Chapter 109: Same Question, Different Result
Chapter 109: Same Question, Different Result
Just as I expected, I found a door cleverly blended into the floor right where Belphegor and I had fought. The door's structure was similar to the one that led from the castle lobby to the basement in the ancient alchemist's dungeon. It wasn't that I'd failed to find it before, but that I probably hadn't activated my Third Eye back then. After all, there's virtually nothing in this world that can deceive Third Eye.
Opening the door, I found a staircase leading down, just as I'd thought. Before entering, I meticulously scanned the underground area with my Sensing ability. After confirming there were no signs of danger, I immediately dropped down.
“Light.”
Jung Hayeon, who had followed me in, immediately cast the Light spell. A moment later, a round orb of light floated up, brightly illuminating the dark interior and revealing the secret room that had been slumbering underground.
“Whoa…”
I heard Ahn Hyun's gasp of awe. Looking around, I could see the secret room was smaller than the ones on the first floor. Wooden boxes and barrels, still holding their shape, were stacked neatly against one wall. Other than that, there was an old bed, a drawer, a table, and some dishes scattered on top of it. It was hard to imagine it had any special purpose.
I walked over to the bed and pulled back the sheet. Old bone fragments lay there peacefully. I stared at the remains for a moment before gently covering them with the sheet again. Then I turned around and spoke to the rest of the party, who were standing by.
“This is the last room. I don't know what we'll find, but search every inch of it. Don't miss a thing.”
At my order, the group immediately spread out. Everyone seemed excited, filled with the anticipation that this was the final search and the thrill of what we might discover. Watching Shin Sangyong, Jung Hayeon, and Vivian calmly begin their search, I activated my Sensing and Third Eye once more.
“…”
A moment later. I didn't even need to maintain my Sensing for long. I bent down and reached my hand under the bed. Sweeping my arm in a wide semicircle, I felt a few objects catch against it. Just like the saying, 'it's darkest under the lamp.' Pleased to have found something so quickly, I gladly pulled everything out.
When I saw the items I had dragged out, I cheered inwardly. My body trembled at the realization that the things I had only half-believed were now becoming reality, one by one. Of course, I hadn't confirmed the details yet, but I was sure they were what I had been expecting.
There were four items in total. A black spear, slightly thicker and longer than a standard one. A neat, rectangular, high-quality wooden box that fit in one hand. An old book that looked like it would crumble at the slightest touch. And a single glove.
My gaze lingered on the glove for a moment. It was a leather glove with a blue-black hue. The design was simple overall, but its surface was beautifully embroidered with a chain that shimmered like moonlight. The fact that it was a single glove and not a pair was a bit of a letdown, but I didn't mind.
Still, just in case the other one was there, I got down on my stomach and searched more thoroughly under the bed. But the other glove was nowhere to be found.
“Agh… Just break it all! We're leaving once we're done anyway!”
“Sounds good to me.”
From behind me, I heard Ahn Hyun and Yoojung smashing boxes. They were probably getting impatient when things didn't go as planned and decided to just break everything.
Meanwhile, with a thrilled heart, I kept my Third Eye active and turned my attention back to the items. The dust-covered items lay before me. If my predictions were correct, these were most likely the belongings of an Aura Spearman.
As I continued to examine them with my Third Eye, information about each item began to appear in sequence.
『Pitch-Black Spear』
〈A black spear forged from an alloy of Steel (85.6%), Mithril (12.7%), and Adamantium (1.6%). It is a high-performance spear crafted with the utmost care by a skilled ancient blacksmith. Although its primary material is steel, its mana utilization has been greatly enhanced by dispersing mithril throughout the entire spear. Furthermore, the spear's strength has been improved by embedding a small amount of adamantium at its core. While no other magical treatments have been added, it is a practical spear focused on maximizing hardness and sharpness. However, the power to inherit the class 〈Aura Spearman〉 lies dormant within this spear. Finding the records left by the spear's original owner will allow you to obtain even greater power.〉
『Elixir』
〈An elixir blended from various rare medicinal herbs. If consumed by a User with a Stamina stat of 70 points or less, it may grant a small increase (1 Point ~ 2 Points) to their Stamina stat.〉
『Record of an Ancient Spearman』
〈The record of a famous ancient spearman. It contains the enlightenments, techniques, and know-how he acquired during his training. If the user finds the black spear he used, they will be able to obtain a higher level of power.〉
『Gloves of Reduction』
〈A glove of which only one side remains due to certain circumstances. The remaining glove is for the left hand and has the effect of reducing the weight of any object held to 1/5 of its original weight while held. If the right-hand glove is found to complete the pair, the weight reduction will increase to 1/6, and a small increase (2 Points) to the Strength stat can be expected.〉
“Haaah…”
“I finally found a pouch! Oppa, oppa! This is… Oppa, what are you doing?”
I heard Yoojung calling me from behind, but I didn't have the presence of mind to answer. They say pleasure comes after hardship… though, of course, there wasn't much hardship. In any case, the Aura Spearman had indeed been slumbering near the small city of Mule.
An Aura Spearman, right after the Chimera Alchemist. This was by no means a trivial matter. I was suddenly reminded of when I received the book from Vivian. Just like then, a wave of euphoria and joy washed over me, and I clenched my fists. I tried to hold it back, but I could feel a smile spreading across my face as I got to my feet.
“Oppa? Oppa~? What's gotten into you~? Huh?”
As Yoojung whined beside me, I reached out and pulled her close. Yoojung seemed startled at first, but she quickly snuggled up against me, acting cute. She buried her head in my shoulder, then her eyes widened as she saw the items laid out on the floor.
“Looks like we hit the jackpot. Hahaha.”
“Is that a spear? Holy shit. That lucky bastard Ahn Hyun.”
I tried to push her head away, but she just pressed it back against me in firm refusal.
“Hey. Get your head off me now.”
“Hmph. You were the one who pulled me in. Don't be like that, let's just stay like this a little longer. I get why Sol is always trying to hug Oppa. This feels nice.”
At her words, I sighed and lowered my hand.
Anyway, choosing Third Eye as my unique ability was truly a god-tier move. The dungeons, secrets, and Rare Classes I had searched for so desperately in the first run were now just popping up one after another as I explored.
Of course, I knew that luck played a part in my current situation. But what mattered right now was the fact that I had discovered two Rare Classes in a row. Things I never thought possible were becoming reality. Having Ahn Hyun, who was loyal to both the party and me, become a Rare Class was incredibly encouraging.
After calming my racing heart, I reached for the black spear. I brushed aside the thick layer of dust and grasped the cold, jet-black metal. The moment I did, an immense power flowed into my body, and this time, it wasn't my Third Eye but system messages from the Hall Plain that appeared in the air.
『Congratulations. You have discovered a Rare Class. By holding the Pitch-Black Spear and accepting the power within, you can evolve into an Aura Spearman.』
『The Aura Spearman can be considered a high-tier class for spearmen. They possess their own unique martial arts and spearmanship, and they can maximize the effects of these skills by utilizing the energy within their bodies more efficiently. The methods for training their martial arts and spearmanship are recorded in the documents left by the successor. Inheritance is recommended for a User of a melee class, especially one who has trained with a spear.』
『User Kim Soohyun’s current class is Sword Specialist, a top-tier Secret Class of the Swordsman line. You can acquire the inheritance, but based on an analysis of your Unique, Special, and Latent Abilities, your overall efficiency will inevitably fall to 40% or less. However, your Strength stat of 94 points and Agility stat of 98 points will allow you to recover 20% of that loss. Additionally, your EX-rank Special Ability, Unity of Sword and Self, will allow you to recover another 20% of the loss. User Kim Soohyun can demonstrate his abilities with any weapon. However, your efficiency will inevitably be lower than when wielding a sword. Furthermore, as you have already awakened all of your Special and Latent Abilities, acquiring the power of the Aura Spearman is not recommended.』
Since the room wasn't very large and all seven of us were searching it, it didn't take long. Soon, reports came in one by one from the party members who had finished their designated areas.
“Hyung. Found jack shit.”
“Orabeoni. I found a pouch… Heek?”
Ahn Hyun waved his hand and sighed deeply, while Ahn Sol, who was about to show me a pendant, gasped when she saw Yoojung and me. I immediately pushed Yoojung's head away.
“Ugh. I didn't find anything either.”
“I-I'm with Master on this one.”
Vivian and Shin Sangyong showed me their empty hands with disappointed looks. Then, Jung Hayeon, who had been searching the drawer, held out a long, sparkling chain.
“I found a necklace. I think I can feel some kind of magical energy from it.”
Jung Hayeon and Ahn Sol dutifully handed me the items they had found. I dropped their two items onto the floor with the ones I had discovered. When they saw the belongings of the ancient Aura Spearman I'd found, everyone's eyes, except for Yoojung's, went wide.
“It looks like we'll need to sort through the loot… but let's take care of the urgent matter first.”
“Urgent matter? I want to get back to the city quickly…”
I gave the grumbling Vivian a steady look, and she immediately changed her tune.
“Wow. I'm so curious what those items are. So curious~ so curious~!”
“…Ahn Hyun. Come here.”
“Yes.”
Ahn Hyun obediently came to my side as I'd asked. I bent down, picked up the Pitch-Black Spear, and slowly lifted it. Ahn Hyun saw the spear and grinned, probably thinking I was going to give it to him. And I was certain that grin would soon turn to shock.
“Hyun. Listen to me carefully.”
“Hehe. Just give the order, whatever it is.”
Seeing his eyes shining with excessive eagerness, I gave a bitter smile and continued quietly.
“When you take this spear, messages from the Hall Plain will probably appear in the air. Read them all, then accept them in your mind. The important thing is, do not drop the spear no matter what. Got it?”
“Huh? I don't really get it. I just have to do what you say, right? But what is this thing?”
“Sigh. Just remember what I said and do what the messages tell you. You'll understand soon enough.”
“Hehe. You're making me excited. Hurry up and give it to me, Hyung.”
“You punk. Here.”
I handed the spear to Ahn Hyun. The moment Ahn Hyun grasped it, I saw his body go rigid. Watching him, I let out a faint smile. My own Magic Power was high and I had blessings, so I could handle the power without issue, but the same wasn't true for Ahn Hyun, whose Magic Power stat was relatively low.
“Uh… uh…”
Ahn Hyun's eyes stared into empty space. As his expression filled with bewilderment, a small commotion broke out among the party. Seeing this, I calmly raised a hand to signal for silence.
“Everyone, quiet. The succession ritual is not as easy as it looks. The quieter it is, the better, so please be silent for a moment. Just watch.”
“Succession… process?”
Yoojung, who was standing next to me, asked in a hesitant voice. I nodded once and replied.
“That’s right. That spear is an item that allows one to inherit the Rare Class, Aura Spearman. In other words, the succession ritual is the process by which Ahn Hyun advances into a Rare Class.”