The cave remained silent.
Lizarius hovered several meters above the ground.
His golden eyes remained fixed upon Lían.
For several moments—
neither of them spoke.
Then—
Lían slowly looked away.
"...I think that's the difference."
His voice was quieter now.
"When it comes to beasts..."
He paused.
"I've never really thought too deeply about killing them."
He lowered his gaze.
"Since I was young, I've always been told that demon beasts are dangerous."
"That they can kill people."
"That if one attacks you..."
"You either fight back..."
"...or you die."
His fingers slowly curled into fists.
"So when I fight a beast..."
"I don't really think about whether I should kill it."
"If it's trying to kill me..."
"...then I'll kill it first."
A brief silence followed.
"There are other reasons too."
"Benefits."
"Resources."
"Meat."
"Materials."
"Everything a beast can provide."
Lían slowly raised his head.
"So..."
"I suppose I've always viewed them differently."
Lizarius remained silent.
Lían continued.
"But humans..."
His expression became more complicated.
"I don't see why I should kill someone..."
"...unless there's a reason."
He paused.
"If someone hasn't done anything to me..."
"Why would I kill them?"
"If they're innocent..."
"Then killing them just because I can..."
He shook his head.
"I don't want that."
Silence filled the cave.
"But..."
Lían's gaze slowly hardened.
"I'm not saying I'll never kill another person."
Lizarius' golden eyes narrowed slightly.
Lían continued.
"If there's enough reason..."
"If someone tries to kill me."
"If someone threatens my mother."
"If someone hurts the people I care about."
"Or if leaving them alive will cause something worse..."
His voice became firmer.
"Then I can't say I won't do it."
"I'll hesitate."
"I'll probably hate doing it."
"But..."
He looked directly at Lizarius.
"I'll still do it."
Silence returned.
Lían slowly exhaled.
"That's what I think."
"I don't know if that's the right way to think."
"But..."
He lowered his gaze.
"I know that's how I feel."
Lizarius stared at him for several moments.
Within his mind—
he quietly considered Lían's words.
*So that is the distinction.*
*It isn't simply a matter of whether he can kill.*
*He already can.*
*The difference lies in how he categorizes the life before him.*
*Demon beasts are enemies.*
*Humans are people.*
*Therefore...*
*Taking the life of a beast requires no particular justification.*
*Taking the life of another human does.*
Lizarius' golden eyes remained emotionless.
*Interesting.*
He had witnessed countless humans kill one another.
For resources.
For revenge.
For power.
For cultivation.
Some killed without hesitation.
Others struggled even when killing was necessary.
There was no universal rule.
Yet—
Lían's reasoning was relatively simple.
*He was taught that beasts are dangerous.*
*He learned to fear them.*
*He learned that killing them was part of survival.*
*Humans, however...*
*Were never presented to him in the same manner.*
Lizarius looked at him quietly.
*Perhaps morality is not something entirely innate.*
*Perhaps much of it is constructed through experience.*
Lían suddenly frowned.
"...Master?"
Lizarius looked toward him.
"You've been staring at me for a while."
A pause.
"...What are you thinking?"
Silence lingered for several moments.
Then—
Lizarius finally spoke.
"Alright."
His golden eyes remained fixed upon Lían.
"Kill whatever you decide to kill."
Lían blinked.
"...Really?"
"My intention is to observe the reconstructed technique."
"Your cultivation growth."
"The amount of energy you can obtain."
"And how efficiently your body can refine it."
Lizarius paused.
"Whether you use it on demon beasts or humans is your decision."
Lían stared at him for a moment.
Then—
he nodded.
"...Alright."
"Then I guess I'll do things my way."
He turned.
A moment later—
his gaze fell toward the ground.
Several Water Essence Pearls were scattered across the cavern floor.
Lían immediately crouched down and began collecting them.
He picked up the first one.
Then another.
"...I can't just leave these here."
He gathered the remaining pearls one by one.
"They're too valuable."
He glanced toward the cavern entrance.
"But I can't carry them while fighting either."
He frowned.
"I could hide them somewhere and come back after I'm finished..."
His expression became thoughtful.
"But what if someone finds them?"
"Or a demon beast senses the spiritual energy?"
He sighed.
"That would be a waste."
Then—
his eyes suddenly brightened.
He looked toward Lizarius.
"...Wait."
"Master."
Lizarius looked at him.
"Can't you carry them for me?"
Lían pointed toward the pearls.
"It should be easy for you."
"You can carry me without any trouble."
"So carrying these shouldn't be difficult either."
Lizarius stared at him silently.
Lían continued.
"Please?"
"They're way too valuable."
"And they'd definitely be safer with you."
Silence.
Lizarius remained motionless.
Then—
a faint spatial fluctuation emerged beside him.
His storage ring activated.
A small pouch appeared beside him.
Lían's eyes widened.
"...Whoa."
He stared at it.
"Where did that come from?"
Lizarius didn't answer.
Instead—
he opened the pouch.
With a slight movement of his claw, the contents floated out.
Several items appeared in the air.
Lían stared.
"...Wow."
His gaze moved from one item to another.
*He's really carrying this ridiculous amount of stuff.*
Lizarius calmly returned everything to his storage ring.
Only the empty pouch remained.
He extended it toward Lían.
Lían stared at the pouch.
"...What's that?"
Lizarius remained silent.
Lían's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Is it..."
"A Spiritual Treasure?"
He looked at it more carefully.
"A treasure used to carry things?"
Lizarius nodded.
"Yes."
"Storage pouch."
Lían's eyes immediately brightened.
"...You're giving it to me?"
Silence.
Lían looked at the pouch.
Then at Lizarius.
"...So I can use it?"
Lizarius remained silent.
Lían hesitated.
"If you're giving it to me..."
"...You're not going to ask for it back later, right?"
No response.
Lían slowly reached out.
"...Alright."
He took the pouch.
"If you're really giving it to me..."
"...I'll take it."
He immediately began placing the Water Essence Pearls inside.
One after another—
the pearls disappeared into the pouch.
When the last one entered—
the opening closed.
Lían stared.
"...Huh?"
He shook the pouch slightly.
Nothing happened.
He tried pulling it open.
It didn't move.
Lían frowned.
"...Why isn't this opening?"
He tried again.
Nothing.
"...Is it broken?"
He looked toward Lizarius.
Lizarius simply stared back.
Lían paused.
Then—
a thought crossed his mind.
*It's a Spiritual Treasure.*
*Maybe it requires spiritual energy.*
He slowly circulated his spiritual energy toward the pouch.
The moment his energy entered—
the pouch opened.
Lían's eyes widened.
"...Oh."
He looked inside.
The Water Essence Pearls were neatly stored within the separate space.
"So that's how it works."
He smiled slightly.
"I thought I'd try using spiritual energy since it's a Spiritual Treasure."
"And it actually worked."
Lían looked toward Lizarius.
"...Thank you, Master."
Lizarius simply stared at him.
Lían blinked.
"...What?"
No response.
He looked down at the storage pouch again.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"...Still."
"This is really useful."
He secured the pouch carefully.
Then—
his expression became serious.
"Alright."
He looked toward the cavern entrance.
"Now I can actually go hunting."
Lizarius' golden eyes quietly followed him.
Lían tightened his grip around his sword.
"Let's see..."
"...just how much stronger I can become."