Luke carried the Insightful Cleaver Staff with joy as she walked through the sewers of the Olu Academy.
Despite the strong stench and the scurrying rats, it couldn't dampen her spirits.
In the Era of Chronicles game, players couldn't claim the Insightful Cleaver Staff for themselves. It was a quest item that had to be returned after dispelling Willede's air maze.
Players had come up with various methods to try and claim the staff, as its attributes were incredibly enticing.
Luke had a photo of the staff's attributes on her phone.
Insightful Cleaver Staff:
Attack: 468
Spell Mastery: 214
Energy Adaptability: Full
15% increase in spell efficiency
50% reduction in mana consumption
20% increase in mana regeneration
Polearm Weapon Skill: +2
Independent Magic Core: Stores mana for spell consumption (1000/1000)
...
Although the real Insightful Cleaver Staff didn't display its attributes, Luke could sense that they were there, similar to the effects in the game.
The staff boasted high attack power and spell mastery. Casting spells with the Insightful Cleaver Staff would directly increase their power by one or two levels. Additionally, it enhanced spell efficiency, reduced mana consumption, and improved mana regeneration.
Mages couldn't take their eyes off it.
However, in the game mechanics, players couldn't leave the closed instance without returning the Insightful Cleaver Staff.
But that wasn't a problem now.
Luke fulfilled the desires of all Era of Chronicles players by acquiring the staff.
It wasn't really cheating; she just snatched it!
One of the main reasons players wanted to claim the Insightful Cleaver Staff was its extended polearm weapon skill +2 as a two-handed staff.
It was like tickling the feet of players who loved tinkering with item modifications!
As soon as Luke obtained the staff, she couldn't resist testing its attacking capabilities as a polearm. It was incredibly smooth and addictive, just as players had commented.
This incredible weapon was being wasted as Willede's staff, a truly wrong match.
Now... it could finally fulfill its true potential!
Luke was so thrilled that she didn't want to stow the Insightful Cleaver Staff in her backpack. She carried it all the way out of the Olu Academy.
She found a spatial node and returned to the city of Nutao.
The bright daylight was replaced by darkness, and the wilderness transformed into a city.
Luke reunited with Clear Sky in a secret chamber beside the Lime River.
Next... the long night awaited them, where they could create a weapon for her true self.
A long spear.
She would use the Insightful Cleaver Staff as the spear shaft, adorn the spearhead with the teeth of the Red Dragon, and wrap it with the soft skin from under the dragon's neck.
She made sure that even Willede wouldn't recognize his own staff.
As Luke and Clear Sky worked on crafting the spear in the secret chamber, chaos erupted in the city of Nutao.
An elf, who had stolen the "Heart of the Red Dragon, Nilcolon," invaded the Olu Academy and also snatched the Book of Calamity.
She even took the academy director, Willede's, staff.
Over a hundred years ago, the unleashed calamity caused by the Book of Calamity had led to the greatest crisis the Olu Academy had ever faced since its establishment.
Several secret art practitioners from the Secret Art Division had fallen into corruption during the calamity. They gained immense power and their hearts turned towards chaos and darkness.
They called themselves Abyss Mages and secretly organized the Abyss Chambers, using the power of the Book of Calamity to lure academy staff and students to join them.
The Olu Academy discovered that their secret arts research had led to live sacrifices, so they demanded the Abyss Mages surrender the Book of Calamity and disband the Abyss Chambers.
The Abyss Mages retaliated by launching an attack on the academy.
That war drew in everyone within the Olu Academy, nearly destroying the entire institution.
Countless lives were lost, and valuable knowledge was turned to ashes.
The devastation left the Olu Academy in ruins, and it took several decades of recovery to gradually overcome the aftermath of that rebellion.
However, the Abyss Mages were not completely eliminated.
The original 13 Abyss Mages, known as the Apostles, possessed the greatest power. After the rebellion was quelled by the Olu Academy, seven surviving Apostles escaped with the remaining Abyss Mages.
And for over a hundred years, the Abyss Mages had been active.
They used their secret arts as a foundation, transforming the former Abyss Chambers into Abyss Temples to continue their development, devoting themselves to recreating the "Book of Calamity" that was taken and destroyed by the Olu Academy.
The Abyss Apostles believed that since the Book of Calamity was transformed from the "Encyclopedia of Secret Arts," they could definitely replicate it.
According to the information revealed, the Abyss Apostles were facing difficulties in replicating the "Book of Calamity."
Now, the supposedly destroyed Book of Calamity had reappeared, falling into the hands of a powerful elf assassin.
This was undoubtedly a more severe event than the theft of the "Heart of the Red Dragon, Nilcolon."
After all, the Red Dragon could only cause destruction for ten minutes, while the Book of Calamity was an evil and mysterious artifact that nearly destroyed the Olu Academy.
And then there was the strength of the female elf.
She managed to escape from Academy Director Willede's grasp, even snatching his staff.
Her power was so overwhelming that it took people's breath away.
"The Heart of the Red Dragon, the Book of Calamity, the Insightful Cleaver Staff, and the elf Clear Sky."
This combination was now within the city of Nutao.
Anyone who heard this news couldn't sleep peacefully.
The Olu Academy called for an emergency meeting of its senior faculty.
Director Willede first acknowledged his own negligence and proposed the reformation of the Olu Academy Crisis Committee. They would select capable faculty members and senior students to form the Olu Battle Mage Corps, which was originally created to deal with the Abyss Mages.
During the meeting, Director Willede spoke solemnly, "We cannot determine if elf Clear Sky is connected to the Abyss Mages, but the reappearance of the Book of Calamity will surely attract their attention.
The war between the Olu Academy and the Abyss Mages will be reignited, and we must be prepared for it.
As one of the few surviving witnesses of the disaster a hundred years ago, I must warn each and every one of you not to harbor any glimmer of hope or illusions about the Abyss. When you face the Abyss directly, you either conquer it or get devoured by it..."
Director Willede took over the Olu Academy after the disaster a hundred years ago, and it was his exceptional leadership that brought the academy back to its former glory, making it one of the world's top institutions.
His contributions earned him unparalleled prestige.
His fair dealings and friendly demeanor earned him the respect of the academy's faculty and students.
Although most faculty and students were unaware of the specifics of the disaster a hundred years ago, they chose to place unconditional trust in Director Willede.
The Olu Crisis Committee was reformed.
Outstanding faculty members and students were selected to form the Olu Battle Mage Corps.