After defeating the Centaur Automaton, they gathered again to heal the wounded while resting and replenishing their stamina and mana.
The injured students were healed using Maria's water magic and Luna's ice magic.
Zemo, Kael, and Ken. Their wounds were healed.
Now all they could do was wait for reinforcements to arrive.
While the others rested, Wim slowly approached the room whose door had been forced open by the Centaur's power.
However, the room was so dark that Wim couldn't see inside.
It was very difficult for him to explore like that.
Then Art came from beside him.
Art: "Wim, how about I turn on the flashlight?" Art said, floating beside Wim.
Wim: "Okay, thank you."
Then, with one of his eyepieces, Art illuminated the darkness with his flashlight.
Now the contents of the room were visible, revealing an empty space, lined with cold, dim stone. There was no furniture, no decorations, and even the room smelled bland, like a place deliberately left devoid of life.
However, in the center of the room stood a simple stone altar. On top of it lay a fragment of a magical crystal, emitting a faint glow.
Wim: 'This is it,' he thought as he reached for the crystal.
With a hint of nervousness, and also some hesitation. Wim approached the crystal and held it gently, as if trying not to drop it.
Once the crystal was in his hand, it suddenly vibrated gently.
Then it shattered into tiny shards.
CRACK-
But miraculously, the shards began to reform into something new.
Becoming a magic staff.
Wim then received a notification:
[You have obtained the Staff of Stars, Rarity: Rare, Description: Increases the power and speed of magic by 2% based on the user's stats.]
This was supposed to be a tool that could be used to defeat the Automaton Centaur, before they had to fight it without the staff.
This staff is usually very powerful when used by Arcane-type mages like Luna, Louisa, or Morian. But it's not good for Fighter-type Arcane.
Even for Wim himself, the staff would be useless because he has a mana deficiency and only needs Art's help.
However, he could sell this staff for a higher price because it's also a rare item, so many wealthy people would buy it as a temporary collection.
But, for now, Wim would keep it, as it might be useful in the future.
He turned the staff back into crystal and tucked it neatly into his pants pocket.
Wim: "Hopefully no one sees?"
Art: "Hopefully."
***
(Kryuger's POV)
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Gigan Dungeon, Kryuger, Bright, and several Steel Academy members killed several monsters blocking their path to evacuate the students.
Using his gravity sword, Kryuger easily sliced through five giant Orc monsters, while Bright used his Earth and Stone Hands to crush the large Goblin horde.
They were also assisted by several Steel Academy members. Magic attacks and firearms were deployed to deal with the monsters.
Finally, they managed to locate the distorted Warp Door, and without hesitation, they began advancing through it. They were shocked to see the remains of a fight that had taken place there, but fortunately, the students were safe.
Kryuger began reopening the Grav Portal. They began evacuating the injured first, then the students.
Kryuger: "Everyone, evacuate now," he said firmly.
Everyone began evacuating.
However, Wim felt something was missing. He looked around and realized:
Wim: "Wait... Where's Art?" he said.
Wim began searching every corner for him, but couldn't find him.
Kryuger: "Wim, it's your turn to go in," Kryuger said, gesturing to Wim.
However, Wim still hadn't found Art. He was a little worried about him, but he had been told to return soon. But he couldn't leave the Automaton.
Until finally, in a rush, Wim answered...
Wim: "Sorry, sir, I forgot something. Please wait a moment."
Hearing that, Kryuger lowered his hand and began waiting for Wim to return.
(Wim's POV)
He returned to the previous room, down the same dark hallway. There, in a small room lit by a mysterious orange light, he found Art.
Wim: "Art... There you are! Let's go, the portal will close soon," he urged Art.
However, Art didn't seem to respond to Wim's words, remaining silent and floating, focused on the glowing orange crystal in front of him.
CLAAAK!
Art opened its mechanical parts, the outer layers moving slowly, revealing the simple mechanism within. Only a few prism fragments detached from Art's eyeball-shaped core.
Then, an aura of the crystal's essence began to envelop Art, as if it wanted to impart something to him.
Wim, watching this, was a little afraid of what was really happening.
Wim: "Art..." His voice was filled with worry this time.
After a few moments, the crystal completely died out. Suddenly, a sparkling notification appeared on the holographic screen in front of Wim.
[Congratulations, you have successfully obtained the Essence of Fire.] [The Fire Essence will now be placed into your Blank Aetherin Attribute Slot.]
Wim: "Eh..." Wim paused, staring at the notification, as if feeling uneasy.
***
After the incident, the Gigan Dungeon became busier, under surveillance by Steel Academy and Unio Academy.
Several members were still standing guard around Kryuger's Grav Portal, which continued to emit a soft purple glow, signaling a stable mana connection.
Outside, military troops stood guard vigilantly, while inside, researchers were busy observing screens and diagrams. Even the historian Professor Herman from Unio Academy was deployed to examine the room discovered by the two groups.
Meanwhile, Unio Academy and Steel Academy agreed to keep the Gigan Dungeon training open to the public to maintain public order. As a distraction, the dungeon practice scores were announced, although the training progressed at a faster pace than usual.
Results Announcement
Number 1: Group 21 - Score 219
Number 2: Group 6 - Score 146
Number 3: Group 16 - Score 144
Number 4: Group 9 - Score 110
Number 5: Group 37 - Score 99
Wim's group only ranked sixth, behind Luna and Lucius's group, with a score of 98.
Although they couldn't reach the top five, they did manage to gain some experience points and some pretty good equipment during the practice.
The next day...
Although it had ended yesterday, groups 41 and 37 were summoned to gather in the principal's office after their lessons. Presumably to discuss the mysterious room in the Gigan Dungeon.
(Principal's Office)
Everyone lined up neatly, their faces still full of curiosity. Meanwhile, Wim and Art looked very relaxed. Very relaxed.
CLICK!
The sound of the classroom door opening revealed Principal Sherman arriving, along with Vice Principal Fiona and Professor Herman. Making the atmosphere even more intense.
Sherman: "Good afternoon, my students. You must be wondering why you were summoned here, right?" He said casually as he sat down at his desk.
Several students exchanged glances, some nodded, some expressed curiosity, and still others shrugged.
Then Sherman pointed to Professor Herman.
Sherman: "Herman, I'll leave the rest to you."
Herman nodded.
Then he stepped forward with a serious, yet happy, demeanor.
Herman: "The room where you fought the Automaton Centaur… was no ordinary workshop. After analysis teams from Steel Academy and Unio searched it, they discovered symbols, designs, and remnants of magical patterns very distinctive to one of Unio Academy's leading students from 256 years ago."
Then he took a deep breath, preparing the right words to continue.
Herman: "And that student is Sarah, a genius student from Unio Academy… who disappeared 256 years ago."
Instantly, all the students were shocked by the revelation. That name.
Morian: "You mean Sarah, the Magic Tool Master?" Morian asked, curious.
Herman nodded, and the students immediately began to clamor.
Sarah was known as an exceptional student with a talent for creating the most complex and powerful magical tools of her time. The place Wim and the others discovered was her secret laboratory, which had been lost to record.
Then Fiona began to add.
Fiona: "We thank you for your courage and perseverance in discovering Sarah's precious legacy."
All the students were touched and moved after receiving the gratitude from their Vice Principal.
Wim looked at Sherman casually, raising his hand.
Wim: "So... does this mean we get a prize, right?"
Sherman smiled broadly and chuckled at Wim's question.
Sherman: "That's right. Your prize is exclusive access to the Academy's Advanced Library for a whole week."
"HAAHH?!"
"Advanced Library?"
"Seriously?!"
That was the reaction of the students there. The atmosphere exploded with excitement and excited whispers.
Louisa: "Are you sure you want to give us access there?"
Luna: "Access there... that's rare. Even nobles aren't allowed in," she muttered.
While the others were elated, Wim remained silent, unresponsive.
Wim: "I thought the reward was a sack of gold coins for a whole month," he muttered, smiling but hurt.
In the dormitory...
After receiving a special card to enter the high-level library, Wim checked his stats, which had received a significant boost.
Art's hologram displayed his stats.
[Name: Wim
Race: Human
Status
Strength: 5 > 5.1
Perception: 6.5 > 6.7
Endurance: 4.5 > 4.6
Charisma: 6
Intelligence: 6 > 6.2
Agility: 8 > 8.2
Luck: 8.2 > 8.4
Skill: Blink (2-second cooldown) (stock: 3)
Skill: Mana Detection (Automatically Activate) (20-meter range)
Attribute: Blank (Essence: Fire)
A very decent improvement.
But more than that, Wim still held the Mana Grapple he brought from Sarah's secret room.
Although he was still unfamiliar with how to use it, Wim felt this tool could have unlimited potential. Just like in the game.
However, to do that, he needed to have a more in-depth knowledge of Magic Tools and their magic circuits. But since he was still in his first year, it would take another six months to learn that. And it also took effort to understand.
His mind raced to improve the potential of this Mana Grapple, until he finally realized something.
Wim: "As I recall, there's an NPC in this Academy who specializes in magic tools."
There was only one name he remembered most from the beginning of the game, because of his service in helping other players progress.
A dwarf whose home was near the forest to the north of Unio Academy.
Helbert