PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

Interestingly, it was in one lair in particular that a certain not-quite-nocturnal creature was just beginning to regain consciousness after a rather hectic day before he surrendered to the gentle whispers of dreamland.

Fair skin, elegant features, with a peaceful smile rarely seen on him when awake, Desmond’s eyelashes fluttered for a moment before he jerked awake not quite recognizing his surroundings.

It took a couple of seconds for Desmond to realize where he was, only then did Desmond dare to relax but not before cursing himself for letting his guard down in the first place.

Trying to shake off the lethargic feeling filling him, Desmond changed his clothes before fixing his messy hair, not realizing how long it had gotten in the two months he had been in this world.

Despite Desmond’s progress in fixing certain personal traumas and fixations, he still had a low level of self-awareness, which led him to not notice some other changes in his body that were not particularly noticeable.

This could already be considered progress from his previous self, compared to not even blinking while bleeding out, not noticing the length of his hair was certainly not that serious.

Not concerned about his current state or his safety, at least not within Kryzsha’s lair, Desmond proceeded to exit the cave as a huge roar reverberated causing even the ground beneath Desmond’s feet to vibrate.

Still, Desmond didn’t seem worried, because doing a quick mental calculation, Desmond guessed that it must be lunchtime, so that roar must belong to one of the many creatures that pay tribute to Kryzsha.

.....

Thinking about it, Desmond felt his stomach rumble anxiously telling its owner how much it wanted to be satisfied. Smiling wryly at his gluttony, Desmond barely took a couple of steps out of the cave when he was met by one of the Kryzsha maids carrying a small tray full of delicious-looking fruit.

Looking up at the little mineral life form stretching her slender arms up adorably offering the food on the tray, Desmond’s hand reached out to pat the maid’s head with a warm smile.

Contrary to what one would expect, even though the maid’s hair was made of some kind of mineral just like her body, it still had a soft yet unyielding feeling with a hint of warmth.

Desmond surmised that the warmth comes from the core of the servant, which was the equivalent of the heart for a human being, albeit with his low understanding of these curious forms of life; Desmond knew there was a good chance he was wrong.

Whatever the case, Desmond didn’t feign politeness as he took one of the many fruits on the tray and began to eat nonchalantly.

Making his way back to the main cave where Kryzsha was probably eating like a queen, Desmond calmly continued eating being accompanied on the side by the stone maid who carried the tray of fruit for him.

The servant’s helpful demeanor and elegant appearance only reinforced Desmond’s initial thoughts about how comfortable Kryzsha′s life was. Of course, Desmond also had in mind that this didn’t come for free, Kryzsha might seem like just a lazy and vain creature but Desmond knew of her immense power and that in the grand scheme of things; Kryzsha was an existence that was on a higher level than him.

This thought was still hanging over Desmond’s head as a contrasting sight unfolded before his eyes as soon as he reached the Kryzsha cave/room.

Four stone maidens used their tiny immaculate marble arms to hold up what could only be described as a gigantic polished bronze mirror while their master, the center and support of their existence, posed inelegantly admiring her reflection with a complacent smile.

Shifting her stance, Kryzsha seemed to be trying to find the pose that would make her look sexier by her bizarre standards before moving on to pose like a queen who rules over thousands of mortals, even practicing some strange phrases in her sultry but smug voice.

“Bow to your queen”

“Your deaths please your queen”

“You dare to challenge this queen”

Desmond swore that if it was physically possible, he would have liked to vomit blood out of the shame he felt for even holding Kryzsha in such high esteem, for him there was no doubt that Kryzsha was just a spoiled child who was loved enough by the gods to allow her to live to become the invincible beast she was today.

It took Desmond a superhuman effort not to curse Kryzsha until he was tired, perhaps the gods were merciful enough for his misfortune or it was their way of apologizing for their negligence known as Kryzsha, that as soon as Kryzsha saw Desmond enter the room she let out an uncomfortable cough before leaving her embarrassing game in front of the mirror and acting as if nothing had happened.

“It’s good that you woke up, I was just getting ready to call you and tell you that the refining process is finished.” Kryzsha’s mature and sensual voice failed to hide the discomfort she felt from lying outright just after being caught indulging in her vanity.

Knowing in advance how vain dragons are in legends, Desmond assumed that Kryzsha having some relationship with dragons would be similar, so he tried to leave his judgments aside and just thank Kryzsha for the effort he invested in his gift.

“Don’t worry, the truth is that you have done me a great favor, my maidens haven’t been so happy in a long time, it’s a pity that they can’t see their sister’s revival that is always a special occasion for them, but that can’t be helped” Expressed Kryzsha managing to put aside her previous discomfort.

Slightly confused by the way Kryzsha said things, Desmond tried to ask about it and discovered something rather interesting although it was something he must have expected or deduced earlier.

It turned out that Kryzsha did not bring this new stone maiden to life and instead told Desmond that Kyuru would be the one to do so because this process of bringing the stone maiden to life was also what would define her master creating some kind of imprint on the spot.

Having both his stomach and his curiosity satisfied, Desmond began his preparations to leave while Kryzsha began her feast which she had postponed because she was too busy looking in the mirror.

Knowing long ago of their departure, Desmond had already made most of the arrangements by keeping in the hunter’s book as many resources as he was allowed to take from this world, prioritizing those that would help Claire and Sasha increase their strength, before adding a few things that he got on his little expedition in the mountain range of a thousand beasts and his purchase at the auction.

Having gone through the list of stored items, Desmond was faced with a small problem that he failed to foresee. Originally when Kryzsha told him about taking one of her servants with him, Desmond subconsciously thought of using one of the contracts offered by the hunter’s book companions feature.

This preconception was not erased even when Kryzsha proceeded to explain the ins and outs of the whole thing because Desmond subconsciously still thought of this stone maiden as a living being.

It was not until now that it was about leaving this world that Desmond realized his mistake, since this beautiful maiden of titanium and jade was not technically alive and was incapable of expressing any kind of will; the hunter’s book did not recognize her as a life form and instead recognized her as a construct made of various valuable materials.

That is where the problem lies, in the word “Value”, because according to the standards and limitations that govern the system of storage and extraction of resources provided by the hunter’s book; one of the main criteria that determined the amount of resources Desmond could take from a world was its value.

Similar to how Elaisa had explained to Desmond in the past, the association was founded on the fundamental precept of maintaining balance, and plundering the various worlds of their valuable resources wasn’t exactly maintaining balance.

And while by definition an organization that invades worlds acting as a mercenary for beings of great power or influence was not exactly an existence that could be said to maintain balance; Desmond also understood to a greater or lesser extent the reasoning that led to its creation.

Regardless of the details, the current problem was that according to the hunter’s book, the total value of the magic ores this maiden was made of was almost up to that of a maximum level three-star class treasure; skirting the edge of what Desmond could get out of a world.

It was with tears of blood that Desmond had to nearly empty his storage leaving only a couple of valuables inside plus a few items of near-zero value that Desmond managed to store the dormant maiden before the book gave the signal for the go-ahead for transport.

With the sudden poverty stabbing at his heart, Desmond gave one last resentful glance at Kryzsha who was now being groomed by her handmaidens as she leaned back lazily, heaving an exasperated sigh Desmond found the willpower to say one last word before being covered by an incredibly beautiful and complex spherical magic array.

“Thanks”

It is unknown if Desmond was thanking Kryzsha or someone else as his gaze was not fixed on any particular place when he said those words but his voice was filled with a somewhat desolate feeling of longing when he said it.