The team filled their stomachs with as much food as they wanted. Why not, when all of it was free?
At first, Desper kept glancing around, still worried about the man who had been watching him, but eventually, he gave up and ate with the others.
He was shocked by how much Eland, Taros, and Silas had eaten. It was understandable for Taros, given his massive build, but for Eland and Silas, it was quite strange.
Eland noticed the startled look on his face and chuckled. "We, Organ Cultivators, need more food than Muscle and Bone Cultivators."
Desper snapped out of his amazement and asked, "By the way, where can I exchange monster cores for Essence Stones?"
Cultivators couldn't absorb Essence directly from monster cores, but the sect could extract the Essence from them into Essence Stones that they could absorb.
Eland answered, "You can exchange them in the Order Hall. Each M-Rank core is exchanged for one Red Essence Stone, and each O-Rank core for three. You have 20 M-Rank cores in that pouch. You can exchange them for 20 Red Stones, but I don't advise you to exchange all of them at once."
"Hmm? Why is that?" Desper asked.
"It is safer to keep the monster cores. If someone steals your Essence Stones, you might not be able to identify the thief or prove that he stole them. However, if someone steals your cores, the sect will know."
Desper was surprised. "How is that?"
Eland took a sip of his orange juice and answered, "We collect the cores using our tokens or the Detection Desk, so everything we gather is recorded. With that, the sect can calculate each member's share, then compare it to the number of cores you have exchanged."
Desper had a strange look on his face as he tried to process Eland's explanation.
Eland sighed. "For example, if someone steals one hundred Essence Stones from you, he can claim you are lying and that you used them for cultivation. On the other hand, if someone steals one hundred cores, he still has to exchange them in the Order Hall. If he had gained fifty cores in his last mission, then comes to exchange one hundred and fifty, that would expose him."
Desper opened his mouth in amazement.
"So, no one would think of stealing your cores, but they would steal your Stones."
Desper nodded in understanding, but after a moment, he frowned.
Eland noticed. "Is something wrong?"
Desper rubbed his chin for a moment, then said, "I don't mean to be greedy, but based on a rough calculation, I think I should have received more than twenty M-Rank cores. I reckon it should be more than double that."
If he added the cores they had collected from the Spatial Cracks and the stalkers in the village to those gained from the monsters attacking the Beacon every day, the total might exceed five hundred M-Rank cores, not even counting the O-Rank ones.
Eland smiled and replied, "You are right, but you should know that we use 15 M-level cores daily to keep the Detection Desk and the Beacon's arrays running. After that, the sect takes half of the remaining cores, and the other half is split among the official members. A Muscle Cultivator takes one share, while an Organ Cultivator takes three."
Desper was stunned. "The sect takes half?! That's robbery! Tha—"
"No, it isn't," Eland interrupted him.
"Without the sect, we wouldn't be able to sit here and talk like this. It provides us with a safe place to rest and cultivate. The sect has established strict regulations to defend against monster invasions and protect humanity. Also, the cores the sect takes are used to power the arrays in the Order Hall, Silent Rooms, and to pay new disciples like you, as well as additional rewards for team leaders and many other things."
Since new disciples had little impact on missions, the remaining half of the cores was distributed among the official members, while the sect granted new disciples a share equivalent to that of Muscle Cultivators. Leaders also received additional compensation from the sect for their responsibilities, which made the position highly sought after, though difficult to attain.
At the end, Eland added, "Also, most of the cores are spent on the defensive arrays during the Outbreak."
The Outbreak was the most terrifying event that occurred every five years. For a single day, space became very weak. Spatial Cracks appeared everywhere, and thousands upon thousands of monsters poured out of them. The number of deaths on that day exceeded the total deaths of the previous five years combined.
Although anyone would shiver upon hearing the word 'Outbreak', Desper felt nothing but a faint sense of curiosity. The last Outbreak had occurred three years ago, and Desper had lost all his memories a year ago, so he didn't remember anything about it.
"Do you understand now why it's not a robbery?" Eland asked, looking Desper in the eyes.
"I get it," Desper replied with a nod.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how vital the sects were. Although the Second Invasion was much weaker than the First, without the sects, humanity would have gone extinct.
Suddenly, a voice came from the entrance of the restaurant.
"Guys! I did it! I did it!"
Everyone turned in shock. Bron was standing at the door, tears streaming down his face. He held up his token, showing it to the team.
On the bottom, "First Stage of Organ Cultivation" glowed faintly.
Everyone's mouths fell open in astonishment. Bron had been stuck in the Tenth Stage of Muscle Cultivation for years. No one had expected him to break through.
"Hahahahaha!" Taros was the first to react.
He stood up and patted Bron on the shoulder. "Congratulations, man. You suffered a lot, but it finally paid off."
"Th-thank you," Bron said, wiping his tears.
"Congratulations, Bron."
Arkan and Zen followed with their congratulations.
Arkan, in particular, felt relieved. During battles, he had often fought back-to-back with Bron, who had been a burden due to his poor senses. Now, as an Organ Cultivator, that weakness would no longer be as severe.
Then came Desper.
"Congratulations, Bron. I'm happy for you."
He didn't lie. Desper was truly happy for him. Even if Bron's dream of becoming a hero might never come true, this breakthrough would at least ease his pain.
The problem was…
The only two who hadn't congratulated him yet were Silas and Eland.
Silas's expression remained cold and indifferent, while Eland's was dark, his brows furrowed.
"Bron, we need to talk," Eland said in a serious tone.
Bron's joy faded, replaced by worry.
"What?" he asked nervously.
"First, congratulations on your breakthrough. This is your share from the last mission," Eland uttered, handing him a pouch similar to the one he had given Desper.
"Second…" He paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm sorry, but you can't continue with our team."
"Wh-why?!" Bron stuttered. "I'm an Organ Cultivator now! My senses are better! I won't be a burden anymore!"
His voice trembled with shock and confusion. His greatest weakness had just been overcome, so why was he still being cast aside?
Eland replied, "Your senses have probably improved from very poor to merely average, not comparable to a true Organ Cultivator. You would still fight like a Muscle Cultivator. If I keep you on the team, we would appear to have four Organ Cultivators, and the sect would assign us more dangerous missions."
The sect assigned missions based on a team's overall strength, which was judged by each member's cultivation level. With Bron included, Eland's team would be considered to have four Organ Cultivators, even though, in reality, it only had three capable ones. The sect wouldn't know that and would send them into far more dangerous situations.
Eland finished, "So I'm sorry, Bron. You would still be a burden to our team or any other. I strongly advise you to retire and start a new life."
Bron's body trembled at those words. He bit his lip and tightened his grip on the pouch.
Without saying a word, he turned and left the restaurant, tears streaming down his face,
but this time, they were not tears of joy.