"Is this the treasure Alvit left behind?"
Dark stared intently at the fantastical and magnificent array of light, a sense of accomplishment welling up inside him.
Even though he knew in his heart that he could get treasures like this just by asking for them when he went home for summer vacation.
But the feeling of obtaining something through his own efforts was always different from just holding out his hand for it.
After calming down a little, he immediately picked up his pen and paper to start recording.
The beam of moonlight condensed by Sylveon wouldn't last for too long; he had to record it as quickly as possible!
But the complexity of the array still exceeded his estimations.
It wasn't a two-dimensional plane, but a three-dimensional diagram.
This made recording it even more difficult.
By the time the light disappeared, Dark had only managed to sketch a small portion.
He wasn't in a rush, though. He walked into the cavern and began taking precise measurements of the part he had drawn based on the angles of the mirrors, all while waiting for [Moon Power]'s cooldown to finish.
In any case, the mirrors weren't going to suddenly disappear. He still had plenty of time to record everything.
He just didn't know what this array left by Alvit was.
A magic circle, or a refinement formula?
…
Dark was leaning more towards a refinement formula.
And it was very likely a refinement formula that Alvit had created herself!
As one of the many heroes to have come from St. Marian, Alvit, like most heroes, had already begun to distinguish herself while still at the academy.
That wasn't just in terms of strength, but also in academic leadership.
Just as Claire had independently developed the [Zoo] card, Alvit had also laid the foundation for becoming a Valkyrie during her time at the academy.
Her mastery of the Armament series of Magic Guide Cards was second to none!
This treasure was very likely a related refinement formula.
The Armament series of Magic Guide Cards is a branch of Item Cards. Unlike simple Equipment Cards, the most prominent feature of the Armament series is the need for—donning!
To give a simpler example, an Outfit Change Card is a very basic form of Armament Card.
Armament Cards usually consolidate an entire set of equipment into a single card, completing a transformation through "donning."
The now-famous Masked Rider series and the Twelve Gold Saints series both fall into the category of Armament Cards.
There is also a Magical Girl series that is also very famous…
Magic Guide Masters initially applied Armament Cards to Magic Guide Spirits, but later discovered that these cards had very strict requirements for the spirit's body type, and very few Magic Guide Spirits could correctly unleash the true power of an Armament Card.
Furthermore, Armament Cards, much like Magic Guide Spirits, require a constant supply of mana to be sustained for long periods. The more frequently they are used, the more mana they consume.
A Magic Guide Spirit's own mana is often insufficient as it is. If you added an Armament Card on top of that, it would probably run out in three seconds.
So, later on, Magic Guide Masters primarily used Armament Cards on themselves.
A sufficiently powerful Armament Card could transform a frail Magic Guide Master into a combatant of terrifying strength in the blink of an eye!
…
Dark had a very keen interest in Armament Cards.
It wasn't just because he wanted to recreate the Saint Cloths.
In his spare time, he would occasionally wonder.
Does a Gundam count as an Armament?
What about an Ultraman?
Iron Man?
Hmm…
That's a good question.
…
The profession of a Magic Guide Master is actually an extremely creative one.
As one's level increases, the number of things one can do becomes unimaginably vast.
…
Time ticked by, second by second.
After two more imaging sessions, Dark finally managed to sketch out the general shape of the diagram.
As for the subsequent precise measurements and drafting, he planned to do that after waking up the next morning, when his mind was sharp enough to record it properly.
…
Meanwhile, Virt's group, having found nothing, was also preparing to sleep for the night.
Both parties had brought inflatable sleeping bags. The palm-sized bags, once filled with air, could expand to two meters in length.
Such preparations were necessary for sleeping outdoors on a winter night.
…
The next morning.
The research continued.
However, while Dark's side was already in the final stages, Virt's group had yet to find a method.
This was undoubtedly a different result caused by a difference in fundamental education.
Betty was more focused on the magical aspects and thus overlooked the fact that this was a simple optical design.
As for Virt and the other two, their minds weren't on puzzle-solving at all.
By noon.
Dark had already recorded the entire array diagram. He even began to experiment with whether he could get something new by shining the beam at different angles on that mirror, or by using a different mirror as the starting point.
And his research actually yielded results!
As Sylveon's moonlight beam shone on one of the other mirrors, a new array of light appeared within the mirrored room!
This result couldn't help but excite Dark.
He realized that the densely packed mirrors in this cavern were not just for show; almost every mirror had a purpose.
By dusk.
Dark had found a third array diagram!
After recording this third diagram as well, Dark observed it carefully. A thought suddenly struck him, and he mentally superimposed the three diagrams. He then discovered that they seemed to fit together perfectly to form a complete sphere!
"A trinity?"
Dark was beginning to get some ideas.
The entire mirrored room concealed a total of three array diagrams, and he couldn't find anything new after that.
The "instruction manual" he had been hoping for didn't exist either.
However, that wasn't a major problem.
Now that he had the diagrams, he just needed to investigate what creative achievements Alvit had made during her student days, and he should be able to deduce the purpose of this set of diagrams.
A Valkyrie wouldn't just copy something from a textbook and pass it off as treasure, right?
…
The night was deep.
After eating and drinking his fill, Dark prepared to have a comfortable night's sleep and return to his dorm after sunrise.
Filled with the joy of his discovery, he slept very sweetly.
DemiDevimon, wrapped in its scarf, slept right next to his cheek.
Over the past two days, they had confirmed that this dragon's lair was very safe.
The truth was, after the demon dragon was defeated, this entire ancient forest had become quiet. Many of the mechanisms seemed to have completed their tasks and had stopped operating.
The only reason it hadn't collapsed on the spot was because there were still people inside.
…
And while Dark slept soundly, Virt's group, who had found nothing, lit a campfire out of boredom.
Although the campfire was a toy one sold on Traveler's Street, essentially a mana-powered furnace, it still helped to create some atmosphere.
But in the firelight, none of the three looked very happy.
Virt was disappointed, Robert was annoyed, and Scott was a little ashamed of his confident boasts before entering the secret passage.
After a whole day, they had lost last night's composure. Only Betty was still in the secret room, wracking her brain.
But after a long time, Betty too had to walk out of the room full of mirrors.
She rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling like her eyes were playing tricks on her.
"Scott, got any hot coffee?"
Betty dragged her feet towards the campfire, wanting to get some sugar (by adding a crazy amount of sugar cubes to her coffee).
"In a minute."
Scott took a small can of coffee from his bag and threw it into the pot of water that hadn't boiled yet.
Betty sat down beside him, hugging her knees and staring ahead, her gaze gradually drawn to the campfire.
Virt couldn't help but ask, "Senior, any luck?"
Betty kept staring at the fire, ignoring him.
Virt: "Senior?"
Betty suddenly shot to her feet. "I've got it!"
Virt: "Got what?"
Betty: "We need a highly concentrated light source!"
…
With that flash of inspiration in Betty's mind, Virt's treasure hunt finally entered its final stages.
Using on-the-spot refinement, Betty created a simple light emitter that could shoot out a high-intensity beam of light. She then immediately entered the secret room and used the beam to illuminate the mirrors.
Half a minute later, she walked out, her face beaming with joy.
Virt, who had been waiting anxiously at the entrance, hurried up to her. "How did it go? Did you succeed?"
Betty raised an eyebrow, looking smug. "Of course. Don't you know who I am?"
Virt said excitedly, "Let me see."
Betty handed him the light emitter. "Just inject mana into it."
Virt immediately rushed into the secret room, unable to wait.
Once he injected mana into the emitter and, following Betty's instructions, aimed the beam from the entrance at the mirror directly opposite, an array of light instantly appeared before him.
"It was such a simple design?"
Virt's face flushed red, his hands trembling with excitement.
"This is the treasure my father left behind?"
"What kind of diagram is it?"
"An ancient magic circle?"
"An exclusive refinement formula?"
"Or a special magic charm presented in graphical form?"
He couldn't help but start fantasizing.
…
Outside the secret room.
Scott asked curiously, "Did you find something?"
Betty glanced at him, in a somewhat cheerful mood. "It should be a magic charm."
Scott was energized. "A magic charm left by the Hero? I want to see!"
But Betty shook her head. "That's not a good idea. Since it was left by the Hero, it should be received by the Hero's son. Besides, it's not a charm that just anyone can use."
Scott accepted her explanation. "Things left by the Hero are always special. It must be some kind of fate that Virt was able to obtain his relic!"
Betty rubbed her temples. "I need to rest. The recording work from here on out has nothing to do with me."
Scott shrugged. "That's Virt's job, of course."
After that, Betty went to the campfire, put on a pair of heat-resistant gloves, fished out the heated coffee can, opened it, poured the contents into a mug, and then stuffed it full of sugar cubes.
In a dark spot where no one could see, she pouted slightly.
It was a bit of a shame, but she had actually recognized the magic charm the moment she saw it.
It was a general-purpose magic charm, and it was true that not just anyone could use it.
That's because it had a built-in check function that would cause it to manifest in a form matching the owner's various aptitudes.
And among these forms, only when it manifested as a weapon could the charm's basic function be utilized.
The strength of the charm also varied depending on the weapon it became.
The "sword" form was the most powerful of all!
Its name was [Phantom Weapon Charm], and it was classified as both a Magic Card and an Item Card.
Because the Hero often used it to summon a holy sword, it was also called the [Holy Sword Charm]!
…
And the reason Betty knew all this so clearly was because the [Holy Sword Charm] was something taught in the second semester of the fourth year—she had studied ahead!
In the short half-minute after recognizing the charm.
She decided to keep this secret buried in her heart forever.
It wasn't her wish to shatter a child's beautiful illusions about their parents' generation.
Of course, she didn't want to hide it either.
But who would have thought the treasure left by the Hero would be something you could find in a textbook?
In any case, by the time Virt reaches his fourth year, she would have already graduated…
"This is the worst!"
…
Three of the four members of the group were immersed in joy. Even Robert was secretly happy for Virt.
Virt finally remembered Robert. He had Robert come into the secret room to help hold the light emitter while he began to record.
Although the [Holy Sword Charm] wasn't short, it was at least a two-dimensional incantation, so drawing it wasn't very difficult.
Virt spent half an hour and successfully recorded it.
Then he called for Robert to come out of the secret room, feeling completely refreshed!
He had finally obtained the treasure left by his father!
…
In their excitement, the group sat around the campfire and chatted for a long time before taking out their sleeping bags and going to sleep.
…
At the same time.
The bat that had been huddled in the corner opened its eyes.
A hundred meters away.
The vampire, following its physiological instincts, had finally traversed the maze-like secret passage and found its way nearby.
The complexity of the secret passage had made it wander for an entire night.
Its already chaotic mind had been twisted into a pulp by frustration and thirst.
His arms hung limply, saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth, and a vicious light glinted in his eyes. He looked like a starving ghost that had crawled out of hell!
As the scent of its prey grew closer, the hunting instinct made him stop breathing, and his footsteps became silent.
The torches on either side of the secret passage no longer lit up.
He listened in the darkness.
He stalked through the shadows.
A few minutes later.
The light of the campfire was reflected in the vampire's eyes.
The four of them, deep in slumber, were completely unaware.
The vampire flicked out its long, pointed tongue and licked a circle around its lips.
He could feel the small amount of blood remaining in his body begin to boil.
Among the four people curled up in their sleeping bags, the taste of one person's blood was already deeply engraved in his soul.
That was the most delicious prey.
The most wonderful blood bag!
A pitch-black shadow fell upon the four of them.
The vampire silently walked over to the Hero's son. Slowly, very slowly, fighting back the urge to tear him to pieces, it bent down and extended its fangs toward the boy's neck.
Although the specially prepared blood in the wine glass was delicious.
The blood flowing through veins was a vampire's true favorite.
A strong, foul stench entered Virt's nostrils. He subconsciously frowned, then groggily opened his eyes.
A blood-red light filled his vision.
The vampire bit down hard!
"Aaaah—"
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