The loot from an A-rank Catastrophe naturally won't disappoint.
However, this time the monster didn't explode into any materials. Instead, all of its energy condensed into a single card.
Not a one-time-use Skill Card, but a cultivation card.
The front of the card displayed a silhouetted image of a monster, while the back depicted a silver five-pointed star.
[Skill: Shadow Stealth]
Details: Silver Skill Cultivation Card, requires a Dark Affinity level of 15. Once merged, it grants the ability Shadow Submarine (Lv0), which enables you to blend in with the darkness.
The girl with the mechanical arm eyed the card and gave a soft sigh. "Huh... it's a cultivation card."
Leonard Churchill was startled once again.
Although he could read and understand the words, he didn't comprehend the true value of the card.
The girl with the mechanical arm apparently had gotten used to his sporadic lapses of ignorance.
This guy was evidently quite smart, but seemed to lack a lot of common knowledge.
Ah!
Novice hunters ordinarily don't encounter cultivation cards like this one, so his confusion was understandable.
She explained, "The legend says that this card bears the Divine Imprint of an ancient Curse Card Master. As rare as they come, even rarer than a piece of gleaming silver. It's more effective than any Martial Skill secret manual, and no matter who the user is, as long as they meet the requirements and merge it, they will immediately acquire this skill. It is one of the most sought-after items in the upper echelons of society and is very valuable. Plus, this [Shadow Stealth] seems to be a type of lost Assassin Type secret skill. At least I've never seen one, so it's probably best not sold lightly."
"..."
It's only then that Leonard Churchill understood.
It was the elusive ghost-like technique of the previously slain monster that could hide its true body within shadows. Once acquired by a trained assassin, its effects would indeed be extraordinary, whether for self-preservation or assassination.
Leonard found this fascinating too, for being able to master a skill without rigorous cultivation, directly imprinting it on one's soul.
For the wealthy, this indeed held a compelling allure.
Finished with her explanation, the girl handed the card to him without hesitation. "I'm not on the Assassin Type career path," she said, "so this card isn't really useful for me."
"Well, then I won't be polite."
Leonard glanced at her and without a second thought, accepted the card.
He had already encountered her habit of not taking advantage of others.
Since she stated that the card was valuable, it must have had considerable worth.
Looking at himself, his Dark Affinity level was only 1.
It would still be a long way to actually merging with this card.
Aside from this cultivation card, there was another commonplace black card on the monster's body.
The card held no practical function and carried only two lines of text:
"When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
"Before dawn arrives, someone has to light up the darkness."
Looking at the card, Leonard got the vague feeling that it was hinting at something. "This should be the final 'key' to clear the challenge," he said.
Unlike the Skill Card obtained from killing the monster before, which easily beat the next stage's boss.
This time, the card held only two sentences.
The girl with the mechanical arm pondered for a moment but couldn't figure out the use of the card. All she could ask was, "What does this card mean?"
Leonard replied, "A clue."
"..."
The girl with the mechanical arm gave a speechless look: I know it's a clue, but the key point is, what is it pointing towards?
"I don't know either."
Leonard caught her expression, helplessly raised his hands.
He really didn't know. Referring back to her silent question, he asked, "Do you expect me to know everything?"
The girl with the mechanical arm didn't respond, but her look spoke volumes: Weren't that your actions all along?
It seemed as if she had an instinctive understanding that when faced with a puzzle, he always found an uncanny angle from which to decipher it.
Leonard guess her thought, shook his head and laughed.
He said, "It's like when you're playing a puzzle game. The game designer, out of fear that you can't find the answer, deliberately leaves clues; but so as not to make the clues too obvious, they make them cryptic and hard to understand. It's not until you need them, that you'll have a flash of realization. For this kind of vague clue, it's impossible to figure out its purpose the moment you get it."
His explanation was persuasive. The girl, hidden behind a gas mask, with her mechanical arm displayed an approving look.
After a moment of thought, Leonard added, "We're probably about to get to the last challenge. Typically, the last challenge is either the most difficult, or it's surprisingly unexpected."
As he said this, he looked at the card and added, "From what I can see now, it seems like it will be the latter."
The girl with the mechanical arm didn't make a sound. As she looked at the two sentences on the card, she seemed lost in thought.
...
The two of them gathered up their spoils of war and continued deeper into the laboratory.
As Leonard Churchill had predicted, they were on the brink of their last challenge. After killing the Shadow Demon, they didn't encounter any other threatening mutant creatures.
Occasionally, smaller creatures would spring forth from the corners of the laboratory, but the mechanical arm girl would always spot them in advance and easily kill them.
While they were walking, Leonard Churchill suddenly asked, "By the way, I hope you don't mind me asking... but what should I call you?"
Throughout their ordeal, neither of them had asked the other's name. But now, having shared common adversities, he decided to inquire.
"..."
The Mechanical Arm Girl went on walking, seemingly indifferent to his question.
Just when Leonard Churchill thought she was ignoring him, she suddenly responded in a casual tone, "Camilla."
Leonard Churchill pondered over, "Camiller?"
Clearly, it wasn't a proper name - rather a codename.
But that didn't matter, it was certainly better than calling her 'Mechanical Arm Girl'.
Leonard Churchill introduced himself as well, "Leonard Churchill. Nice to meet you."
Upon hearing this, Camilla remained silent.
Leonard Churchill didn't let it bother him.
Even though his new ally was rather cold, she was a good companion nevertheless.
The two of them continued their journey deeper into the laboratory.
...
Eventually, they arrived at a rusted, aging elevator not long into their journey, for even a laboratory must have an end.
"Someone has used this elevator before."
"Yes, it was probably those mercenaries from before."
After checking the corridors and finding no dangers, they decided to take the elevator.
It seemed, no matter how one looked at it, this was the way to the exit.
This elevator appeared to have been abandoned for decades, maybe it was once a mine's lift. With rust spots all over, its screeching noise during ascent was nerve-wracking, as if it might suddenly plummet down any moment.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened, and they arrived at the top of the elevator after ascending more than twenty floors.
After traversing a narrow passageway, they arrived in a strange Mirror World.
The floor was white, while the ceiling and walls were completely covered in myriad mirrors of all sizes.
Without sensing the presence of any creatures, they stepped into it.
At first, it was just a few mirrors, but as they progressed, the number of mirrors grew.
They saw countless versions of themselves, peculiar reflections of themselves, and countless pairs of eyes that stared back at them...
All kinds of strange and chaotic images swirled in the mirrors, making them feel as if they were seeing every facet of their own hearts reflected back at them.
There were some distorted reflections as well, warped images of desire.
"Interesting…" Leonard Churchill remarked, striding forward.
While others may feel uncomfortable in the face of so many mirrors, such a situation was his daily existence.
The countless images and arguments in his mind at every moment were just like this.
Now, facing these mirrors, Leonard Churchill didn't feel uneasy in the slightest.
But Camilla, next to him, seemed somewhat disturbed by what she saw in the mirrors. Her breath became noticeably irregular.
Fortunately, Leonard Churchill noticed her discomfort and patted her shoulder. "Let's go."
Only then did Camilla come back from her nightmare-like state.
This "Mirror House" didn't seem to present any particular challenge, and it was unclear what it was designed to test.
The two of them made their way through.
Suddenly, they found themselves at a dead end.
Camilla cried out incredulously, "A dead-end? A maze?"
As she racked her brain trying to figure out where they had gone wrong, Leonard Churchill said, his eyes narrowed, "No. We've arrived."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the crystalline reflections surrounding them receded like a receding tide.
Upon looking around, they found themselves within a sealed iron cage.
Enlightenment appeared: 'Entered unknown space, discovered hidden mainline, exploratory degree +5%'.