After the fight, they gathered around the panther's body, catching their breath. Leon and Dahlia were especially shaken—they hadn't had time to feel scared during the fight, but now that it was over, their legs felt weak with relief and fear.
Im knelt down and began examining the panther carefully. "This is a young adult, probably only a few years old. That's why it was so reckless—attacking a group of mages instead of hunting alone."
He pulled a small, sharp magical knife from his pack and began skinning the panther, being careful not to damage the fur any more than it already was. "Even with the damage, this fur is still valuable. A perfect Shadow Bladed Panther fur can sell for almost a thousand gold coins. With these wounds, it'll only fetch about a hundred, but that's still a good amount."
Leon sat down next to him, watching. "Can we keep a piece of the fur to make a shadow cloak? It would be useful for exploring the ancient ruins—there are probably a lot of dark corridors down there."
Im nodded, cutting a small section of undamaged fur from the panther's shoulder. "That's a good idea. We'll keep this piece for ourselves, and sell the rest. The money can be used to buy more supplies for our trip to the ruins."
Dahlia sat by the fire, wrapping a bandage around her wrist—she'd scraped it when she fell. "I can't believe I froze up like that. I should have been able to fight better."
Leon put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up. That thing was way stronger than us. I couldn't do anything to it either. If Im hadn't arrived when he did, we would have been in real trouble."
Flower nodded, sitting down next to them. "Yeah, that thing was massive. I've never seen a magical beast that big before. I'm glad Im was here to save us."
Im finished skinning the panther and turned to its skull. He carefully cut into the brain cavity and pulled out a coin-sized mana core. It was grayish-brown, with a crystalline structure similar to rock candy, but it didn't have much shine—it looked like an unpolished gem.
"The quality of a mana core depends on how you kill the beast," Im explained, holding the core up to the fire. "If you make it use its mana fully before killing it in one hit, you get a high-quality core. If you kill it by surprise, the core is full of mana but inert and hard to use. If you fight it until it's exhausted, the core will have very little mana."
"This one is of good quality," he continued, putting the core in a small cloth bag. "The panther was just getting started when I killed it, so its mana was active but not depleted. It's not perfect, but it's still worth about a hundred gold coins."
He then cut out the panther's heart, kidneys, and tendons, putting them in separate bags. "These parts can be used to make potions. The heart can be used to make strength potions, the kidneys for healing potions, and the tendons for making strong bowstrings."
Leon looked at the panther's ribs, an idea forming in his mind. "Can we eat it? I've never tried panther meat before."
Im laughed. "Shadow Bladed Panther meat is actually quite tasty, if you cook it right. It's lean and flavorful, similar to venison but richer."
Leon cut off several ribs and put them on the fire to roast. He seasoned them with some of the dried herbs he'd brought, and soon the camp was filled with the savory smell of cooking meat.
Since the Shadow Bladed Panther was the top predator in the area, killing it made the woods safe for a while. No other predators would dare move into the territory of a dead alpha so quickly. So Im and his students could rest here and recover before continuing their journey.
Over the next two days, they stayed at the camp, repairing their gear and recovering from the fight. Leon practiced his shadow magic, using the small piece of panther fur he'd kept. He found that the fur helped him sense shadow mana more easily, and he was able to cast small shadow spells with more precision.
Dahlia practiced her healing magic, using the herbs they'd collected to treat the small cuts and bruises they'd gotten during the fight. Flower practiced his archery, using the panther's bones to make new arrowheads.
Im spent his time studying the panther's mana core and writing in his journal about the fight. He also started preparing for their trip to the ancient ruins, checking their supplies and making sure they had enough potions and weapons.
On the third day, they packed up their camp and started heading back to Linden Pine Valley. They took the panther's fur, mana core, and other valuable materials with them, along with the herbs and supplies they'd collected during their expedition.
When they got back to the valley, Leon's parents were waiting for them, their faces filled with worry. They'd been gone for almost a month, and no one had heard from them.
"Leon!" Erika hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes. "We were so worried about you! What happened?"
Leon hugged her back. "We had a run-in with a Shadow Bladed Panther, but we're all okay. Im killed it, and we brought back some valuable materials."
Garin looked at the large bundle of panther fur, his eyes widening. "That's a Shadow Bladed Panther fur? Those are incredibly rare! You could sell that for a small fortune."
Leon grinned. "We're going to keep a small piece to make a shadow cloak, and sell the rest. The money will help fund our trip to the ancient ruins."
Over the next few weeks, Leon and Im sold the panther's materials in Sarneth Town. They got a hundred gold coins for the damaged fur, another hundred for the mana core, and fifty gold for the other parts. They used the money to buy more supplies for their trip to the ancient ruins, including extra potions, mana crystals, and tools.
Leon also started working on the shadow cloak, using the piece of fur they'd kept. He used his Mage Hand tentacles to sew the fur into a lightweight cloak, and Im helped him add small shadow runes to it to enhance its stealth properties.
When the cloak was finished, Leon put it on. He felt the shadow mana around him respond, and he could tell that he would be almost invisible in dark places. It was perfect for exploring the ancient ruins, which were said to be filled with dark corridors and hidden chambers.
A few weeks later, they were ready to leave for the ancient ruins. They packed their supplies, including the new shadow cloak, the mana core, and all the potions and tools they'd bought. Leon said goodbye to his family, promising to be careful.
As they set off into the mountains, Leon looked back at Linden Pine Valley, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. He was going to keep his promise to Eldrin, and find out what happened to his missing friends.
And he was going to make sure he came back alive to tell the tale.