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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