From Blade To Spell

Elina, left behind, stood frozen. She watched Aaron rush off without even replying.

She cursed under her breath. "Damn shameless Aaron…"

Still, she followed.

When she saw the Gray Wolf's corpse, discarded like common prey, her heart ached.

Ordinary people might not understand, but the blood of a Tier 4 monster, especially one with a rare bloodline, could sell for over 100 mana stones per liter.

Elina stood silently, her thoughts swirling.

She was puzzled, how had Aaron managed to kill a Tier 4 monster?

She had heard countless times that Tier 4 beasts were on an entirely different level. Their defense, attack power, and raw strength were overwhelming. Even a wizard would struggle against one, unless a Great Wizard intervened, defeating such a creature alone was considered impossible.

Of course, an Earth Knight could challenge a Tier 4 monster. But even in her homeland, Earth Knights were rare and difficult to cultivate, only one in ten thousand ever reached that level.

While Elina was lost in thought, Aaron had already drained two and a half buckets of blood, at least 10 to 12 liters. He stored it inside his space ring.

He glanced at Elina, noticed her distant expression, and chose not to disturb her.

Just then, Kelly arrived.

"Lord Aaron, the selection is complete. Out of all the registered candidates, only 60 people could withstand the pressure for more than a quarter of a candle's burning time. As for Jake, Blake, Jumba, Humba, Nilu, Kilu, Kathy, Lilith, and Rose, they performed the best, lasting a full candle's burn."

Aaron nodded thoughtfully. "Have your people finished producing the clothes?"

"Yes, Lord Aaron," Kelly replied.

Aaron patted her shoulder. "Kelly, is there anyone else joining the training tomorrow?"

Kelly paused, then nodded. "Sir Rumba asked if his team could join as well."

Aaron smiled. "Tell him they're welcome. He and his guards can train with you. And if you'd like, you can join them too."

"Also, make sure everyone brings a weapon. A sword will do."

Kelly's eyes lit up. "Okay, Lord Aaron!" she said cheerfully. Finally, she would be free from her endless tasks. Just the thought made her feel relieved.

Elina turned to Aaron. "Aaron, did you get the monster core? How about trading it with me?"

Aaron gave her a blank look. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Elina gritted her teeth. She was growing frustrated, no matter what she tried, she couldn't seem to gain the upper hand with him.

She sighed. "Aaron, how about I trade you a recipe for ten kilograms of Tier 4 monster flesh?"

Aaron paused. "You'll have to explain what kind of recipe. I'm not interested in cooking instructions."

Elina replied confidently, "Of course not. I'm talking about a method to extract refined salt. You live near the sea, right? This technique produces salt that's clear and free of impurities. If you use it for trade, you could earn a fortune in gold coins."

Aaron's eyes narrowed. "Wait."

He turned to Kelly. "Go bring me the salt."

Kelly nodded and ran off.

Elina stood stunned. She muttered to herself, "This place is so backward… Even in Verdia City, they don't know how to make refined salt. So it's impossible here."

But despite her confidence, a bad feeling crept into her heart.

Melina, standing nearby, heard Elina's words, and a ripple stirred in her heart.

The method of producing pure salt was incredibly rare.

Even in the royal palace, salt was filtered and inspected thoroughly to ensure it was free of impurities.

If Aaron already had a way to produce clean salt…then this village was far more advanced than anyone realized.

Kelly returned, carrying a clay pot filled with salt. She handed it to Lord Aaron, who opened the lid, pinched a bit between his fingers, and said, "Please take a look."

Elina leaned in. The salt was crystal clear, free of any impurities. She was stunned.

Melina picked up a pinch and tasted it. It was perfectly salty, without the slightest trace of grit or bitterness.

This was royalty-grade salt, the kind only served in palaces.

Melina glanced at Aaron, a ripple of thought stirring in her heart.

"Maybe I can find a way to trade salt with him. It would be far better than dealing with those overpriced merchants."

Elina, meanwhile, muttered to herself, "Damn it! He already knows how to refine salt? That means I have nothing to bargain with…"

She resisted the urge to scratch her head. Aaron was mysterious, and clearly not someone to be underestimated.

Still, she wasn't ready to give up.

She took a deep breath and said, "Fine, Aaron. I'll trade you a recipe. It's called the Blood Pill. It's a Tier 0-grade pill, usable by ordinary people to speed up recovery. With long-term use, it strengthens the body physically."

Aaron gave her a thoughtful look. "Your pill recipe isn't enough to exchange for Tier 4 monster meat. You know it's not an equal trade."

Elina knew he was right. She had hoped to trick him, but clearly, he wasn't falling for it.

She sighed. "I'll pay for your mana stones during the journey. I want 20 kilograms of meat."

Aaron didn't know the exact value of mana stones, 

but Elina's distressed expression told him they were precious.

He nodded. "Deal. But you'll only get the flesh, no internal organs. And you must include the Blood Pill recipe."

Elina felt a wave of relief. If she could cook and sell the Tier 4 meat, she could earn at least 20 mana stones. And the heart, she had plans for that. It was a rare alchemy material, worth up to 500 mana stones.

She pulled out a parchment, written on wooden paper, and handed it to Aaron.

"I'll wait here."

Aaron examined the recipe. He couldn't understand a single word.

"I really need to learn the wizard language…" he thought.

He tucked the parchment into his space ring, then began butchering the Gray Wolf with the help of Old Chief and Rumba.

One hour later.

The butchering was complete.

Aaron kept the internal organs, and even the penis, he remembered the tiger penis from earlier drops, and figured it might be valuable to someone.

The fur, thick and resilient, would be processed into armor. Its defensive properties were on an entirely different level.