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 waiting for reinforcements, Wim, Lucius, and Luna left the group and headed to a room that had been left open, having been opened by the Centaur Automaton in the previous battle.
They attempted to retrieve the weapon Wim had said was inside.
They stepped into a small, empty room, unadorned, and devoid of any signs of life. There were only two objects in the center, placed on an old stone altar: a magic crystal shard and an old, yet majestic-looking grimoire.
Lucius: "So, is this the weapon you were talking about?" he asked, glancing at Wim.
Wim nodded his head in agreement.
Lucius stepped forward and carefully held the crystal shard. Instantly, the crystal vibrated and shattered. Then the fragments slowly coalesced, forming a spear of silvery blue light. The spear's color was like frozen ice, yet hot to the touch. Lucius was stunned, his eyes wide.
Lucius: "This spear... this spear was once owned by the third King of Cryztolia," he said softly, his voice filled with both respect and confusion.
Lucius: "How could such a precious object be in a room like this?" he said again, glancing at the two of them.
Wim and Luna both shrugged. They weren't sure how such an important weapon could be in this dungeon.
Perhaps the developers couldn't be bothered to create a proper place for the spear, so they placed it in a commonplace. That was Wim's thought, in his developer-like way of thinking.
Then, Luna, standing beside him, attentively picked up the Grimoire. As soon as she touched it, the Grimoire turned a translucent sky blue, the same color as her shimmering hair. A cold, icy aura emanated from the book's pages, as if it were alive and fused with Luna.
Luna: "It feels familiar to me," she muttered as she stared intently at the Grimoire.
***
(Kryuger's POV)
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Gigan Dungeon, Kryuger, Bright, and several Steel Academy members slew 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 to advance through it. There, they were shocked to see the remains of a fight that had taken place, but fortunately, the students were safe.
Kryuger began reopening his Grav Portal. They began evacuating the injured first, then the students.
Kryuger: "Everyone, evacuate now," he said firmly.
Wim, Luna, and Lucius also returned from the room, carrying their spears and new Grimoires.
However, Wim felt something was missing. He looked around and realized:
Wim: "Wait... where's Art?" he said.
Luna and Lucius also looked around, and none of them saw Art. Their gazes immediately focused on Wim.
Wim: "I have to go find him. Please wait a moment," he added.
(Wim's POV)
He returned to the previous room, following 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 home, the portal will close soon," he urged Art.
However, Art didn't seem to respond to Wim's words, remaining silent and 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 inside. Only a few prism fragments detached from Art's eyeball-shaped core.
Then, an aura of the crystal's essence began to surround 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 this time filled with worry.
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 Fire Essence. The Fire Essence will now be placed in your Blank Aetherin Attribute Slot.]
Wim: "Eh..." Wim paused, staring at the notification, as if he had an uneasy feeling.
***
After the incident, the Gigan Dungeon became busier as it was under surveillance by Steel Academy and Unio Academy.
Several members were seen still standing guard around Kryuger's Grav Portal, which continued to emit a soft purple light, 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 in order 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 added.
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 reward, right?"
Sherman smiled broadly, chuckling at Wim's question.
Sherman: "That's right. Your reward 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) (range 20 meters)
Attribute: Blank (essence: Fire)]
A very decent increase.
But more than that, Wim still held a Mana Grapple he brought from Sarah's secret room.
Although he was still unfamiliar with how to use it, Wim felt this tool had unlimited potential. Just like in the game.
However, to do that, he needed a deeper understanding of Magic Tools and their magic circuits. Since he was still in his first year, it would take another six months to learn that. 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 contribution to helping other players progress.
A Dwarf whose home was near the forest north of Unio Academy.
Helbert