The glowing footprints that had appeared out of nowhere suddenly sped up the moment they were noticed, vanishing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.
Everyone immediately gave chase—some cast magic to block its path, while others rushed ahead to intercept it.
But whatever was leaving those footprints wasn't just incredibly fast—it also seemed very small. Stella locked onto its direction and lunged forward—
—and still missed!
As the footprints grew farther and farther away, the entire corridor ahead suddenly erupted with an endless surge of plants, filling it completely in an instant!
"Nice one!" Stella praised. "Now it's trapped."
But when she turned back to see which genius had cast the spell, her expression froze—and she quietly turned her head forward again.
Because the one who unleashed that massive move… was Liznai.
She still wore her usual blank expression, though her face had turned slightly pale.
"If you keep standing there, it'll get away."
"I wasn't spacing out," Stella muttered, quickly dashing into the corridor. The dense plants parted on their own to let her through.
Before long, she returned, holding a struggling silver bug.
[Dung Beetle (Invisible Variant)]
According to Wade's design, it would hang from the ceiling of the corridor outside the third spade-marked room. The moment adventurers opened the spade door, it would immediately flee, leaving behind only faint footprints as a clue.
From a practical standpoint, if Wienma hadn't noticed it, others could wander here forever and still never find it. It was small and fast—no wonder Gapar's group had missed it.
Liznai's magic had been a huge help. Without the plants blocking its path, the dung beetle would have deliberately dived into groups of monsters, forcing at least three or four attempts before it slowed down.
Originally, Wade had considered using a magical creature like a Niffler instead of the dung beetle—but after thinking it over, he didn't want to see a cute animal getting killed. A dung beetle, on the other hand? No one would care.
"So… what do we do with this thing?" Stella asked.
The moment she said that, the dung beetle suddenly twitched—
—and died.
Stella blinked. "I swear I didn't do anything."
"It's fine," Wienma said, shaking her head.
The beetle turned into ash, and from within it, a purple light dropped out—
It was the Heart Key.
This group of elves had become the first adventurers to discover it.
"Hard to catch in a sudden encounter, and even if you catch it, you still have to kill it to get the key… Yeah, this is classic Sein Dungeon design," Stella remarked as she moved to open the Heart door, her tone hovering somewhere between admiration and sarcasm.
Click—
"Huh?"
The lock had clearly opened—but the door wouldn't budge.
No… it wasn't that it couldn't be pulled open. Something inside the room was resisting them!
"Little sister, you really need to train that pitiful strength of yours. Let me try," Melga said with a grin, grabbing the handle.
"Hmm!?"
Her expression quickly changed—she used all her strength, but the door didn't move at all.
"I'll try," the cool elf guy said confidently, stepping forward.
A few seconds later… he looked completely baffled.
Even the three strongest members failed.
Liznai tilted her head, then casually grabbed the handle.
Creak—
The door opened effortlessly.
"Whoa!!"
The elves erupted in shock.
Who would've thought that the slender Liznai could casually open a door that even Silan couldn't?
"So you're secretly super strong?!"
Liznai tilted her head in confusion. She had only pulled lightly—why couldn't the others open it?
Am I actually some kind of hidden powerhouse?
She raised her thin arm and tried flexing… but how could someone so frail-looking be that strong?
No—this had nothing to do with strength. Liznai must have some kind of special condition.
Wienma came to that conclusion. But now that the door was open, the reason could wait.
It was time to gather information.
"Star magic…"
The moment she had first touched Glintstone Pebble, she had realized—this magic aligned perfectly with her beliefs.
She intended to absorb every bit of knowledge related to it within this academy.
After examining the murals in the spade rooms and observing the sorcerer spheres, she noticed that these creatures contained extremely pure glintstone—an advanced form of star magic.
Combined with the glintstone crowns…
She arrived at a bold hypothesis:
The sorcerer spheres were transformed from mages who studied star magic.
She didn't share this with the others—it was only her personal speculation. If she turned out to be wrong, it would be embarrassing.
So she reasoned that if the spade rooms revealed the origins of Raya Lucaria and the possible "evolution" of mages, then the Heart room should explain why this transformation occurred.
With that expectation, she looked inside—
"…A portrait?" someone voiced the group's confusion.
A large portrait hung on the wall directly opposite the entrance.
It depicted a man in an ordinary mage's robe. Nothing about him stood out—plain features, a gentle but slightly evasive gaze, the kind of person who lacked confidence and was often bullied.
The only notable trait… was his bald head.
Even the messiest mage cared about appearances. A bald mage was rare.
But the real question was—who was he?
There was no name nearby. Perhaps, like the other portraits, his story was written on the back?
Wienma stepped forward to take it down—but stopped a few steps away.
An invisible barrier blocked her.
With that barrier, no outsider could touch the portrait.
Which raised even more questions. Who was this man? Why was his portrait displayed alone? If he had made great contributions like the others, why wasn't he placed alongside them?
At that moment, a line of text appeared before her eyes:
[With respect, to my mentor]
"Mentor… so he really was a teacher here."
At the same time, a spirit appeared.
The spirit wore unfamiliar armor that somehow evoked the image of a white wolf. In his left hand, he held a simple staff; in his right, a greatsword glowing like moonlight.
He bowed slightly toward the portrait.
This message must have been left by him—so he was the mage's student.
Even as a spirit, Wienma immediately sensed it—
He was incredibly strong. Strong enough to kill her in an instant.
She unconsciously stepped back—only to realize everyone was staring at her.
"Ahem." She turned away calmly, now looking at the portrait with respect.
To be called "mentor" by such a powerful figure… this man must have been a great mage.
She even felt a hint of envy—if your student was this strong, your later years would surely be comfortable and prosperous.
As the spirit faded, new text appeared:
[Offer runes. Only ten are needed.]
"Runes?"
Everyone exchanged glances.
Then Stella took out a coin-like object from her pouch, faintly glowing gold.
"…Could it be this?"
[Golden Rune (1)]—something she and Leon had obtained while exploring the academy.
"Try it," Wienma said.
Stella placed the rune before the barrier.
A flash of light—
The rune vanished, replaced by a purple glow.
"A purple item?!"
She quickly picked it up—then froze.
[Painting Fragment "Wastestone" — Part 1]
[A fragment of a painting recording the life of a mage who called himself "Bluntstone," Thops. Within it, one can glimpse a ruined church—the place where he first met his student.]
[If all fragments are collected, perhaps the story can be recreated within the world of the painting.]
"A new painting fragment!?"
This was the third discovered fragment after the Wolf Knight and Hawkwood!
Stella explained what painting fragments were, and everyone quickly understood their value.
"Should sell for quite a lot," Melga said, her eyes gleaming.
"Is your empty brain held together by coins?" Liznai shot back.
And just like that, they started bickering again.
"Where do we find the rest?" Wienma asked.
Stella shook her head. These fragments appeared randomly—any glowing item could be one.
In other words… it all came down to luck and time.
Wienma nodded. Luck was uncertain—but elves had no shortage of time.
Although the Heart room didn't reveal the secrets of star magic, this mysterious mage—Thops—was enough to intrigue her.
She even considered staying in Bedford City… or even Liurnia itself, until they gathered all the fragments.
Still—
Why would a great mage call himself "Bluntstone"?
That question lingered in her mind.
With that, all the marked rooms in the magic classroom area had been explored. The major mysteries were solved—only scattered minor puzzles remained.
Adventurers were progressing quickly. It hadn't even been two weeks since the new area opened.
At this rate, once they adapted to Val Dungeon's unique rules, they might clear the first major layer within two months.
The elves didn't linger—they headed straight for the seal.
The guardian, Moongrum, gave them some trouble.
Nearly all elves could use magic, which fed directly into his Carian Retaliation, turning the fight into a barrage of conjured glintblades.
But after a tough battle, they won.
Thanks largely to Stella—because she had thoroughly studied Luluwo's strategy guide.
They touched the seal.
Light flickered.
Teleportation.
Stella could almost smell the damp air of Liurnia. Despite the bad memories, the scenery there was beautiful.
She wondered how the other elves would react—maybe they'd gasp in awe.
After a full minute of darkness, she opened her eyes—
"…Where is everyone?"
In front of her, a massive bonfire burned.
She was alone.
At Academy Gate Town.
"Why am I here?"
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the lake region, the other elves—randomly scattered—were just as confused.
"…Where did Stella go?"