Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

[lordanl]

"Who would have thought…"

At the edge of a high cliff from which a beautiful cascade of crystal-clear water fell, Zoe remarked in a slightly surprised voice. At that moment, Frank, who was standing next to Zoe, added in an equally surprised tone.

"We're on a floating island…" With his mind wandering among wild theories, Frank soon continued in a contemplative tone.

"Was the entrance we used really special? Is the collection only located on this floating island? Or are there more like this one? Is the forest we can see in the distance the same forest the initial explorers went through?"

"We have no way to answer any of those questions." Zoe replied with a composed voice. Then she jumped onto Hiyori, her contracted fox spirit, and added.

"But if this really is a floating island…"

Frank turned to look at Zoe, only to find her moving away, flying on the back of the beautiful nine-tailed fox spirit. After flying for a few minutes with her Ethereal Projection extended to its limit, Zoe sensed in the distance what seemed to be the wall of a barrier, so she quickly signaled to Hiyori to get closer.

Before long, Zoe ended up in the air in front of the invisible spherical wall of the barrier, so she carefully stretched out her hand and touched it. Soon, the metallic coating of Zoe's armored gloves made contact with the visible wall, so she pressed her whole hand against the barrier and then sent a bit of her mana into it. Surprisingly, the barrier didn't react in the slightest, as if it didn't exist at all, still remaining invisible.

After trying to send her mana into the barrier several times and in different ways without any result, Zoe returned to the island. Upon reuniting with Frank, Zoe jumped down from Hiyori's back and remarked in a contemplative voice.

"As I suspected, this place is covered by a barrier, so it's likely that this island exists to keep that basilisk locked away."

"Why would anyone want to keep a basilisk locked up instead of killing it?"

Frank asked, a bit confused. After all, the materials needed to contain a devouring basilisk had to be at least Master-level grade, and although a basilisk's body had its uses, if someone needed it, they could simply kill it. There would be no need to build this place for that.

"I don't know." Zoe shook her head uncertainly. "But from what we've seen so far, following Erik's wooden tablets, we can conclude that this place is indeed a 'collection' with samples of flora and fauna from different parts of the galaxy. But none of that was mentioned in the records from the initial exploration."

Zoe glanced at an enormous net made of braided vines, filled with all kinds of resources they'd found during their exploration, and continued.

"Therefore, only this island is special in the 'garden,' and since we didn't find any traces of human activity, it's highly likely that not even the 'hunters' knew about this place. Which leads me to think that this place is not only hidden but also very well protected, and the only reason I can think of to go to such lengths is that basilisk."

"And what if the whole garden used to be 'special' but, for some reason, it stopped being so and now only this island remains?" Frank asked, trying to find an explanation in his mind for all the unanswered questions. Zoe shook her head and replied as she walked over to the net of vines.

"It's possible. It's also possible that there are more hidden places like this in the 'garden.' For now, we have no way of knowing." Picking up the net from the ground, Zoe looked at Frank and said.

"We'd better meet up with Elara and Erik. It's getting late."

"Understood, direct disciple Laverne."

Frank quickly bowed respectfully and grabbed another woven vine net similar to Zoe's, though much smaller. After nodding to Frank, Zoe turned to look at the pair of wolves drinking from the nearby river and said.

"We're heading back."

Upon hearing her, the two wolves casually helped and came back, with Kaiser standing at Zoe's side and Tiberius positioning himself behind Frank, blending into his shadow and becoming hard to see. Seeing that everyone was ready, Zoe gave the order, and the group began to head back with steady steps.

…

When they arrived at the camp, Zoe found Elara standing in front of a dome of fire, while Erik and his dragon spirit were building what looked like a tall furnace made of clay, stone, and mud. Sensing their arrival, Erik turned to look at her and greeted them with a smile.

"Welcome back. It looks like your search was fruitful."

"Yes. We found almost everything and brought back a ton of samples." Zoe jumped down from Hiyori and replied with a smile, then added more seriously.

"The items were grouped more or less as you indicated on the wooden tablets."
Hearing this, Erik's eyes widened slightly in surprise, while Ebonique sighed in understanding. Meanwhile, Elara hurried over to Zoe and asked with shining eyes.

"So this really is a 'collection'?"

"All evidence points to that." Zoe replied, gesturing to the enormous net made of vines they'd brought, before looking at Erik and adding with a certain solemnity.

"But it's much more than that. We're standing on a floating island several dozen kilometers above the ground, surrounded by a barrier."

Upon hearing the news, Elara's eyes widened in shock, and then she turned to look at Erik. The young man with starry hair had his hand on his chin, completely lost in thought. Soon, Erik approached the net of vines that Zoe had brought and asked in a contemplative voice.

"Did you find any creatures above the Revealed level?"

"No. The highest we found were some animals at the Revealed-Peak level." Zoe replied in a serious tone. Erik nodded silently.

Using ghostly hands, Erik began to take out each item from the net and sort them at great speed. Meanwhile, Zoe, Elara, and Frank watched him in silence, certain that the knowledgeable young man with starry hair would be able to reach a conclusion by analyzing what they had brought. After a few minutes, Erik commented calmly.

"Although all the minerals are common, when it comes to flora, this place is impressive. It has everything from the most basic to some pretty rare and scarce things. But none of these are older than 50,000 years, which means nothing above the Sage level."

"The basilisk…?" Elara asked, a bit uncertain. Erik nodded and explained.

"Most likely, the basilisk's sleep cycle is around 50,000 years. Every 50,000 years, it wakes up, destroys everything in its path, and then falls into a deep sleep again. But if that's true, it raises a question: why haven't we encountered any magical creatures above the Revealed level? They've had 50,000 years to develop—there should be at least a few.

"There's only one answer that comes to mind. This is a breeding ground. If someone or something is raising that basilisk, it would make sense to want the basilisk to remain the strongest being here. Otherwise, the basilisk would be in danger, and a simple way to ensure that is to filter by age. Aside from the basilisk, no creature above a certain age can survive in this place."

"Could the golden chains be another protective measure for the basilisk…?" Elara quickly asked, finding the theory quite reasonable.

"It's likely." Erik nodded and said. "And if that's the case, it's probably that the system measures the 'danger' of a magical artifact by its materials and complexity."

"But then why didn't the chains activate during the initial exploration?" Zoe asked, a bit confused. Erik answered while looking at the storage rings on his fingers.

"This place could have deteriorated over time and is suffering from some malfunctions, or maybe the 'hunters' found a way to interfere with the system here. It could even be something entirely different." Erik glanced over the three young people in front of him and added.

"In any case, if any of this is true, then we can assume, first, that there is no 'exit' in this place. Since this would be a cage, different from the garden the explorers went through. But more importantly, it's likely that the simplicity I saw in that Golem wasn't a coincidence. The trick to making a magical artifact work here is to simplify it enough so that the chains don't detect it."

"Do you have any ideas?" Elara asked, her green eyes shining with excitement. Erik nodded and replied in a calm tone.

"Yes, especially for the cauldron. So, if everything goes well, we'll soon have magical potions and some equipment to better explore this place."

"How can we help?" Zoe quickly asked, her beautiful blue eyes shining. Erik smiled calmly and explained.

"Well, we're almost done with the furnace, and Elara is making more charcoal." As he spoke, Erik sent out a ghostly hand to pick up some of the minerals brought by Frank and Zoe and continued.

"In the meantime, you two are going to handle crushing these." Setting down a good amount of what looked like various blueish and greenish shiny rocks in front of Zoe, Erik said.

"They're mostly Azurite and Malachite. They'll be our source of copper."

"Understood." Zoe quickly replied in a serious tone and picked up the rocks. Erik turned to look at Frank and, placing what seemed to be metallic rocks with prismatic, iridescent crystals in front of him, added.

"Frank, you'll take care of grinding the Falamite. It needs to be a powder about 0.5 to 2 mm in size."

"Understood, boss. Can I use mana?" Frank asked seriously as he picked up the rocks. Erik nodded calmly and said.

"Yes, you can. But be careful—even though Falamite is very stable, sometimes more reactive things get mixed in."

"Got it, boss. I'll be careful." Frank replied and quickly walked away to get started, something Zoe did as well. Watching the pair of young people leave, Ebonique turned to Erik and asked with curiosity.

"And what about us? What will we do?"

"I'm going to finish the furnace." Erik replied calmly, then pointed to a pile of yellowish rocks not far away and added.

"You'll take care of grinding the Limonite. It doesn't have to be too fine—chunks of two or three centimeters are fine."

"I won't take long!" Ebonique quickly replied and flew over to the yellow stones.

Seeing that everyone was working, Erik nodded in satisfaction and looked at the pair of wolves, who were watching him with bright eyes and wagging their tails gently. Then he glanced at Zoe's impressive nine-tailed fox, who seemed a little unsure about how to move or what to do. With a calm expression, Erik smiled and addressed the uneasy fox.

"Hiyori, could you help me hunt something with the wolves? It seems everyone forgot that we still have to eat."

"They're under a lot of pressure—it's only natural." Hiyori replied calmly. "Leave it to me; I'll hunt some delicious things."

"I trust you then." Erik said quietly, and after watching the beautiful fox walk away, he turned his attention back to the furnace and began making the final adjustments.

…

By the time the furnace was ready, Frank, Zoe, and Ebonique had returned with the minerals properly ground. Erik lit the furnace and first roasted the copper minerals, then melted them down using a clay crucible he had prepared earlier, extracting the copper. At the same time, Erik set up a simpler furnace a few meters away and filled a second clay crucible with the Falamite powder that Frank had ground.

After extracting the copper, Erik used a third clay crucible, layering the chunks of Limonite and charcoal inside, then fired up the main furnace to full power. Turning to look at Elara, who was watching him work almost hypnotized, along with Zoe and Frank, Erik commented calmly.

"Well, Elara, I need you to keep the first furnace at about 1200 degrees and the second at around 600. Meanwhile, I'll prepare the dinner that Hiyori and the wolves brought."

As Erik spoke, Hiyori arrived along with the wolves. The wolves were carrying what looked like a black boar with white stripes and what seemed to be a goat with horns made of metal in their jaws. A bit embarrassed at having been 'caught' slacking off, Elara stood up and replied in a serious voice.

"Leave it to me."

"Do you need us to help you with anything, Boss?" Frank asked, equally embarrassed, after letting out a fake cough. Erik stretched a little and said.

"For now, we need to store what you brought in the second cabin. Try to keep it organized enough so we can easily find everything."

"I can take care of that, boss." Frank replied seriously, then started gathering the items to organize them in the shelter/storage cabin. For her part, Zoe added in an embarrassed tone.

"Do you want me to help you, Erik? I don't know much about butchering animals, but I can learn."

"It's actually not that hard." Erik said calmly, picking up a sharp stone. "You just need some knowledge and practice. I'll teach you."

"I'll make the campfire." Ebonique quickly added. Erik nodded and replied, looking at her.

"I'll leave it in your hands."

After Ebonique left, Erik began butchering the boar with the sharp stone and a bit of magical edge, explaining the important parts to Zoe as he worked. A bit uncertain, Zoe put what she'd learned into practice on the goat, also using a sharp stone and a wind affinity magical edge.

…

"You did pretty well for your first time."

Once Zoe finished butchering the goat, Erik commented with a small smile. Zoe blushed slightly, covered in blood in several places, and looking at the poorly cut pieces of meat, she said.

"You don't have to comfort me like that. I know I did it badly."

"You actually did pretty well." Erik laughed, amused. "With a bit of practice, you'll get better."

"Erik, I brought the sticks." At that moment, Ebonique returned carrying several sticks of different sizes. Erik looked at her and, gratefully, gave her a small smile.

"Thank you, Ebonique. Let's stretch out the meat and roast it."

Following Erik's instructions, Zoe and Ebonique stretched out the meat with the help of the sticks. Meanwhile, using different ingredients that Zoe and Frank had brought, Erik made a simple sauce to marinate the meat, which he applied to each piece. After placing the meat around the campfire Ebonique had built, Erik created a Myst barrier to cover everything and stretched out, looking a bit tired.

"Get some rest, Erik." Elara said warmly, offering him a bamboo cup filled with freshly boiled water, her gratitude clearly visible in her voice.

"There's still about two hours before the Falamite and iron are ready, so I guess I could take a bath to relax a bit…" Erik replied in a somewhat lazy tone, letting out a small yawn at the end.

Hearing Erik, Zoe suddenly felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her mind and instinctively began to smell herself. After all, she hadn't taken a bath since they entered the ruins, and she had sweated a lot along the way—it was only natural that she might smell a little bad.

Deeply embarrassed, Zoe took a step back and looked at Elara, only to find her with a relaxed expression—a world of difference from herself. Soon, Zoe realized the reason. Unlike her, Elara was a mage, and, even more, she practiced Sacred Geometry, so it was highly likely that her good friend had a spell to easily solve problems like bad odors.

"Go take a good bath, Erik. You deserve it. We'll take care of everything while you're gone." Elara said with a relaxed smile. Zoe quickly added, in a voice a little louder than usual, while shooting a slightly pleading look at her good friend.

"Yes, leave the camp to us. You can go without worrying."

"Then I'll take you at your word." Erik replied with a small smile, then looked over at the pair of wolves in the distance and calmly ordered.

"Tiberius, let's go. Kaiser, you stay."

While Kaiser began to whimper tragically, Erik jumped onto the cheerful Tiberius, who was wagging his tail. Once he was on the imposing black wolf's back, Erik looked at the pair of beautiful young ladies and commented calmly.

"I'll be back in about an hour. After that, we can take turns going to the river."

"Take your time." Elara said with an amused smile, glancing discreetly at the embarrassed Zoe. The beautiful girl with black hair and blue eyes quickly added after sending Elara a resentful look.

"You deserve to rest, Erik. You've barely slept and haven't stopped working."

"Haha, I'll be back in a bit."

Amused by the girls' subtle actions, Erik laughed lightly before heading off on Tiberius's back, with Ebonique riding on his head. Once Erik was out of sight, Zoe turned to Elara and, with a face full of resentment, pounced on her friend to get her rightful revenge.

…

"Are you really going to bathe, Erik?" After they had walked a few meters away from camp, Ebonique asked suspiciously as she floated next to Erik's head, just over a meter tall.

"Hehe, you know me well." Erik said, stretching a bit on Tiberius's back, then added in a more serious tone.

"Even though I am going to bathe, I first have to check on that basilisk with my own eyes."

"…It's not a good idea for you to expose yourself like that…" Ebonique replied with an uneasy, reluctant voice, tinged with a hint of panic. Erik answered in a solemn tone as he adjusted himself on Tiberius's back.

"Checking on the basilisk is something I can't avoid. There's nothing guaranteeing that the barrier Zoe found can actually stop the basilisk, or that it's even meant to. If that thing manages to escape, our chances of survival will hit rock bottom, so it's extremely important that we prepare in advance. In our situation, every single percentage point in our favor counts, and understanding the basilisk's condition will be vital to coming up with a plan to prepare ourselves."

"…I get that, but I won't be able to help you much if we face that thing…" Ebonique replied, full of guilt and nervousness. Erik smiled bravely and replied calmly.

"I know, and it's not just because of that thing's strength, right? The spirit you mentioned must be related."

"How…?" Ebonique asked incredulously, which made Erik laugh before he quickly replied.

"You're terrible at hiding your thoughts and worries, Ebonique. Ever since we found out about that basilisk, you've been melancholic, anxious, and on edge. It was just a matter of putting two and two together." Seeing Ebonique's strange expression, Erik added firmly.

"We can work on improving that later. For now, let's focus on what's important. Let's go check on that basilisk."

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[lordanl]

After a few minutes, Erik arrived in front of a huge waterfall, at which point he climbed down from Tiberius's back. After looking around and marveling a bit at the colorful assortment of plants and trees of various colors, heights, and shapes, Erik closed his eyes and focused entirely on the surrounding Myst.

(The Myst seems to be acting a bit strange around the waterfall… But it's pretty subtle—I could easily miss it if I weren't paying attention.) Curious, Erik reflected to himself, then opened his eyes and looked at Tiberius.

"Are you sure this is the place, Tiberius?"

At the question, the impressive black wolf barked happily, almost as if confidently confirming it. Erik reached out and started to pet the wolf's head, then looked at Ebonique, who was flying beside him and was nearly a meter tall. In a calm tone, Erik asked.

"Ebonique, can you hide me like you did when I was flying?"

"…It's better if Tiberius does it." Ebonique responded with visible reluctance and uncertainty. "If I do it, I might alert the other party…"

"So there really is a spirit involved…" Seeing the state of his beloved spirit, Erik commented in a contemplative tone as he gazed deeply at the waterfall.

"Yes… Now I can feel it much more clearly."

Ebonique, her eyes releasing a faint purple glow, replied in a heavy tone. After all, she had materialized a part of her true body, and through it, she had confirmed her suspicions. That bastard collector had left his aura all over the place, so whatever was here must hold some level of importance for that piece of trash.

"Erik… Let's not go in. Let's look for other options." Filled with concern, Ebonique flew in front of Erik and spoke with a voice full of worry. Erik smiled reassuringly and extended his other hand to touch the dragon spirit's chin, then replied.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"… No." Ebonique answered regretfully but quickly looked into Erik's eyes, full of hope. "But you're very clever. If you put your mind to it, I'm absolutely sure you'll come up with something.

"You give me too much credit." Erik replied with an amused smile. Then, in a calm tone, he explained as he looked at the waterfall.

"I'm really not that impressive, and even if I were, the most basic requirement for coming up with any plan is to understand the current situation as well as possible. Otherwise, any idea would be nothing more than a fantasy."

"…But you could send those kids to scout." Ebonique commented in a rather cold voice. "You've done a lot for them. This is a good opportunity for them to prove their worth."

"Really? Tell me, what have I done for them?" Erik asked calmly as he turned to look at Ebonique.

"If it weren't for you, those kids would have died a long time ago! They owe you their lives!" Ebonique replied firmly, looking Erik straight in the eyes. The star-haired boy smiled and said.

"You underestimate them too much. I simply proposed a way to avoid a desperate fight and built a couple of cabins. But they're still geniuses in their own right. Even without me, they would have managed to survive in their own way, even if they had to take more risks and maybe make a few sacrifices. Besides, don't forget, we found the entrance thanks to Lirio, so I would've had some trouble without him too."

Seeing that Ebonique was about to reply, Erik sent her a bit of mana to calm her down and continued speaking.

"But putting all that aside, that basilisk isn't going to spare anyone once it wakes up. So, with or without them, I have to investigate and prepare accordingly. And since I'm the only alchemist and artificer in the group, I'm the most suited for that job. Besides, as you said before, I can get around much more easily being alone."

"…" Unable to find anything to argue back with, Ebonique remained silent, visibly uneasy and worried. Erik quickly added in a reassuring tone.

"Look at it this way—if Frank managed to make it out alive, so can I. And if you're worried that your presence might alert the other party, just wait for us here; I'll go with Tiberius."

"I'm coming too!" Ebonique replied in a firm tone that left no room for discussion, which made Erik smile. Shortly after, he said.

"Then let's go."

Immediately, Erik created an invisible Myst platform beneath himself and Tiberius, which he used to fly closer to the waterfall. Meanwhile, the worried Ebonique shrank down until she was only a few centimeters tall, then landed on Erik's head, blending in with his hair. Soon, Ebonique encapsulated all her mana within her body, reducing her presence until she was almost completely undetectable to Erik's senses.

At the same time, Erik extended his mana outward like a sphere—a technique known as Ethereal Projection—which soon allowed him to detect a hole behind the waterfall. Using a Myst barrier to shield himself from the water, Erik passed through the cascade, arriving at the cave Frank had found.

"Tiberius, hide me." Erik said calmly, placing his left hand on Tiberius's head.

After a silent howl, Tiberius channeled his mana, causing his figure to blur into the darkness. At the same time, a sort of black stain began to creep up Erik's hand as if it had a life of its own. Soon, Erik was completely covered in darkness, looking like a humanoid shadow, which gradually faded until it disappeared entirely.

Encapsulating his mana just as Ebonique had done, Erik moved forward through the dark tunnel with his hand on Tiberius, while he curiously observed the strange, circular tunnel that seemed to have been carefully carved out. Meanwhile, Ebonique, hidden in Erik's hair, stared ahead with clenched teeth, since the aura of the 'collector' only grew stronger and thicker with every step they took.

After a few minutes, Erik finally reached the end of the tunnel, where, thanks to his contract with Tiberius, he was able to see the colossal sleeping serpent. The basilisk had what looked like spines protruding from the back of its head and scales that gave off a subtle yellowish glow.

Although somewhat awed by the titanic creature, Erik kept his mana firmly under control and closed his eyes to focus completely on his Mystical Awareness and the surrounding Myst.

[… This thing isn't Sage-level…] After a few seconds, Erik commented with visible apprehension through his contract with Ebonique.

[It's on the verge of becoming 'Master-level.'] Ebonique replied in a serious tone. Erik could only nod and say.

[Let's check out the surroundings. It's better to leave the basilisk for last. An Arcane-Peak isn't something we can mess with carelessly.]

With visible caution, Erik began to circle the basilisk, walking close to the wall as he carefully examined the area, since there was something in Frank's story that intrigued him. The reason Lirio had discovered the basilisk was because Lirio had "smelled" mana crystals, and that scent pointed directly to the chamber where it was. Therefore, it was almost certain that there was something else in that place besides the basilisk.

After a while, Erik ended up on the opposite side of the basilisk, where he found three tunnels, all of them appearing natural but positioned side by side, which suggested an artificial origin. Closing his eyes, Erik scanned the Myst in all three tunnels. Soon, he discovered that the Myst in the left tunnel not only had a slightly greater amount, but it was also a bit "heavier" and harder to manipulate than in the others.

Curious, Erik headed toward the left tunnel. The tunnel didn't seem very different from the one where he had first appeared in the ruin—completely dark and cavernous, barely illuminated by a few stalactites glowing with a bluish light. But as Erik advanced, the sensation of "heaviness" in the surrounding Myst grew worse, though still far from what he had felt in that strange space he passed through when he first entered the ruin.

The tunnel didn't seem to have any trace of life either—to the point that, even when extending his Mystical Awareness to the limit, Erik was unable to detect anything alive nearby. The only thing registering on his "mental radar" was the colossal presence of the basilisk. That "presence," although much weaker than that of his masters, was still enormous compared to his own.

[Do you think the basilisk unconsciously killed everything around it?] While cautiously scanning his surroundings, Erik asked Ebonique through their contract. The dragoness replied in a restrained voice.

[I imagine so.]

[What is this place made of to still be standing after the basilisk wiped out everything in the area...?] Touching the wall with his right hand, Erik commented thoughtfully.

[…]

Seeing that Ebonique remained silent, Erik decided to drop the subject and continued advancing through the tunnel with caution. After about 20 minutes, Erik spotted in the distance what looked like a stone cabin. The strange cabin, although somewhat similar to the ones outside the garden, was also different at the same time—as if they had been built at different times.

The cabin had a roof that almost looked like a hat, with the chimney in the center, from which a thin trail of smoke was rising. Meanwhile, a soft yellow light shone from beneath the wooden door and windows, illuminating the outside and revealing a small stone fence that enclosed a tiny garden around it.

[Do you sense anything strange, Ebonique?]

Erik asked cautiously as he carefully studied the stone cabin. Ebonique poked her head out from Erik's hair a little and replied in a serious tone that made it clear how worried the dragoness was.

[No… But not being able to do anything in that place…]

[The spirit?] Erik asked solemnly, at the same time taking one of the machetes from his waist. Ebonique let out a small sigh and explained.

[It's not there, but its 'aura' is especially thick in that place, so it's likely it could detect me if I'm not careful.]

Hearing Ebonique, Erik let out a sigh of relief and released the handle of his machete, then commented in a calmer tone through their contract.

[Then wait for me a few minutes; I'll go take a look.]

[No! I'm going with you!] Ebonique instantly replied, almost authoritatively, as she clung to Erik's hair with her claws. The star-haired boy asked, a bit worried.

[Didn't you say they could detect you?]

[Only if I use mana,] Ebonique quickly replied seriously, gripping Erik's hair tightly. [I'm not letting you go into that place alone.]

[… Alright, then let's go together…]

After letting out a small sigh, Erik agreed and grabbed one of his machetes. With one hand on Tiberius and his machete in the other, Erik advanced step by step toward the cabin, extending his Mystical Awareness to the maximum.

Soon, Erik was just a few meters from the stone fence surrounding the cabin, but at that moment, he detected a change in his Mystical Awareness. Two "presences" suddenly appeared from beneath the ground.

[Back up!]

Surprised, Erik quickly grabbed Tiberius's fur tightly and gave him an order through their contract, then jumped back with the wolf. Soon, the "presences" on his "mental radar" began to take shape, soon revealing the figures of two "balls with legs"—something he had already encountered before.

[Golems!]

[Run!!]

Ebonique quickly exclaimed in a panic. After all, the fact that they appeared right now was a clear sign that Tiberius's concealment methods weren't effective against them. Plus, she couldn't use mana or she'd be detected, and if Erik got caught up in a fight with the golems, it would almost certainly alert the basilisk. The fight could not only provoke the basilisk into attacking unconsciously, but it could even accelerate its awakening—or wake it up on the spot.

With a serious expression, Erik mounted Tiberius, who began running toward the exit at full speed. Grabbing his second machete, Erik divided his focus between the two emerging golems and the colossal basilisk. When they were almost halfway through the tunnel, Erik ordered Tiberius to stop. Panicked, Ebonique urgently asked.

[What are you doing, Erik?!]

[I want to see if those Golems are going to follow me.] Erik responded in a calm and focused tone, which had a big impact on Ebonique. The dragoness fell silent for a few seconds, calming her recently rediscovered, agitated emotions, and then asked.

[Do you have a plan?]

[Not so much a plan. Let's just say I'm gathering information.] Erik replied in an even tone. [Tiberius has the ability to get me out of here with a shadow portal—something Frank proved unintentionally. So, since I have an escape route, I want to gather as much information as I can.]

[I see…] Ebonique answered, trying to muster her courage. For his part, Erik closed his eyes and focused entirely on his Mystical Awareness.

Although the Golems were "only" Revealed-Skilled, Erik was still cautious around them. After all, without Ebonique and his equipment, his combat power would be greatly reduced, and to make matters worse, those Golems were very likely made of Oricalite, just like the one he had encountered before. So not only were they extremely tough, but also highly resistant to spells.

Therefore, even if he could destroy one, it would be a tough fight that would force him to push himself to the limit, which would end up seriously damaging his mana circulatory system. Without potions, an injury like that could be fatal. But the real problem was that there were two, so if things came to a confrontation, his best option would be to run.

…

Fully focused, Erik was able to closely track the Golems' movements through the "mental radar" of his Mystical Awareness. After emerging from beneath the rocks, the Golems began to walk around the cabin with slow, unsteady steps, as if searching for something—gradually moving farther from the cabin and widening their search area.

[It seems like they don't have the ability to locate us. They discovered us, but not completely. They must have some sort of proximity alarm or something like that, but it's very imprecise. The question is, how does that 'alarm' work? If we can figure it out, we can get past it…] Observing the golems' clumsy movements, Erik commented in a thoughtful tone. Ebonique, now much more composed, added, just as thoughtfully.

[It can't be because of the mana, or the basilisk would have attacked us at the entrance.]

[That's true. But for now, let's wait a bit to see if they follow us…] Erik said, then focused once again on the golems' movements. Ebonique nodded and hid herself in Erik's hair again, wanting to blend in perfectly.

After a few minutes, the golems, having moved nearly 30 meters away from the cabin, stopped for a few moments before slowly returning to the cabin. Once they reached the cabin again, the golems dug a little and then buried themselves back into the stone, disappearing from sight.

Shortly after, the golems deactivated completely, vanishing from Erik's mental radar. Not wanting to make a foolish mistake, Erik remained silent for a few more minutes, watching for any new movement from the cabin, but everything returned to complete stillness. Erik's eyes lit up, and he quickly commented with renewed confidence.

[The alarm they have is really imprecise, and it seems like it can't reach very far from the cabin.]

[Do you want to go back?] Ebonique asked in a serious tone. Erik nodded and turned to look at Tiberius, then gave an order through their contract with the wolf.

[Yes, but this time let's move through the shadows.]

Almost automatically, Tiberius's shadow stretched out and merged with the surrounding darkness, at which point Erik began to slowly sink into the shadows. After a few seconds, Erik once again found himself in the dark space, so he quickly focused completely on his contract with the wolf to share his senses, and they began to move forward.

Not long after, Erik could once again see the cabin through Tiberius's "eyes," so he started to advance cautiously, moving only a few meters at a time. After several pauses, Erik finally made it right up to the stone fence surrounding the cabin—much closer than he had gotten before—but the golems remained inactive.

[It really wasn't because of the mana. It had to be something else.] Erik commented thoughtfully. Ebonique quickly replied in a serious tone,

[Hurry, Tiberius can't maintain this state for long.]

[I know.] Erik replied, and immediately gave the order to move forward, passing through the stone fence.

Moving cautiously, Erik soon reached the front of the cabin, where he took advantage of the small shadow cast by the door to peek inside. The inside of the cabin was much larger than it appeared from the outside and was illuminated by what looked like candles. The place was also filled with all kinds of shelves holding what seemed to be books, scrolls, and strange jade tablets.

Besides the books and tablets, there were what looked like some empty glass containers, a few wooden desks, and metal tables with drawers. But what caught Erik's attention the most was a huge mana crystal sitting atop what appeared to be a small instrument with a magnifying glass on one of the metal tables.

[So that's what Lirio smelled…] Erik commented in realization. Ebonique nodded and added, while looking at a shelf full of jade tablets that emitted a faint glow.

[It's possible. Also, I've seen those jade tablets before—I think they're used to record things.]

[Yes, I've read that they're used in the Lotus Union. Basically, they work by recording complex thoughts, and although they're very durable and immune to language barriers—since they're just thoughts—their cost isn't really worth it, so you rarely see them in the Arcane Order.] Erik commented calmly as he curiously studied the surroundings.

[I see… so there must be a lot of records there…] Ebonique said as she looked at the tablets. [But how do we get them out of here without being discovered?]

[That's a great question…] Erik replied thoughtfully, which made Ebonique start thinking of possible solutions.

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[Do you have any ideas?] After thinking for a while, Erik asked his contracted spirit. Letting out a disappointed sigh, Ebonique answered.

[A few, but they're risky.]

[I have an idea too, but it would be a last resort. For now, let's set it aside. First, let's check this place to see if we find anything.]

Erik commented casually, then ordered Tiberius to start moving around the area. As he wandered through the place, Erik realized that, although there was no doubt that this place should be incredibly old, it seemed as if time hadn't passed at all.

The books and scrolls looked perfectly preserved, and even the candles that illuminated the room, though they had real flames, didn't burn down in the slightest. This fact surprised him, as he couldn't feel any mana in them.

For all intents and purposes, they seemed like ordinary wax candles, except they didn't burn down. As he walked through the area, Erik also ended up finding several carving tools along with what seemed to be some half-finished magical artifacts. But the curious thing was that the artifacts belonged to all three magical systems.

Holding back the strong urge that arose within him to take everything as samples, Erik managed to restrain himself and continued checking the desks, where he found what appeared to be notes written in a language he didn't understand.

But the notes seemed to have different handwriting styles, as if they had been written by different people. Although there was one style that appeared more frequently and even showed up in notes with other handwritings, probably making corrections.

[Do you recognize this language, Ebonique?] Curious, Erik asked his reliable spirit. Ebonique soon replied in a calm tone.

[It looks familiar. But I don't understand it. Maybe I've forgotten it, or maybe I just saw it in passing. To be honest, I was never very interested in humans.]

[I see…] Erik nodded and soon ordered Tiberius to keep moving.

Soon, Tiberius ended up climbing onto a shelf full of what seemed to be crystal jars. Although all the jars appeared to be empty, after looking more closely, Erik soon realized that some of them still had a bit of dust, similar to ash, though very faint, which made him reflect with some curiosity.

(Did what they contained disintegrate over time? Then why are the books, which seem to be made of ordinary paper and leather, still intact?)

As he imagined different hypotheses to understand the strange place, Erik reached the back of the shelf, where he found a jar densely covered in aegis system runes. The jar contained what looked like a spine about 10 cm long, floating in a greenish liquid.

[Is that what I think it is?] Erik asked with a tone between surprised and perplexed.

[It looks like the spines on the basilisk's head…]

Ebonique responded, equally surprised. That spine really did look like the basilisk's, as if it were a hyper-detailed scale model. Erik nodded and commented thoughtfully.

[It seems they were studying that basilisk… But what could be so interesting about a devourer basilisk that someone would go so far as to create this place?]

[Haven't you told me that humans are inherently curious? What's so strange about that?] Ebonique asked calmly. Erik quickly replied in a serious tone.

[Yes, we are curious. But this place—even in ancient times—must have been expensive and difficult to make, or else they wouldn't be so rare today. Simple curiosity isn't enough to justify such an expense.]

[So you think they were looking for profit?] Ebonique asked casually, as if she didn't believe her own words. Erik replied calmly.

[Most likely. And for someone to have built a place like this—which is a treasure in itself—what they were researching must have been monumental.]

[…]

Hearing the speculation, Ebonique fell silent and looked around the laboratory, a glimmer of doubt shining in her eyes. After all, that 'collector' bastard would hardly be interested in something like profit.

In reality, practically no Eternal would care about such things; their status and power were so high that there was nothing others wouldn't offer them as tribute. So, if an Eternal ever built something, profit would be the last of their reasons.

…

Having searched the entire shelf without finding anything more interesting than the jar with the spine, Erik ordered Tiberius to move elsewhere. After checking every corner of the place, Erik concluded that there was nothing else of interest aside from the jade tablets, since the books were written in that strange language he couldn't understand.

[Erik, Tiberius is getting exhausted.] At that moment, Ebonique commented in a more serious tone. Erik nodded and turned to look at the shelf full of jade tablets, then said.

[We're leaving now, but we'll take as many tablets as we can.]

[It's too risky.] Ebonique quickly replied with a worried tone. [I refuse to believe that this place only has those golems to protect it.]

[It's certainly unlikely.] Erik nodded and answered as he clenched his right fist. [But given how easily we managed to sneak in, we can deduce that this place isn't too well protected. It's a great opportunity.]

[What need do you have to risk yourself for those tablets when you don't even know if they have anything valuable?] Ebonique asked in a disapproving tone. Erik replied seriously as he studied the shelf more closely.

[The need comes from the fact that all of this could be lost with the awakening of the basilisk, and those tablets might hold the key to understanding these ruins.]

[The risk is too great! You could even end up waking the basilisk!] Ebonique replied, a bit angrily. Erik nodded and answered calmly.

[Yes, but you know, Ebonique. Somehow I feel like I need to get those tablets, and my instincts almost never fail me with things like this.]

[Even if you say that, I can't agree.] Ebonique replied in a solemn tone. [The consequences are not something you can bear right now. Erik, listen to me, let's just go. Remember what you said before. It's possible that the basilisk has awakened many times before—if this place is still standing, it's because it doesn't care, so you'll have more opportunities later.]

[…]

Hearing the serious and almost pleading tone of his adorable contracted spirit, Erik couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Although it was true that his instincts told him those tablets were important, Ebonique was also right—the risk was just too high. After a few seconds, Erik sighed with some regret and replied with a bit of resignation.

[You're right. The risk is too high…]

Hearing her beloved contractor, Ebonique let out a sigh full of relief. At the same time, her heart filled with tenderness. Using her claws to gently stroke Erik's hair, Ebonique commented in an almost motherly voice.

[Thank you for listening to me… And you don't need to be so disappointed. Remember, there are still two tunnels left—maybe we'll find something interesting in them.]

[That's true. Let's check them before looking at the basilisk again.] Erik answered soon after a small sigh, but seeing the notes scattered across the tables, he added in a calm tone.

[But first, I'll try to memorize what's in the notes. Even if I don't understand them, maybe Elara, Zoe, or Frank will. Or maybe, if we manage to get out, they'll serve as clues for my masters.]

Ebonique, still stroking Erik's hair, turned to look at the enormous 'mana crystal' on the table. Even though she couldn't materialize a part of her true body to confirm it, she could still sense that the collector's aura was concentrated in that crystal—even more so than around the basilisk, which was also surrounded by that bastard's aura.

[I think that's a good idea. I'll remember it for you.] After looking at the crystal for a few seconds, Ebonique commented in a calm tone.

[Thank you; memory isn't exactly one of my strong suits.] Erik replied with a small smile, then ordered Tiberius to go back to the tables.

Going through note after note so that Ebonique could memorize them, Erik soon noticed something strange. One of the notes had a name written on it that he could actually recognize, since it was written in runic language. An ancient written language used in the Boreal League, and, since it was written with runes, it was something commonly learned while mastering the Aegis System.

{Gaze of Arkhé.}

Curious, Erik began to look more closely at the notes but found nothing similar, so he started searching all around the desk and soon realized he could slip into the drawers by moving through the shadows. Inside the first drawer, Erik noticed there were several notes, a quill, and a book, so he quickly began to examine them.

But as he looked through them, a surprised expression appeared on Erik's face. Among the notes, Erik found what seemed to be drawings of a person practicing a bio-mystic technique, along with different notes written in the runic language.

[I wasn't expecting this…]

[I'll memorize it so you can study it later. Tiberius is exhausted.] Ebonique quickly replied in a serious tone. Erik quickly nodded and ordered Tiberius to move through the notes, then hurriedly left the place.

…

After a few minutes, Erik had moved far enough away from the cabin, so he emerged from Tiberius's shadow. After hiding his contractor in the shadows once more, the black wolf collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.

[Did you memorize everything?] While feeding mana to the exhausted wolf, Erik communicated with his reliable contracted spirit.

[Yes. When we get out, I'll write it down for you.] Ebonique quickly replied in a serious tone, which allowed Erik to nod with satisfaction.

Although recovering what seemed to be a bio-mystic technique wasn't bad, Erik felt that the jade tablets were what was truly important. But the idea that the 'defense system' might somehow be connected to the basilisk was something he couldn't get out of his mind, which ultimately made him give up on the idea completely.

After a few minutes, Tiberius had recovered enough to walk again, so Erik started making his way toward the tunnel exit. Once outside the tunnel, Erik glanced for a few seconds at the sleeping basilisk, but after seeing it was still completely asleep, he quickly headed toward the middle tunnel.

As he made his way down the tunnel, Erik began to see a subtle yellowish glow at the end, which instantly put him on alert. That glow looked very similar to the basilisk's.

With his heart pounding from apprehension, Erik closed his eyes and focused entirely on his Mystic Awareness, wanting to find out if there was another basilisk up ahead. But as the seconds passed, nothing showed up on his mental radar, leaving Erik completely bewildered. Confused, Erik communicated with Ebonique through the contract.

[Do you sense anything, Ebonique?]

[Nothing. Now that I can't use mana, my perception is actually worse than yours.] Ebonique responded in a heavy tone. Erik nodded in understanding and said.

[Let's approach slowly.]

Gripping Tiberius's fur a little tighter, Erik once again took one of his machetes from his belt and advanced at a slow, steady pace, fully focused on his Mystic Awareness. Soon, Erik could see in the distance a statue of a mage holding a book, very similar to the ones at the entrance to the garden.

Upon seeing the statue, Erik stopped for a few seconds, waiting to see if a golem or something similar would appear, but since nothing happened, he decided to proceed with caution.

When he reached the statue, Erik began to inspect it from all sides, confirming its incredible resemblance to the statues at the entrance. But curiously, there was only one statue, with no sign of a second one like at the entrance.

[Do you think this means something?] Erik asked as he walked around the statue. Ebonique responded in a composed tone.

[Maybe it's just a strange preference of whoever created this.]

[Maybe…] Erik replied, not entirely convinced, but since he didn't find anything unusual about the statue, he decided to move on.

As he went deeper into the tunnel, Erik came across more statues. But the new statues were no longer of mages. Some were of warriors holding swords, others of what seemed to be hunters with bows and arrows, and there were even some animals, like bears and lions. But soon, Erik came upon a statue unlike any of the others.

The statue was of what appeared to be a man with somewhat deformed features, goat horns on his head, as well as a tail and wings similar to those of a bat behind him. These strange features were something Erik recognized instantly, which inevitably made him comment, a bit confused.

[A Virelian…?]

[Virelian? What's that?]

Ebonique asked, puzzled, since although the name sounded somewhat familiar, she couldn't quite remember where she'd heard it before. Erik explained in a serious tone while closely observing the statue.

[The Virelians are an alien race that dominates the galaxy next to ours, and for some reason, they've been trying to conquer us for millions of years—though with no success. A few years ago, my masters had to go to the Zephyria Border to deal with the consequences of one of their attacks.]

[Oh, I remember—that was when you had the duel!] Ebonique commented, realizing as she recalled. Erik nodded and said.

[Yes. But why is there a statue of a Virelian here…?]

[Is there something strange about the statue?] Ebonique asked, curious. Erik answered in a thoughtful tone.

[No, it's exactly like the others, just a simple stone statue… But now that I think about it, I focused too much on humans as the possible culprits for this. Although a human at legend level could have been responsible, creating a trap like this would generate too much hatred—to the point where other legend levels might band together to attack him. The risk would be too high, even for a legend level.

[But if the mastermind was an alien race, things would make much more sense. They wouldn't care about the consequences. They're already sworn enemies of humanity and still alive, so they must have power comparable to ours. So, killing the best geniuses of humanity would be a great 'achievement' with few real consequences. And considering that my masters managed to ruin the Virelians' plans a few years ago, they have more than enough motive.]

[So these Virelians are the masterminds…?] Ebonique asked, a cold light shining in her eyes. Erik replied, deeply lost in thought.

[I don't know, but without a doubt, an enemy alien race would benefit the most if the best of humanity's young generation were to die.]

[They have the motive and the incentive. It has to be them.] Ebonique commented in a cold tone, almost as if announcing a verdict. Erik looked at the statue once more and said.

[For now, it's just a possibility I hadn't considered. There's no proof. Besides, if they had the ability to infiltrate deeply enough to create this trap without raising a single suspicion, they would have wiped us out a long time ago. So there must be much more going on behind the scenes, and if it really is them, they definitely have human accomplices.]

[You're right.] Ebonique commented calmly, but her eyes shone with an incredibly cold and deep light—a world of difference from her usual demeanor.

After checking the statue a couple more times and finding nothing strange, Erik continued deeper into the tunnel. As he advanced, Erik found more and more statues. Although the Virelian statues were rare, he still found a couple along the way.

[So that's where the glow was coming from…]

When he reached the end of the tunnel, Erik couldn't help but comment, full of surprise at what he was seeing. The place had statues of all kinds gathered around what seemed to be a half-destroyed stone altar. But what really caught Erik's attention was what was on top of the altar. Floating slightly above it was what looked like a stone egg, emitting a yellowish glow incredibly similar to the basilisk's scales.

[Is that a basilisk egg?] Ebonique asked, a bit puzzled, since the 'collector's' aura was quite faint in the area.

[I don't know.] Erik replied, somewhat confused, and explained. [Although I read a bit about devourer basilisks, I didn't go very deep into the topic, since it wasn't related to any of my projects…]

[I see…] Ebonique replied, focusing at the same time on trying to sense the other Eternal's aura, not wanting to fall into a trap out of carelessness.

[Let's try to get closer, Tiberius.] After a few seconds, Erik ordered his reliable wolf. [But stay alert—we might have to run at any moment.]

After Tiberius gave a silent bark in confirmation, Erik stepped forward, approaching that strange place. With his machete in one hand and the other resting on Tiberius's fur, Erik advanced slowly and cautiously. But even when he was close enough to touch the nearest statue, nothing changed. Everything remained in an eerie silence.

[There's nothing guarding this place…?] Erik asked, perplexed, as he took another step forward. Ebonique commented in a similar tone.

[Maybe this place isn't important…]

Not very convinced by Ebonique's comment, Erik ventured into the midst of the stone statues and began to walk among them, studying each one. Although the statues were similar—especially the bodies, clothes, and so on—the faces, at least the human ones, were different. This inevitably reminded Erik of a mythical army of statues in an ancient tomb from his past life.

[It really seems like there's nothing here except that egg…] After examining the statues for a while, Erik couldn't help but comment, a bit of doubt in his voice.

No matter where he looked, the statues were completely normal—to the point that they didn't even have a single rune engraved on their surfaces, and even when he risked sending some mana into them, nothing happened. Not to mention that this time there were no golems or anything of the sort. Confused and uncertain, Erik ventured even deeper into the place.

Circling around the egg, Erik soon reached the wall at the end of the tunnel, where he found what appeared to be stone sculptures of chests, jewels, swords, and similar items, all scattered carelessly across the floor. Even more confused, Erik commented in a strange tone as he carefully picked up a stone sword.

[Why would someone do something like this…?]

Examining the sword, Erik soon noticed something strange. Although the sword was made of stone and had no edge, it was incredibly well-balanced, easy to handle—not much different from a real high-quality sword. In that moment, an idea struck Erik like lightning, making him look at the surrounding statues with eyes full of disbelief.

[Are they really statues…?]

Just as Ebonique was about to ask what the star-haired boy meant, the egg on the altar suddenly began to tremble subtly, at the same time its glow started to intensify.

"Tiberius!!"

Completely pale, Erik shouted the order as he looked at the black wolf on his right—just as the egg began to spin and rise into the air, its glow growing much stronger.

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With Erik's call, Tiberius quickly turned into a kind of dark liquid that fell to the ground, forming a circle. Without hesitating for even a moment, Erik jumped into the circle of darkness, falling at great speed as if into an abyss. At that instant, the egg reached its highest point, and its glow intensified to the extent that it filled the entire place.

[That was close…]

Emerging from the portal of shadows behind a rock at the entrance of the first tunnel, Erik commented in a heavy tone through his contract with Ebonique. The dragon soon replied, her tone equally heavy.

[More than you think. Look at your left hand.]

Surprised, Erik looked at his hand, where he could indeed see his little finger turning gray and hardening rapidly. Eyes wide in shock, Erik quickly looked at Tiberius, who had just reformed, and ordered in a solemn tone.

[Get us out of here. I need to find a way to heal myself.]

Obeying the order, Tiberius once again became the circle of darkness, through which Erik quickly jumped. Appearing from the shadow of a fallen tree near the river, Erik watched with a grave expression as the petrification slowly spread across his hand. The starry-haired boy quickly conjured different runes that began to emit a faint light as they danced around his hand.

At the same time, Ebonique flew out from Erik's head and grew in size, reaching three meters in length, then fixed her gaze on Erik's half-petrified hand. With a solemn voice that tried to keep her anger in check, Ebonique asked, black lightning crackling around her body.

"Can you heal it, Erik?"

"It doesn't seem so." Erik replied seriously, watching as—even though he had used the most powerful light-affinity healing spell he could cast—the petrification continued to advance slowly. Then he added thoughtfully.

"But it seems I can hold it back. The progress has slowed down quite a bit. I think it will give me time to create a potion. But more importantly…" Just after speaking, Erik looked up and asked, carefully studying Ebonique.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Ebonique responded with a warm voice, but it quickly turned serious as she added.

"There's a better way to deal with that petrification."

At that moment, the black electric bolts around the dragon increased in power. The sight of the violently crackling black lightning caused an idea to come to Erik's mind, and he couldn't help but comment in visible surprise as he deactivated the runes around his hand.

"Does your unique ability work for this too?"

"More or less." Ebonique replied as she stretched her right claw toward Erik, where the black lightning was gathering, and continued explaining.

"Since I can separate mana into its base components, I can destroy most spells, and this 'petrification curse' is nothing more than a type of spell. Although that would only stop its progress—you'll still need to heal the petrified parts."

"I see."

Erik nodded in understanding, at which point Ebonique touched his hand with her claw charged with black lightning. Soon, Erik felt a slight numbness in his right hand, and the petrification stopped completely, though two of his fingers and about 20% of his hand had turned to gray stone.

"How are you, Tiberius?" Setting aside his hand, Erik turned to look at the wolf as he returned to his true form and asked with concern.

The wolf let out a sad whimper and fully shifted back to his real form, revealing that a large part of his upper fur and his tail were turning to stone. Erik immediately turned to look at Ebonique, but the dragon was already stretching out her right claw, charged with black electric bolts, toward the wolf.

"Thank you, Ebonique." Erik said sincerely as he watched the imposing dragon surrounded by dark electric arcs. Ebonique replied calmly.

"There's no need to thank me. Your people are my people. Besides, I personally trained this wolf. He's almost like my disciple, so I can't let him die."

"Now that you mention it, it's true. You really are like the 'master' of Kaiser and Tiberius." Erik commented with a small smile as he looked at the black wolf. But the star-haired boy's expression soon turned solemn, and reaching his hand out to Tiberius, he continued.

"But putting that aside, what was that egg, really…?"

"I have no idea." Ebonique replied calmly. "But luckily you realized in time. Otherwise, we could have ended up like the other statues."

"You know, now that I think about it, I don't really believe those statues were actually people." Erik said thoughtfully, starting to explain with a hand on his chin.

"Although for a moment I thought so, and it was almost a clue. Remembering the statues, their bodies were too similar to each other, as if they had been mass-produced. If they were people, there should have been more variation."

"I see…" Ebonique said as she withdrew her claw from Tiberius, having finished destroying the petrification 'curse,' and then asked.

"But what are we going to do now?"

"We still have to go back and check the third tunnel." Erik said, conjuring a large number of runes around Tiberius.

"…" Ebonique was silent for a few seconds, clenching her teeth in frustration, but soon spoke in a dark voice.

"You almost died just a few moments ago, Erik."

"And if I don't manage to understand this place, I'll end up dead anyway." Erik explained, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw that the healing spell was working on Tiberius, and soon added.

"Checking out that cave is actually the least dangerous thing for us to do. Besides, we still need to figure out how to set up the lookout post for the basilisk. Its awakening can't catch us off guard."

"…" Ebonique fell silent as she looked at the waterfall. After a few seconds, the dragon sighed and spoke with a bit of resignation.

"I suppose you're right… But promise me that we'll run at the first sign that something's wrong."

"Do you think I'm brave enough not to run?" Erik asked, a bit amused, and added as he conjured runes to heal his hand.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm taking these risks because they're unavoidable. I'm not a reckless fool who puts his life on the line at every chance."

"I hope that's true…" Ebonique replied, letting out a sigh as she shrank down to hide again in Erik's hair.

"It's true." Erik said confidently as he watched the petrification start to disappear from his hand.

...

Once his hand returned to normal, Erik fed Tiberius a good amount of mana, and then carefully ventured back into the cave. Soon, he found himself once again in front of the colossal basilisk, which didn't seem affected by the egg's movements—a real relief. After watching the basilisk for a few moments, Erik set off toward the third tunnel.

Completely hidden by Tiberius's darkness, Erik advanced through the third tunnel with great caution—much more than with the previous two. The tunnel seemed quite long and a bit darker, but aside from that, it appeared to be a normal tunnel. Along the way, Erik didn't find anything out of the ordinary—just rocks and darkness as far as he could see.

After a while, Erik finally saw the end of the tunnel, where, to his surprise, he found what looked like a descending staircase carved into the stone floor. Curious, Erik went down the stairs, gripping Tiberius's fur with one hand and one of his machetes with the other, until he finally reached the bottom.

At the end of the tunnel, Erik found what appeared to be a sort of circular pool in the ground filled with dark water. Around the pool, there was a large number of Aegis system runes carved into the stone, releasing a faint purple glow. Meanwhile, on the walls, there were a few smooth crystals that shone with intense iridescent hues—mana crystals of the highest purity.

[An exit…?] Filled with disbelief, Erik commented through his contract with Ebonique. The dragon quickly asked, full of happiness and excitement.

[Is that what we need to get out of this place?!]

[It's very similar to the place where the initial explorers exited. Although at the same time, it's different.] Erik said as he carefully studied the densely carved runes around the dark lake and continued explaining.

[First of all, the exits they found were outdoors, in what seemed to be half-destroyed temples. But more importantly, the 'pools' didn't have this dark water. According to the data I read, the pools contained a kind of ghostly, illusory purple fire, and that was what would activate to create the exit portal.]

[So it's not an exit?] Ebonique asked, a hint of disappointment in her tone. Erik replied thoughtfully.

[I don't know. It looks a bit similar, but there are also clear differences. Besides, even if it is an exit, it would probably take about six months to activate—just like the ones the initial explorers used. If it ever activates at all… Maybe we should get closer and check it out more carefully…]

[No!] Ebonique 'shouted' urgently, and soon added with visible concern.

[You almost died from petrification just a while ago. We've seen what's here—now it's better to find someone else to test the waters. You could even bring an animal for that. Anything, as long as it's not you who tries it!]

[… You're right. I got a bit carried away.]

Pulled out of his thoughts by Ebonique's 'shout,' Erik commented a bit sheepishly. He really did seem like a reckless person with no fear of death at that moment. But soon the star-haired boy recovered and spoke seriously.

[For now, let's head back. Let's check on the basilisk and figure out how we can set up a lookout post here.]

After taking one last look at the strange pool, Erik went back through the tunnel, soon arriving once again in front of the basilisk. At that moment, Ebonique asked while watching the basilisk from Erik's hair.

[How much longer do you think until it wakes up?]

[I have no idea.] Erik replied calmly as he took a wooden tablet and a piece of charcoal shaped like a pencil wrapped in leaves from the back of his pants, then explained.

[But the fact that we can get this close, even with Tiberius hiding us, can only mean that the basilisk still has some time left before it wakes up. After all, even the most incompetent Arcane-Peak should be able to sense us easily.

[Besides, according to Frank's story, the basilisk only attacked instinctively because his Ethereal Projection came into direct contact with it, and even then, it seems it wasn't instantaneous. So, it shouldn't be a matter of just a day or two. Or at least, that's what I hope.]

[I see… And how are you going to figure out how long it will take to wake up?] Ebonique asked, poking her head out a little from Erik's hair to see what the young man was starting to write on the wooden tablet with the charcoal.

[Well, I really don't know much about devourer basilisks, so it won't be easy.] Erik said thoughtfully as he wrote as small as he could on the wooden tablet. [So, we'll have to do it in the dumbest way possible.]

[The dumbest way?] Ebonique asked, a bit confused. Erik nodded and explained.

[Yes. The dumbest way—by brute force. We're going to record everything about the basilisk at regular intervals and then check for changes. But since we don't know what's important, we'll have to record absolutely everything we can observe. Things like its glow, how close we can get, the rhythm of its breathing, and so on. That'll let us see what's changing and how fast it's happening.]

[At the same time, since we don't know what an awakened basilisk looks like, we'll have to collect data from a good number of magical creatures before they wake up. Even though it won't be very precise, that way we can get an idea of what we should be looking for. Along with the rate of the recorded changes, estimate how long it'll take for it to wake up.]

[That's why you need the lookout post.]

Ebonique commented, realizing the method was actually pretty clever rather than dumb, as Erik had said. The star-haired boy replied as he pulled out the quartz pendulum he'd made earlier from his pants pocket—also known as the 'homemade mana detector.'

[Exactly. Since I have to take care of the potions and the equipment, I can't be here all the time. Someone else will have to do it, and we need the measurements to be as precise as possible. So even though I call it a 'lookout post,' it'll actually just be a few markers I'll leave so the others can use them as reference.]

[You're really smart, Erik…] Ebonique commented with genuine admiration in her tone, mixed with a hint of fascination, as she watched the pendulum swinging from Erik's hand. The star-haired boy chuckled softly and replied, a little amused.

[I don't deserve that much credit. This is the method humanity has used since the beginning to try to understand the unknown—I'm not inventing anything new.]

[…]

Ebonique fell silent upon hearing Erik's answer. Occasionally, her beloved contractor's excessive humility was a bit annoying for the dragon. She wished he would be a little bolder and take the credit he deserved with pride.

But at the same time, Ebonique was fully aware that this mindset was exactly what made her Erik who he was. Someone she was drawn to like a moth to a flame—a pull that went far beyond how special his existence was.

…

After Erik checked the basilisk from every angle and wrote down his findings on his wooden tablet—which ended up completely covered in dense writing—the star-haired boy let out a sigh and stretched lazily. As he put the tablet and charcoal pencil back into the back of his pants, Erik commented calmly.

[It's done. Now we continue with the 'lookout post' before going to take a bath.]

[You're really going to bathe?] Ebonique asked, a bit surprised, since she knew Erik usually used a spell to clean himself two or three times a day. Erik replied in a calm tone as he looked around the cave.

[Of course. I've been working non-stop since I got to these ruins—I deserve a little break.]

[You're right about that; you deserve a long and relaxing rest.] Ebonique said affectionately, making Erik laugh a little.

…

After circling the cave a couple of times, Erik managed to carefully move some rocks to create several reference points he considered important. He used stones of different sizes and shapes to distinguish each spot, marking places for data collection, distances to approach, the extent of the basilisk's scale glow, and more.

Once everything was ready, Erik left the cave, passed through the waterfall again, and landed on the riverbed. After confirming with his Mystic Awareness that there was nothing strange in the river, he took off all his armor and left it under a tree. Then he got into the river, laid down near the shore, and let the rushing water massage his tired body.

But even as his body was relaxing, Erik couldn't help but let his mind wander through all his worries and survival plans. At the same time, he couldn't help but think of his beautiful masters and his strange but equally endearing personal maid.

(Maybe right now they're looking for a way to get us out of here…)

"Ebonique, were you finally able to contact Ignis and inform my masters?" With his eyes closed, Erik asked his trusted contracted spirit, who was gently massaging his scalp with her claws, causing a very relaxing tingling sensation.

"Yes. But communication isn't easy." Ebonique replied in a calm voice. "I was barely able to send a message, but that was before we knew this was a trap. Ignis only knows that you lost your magic artifacts… Should I try to send another message?"

"Could Hiyori or another spirit send a message like you?" Erik asked in a calm voice. Ebonique stopped her massage for a moment, uncertain how to answer. After a few seconds, the dragon replied softly.

"… Without someone like Ignis on the other side, it's difficult."

"Then it's better not to say anything for now—at least until we find a way for others to send messages out without relying on Ignis." Erik said after a small sigh, then added.

"Although if those outside knew the real danger in here, it would make cooperation easier, since no one would want to risk losing the best of their young generation. But with no other 'witnesses' than us, it'll be hard for them to believe. They'll probably think it's a lie—a desperate attempt to get them to mobilize and save me. Which would end up doing more harm than good." With a bitter smile, Erik added in a heavy tone.

"Knowing my masters, if they found out what's really happening here, they might rush the fortress guarding the entrance without a second thought. And that would be disastrous. Not only could it spark a war that would endanger the whole galaxy, it would also close off any possibility of getting us out from the outside."

Erik splashed water on his face, as if trying to erase that image from his mind. Then he continued in a calmer tone.

"I'm one of the weakest here, but my profile is high, and it seems like a lot of people want me dead. My masters know this, and I'm sure they're already looking for a way to rescue me. But this ruin… not even the legend-levels were able to fully understand it.

"That's why they need to stay calm—with a clear mind. If we tell them everything right now, it'll only upset them and won't do any good. As long as they know I'm in danger and need to get out, that's enough. That'll keep the sense of urgency without clouding their judgment."

"You're right, it's best if they can stay calm and look for a solution." Ebonique agreed, focusing once more on the massage, while Erik let out another sigh and then fell silent.

***

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With Erik's call, Tiberius quickly turned into a kind of dark liquid that fell to the ground, forming a circle. Without hesitating for even a moment, Erik jumped into the circle of darkness, falling at great speed as if into an abyss. At that instant, the egg reached its highest point, and its glow intensified to the extent that it filled the entire place.

[That was close…]

Emerging from the portal of shadows behind a rock at the entrance of the first tunnel, Erik commented in a heavy tone through his contract with Ebonique. The dragon soon replied, her tone equally heavy.

[More than you think. Look at your left hand.]

Surprised, Erik looked at his hand, where he could indeed see his little finger turning gray and hardening rapidly. Eyes wide in shock, Erik quickly looked at Tiberius, who had just reformed, and ordered in a solemn tone.

[Get us out of here. I need to find a way to heal myself.]

Obeying the order, Tiberius once again became the circle of darkness, through which Erik quickly jumped. Appearing from the shadow of a fallen tree near the river, Erik watched with a grave expression as the petrification slowly spread across his hand. The starry-haired boy quickly conjured different runes that began to emit a faint light as they danced around his hand.

At the same time, Ebonique flew out from Erik's head and grew in size, reaching three meters in length, then fixed her gaze on Erik's half-petrified hand. With a solemn voice that tried to keep her anger in check, Ebonique asked, black lightning crackling around her body.

"Can you heal it, Erik?"

"It doesn't seem so." Erik replied seriously, watching as—even though he had used the most powerful light-affinity healing spell he could cast—the petrification continued to advance slowly. Then he added thoughtfully.

"But it seems I can hold it back. The progress has slowed down quite a bit. I think it will give me time to create a potion. But more importantly…" Just after speaking, Erik looked up and asked, carefully studying Ebonique.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Ebonique responded with a warm voice, but it quickly turned serious as she added.

"There's a better way to deal with that petrification."

At that moment, the black electric bolts around the dragon increased in power. The sight of the violently crackling black lightning caused an idea to come to Erik's mind, and he couldn't help but comment in visible surprise as he deactivated the runes around his hand.

"Does your unique ability work for this too?"

"More or less." Ebonique replied as she stretched her right claw toward Erik, where the black lightning was gathering, and continued explaining.

"Since I can separate mana into its base components, I can destroy most spells, and this 'petrification curse' is nothing more than a type of spell. Although that would only stop its progress—you'll still need to heal the petrified parts."

"I see."

Erik nodded in understanding, at which point Ebonique touched his hand with her claw charged with black lightning. Soon, Erik felt a slight numbness in his right hand, and the petrification stopped completely, though two of his fingers and about 20% of his hand had turned to gray stone.

"How are you, Tiberius?" Setting aside his hand, Erik turned to look at the wolf as he returned to his true form and asked with concern.

The wolf let out a sad whimper and fully shifted back to his real form, revealing that a large part of his upper fur and his tail were turning to stone. Erik immediately turned to look at Ebonique, but the dragon was already stretching out her right claw, charged with black electric bolts, toward the wolf.

"Thank you, Ebonique." Erik said sincerely as he watched the imposing dragon surrounded by dark electric arcs. Ebonique replied calmly.

"There's no need to thank me. Your people are my people. Besides, I personally trained this wolf. He's almost like my disciple, so I can't let him die."

"Now that you mention it, it's true. You really are like the 'master' of Kaiser and Tiberius." Erik commented with a small smile as he looked at the black wolf. But the star-haired boy's expression soon turned solemn, and reaching his hand out to Tiberius, he continued.

"But putting that aside, what was that egg, really…?"

"I have no idea." Ebonique replied calmly. "But luckily you realized in time. Otherwise, we could have ended up like the other statues."

"You know, now that I think about it, I don't really believe those statues were actually people." Erik said thoughtfully, starting to explain with a hand on his chin.

"Although for a moment I thought so, and it was almost a clue. Remembering the statues, their bodies were too similar to each other, as if they had been mass-produced. If they were people, there should have been more variation."

"I see…" Ebonique said as she withdrew her claw from Tiberius, having finished destroying the petrification 'curse,' and then asked.

"But what are we going to do now?"

"We still have to go back and check the third tunnel." Erik said, conjuring a large number of runes around Tiberius.

"…" Ebonique was silent for a few seconds, clenching her teeth in frustration, but soon spoke in a dark voice.

"You almost died just a few moments ago, Erik."

"And if I don't manage to understand this place, I'll end up dead anyway." Erik explained, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw that the healing spell was working on Tiberius, and soon added.

"Checking out that cave is actually the least dangerous thing for us to do. Besides, we still need to figure out how to set up the lookout post for the basilisk. Its awakening can't catch us off guard."

"…" Ebonique fell silent as she looked at the waterfall. After a few seconds, the dragon sighed and spoke with a bit of resignation.

"I suppose you're right… But promise me that we'll run at the first sign that something's wrong."

"Do you think I'm brave enough not to run?" Erik asked, a bit amused, and added as he conjured runes to heal his hand.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm taking these risks because they're unavoidable. I'm not a reckless fool who puts his life on the line at every chance."

"I hope that's true…" Ebonique replied, letting out a sigh as she shrank down to hide again in Erik's hair.

"It's true." Erik said confidently as he watched the petrification start to disappear from his hand.

...

Once his hand returned to normal, Erik fed Tiberius a good amount of mana, and then carefully ventured back into the cave. Soon, he found himself once again in front of the colossal basilisk, which didn't seem affected by the egg's movements—a real relief. After watching the basilisk for a few moments, Erik set off toward the third tunnel.

Completely hidden by Tiberius's darkness, Erik advanced through the third tunnel with great caution—much more than with the previous two. The tunnel seemed quite long and a bit darker, but aside from that, it appeared to be a normal tunnel. Along the way, Erik didn't find anything out of the ordinary—just rocks and darkness as far as he could see.

After a while, Erik finally saw the end of the tunnel, where, to his surprise, he found what looked like a descending staircase carved into the stone floor. Curious, Erik went down the stairs, gripping Tiberius's fur with one hand and one of his machetes with the other, until he finally reached the bottom.

At the end of the tunnel, Erik found what appeared to be a sort of circular pool in the ground filled with dark water. Around the pool, there was a large number of Aegis system runes carved into the stone, releasing a faint purple glow. Meanwhile, on the walls, there were a few smooth crystals that shone with intense iridescent hues—mana crystals of the highest purity.

[An exit…?] Filled with disbelief, Erik commented through his contract with Ebonique. The dragon quickly asked, full of happiness and excitement.

[Is that what we need to get out of this place?!]

[It's very similar to the place where the initial explorers exited. Although at the same time, it's different.] Erik said as he carefully studied the densely carved runes around the dark lake and continued explaining.

[First of all, the exits they found were outdoors, in what seemed to be half-destroyed temples. But more importantly, the 'pools' didn't have this dark water. According to the data I read, the pools contained a kind of ghostly, illusory purple fire, and that was what would activate to create the exit portal.]

[So it's not an exit?] Ebonique asked, a hint of disappointment in her tone. Erik replied thoughtfully.

[I don't know. It looks a bit similar, but there are also clear differences. Besides, even if it is an exit, it would probably take about six months to activate—just like the ones the initial explorers used. If it ever activates at all… Maybe we should get closer and check it out more carefully…]

[No!] Ebonique 'shouted' urgently, and soon added with visible concern.

[You almost died from petrification just a while ago. We've seen what's here—now it's better to find someone else to test the waters. You could even bring an animal for that. Anything, as long as it's not you who tries it!]

[… You're right. I got a bit carried away.]

Pulled out of his thoughts by Ebonique's 'shout,' Erik commented a bit sheepishly. He really did seem like a reckless person with no fear of death at that moment. But soon the star-haired boy recovered and spoke seriously.

[For now, let's head back. Let's check on the basilisk and figure out how we can set up a lookout post here.]

After taking one last look at the strange pool, Erik went back through the tunnel, soon arriving once again in front of the basilisk. At that moment, Ebonique asked while watching the basilisk from Erik's hair.

[How much longer do you think until it wakes up?]

[I have no idea.] Erik replied calmly as he took a wooden tablet and a piece of charcoal shaped like a pencil wrapped in leaves from the back of his pants, then explained.

[But the fact that we can get this close, even with Tiberius hiding us, can only mean that the basilisk still has some time left before it wakes up. After all, even the most incompetent Arcane-Peak should be able to sense us easily.

[Besides, according to Frank's story, the basilisk only attacked instinctively because his Ethereal Projection came into direct contact with it, and even then, it seems it wasn't instantaneous. So, it shouldn't be a matter of just a day or two. Or at least, that's what I hope.]

[I see… And how are you going to figure out how long it will take to wake up?] Ebonique asked, poking her head out a little from Erik's hair to see what the young man was starting to write on the wooden tablet with the charcoal.

[Well, I really don't know much about devourer basilisks, so it won't be easy.] Erik said thoughtfully as he wrote as small as he could on the wooden tablet. [So, we'll have to do it in the dumbest way possible.]

[The dumbest way?] Ebonique asked, a bit confused. Erik nodded and explained.

[Yes. The dumbest way—by brute force. We're going to record everything about the basilisk at regular intervals and then check for changes. But since we don't know what's important, we'll have to record absolutely everything we can observe. Things like its glow, how close we can get, the rhythm of its breathing, and so on. That'll let us see what's changing and how fast it's happening.]

[At the same time, since we don't know what an awakened basilisk looks like, we'll have to collect data from a good number of magical creatures before they wake up. Even though it won't be very precise, that way we can get an idea of what we should be looking for. Along with the rate of the recorded changes, estimate how long it'll take for it to wake up.]

[That's why you need the lookout post.]

Ebonique commented, realizing the method was actually pretty clever rather than dumb, as Erik had said. The star-haired boy replied as he pulled out the quartz pendulum he'd made earlier from his pants pocket—also known as the 'homemade mana detector.'

[Exactly. Since I have to take care of the potions and the equipment, I can't be here all the time. Someone else will have to do it, and we need the measurements to be as precise as possible. So even though I call it a 'lookout post,' it'll actually just be a few markers I'll leave so the others can use them as reference.]

[You're really smart, Erik…] Ebonique commented with genuine admiration in her tone, mixed with a hint of fascination, as she watched the pendulum swinging from Erik's hand. The star-haired boy chuckled softly and replied, a little amused.

[I don't deserve that much credit. This is the method humanity has used since the beginning to try to understand the unknown—I'm not inventing anything new.]

[…]

Ebonique fell silent upon hearing Erik's answer. Occasionally, her beloved contractor's excessive humility was a bit annoying for the dragon. She wished he would be a little bolder and take the credit he deserved with pride.

But at the same time, Ebonique was fully aware that this mindset was exactly what made her Erik who he was. Someone she was drawn to like a moth to a flame—a pull that went far beyond how special his existence was.

…

After Erik checked the basilisk from every angle and wrote down his findings on his wooden tablet—which ended up completely covered in dense writing—the star-haired boy let out a sigh and stretched lazily. As he put the tablet and charcoal pencil back into the back of his pants, Erik commented calmly.

[It's done. Now we continue with the 'lookout post' before going to take a bath.]

[You're really going to bathe?] Ebonique asked, a bit surprised, since she knew Erik usually used a spell to clean himself two or three times a day. Erik replied in a calm tone as he looked around the cave.

[Of course. I've been working non-stop since I got to these ruins—I deserve a little break.]

[You're right about that; you deserve a long and relaxing rest.] Ebonique said affectionately, making Erik laugh a little.

…

After circling the cave a couple of times, Erik managed to carefully move some rocks to create several reference points he considered important. He used stones of different sizes and shapes to distinguish each spot, marking places for data collection, distances to approach, the extent of the basilisk's scale glow, and more.

Once everything was ready, Erik left the cave, passed through the waterfall again, and landed on the riverbed. After confirming with his Mystic Awareness that there was nothing strange in the river, he took off all his armor and left it under a tree. Then he got into the river, laid down near the shore, and let the rushing water massage his tired body.

But even as his body was relaxing, Erik couldn't help but let his mind wander through all his worries and survival plans. At the same time, he couldn't help but think of his beautiful masters and his strange but equally endearing personal maid.

(Maybe right now they're looking for a way to get us out of here…)

"Ebonique, were you finally able to contact Ignis and inform my masters?" With his eyes closed, Erik asked his trusted contracted spirit, who was gently massaging his scalp with her claws, causing a very relaxing tingling sensation.

"Yes. But communication isn't easy." Ebonique replied in a calm voice. "I was barely able to send a message, but that was before we knew this was a trap. Ignis only knows that you lost your magic artifacts… Should I try to send another message?"

"Could Hiyori or another spirit send a message like you?" Erik asked in a calm voice. Ebonique stopped her massage for a moment, uncertain how to answer. After a few seconds, the dragon replied softly.

"… Without someone like Ignis on the other side, it's difficult."

"Then it's better not to say anything for now—at least until we find a way for others to send messages out without relying on Ignis." Erik said after a small sigh, then added.

"Although if those outside knew the real danger in here, it would make cooperation easier, since no one would want to risk losing the best of their young generation. But with no other 'witnesses' than us, it'll be hard for them to believe. They'll probably think it's a lie—a desperate attempt to get them to mobilize and save me. Which would end up doing more harm than good." With a bitter smile, Erik added in a heavy tone.

"Knowing my masters, if they found out what's really happening here, they might rush the fortress guarding the entrance without a second thought. And that would be disastrous. Not only could it spark a war that would endanger the whole galaxy, it would also close off any possibility of getting us out from the outside."

Erik splashed water on his face, as if trying to erase that image from his mind. Then he continued in a calmer tone.

"I'm one of the weakest here, but my profile is high, and it seems like a lot of people want me dead. My masters know this, and I'm sure they're already looking for a way to rescue me. But this ruin… not even the legend-levels were able to fully understand it.

"That's why they need to stay calm—with a clear mind. If we tell them everything right now, it'll only upset them and won't do any good. As long as they know I'm in danger and need to get out, that's enough. That'll keep the sense of urgency without clouding their judgment."

"You're right, it's best if they can stay calm and look for a solution." Ebonique agreed, focusing once more on the massage, while Erik let out another sigh and then fell silent.

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After a while, Erik noticed that the sky was getting darker, so he got out of the river and put on his armor after casting a simple cleaning spell on it. But first, he had to cast a drying spell on Tiberius, who, as usual, didn't understand the concept of privacy and had followed him into the river. When Erik returned to the camp, he saw Zoe, Frank, and Elara gathered around a campfire. The group of young people seemed to be talking about various topics.

"Welcome back, Erik."

Zoe was the first to notice Erik's arrival, so she quickly freshened up and greeted him with a warm smile. The beautiful girl felt more confident now that she had asked Elara to cast a cleaning spell on her.

"Hello, everyone."

As he petted Kaiser's head—who was 'whining' for attention while nudging him—Erik replied with a calm smile. But when he noticed that the young people only had bamboo cups with water in their hands, he couldn't help but comment a bit curiously as he glanced at the campfire where the meat was roasting.

"I was expecting to find you all eating."

"We decided to wait for you so we could all eat together." Elara said with a smile similar to Zoe's. Frank, for his part, didn't want to bother the direct disciples, so he stayed silent and bowed respectfully toward Erik.

"Then let's eat. I'm starving." Erik said with a smile, nodding his head toward Frank.

Quickly, Zoe went over to the meat and took several pieces, at which point Frank came to her side to help. Meanwhile, Elara stayed next to Erik and looked him up and down, almost as if searching for something. Noticing Elara's gaze, Erik turned to look at her and asked in a casual tone.

"Is something wrong?"

"No..." Elara shook her head, then looked Erik in the eyes again and commented, sounding a bit unsure.

"It's just that you seem a bit… I don't know how to put it… distracted, maybe?"

"It's probably because I had a lot on my mind while I was bathing." Erik replied as he lifted his gaze to watch the ground darkening.

"I see…" Elara nodded, then bit her lip, looking a little uncertain.

For his part, Erik gave Elara one more smile before heading over to one of the logs the others had arranged around the campfire to sit on, leaving the wolves at his sides and Ebonique in his lap. After a few seconds, Elara sat down next to Erik and said.

"You know, Erik, when my father is stressed or worried, my mother always gives him a head massage, and she taught me how to do them. I've even done it a couple of times for my master." Elara pressed her lips together a bit, but quickly gathered her courage and continued.

"If you want, as a thank you for last night, I can do it for you."

"You don't need to worry about last night." Erik replied with a calm smile. But when he saw the beautiful green-eyed girl's shoulders drop and her expression turn a little sour, he added in a casual tone.

"But I am curious to know what that massage feels like, so I'll leave myself in your care."

Hearing this, Elara looked at Erik with a small sparkle in her eyes, and as a subtle yet beautiful smile formed on her lips, she replied in a sing-song voice.

"Leave it to me."

Elara quickly got up from her spot and moved behind Erik, and at that moment, a small, gentle reddish flame appeared at the tip of each of her fingers. Then, the beautiful girl spoke in a cheerful voice.

"I'm going to start. You'll feel a bit of warmth, but it's part of the massage."

"Go ahead."

Erik said with a calm expression. Elara quickly nodded and placed her fingers on Erik's forehead, then began to massage him with great delicacy. The flames on her fingertips, instead of burning him, simply left faint trails as they moved across Erik's skin without causing the slightest harm.

On Erik's lap, Ebonique watched the massage with equal parts annoyance and curiosity. That technique was something the little dragoness didn't know, so she figured it wouldn't hurt to learn it for the future. At that moment, Zoe returned with Frank, carrying the meat, and couldn't help but comment with a smile.

"Oh, the famous relaxing massage from Elara. I want one too!"

"I'll give you a simple one later."

Elara replied in a calm voice, fully focused on the massage. Zoe nodded, and after placing the meat—still on the sticks—in front of the campfire, she sat on a log across from them. At that moment, Erik commented, his eyes closed, enjoying Elara's unusual massage.

"Since the river was near the waterfall, I took the opportunity to take a look at the basilisk and the cave."

Upon hearing Erik's words, the group of young people froze for a moment, and even the flames on Elara's fingers disappeared. In a relaxed tone, Erik began to explain everything he had found in the strange cave, something the young people listened to in complete silence. Once Erik finished his story, Zoe looked at him reproachfully and spoke in a serious tone.

"You shouldn't have taken such a risk, Erik."

"It was necessary. I don't have to worry about mana, and with Tiberius I have plenty of freedom to move around." Erik replied calmly as he took a piece of meat from one of the sticks and gave it to the wolves, then added.

"But putting that aside, has anyone heard anything about a bio-mystic technique called 'Gaze of Arkhé'?"

"Gaze of Arkhé? Doesn't ring a bell."

Frank said thoughtfully, searching his memories for anything similar. For her part, Zoe sighed a little and looked at the katana at her waist with a thoughtful expression, then looked at Erik and spoke in a serious tone.

"Erik, I can understand that you might not trust us very much yet, but we're a team. Risks like that are something we should at least discuss and decide on together."

"I understand, my apologies." Erik nodded his head in apology. "I'm still not used to working as part of a team."

Seeing that Zoe was about to reply with a less-than-pleased expression, Elara quickly reignited the flames at her fingertips and began gently massaging Erik's temples, commenting.

"That's something we'll have to work on together, but what's done is done. What's more important now is what we do with the information Erik was able to recover. Do we investigate the cabin and what looks like an exit more thoroughly, or do we focus only on the basilisk?"

Hearing Elara, Zoe let out a long sigh, almost as if she wanted to release all her emotions with it, then replied in a serious tone.

"You're right, there's no point dwelling on it." Zoe said, looking at Erik and asking somewhat confusedly as she took a piece of meat.

"Is 'Gaze of Arkhé' the bio-mystic technique you found in the cabin?"

"Yes." Erik replied thoughtfully. "But there's something about that technique that keeps bothering me…"

"What's so strange about it?" Elara asked curiously as she carefully massaged Erik's forehead.

"In the notes I saw, there was a formula for an eye potion necessary for practicing the technique." Erik said in a reflective tone. Zoe, still a bit confused, asked back.

"What's strange about that? It's pretty common for bio-mystic techniques to depend on certain potions, herbal baths, or even specific environments—especially with the techniques knights use."

"The strange thing isn't the potion itself, but its active ingredient." Erik said seriously, looking down at Ebonique on his lap. He asked.

"Ebonique, could you write down all the information about that technique? I don't trust my memory, and I don't want to draw any conclusions without confirmation."

"Sure, where do you want me to do it?" Ebonique replied calmly as she floated into the air. Erik responded in a relaxed tone.

"On a wooden tablet is fine. There are several left over from last night in the 'storage cabin'."

"I'll be right back."

Ebonique said before flying off. Meanwhile, Zoe, Elara, and Frank looked at each other, somewhat confused expressions on their faces. After a few seconds, Elara asked while she began to massage Erik's ears.

"What's so strange about the active ingredient, Erik?"

"It's that it's implied to be a plant, but I don't know it." Erik replied as he grabbed a piece of meat with a phantom hand. Seeing that his words only confused the others even more, Erik explained in a measured tone.

"As you all know, my master, Sigrún Eldurdóttir, is one of the best alchemists in the galaxy. And while I can't say I've read every book in her personal library, there aren't many left for me to read.

"Plus, as a prize in the selection tournament, I won a special license that lets me access some pretty advanced and confidential books on alchemy in the university library. Even so, I've never seen a single mention of the herb that appears in those notes."

"Couldn't it just be that they used a different name, or maybe it's an herb that was lost over time?" Zoe asked calmly, taking a big piece of meat. Erik took a bite of his meat and, after a few seconds, explained,

"I originally thought the same thing, so I didn't pay much attention to it. But thinking it over again, I realized that's not the case, since I recognize all the other ingredients. They all have old names, but they're still recognizable to anyone who knows the runic language—except for the active ingredient."

"That is strange…"

Frank commented quietly, which made Zoe and Elara nod in agreement. At that moment, Ebonique returned with some wooden tablets and handed them to Erik. Looking over the tablets, Erik realized that they were practically photocopies of the notes from the cabin, which made him ask curiously as he looked at Ebonique.

"How did you do this?"

"Well, my memory is excellent when I want it to be, so I just used a few lightning sparks to etch what I remembered down to the finest detail." Ebonique replied in a pleased voice as she let herself fall back onto Kai's lap. Erik reached out a hand to pet Ebonique's head and praised her with a smile.

"You're amazing."

"It's nothing."

Ebonique replied, visibly pleased, which made the other young people look at her for a few seconds—especially Zoe, who couldn't help but glance at her fox spirit resting a few meters away, not far from the furnaces Erik had prepared, since now she was in charge of the fire.

While Zoe reflected on the vast difference between the dragon's behavior and the fox's, Erik began reviewing the tablets with a serious expression. Seeing that Erik was completely focused, Elara stopped the massage and sat beside him, then took a piece of meat and started eating quietly.

"Ljósmyrkra… I really didn't remember it wrong." Not long after, Erik murmured quietly, catching the attention of the others.

"Is that the name of the active ingredient?" Hearing his murmur, Elara quickly turned to look at Erik and asked. The star-haired boy nodded and explained.

"Yes, it can be translated as 'Light in the darkness' or 'Light born from the shadows.' Either way, it's a name I don't recognize."

"If this place is a 'collection'…" At that moment, Frank murmured to himself, but inevitably ended up catching the others' attention—especially Erik's, who looked at him with shining eyes and said.

"You're a genius."

"I-it's not that much…" Frank replied, visibly embarrassed by Erik's sincere praise. The star-haired boy shook his head and said with shining eyes.

"No. You really are a genius, and you're absolutely right. If this place is a 'collection,' and if the ingredient is truly a plant, the chances of it being here are pretty high. Plus, everything here is organized by its properties. So, all I have to do is deduce its properties based on the other ingredients and then assign probable locations for you to search."

Hearing Erik's words, Frank couldn't help but smile a bit bitterly. Although he did think that if it was a plant, it might be somewhere in the 'collection,' he hadn't thought so deeply about it. In fact, he didn't even know Erik could deduce its properties from the other ingredients, so the title of 'genius' felt way too big for him—so much so that it was uncomfortable.

"That's actually a great idea…" Elara commented in a contemplative tone, looking at Frank with a hint of recognition in her eyes, which only deepened the bitterness in the young man's smile.

"Is it really that important to look for this plant? What direct benefits would it bring to our situation?"

Seeing the spark in Erik's eyes, Zoe couldn't help but ask in a serious tone, wanting to keep him focused on what was important—something a leader should never lose sight of, especially in their current situation. Hearing her, Erik turned to look at her and replied in a calmer tone. Meanwhile, Ebonique glanced at Zoe with annoyance.

"Well, it's almost like a gamble. It could be a key clue to understanding this place and the basilisk, or it could turn out to be a complete waste of time. In any case, now that we don't even know what we don't know, any clue is valuable and worth following."

"I get that. But right now, there are things that are much more important." Zoe said in a serious, almost pointed tone as she looked Erik directly in the eyes. Meeting Zoe's gaze, Erik smiled calmly and replied.

"Of course. That's why tomorrow we're going to split up a little differently." He pointed at Zoe and Frank with the stick of skewered meat in his hand and added.

"Tomorrow, the three of us will head out before sunrise to look for sleeping magical creatures and collect data on them. After that, we'll go to the basilisk's cave to do the same." Erik turned to look at Elara beside him and continued.

"In the meantime, Elara, you'll be in charge of the camp with Hiyori and you'll keep an eye on the furnace." Seeing Elara nod with a serious expression, Erik smiled and continued, looking at Zoe and Frank.

"After we collect the data on the basilisk, I'll get to work at the cauldron, and in the afternoon we'll check on the basilisk again—although this time you two will do it, since I'll be focusing on the potions and the equipment, so that task will fall to you. The ingredient search will be carried out in between."

Hearing the plan, Zoe couldn't help but nod in agreement, realizing her concerns had been a bit unfounded. With a serious expression, Zoe stood up and, bowing in apology to Erik, spoke earnestly.

"Forgive me for my impertinence, Erik. It was out of line."

"Don't worry about it." Erik said, waving his right hand lightly to brush it off, and added. "Let's eat."

Returning to her seat, Zoe looked at Erik for a few seconds, and soon a small smile formed on her lips. Meanwhile, Elara looked at her friend with a relieved smile and quickly handed out a skewer of meat to each person, including Frank, leading to a peaceful dinner.

…

By the time dinner was over, Erik stretched a little and then looked toward the furnaces in the distance before getting up and speaking in a calm tone,

"It should be time for the falamite."

"Do you need any help?" Elara asked, looking at Erik. The star-haired boy replied in a calm tone.

"Not really. You can rest for a while, take the chance to go to the river before it gets completely dark, or do something else." Erik said, then pointed at the wolves by his side and added.

"But if you do go out, make sure one of the wolves goes with you."

"I'd like to watch so I can learn and help you later…" Elara said in a somewhat uncertain tone. Erik turned to look at her and replied.

"Then come with me; let's try out the freshly made chalk."

"I'd like to watch too, if it's not too much trouble." Zoe said at that moment in a calm voice. Erik turned to look at the young woman, a little surprised, but quickly smiled and said.

"It's nothing special; if you want to watch, you're welcome."

"Thanks."

Zoe stood up with a smile as she walked over to Elara. For his part, Frank picked up the sleeping Lirio from his head, then looked at Erik and said in a slightly embarrassed tone.

"Boss, I'd like to sleep until my watch. I didn't get much rest last night, and I'm feeling a bit worn out."

"Go ahead. Get some rest. We'll stick to the same watch schedule tonight, and we've got a lot to do tomorrow." Erik said with a smile, looking at Frank, who quickly bowed respectfully before heading off to the 'storage cabin.'

"What do we do now?" After Frank left, Elara looked at Erik and asked curiously.

"What we need to do is pretty simple. We're just going to collect the falamite slag. It's a fairly straightforward process." Erik replied, then turned to receive one of the chalk molds that Ebonique had brought him without him even having to ask.

"Thank you, Ebonique."

"It's nothing."

Ebonique responded calmly and soon made herself comfortable on Erik's head. After taking one of the dry pieces of chalk from the mold, Erik broke it in half and said as he looked at the two beautiful girls.

"The first thing we have to do is draw the runic-geomantic refinement circle for the final stage of refining the falamite, which will allow us to collect the slag that will be floating on the surface."

Hearing Erik, Zoe and Elara nodded seriously, then followed him to one of the stone tables, where Erik quickly drew the runic-geomantic circle. Once the circle was ready, Erik turned to Zoe and, picking up a pair of bamboo tongs from the table, said with a smile.

"Zoe, could you bring the crucible from the second furnace? We need to do this manually, without using mana."

"Of course." Zoe quickly took the tongs and walked over to the second oven to get the crucible. At that moment, Erik looked at Elara and said.

"Elara, could you prepare a barrel of water? We need to cool the slag quickly."

"Leave it to me." Elara replied enthusiastically and went to prepare the water.

For his part, Erik watched the two beautiful young women for a moment, then turned to look at the newly drawn magic circle. After double-checking that there were no problems with the circle, Erik sent a bit of mana into it. Noticing that the circle worked without any issues, Erik couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. At that moment, Zoe arrived carrying the crucible with the bamboo tongs.

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[lordanl]

In the midst of a dense, humid jungle, a group of three visibly injured young people were running at full speed, glancing back sporadically with expressions full of apprehension. Leading the group was Chen Ming, who had an open wound on his shoulder and a vertical cut that was dripping blood down his left cheek.

"Does anyone sense any enemies nearby?!"

With a shaky voice, Chen Ming asked as he looked at the young people in the back. One of the youths, who had short black hair with interspersed white streaks, quickly replied in a broken voice.

"I can't sense anyone within three kilometers!"

"Let's hide."

Chen Ming spoke quickly in a serious tone as he scrutinized their surroundings. After a few seconds, Chen Ming spotted some trees in the distance that more or less suited his needs, so he quickly headed there.

"Follow me."

...

Upon reaching the area, Chen Ming quickly brought his hand to his cheek and, using the blood that was dripping, hurriedly drew some runes on the trees. Immediately after, Chen Ming took a stone about two meters wide and placed it in the center of the trees where he had drawn the runes, using more blood to draw another set of runes on the rock.

Once he finished drawing the runes on the rock, Chen Ming performed six hand signs using both hands, then quickly placed his hand on the rock and sent all the remaining "spiritual energy" he had left.

Almost instantly, the blood on the rock and the trees emitted a faint glow and then began to fade, turning into small red dots that gathered in the center. Soon, the entire area was covered by a kind of reddish mist, which quickly disappeared.

"This will hide us for a few seconds…" Collapsing beside the rock, completely exhausted, Chen Ming spoke in a weak voice.

"Young master… are you alright…?" At that moment, one of the youths, who had long, dark blue hair, spoke up, unconcerned about the hole in his left forearm.

"I just overdid it a bit. I'll be fine." Chen Ming replied between heavy breaths, his face showing an incredibly bitter expression.

Although they had managed to enter the garden using an improvised illusion formation, the five Revealed-level cultivators they encountered on the other side were more than they could handle.

The fight was incredibly tough, leaving them with two dead and the rest gravely wounded—injuries that could very well cost them their lives now that their storage rings had stopped working, leaving them without any pills.

"Let's rest for an hour. Then we'll move again." After a few more heavy breaths, Chen Ming turned to look at his companion and spoke solemnly.

"Understood…"

The young man with long dark blue hair and the one with black and white hair nodded as they tried to catch their breath. Letting himself fall to the ground, Chen Ming looked up at the sky, which was beginning to darken, with a complex expression.

It was obvious that this ruin was nothing but a trap—one that had ensnared the crème de la crème of the young generation of the galaxy. Among them was the one rumored to be a second Sigrún Eldurdóttir, Erik, his good friend.

(I hope Erik can survive… If we could reunite, with his talent in alchemy and artificery and my formations, our chances of surviving would be quite good…)

Staring blankly at the sky, Chen Ming reflected with a somewhat bitter smile on his face. Although Erik was an absurd genius beyond all logic, he was still practically a child at barely thirty years old. A desperate situation like the one they were facing could very well overwhelm him, and the world might lose a genius who could change the galaxy forever.

After a few seconds, Chen Ming shook his head and sat cross-legged, then closed his eyes and focused completely on recovering as much as possible in the short hour his formation would last. He and his companions were tired, hungry, and wounded, so they needed every last ounce of strength they could gather in order to try to survive.

…

…

…

"Here's the water."

As Zoe set the burning crucible down on the stone table in the center of the magic circle, Elara returned carrying a barrel full of water and announced with a smile. Erik turned to look at her, grateful.

"Thank you, Elara. Leave the barrel nearby."

Elara quickly nodded and set the barrel down near Erik, who began channeling his mana into the circle drawn on the table. Soon, Zoe and Elara could see the magic circle drawn in chalk start to glow faintly, at which point the red-hot liquid in the crucible began to change subtly.

After a few seconds, a glassy layer began to form on top of the hot liquid, which Erik quickly picked up with the help of a bamboo stick, then dropped it into the barrel of water. Almost hypnotized, Zoe and Elara watched Erik's methodical, repetitive movements. After a few minutes, Erik commented in a calm tone.

"It's ready. Now we'll pour it into the mold."

"Leave it to me."

Snapping out of her brief trance, Zoe quickly replied in a serious tone as she took the bamboo tongs she had used to bring the crucible. Arranging several carved stone molds in a straight line on the table, Erik spoke in a calm voice.

"Try to do it slowly and steadily. Even if it spills, keep your movements slow."

"I understand." With a focused expression, Zoe tipped the crucible and poured the molten liquid into the molds without spilling a single drop.

"Great control."

Erik praised as Zoe set the crucible back down on the table. A small smile appeared on Zoe's face, and she soon commented, resting her left hand on the hilt of the katana hanging at her waist.

"Stability is an essential part of swordsmanship."

"Are we done?" Elara asked as she looked at the water barrel. Erik nodded and replied.

"Basically. Now we just have to remove the slag and let it dry. We'll use it tomorrow."

"That was quite a bit easier than I expected…" Zoe commented as she looked at the molds. Erik smiled and said, as he glanced at the smelting furnace where he had the iron.

"If you know the right refining circle, it's actually pretty simple. Falamite is so common that the method for refining it was perfected and simplified a long time ago."

"I see…" Elara murmured quietly, then looked at Erik and asked. "And what are we going to do with what's in the other furnace?"

"That part is even easier—you just have to pour it into molds, and you can use mana." Erik replied in a calm tone. Elara quickly picked up one of the stone molds on the table and said.

"Leave it to me, then."

"You can't use the stone ones." Erik quickly said as he took the mold from Elara's hands and pointed to a small box in the distance filled with fine sand.

"It's better to use sand."

"Hehe, sorry."

Elara apologized, a bit embarrassed, then reached out and created an arm of fire to pick up the crucible. After marking a square in the fine sand with the mold, Elara carefully poured the molten metal.

"Well, now all that's left is to prepare the molds for the cauldron." Erik said as he stretched a little. "Tomorrow we'll make [True copper] and officially start working on the cauldron. So for today, get some rest. I'll wake Frank in a couple of hours for his watch."

"Let us help with the molds." Elara quickly said in a calm but firm tone. Zoe added in a similar tone.

"Yes. You've barely slept at all because of us. At least let us help with this."

"Well, if you insist." Erik said, looking at the two girls with a smile. "Though it's nothing special. Just a few clay molds and some wood carvings to make sand molds."

"It doesn't matter. We want to help." Elara replied with a smile. Erik chuckled a bit and said.

"Alright, then. Let's get started."

As Erik explained how to do it, Zoe and Elara began to work with focused expressions, wanting to get it right on the first try. After failing a couple of times, the girls were able to relax a little and started working more calmly as Erik's explanations faded. This gave way to a peaceful conversation in which everyone avoided mentioning the ruin or their current situation, not wanting to spoil the moment.

Meanwhile, Hiyori lay down a few meters away, crossing her front paws and resting her head on them. The beautiful fox spirit remained calm, occasionally glancing at the dragon in Erik's lap, with a bit of incredulity still shining in her eyes. She still found it hard to believe that such a scene was possible, but since she wanted to keep living for a long time, Hiyori soon closed her eyes and stopped thinking about anything at all.

…

…

…

"Zoe, it's time."

Before the first rays of sunlight appeared, Hiyori gently nudged Zoe, who was sleeping on a woven bamboo mat, waking her up immediately. After rubbing her eyes a bit, Zoe thanked the spirit quietly, but in a humble and respectful tone.

"Thank you for waking me, Hiyori-sama."

"Don't mention it." Hiyori replied casually and started walking toward the exit.

Picking up her katana, which she had left to the side, Zoe got up and carefully walked toward the door, making sure not to wake the sleeping Elara. Using water from a barrel near the door, Zoe washed her face and then went out to relieve Erik from his watch.

As she stepped out of the cabin, Zoe saw Erik not far from the campfire, sitting behind a stone table, sewing what looked like sheets of paper with a bone needle. At the same time, what appeared to be crystal hands were scooping pulp from a wooden basin of water, then spreading it onto a flat rock.

Using another rock of similar size, but with a magic circle drawn on it in chalk, Erik's dragon spirit pressed the pulp. After a few seconds, the dragon lifted the rock, revealing a smooth, dry sheet of paper, which she cut to make perfectly uniform before placing it on the table next to Erik. After watching the process for a few seconds with a surprised expression, Zoe approached Erik and asked.

"Good morning, Erik. Are you making paper?"

"Good morning, and yes." Erik replied, turning to look at Zoe. "We need them to record data about the basilisk. Besides, I feel uncomfortable without a notebook to write things down so I don't forget them, so I decided to make one while I was on watch."

"I see…" Zoe commented softly as she watched Erik easily sewing the pages together to make a notebook.

"Let's leave it here for today, Ebonique." Turning to look at Ebonique, Erik said as he made the last stitch in the paper. The dragoness quickly nodded and, setting the stone aside, replied in a calm voice.

"Alright."

At that moment, Kaiser and Tiberius emerged from among the trees, which startled Zoe. The beautiful swordswoman immediately put her hand on the hilt of her katana, but seeing that they were Erik's pets, she let out a sigh of relief. The wolves quickly ran over to Erik, wagging their tails excitedly, so the star-haired boy set his improvised notebook aside and began petting them.

"It looks like they found them. Well done." Erik commented, satisfied, as he sent a good amount of mana to the wolves. Curious, Zoe asked as she watched the pair of wolves.

"What did you send them to do?"

"To look for sleeping animals."

Erik replied calmly, which surprised Zoe a bit. Although she had realized long ago how intelligent the wolves were, following such an abstract order wasn't something a normal magical creature could easily do.

"…Erik, can I ask what species your wolves are?"

"They're mystical wolf pups." Erik replied in a calm tone, once again surprising Zoe, who couldn't help but murmur to herself with a hint of disbelief.

"Mystical wolf pups…?"

"Well, it's time to get moving." Before Zoe could get lost in her thoughts, Erik stood up and said in a calm tone. Then, the star-haired boy looked at the fox spirit and asked with a smile.

"Hiyori, could you stay here with Elara while we're gone?"

"Leave it to me." Hiyori replied quickly in a calm and elegant voice, which once again surprised Zoe.

"Then I'll leave it to you." Erik said with a smile, then looked toward a small clearing in the distance and added.

"I'm going to train for a while, and then we can head out." Looking at Zoe again, Erik asked.

"Could you wake the others, Zoe?"

"Of course…" Zoe replied, her voice a little distant. Erik nodded in satisfaction and, after saying goodbye, walked with the wolves and Ebonique towards a nearby clearing to practice his bio-mystic technique.

For her part, Zoe watched the enigmatic star-haired young man and the pair of wolves following him, her expression full of questions. After a few seconds, Zoe turned to look at her contracted spirit, and after hesitating for a moment, she gathered her courage and asked respectfully.

"Hiyori-sama, if it's not too much trouble… May I ask why you're so 'attentive' with Erik?"

"Little Zoe, in life there are things better left unasked, and this is one of them." Hiyori replied in a calm and elegant voice, watching Erik practice his bio-mystic technique in the distance.

Surprised and confused by the answer, Zoe bowed slightly to Hiyori, then walked toward the cabins to wake the others, her expression filled with even more questions.

Meanwhile, Hiyori let out a heavy sigh. Although she had some ideas, and she knew the young man was a unique rarity—especially after what she had seen when they saved Frank—she still couldn't understand why someone like the dragoness was so attached to him.

While someone as unique as the star-haired young man would certainly be valuable to someone like her, Her Excellency Ebonique Nox was someone at the top—an Eternal, and one of the most feared among them.

So, no matter how special the boy was, it was hard to see how something like that would lead an Eternal to act the way she did. Among the Eternals, there were probably only one or two who would be so 'free' and 'unconcerned.'

(Could it be that Her Excellency Ebonique Nox was influenced by Her Excellency Ignis Caelestis? I've heard they are close…)

With her head full of questions, Hiyori gave one last glance at Erik and the dragoness before turning around and heading to the earthen house where Zoe and Elara were sleeping.

…

After 30 minutes, Erik stopped practicing his bio-mystic technique, a slightly confused expression on his face. Somehow, he felt that the Myst was transmitting too many modifications to the technique, especially regarding the flow of mana in his body.

This strange event led Erik to reconsider an idea he had barely explored about his bio-mystic technique. The technique depended greatly on the environment, and the changes the Myst transmitted were meant to help him make the best use of the environmental conditions.

If that were true, then the reason behind the large number of changes today was due to a sudden shift in the environment, which could be either good or bad. But one thing was certain: such changes in the technique—especially such abrupt ones—couldn't come out of nowhere, especially since he was still an Ascended. Something was happening, and he'd better hurry to figure out what it was.

Walking back toward the camp, where the others were gathered around the campfire, Erik noticed that the young people were eating what looked like fruit. At that moment, Elara noticed Erik returning, so she quickly took a bamboo basket she had woven herself, with some fruit inside, and offered it to him as she greeted him.

"Good morning, Erik."

"Good morning."

Taking what looked like an apple from the basket—one of the fruits Frank and Zoe had brought back from their exploration—Erik replied with a smile. After taking a bite of the apple, Erik looked at Zoe and Frank and spoke in a serious tone.

"Now we're going to check the sleeping animals the wolves found. Although I'll mainly be the one taking notes, I'll try to explain everything as clearly as possible so you can do it on your own later."

"Understood," Zoe and Frank replied in unison as they stood up. Meanwhile, Erik turned to look at Elara and said.

"We'll be gone for about two hours. In the meantime, Kaiser will go hunting, and Hiyori will stay here with you."

"Alright." Elara replied calmly. "I'll use the time to make some charcoal, weave a few more baskets, and prepare some clay containers."

"Perfect." Erik nodded, satisfied. After grabbing the notebook and a couple of charcoal pencils, he looked at Zoe and Frank and gave the order to head out.

"Let's go."

…

…

…

Doing their best to keep up with Erik's agile movements through the dark jungle, Frank and Zoe exchanged slightly surprised looks. They thought they were already good at moving around the area, but it turned out they were just a couple of novices compared to the star-haired boy. After a few minutes, Tiberius, who was leading the way, finally stopped.

Placing his hands on Tiberius's fur, Erik quickly signaled for his companions to gather around him as he looked toward a huge fallen log in the distance. As soon as Frank and Zoe reached Erik's side, Tiberius's shadow stretched out greatly, eventually covering them.

"Let's move carefully."

At that moment, the young people heard Erik's voice almost as if he were whispering right next to their ears—something they quickly recognized as a 'sound transmission.' After nodding, the two of them followed Erik closely as he led them around the log, soon reaching one end, which allowed them to see inside. There, curled up like a ball, slept a snake about ten meters long.

Quickly, Erik took the newly made notebook from the back of his pants and began jotting down data while Zoe and Frank watched his actions closely, not wanting to miss a thing. Meanwhile, Ebonique, who was hiding in Erik's hair, looked at the snake with mild curiosity, wondering whether, since it was a snake, it might help them understand the basilisk or not.

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[lordanl]

After gathering data from the snake, Tiberius guided the group to three more animals: a species of bear, what seemed to be a moose, and finally a tiger nearly four meters long. By the time Erik was finishing up recording the tiger's data, the first rays of sunlight had begun to appear on the horizon. Looking up at the sky, the star-haired boy sent a sound transmission to his companions.

[This tiger is barely a Revealed-Novice at best. Let's take this chance to observe it until it wakes up.]

Once he was done, Erik turned to look at Zoe and Frank. Zoe nodded with a serious expression as she gripped the handle of her katana, while Frank clenched his fists and nodded with the same seriousness. Focusing his gaze on Frank, Erik sent a new sound transmission.

[Frank, I have a lot of trouble modifying a spell halfway through, so let's use this opportunity to try a team battle. Tell me roughly what spells you'd use in the fight, and I'll try to adapt as best I can.]

Although a little surprised by the limitation expressed by Direct Disciple Erik—who always seemed to know everything and be capable of anything—Frank quickly sent a sound transmission. In it, Frank explained his spells as best as he could, from their names and how they worked to even the runes he used. After thinking for a few seconds, Erik nodded and spoke in a calm tone.

[Perfect, now I have a general idea of what to do, but since I lack experience, this time you'll guide the spells, and I'll try to adapt along the way.] Turning his head to look at Zoe, Erik added.

[As for you, Zoe. You'll be the leader. I want to see firsthand how a knight fights in a team. So far, my only experience with a knight was the duel I participated in a few years ago.]

[… Alright, then I'll take the front. You and Frank will stay in the rear. For now, try to follow Frank—he has experience fighting in groups and can adapt to my movements.] Zoe quickly sent a sound transmission, her expression serious.

[Let's do it that way.] Erik sent a sound transmission in a calm tone, then looked at Tiberius at his side. After that, he glanced at Zoe again and asked.

[Do you need Tiberius to do anything special?]

[Not really. Just let him stay in the back with you.] Zoe shook her head and replied, then looked at the huge sleeping tiger nestled in a patch of leaves and added.

[The tiger is something we can handle without much trouble. It's better to use it so you can gain some combat experience.]

[Perfect.] Erik responded calmly, then turned to look at the tiger again while taking a quartz pendulum from his pants pocket.

At that moment, Zoe stepped forward to stand to Erik's left, her hand on the hilt of her katana, ready to attack at any moment. As Erik jotted down notes with an almost rhythmic movement, Zoe glanced at what he was writing with a hint of respect. The star-haired boy was just too clever; it had never even crossed her mind to do something like that.

But it was precisely that respect that made the young knight a bit uncomfortable. Although she hadn't thought it possible, now that she found herself in a situation where she wasn't the leader and didn't have control, a strange unease surrounded her. That discomfort pushed her to look for flaws in Erik, to undermine the legitimacy of his leadership.

So far, Zoe had managed to keep that discomfort in her heart, but at times it seemed almost impossible to control. Apparently, nearly two hundred years of always being the most important person in the room—second only to her grandfather—weren't something that logic and reason could easily overcome.

(…Focus, Zoe. Don't let your mind get out of control. The best warriors are those who master their mind as well as their body.)

After a silent self-rebuke, Zoe took a deep breath and got into a fighting stance—after all, the tiger had started to move. At that moment, Erik took a step back and looked at Tiberius. The black wolf immediately understood his contractor's intentions and deactivated his concealment.

Sensing the sudden appearance of intruders, the tiger sprang to its feet and let out a powerful roar that made the air vibrate. Along with the roar, the tiger's fur stood on end, and at the tip of each hair, a small droplet of water condensed. With barely perceptible speed, all the water gathered and surged toward the young people like a destructive wave—almost like a miniature tsunami.

In that instant, Zoe made three hand signs with her left hand, which was still on the sheath of her katana, while her right hand gripped the handle tightly. As soon as she finished the signs, Zoe shot forward at an incredible speed, vanishing from sight for a moment. While Erik's eyes in the back widened a bit in surprise, the enormous wave was suddenly split in two, and at that moment, Zoe's melodious and calm voice rang out.

"Silent Tempest."

As the wave split, Erik and Frank were able to see what was on the other side, finding a fog filled with dew and half-condensed water droplets. Extending his hand forward, Frank conjured several spells, and air quickly gathered in front of his hand, forming a sphere of compressed air. At that moment, the young man announced in a calm voice.

"Expansive Pressure."

The sphere shot forward, piercing through the fog, then exploded in a powerful shockwave that instantly cleared the visibility. At that moment, Erik raised his right hand forward, holding one of his machetes, and a magic circle formed in front of him, from which a large number of arrows made of solidified Myst shot out. At the same time, Erik looked at Frank and asked curiously.

"Why say the name of the spell?"

"You don't use mental triggers, boss?" Frank asked back, a surprised expression on his face. "They're really useful for automating spells and speeding up casting. Plus, in group battles, they're used to communicate what you're doing to the rest of the team."

"Well, I read something about that once, but I didn't pay much attention." Erik replied as he turned to look forward. Fixing his gaze on the tiger ahead, he asked.
"So, should I say, 'Myst Arrows'?"

"…"

Frank fell silent as he looked at the massive tiger in front of them, which was now completely surrounded by a sort of armor made of swirling water. The strong currents of the water armor caused Erik's Myst arrows to deflect without touching it. In that instant, the tiger leaped, while three spheres of water formed around its head.

When the tiger rose to nearly four meters in height, the water spheres around it began to release thin, high-pressure streams of water, cutting through everything in their path. With a casual movement, Erik created a magic circle above himself and Frank, which conjured up a prismatic crystal barrier to protect them. With an uncertain voice, Erik commented, trying to search his memories.

"What was it called… 'Prism Aegis'? No, that was the name of the original light spell."

"Why not call it 'Prismatic Myst'?" Ebonique asked calmly from within Erik's hair.

"Sounds good. From now on, this spell is called 'Prismatic Myst'." Erik nodded in satisfaction, commenting as he watched the tiger's high-pressure water jets clash against the barrier, causing small fractures.

For his part, Frank watched, somewhat speechless, as the star-haired young man casually chatted with his contracted spirit, showing not the slightest hint of pressure or even seriousness. At that moment, Zoe's voice once again rang in their ears.

"Zero Pressure Abyss."

Sheathing her sword after a circular slash, Zoe—who was a few meters behind the tiger—announced calmly. Zoe's attack caused the air to collapse at a single point just beneath the tiger, creating a vacuum that sucked away much of the water armor protecting it. In that instant, Zoe gave a firm order.

"Attack."

"Boss, let's do a joint attack!" Frank quickly commented in a serious tone, stretching his hand forward to conjure several runes and announcing as he created a tornado of slicing wind that shot toward the tiger.

"Tempest Fang!"

"Fireball."

Watching Frank's tornado, Erik announced as he pointed at the tiger with his right machete. Several runes formed around his machete, conjuring a huge fireball that shot toward the tornado, aiming to combine and create a fire tornado. Soon, the fireball merged with the tornado and started to form a flaming whirlwind.

But after just a few moments, the fire began to consume the tornado, growing excessively large and distorting before collapsing in on itself. As a result, only a warm breeze reached the tiger—an outcome that somehow created an awkward silence, where even the tiger looked at the young mages with a skeptical expression.

"Dragonfly's Whisper."

With a sigh, Zoe performed three hand signs and announced. In that instant, the beautiful knight began to move around the area at an incredible speed, leaving behind multiple afterimages that looked like clones of herself, thoroughly confusing the tiger.

"Boss… How about you cast the spell first...?" Frank asked in an awkward tone as he watched Zoe's afterimages fill the area. Erik nodded and replied with some amusement.

"Looks like that's for the best."

The tiger, which was beginning to descend, started to recreate its water armor while simultaneously attacking Zoe's afterimages with high-pressure water jets. Each afterimage that was hit exploded into swirling counter-winds. At that moment, Erik raised his machete again and, conjuring new runes, created another fireball that shot toward the tiger.

"Fireball."

"Tempest Fang!"

Frank quickly conjured runes and launched a new tornado of slicing wind, which ended up engulfing the fireball. Unlike the first time, the fireball inside the tornado successfully ignited the air, creating a swirling tornado of cutting flames that struck the tiger head-on, creating a massive cloud of steam and bloody mist. At that instant, Zoe jumped and rose nearly three meters into the air.

While in the air, Zoe took a stance to draw her katana, simultaneously making four hand signs with her left hand. With an incredibly fast movement, Zoe drew her katana and sheathed it again, announcing in a calm voice.

"Tempest Guillotine."

With the sound of the guard striking the sheath, the steam split in two, revealing the tiger once more. The tiger was completely motionless, without its water armor and missing more than half of its fur, while the left side bore terrifying charred wounds.

As soon as Zoe landed on the ground, she began to walk casually toward Erik and Frank, turning her back on the tiger. As she approached, she commented in a calm voice while looking at Erik.

"We need to work a lot on those combined spells, Erik. I think you should ask Elara for some advice."

"I'll do that." Erik nodded calmly, just as the tiger's head detached from its body, falling to the ground while its neck gushed out huge amounts of blood.

"Should we take the tiger for dinner?" Frank asked as he looked at the dead tiger on the ground. Erik glanced at the tiger for a moment, then replied.

"It's pretty damaged. When we check on the basilisk, we can take another look—if it's still here, we'll take it; if not, we can find something else."

After the two young people nodded in agreement, Erik gave the order to move out, and they made their way toward the waterfall. Once they arrived, Zoe looked at the beautiful landscape with a serious expression, her hand tightly gripping the hilt of her katana. Meanwhile, Frank couldn't help but swallow nervously and awkwardly touch his neck.

"Well, let's go in." At that moment, Erik gave the order in a calm tone, then created a Myst platform beneath everyone as Tiberius once again covered them in shadow.

…

Arriving before the colossal sleeping beast, Zoe felt a shiver run through her body from head to toe. Clenching her fists tightly so they wouldn't tremble, Zoe took a deep breath and then looked at Erik. With casual movements, the star-haired young man approached the basilisk without fear and began recording observations in his notebook slowly and methodically, always making sure to show them every step he took.

Although Erik was making a great effort, Zoe, with such a monstrous creature in front of her, couldn't focus at all. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst, and her body was starting to be covered in a subtle layer of cold sweat. She, the great warrior, granddaughter and disciple of one of the strongest Master-levels in the galaxy, was afraid of a sleeping beast.

(How can this be?! I'm afraid?! Me, Zoe Laverne, am I afraid?!)

Feeling deeply ashamed, Zoe bit her tongue, trying to summon the courage to step forward and stand next to Erik, who was moving just a few meters from the basilisk without a care in the world. But, even as a metallic taste filled her mouth, Zoe couldn't move her feet; it was almost as if they were glued to the ground, unable to budge even a millimeter.

(Impossible! No matter what happens, even in the face of death, a warrior must step forward and protect what is important! I can't just stay here! No matter what, I can't allow myself that luxury!)

Now feeling more anger at herself than shame, Zoe clenched her teeth until they ground together, her face red with effort as she tried to force herself to take a step forward. She had to step up—even if it was just one step—or her pride wouldn't allow her to keep living the way she always had. But just at that moment, Zoe felt a gentle pressure on her shoulder, causing her to turn and look.

As she turned, Zoe found Erik looking at her with an expression somewhere between worried and solemn, almost as if he were silently asking if she was okay. Feeling a wave of embarrassment—knowing that Erik had seen such a pathetic side of her—Zoe wobbled a little, prompting Erik to steady her by holding her arm.

But instead of looking at Erik, Zoe looked down at her feet, realizing that, without meaning to, she had taken that step forward that only moments ago had seemed almost impossible.

At that moment, Zoe saw one of Erik's arms move behind her knees, as if he was about to lift her up, so she quickly turned and grabbed his shoulder. Zoe looked into Erik's green eyes with a serious expression and a determined light shining in her own, which seemed to reassure the star-haired young man. After looking at her a couple more times, as if to confirm she was alright, Erik walked over to Frank.

The young man stood completely still, not moving a single muscle, which made Zoe a bit worried. Standing in front of Frank, Erik placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle shake, then snapped his fingers softly in front of him. Coming back to himself a bit, Frank shook his head, then bowed deeply in apology.

Letting out a small sigh, Erik pointed toward the exit, indicating it was time to leave. With a serious expression, Zoe took a somewhat shaky step forward, then looked into Erik's eyes again, wanting to convey the words she couldn't say—not even with a sound transmission, since that might alert the basilisk and cause it to attack instinctively.

{Let's keep going.}

Glancing between the determined Zoe and Frank, who clenched his fists and looked at him with resolve, Erik let out a sigh. Taking his notebook once more, Erik stepped forward, but at that moment, he felt Zoe's hands on his arm. Turning to look at her, Erik saw her taking a step forward, a slightly curious expression on her face—a mix of disbelief and embarrassment.

Guessing that she just wanted to appear brave but was actually frozen with fear, Erik said nothing and simply approached the basilisk again to continue recording data. Zoe followed beside Erik, gripping his arm tightly, her gaze shifting between the basilisk and the star-haired young man. Meanwhile, Frank trailed a couple of meters behind them, still visibly terrified.

Though Zoe's grip on Erik's arm grew tighter and more intimate with every step they took closer to the basilisk, she continued to walk at his side with steady, solid steps. But even though her steps were firm, her mind was in complete chaos.

The young lady was experiencing, for the first time in her life, a mix of emotions and sensations that heated her body like an oven, even causing a slight and inconvenient dampness.

Meanwhile, very well hidden among Erik's hair, Ebonique watched Zoe clinging to her beloved contractor with an expression full of disgust. Although she could occasionally lend her Erik to Ignis's contractor, the maid, and that other woman with golden eyes, that was only because they had known him first and took care of him when she couldn't.

In other words, any other woman—especially a mere human—was not worthy of getting so close and familiar with her Erik. If it weren't for the aura of that bastard filling the whole place, she would have already taught that little girl a good lesson about respecting what belongs to others.

Burying herself even deeper in Erik's hair, full of frustration, Ebonique added another ten thousand years of torture to the punishment she planned to give that collector bastard when she had the chance.

…

After a while, Erik finally finished recording everything he needed, so he put his notebook away in the back of his pants and looked at his companions. While Frank was quite pale and completely covered in sweat, Zoe had a slight blush on her face, and her expression showed a hint of excitement—almost as if she had just gotten off a terrifying roller coaster.

Pointing toward the exit, Erik started walking toward the tunnel, so Zoe and Frank followed close behind, while Tiberius quickly leapt ahead to lead the way. Soon, the group passed through the waterfall again, which snapped Zoe out of her daze and brought her back to reality. Letting go of Erik's arm with her face completely red, Zoe coughed awkwardly a couple of times, stepped away, and commented in a strange voice.

"Sorry, Erik. I couldn't control myself and showed a pathetic side of me."

"Don't worry, it's only natural." Erik replied with a calm smile. "That basilisk is pretty terrifying."

"I felt like I was dying every time that thing breathed…" Frank said heavily, collapsing onto the Myst platform. Erik looked at the young man and said.

"Well, you almost did die the first time you saw it, so that's normal too." Looking ahead again, Erik added in a calm tone.

"For now, we've accomplished our goal. In the afternoon we'll see if you really can't adapt to the fear and need to look for other options. For now, let's go make a cauldron."

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After leaving the river behind, Erik led the others through the jungle, returning to the place where they had killed the tiger. But since they couldn't find it, the group went straight back to the camp. There they found Elara sitting calmly on one of the logs around an extinguished campfire. The girl was weaving a bamboo basket with slow, measured movements—undeniably practiced. That sight brought a small smile to Erik's face, and as he approached, he greeted her in a warm tone.

"Hello again, Elara."

"Welcome back, guys. How did it go?" Elara replied with a smile as she stood up and set the half-woven basket aside.

"We weren't much help, but Erik managed to record the data." Zoe replied with a sigh of self-reproach. Erik commented as he took the notebook from behind his pants.

"It was only the first time, and you didn't know what you were doing. Now you can focus on reviewing what I wrote down, and I'll answer your questions while I work on creating true copper."

Zoe quickly took the improvised notebook and began reading it carefully along with Frank. Meanwhile, Erik retrieved the chalk and the copper and iron ingots he had prepared earlier, along with the falamite slag and an unused clay crucible. Once he was in front of the furnace, Erik checked it to make sure there was no damage.

"Elara, I'm going to need you to heat the furnace to about 1100 degrees." After confirming that the furnace was in perfect condition, Erik looked at Elara, who was nearby, and asked in a calm tone.

"You got it." Elara replied with a smile, then went to get the charcoal.

Meanwhile, Erik approached a nearby stone table where he had left the ingots and began doing some calculations on a separate sheet of paper. By the time the sheet was filled with densely written mathematical formulas, Erik nodded in satisfaction and quickly started drawing a magic circle with the magic chalk, following the calculations he had made.

"What are you doing?" Ebonique asked curiously as she watched Erik draw the magic circle. The star-haired young man explained in a calm tone.

"A transmutation circle for working iron. I need it to have a very specific composition and structure, and the 'easiest' way to do that is through transmutation."

"How does that work?" Elara, who had just finished lighting the furnace, asked as she looked at the magic circle.

"Well, transmutation is essentially about controlling matter at the atomic level. But it's complex, limited, and energetically expensive, so it's more of an academic curiosity than something truly practical. It's just that, in our current situation, without equipment or tools, it turns out to be the most precise and 'easy' method to use."

Curious, Elara glanced at the formulas Erik had written on the paper, but just by looking at them, she felt a slight dizziness. Although she was a rather talented mathematician—since math was an essential part of Sacred Geometry—what Erik had written on that sheet were formulas that were too abstract, almost esoteric.

"I feel like I've gone back in time…" Elara muttered quietly, massaging her head a little uncomfortably. "I haven't felt like this since I once looked at the formulas my master was working on when I was little, just out of curiosity…"

"Haha, it's not that bad." Erik replied, amused, as he made a small adjustment to the magic circle. Rolling her eyes, Elara commented as she turned to look at the furnace.

"The furnace is ready. Do you need me to do anything?"

"Could you put some copper ingots in the crucible and melt them?" Erik asked without looking up, fully focused on the magic circle. Elara nodded and took the ingots from the table before heading to the furnace.

"Leave it to me."

"Do you need me to help you with this 'transmutation'?" After Elara left, Ebonique asked, still watching the magic circle with curiosity.

"Yes, but your turn comes later." Erik replied without looking up. "The transmutation circle needs to be adjusted very precisely, so we have to run several tests."

"That's fine." Ebonique replied as she landed on the table to get a better look at how Erik worked, one of the activities she had enjoyed the most in recent years.

…

Once the runic-geometric circle was finished, Erik cut an iron ingot into several pieces with magic edge. Ebonique took one of the pieces of iron and placed it in the magic circle, then activated it by sending it mana. But unfortunately, the magic circle only glowed faintly before going out without doing anything.

Seeing the failure, Erik could only sigh a little and quickly grabbed a large stack of papers, on which he began making all kinds of calculations that he then used to make small modifications to the circle.

Meanwhile, seeing how busy Erik was, Zoe and Frank decided not to bother him with questions and instead started discussing with each other what they didn't understand, trying to come up with a solution.

…

"Mmm, Erik, the copper has already melted." After about an hour, Elara approached Erik and asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable about interrupting him.

"Already?" Erik asked, a little surprised, since he didn't feel like that much time had passed. But the star-haired young man quickly recovered and spoke in a calm tone.

"Then slowly add the falamite slag. The ratio should be about 85% copper and 15% slag."

"Understood." Elara nodded and quickly took the falamite slag, which looked like a strange crystallized metal.

Doing some mental calculations about the timing, Erik made a note on one of the sheets, then went back to working on the transmutation circle. Some time after, Erik began making another adjustment to the circle, and when he finished, he looked at Ebonique beside him and commented calmly.

"Try it again."

"On it." Ebonique replied casually, and after placing the piece of iron back in the center of the magic circle, she activated it.

Unlike the previous times, this time the iron underwent a change. The piece of iron ingot began to melt, then took the shape of a puck with a bluish-gray color. Additionally, the puck reflected subtle, ghostly geometric patterns in the sunlight, as if it were made from a perfectly crystalline network.

"Did we do it?" Ebonique looked at Erik and asked, barely containing her excitement. Erik nodded as a satisfied smile formed on his face.

"We did it."

"You're the best, hahaha." Ebonique said cheerfully as she wrapped herself around Erik's neck. The star-haired boy replied in a casual, though clearly happy, tone.

"It's not a big deal, just a bit of luck, really. The complexity of transmutation mainly comes from the fact that the magic circle needs the composition of the ingot and the relative distribution of its particles as variables. Getting them right through pure trial and error takes luck—otherwise, we could be at this for days."

"What's this called?" At that moment, Elara asked from the side, full of curiosity. Erik replied with a smile.

"Its real name is 'ultrapure iron with face-centered cubic structure,' but it's usually called 'stabilized austenitic iron.' It's the second ingredient for the alloy needed for the cauldron."

"Do we need more ingredients?" Elara asked, her eyes shining. Erik shook his head and explained with a smile.

"No, just two. True copper and austenitic iron in a 60-40 ratio."

"What do we have to do?!" Elara asked, full of excitement, almost like a little kid. Erik smiled, amused, and explained.

"Not much, we just have to refine the true copper, then add it to the austenitic iron, and the refining circle will do the rest for us."

"What should I do?" Elara asked eagerly, clenching her fists tightly. Erik looked at the transmutation circle and replied in a calm tone.

"Now I'm going to draw another runic-geometric refining circle, which you'll use to refine the true copper a few times, always keeping the temperature steady. But you can't use mana, so you'll have to make several trips between the furnace and the table."

"Let us help you, Elara." At that moment, Zoe's voice sounded from behind, causing Elara to turn to look at her. Next to Zoe was Frank, who was carefully holding the notebook Erik had given them.

"Do you have any questions about the data?" Erik asked as he looked at Frank and Zoe. Zoe replied with a small smile.

"A few. But let's finish this first—questions can come later."

"Okay." Erik nodded calmly, then looked at Frank. "Frank, put the notebook in the 'storage room.' It's very important data, and we're playing with fire here."

"Understood, boss."

Frank responded quickly, then ran off to the storage room. Meanwhile, Erik looked at Ebonique and commented calmly as he took another piece of chalk, since the one he was using was almost finished.

"Ebonique, bring another stone."

"On it." Ebonique replied calmly as she grew in size and flew off toward a rock.

Once Ebonique brought the stone/table, Erik drew two runic-geometric refining circles on it while explaining the refining process to the others, then went back to working with Ebonique on the iron. But although they managed to successfully transmute several ingots, with a good number of them nothing happened. Their composition differed just enough that the circle wasn't effective.

Meanwhile, Elara, Zoe, and Frank focused on refining the True Copper. Elara was in charge of the fire and collecting the slag that floated up after each refinement, while Zoe was responsible for carrying the crucible to the table where Frank would activate one of the refining circles. After repeating the process about six times, the group noticed that no more slag was floating to the top, so Elara looked at Erik and said.

"Erik, there's no more slag coming up."

"Perfect, now put it in the second circle and refine it three times." Erik said as he drew a new circle on his table. "But be careful, it might bubble and splash a little."

"Understood." Frank, who was in charge of activating the circles, quickly nodded with a serious tone.

While Elara, Zoe, and Frank's group moved on to the second phase of refining, Erik focused on the second circle he was drawing until he finally finished. At that moment, Erik turned to look at Ebonique, who was watching the circle with curiosity.

"Could you bring the large crucible we made last night, Ebonique?"

"Are we going to make the alloy?" Ebonique asked, full of curiosity. Erik nodded and replied with a small smile.

"Yes, and it's a pretty interesting process."

"I'll be right back!" Ebonique said, visibly excited, and flew at full speed to the storage room to get the crucible, returning a moment later holding a crucible twice the size of the one Elara's group was using.

"Thanks." Erik thanked her as he placed the variously sized iron pucks into the crucible. Ebonique quickly started helping and asked with curiosity.

"Are we going to use the other furnace?"

"No, we won't need a furnace—just a lot of mana." Erik replied calmly as he placed the crucible with the iron pucks in the center of the magic circle he had drawn on the table. Ebonique quickly declared, full of confidence.

"Leave the mana part to me!"

"Of course." Erik replied with a smile, pointing to the magic circle beneath the crucible. Ebonique quickly placed one of her claws on the circle and sent mana into it, activating it.

As the circle glowed softly, Ebonique focused her gaze on the iron, wanting to see what was so interesting about the process. Meanwhile, Erik walked over to Frank's table, where they had just started the third refinement. Watching the molten metal gently bubble as Frank smartly activated the magic circle from a distance, Erik nodded in satisfaction.

"This is looking pretty good. It seems like we can keep going and finish the 'Ferrux' today."

"That's the name of the alloy for the cauldron?" Elara asked with curiosity. Erik nodded and explained,

"Yes, it's an excellent alloy for making magical cauldrons. My first cauldron was made from it."

"You're really impressive for being able to do something like this under these circumstances…" Zoe commented, full of respect for a true genius.

"Although what surprises me more is that you need such 'common' things to create something used for the first cauldron of the first disciple of the greatest alchemist of the Arcane Order…" Frank commented, still a little shocked. Erik couldn't help but laugh and replied.

"You're good at giving compliments. I'm sure my master would like you, hahaha." After laughing for a moment while Frank looked embarrassed, Erik explained cheerfully.

"And it's not that big a deal. My first cauldron was really basic and nothing special." After another small laugh, Erik looked at the crucible one last time, then turned to Elara and spoke in a calmer voice.

"Now that the true copper is ready, I need you to raise its temperature to about 1150 degrees, Elara."

"Leave it to me."

Elara nodded, then looked at Zoe, who, after nodding back, quickly took the cauldron with bamboo tongs and brought it to the furnace. At that moment, Ebonique announced with a voice full of interest.

"Erik, this has started to melt."

"Perfect." Erik quickly approached the large crucible, and after seeing that the iron pucks were starting to melt as if they were ice, he nodded in satisfaction.

While Ebonique watched curiously as the iron melted, Erik began to draw a new runic-geometric circle on the table. Just as Erik finished drawing the circle, Elara announced in a sing-song voice.

"The copper is ready, Erik."

Erik quickly looked at the large crucible, and seeing that it was almost completely melted, he looked at Elara and ordered calmly.

"Bring it."

Hearing Erik, Zoe quickly took the bamboo tongs and brought the crucible over. When Zoe arrived with the crucible, Erik gave a calm order as he looked at the beautiful knight.

"Pour it in slowly."

After nodding, Zoe began to pour the true copper into the new crucible, while Frank, Elara, and Ebonique watched from the sides, full of excitement and curiosity. Soon, the true copper was completely poured into the crucible, forming a strange mixture that looked like a lava lamp, with the red-hot copper and the liquid iron swirling together in a strange way.

"Increase the mana output, Ebonique." At that moment, Erik ordered calmly as he watched the liquid closely.

Ebonique quickly followed his instructions, causing the movement of the liquid to intensify. After a few seconds, Erik stood in front of the second circle and activated it, making it emit a subtle glow, and then he gave another order.

"Zoe, now move the large crucible to this circle."

Zoe quickly nodded, took the new crucible with the bamboo tongs, and placed it in the center of the second circle. The others quickly gathered around, watching with curiosity, which allowed them to see how the liquid began to lose its movement and somehow started to arrange and interlace itself. After about three minutes, Erik calmly ordered.

"Take it back to the fire. We need the molds."

"I'll get them!" Frank quickly announced before running off to the storage room. Meanwhile, Erik turned to Elara and spoke in a serious tone.

"Elara, I need you to heat the molds to about 600 degrees."

"Leave it to me." While controlling the temperature of the furnace, Elara announced confidently. Erik nodded and replied in a calm voice.

"Alright, we'll repeat the process three more times and pour the Ferrux into the cauldron mold, and whatever's left goes into the stone molds."

…

Following Erik's instructions, the group of young people refined the Ferrux and carefully poured it into the molds after Elara preheated them. Meanwhile, Erik drew a new runic-geometric refining circle, something Ebonique watched with great interest. Erik finished drawing the magic circle at about the same time the others poured the Ferrux into the concave mold he had prepared for the cauldron.

After covering the mold with a custom clay lid made with his phantom hands, Erik secured it using some heat-resistant vines. Immediately after, Erik placed a kind of wooden base with clay rollers in the center of the refining circle, and on top of that, he set the mold on its side. After rotating the mold a couple of times, Erik looked at Ebonique, who was on the table, and commented with a smile.

"Ebonique, your job now will be to keep the mold spinning steadily—we need the material to distribute and cool evenly. I'll take care of activating the refining circle."

"Leave it to me!"

The dragoness quickly replied, full of enthusiasm, as she grew in size and began using her claws to spin the mold on the rollers at a steady speed. Erik nodded in satisfaction, then activated the refining circle. Meanwhile, the others gathered to the side, watching the process with interest and anticipation, but in complete silence, not wanting to distract Erik.

For his part, Erik closed his eyes and focused completely on the refining circle, at the same time commanding the surrounding Myst to gather around the circle and the Ferrux inside the mold. After about twenty minutes, Erik opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief, then wiped away the sweat that had gathered on his brow.

"You can stop now, Ebonique." Erik said in a somewhat tired and pained voice. The dragoness quickly let go of the mold, then wrapped herself protectively around Erik and asked, full of concern.

"Why didn't you tell me you had to use so much mana? Your meridians are really strained."

"It's not that bad; I just need a little rest." Erik replied calmly, which made Ebonique snort in annoyance. At that moment, the others approached Erik with worried expressions.

"Are you alright, Erik?" Elara asked, visibly concerned. Zoe immediately added in a somewhat guilty voice.

"Do you need us to bring you anything?"

"Boss, do you want me to go get some medicine from Lirio?" Frank also asked in a serious voice. Erik waved his hand dismissively and said.

"Ebonique's just exaggerating; it's not that bad. It just took more effort than I expected to create enough channels in the cauldron's internal structure to make it more 'manual.' But since if the cauldron is too complex the golden chains can appear, it was something necessary."

"I understand…" Zoe said in a quiet voice, full of complex emotions. "But for now, rest, Erik. You pushed yourself too hard."

"I'll rest later. First, let's break the mold." Erik said with a smile, sparking everyone's curiosity. Elara commented with contained excitement.

"I'll do it."

After taking a deep breath, Elara stepped up to the mold and lifted it off the base with rollers, then began to break it open with her right fist as if it were a hammer, soon revealing the half-finished cauldron.

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Once Elara removed all the pieces of the clay mold, everyone could see the cauldron. The cauldron looked like a large pot made of dark metallic gray, with bright orange lines running across its entire surface. Upon seeing the cauldron, Elara couldn't contain her excitement, and tears began to fill her eyes, while Frank looked at it with eyes full of hope and happiness.

For her part, Zoe stared at the cauldron for a few seconds, but her gaze soon focused on Erik, who still had the dragoness wrapped around him and was examining the cauldron with a critical eye. She had always found him attractive, but talking about him with Elara and Liliana had always been more of a game; she had never taken it seriously.

But now, he seemed to possess a charm that drew her in as if he were a magnet. This made her discover a whole new range of emotions, while powerful sensations and desires swirled inside her, so intense that they even frightened her. But what scared her wasn't the sensations themselves, but rather what she might end up doing if her willpower faltered—and the consequences that would follow.

"Well, even though it's a bit rough, it's not bad at all. It's still useful. Let's work on the runes." Erik suddenly commented, pulling everyone out of their reverie. Ebonique quickly spoke up in a serious tone.

"None of that. You need to rest."

"That's true, Erik. You need to rest." Elara quickly added, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Zoe coughed a couple of times to steady her erratic emotions before adding seriously.

"I'll go hunt something, Frank will look for fruit with Lirio, and Elara will take care of cooking. We can continue with the cauldron after you've eaten something."

"I'll go look for fruit."

Frank quickly said as he picked Lirio up in his arms. Erik glanced behind him, where the wolves were playing with each other near Hiyori, who was lying down but alert to her surroundings, and he gave an order in a calm tone.

"Kaiser, go with Frank."

After a couple of affirmative barks, Kaiser grew from his puppy form to about two meters tall, then ran to Frank's side. The young student quickly bowed and then walked toward the forest. Meanwhile, Tiberius ran over to Erik and jumped up to settle on his shoulder.

"Then I'll go start the fire." Elara said with a small smile, looking at Erik with admiration and warmth. Zoe placed her left hand on the hilt of her katana and said in a calm tone.

"I'll go with Hiyori-sama, I'll be right back."

After a quick farewell, Elara and Zoe left, so Ebonique quickly moved away from Erik and then grew in size. After that, Ebonique lay down on the ground and arranged her huge body to create a sort of bed for Erik, then spoke in a calm but firm voice.

"Rest with me for a while."

Somewhat amused, Erik jumped and landed on Ebonique, closing his eyes just as a massive amount of Myst gathered around him, then flowed into his mana circuit. Meanwhile, Ebonique watched Erik in silence, her eyes deep and thoughtful, almost like those of a world-weary sage, as Erik drifted completely into sleep.

…

…

…

After a while, Erik returned from the world of dreams, drawn back by a delicious smell. After rubbing his eyes a couple of times, he sat up and looked around, seeing Zoe, Elara, and Frank finishing up the preparations for a huge feast of meat and some fruit. With a small smile, Erik stretched lazily, just as he heard Ebonique's voice.

"Did you rest well?"

"Quite a bit; you turned out to be surprisingly comfortable. I should sleep on you more often." Erik replied, a bit amused. Ebonique answered in a cheerful, sing-song voice.

"I'll let you do it as many times as you want, but you should be grateful. That's a luxury only you can afford."

"Thank you for the great honor, your excellency Ebonique."

Erik replied playfully as he began to channel a large amount of mana to Ebonique, since his mana circulatory system had fully recovered. The dragoness soon responded in a visibly pleased tone, while the wolves jumped up to start licking Erik's face.

"Fufu, it's good that you know that."

"Are you awake already, Erik?" At that moment, Elara asked in a cheerful, sing-song voice. Erik grabbed the wolves and jumped down to the ground as he answered.

"Yes, it smelled so delicious I couldn't keep sleeping."

"Then come eat; we just finished." Zoe added with a smile, holding a huge wooden plate with big pieces of meat and fruit, carefully cut and arranged as if it were a gourmet dish.

"Then let me delight in your cooking." Erik replied happily as he sat on a log in front of a stone table.

"Eat as much as you want; we made plenty."

Elara replied after a small, cheerful giggle, as she placed a wooden cup on the table, pouring from a large bamboo container what seemed to be fruit juice with ice. Immediately after, Elara offered the cup to Erik, who took it while asking curiously.

"How did you make this?"

"Elara knows spells to make ice, Frank found the fruit and some honey, and I worked as the blender." Zoe said calmly as she placed huge plates full of food on the table. Feeling a bit moved, Erik looked at the smiling young people in front of him and said with a smile.

"Thank you, guys."

"There's nothing to thank us for—we're a team."

Elara replied with a big smile. Frank and Zoe quickly nodded, both with huge smiles on their faces. Erik smiled contentedly, and pointing to the seats beside him at the table, he said.

"Then let's eat."

…
…
…

In the middle of an arid desert, a brutal explosion of fire and lightning devastated the horizon. The blast unleashed a shockwave that triggered a sandstorm, causing both small and large animals in the area to scatter in a desperate attempt to save their lives, leaving the place in complete silence.

After some time, a beautiful woman with blue hair, dressed in a sexy armor that almost looked like an erotic garter, suddenly materialized on the sand. The beauty soon collapsed to her knees, looking exhausted and on the verge of collapse, her breathing heavy and ragged. After a few seconds, the beautiful woman clenched her teeth and managed to stand up, then continued onward with slow, dragging steps.

"Who would have thought this trinket would end up saving my life…"

Looking once more at the iridescent necklace with a pendant that looked like a miniature potion bottle, Christine murmured to herself between weary gasps, recalling the hell she had just endured. Even though she had tried different methods to keep her entourage with her, in the end nothing worked, and she ended up appearing alone inside a half-collapsed stone house.

But the worst part was that, as if misfortune itself were toying with her, no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find a single one of her followers anywhere nearby. But things only got worse, because soon after, those golden chains appeared, rendering all her magical artifacts useless—except one. Although, well, it was hard to even call that a magical artifact.

The necklace was actually an artifact she had crafted herself in her early years, and it only had one very basic function: to store the last gift she'd received from a certain despicable man—a potion. Ironically, that necklace, which she only carried as a reminder to never trust any man, ended up being the thing that saved her life.

After her artifacts stopped working, Christine ran with all her strength toward the closest entrance to the garden she could remember. But there, she found only a fierce battle between some young members of the Boreal League and what appeared to be demonic cultivators—practitioners of the Zazen discipline who even resorted to cannibalism in search of power.

Knowing that getting involved would only result in her death, Christine had no choice but to retreat, looking for an opportunity to either win over one of the young men from the Boreal League or slip through the chaos. But to her misfortune, something appeared there that should never have been in the ruin—an Illuminated-level mage.

With discouraging speed, the mage decimated most of the young members of the Boreal League and even managed to find her, forcing her to run for her life. But running was pointless, so she quickly searched herself for anything that could save her and ended up finding her necklace.

With nothing better to trust in, Christine removed the tiny cork from the bottle pendant and drank its contents—a potion more than 80 years old. Although the potion was barely drinkable, it actually worked, hiding her completely and saving her from the Illuminated-level mage's pursuit. But the man didn't seem willing to let her go.

The mage sent the demonic cultivators to look for her, and they began using all kinds of wide-area spells and different methods to find her, forcing her to run with all her strength. But since the potion was so old and had never been stored properly, Christine feared its effects would wear off early, so she had no choice but to try sneaking into the entrance. After all, without food, she would die anyway.

Although she finally managed to slip through the entrance, she ended up having to open the stone doors there and start running for her life. Obviously, as soon as she opened the door, everyone was alerted and began to chase her, but thanks to the potion's potency, they couldn't find her.

However, that Illuminated-level mage didn't stay idle; as soon as he entered the desert, he started casting spells everywhere, which once again forced her to run for her life, leaving her completely exhausted.

…

"Damn it!! I'm starving!!"

After traveling several hundred kilometers, Christine couldn't help but curse in anger as she kicked the sand, though her voice sounded weak and powerless. She had been running nonstop, taken a spoiled potion, and used spells continuously to try to speed up her escape as much as possible.

All that effort had left her completely exhausted, to the point where she felt her consciousness beginning to fade. But no matter how far she ran, the desert seemed endless, which was slowly eating away at her hopes of survival.

Conjuring a few runes, Christine gathered what little moisture was in the air, managing to form a small sphere of water—barely a mouthful—which she placed in her mouth and swallowed slowly. After resting for a few minutes, Christine began moving forward again, her expression dark and increasingly desperate.

"I need to find someone strong from the Order… Preferably a man… I can't go on like this…" As she struggled forward, Christine murmured to herself, just as she spotted a group of human figures in the distance—one of whom looked quite familiar to her.

…
…
…

After eating, Erik went once again to record data on the basilisk with Zoe and Frank, who still seemed terrified. Especially Zoe, who was clutching one of his arms as if she wanted to fuse it with her body. But since it was their second experience, the young people seemed able to stay rational enough to follow him and pay attention to his every move.

…

"Welcome back. How did it go?"

When they returned to camp, Elara greeted them with a small smile. Erik smiled calmly and replied as he walked over to the half-finished cauldron resting on a stone table.

"Pretty well. I didn't notice any changes in the basilisk, though I'll go over the notes more thoroughly tonight to be sure."

Upon hearing Erik, Elara let out a small sigh of relief. Although it was still too soon to determine anything for certain, the fact that there were no noticeable changes in the basilisk was still good news. At the very least, it meant its awakening wouldn't happen suddenly.

"Erik, do you need us to help with the cauldron, or should we go explore a bit?" At that moment, Zoe asked in a calm voice, as if she hadn't just been desperately clinging to Erik's arm moments before.

"I don't really need much help with the cauldron right now, but I also haven't had time to figure out the properties of the ingredient for the bio-mystic technique's potion. So for now, you can start preparing non-perishable rations."

Erik replied calmly as he examined the cauldron carefully. After nodding in satisfaction at the cauldron's condition, Erik looked at his companions and explained in a calm voice.

"Among the things you brought, there were various dried fruits, seeds, and some edible mushrooms and roots, which I separated and classified. You can look for more, using Lirio to guide you, or you can also hunt some animals and smoke their meat. I'll leave the decision to you, but if you're going out, take one of the wolves with you."

"Understood, leave it to us." Zoe quickly nodded seriously, then looked at Frank, who did the same. At that moment, Elara asked seriously.

"Do you need me here for anything, or should I go with them to look for supplies?"

"You can go with them. I'll stay here with Ebonique and one of the wolves." Erik replied calmly. The others nodded quickly, then left with Tiberius, while Kaiser ran over to lie down near Erik's feet, wagging his tail rhythmically.

...

"Are you going to carve the runes now?"

After the others left with Hiyori, the fox spirit, Ebonique asked as she looked at the cauldron, a hint of pride shining in her eyes. She had contributed to its creation, and that made her feel a special affection for that piece of metal. For his part, Erik nodded and began drawing a new refinement circle on the table.

"Yes, and since we don't have any tools or materials, we're going to have to improvise quite a bit."

Once he finished with the refinement circle, Erik walked over to the storage area, where he grabbed the refined falamite, some leftover falamite slag, a bit of raw iron, and a few copper ingots. After gathering everything he needed, Erik took a huge bear fang, which he had set aside specifically when he dismantled the Graynebula.

"Well, Ebonique, your job will be to make small 'wires' out of the falamite and copper ingots and to prepare some iron powder and falamite slag powder."

When he returned to the table, Erik set everything down and spoke while looking at Ebonique, who was flying beside him. The dragoness quickly nodded and replied with confidence.

"Leave it to me."

…

While Ebonique used her powerful claws to cut, scrape, and flatten the metal, Erik activated the refinement circle. Immediately after, Erik took the Graynebula fang and carefully carved just seven runes in different parts of the cauldron, keeping it as simple as possible.

After a while, Erik finished carving the runes and turned to look at Ebonique by his side, who already had the wires and metal powder ready and perfectly separated.

"You're very efficient." Erik took a wire of refined falamite and commented with a smile. Ebonique smiled confidently and replied.

"Of course, you're talking to the great Ebonique Nox. This is nothing."

"You're the best." Erik said with a smile, then passed some mana to the dragoness and then to Kaiser, who had lain down near his legs and started whining out of jealousy.

While the satisfied Ebonique lay down on his head in her small form, Erik began using the copper and falamite wires to fill different parts of the runes, finishing the job with some iron powder or slag. Conjuring electric arcs with runes, Erik melted and secured everything in place. Once everything was done, Erik lit a campfire and melted some Glowsap resin.

Using the liquid resin, Erik coated both the inside and outside of the cauldron, then set it out to dry in the sun on a stick. Afterwards, the star-haired boy began drawing a complex runic-geomantic refinement circle on a stone slab while commenting in a calm voice.

"Ebonique, light the fire pit we used to prepare the potion ingredients. We're on the final step."

"On it!" Ebonique replied quickly, then flew off Erik's head in search of some charcoal.

Once the circle was ready, Erik replaced the stone slab in one of the holes with two openings that made up the " fire pit," then placed the cauldron on top of it. After that, Erik poured a couple of liters of water into the cauldron, along with almost a full glass of water containing traces of Zaryonite, and let it come to a boil, something Ebonique watched with great interest.

At that moment, Hiyori, Elara, Zoe, and Frank returned carrying a bear, what looked like a 6-meter-long capybara, and a bluish deer, as well as bamboo baskets full of dried fruit. Seeing the cauldron with runes carved into it and boiling water inside, Elara couldn't help but ask, full of excitement.

"Did you finish the cauldron?"

"You actually arrived at just the right moment. I'm about to add the final touch and test it out." Erik said, shaking his head and explaining with a smile.

The young people's eyes lit up at Erik's words, and even a hint of interest crept into Hiyori's eyes. Quickly, Elara, Zoe, and Frank ran to unload what they were carrying, then stood a few meters from the cauldron, not wanting to interrupt the process. Erik smiled, amused, and commented after a few seconds.

"Well, it's the moment of truth."

Under the attentive gaze of everyone present, Erik activated the refinement circle on the stone slab, causing it to glow softly. Meanwhile, the others watched with full concentration, their hearts pounding and their palms sweating, filled with anticipation and nervousness.

Success in creating the cauldron would not only give them the ability to make potions—which would greatly increase their chances of survival—but it would also help them understand those terrifying golden chains a bit better. It would open up the possibility of crafting weapons and equipment, something they needed just as urgently as the potions.

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Containing their excitement as best they could, Zoe, Elara, and Frank watched as the magic circle glowed on the stone slab, and after a few seconds, the outer layer of resin on the cauldron began to slowly disappear. The moment the resin was completely gone and the water inside had just started to boil, Erik commented as he watched the cauldron closely.

"Now I'm going to activate it."

Erik's announcement prompted a chorus of nervous gulping sounds, not just from the young ones—even Ebonique couldn't help herself. With a serious expression, Erik took his quartz pendulum and extended his hand toward the cauldron, then sent his mana to activate it. Soon, the quartz pendulum began to move unnaturally.

Ebonique and the young people looked at Erik in confusion, unsure if this was good or bad, but when a smile appeared on the young man's face, everyone clenched their fists in anticipation. As Erik looked around, Elara gathered her courage and asked, her voice trembling with hope as she gazed at the star-haired young man.

"Erik… did it work?"

"Yes, it worked." Erik turned to look at the young people and replied with a smile. "The cauldron is able to confine the mana and control its flow. Although I haven't tested the pH regulation functions yet, since the thermal zones function works, we can call it a success."

The moment Erik finished speaking, Elara, unable to control the avalanche of emotions overwhelming her, threw herself into Erik's arms. Surprised, Erik caught Elara and stepped a little away from the cauldron, but before he could say anything, Zoe came up to him and hugged him too, while Ebonique wrapped herself around his neck.

"You're the best in the world!!"

Ebonique exclaimed, full of excitement, her purple eyes shining brightly. But when she noticed that Zoe and Elara had nestled into Erik's arms like a pair of hussies, her expression quickly soured, and she spoke in an almost murderous tone.

"Just because my Erik is the most exceptional of all doesn't mean you can touch him whenever you want. Back off!"

Because of Ebonique's shout, Elara and Zoe were pushed back a few steps, looking both surprised and embarrassed. At that moment, Erik began stroking Ebonique's chin and spoke in a calm, soothing voice.

"There's no need to get angry, Ebonique. The girls were just excited."

"Hmph, I don't care. I don't want some hussies contaminating you." Ebonique quickly looked away and replied indignantly. Erik began to stroke the dragoness's head and sent her mana as he spoke in a more serious tone.

"Don't insult people for no reason. Zoe and Elara were just excited, that's all."

"But…" Ebonique looked at Erik and replied with a sad, slightly resentful voice. Erik looked the dragoness directly in the eyes and said in a serious, firm tone.

"No buts. Zoe and Elara are my teammates, and they deserve respect. This time, you're the one in the wrong, and that's the end of this conversation."

After being 'scolded' by her Erik, Ebonique quickly shrank down and hid in his hair, full of sadness and anger. But her anger wasn't directed at Erik; it was at those two shameless hussies who threw themselves at her one and only exceptional Erik. As Ebonique glared venomously at Elara and Zoe, Erik spoke with a calm expression.

"Sorry about Ebonique. She's very spoiled and sometimes goes overboard."

"Actually, we were the ones who acted disrespectfully…"

While the fox spirit looked at Erik filled with terror and disbelief, Elara quickly replied, a soft blush on her cheeks. Zoe immediately bowed and apologized, her face even redder than Elara's.

"I sincerely apologize, Erik. I need more training and self-control."

"Don't take it so seriously." Erik said, a little amused as he watched Frank 'dance' with Lirio, a huge smile on his face. Wanting to move past the awkward moment, Erik quickly added in a calm tone.

"Well, now that we have a cauldron, we need to break it in. It's time to prepare the potion."

"Boss, should I bring the ingredients you prepared earlier?!" Frank quickly asked, his eyes shining. Erik nodded and said.

"I'll leave it to you, Frank. And bring the stirrer I made last time, along with the other things that go with it."

"On it!" Frank responded quickly and dashed off to the 'storeroom'. At that moment, Elara looked at Erik and asked in a serious tone.

"Do you need us to help with anything?"

"Not really." Erik shook his head and then turned to look at the beautiful girls. "For now, you can finish preparing and organizing the rations. I'll take care of the potion."

"Alright." Elara replied in a serious tone and quickly went to the back with Zoe.

Meanwhile, Hiyori looked at Erik and at Ebonique, who was hiding amid his hair, filled with disbelief, all her fur standing on end. For a moment, the fox spirit believed they were all going to die—no one, nothing, could speak so arrogantly to an Eternal and live to tell the tale.

But there he was, the star-haired young man, smiling casually after 'scolding' one of the most dangerous Eternals as if he were a superior, acting as if nothing had happened. As a jolt ran through her entire body, Hiyori slowly stepped away from the young man, her respect for him increasing by several orders of magnitude. She was now more aware than ever that if a single hair on his head were harmed, literal rivers of blood would flow across all dimensions.

...

Once Frank handed him all the pre-treated ingredients and the stirrer, Erik set them on a table, leaving the stirrer inside the cauldron with boiling water. While the water boiled, Erik placed the Auravida resin in a corner of the hot slab—it was in a bamboo-sealed container.

After about 10 minutes, Erik removed the cauldron from the hot stone slab and poured out the water. Using a magic chalk, Erik drew a runic-geomantic refining circle on a new stone slab, which he placed over the hole where the fire was. Immediately afterward, Erik put the empty cauldron with the stirrer on the slab and filled it with the potion base—the water he had prepared earlier with SARI and water with traces of Zaryonite.

Activating the refining circle on the slab, Erik took the quartz pendulum and let it hang over the cauldron. The pendulum began to move slowly and steadily, which made Erik nod in approval. He then quickly grabbed the bamboo container where he had left the Mycelis mushroom soaking in base water, while simultaneously conjuring 16 runes around the cauldron, each emitting a greenish light.

Using a carved wooden spoon, Erik measured out and dropped the Mycelis suspension into the cauldron. Then he began to stir clockwise with the whisk while sending his mana in steady, fixed pulses, both through the stirrer and through the runes surrounding the cauldron. The mana from the runes traveled through the cauldron via the channels he had deliberately created.

After a minute, Erik added another spoonful of the Mycelis suspension and stirred again for the same amount of time before adding another spoonful. After repeating the process two more times, the base water took on a striking violet color. At that moment, Erik once again took his quartz pendulum and let it hang over the cauldron to analyze its fluctuations.

Once he confirmed that everything was fine, Erik took the container with the Auravida resin and used a new spoon, filling it halfway with the warm liquid resin. After adding nine half-spoonfuls of resin to the cauldron, Erik began stirring the mixture counterclockwise while activating the cauldron's sectorial heat control functions, which he managed manually using the channels he had created in the cauldron.

After about two minutes, the mixture began to form fine bubbles, and its color started to shift to indigo. At that moment, Erik took the container with the Vidrena root gel and let it fall into the potion, creating a thin but continuous stream in the center. After adding about 75 ml, Erik activated the cauldron's pH control function while stirring clockwise and reducing the amount of mana in the pulses to a third.

After about 30 seconds, the mixture began to thicken slightly, releasing a faint earthy smell. Erik checked the simple pH meter integrated into the cauldron's runes, which showed a soft bluish-green light, letting him know that the pH of the mixture should be around 7—exactly what he needed.

After a final check with the quartz pendulum, Erik removed the stirrer from the cauldron. At that moment, Erik looked up and saw the two spirits and the three young people watching him from a few meters away, barely blinking and completely still, as if they were statues. Finding the scene rather amusing, Erik couldn't help but let out a small laugh, then spoke in a playful voice.

"Haha, Elara, bring me the clay bottles you prepared."

"Be right back!!" Elara replied loudly, a slight blush on her cheeks, before running off to the storeroom. At that moment, Zoe coughed a couple of times, then looked at Erik and asked, full of curiosity.

"Is the potion ready?"

"Not yet. It needs to boil for about 40 minutes, and then I'll add the preservative. So I'm going to use this time to prepare the containers." Erik replied casually as he stretched. Frank couldn't help but comment with a hint of disbelief in his tone.

"Making a potion seems pretty simple."

"It is." Erik nodded and explained calmly, casually pointing at the runes floating around the cauldron. "The hardest parts of potion-making are the preliminary preparation, the mana control, and maybe manipulating the internal properties of the ingredients if you don't have a wood affinity. But it's easy once you get the hang of it."

"Now it doesn't sound so easy…" Frank couldn't help but say, with a bit of respect, realizing the process wasn't easy—it was Erik who made it look easy.

"It just sounds more complicated than it is. With a little practice, anyone can make a potion." Erik said with a smile, which made Zoe and Frank glance at each other, not believing a word he said.

"Here are the bottles!"

At that moment, Elara returned, carrying dozens of small clay containers that looked a lot like potion bottles, although a bit irregular. As Elara unloaded the bottles onto the table, Erik smiled and picked one up.

"Thanks, Elara."

"Do you need me to help with anything?" Elara asked, her eyes shining. Erik took several balls of dried Glowsap resin and replied calmly.

"Could you heat this resin until it's liquid?"

"Leave it to me." Elara replied enthusiastically, quickly grabbing the resin balls and running off to start a fire. Meanwhile, Zoe stepped forward and asked seriously.

"Do you need help with anything else?"

"You can help me make the corks. There should be a brown, spongy-looking bark in the storeroom—just cut the corks from that." Erik said as he carefully inspected the clay bottle. Zoe quickly nodded and replied as she headed to the storeroom.

"Got it."

"Frank, you can start sorting what we brought and store it in the storeroom." Erik said, knowing Frank would be the next to ask. "Remember to organize it so we can get to it quickly in case of an emergency."

"Understood, boss." Frank replied quickly and followed Zoe to the storeroom.

…

"The resin is ready, Erik." After a few minutes, Elara returned with a bamboo container full of liquid resin. Erik nodded gratefully as he took the container.

"Thank you, Elara."

While Elara and Ebonique watched with interest, Erik added about a spoonful of SARI to the resin and began to mix it with a peeled wooden stick. Once everything was evenly mixed, Erik placed the container in the center of a simple refining circle they had drawn earlier on the table and activated it.

"Well, now we just need to apply a thin coating of this mixture inside each of the bottles." Erik said calmly, then looked at Ebonique and Elara and asked.

"Do you want to help me with that, Elara and Ebonique?"

"Of course!" Elara replied almost immediately. Meanwhile, Ebonique looked at the beautiful blonde with annoyance, but after a few seconds, she sighed and said with some resignation.

"I'll help too."

"Perfect."

Erik said with a smile and quickly began explaining to the young woman and the spirit how to make the inner coating evenly. Once they understood what to do, the dragoness and the blonde took the container with the resin and some bottles, then headed to the campfire since they had to keep the resin liquid.

Before long, Zoe returned carrying a large number of perfectly cut and uniform corks, which earned her a compliment from Erik, making her blush slightly. After testing the corks with the bottles a few times, Zoe and Erik started adjusting the sizes with sharp stones, at which point Zoe couldn't help but comment with a gentle smile.

"You're really impressive, Erik. I never imagined we could be so calm and 'safe' in the middle of all this chaos. Out there, others must be fighting tooth and nail for even the slightest chance to survive, while we have all the food we want and can spend an afternoon calmly adjusting corks… I honestly don't have words to describe how I feel."

"I don't think I deserve the credit for that." Erik replied in a calm, casual voice. "If anyone deserves credit, it's Lirio or maybe Frank. This peace and abundance are thanks to us finding that 'entrance' under the rocks."

"That's true, but…" Zoe said, her voice a bit uneasy as she glanced at Erik's profile. After a few seconds, she sighed and added in a more relaxed tone.

"If you say so, then let's leave it at that. But you know, when I saw how easy you had it in the tournament, I was a little annoyed, because it was really hard for me. But now that I get to enjoy your 'easy mode,' it's honestly really nice…"

"That sounded a little off, but okay." Erik commented, slightly amused, before starting a casual chat with Zoe about sabers and combat styles—a conversation that greatly interested the star-haired young man.

…

Forty minutes later, Erik stood in front of the cauldron, whose contents had reduced by about 10%, and quickly removed it from the hot stone slab. After letting it rest for 5 minutes, Erik sprinkled about a gram of bitter mahogany bark powder into the center, then stirred it clockwise for 15 seconds.

Once he finished stirring, Erik handed the stirrer to Frank, who was nearby, and immediately placed both hands on the sides of the cauldron, just a few centimeters from the runes. At that moment, the runes began to rotate slowly, then gradually rose up and gathered above the cauldron. After spinning for a few seconds above it, the runes started to dissolve into tiny points of pale green light that fell onto the mixture.

Immediately after, the surface of the mixture began to reflect a kind of bluish-green halo, which quickly contracted as if somehow 'sealing' the mixture. In that instant, Erik let the quartz pendulum hang over the mixture, and it began to swing with diminishing movement, as if it were winding down, until it became completely still after a few seconds.

Nodding in satisfaction, Erik put away the quartz pendulum and quickly grabbed a new wooden spoon, conjuring a magic circle to completely sterilize it. Carefully, Erik scooped up a spoonful of the mixture and brought it to his lips.

"It's done." With a bitter aftertaste on his tongue, Erik announced with a smile and then turned to look at the young people and Ebonique, who were watching him with bright, eager eyes. At that moment, the star-haired boy asked.

"Do you want to try it?"

"Yes!!" they all responded in unison, full of curiosity and excitement, so Erik quickly cast the spell again to sterilize the spoon and dipped it into the freshly made potion.

…

As he swallowed the still-warm, bitter potion, Frank felt his mana reserves—which had been somewhat depleted from the earlier hunt—begin to steadily increase. Filled with happiness and respect for the genius of the star-haired young man, Frank closed his eyes and focused entirely on the rate of recovery, wanting to give Erik a clear report on the potion's effects.

"Incredible…"

After just a few seconds, Frank opened his eyes and commented in disbelief, then glanced to the sides, where he found Elara and Zoe wearing the same expression. That was to be expected—after all, while this recovery potion was far from the almost-instant restoration provided by the most expensive potions, it was still worlds away from being low-quality.

If Frank had to compare, Erik's potion was at a high-mid level, something that could easily cost around 40 to 50 mana crystals per bottle. A high price, considering that a regular mana recovery potion usually costs only 8 to 10 mana crystals. And yet Erik, a direct disciple, had managed to create such a potion practically from scratch and without any equipment—a complete miracle.

"Well, let's bottle the potion!" Erik said enthusiastically, snapping everyone out of their thoughts. Then, Erik quickly began giving instructions while drawing a simple magic circle with chalk on the stone table.

"Zoe, with your steady hands, you'll handle filling the bottles. Elara, you'll warm them to about 30 degrees, and you can use mana. Ebonique will seal the bottles with the corks and pass them to Frank, who will activate the circle I'm drawing."

"""Understood!!"""

The young people and Ebonique replied in unison, then immediately began working like a perfect assembly line. Erik positioned himself at the end of the line, acting as a sort of quality inspector, checking each sealed bottle before placing it in a wooden box filled with dry leaves. After a while, the group stood in front of the box with 15 'beautiful' potions, their faces full of pride and anticipation.

"I can't believe we did it…" Elara said in an almost dreamy voice, to which Zoe, Frank, and even Ebonique couldn't help but nod. At that moment, Erik commented, a little amused.

"Don't be too amazed. This is just the first step. Now we have to make healing potions and some general antidotes, and since the cauldron worked without the golden chains appearing, we can also make weapons and some equipment to explore the real garden in search of an exit."

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Upon hearing Erik, everyone turned to look at him with serious expressions, though a subtle glimmer was visible in their eyes. Erik was right—the real challenge was only just beginning.

Although it was a relief to have potions and equipment, the reason they desperately needed them was because of the situation they were in. There were 'hunters' out to kill them and members of other factions who wouldn't hesitate to do the same if given the chance.

"I just remembered that there's something in the cave that kind of looks like an exit. Once we have our gear ready, we need to check that out carefully." Remembering the strange room, Erik commented, to which everyone else nodded seriously.

...

After a quick discussion about their different roles, Zoe, Frank, and Elara got to work preparing rations. Meanwhile, Erik started brewing a new batch of mana recovery potions to use up all the ingredients. By the time night fell, Erik discovered the 'temple entrance,' and everyone began passing around the rations and different ingredients.

In the following days, Erik focused completely on potion-making, creating healing potions, antidotes, concealment potions, and more—making the most of every ingredient they had access to on the island. Afterwards, he began crafting simple leather armor from the hides of the animals they hunted, as well as some metal tools, like a couple of machetes, though he had refrained from engraving runes on them.

Meanwhile, Elara, Frank, and Zoe concentrated on gathering as many resources from the island as possible, stripping everything like locusts. Since everything would be lost once the basilisk awoke, it was best to take everything they could while they still had the chance. Moreover, magical ingredients took at least decades to grow, so they couldn't expect more to appear anytime soon.

But as more data about the basilisk accumulated, Erik began to notice something concerning—not only were changes appearing in the basilisk, but they were accelerating. This caused his expression to grow more serious with each update, something that Ebonique, who was always attentive to her beloved contractor, easily noticed.

…

"Is it that bad...?"

In the middle of the night, Ebonique asked while coiled around Erik's neck, who was sitting in front of a campfire, making calculations in an improvised notebook. After a heavy sigh, Erik set the notebook aside and spoke in a weary voice.

"Yes. If the basilisk keeps evolving at this pace, it will probably awaken in less than a month."

"… I see…" Ebonique replied quietly, then gazed off into the distance, toward the waterfall. A few moments later, the dragoness looked at Erik and spoke in a serious tone.

"But that's not all. There's something else worrying you."

"Am I that obvious?"

Erik asked with a slightly bitter smile. Ebonique replied in a calm voice as she glanced toward the 'houses' made of compacted earth, where the others were sleeping. Right now, it was Erik's turn for night watch.

"Maybe not to the others, but you are to me." Ebonique shifted so she was looking directly into Erik's eyes, then asked in a calm but serious voice.

"What's really going on? I want you to trust me and tell me. I'm not one of those kids—I'm your partner and your strongest support. You can count on me for anything."

Hearing the seriousness in Ebonique's voice, Erik looked into her eyes for a moment, then gazed up at the starry sky with a thoughtful expression. After a few seconds, Erik let out a deep sigh and began to speak in a reflective tone.

"… The truth is, I don't know what's happening. Maybe it's just anxiety, but I have a bad feeling, and it frustrates me that I can't pinpoint what it is. Also, lately the Myst has been acting very strange, giving me too many 'suggestions' to modify the bio-mystic technique, and it's getting worse every day. Something in the environment is changing, and I feel like it's not good for us…"

Upon hearing Erik, Ebonique turned to look at the dark forest and quietly began to materialize a part of her true form. For his part, Erik let out another sigh and stood up from the log where he'd been sitting, then walked over to a nearby stone table, where he spread out a large sheet of paper.

On the sheet, three different rune arrangements for artifacts were drawn, which Erik began reviewing once again with a serious expression, making slight adjustments. Meanwhile, Ebonique continued to materialize a part of her body as stealthily as possible. After almost an hour, the dragoness's eyes shone with a deep purple light, and at that moment, the entire ruin appeared before her eyes.

But in that instant, the dragoness quickly dematerialized her true body and hid in Erik's hair with a dark expression. In the split second she was able to see the whole ruin, Ebonique noticed an important change—the aura of that bastard collector was growing denser and was starting to cover everything, as if it was swallowing it all up.

There was something strange about the aura, though, as it was spreading very slowly, but that didn't lessen the danger it represented. If things kept going like this, it would only be a matter of time before she wouldn't be able to materialize her true form without being noticed, which would be a real disaster. As Ebonique sank into deep thought about her next steps, Erik asked in a confused voice.

"Did something happen, Ebonique? Why did you hide like that?"

"…The aura of the spirit I told you about is getting denser, which limits my actions…"

After hesitating for a few seconds, Ebonique replied in a serious voice. Erik's eyes widened in surprise, and he focused completely on the Myst, extending his perception to the limit. But once again, he didn't sense anything strange, apart from a slight 'heaviness' in the Myst.

"Is that 'aura' something only spirits can feel…?" After a few seconds, Erik asked with concern, glancing at Hiyori, who was lying in front of Zoe and Elara's 'house.'

"… Not all of them, only those with high perception." Ebonique lied, her expression complex. Erik brought a hand to his chin, then asked seriously.

"Will the other spirits besides you be affected too?"

"Yes, they won't be able to be summoned if they return to the spirit dimension." Ebonique answered in a serious tone. Erik's expression couldn't help but grow even darker as he listened to the dragoness.

Spirits, although practically immortal, could still have their incarnations—born from a summoning through a contract—damaged, and if they took too much damage, they would disappear and have to be summoned again. Therefore, Erik was now facing the possibility of losing nearly a third of his power if Ebonique took too much damage.

"So that's the change…" Erik said in a heavy voice, then looked over at the white fox spirit and called out in a calmer tone.

"Hiyori, could you come here for a moment? I want to talk to you about something."

Upon hearing her name, Hiyori lifted her head in surprise, then quickly got up and approached. Although she didn't dare make the young man with starry hair wait, she didn't rush either—after all, that dragoness was giving her a warning glare that made her fur stand on end.

"Yes, Erik-sama?" When she reached Erik, Hiyori asked in an elegant and calm voice. Erik spoke in a serious tone.

"Have you felt anything strange lately? Any changes? Anything out of the ordinary?"

"Not really. Everything seems normal…" Hiyori replied in a contemplative voice—she truly didn't feel anything strange. Erik nodded, then spoke seriously.

"Ebonique informed me that there might be a spirit involved in this, and because of that, it's possible you won't be able to be summoned again if you return to the spirit dimension."

The fox's eyes widened in disbelief at the news, and she glanced discreetly at Ebonique in Erik's hair. Seeing the dragoness nodding, the fox could only tremble slightly. Something like that was something very few spirits could pull off, and with an Eternal right in front of her, it was highly likely she had gotten caught up in a dispute between Eternals.

Feeling the urge to cry at her misfortune—since a conflict between Eternals was not something a small fledgling like her could get involved in carelessly, or she might lose her life—Hiyori sighed in deep regret. After a few seconds, the fox spirit looked at Erik and spoke seriously.

"If your esteemed contracted spirit says so, then it must be true, Erik-sama. Rest assured, I will make sure to be careful from now on so as not to leave you all alone in such a dangerous situation."

"Thank you, Hiyori. You're a considerable force for our team. Losing you would be a big blow." Erik said with a small smile. Hiyori quickly replied in a firm tone.

"There's no need to thank me, Erik-sama. I can't leave my little Zoe unprotected—it's my duty to protect her."

"I understand, but I'd like to thank you anyway." Erik said in a calm tone, then extended his hand slightly and asked.

"Would you like me to share some mana with you? Ebonique and Ignis—my master's contracted spirit—love it."

"T-that's not necessary, Erik-sama. Is there anything else you need?" Hiyori quickly replied, a little nervous, trying to keep all her fur from bristling because of the killing intent she felt from a certain dragoness.

"I understand, and for now, I don't need anything else. Thank you for your time." Erik said calmly. Hiyori quickly gave a slight bow, then returned to her original position in front of Zoe and Elara's 'house,' wanting to get as far away from that terrifying dragon as possible.

…

"Erik, don't casually offer your mana to others." Once Hiyori left, Ebonique scolded indignantly. Erik replied in a calm tone while giving another look at the rune arrangements drawn on the sheet.

"It's not a big deal. My mana recovers on its own, so it's not a loss."

"It doesn't matter. Don't offer it casually, especially not to a spirit."

Ebonique quickly replied with seriousness. Erik's face showed a slightly puzzled expression at how serious his contracted spirit was, but remembering what she'd told him about Lirio before, he asked.

"Is it because of the possible addiction to my mana?"

"Yes. Your mana is just too delicious. Many spirits have never tasted such an exquisite delicacy and could end up doing crazy things to 'taste' it again." Ebonique warned in a slightly solemn voice, since even an Eternal like her had been captivated by that exquisite flavor—a lower-ranked spirit could easily go mad.

"Is it really that good…?"

Erik couldn't help but ask in confusion as he looked at his right hand. His mana, besides being 100% neutral—without any affinities—didn't seem special at all. Besides, he wasn't the only one without affinities; although rare, there were countless humans in the galaxy, so there were millions more like him out there.

"It is. So be careful from now on."

Ebonique replied seriously, which led Erik to take a small leather-covered notebook from his pocket and make a note to remind himself to investigate this later. Shortly after, Erik put away his little notebook, then spoke seriously.

"Well, let's set that aside for now. Now that things are getting complicated, I need to make magical artifacts for the others and, if possible, at least repair our armor a bit."

"I'll help however I can."

Ebonique quickly replied with determination, to which Erik nodded before putting away the sheet with the rune arrangements and grabbing a notebook from the storehouse that had a list of properties, instructions, and some drawings of different plants.

…

Once Zoe woke him up to take over the watch, Erik went to the usual clearing to practice his bio-mystic technique. When he finished, Erik's expression grew much darker—the changes had been more aggressive this time, and even some of the movements had changed completely. The changes in the environment must have been accelerating.

"Is something wrong, Erik?" When Erik returned, Zoe couldn't help but ask with concern after seeing his slightly worried expression. The star-haired young man replied in a serious tone.

"Yes. We need to speed up the gathering of materials. Things could get complicated at any moment."

Zoe's eyes widened at the news, but she quickly composed herself and replied in a serious tone.

"Understood. We'll focus on that completely and move everything directly to the 'temple.'"

"That's for the best." Erik said thoughtfully. "For now, I'll be running some tests to see how complex an artifact needs to be for the golden chains to appear—if they appear at all, and it wasn't just a one-time thing."

"I see. If you need anything, don't hesitate to tell me." Zoe said, her heart beating a little faster. Erik nodded and replied as he walked toward a stone table where two machetes made of Ferrux were lying—the same alloy as the cauldron.

"I will."

…

Taking a burin, a punch, and a hammer made of true copper and Ferrux, Erik began to engrave runes onto one of the machetes, following one of the arrangements he had drawn on the sheet. Meanwhile, Zoe, unable to calm down, started moving everything that was still left in the 'storehouse' to the 'temple' with slightly hurried steps.

Carrying a huge wooden box, Zoe made her way through the long corridor connecting to the temple inside the cave. Coming out through the second temple entrance, she set the box down among several dozen other boxes and barrels that were perfectly organized there. Inside those boxes was everything they had collected in the past few days, and the 'cave' had become their storage room.

Once she'd unloaded everything, Zoe passed by the building to the left of the temple, which used to have a lectern and some benches made of stone but was now packed with dried food. After making sure everything was in perfect condition, Zoe went back to the temple and ran down the corridor to return to the garden and grab another box.

…

After a few hours, Elara and Frank woke up and came out of their respective 'cabins' after casting a simple cleaning spell on themselves. Outside, the two young people found Erik completely focused on carving runes into a machete, while Zoe was coming out of the temple—whose door was only barely unburied—reading a notebook with a serious expression.

"Were you checking the supplies?" Since Erik seemed busy, Elara approached Zoe and asked in a calm voice. Zoe looked up from the notebook and replied in a solemn tone.

"Erik warned me that things could spiral out of control at any moment."

Elara and Frank couldn't help but widen their eyes in nervousness, their fists clenching tightly. With an expression even more serious than Zoe's, Elara asked in a grave voice.

"How can we help?"

"For now, I've already finished moving everything we prepared last night." Zoe said seriously. "So let's focus on gathering as much as we can from the forest. There seem to be animals in the rest of the garden too, but the valuable magical plants are exclusive to this area."

At that moment, Frank spoke up in a serious tone as he looked through a kind of leather album containing various samples—leaves, mushrooms, pieces of wood, and the like.

"These past few days, I've been making a 'catalog' of samples for Lirio. If you need to look for anything specific, we can use it."

"Good thinking, Frank, that'll save us a lot of time." Elara nodded and praised him seriously. Frank gave a slight bow to accept the compliment. At that moment, Zoe spoke seriously.

"Let's head out right away—we have no time to lose. I'll go let Erik know."

After the two young people nodded, Zoe walked over to Erik and waited a few minutes for him to look at her, since she didn't want him to ruin his work by accident. Soon, Erik looked up at Zoe, who quickly spoke before he could say anything.

"Erik, we're going out to gather everything we can from the forest."

"Go with Tiberius and give this to Frank." Erik said quickly as he picked up a notebook from the table to hand to Zoe, then added seriously.

"These are my notes on the mysterious ingredient for the bio-mystic technique potion. I have a feeling it's a very important clue. But just look for the ingredient in passing—don't focus on it completely. What we need most right now is to gather as many resources as possible."

"Understood."

Zoe pressed the notebook to her chest and nodded quickly before heading over to her companions. After giving the notebook to Frank and passing along Erik's message, Zoe gave the signal to depart and ventured into the forest with Hiyori by her side. Erik was left only with Ebonique and Kaiser, who stayed protectively close to their contractor.

With Ebonique as his assistant, Erik made rapid progress engraving runes onto the Ferrux machetes. On them, he inscribed different rune arrangements, each one more complex than the last. However, he deliberately left them one step from completion, since they were meant for testing and he wanted to keep the variables to a minimum.

By the time Erik was putting the finishing touches on the machetes, Zoe and the others returned. They carried a black lion and dragged a huge net full of wood, minerals, and even black soil, plants, and young trees dug up with their roots. That last part was something Erik had specifically requested, since he had an idea in mind.

Using arms made of solidified Myst, Erik quickly began to harden everything. Meanwhile, Zoe started cutting wooden planks, and Frank and Elara began nailing them together with copper nails to create large boxes for storing everything Erik sorted. Soon, Erik finished sorting, and Frank began nailing the lids shut while Zoe and Elara packed the remaining items into the other boxes.

But at that moment, the wolves began to howl, which alarmed Erik, who immediately stood up and started looking around. After a few seconds, the ground began to shake, putting an incredibly grave expression on Erik's face. In an urgent and solemn voice, the star-haired boy quickly ordered.

"To the 'temple,' now! Take whatever you can!!"

***

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[lordanl]

Along with Erik's voice, the group heard a loud explosion in the distance, so they quickly turned around, shocked. In the direction of the waterfall, everyone could see a huge amount of water shooting up into the sky. But instead of seeming beautiful, the rainbow only filled the young people with terror.

With serious expressions, Ebonique and Hiyori grabbed Erik and Zoe respectively, then ran toward the temple. Meanwhile, Erik used arms made of solidified Myst to drag Elara and Frank, as well as the sealed boxes and the machetes on the table. At the same time, the star-haired young man urgently called for his wolves.

"Kaiser, Tiberius!"

The wolves immediately dashed at full speed after the spirits, entering the temple just after them. At that moment, Ebonique quickly used her tail to shut the temple doors, just as a hurricane-force wind lashed the island, barely sneaking through the door as it was about to close.

Without a second thought, Ebonique and Hiyori ran toward the door guarded by two statues, then hurried down the hallway after Ebonique closed the stone door with her tail. Upon exiting through the second tunnel, Ebonique once again shut the stone doors and set Erik down on the floor.

Soon, everyone was on the ground and fell into complete silence, staring at the temple with solemn expressions, their mana rushing quickly through their bodies. They were all ready to run the moment the temple showed even the slightest sign of failing.

...

"… Did the basilisk wake up…?"

After several minutes of total silence, during which the temple remained unchanged, Frank couldn't help but murmur in a heavy voice. Erik spoke in a serious tone.

"It's possible, but not certain. Based on my analysis of the data regarding the basilisk's changes and comparing it to other magical creatures upon awakening, there should still be at least a couple of weeks left before it wakes up."

"Could something have somehow alerted it…?" Elara, fully trusting Erik's analysis, asked quietly, her eyes fixed on the door. Zoe spoke in a dark, restrained voice.

"If that was the case, it wasn't us, or it would have happened earlier."

"Did someone sneak into the cave without us noticing…?" Frank asked, a hint of apprehension in his tone. Erik replied thoughtfully as he reached out to pet the wolves' heads, who stood on either side of him, their fur bristling.

"That possibility isn't zero, but I'd bet on an environmental change. Just last night, Ebonique detected something significant."

"…What kind of change?" Zoe turned to look at Erik and asked solemnly. Erik repeated what he had told Hiyori, which darkened the young people's expressions even more.

"So even spirits are involved in this…" Frank said a bit wearily as he picked up the gentle Lirio in his arms. For her part, Zoe looked at Erik and spoke seriously.

"Next time, let us know about things like that as soon as possible, Erik. By not telling us, you put us in danger."

"I informed Hiyori about the possibility so she would be alert. I planned to tell everyone later, but then this happened." Erik said calmly as he looked at the boxes he had managed to bring. The fox spirit quickly stepped forward and spoke in a serious, feminine tone.

"Little Zoe, don't take your frustrations out on others."

"…" Hearing her contracted spirit, Zoe could only lower her head and bite her lower lip in frustration. At that moment, Elara asked seriously, looking at Erik.

"What are we going to do from now on?"

"For now, we need to finish preparing and get everything ready to make this place habitable. We might have to use it for the long term."

Erik said this as he walked over to one of the dome's walls, where there was a hole letting air in—one of the preparations he'd made in recent days so they could use the cave as a camp. After confirming that everything was fine with the tunnel, Erik turned to the others and added.

"After that, we have two important objectives. First, to determine if the basilisk really did wake up, and second, to gather information about the 'hunters'. Just as they set up traps at the entrances to the garden, they could have done the same at the exits, and it's unlikely we'll be lucky enough to find an unguarded exit again. A confrontation is pretty much inevitable."

Upon hearing Erik, everyone nodded seriously, agreeing with him. But at that moment, Frank raised his hand slightly and asked.

"Boss, what about the exit you mentioned before?"

"Don't get your hopes up about that." Erik said in a calm tone, then explained while picking up the half-finished machetes.

"The place just looks similar, but it has clear differences, so it's highly likely it's not actually an exit. Besides, if the basilisk has awakened, going there now would be practically suicide."

"That's true. Sorry for bringing up something so dumb." Frank said, slightly embarrassed. Erik shook his head and looked at the young student.

"There's no need to apologize—it's better to let those doubts out. I'm neither omniscient nor omnipotent, and my memory isn't the best, so a question like that could be very helpful at the right moment. And since it's impossible to know what the 'right' moment is, it's best to have the freedom to express our thoughts at any time."

"Erik is right." Elara said with a smile as she looked at Frank. "Many times, the best ideas come from the 'dumbest' questions."

With the support of the two honorable direct disciples, Frank bowed respectfully, feeling moved for some reason. At that moment, Zoe let out a long sigh, as if trying to release all her emotions through it, then spoke in a serious voice.

"We should come up with a plan B in case the temple isn't able to protect us from the basilisk."

"That would be good, but I can't think of anything…" Elara replied gravely. "If even the temple isn't able to stop the basilisk, there's not much we can do."

"Although that's true, Zoe is right—it's good to have a plan B." Erik said in a calm voice, which brought a slight smile to Zoe's face. She quickly spoke up with a serious tone.

"I think it's the most prudent thing to do, and I suggest we hide some resources and food in the cave where we first appeared. That way, we can escape there if something happens. It won't offer much protection, but it's pretty high up, so it's better than nothing."

"I like that idea." Erik agreed with a nod. "Since we have a good harvest of ingredients, we can afford to stash a couple of temporary camps in different places. They'd be really useful if we need to escape—either to hide or to throw off a pursuer."

"Then let's do that." Elara nodded after looking at the boxes full of resources. At that moment, Erik spoke in a more serious tone.

"For now, let's make the most of our time. You all handle fixing up the building on the right so we can live there. In the meantime, I'll finish working on the machetes. Now more than ever, it's important to know just how complex magical artifacts can be."

After a unanimous nod, Zoe, Elara, and Frank walked toward the building on the right, while Erik focused on the machetes. Fortunately, he had almost finished engraving the runes, so only the final touches remained, which he could do with improvised tools since he had left his proper ones on the other side.

Meanwhile, Ebonique stayed by Erik's side in silence, though she occasionally glanced at the temple with a serious expression. If her beloved contractor were ever in mortal danger, she would materialize her true form and save him, even if it meant destroying the galaxy to bury the secret of her existence. No one at her level could know about Erik until he had the power to protect himself.

At the same time, however, the dragoness sincerely hoped it would never come to that. She didn't want Erik to end up hating her, and destroying his home galaxy might fill him with hatred and a thirst for revenge. Such a scenario would be devastating for her newly rediscovered, fragile emotions. Not to mention, Ignis would hardly agree with such a plan.

…

While Ebonique debated with herself, Erik finished the final touches on the machetes. He quickly grabbed a magic chalk from one of the boxes and a flat stone, then walked over to the temple, with the wolves following him closely in a protective manner. When Erik reached the front of the temple, Ebonique snapped out of her thoughts and quickly asked, her voice urgent.

"What are you planning to do, Erik?!"

"I want to go into the tunnel to test something." Erik said calmly, placing his hand on the stone door. Ebonique immediately grew in size and wrapped herself around Erik, covering him almost completely, and spoke seriously.

"You can't! It's too dangerous!"

"If the temple on the island isn't able to contain the basilisk, one more door won't make a difference, and this is an important experiment." Erik said, his tone calm but firm. Ebonique replied, her voice almost pleading.

"Please, Erik, don't risk yourself like this. The consequences could be devastating…"

Hearing Ebonique, Erik couldn't help but let out a small sigh. He withdrew his fingers from the door and then said.

"Alright, I won't do it for now. I'll do something else instead."

"Do you promise me?" Ebonique asked, looking directly into Erik's eyes. He met her gaze and replied.

"I promise."

"Thank you…" Upon receiving the promise, Ebonique simply let go of Erik and shrank down, then wrapped herself around Erik's neck. The star-haired boy replied in a calm voice,

"You don't have to thank me. I know you worry about me. I'm the one who should be grateful."

...

With his plans changed, Erik walked over to a large stone and cut it to make a table. On the table, Erik drew a refining circle and placed one of the machetes on it—the one with the simplest rune arrangement.

Soon, Erik activated the refinement circle and added pure falamite powder to the last rune he had carved, then melted it using an electric arc he conjured with some runes.

When everything was ready, Erik ran his index finger along the blade of the machete and sent his mana through it, activating all the runes and synchronizing them with the help of the refining circle.

After a few moments, the runes on the machete began to glow in a fluctuating and uneven way, but soon they all started to pulse at the same rhythm, perfectly synchronized. With a calm expression, Erik deactivated the refining circle and gripped the machete's handle with his right hand, then swung it a couple of times.

After swinging the machete, Erik struck a nearby rock without using magical edge, yet still managed to cut through it as if it were butter. After the cut, Erik examined the runes again, then threw the machete forcefully, keeping his hand extended. The machete shot toward one of the walls, but before hitting it, it stopped abruptly—then flew back to Erik's hand on its own.

"Looks like it works properly."

Satisfied, Erik remarked as he looked at the machete once more. Ebonique, now speaking in a calmer voice, asked him a question—watching Erik work had the magical effect of soothing her, making her forget her worries and troubles.

"Does it do anything besides returning to you?"

"Yes, but just some simple things—I only improved its sharpness, its mana conduction, and its resistance. The important part was the return function, since that's relatively complex, at least more complex than the cauldron."

Erik replied calmly as he set the machete down on the table. Ebonique asked while looking with interest at the rune arrangement on the second machete, which was not only visibly more complex but also seemed to be divided into two interconnected groups.

"Are you going to finish the second one now to see if the golden chains appear?"

"Exactly." Erik answered as he drew a new magic circle. "The second one is much more complex—besides having all the functions of the first, it can self-repair, and most importantly, it has assisted propulsion with a wisdom rune that actively supports in combat."

"So, why did you want to enter the temple earlier?" Ebonique asked, a bit confused. Erik replied in a calm tone as he continued drawing the refining circle, which was visibly more complex and bigger than the previous one.

"I wanted to save time by creating the machetes inside and then bringing them out so I could test several things at once. My hypothesis is that the golden chains can't appear inside the temple—especially in the tunnels. Just look at all the runes carved into the tunnel walls; that arrangement is so complex that probably only my master Eleonora could truly understand it. It doesn't make sense for the chains to ignore that."

"That sounds reasonable, but what does that have to do with the machetes? Even if you're right and the chains don't appear inside the temples, you'd still have to take the machetes out to use them, and the golden chains would destroy them anyway." Ebonique asked, visibly confused. Erik replied in a calm tone, not stopping his work on the magic circle.

"It actually has a lot to do with it. Simply confirming that the chains don't show up inside the temple gives us the possibility of having complex artifacts functioning inside. For example, an industrial alchemy cauldron that could make potions on a large scale, or things like that.

"But even more important than that, nothing guarantees that the chains couldn't be manipulated to attack selectively. So, as a precaution, I want to keep an inventory of artifacts inside, which would allow us to rearm quickly in case of an emergency."

"And what if the chains were just a one-time thing?" Ebonique asked curiously, watching as the magic circle Erik was drawing became more and more complex, almost covering the entire table. Erik replied calmly.

"That wouldn't really change things much. If it happened once, it could happen again, so I still want to have half-finished artifacts and completed ones in reserve inside the temple."

"I understand…" Ebonique replied softly. Meanwhile, Erik focused entirely on finishing the complex magic circle, which would handle the synchronization of the runes and activate the wisdom rune.

Wisdom runes worked, in a way, like an artificial intelligence model. The magic circle adjusted the "weights" of the runic connections, performing a sort of fine-tuning to adapt the general model to the specific needs of the artifact.

"Well, now comes the important part." Once he finished the magic circle, Erik said as he took the second machete and placed it at the center of the circle.

Ebonique, for her part, remained completely silent and watched Erik perform a process similar to what he had done with the first machete. Once he finished with the runes, Erik sent mana into the wisdom rune so that the magic circle could begin the fine-tuning process. But in less than a second after the circle started, golden chains appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around the machete.

"Well, at least now we know it wasn't just a one-time attack…" Erik said calmly as he watched the chains dissolve into points of golden light, leaving the machete completely unusable.

"Erik! What happened?! We saw a strange light!"

At that moment, Elara's urgent voice rang out from behind. Erik turned to look over his shoulder, where he saw Zoe, Elara, Frank, and Hiyori running toward him with anxious expressions. With a calm smile, Erik explained what had happened.

"It was nothing, just that the golden chains appeared because of the machete I was creating."

"So we can't have equipment…" Zoe said, her tone a strange mix of relief and bitterness. Erik shook his head and replied with a smile as he picked up the first machete.

"That's not the case. Even though complexity does trigger the golden chains, that doesn't mean we can't have equipment."

As he finished speaking, Erik threw his machete to the right, causing the others to follow it with their eyes. Under everyone's watchful gaze, the machete stopped mid-flight and shot back toward Erik, who caught it in one smooth motion.

"Intelligent return?!" Zoe exclaimed, her eyes shining with admiration and surprise.

"Not really. You could call it a 'dumb return,' since it doesn't use wisdom runes—just a simple rune arrangement." Erik replied as he tossed the machete to Frank for him to try. At that moment, Elara couldn't help but ask, full of disbelief.

"Erik, are you telling me you managed to mathematically model the return function…?"

"Oh, you know quite a bit about magical artifacts." Erik looked at Elara and commented with a cheerful smile. It was truly pleasant to talk to someone who "spoke the same language." Still in shock, Elara replied.

"It's common for artificers to consult mathematicians to perfect their rune arrangements, so I know a little…"

"I see. Maybe we can work together on the next artifacts." Erik said with a smile as Frank sent mana into the machete under Zoe's watchful gaze. Elara nodded and replied a bit anxiously.

"You know I'm ready for whatever you need, but for now let's set that aside. Tell me how you managed to model the return function in just these past few days."

"Of course I didn't do it in just these past few days. Actually, it's the result of several years of work on my own project called the scouting spheres. They're true copper spheres capable of flying and sending data from the surroundings to a central module without using wisdom runes.

"In any case, to model the spheres' flight, I looked for previous literature and research, where I found different approaches to the mathematical modeling of both the flight and return functions. So I just combined them, refined them a bit, fixed a few minor issues, added a couple of new things, and applied it to my project—though I never imagined it would be so useful now."

"I see... that makes more sense, though it doesn't change the fact that you're a monster, Erik…" Elara said in a heavy voice, full of admiration and something more. Erik shook his head and replied in a more serious tone.

"It's not that big of a deal. Let's focus on what matters: we have a way to create artifacts, but down here we can't smelt metal. So we'll have to do it outside."

"That's a big risk. The surface is still a huge cavern—smoke can build up and attract attention. It would be best to do it inside the garden, since the island is no longer an option." Zoe quickly commented, having just cut through a rock with the machete before handing it back to Frank. Elara added thoughtfully,

"But to enter the garden we'll probably have to fight, and even though we have potions, it's pretty risky without proper equipment. Plus, carrying everything we took from the island would make us an easy target."

"What if we pretend to be hunters?" At that moment, Frank raised his hand and asked, drawing everyone's attention.

***

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[lordanl]

"What if we pretend to be hunters?"

"How would we do that?" Erik asked curiously as he looked at Frank, who quickly replied, a bit nervously."W-well, I was thinking we could hide with the help of concealment potions and capture a couple of hunters, get information out of them, and then use the ingredients to create a shapeshifting potion and mask our mana so we can pass as them.

"Although it might not work, with Tiberius we can always escape, and if by chance it does work, we could get a lot of information, like patrol routes, guard schedules, and so on. That way, we could come and go carrying small crates during guard changes and similar moments..."

"Even though it's a rough idea, it has potential." Elara commented in a thoughtful tone. Then she turned to Erik and asked.

"Erik, will you be able to create a shapeshifting potion?"

"Yes, we'll need a DNA sample from the target, but it might not work very well. The cauldron we have is pretty basic." Erik nodded and explained. Elara nodded in return, then looked at everyone and added.

"Even if we still don't know if we can pass as hunters, capturing a couple should still be within our reach. We know far too little about these 'hunters,' and that could lead us to make bad decisions."

"Then leave the capture to me." Zoe said as she placed her left hand on the hilt of her katana. "Even though I'm not a stealth specialist, as a knight I have certain advantages on a mission like this."

"And if it doesn't work?" At that moment, Ebonique's voice echoed through the place, causing everyone to turn to look at her. Erik reached out to place his hand on Ebonique's head, who was flying beside him, and said.

"Then we'll have to force our way through. Even though we have food and water, it won't last forever. If the basilisk has awakened, we need to find a way to replenish our supplies outside the island. So beyond melting down metal to make weapons, we also need to find a way to get into the garden. Not to mention, we still need to find the exit."

"One way or another, we'll have to sneak into the garden and establish a base there…" Elara said with a small sigh. Zoe let out a similar sigh and added,

"The thing is, even if we manage to get into the garden, getting out afterwards will be really complicated, and since we won't be able to carry much, we'll lose access to all these resources…"

"For now, the best thing is to gather information. Making decisions based on speculation is a bad idea." Erik said in a calm tone. "Right now, we need to confirm if the basilisk has awakened and understand what the hunters are doing."

"I suggest we first check the situation outside the 'temples'. We've only been down here for a couple of hours. It's better to wait a bit longer before trying to return to the island." Elara said thoughtfully. Erik nodded and calmly gave the order.

"Let's do that. Take some potions, and let's check outside."

"Understood."

After responding in unison, Elara, Frank, and Zoe ran over to one of the crates, from which they pulled out smaller boxes containing different clay flasks sealed with wooden corks. After taking some mana recovery, concealment, and healing potions, the group gathered around Erik again, who looked at Frank and spoke.

"Frank, have Lirio sniff the 'temple.' He must have forgotten the scent by now."

"You're right, boss. I'm on it!" Frank quickly replied and picked up Lirio in his hands, then ran toward the temple. A few moments later, Frank came running back and reported seriously.

"It's ready, boss!"

"Perfect." Erik replied, turning to look at the fox spirit, and spoke in a serious voice.

"Hiyori, remember that if you return to the spirit dimension, you might not be able to come back. So don't let your guard down."

"I will, Erik-sama." The fox spirit quickly replied, her tone serious. Erik nodded in satisfaction and looked at Frank before adding.

"The same goes for you, Frank. Be very careful with Lirio—we can't afford to lose him, no matter what."

"I'll protect him with my life, boss!" Frank replied firmly, which made Erik nod again. Soon after, he added as he conjured a magic circle beneath them.

"We're leaving."

Soon, the magic circle quickly created a barrier of yellowish light, then rose into the air, passing through the stone ceiling as if it were liquid. After ascending for a while, the group finally reached the surface, which put somewhat complicated expressions on their faces.

"This scene feels a little strange now…" Elara commented in a heavy voice, to which the others could only nod. Zoe looked around for a moment and then said.

"There should be a 'temple' to the west."

"Let's get moving."

Erik quickly ordered, so the group organized themselves into formation: Zoe in front with the wolves, Elara, Frank, and Erik in the middle, and Ebonique and Hiyori bringing up the rear. Since they were traveling in a straight line, the group moved quickly toward the nearest temple while Erik focused on his Mystic Awareness.

"I can sense them, but something feels off." Erik suddenly reported seriously, making the group come to an abrupt stop. At that moment, Elara asked curiously.

"What's going on?"

"I can only sense one person, and last time, at this distance, I could sense three or four. It's strange." Erik replied in a contemplative voice. While the others began to reflect, Erik quickly spoke again.

"There's no harm in avoiding hasty conclusions—let's move forward a bit. But to save Tiberius some mana, it's better if we get a little closer and change formation. Kaiser, Tiberius, and Ebonique will close in and come forward with me; Zoe and Hiyori will cover the rear."

"That's a little risky…" Zoe looked at Erik and commented, visibly uneasy. Erik smiled and replied calmly.

"Don't worry. With four of us in front now, it'll be safer."

"… Alright, let's do it that way." Zoe said after hesitating for a second, then moved to the back. At that moment, Erik looked at the black-furred wolf beside him, placed a hand on its head, and ordered.

"Tiberius, conceal us."

Quickly, Tiberius's shadow stretched out, covering them completely. Immediately after, Tiberius shrank along with Kaiser and Ebonique, then leapt onto Erik's shoulder. Kaiser jumped onto Erik's free shoulder, while Ebonique hid among his hair. At that moment, Erik looked back and calmly ordered.

"We're moving forward. Keep your concealment potions ready just in case."

"Understood."

With stealthy steps, the group cautiously advanced toward the temple, while Elara and Frank pulled out two potion flasks from woven bamboo pouches at their waists, which Elara had made herself. After handing a potion to Zoe and Erik, Elara and Frank held their flasks in their left hands, each marked with an X drawn in charcoal.

"Let's climb this building."

Soon after, Erik stopped in front of a two-story building and sent a sound transmission to the others. After seeing everyone nod in agreement, Erik channeled mana into his feet, then began to walk vertically up the wall of the house, closely followed by the others.

When they reached the roof, Erik quickly crouched down and pointed to the northeast, prompting the others to crouch and look in that direction as well. There, the group could just barely make out a person hiding on the roof of a house about 20 meters away. The person was concealed behind a small stone wall and was wearing an all-black suit that covered almost their entire body.

Seeing this, the others couldn't help but let out a slight sigh. That hunter was really good at hiding their presence—until Erik pointed them out, none of them had noticed the person was there, even though they were so close. But fortunately for them—and unfortunately for the hunter—they had someone on their side capable of using Mystic Awareness.

"There's something strange. I sense very few people; I can only detect seven besides this one."

At that moment, everyone heard Erik's voice as if he were whispering right next to their ears, causing them to look at him in surprise. Then, Ebonique's voice reached them in the same way.

"And they're pretty weak. The strongest one is barely a Revealed-Competent, and this one is a Revealed-Practitioner, two sub-ranks lower."

"They can even hide from your Mystic Awareness?" Zoe sent a sound transmission, a hint of surprise in her tone. Erik replied in a thoughtful voice,

"It's possible, but the first time, there was no one like that, so I doubt it."

"They might have sent people to reinforce the other temples." Elara quickly sent through a sound transmission. "The most talented youths of this generation are here, and there are even some Revealed-peaks. These 'hunters' won't have it easy if they want to kill them."

"Let's confirm which of the two it is—let's move forward." Erik quickly sent through a sound transmission, then descended from the building, walking down vertically.

Cautiously, the group advanced very close together, still holding their potions in their hands, and managed to spot two more hidden hunters. To everyone's surprise, the group got as close as 50 meters from the temple without being discovered, causing them all to exchange bright-eyed glances.

"If we got this close, they really must be short on personnel." Zoe sent through a sound transmission, a slightly excited smile on her face. Erik nodded and replied.

"I'm inclined to believe that too. I only detect five people—one inside the temple and four others around it, and we're right in their blind spot."

"I imagine only a few people appeared in this area, so this temple—and possibly the nearby ones—didn't suffer attacks from the participants. That probably led them to move people from here to other 'fronts.'" Elara quickly sent through a sound transmission, a beautiful smile on her face. Zoe quickly adds, glancing at Frank.

"This is a great opportunity. If we do things right, Frank's idea of pretending to be hunters becomes feasible—we could even completely fool them and take total control of this entrance for a while.

"They must be fighting battles on different fronts against the participants, and with so few people here, it can't be easy. The leaders must be under a lot of pressure and will no doubt neglect the more 'peaceful' areas."

"That's true." Erik nodded and added.

"The problem is these guys might have 'Soul Trackers,' so we can't kill them, or the leaders will find out something's wrong. Also, if they really did send people from here as reinforcements to other places, they must have a way to communicate and send reports at certain intervals, so it won't be easy."

"The only way is to watch them for a while, find out who the leader of this team is, and try to figure out how those reports work before capturing him." Elara said seriously. "If we capture him without knowing and the leader doesn't talk, we'd be exposing ourselves."

"That could take too long; this situation might not last, and we could lose the opportunity…" Zoe commented in a conflicted voice. Erik sent another sound transmission in a calm tone.

"For now, let's check out other places. That'll give us a clearer idea of these hunters' situation."

"You're right, that's the smartest move." Zoe nodded, then pointed north and added. "The next temple is to the north."

"First, let's take a quick look at those hiding around before we go to the second temple. We might be able to find the leader."

After unanimous agreement, the group moved cautiously and began to circle the temple, soon spotting the first hidden hunter. Once they confirmed the positions of the other three hunters, the group carefully moved away from the temple.

Once they were far enough that Erik could no longer sense the hunters, Tiberius deactivated the concealment to avoid exhausting himself, and everyone returned to their original formation before continuing onward. After a couple of hours, Erik sensed the hunters at the next temple, so they quickly hid again and advanced.

"There are only eight people here too." Erik sent through a sound transmission in a serious tone as they stood in front of the second temple.

After exchanging bright-eyed glances, the group circled the temple to locate the hunters in the area, but this time they found something unusual. One hunter was inside a stone building that appeared to be in good condition, and unlike the others, he was casually sitting in front of a stone table, on which there was a portable teapot.

"That one has 'leader' written all over him…" Frank couldn't help but send a sound transmission to his companions. They were all about 50 meters from the building, watching the hunter through the window.

"He certainly looks the part." Erik nodded and said. "Let's wait a bit and see what he does."

With Erik's order, the group fell silent, occasionally glancing at the hunter—since if the man had sharp instincts, he might sense their gaze. Minutes passed, and soon the teapot began to let out a thin wisp of steam, at which point the man stood up from his chair, poured himself some tea, and then took the teapot and attached it to his waist.

To everyone's surprise, the man put the teapot into a small pouch at his waist—a pouch that, by all accounts, shouldn't have been able to hold it. Yet not only did it fit, it didn't even change shape. Seeing this, Elara couldn't help but comment in surprise.

"A storage pouch…"

"If we can get our hands on it, moving things around will be so much easier..." Zoe quickly added, her eyes shining. Erik replied in a thoughtful voice.

"Definitely, though if it has some sort of lock, it'll be difficult to use with the few tools we have. But even so, seeing that pouch is a good thing. At least now we know it's possible to make one."

"You can make one?!" Elara turned to look at Erik, surprise written all over her face. Ebonique, who had remained silent, chuckled softly and sent a sound transmission.

"Hehe, don't underestimate my Erik."

"I thought you were just a one-star artificer…" Zoe commented quietly, looking at Erik out of the corner of her eye. The star-haired boy replied casually.

"I am a one-star artificer, but I have free access to my master's library and the university library, so I've gradually mastered the creation of more complex artifacts."

"Just when I think you can't surprise me anymore, you go and do it…" Zoe commented with a small sigh, making Elara laugh. Erik quickly gave an order in a more serious tone.

"Let's leave that for later. For now, let's keep moving—we need information."

…

The group continued on, managing to visit two more temples after several hours of travel. They found 12 and 15 people at those temples, respectively, with only one Revealed-Peak in the last one. About 500 meters from the temple, Erik stopped behind a rock and looked at everyone else before commenting seriously.

"Tiberius has already used up a lot of mana, and most likely, from here on, the number of hunters will start increasing. So let's stop here—our best option is to investigate the previous two temples."

"I agree." Elara nodded with a smile and said. "With how far apart these temples are, even if we're discovered, reinforcements will take a while to arrive. And since we saw that 'leader' at the second one, we might be able to learn quite a lot from him."

"Erik, I have a question." Zoe looked at Erik and asked. "How many 'storage pouches' could you actually make?"

"Considering the simplest version and with the resources we have, I could probably make about three storage pouches, each with about three or four cubic meters of internal space."

Erik replied calmly, which made Frank, Zoe, and Elara's eyes all light up at once, full of surprise and admiration. At that moment, Elara commented with a huge smile.

"That would give us space for about four crates of supplies."

"We need those storage pouches. They'll give us so much freedom to move around!" Zoe said excitedly. "Even though we'll have to leave quite a bit behind, we can find water and food in the garden, maybe even basic minerals like copper and falamite, so what we really need to bring with us are the potion ingredients and the cauldron."

"How many days would it take you to make the pouches, Erik?" Elara quickly asked, her excitement still high. Erik shook his head and explained.

"It's not that simple. Even though I can make storage pouches, the reason I hadn't considered it until now isn't just lack of time. Actually, even the simplest version of a storage pouch is quite complex, so it's highly likely that the chains would detect them.

"So, it's very likely that the hunter's storage pouch has some sort of trick, similar to the golem's. For that reason, I might end up using all our resources and still not manage to make a single one. If we want to play it safe, it's best to check out that pouch first."

"…"

Hearing Erik's explanation, the group fell silent as their excitement cooled. After a few seconds, Zoe commented in a somewhat disappointed voice.

"Well, looks like things won't be that easy. It's best to focus on the second temple—there's an apparently careless leader and a storage pouch. That's our best option."

"I agree, but for now, Tiberius needs to rest." Erik said as he stroked Tiberius's head, who was breathing a little heavily. Then he looked at the others and added.

"In the meantime, I'll focus on making a sort of 'pseudo armor' out of leather that I have in mind. If it works, we might not have to bear the weight of our current armor anymore."

***

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[lordanl]

Full of curiosity about the 'pseudo armors' Erik had mentioned, the group cautiously returned to the underground camp. The journey took longer this time, since Tiberius was exhausted and they had to make wide detours around the temples to avoid being detected.

Upon returning to their dark refuge, barely lit by a few crystals emitting a greenish light, Zoe, Elara, and Frank couldn't help but let out small sighs of relief. Although the place was nothing more than an improvised camp, somehow it managed to give them a strange sense of security.

"Get some sleep, Tiberius."

As he stroked the black wolf's head, Erik spoke in a calm, warm voice. Tiberius barked softly, then curled up and jumped into his contractor's arms, where he quickly fell asleep. At that moment, the jealous silver wolf began to nudge Erik's hip with his head, making the star-haired young man laugh as he reached out to pet his head.

"Are you going to tell us what those pseudo armors are about now?" Zoe asked, watching as Erik petted the silver wolf while holding the black wolf in puppy form with his other hand. Erik looked at Zoe and answered without stopping petting Kaiser.

"It's actually something simple. Even though our armors can no longer be considered magical artifacts, they're still made of very rare and durable materials. So, even without the runes, they're stronger than anything I could make here.

"But, although they're tough and provide great defense, their weight is really uncomfortable and slows us down. Plus, the lack of the basic functions of an armor is really noticeable. So, my idea is to create a simple magical artifact to wear underneath, which will lighten the weight of the armor and give us some basic functions."

"That sounds like a great idea! What functions are you planning to include?" Elara quickly asked with a cheerful smile. Erik replied as he walked over to one of the crates to grab a notebook.

"Not many, to be honest. The artifact can't be too complex or the golden chains will appear to destroy it." Erik opened the box and, after going through several stored notebooks, took one with a leather cover and a small rune engraved in the center. After reaching the stone table while flipping through the notebook, Erik continued.

"For now, I have four functions planned. First and most important, to lighten the weight of the armors as much as possible. Second, a basic thermal and environmental insulation system. Third, emergency life support, though a very simple one. And lastly, a reactive shield system. But don't get your hopes up for the shields, since wisdom runes can't be used—it'll be hard to make them work."

"That doesn't matter; just the first three functions will be a huge help in future battles." Zoe said softly, at which point Elara commented a little regretfully.

"It's a shame there aren't any communication functions. They'd be really useful if we ever have to split up."

"The problem is the lack of key minerals and the impossibility of making things too complex. I have some ideas for a communications system, but it would be a rather complicated project. There's no point in having a communications system if others can intercept and decipher it." Erik commented in a calm voice as he started writing in the notebook, while Ebonique curled around his neck to watch. Elara nodded in understanding and replied.

"You're right. It's better to have nothing than to have a 'window' that gives the enemy our information."

"Do you need us to help you with anything to create the 'armors'?" Zoe asked as she looked at Erik, who nodded and replied.

"Yes, you and Frank could help me by taking measurements, cutting, and sewing the pseudo armors. Meanwhile, Elara could help me organize the rune arrangements."

"I'm not an expert, but I'll help as best I can." Elara quickly announced seriously. Zoe also nodded, but just as she was about to speak, Frank raised his hand, prompting her to ask curiously.

"Is something wrong, Frank?"

At the question, Frank lowered his hand, and after hesitating a little, he took a deep breath, then looked at all the direct disciples—especially Erik—and added with great seriousness.

"It's just that I think it's important to keep an eye on the hunters, especially the second temple. So I'd like to volunteer to watch it. I might be able to discover a lot of information about the careless leader."

"Are you aware of what you're saying?" Erik stopped writing in the notebook and looked at Frank, asking in a serious tone. The young student nodded solemnly and replied.

"Yes, boss. I know it's dangerous, but someone has to do it, and I feel it should be me. If it weren't for you, dear direct disciples, I'd be dead by now. If I hadn't died at the hands of that golem, I would've ended up killed by a hunter.

"It never would've occurred to me to look for another entrance, and even if I had, the basilisk would have killed me. So, I feel like I need to prove myself, and my wind affinity gives me a bit of an edge in spying."

"Nice words, but they don't make sense." Erik commented in a casual tone, turning his attention back to the notebook as he continued.

"I imagine this whole thing about direct disciples and being a university student makes you think you're not that valuable to the team, but let me tell you something—the most valuable person here is you. Thanks to you, we found this entrance. Thanks to you, we discovered the basilisk in time. And thanks to you, I found that golem.

"And that last part was the most important. It practically confirmed to me that 'extreme simplification' was the trick to being able to have magical artifacts here. In any case, the point is that we need you, and we can't afford to risk you. So go, start taking measurements, and stop with the nonsense."

Erik's words had a big impact on Frank, who staggered back a few steps. But even so, the young man quickly picked up Lirio in his arms and tried to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. At that moment, Erik looked up and gazed at him calmly, asking in a casual tone.

"What? Are you trying to tell me that it's all thanks to Lirio and not you, and that I could just take Lirio?"

"…"

With an incredibly complicated expression, Frank nodded silently. Erik smiled as he reached out to scratch Ebonique's chin—she was wrapped around his neck reading the notebook—and then commented in a casual voice,

"As it turns out, I'm 'disabled'. I don't have any kind of magical affinity, so almost 40% of my combat power depends on this beautiful and heroic dragoness, and almost 20% is thanks to my wolves. Do you think I'm worth less because of that?"

"Do you?"

Ebonique looked at Frank with narrowed eyes and asked in a cold voice, genuinely angry that the young man would dare insult her beloved Erik, even if only indirectly. Frank panicked and quickly shook his head vigorously, declaring sincerely.

"I-I would never dare to think something like that, Direct Disciple Erik. You're a unique genius, capable of surpassing the greatest genius in all of human history, Master Eldurdóttir. Your talents are varied and incomparable, and these past days I've been able to confirm that every day. It's possible that in the entire young human generation, there isn't a better artificer or alchemist than you."

"Enough with the flattery." Erik commented with a hint of annoyance at the excessive praise, then continued in a casual tone.

"The important point is that the power of your contracted spirit is part of your own power—or at least, that's how I see it. So if you belittle yourself because something was done by your contracted spirit and not by you, well, you're insulting me too. And besides, if it ever crossed your mind to give Lirio to me, you better erase that thought."

Erik turned to look at Ebonique and commented with a small smile as he stroked her chin.

"This dragoness is way too jealous and would never let me have another contracted spirit."

"Hmph, no one is worthy." Ebonique replied proudly, lifting her head slightly—though not too much, since she still wanted to enjoy the petting.

"…"

Hearing Erik's words, Frank looked at him intently, his eyes slightly red and a lump forming in his throat. Although he was a "second-generation" rich kid thanks to his parents' business success, as a mage he was pretty average at the university. The university planet was inhabited not only by the most impressive geniuses of the Arcane Order, but also by talent from all over the galaxy.

The university was literally the gathering place for the best in the galaxy, and in a place like that, even he, who had been considered a genius in his early years, learned what absolute suppression felt like. He, Frank Svensson, lost all his pride and vanity in just his first year at the university, leaving behind only a humble and reserved person trying to move forward.

But without realizing it, that humility had turned into a serious lack of self-esteem, which inevitably led to his reverence for the 'direct disciples.' After all, only someone who had experienced the overwhelming talent of a direct disciple could truly understand the sense of powerlessness and awe they could inspire simply by existing.

The direct disciples were the crème de la crème—people so far above the rest that it was hard to even see them as human. Something that might take him years or decades of hard work and dedication, a direct disciple could achieve casually in a couple of months. But even among those legendary 'direct disciples,' there were levels. Like the young man standing before him now, who put most direct disciples to shame—if not all of them.

For that reason, the words of the star-haired young man meant so much to Frank. The best of them all—the one who could even inspire reverence and admiration from the direct disciples Belmonte and Laverne—had called him someone valuable, someone they couldn't afford to risk. But even more significant, that star-haired young man was a bit like him: someone with limitations who relied on "external things" to stand out.

If Direct Disciple Erik could stand at the top while needing a notebook to write down his thoughts so he wouldn't forget them and needing a contracted spirit and a pair of contracted animals to make up for his lack of power. Then maybe he could have a chance too. Maybe he wouldn't reach the very peak, but perhaps he could make his name echo throughout the galaxy at least once.

…

"Well, if you have nothing else to say, then start taking your measurements—we need to move quickly." As Frank got lost in his thoughts, Erik commented casually, turning his gaze back to his notebook.

"U-understood, Boss!"

Frank quickly snapped out of his thoughts and replied enthusiastically. Immediately after, the young student ran off to look for a rope among the neatly stacked boxes. At that moment, Elara approached Erik and commented with a small smile.

"You're really good with words, Erik."

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true." Erik replied in a calm tone. "Frank really will be vital in the garden. Lirio's ability is a game changer we can't afford to risk. Besides, he himself is a great mage—very serious and obedient. He's worth having on the team."

"That's not exactly what I meant, but you're right—he's a great talent worth nurturing." Elara said thoughtfully as she watched Frank grab a rope and start taking his own measurements.

"But do you really depend that much on your contracted spirit and the wolves, Erik?" Zoe asked curiously, glancing at Ebonique around Erik's neck, Tiberius sleeping on the stone table, and Kaiser at the young man's feet.

"It's true—not having magical affinities limits me a lot. While I wouldn't be short of options without them, since I'm good with Myst constructions, when it comes to attacking I rely heavily on them." Erik replied calmly as he spread a large sheet of paper on the table, taken from a box.

"I see… I'll start with the measurements." Zoe murmured thoughtfully, then watched as Erik began drawing a rune arrangement on the sheet.

After a few minutes, Frank, Elara, and Zoe gave Erik their measurements using a rope as a reference. With the data, Erik quickly created three armor templates on paper, then measured himself and made one for himself as well. Once the templates were ready, Frank and Zoe began cutting the tanned leather from the boxes, while Elara started doing calculations as Erik requested.

For her part, Ebonique began making threads of true copper and falamite using her claws—a process she was already used to and could do with relative ease. The hours passed, and soon the armors, sewn together with dried animal tendons, were ready. By that time, Erik and Elara had finished the matrix arrangements, so Erik quickly started embroidering the runes onto the leather with a bone needle.

After Erik explained how to do it, Elara, Zoe, and Frank began helping with the embroidery, though only with the less important sections—the critical parts were done by Erik. While everyone was quietly embroidering, focused on their work, Tiberius began to open his eyes and soon got up, barking happily and running over to Erik.

"You seem full of energy." Erik commented with a smile as he petted the little wolf. Tiberius barked energetically, which made Elara smile tenderly, and she soon commented.

"He really is an adorable little one…"

At that moment, Kaiser, who had been lying beside Erik, quickly shrank down and jumped up to stand next to Tiberius, "demanding affection" as he barked adorably. As Erik reached out to pet the silver wolf's head, Zoe and Elara looked at each other and then laughed softly.

"Well, now that Tiberius is rested, it's time to confirm whether the basilisk really woke up or not." Erik said in a serious tone while petting the pair of wolves, which wiped the smiles from Elara and Zoe's faces as they quickly got up from their seats.

"You're right, we can't put this off any longer." Zoe said as she placed her left hand on the hilt of the katana at her waist. Erik nodded in agreement and spoke as he turned to look at everyone.

"This time, stealth and speed are everything, so I'll go alone."

"That's too dangerous!"

At that moment, a female voice replied firmly, which brought a slightly bitter smile to Erik's face. Looking at the dragoness flying in front of him, Erik reached out his hand and spoke in a calm but firm voice.

"We already talked about this, Ebonique. It's risky, but the fact that we're still alive and well here only means that either the temple can withstand the basilisk, or it still hasn't fully awakened. It's not as dangerous as it seems."

"But…" Ebonique replied with visible reluctance. Erik smiled and responded confidently,

"Don't worry, we'll go together. If anything happens, we'll face it together."

"…"

Ebonique fell silent, gazing into Erik's green eyes, then looking at one of the galaxies visible in his hair. After a few seconds, the dragoness let out a sigh and replied, meeting Erik's eyes.

"Alright, let's go. Whatever comes, we'll face it together."

"That's what I like to hear."

Erik replied with a smile, then looked at his companions—but at that moment, he couldn't help but show a confused expression. The fox spirit, Hiyori, was licking her fur with her eyes closed and her ears pressed tightly against her head, as if she didn't want to see or hear anything. Though curious about the fox's reasons, Erik shook his head and, looking at his companions, added.

"Well, I'm going to investigate the other side. I won't be long."

"Take care, boss. I know I can't be of much help, but if you need anything, I'm at your complete disposal." Frank quickly replied in a serious, solemn voice, while Elara and Zoe bit their lips in frustration. Erik smiled casually and replied.

"I know, but for now, focus on finishing the embroidery. Whether the basilisk has awakened or not, we're going to need them."

"Understood, boss!" Frank responded seriously. Zoe let out a sigh, then looked at Erik and said seriously.

"It's frustrating not being able to do anything, but for now, we're completely depending on you, Erik. Be very careful and avoid any unnecessary risks. We'll be waiting here, ready to rush to help you at any moment."

"Thank you." Erik replied with a small smile. At that moment, Elara walked up to Erik and handed him a bamboo pouch with a leather strap to tie around his waist and said.

"There are some healing and concealment potions in here. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you." Erik said again, grateful as he took the pouch and tied it around his waist. Once it was securely fastened, Erik looked at the others and said in a calm voice.

"See you all later."

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Erik reached the temple accompanied only by the black wolf, and with a quick pull, opened the stone door. Without a moment's hesitation, Erik, with Ebonique in his hair, entered the temple with a steady step and closed the door behind him. At that moment, Kaiser, the silver wolf, walked over to the door, where he sat with his chest held high, like a proud guardian.

…

Upon entering the temple once again, Erik quickly analyzed the place, realizing that everything was in order, without any apparent changes, so he quickly walked to the door guarded by the statues. With a swift motion, Erik opened the door, revealing once again the corridor with walls densely covered in runes. Wearing a serious expression, Erik quickly examined the corridor, and once he confirmed that everything was normal, he looked at Tiberius at his side.

"Hide me."

With a restrained howl, Tiberius's shadow stretched out and completely covered Erik, who quickly placed his hands on the wolf's head and began to move down the corridor with steady steps. When he reached the end of the hallway, Erik, for the first time, took a deep breath and then pushed the door open.

***

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