"My money, my money..."

He regretted it; this half-dragon wizard was now filled with deep regret.

Previously, it had listened to the great demon's words and, in order to ensure that the plan to hunt down the hero would be smoother and more flawless, it provided its collection of elemental gems to strengthen the field magic circle.

Now, things have gotten worse. El was just a skill, not even an ultimate move. It was just a greeting beam of light that caused the magic circle to vanish into thin air and the gem to be destroyed due to overload.

This monster wished it could go back a few hours to when the vampire count said he was going back, and be with that guy.

Upon seeing the gem fragments not far away, it would be reminded of its efforts over the past few hundred years.

Because of the influence of dragon blood, it is also greedy. These gems are what it dug out in the mountains while working for other demons or as a miner.

Think about the sweat and effort involved in this process.

"Gone, all gone..."

"Hey friend, what are you muttering about all of it being gone?"

A voice asked in my ear, though it sounded a little unfamiliar, as if it wasn't one of the monsters I knew.

However, sadness prevented it from answering the question.

"All my gems are gone, all to withstand that hero's attack."

That's outrageous! What kind of trick did that guy use?

It originally intended to use these words to gain the sympathy of the other demons, but what it received in return was a slap across the face and a series of accusations.

"What?! You actually dare to use my gem to block my attack?"

"What is this? What do you mean by 'your gem'? That's mine..."

Before he could finish speaking, the half-dragon wizard turned around and saw the true identity of the person who had just spoken.

They wanted to ambush and kill the brave hunter, El.

At this moment, the scene became incredibly awkward.

El: Hehe.

Half-dragon wizard: No, hehe.

El did feel sorry for them, as he had known that elemental gems were edible since his first vampire hunt.

Grinding these gemstones into powder and using them as a seasoning makes them much more potent than ordinary salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and the like.

The fire element is spicy, and sometimes it explodes in your mouth, similar to popping candy.

The water element has a smooth and delicate taste, and when paired with lemon or something similar, it can make your mouth feel refreshed.

The earth element has a salty taste and a unique sense of layering, which makes it very memorable.

However, elemental gems are produced in very low quantities, and El hasn't encountered many despite hunting monsters for so long.

This half-dragon wizard is such a waste.

Therefore, El didn't give this guy a chance to resist. As always, he delivered a clean and swift sword strike, leaving the monster completely bewildered.

"Thrift is a virtue; remember to be mindful of it in your next life."

Having finished beheading the wizard, he looked at the other monsters not far away. These guys who dared to come and ambush El were no weaklings either.

Under the protection of the magic circle, their injuries did not significantly affect their combat ability, and they have now recovered.

"You despicable hero, how could you ambush us like that!"

"Are you serious? Who's trying to ambush me? Have you no shame?"

Faced with the Great Demon's unfounded accusations, El was a little speechless, but he was used to it.

These monsters are like that; they can never be good. To purify their filthy souls, you must rely on his cooking.

The standoff continued. El looked at the demons in the distance who were not in the magic circle. Those demons, though numerous, were only of low to mid-level rank and had already arrived.