When I had returned from the dorm rooms, I took some time to recover from the mental strain I had felt previously after finding Daniella's body. The University President was right, we must continue to move forwards if we are to have any chance of recovering the Planet's Heartstone from the professor Alistair and her colleagues.
I heard a knock coming from the door and I responded accordingly. "Yeah who is it?"
"I'm just a messenger, don't mind me. We will be leaving for the other campus in a few hours and your presence has been requested by the University President," he said before leaving.
"Sounds interesting, but how will we get to the other campus? If memory serves me correctly, it's on an entirely different floating island from this one," I said to myself before gathering stuff together.
I arrived at the North Sky Port and boarded the Crestwood Sky Ship along with the other students. It was a little crowded at first and I didn't recognize most of the students that came.
"Attention everyone, we will be setting off for the South Campus to complete some repairs. I need everyone to stay together and we will depart shortly," said Tanya, one of the RA's for the dorm.
I set sail with my fellow classmates aboard the Crestwood Sky Ship. We soon arrived at the other half of the university campus to assist the students there with the ongoing repairs. Many of the students, including myself, split into small groups to explore the campus. I was accompanied by two others, like myself, who were interested in exploring rather than rushing to assist the students.
Due to low level monster attacks, the outside appeared worn down. The brick walls had been stained with years of weathering and dirt on top of the attack damage. There were small patches of low-level ivy monsters crawling up the side.
I viewed the monster's detail within my peripheral vision and was able to learn more details about this creature.
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< Roaming Death Ivy >
Health Points: ??/ Mana Cost: ?,
*Star Rating ★☆☆☆☆
*Species: Death Ivy.
*1st Job Class: Roaming Predator.
*Level: 05.
*Class Skills: Deadly Vine Wrap.
*Deadly Vine Wrap: Wrap its vines around the target, trapping them within and squeezing them. Making targets unable to escape.
*Description: This Deadly Ivy Plant once it gets the grip on someone it can poison them before squeezing the living daylight out of them.
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Most of the foliage had dried out, or was completely missing, a few windows on the lower floors showed signs of life left behind them, but most of them remained dark. Further ahead, we found a double door at the entrance with an intricate pattern carved into its surface that hinted at some sort of secret language.
A stone archway above the doors had runes inscribed onto it. On each side of this doorway there were two tall braziers filled with ashes and soot, making it appear as though a fire had recently burned there. To top it off, several shadowy figures stood watch from atop of the watchtowers that surrounded the building. I assumed it was students keeping watch over the university from above.
〘Ding! Side Quest Activated: Explore five classrooms at the west campus of Garcinia Institute you will then be rewarded with a single "Iron Rune Lantern."〙
As I entered the hallway, I noticed lanterns floating in front of runes with inscriptions on the walls. I saw several classrooms along the first floor. I decided to enter one of them with two new comrades by my side.
The walls were lined with a large blackboard filled with strange symbols that none of us recognized. Two bookshelves surrounded the blackboard, filled with unknown artifacts and objects from various cultures from this world. Everything from ancient scrolls, old pottery, and exotic musical instruments were carefully arranged on these shelves.
In the center of the room, a large globe stood on an ornate stand slowly spinning as if beckoning us forward into some unknown adventure. There were several tables and chairs for students to sit at during lectures or group activities. Each was made from different ancient trees. The furniture was decorated with intricate carvings depicting images of animals, plants, and other natural elements believed to be found in this realm.
At the front of the classroom was an enormous wooden desk.
It was covered in sheets of paper full of calculations and notes scribbled in various languages that no one was able to understand. On top rested a compass pointing north towards the horizon– indicating perhaps some sort of destination waiting for us beyond these walls? Whatever the case was, I felt it was best to grab the compass while the others felt it best to leave it behind. I couldn't help but feel intrigued by what this place had to offer us…
〘Ding! You have discovered an artifact known as Monster Compass〙
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< Monster Compass >
Mana Cost: ?/ N/A,
*Star Rating ★★★☆☆
*Artifact Class: Discovery.
*Requirements: Monster Cores.
*Description: When you place Monster Cores within the Magic Compass. The compass gains the unique ability to locate the set monsters if they are in the immediate area.
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The students stationed at the west campus weren't kidding when they asked for assistance. It appears their campus has been abandoned for quite some time, but that wasn't the case. We gathered around to discuss our findings, then explored the rest of the building after setting up camp.
- 1st Floor Hallway: We noticed dimly lit lanterns floating in the hallway near the runes. Along with a musty smell, voices could also be heard in the hallway. They echoed in the distance, whispering "stay with us" as we moved closer towards the classrooms in their direction.
- 2nd Classroom: The walls were filled with colorful posters that portrayed various creatures. There was a detailed map of the surrounding area. The desks and chairs were broken from a fight that had taken place, leaving behind the remains of those creatures in this room.
- 3rd Classroom: It was much darker than the other classrooms. I had seen strange symbols carved into the stone walls, which gave it an eerie atmosphere. The lanterns that had lit the previous rooms had been damaged in this room.
- 4th Classroom: It was filled with sad paintings and murals that depicted stories from ancient times. A battle was once fought within the Virtual Gateways that had begun appearing. In this classroom, it felt as if I was stepping back in time.
- 5th Classroom: This last classroom was decorated with beautiful tapestries that seemed to be constantly shifting depending on where you viewed them from. At one point, it appeared as though they wanted to reach out towards me and grab me, taking me deep into the depth of the underworld with it.
"Nope, not having it," I said as we left the classroom.
〘Ding! Side Quest Completed: Explored (5/5) classrooms at Westwood Eagle University〙
〘Ding! You have received "Iron Rune Lantern"〙
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< Iron Rune Lantern >
Mana Cost: ?
*Star Rating ★★☆☆☆
*Item Class: Iron Lantern.
*Requirements: Needs Mana for activation.
*Description: This Iron Lantern is one of the various tools used by the people of Astra and has been enhanced with magical runes. These magical runes infuse the user's magical essence into the lantern to brighten the immediate area.
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〘Ding! "Iron Rune Lantern" has been placed within your Dimensional Storage Space〙
"How do I access this so-called Dimensional Storage Space," I mumbled to myself before meditating.
I was finally able to access this Dimensional Storage Space. Afterwards I Located the Iron Rune Lantern and took it out.
"Wow this is amazing, the Iron Rune Lantern I received resembles those lanterns we've been seeing all around the university," I mumbled to myself as I quickly ran out and headed towards base.
I waited there quietly and armed with my blade in hand. When my colleague, Matthew, finally returned, he was also holding an Iron Rune Lantern in his hand. He appeared quite confused after exploring the classrooms on the opposite side of the first floor. I could tell from his expression that he was both troubled and very confused by what he saw.
We heard someone running towards us. At first, we assumed it must have been Catherine, but we decided to ready our weapons just in case we were wrong. Sure enough, it was Catherine, and she seemed creeped out by the experience entirely. She held tightly to the Iron Rune Lantern.
"That was quite an experience, wasn't it my friends?" I asked.
"Friends? I like the way that sounds. Yeah, it sure was an experience. I can't understand how the students survived this staying in a place like this," said Matthew.
I held onto the Iron Rune Lantern in front of me. I finally closed my eyes and released my grip around it. That night, I struggled to sleep as the fear of being attacked by the echoing voices that I heard through the hallway. These voices spoke of many dark secrets. I carefully listened to what they had to say.
〘Ding! You have received the unique skill "Distant Voices from the Past"〙
"Many students came to Garcinia Institute. seeking knowledge, and a chance to reshape the world around them as they discovered the Card Battler System. Many of them succeed in reaching Lvl. 10 and unlocking special classes, which utilize their unique affinity. Many tragically lost their lives fighting off the hordes of monsters. They lacked proper preparation and understanding of how the Card Battler System actually worked," the voice whispered to me.
As soon as I began to feel safe, dawn came through the cracks of the classroom windows. The sunlight broke through the horizon, signaling it was time for us to awaken and continue exploration of this dreadful place. The next place we had planned on visiting was the cafeteria.
"Let's grab a quick bite before heading to the showers. They should be located by the gym at the end of the hallway," I suggested.
"That's the plan, Raymond. Afterwards, we should assist our fellow students with the repairs after all that is the reason we came here," said Catherine.
We quickly ate breakfast. I made a simple meal for us: oatmeal and toast. It helped to fill our stomachs as we discussed our plan for the day ahead. With full stomachs, we made our way down the hallway towards the showers.
The showers were aged, but surprisingly clean given the state of disrepair in the rest of the university. The tiles were still white and glossy, despite being covered in dust and cobwebs. There was a faint smell of lavender that lingered in the air from some forgotten soap bar or shampoo bottle left behind ages ago. It even had hot water running from its faucets when we turned them on.
We finished getting ready for our journey outside and proceeded cautiously through the hallway. I was wary not just of what may be lurking around us, but also what secrets this place held within itself.