"Wow, I didn't expect you to do something like that. I thought you would be the first to report everything to the academy." Travis replied while bursting into laughter.

"In a regular quest, I would do it. But this opportunity is too big to waste. The information we could get from this corpse may change the cultivation forever, so securing it for personal use may be the key to becoming a relevant figure in the future. If we reported this, they would probably classify the information while rewarding us with something not even remotely comparable to what they would get." Nathan explained.

"To think that a few years ago you were just a little kid too scared to choose an elemental-energy that you ended up specializing in non-elemental magic, and now you are plotting to hide crucial information from your academy to increase your personal profits. I'm so proud of you." Travis said as he faked wiping a tear from his cheek.

"I told you a hundred times: I was not scared of choosing an element. I think non-elemental magic is much more versatile than all the other types, so that's why I chose it. And I'm not planning on hiding this information forever. Just enough time so we get to understand and use it to our advantage." Nathan replied.

"That sounds great, but we should leave before the blood's smell attracts other magical beasts," Marianne suggested.

"You are right. Let's grab the corpse and get out of here as soon as possible." Nathan said while turning toward the corpse before looking at his companions again." We are going to need a place to work with this. Any ideas? "

"We could rent a laboratory in the academy," Marianne suggested.

"Aren't those expensive as hell?" Travis asked.

"They are, but if we split the prices between the three, it shouldn't be a lot," Marianne said.

"I guess it is our best option. After all, the laboratories have all kinds of pieces of equipment that we may need." Nathan supported Marianne's idea.

"I will say goodbye to my savings then," Travis replied while laughing.

Travis and Marianne took the turtle's corpse, and while Nathan kept an eye on them to make sure they weren't ambushed by any beasts, they left the forest via the same path they had entered earlier. A few hours later, they had already returned to the academy.

The three of them were part of the Lumite Academy, one of the oldest institutions in Esvert Village. To be more precise, right now, they are part of Orixe's branch of the Lumite Academy.

Like many other organizations, after the appearance of corruption, the Lumite Academy migrated to Eden, leaving behind just a few members to take care of their old base. Those members grew in number again after some time, becoming the current branch of the academy.

As for the three of them, they have been part of the academy since their birth as their parents were also members. Growing up together as kids, they knew each other as if they were siblings. Now, the three of them were nineteen years old.

Nathan was shorter than the other two. He had short black hair, and he was an introvert as he was not used to talking with people he didn't know, and as he didn't know anyone apart from the other two in Orixe, the last few weeks had been hard for him. He specialized in non-elemental magic, and he acted as the group's scout.

Travis was taller than his companions. He had brown hair that reached his shoulders but had shaved the left side of his head. Even if he hadn't been the group's leader, he acted as if he was most of the time, as he was better at talking than the other two. He specialized in fire-magic that he used in close combat, having even learned martial arts to mix with his spells in battle. Because of this, he stood on the frontline most of the time.

As for Marianne, she was a quiet but cheerful person. The type of person who prioritizes others over themselves. She had a long blonde ponytail and was between the other two in height. She had specialized in supporting, being the only one in the group to dominate more than one type of energy, as she was proficient with life and earth energy. Her combat role was to annoy the enemies while aiding her allies, tipping the scales of the battle slightly in favor of her side each time she acted.

When they arrived at the academy, they hid the beast's corpse in one of their bedrooms while they looked for a way to rent a laboratory.