It certainly wasn't the most efficient way to use mana, but it could do the job since it killed three tyrants instantly. In the end, Meryl was also a very sentimental person, so she couldn't let herself fall behind when the one who would benefit the most from that operation would be her.
Meryl continued to use the bones of the tyrants in many ways, such As arrows, spears, and even traps, to hinder their mobility. Billy didn't know if that was her second skill, but it certainly was a skill that granted her the power to control bones as she saw fit. It was pretty weird but effective when used alongside those types of monsters since their whole bodies are strong and hard as steel.
Although they had their own means of recovering mana, it didn't take long for Icarus, Meryl, and Lucyna to completely empty their pool. They tried to make it do with their physical abilities, and they succeeded. Still, even so, the exhaustion was starting to pile up. Despite that, they managed to endure the seventh floor while fighting four tyrants at the same time. Once they found the entrance to eighth, though. They had to stop… even Icarus, who complained that he couldn't sleep somewhere so rough, immediately fell asleep once he had the chance.
"Well, so much for our cooperation…" Billy said. "I can't face the enemies on both sides, even by using my spears, since I need to be precise and fast."
"I thought that my power would let me keep my mana full here, but the more powerful the monster is, the less energy I can steal from them," Lucyna said. "I never noticed this before… That only shows how powerful those creatures are."
Again, Billy knew what he had to do, but he didn't want to power up those guys without a good reason. Returning home and seeing his family as soon as possible was a good reason, but… it seemed that the best option was to lend the reserve cores to them. However, Billy had another idea… He returned to the previous floor, and there he waited for the monsters to spawn. The others hurried to help him, but they were too late. Besides, given his position, the tyrants could only show up in front of him, so Billy beheaded them easily. After that, he used his diamond glaive to open a heart on their chests.
"Hah… Do you really think that it will work?" Meryl asked.
"It seems that you know what I am thinking… It is hard to say," Billy replied. "There many stories that say that dragon hearts have special properties and they are a subspecies of dragons."
"There are some legends that say that eating some monsters makes people stronger in this continent, but the type of monsters is never mentioned," Meryl said.
The tyrants' heart was the size of a big bowl, so it could serve well as a single meal. In any case, even with his spiritual core, Billy couldn't get all their mana, so they had a lot on their bodies. Eating the heart seemed the most obvious way to get that Spiritual energy and vitality.
"Woah… I am not sure I can eat that," Lucyna said while looking at the heart covered in blood.
"It will be fine. Just put a lot of ketchup on it," Billy said.
"Where are we going to find ketchup?" Lucyna asked while frowning.
Billy wasn't particularly gluttonous, so the food of that world, even though it was pretty simple, was enough for him. In any case, Billy was pretty sure that frying the tyrants' hearts would be a good option, but he didn't have oil with him. So, he cooked it just like that on a campfire and stick.
"At least let me sleep a little… what the heck," Icarus said when he woke up and saw Billy cooking. "I know that we are bound to run out of rations, but… Are we really in such a bad spot?"
"It depends on what you consider a bad spot. Do you have confidence in your skills without your innate abilities?" Billy asked.
Icarus couldn't reply to that question. It was troublesome in more ways than one. Nevertheless, they waited for the hearts to be cooked. Eventually, it even began to smell good… weirdly enough, the fragrance was like cow's meat. Despite their worries, Lucyna and Meryl considered eating it. Meryl was used to eating monsters, but some of them didn't agree well with her stomach.
Eventually, Billy began to eat, and the taste wasn't half bad, considering that it was just meat on the stick. Still, he kept an eye on his health since Tyrants could use poison attacks as well. His Poison Resistance was at a high level, but…Nevertheless, Billy didn't feel the taste of anything poisonous. If anything, he felt full of energy once he finished eating it. He failed to identify the heart before, but now he could, for some reason…
Tyrant's Heart
A heart of a sub-species of dragon known for its vitality. Restores five hundred points of health, mana, and stamina.
"I guess it is better than nothing," Billy said. "This might solve the problem if you guys endure eating this every couple of hours."
"What? Can you see something that we don't?" Icarus asked.
"Well, I can analyze the heart after eating it," Billy replied. "It can restore five hundred points of health, mana, and stamina. I suppose it is only something we can see after our bodies feel those effects."
Billy didn't look like he was faking it, and he ate the heart without stopping, so the others decided to test that as well. It tasted pretty good for them, but since they weren't used to eating so much meat nonstop, it felt a bit… Full. Eventually, they saw their mana being filled and confirmed those effects. While they were excited thanks to it, Billy was wondering what effects the heart of real dragons could have… And how so much powerful the maker must have become eating them.
