Athelei walked through the cold dungeon corridors, running Inspect as he went. He had gone through a few prison cells, in search of the source of his discomfort.
A few traps had sprung at him at times, but never truly worked. The damage their mechanisms had incurred over time was the cause of such a thing.
There were a few skeletons here and there. Many were Greater Goblins, while Orcs and beasts had also left their remains.
'More complex machinery...' Athelei stumbled upon a functioning elevator powered by steam.
Unhesitantly, he walked into the elevator car and flipped a switch.
In the next moment, the sound of clanking gears rang out, and a crude mechanical song was played. [Mana] hummed as a few Mystic Patterns generated steam, lowering the elevator at a relaxing pace.
Athelei felt his gut mildly lurch the moment he began his descent. Even though he was capable of flight and had experienced sky diving, he still felt queasy with the downward acceleration.
'Is it because of such a confined space?' Athelei rubbed his tummy.
Flying and taking an elevator were two surprisingly different activities despite their similarities. Athelei had yet to pinpoint what exactly was giving him such queasiness, but he had already made it to the bottom of the line.
The angel heard the whoosh of expelled steam when the elevator car fully made a stop.
Ding!
There was a bell next, and the doors clanked open.
Athelei was then greeted by a spacious underground room, looking quite like the Adventurer's Guild in Avina.
The room was rectangular, with desks, shelves and workstations lining the sides. The area before him was a rather free, spacious hall, save for the incomplete mechanical structure that lay at the very centre of the room.
It was caked in dust, with a few cobwebs here and there. Athelei moved over as he executed Inspect.
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Mechanical Prototype (Tank-like)
Durability: 439/890
- [Extra Effect: Damaged Mark] Any human under the Zodiacs who come into contact with the item will have a mark on their bodies, making them easy to find. (Due to the damaged Mystic Patterns, the mark will only last for a few hours.)
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"A damaged mark..."
Athelei pondered over such an effect for a few seconds before turning towards the many shelves that lined the room's walls. He executed inspect on the many dusty books that lay there, preserved yet quite brittle.
'Millennia in age...' Athelei thought in admiration. His footsteps were already dragging him forward unconsciously.
He felt compelled to read whatever was written in the books. The answers that Inspect had given to him were pleasantly surprising.
These books around him were all items printed by the Oxhorian Spawn.
'It makes sense,' Athelei thought, 'The kingdom-cities were all built by them, after all.'
He had already extracted a huge amount of information from all that he had seen so far.
He knew about the general immunity the bioluminescent beasts had against the Baneful Shroud. It was what made the tattoo on his wrist so useful, given that it conveniently allowed him to instantly utilise the resources available to him. The Oxhorian Spawn likely used such a characteristic too, mass-producing the Cloaks of Tranquility he still saw today.
'But,' Athelei picked up a book as he glanced around him, 'These books are ancient in comparison to the room itself...'
Hummmmm!
The dull lights of a few Mystic Patterns hummed as Athelei handled the book. The patterns were doing something, but he wasn't sure what. He glanced at a book he had yet to use Inspect on and grabbed out.
Similar Mystic Patterns appeared, making the angel nod. He executed Inspect and soon found out what the general effects of the patterns were.
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Questioning the Stars (Tri'ella Alviusbound)
Durability: 56/80
- Reinforced by the Mystic Pattern sequence, [Resilience].
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Athelei nodded once again when he read through the information provided to him. But after which, a sigh escaped his lips as his eyes flitted across the numerous titles on every shelf.
'It is at times like these that I yearn for the Tier I Skill, Archive...'
Four walls chock-full of knowledge from an ancient, and more advanced civilisation surrounded him. Every dusty book called out to him, begging to be read. Theories on mystical arts, textbooks on technology, and tomes of philosophy were present.
There was much for him to learn in so little time. The Orc army would have left long before he could copy every book present into his mental library.
"I might as well make the most of the time I have for now..." Athelei whispered as he eyed a title he found intriguing.
"[Elemental Spellweaving],"
This bit of knowledge may just be what would allow him to break into the realm of a Rank 1 Artist.
.
.
.
And so, half a day passed as Athelei sat inside the dungeon room beneath Arabi's central castle.
His eyes glistened with every line, every diagram he came across. Normally, he would've taken a pen and paper as he wrote both in reality and in his mind, but today he was glued to the concepts that allowed Mystic Pattern sequences to function.
Oversimplified, the main theory behind sequences was the idea behind cursive writing and chemical compounds combined.
It was akin to writing with molecules, but instead of sharing electrons, certain symbols and their different portions are the connected or shared parts for Mystic Patterns instead. Cursive techniques were simply what bound each stroke together—slightly adjusting the way certain Mystic Patterns were drawn. Similar to how Earth's English letters are written differently in cursive.
Elemental Spellweaving was a well-written book that helped Athelei gain a comprehensive understanding of such a theory. He learned of the intricacies that I would rather leave unmentioned, else a dump of information would be all that one would see.
It also supplemented him with supporting theories to aid in adapting static patterns into its woven versions.
All-in-all, the angel had gained much from his studies.
And before he allowed his physical body to sleep, he called upon his Tangible Will. White streams of light condensed into the familiar milky lights of Mystic Patterns. Eighteen water-attributed Mystic Patterns lined up in the air, forming a sequence.
Athelei pulled a liquid sword out of the Mystic Pattern sequence and grinned.
"I did it..." He said to himself, as a bout of adrenaline and dopamine poured through him. Although an Artist's advancement would seem rather mundane, to him it was just something beautiful. The lack of flashy lights or boost in strength did not deter his joys.
"Rank 1 Artist... What a wondrous feeling..."
The Artist class was what he put most of his efforts in as he felt attuned to its nature. It was also his first class. Human sentimentality allowed him to place value on such a fact.
Thus, the satisfaction he gained from progressing past his bottleneck was greater than the day he advanced to Rank 1 Dictator.
Athelei then took out the Tidal Tome, and a ripple of power emanated from its latest gemstone. The water sword in Athelei's hand expanded and turned into ice.
What was once a blade of dense water had turned into an icy greatsword. One that made the young boy stumble at its size, having to draw Hunter and coat the blade in his Tangible Will to properly lift.
Athelei then gave the bulky weapon a few sluggish swings and felt quite pleased with the new avenues that had been opened to him. He tried a few techniques he had the pleasure of observing as the adrenaline slowly left him.
"Haah~" A yawn escaped his lips as fatigue gradually settled in.
He then found a place to lie down, summoned his Emerald-Essence Peaches over to himself and eventually entered slumber.
Not a second after he fell asleep, his Nightwalker body emerged and looked around the room. There were still a few more titles he found interesting.
The studying had yet to end.
As for the discomfort that Athelei had felt the moment he entered the dungeon, that was put aside for the time being.
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.
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In the labyrinth near the Grand Subterranean Entrance, an Adventurer party had come across a goblin camp, just as the groups ahead of them had.
With a few injuries and many bruises, this small party successfully cleared the goblin camp. Although a few had escaped, they chose not to pursue the crafty critters into the dark, winding, and unpredictable corridors.
They were satisfied with their current achievement as they sorted out their loot.
It was then that one of the Adventurers stumbled upon a strange mechanical item. The lady Adventurer picked it up as she executed Examine a few times.
"A Mechanical Prototype?" She wrinkled her nose as she glanced at one of her party mates.
"Hey, Nilead! Take a look at this."
The Mechanical Prototype was then tossed through the air, and caught by the Adventurer named Nilead.
Nilead then gave the item a look, executing his own round of Examine.
However, the moment Examine's [Passive Effect] was applied, his expression fell. The information displayed by the Cosmic Interface was ominous.
Nilead figured out why he felt chills the moment he caught the item.
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Mechanical Prototype (Gunblade-like)
Durability: 13/380
Lethality: 12
- A "gun" and a blade combined.
- [Extra Effect: Mark] Any human under the Zodiac who comes into contact with the item will have a mark on their bodies, making them easy to find.
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Deep beneath planet Oxhors crust, where molten rock churned and flowed, there was a commotion. The ringing of special metals, pulsing of [Mana], and coalescing of energy caused seismic ripples to travel across the melting temperatures.
The planet's mantle experienced a few lively events.
"Finally,"
A voice said amidst the rippling waves and bustling metal city-pockets. A burned face glanced at the ceiling above.
"Our return is nigh."