Chapter 3 - Blue Crystal Dungeon

Yuira and Nurveus were touring the town. The frozen Terqio monsters floated behind them, carried by Yuira's Wind Magic. A few residents watched them curiously through their windows. They eventually stopped in front of the Merchant Guild, which remained closed.Yuira stared at the building. "They're closed, just like the Mayor said."With a hint of disappointment, Yuira walked past the Guild, followed by Nurveus. They reached a vacant lot in the center of town. Yuira placed the miniaturized shop in the middle of the empty space and stepped back. The shop began to expand to its original size.Yuira placed the frozen Terqio monsters on the floor and stepped inside with Nurveus. To their left and right were display shelves, and in front of them stood a counter with a chair. Beside the counter was a door leading to a hallway with two bedrooms."The rooms are quite spacious," Yuira remarked as he entered one. "But still, this shop lacks a dedicated room for brewing Potions and Poisons."They returned to the main room, and Yuira pulled out a glass. "Alright, first things first, I want to test their blood."Using Wind Magic, Yuira brought one of the Terqios inside. "Nurveus, can you melt the ice?"Nurveus nodded. She summoned water that enveloped the monster. As the ice melted, the creature stirred—it was still alive. Nurveus swiftly decapitated the monster. Its blue blood sprayed out, splattering across the floor and her face.Yuira immediately pulled a cloth from his Inventory and handed it to Nurveus. She took it gratefully. Yuira then produced a bucket and used Wind Magic to flip the monster's carcass, filling the bucket with its blood.He then produced a Bordeaux glass. Using Blood Magic, he made the monster's blood levitate and poured a small amount into the glass. Since he was immune to all toxins, Yuira took a sip.This is... a poison, though I'm not sure of the exact effects yet. It actually tastes quite good.Yuira finished the glass. He then used Barrier Magic to create a rectangular barrier with an open top. He cast Fire Magic to ignite a flame inside the barrier before producing 24 Erlenmeyer flasks. He filled the flasks with blood and placed them inside the barrier, beginning an experiment to see how the Terqio blood reacted to heat."Okay, while we wait for that, let's head to the Blue Crystal Dungeon," Yuira said.They walked through the quiet town, where the atmosphere was thick with the anxiety of the residents. It took them about 25 minutes to reach the Blue Crystal Dungeon. At the cave's entrance, the stench of poison was unmistakable.Without looking back, Yuira asked, "Nurveus, are you resistant to poison?""I am resistant to many toxins, Master," she replied. "And this one... it is exceptionally weak."Yuira smirked. "Good. Let's go in."They entered the cave, which was filled with a thin purple mist. Yuira inhaled the toxic gas. "It smells nice, like a mix of honey and mint." He glanced back at Nurveus. "You know, this is called Death Air. If a normal person breathes in even a little, they'll be poisoned and die within hours."As Nurveus watched Yuira happily inhaling the poison, she was briefly reminded of his first life as Lucius—the moment he had died from being poisoned.Deep inside, they encountered a brilliant blue glow: Mana Crystals, formed from concentrated natural Mana. These were low-grade crystals."Master, look at this," Nurveus called out.Yuira joined her. They found a path leading further down, but it was choked with thick, opaque purple gas."Should we enter?" Nurveus asked.Yuira shook his head. "No, let's just seal this path for now."They stepped back. Yuira drew his Magic Wand and pointed it at the tunnel. "Diamond Magic... Diamond Wall." A magic circle appeared on the ground, and a wall of solid diamond erupted to seal the path. "This should hold the poison back, even if it blocks the Mana too."The surrounding gas began to dissipate. Yuira had Nurveus gather the remaining Mana Crystals before they headed back out.Outside, the Mayor and two soldiers were waiting. They were shocked to see the pair emerge unharmed. "Y-you just came out of the cave?" the Mayor stammered, pointing at the entrance."Yes," Yuira replied. "We've dealt with the poison for now by sealing the lower path."They all went inside to investigate. The Mayor and his men were awestruck by the shimmering diamond wall."We took the Mana Crystals. I hope that isn't a problem?" Yuira asked."Ah, no, that's fine," the Mayor replied. "Adventurers rarely visit this town anyway.""Let me know if anything strange happens," Yuira added.Back at the shop, Yuira checked his experiment. The heating process had been going on for an hour. He took a sip of the processed blood.The poisonous taste is getting stronger.He took out a piece of paper and recorded his first findings on Terqio's blood. "Nervous, you should go rest in your room," he said. She nodded and headed to bed. Despite not being sleepy, she soon fell into a deep slumber.At midnight, Nurveus woke up. She walked into the main room and found Yuira still awake, tasting his experiments."Six hours of heating... the poison is quite potent, but it's actually weaker than the three-hour batch," Yuira muttered, scribbling notes. Nurveus watched him with admiration; this studious side of him was something she hadn't seen when he was Lucius.Meanwhile, at the cave entrance, a man with purple hair dressed in black approached with a smirk. Inside, he stopped abruptly at the sight of the barrier. "What is this?"He touched the wall. "Diamond? And it contains Mana... I've never seen Diamond Magic before. A new spell, perhaps?"The man summoned a black battle-axe with a purple blade. "I'll just have to break it!"Three hours later, he finally shattered the diamond wall, panting with exhaustion. "Dammit, that was incredibly tough!"He descended into the lower cavern, a vast space lined with blue stones and abundant low-grade Mana Crystals. In the center stood a Lord Terqio, the Dungeon Boss, whose arms were shaped like lethal spikes. It was currently devouring one of its own kind.Seeing the man, Lord Terqio lunged with its jaws wide open. The man blocked the strike with his axe."Hey, calm down. I brought you food." He pulled out a bottle of liquid Death Air. The feral monster immediately turned submissive at the sight of the concentrated poison."Open up," the man commanded.The Lord Terqio obeyed, and the man poured the entire bottle into its gullet. The monster snapped its mouth shut, then exhaled a massive cloud of purple gas that began to spread rapidly.The man smirked. "The one who made that barrier must be a powerful Mage. I think I'll stay here a while longer to see who they are."The next morning, the two soldiers returned to check the cave. Seeing the gas had returned, they donned gas masks and entered. They were horrified to find the diamond wall in ruins."Dammit, was the wall that weak?" one asked. "No," the other replied, pointing at the rubble. "Look at those marks. This was definitely done by someone." He turned around. "Quick! Go tell the Mage!"At the shop, Yuira was just waking up at the counter when a soldier burst in, shouting."Sir Mage! The wall you built last night... It's been destroyed!"Yuira blinked, still half-asleep. "What?"To be continued...