Nova forced himself to stand and made his way to the spider's corpse. Using his dagger, he began to split its head apart.
When he finally separated the skull, a glimmering object caught his eye.
A shiny core.
Suppressing the overwhelming urge to cry out in joy, Nova gently lifted the blood-soaked core and held it near his heart.
'If the compatibility is high enough, maybe I can use it as the main ingredient for my first potion.'
Even just imagining himself gaining a special ability—becoming a true Stage 1 explorer—made him laugh out loud.
The fatigue, the pain from his injuries, the poison slowly working its way through his body… he forgot all of it. Excitement lit up every part of him.
'It's even a head core! Perfect! My luck is really good.'
Monster cores were the most vital material in potion-making—the key to gaining special abilities.
Alongside the core, certain auxiliary ingredients were also required. Depending on the type of core, the combination of materials varied.
The abilities granted also depended heavily on the core's location.
Cores from the legs granted movement-type abilities. Hand cores yielded melee combat powers. But the most sought-after cores were those formed in the head and heart. As the two most critical organs, the abilities born from them were complete, complex, and extraordinarily powerful.
Stage 1 explorers could only absorb one potion in their lifetime. So, the decision of which core to use was often made with utmost care.
Nova was taking a sample of the spider's blood in a tube to test his compatibility when he suddenly felt something touch his shoulder.
His body froze. His eyes widened in shock.
The core slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground with a wet squelch. Instinct kicked in. He turned sharply while drawing his knife in a smooth, practiced motion.
Before he could fully turn around, someone grabbed his wrist. The next moment, his feet left the ground—and he was flat on his back, staring at the familiar blue sky.
"How can you greet someone with a knife?" a voice said, calm and teasing. "Or did you forget your elder's teachings?"
Nova's expression twisted into pure fury when he heard the voice.
Anyone in his shoes would've reacted the same way. In fact, Nova was seconds away from shouting:
'Have you ever heard of common sense?'
Sneaking up on someone and laying a hand on them—especially in a monster-filled labyrinth—was asking to get stabbed. What if he'd really been a silent monster or an assassin?
But when Nova saw the man's attire, he swallowed the words.
The stranger wore brown leather armor, a sword slung at his side. His pale, unblemished face and neatly styled hair made him look more like a pampered noble than an explorer fighting for his life in a deadly maze.
And then Nova saw the black dragon emblem on his chest.
His breath caught in his throat.
That insignia belonged to the Watson Family, one of the four great noble houses of the Arkon Kingdom. No one—absolutely no one—would dare impersonate them.
Whether this man was the real deal or not, Nova knew better than to pick a fight.
He was already exhausted, poisoned, and fresh out of luck. And the person before him exuded strength far beyond his own.
"Why are you silent?" the man asked. "Did you not hear my question?"
Nova blinked at him in disbelief.
'Do you even consider the situation before opening your mouth?'
But instead of saying that, Nova swallowed his pride and forced a polite tone.
"I'm sorry. I thought it was a monster sneaking up on me."
"Ah! I should've realized that," the man said with a sheepish smile.
His innocent tone made Nova want to punch him.
'No need for that,' Nova thought bitterly. 'Just tell me what you want.'
Still, he kept his tone even. "May I ask your purpose here?"
The man studied him for a moment, then gave a satisfied nod.
"So, you figured it out already." He smiled. "I'm Eric Watson of the Watson Family, and I'm here to invite you…"
He paused, then added dramatically:
"…to the battle with the King of Winter."