spiritual energy and had three powerful lightning skills.
Its appearance somewhat surprised Zold, since it was actually the monster he wanted to absorb on this trip.
He didn't think he would find it this easily, and alone as well.
Horned sheep usually lived and travelled in packs. It was rare to find one stranded alone in the mountains.
Zold had a strange expression. He was starting to believe his luck had really increased.
Very quickly, the Golden Lightning Horned Sheep was killed with a single strike using [Invisible Presence] and [Onestab].
It dropped a sparkling, golden Spirit Orb.
But he didn't absorb it immediately, hiding the Spirit Orb in his bag.
Since he was the one who killed it, the Spirit Orb naturally belonged to him.
But Maria didn't really need the Spirit Orb, as it wasn't that compatible with her, so she would've given it to Zold regardless.
She was more compatible with water-type or metal-type Spirit Orbs.
At the half-hour mark, they finally found the Red Silver Eagle.
They chased after it, but ended up encountering a pack of white wolves, led by a Tier III White Dusted Wolf.
With their cooperation, they quickly eliminated all of the monsters.
They decided to split the Spirit Orbs in half, with each receiving one half.
But Maria gave the Tier III Spirit Orb to Zold, reasoning that she doesn't really need it.
Zold simply sighed and started to adapt to her "generosity."
Soon enough, they caught up to the Red Silver Eagle.
In this stage, no Tier III Beast could possibly last against the two of them, and the Red Silver Eagle didn't even last a minute.
Crouching down, Maria picked up the Red Silver Eagle's Spirit Orb.
She absorbed it immediately, right under Zold's gaze.
Zold was stunned, but then sighed in resignation.
Absorbing a Spirit Orb demanded a person's full attention. During that time, one was entirely defenseless.
Maria's decision to absorb it in front of him clearly carried a deeper meaning.
Yet no matter how he thought about it, Zold couldn't understand where her trust in him came from.
Moments later, Maria opened her eyes, looking refreshed.
"I got the skill in one try."
She glanced at Zold, smiling gently. "I appreciate your help. Without you, it might've taken me a while."
"It's a transaction."
Zold replied casually, turning around.
Maria puffed her cheeks and quickly caught up behind him.
In Salted White Ridge, sunlight spilled across the land, bathing it in an otherworldly glow.
A handsome man and a beautiful woman walked side by side quietly, their steps steady as they returned to the entrance.
Against the ridge's unreal beauty, they looked like immortals passing through the mortal world, their figures blending in with the otherworldly glow.