Episode 291
As the lid of the chest creaked open, Zeke found a blue crystal orb and a banner of a design he had never seen before.
“What is this?”
Zeke examined the banner first. The dungeon entrance had been marked with a sun emblem, but the banner inside the chest bore a different symbol.
“Is this… the moon?”
Indeed, it was a moon emblem, not the sun, that lay within the chest. Zeke tried to glean information about the moon emblem using his system.
[Failed to retrieve information.]
“The system can’t find anything? What on earth is this?”
Zeke speculated that the moon emblem might be connected to Theia, the goddess of the moon.
“The Temple of Theia was said to be in Rom. Maybe I can learn more if I go there.”
He carefully stored the moon emblem and turned his attention to the blue crystal orb.
― Eternal Ice Crystal Information ―
Description: The essence of cold, solidified over millennia.
Unique Ability: Undetermined.
Special Note: Currently inactive.
“Eternal Ice Crystal? I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Since it was still inactive, its unique abilities remained a mystery. Zeke decided to store the crystal in his inventory for now.
Next, he opened the special random box he had received as a reward for defeating the Snow Queen. Inside was a cloak, shimmering with a subtle glow.
― Cloak Information ―
Description: A cloak that can block all forms of cold and heat, and even deflect bladed attacks.
Unique Abilities: Impervious to Cold and Heat, Bladeproof.
Special Note: Highly elastic. Belonged to Jerome Lloyd, the Knight of Wisdom.
Zeke was taken aback by the cloak’s information.
“Jerome Lloyd, the Knight of Wisdom? He’s one of the Clock Tower Knights.”
Jerome, one of the twelve knights of the Hero King, had played a crucial role in founding the Kingdom of Chronos with his wise counsel. Zeke smiled with satisfaction at the sight of Jerome’s cloak.
“A cloak that can block attacks and insulate against cold and heat? This is incredibly useful.”
Zeke draped the cloak over his shoulders, pleased with how it fit snugly and maintained a comfortable temperature. With its bladeproof ability, it seemed perfect for defense.
Having reviewed all the items, Zeke turned to Richmond.
“Richmond, see if there are any other paths around here.”
Richmond, adept at navigating the natural maze of the Hoshgar Laboratory, nodded and waved his staff, heading towards the back.
“I sense something over here.”
Richmond pointed to a spot piled high with snow and ice. Zeke summoned flames to melt it away in an instant, his mastery of the Elemental Sword allowing him to control the power with precision.
As the snow and ice melted away, a hidden door was revealed. Zeke approached and manually adjusted the system to allow the door to open.
Beyond the door stretched another long corridor.
“Looks like the Archmage’s laboratory is this way.”
Having come this far, Zeke couldn’t leave without exploring the Archmage’s laboratory. He needed to claim the Archmage’s legacy before Nirvana’s forces could.
Without hesitation, he and Richmond proceeded down the corridor. Unlike the previous area, there was no chill in the air.
As Zeke surveyed the surroundings with a puzzled expression, he noticed wet patches on the floor.
“Is it because we defeated the Snow Queen?”
It seemed that with the Snow Queen’s defeat, the cold-affinity creatures that had lingered here had vanished as well.
Just then, Richmond spoke up.
“Master, remember that ancient relic I mentioned?”
“Ancient relic? What are you talking about?”
“Yes, I told you before. I found a curious ancient relic in the Undead Maze.”
Zeke recalled Richmond’s earlier ramblings about an ancient relic, which he had dismissed at the time.
“Oh, that. So, what about this ancient relic?”
“It seems the undead might have arisen because of that relic.”
Zeke tilted his head in confusion.
“An ancient relic causing undead to appear? What do you mean?”
“I’m not entirely sure, as it’s the first time I’ve seen something like it. But the aura it emits doesn’t feel like any ordinary artifact.”
“Hmm, an artifact that creates natural undead. Do you have it with you?”
Richmond shook his head vigorously.
“No, no. Handling such a relic recklessly could destroy my soul instantly.”
Zeke nodded in agreement. It was wise not to meddle with dangerous relics.
“Have you identified what kind of artifact it is?”
Richmond pondered for a moment.
“It was buried in the ground, and the aura was so strong I couldn’t get a good look. But it seemed to resemble an incense burner.”
“An incense burner, huh? It might be more of a ritual tool than a typical artifact.”
Artifacts imbued with ancient magic or spirits often possessed greater power but were difficult to control, sometimes turning on their users.
Zeke praised Richmond.
“Most mages would have been too curious and tried to dig it up. You did well not to.”
“Hehe, I didn’t survive 500 years for nothing. Even the crown I gave you before was thoroughly tested to ensure it was safe.”
“Ah, yes, the crown of Luvern. Where did you find that?”
“In the dungeon I was staying in. There were signs of people having been there before, and as I settled in, I discovered a cleverly hidden secret chamber. That’s where I found it.”
“A secret chamber…”
Zeke speculated that the dungeon Richmond had stayed in might have been a refuge for the Luvern bloodline.
“Perhaps the Dawn Society, where my mother was, set up such refuges to protect the Luvern bloodline.”
Zeke decided that once his business in Aten was concluded, he would visit Baranaon to investigate the incense burner Richmond had mentioned.
As he organized his plans, Zeke sensed a magical presence ahead.
Richmond, sensing something as well, spoke up.
“Master, this is a Nirvana-style barrier magic circle.”
“It seems the Archmage’s laboratory is indeed this way.”
Zeke used his magic suppression technique to break through the barrier magic circle.
Inside, a vast chamber awaited them.
To their surprise, dozens of golems were crouched against one wall of the chamber.
Richmond approached the golems in awe.
“Wow! Master, look at this. There are so many golems here. But they look a bit different.”
Zeke joined him and examined the golems, noting their unusual design.
“Fascinating. They look like they’re meant for digging.”
Richmond’s eyes sparkled.
“Master, these might be dungeon exploration golems.”
“Dungeon exploration golems? Do those exist?”
“These golems can move on their own, digging through earth and clearing stones.”
“Using expensive golems for that? Unbelievable.”
“With Nirvana, anything’s possible, right?”
Zeke nodded in agreement. Using golems for dungeon exploration had its advantages.
“It’s more efficient than using workers, and there’s no risk of casualties.”
While undead could achieve similar results, they required a constant supply of mana.
Leaving Richmond to examine the construction golems, Zeke approached the laboratory door.
As expected, a security magic circle was in place.
A mage’s laboratory required strict security, as tampering with it could trigger a self-destruct mechanism.
“Richmond! Come and disable this.”
Richmond hurried over to inspect the security magic circle on the laboratory door.
“Can you open it?”
“I’m an expert at this. Back in the day, when I ran out of experimental materials, I’d sneak into the storage by bypassing the security magic.”
“Very reassuring. Go ahead and open it.”
Richmond carefully examined the magic circle, channeling his magic to disable it.
As the magic circle was deactivated, the glowing symbols on the laboratory door faded away.
“Phew, it’s done.”
“Well done, Richmond.”
Zeke found himself trusting Richmond a little more than before.
As they entered the laboratory, they found it surprisingly clean and well-maintained, considering how long it had been sealed.
However, it felt rather ordinary for an Archmage’s laboratory.
There were few instruments, and the bookshelves seemed sparsely filled.
“Quite tidy for a mage.”
The Archmage who owned this laboratory seemed to be as rare as a knight without ambition—a neat and orderly mage.
Just then, Richmond exclaimed in surprise.
“M-Master, look at that!”
Richmond pointed to a corner of the lab, and to Zeke’s surprise, there lay a robed mummy.
Cautiously, Zeke approached the mummy.
It seemed the mummy had been writing something at the desk before collapsing to the floor, dead.
Zeke examined the mummy’s condition.
“Clutching its heart… Could it have been a heart attack?”
He turned his attention to the journal on the desk.
<…With the final ingredient obtained from the druids, I was finally able to complete the elixir. But… only after its completion did I realize that the elixir could not cure my ailment. The elixir is an essential component for creating the Philosopher’s Stone. With the Philosopher’s Stone, I could reconstruct my frail and diseased body. However, my time is already…>
The journal ended there.
Zeke shook his head as he looked at the fallen wizard.
“Just like Michel, he was under the same delusion. So he sought out the druids for the elixir’s ingredients. That’s why Michel thought the elixir was here.”
Zeke flipped through the journal from the beginning.
He found several discrepancies from what Michel had mentioned.
Firstly, the deceased wizard was not a 9th-circle archmage but a 7th-circle sorcerer.
He was a sorcerer specializing in ice magic who had sensed an unusual chill emanating from this dungeon and had settled here for research.
During his time here, he managed to complete an 8th-circle spell.
“I think I read something similar in a newsletter in my past life.”
Not being a wizard himself, Zeke didn’t know the specifics of the magic, only that a high-circle wizard’s dungeon had been discovered.
He continued reading the journal.
The wizard, on the brink of mastering the 8th circle, realized something was wrong with his body and tried to heal himself, but the disease had progressed too far.
He searched far and wide for a cure but failed at every turn.
He even sought treatment from the bloodline of Luvern, but the illness persisted.
“Ordinary healing wouldn’t have cured it.”
In the end, he decided on a wizardly solution.
He resolved to create the legendary elixir himself to cure his disease.
True to his reputation as a Nirvana sorcerer, he tenaciously researched and completed the elixir, only to realize immediately afterward that it couldn’t heal him.
Zeke looked away from the journal with a sympathetic expression and noticed a box on the desk.
Opening it, he found two sealed vials inside.
Zeke examined the vials with a discerning eye.
―Elixir Information―
A rare reagent that harmonizes otherwise unreactive substances.
As Zeke had suspected, it was the elixir.
“To have made two of these rare reagents… He must have been quite the alchemist.”
Zeke stored the elixirs in his inventory.
As he continued to search the desk, he found a tome on ice magic left by the sorcerer.
“An 8th-circle ice spell… That’s quite valuable. Better hold onto it.”
There were also numerous artifacts left by the sorcerer.
After storing everything in his inventory, Zeke noticed a staff hanging on the wall, likely used by the sorcerer.
The staff, adorned with a blue gem, appeared to be a rare artifact.
Zeke pointed to the staff and asked Richmond, “Richmond, could you use this staff to cast ice magic?”
Richmond shook his head. “I’m a necromancer, so I can’t use elemental magic.”
Zeke looked disappointed. None of the wizards he had with him could use ice magic.
Then, an idea struck Zeke.
He turned to Richmond and said, “Richmond, do you think you could turn this one into an undead?”