[T.L: punisher87]
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Hoooong-!
The wind formed by Valeria's mana gently enveloped them.
They landed gracefully on the ground and adjusted their clothing with ease.
"Is pushing like this seems to be the beginning of the succession temple's trap? It is an interesting monster. Just like your ancestor, Maliet."
Valeria nodded her head and placed her hand on the wall.
As if she wanted to directly touch the legacy left by her ancestor.
The wall was made of a transparent gem-like mineral, and a faint flow of mana could be felt within it.
If she were the Valeria of the past, and if she had come here alone, she would never have dared to do such an action.
Touching the wall could trigger some kind of trap.
But now, she had the confidence that whatever happened, she could handle it.
Jin read her thoughts and felt relieved.
"The atmosphere here is a bit different from the succession temple I have found so far."
"How so?"
"Up until now, the succession temples usually excluded a sacred energy that made me feel solemn from the moment I entered. But here, it feels like someone mischievously watches over us."
"Really? Despite the infamous reputation of the succession temple being vicious, it seems like Maliet might have been a good person."
In past life, Jin had never heard the name Maliet from Valeria.
In other words, this was a succession temple that Valeria had not been able to find in past life.
'Besides the communication device created by Zen Lutberh, it would be great if there's something else here that could be of great help to my teacher. Perhaps Maliet's records or remaining magic.'
As they looked around, they saw a short, sketched path.
At the end of the path, there was a crossroad.
"We have a crossroad from the beginning. Which way should we go?"
Valeria lightly waved her silver pine wand and created a record window.
She intended to examine the records about which path was the right one.
However, the last remaining record in this space was over three hundred years old, and there were some kind of disturbances.
"It seems like ancestor Maliet took precautions to make the records not easily accessible."
"That means we have to leave marks."
"Let's go to the left side first."
As the two entered through the left entrance, they heard a ominous noise in the distance.
The sound and vibration resembled something massive rolling at high speed.
Grrr!
It was indeed a metal sphere about the size of a small dragon's torso.
Anyone with combat power capable of barely defeating Honka would definitely turn and run as the best course of action.
Jin reflexively clenched his fist to smash the metal sphere but remembered Honka's words.
Instead of breaking the metal sphere, he opened his palm, bringing it to a halt.
Thud!
The metal sphere came to a stop, emitting a heavy sound.
"The slope of the path where the sphere rolled down is quite steep. This seems to be a device that forcibly directs people towards the right entrance," Jin said.
Valeria had the same thought.
Leaving the metal sphere behind, they went out and entered through the right entrance, where they witnessed a trap triggered at a lower level than the metal sphere.
It was just a few stones being thrown.
"It seems like it. If they intentionally make us choose the easier path, then this side is more likely to be the true path."
They decided to return to the left side and continue their progress.
Jin used his strength to push the metal sphere upward, clearing the way.
And as they reached about halfway through the path, the two noticed a hole in the floor.
The metal sphere could never fit through, but a person could easily enter the hole.
"Shortcut, perhaps?"
"Yeah, probably."
As they fell through the hole, a vast communal landscape unfolded before them.
And immediately, the two recognized that this communal space was being used as some kind of "battlefield."
The floor, walls, and even the ceiling were filled with traces of combat.
From sword marks to stray magical remnants, there were marks that seemed to have been created by some kind of intense struggle.
[Grrr, Uhh, Intrusion, Reached in... 3 minutes... 24 seconds. New record, updated. Average time, 78 hours 13 minutes, excessively fast. Beyond extraordinary, a formidable foe...]
This time, it was a golem.
Jin and Valeria turned their heads toward the direction where the golem's voice came from.
They saw a golem with a humanoid form similar to Jin's physique, awkwardly moving with yellow eyes flickering.
'78 hours? Does it usually take that long unless you have the ability to use shortcuts? And moreover, it doesn't seem to be a living golem, yet it possesses such judgment and intelligence?'
In past lives and current lives, Jin had never heard of such a golem.
[Honka... Survival, confirmed. Succession temple damage, none. Red hair, complete mana body. Hister... confirmed. Top-tier armament, not applicable to 1st class enemies.]
The golem spoke in a dim and slow voice.
Chiiiiing!
Suddenly, runic inscriptions appeared all over the golem's body, and an enormous amount of mana began to emanate from it.
Jin was more astonished by the golem's intelligence than by its mana.
[The Successor, the final... test begins. If you feel like you're about to die, shout. Surrender.]
Immediately after the golem finished speaking, various forms of transformation magic, unlike any they had seen before, started pouring out.
Jin and Valeria simultaneously formed a protective shield, not to avoid injury but with the intention of examining the golem's magic.
They were amazed by the fact that the golem could use such high-level magic.
Although the golem had instructed them to surrender if they felt they were about to die, both of them observed the transformation magic comfortably within the protective shield.
It was possible because Jin was there.
If they were merely knights or mages of around the 8-star level, they would have undoubtedly struggled and likely faced defeat.
"Your ancestor was an incredible person."
"I'm still in shock."
Honka had referred to the traps set by Maliet in the succession temple as artistic works, and among them, the greatest masterpiece was this golem.
"This magic... is it a variation of Hellwind? The way it changed the flow was impressive. The moment when the mana was released was particularly astonishing."
"And the way it was set to be cast alongside consecutive Flame Orbs is also impressive. And considering the casting speed is on par with a simultaneous user, it's probably in the middle of unleashing the magic stored in the runic inscriptions."
"Storing magic in runic inscriptions... theoretically possible, but to be able to store this many high-level spells like this?"
"It would be impossible with the methods commonly used by ordinary mages. In my opinion, it's a variation of Record Magic. Bestowing the property of storage onto records."
As Valeria mentioned, all of the golem's magic were the ones Maliet used in her lifetime.
Maliet had "recorded and stored" her magic in the golem.
"Record and store... If we can develop this as an alliance technology, perhaps all the knights in the alliance could engage in combat like the magic swordsman. Even without the mana of a 1-star mage, they would just need to use the stored magic at the right moment."
Surprisingly, it was Valeria who spoke those words, not Jin.
Jin widened his eyes and looked at Valeria's profile.
Suddenly, Jin recalled a memory from his past life where he enjoyed seeing Valeria's profile like this.
"Of course, it won't compare to a real magic swordsman like you, but the combat abilities of all the knights would greatly increase. If we can research it, it could be as remarkable a discovery as the communication device we were looking for."
The two of them continued their conversation inside the protective shield for about ten minutes.
By that time, the Golem's magic seemed to have depleted significantly compared to when they first encountered it.
[10 minutes and 32 seconds have passed. Consumed magic spells: 871. Effective strikes: 0. The trial... is complete, Successor.]
The Golem spoke in a dull and slow voice.
Jin and Valeria released their protective shields, and the Golem raised its left hand to its chest as a gesture.
[Please follow me. It is time for you, to see... my master's world.]
Jin and Valeria couldn't take their eyes off the Golem as they walked behind it.
From up close, they could see a much more intricate and complex craftsmanship.
After a few minutes, a massive door that extended to the ceiling came into view.
[I will inform you in advance.]
"What is it? Is it a cautionary note?"
[Inside, there are deceased individuals who have recorded and overlaid themselves onto the succession temple. They are the previous successors. Although their condition is unstable, they are harmless. Furthermore, it is not your future unless you make the choice to become like them.]
"Could one of them be Zen Lutberh?"
When Valeria asked, the Golem nodded.
The contents of the letter were not metaphorical expressions but literal descriptions.
[That's correct, and also, Teben Hister.]
"Teben Hister... That was the name of the ancestor who wrote this letter. I see. But what is your name?"
The Golem didn't answer but placed its palm on the center of the door.
As it did so, the entire door reacted with mana and began to shine.
The door gradually opened, revealing the end of the succession temple beyond it.
A vast space spread out like a serene sea, adorned with hundreds of blue dots floating within it.
Each dot was a Record Window, the essence of the records left by Maliet Hister, which could be called "Maliet Hister's world."
Valeria immediately became pious, but before she could fully experience the awe, they heard another voice.
[Oh, oh! It's a living person, and a newcomer!]
[Finally, the descendants have arrived...!]
It was the voices of Teben and Zen.
They appeared ghost-like, with a hazy figure, but their expressions were full of excitement, even visible from a distance.
Valeria first bowed her head respectfully, having grown accustomed to meeting spirits these days.
"Pleased to meet you, Ancestors. I am Valeria Hister."
"I am Jin Runcandel."
Teben and Zen smiled widely, and immediately bombarded them with questions.
[You guys!]
[When you came in here, did you do twenty spins and all those strange things?]
It wasn't a question one would typically ask a newcomer they met after three hundred and fifty years, but it seemed to be an extremely important issue for Zen and Teben.
The Golem rubbed its forehead while looking at Zen and Teben.
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