Unsealing Camon's Workshop
“What? You already finished?”
“How'd it go?”
As they returned to the alley corner, Liora and Cown approached with surprised faces.
“I got the sealing stone.” Hanbit said, showing them the red stone in his hand. He reviewed the message that had just popped up again.
[Main Quest #5 completed.]
[Received 100,000 gold.]
[5 stat points granted.]
[50,000 experience gained.]
[Level up by 1.]
[1 stat point granted.]
[Progress increased.]
[Main Quest #6: Camon's Workshop]
You've obtained the sealing stone from Harpen's mansion. Release the seal and enter the workshop. Will you uncover evidence of the incident in the Norton family?
Objective: Check the important evidence in the workshop.
Rewards: 50,000 gold, 15,000 experience, 2 stat points
*Current progress: 50%
-50% on the 6th quest. lol
-And the rewards are insane.
-Guidebook on a losing streak;
-Adventure A sobbing.
-What did you do to deserve this treatment?
-Fr, lol. The story's progressing twice as fast as the guidebook route that was considered the standard. And with rewards this good, viewers kept flooding the chat with a mix of envy and regret. There was no way to rewind an already cleared episode, after all.
“Let's move now. I knocked them out, but someone might find them.”
“I know a safe spot. Follow me.”
Cown nodded and immediately set off, carefully choosing paths to avoid prying eyes.
“Hyung, if you're already halfway done, does that mean you'll finish in a few days? The back half's complicated, so maybe a week?”
Juyeonu sidled up behind him and asked. The first episode had taken two weeks from start to finish. Even if the rest took another week, Hanbit would wrap up the story in just ten days.
“A week?”
But Hanbit's estimate was way off. He had no intention of dragging out the Edlen storyline.
“Faster than that.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Well, maybe wrap it up tomorrow.”
“Nah, come on...”
-Don't jinx it.
-3-day clear is pushing it;
-They'll learn once they face Bares.
-Fr, feel it with your body.
-Can you do it by just chopping off Bares' head?
-Nah, the guard captain cuts you down.
A three-day clear for an entire episode was too fast—way too fast. And with the main villain Bares not even showing up yet, the negative opinions dominated.
Tomorrow'll do it. Hanbit's mind was already mapped out with the back half fully planned. Preparations were underway too, so it was totally doable.
“This way.”
Without saying a word, Hanbit kept following Cown. Before long, they'd reached the edge of the slums. Cown led them deep into the maze of alleys.
“You're still using this place?”
Liora sounded puzzled, recognizing the destination.
“I haven't come here since that day. No point risking drawing attention.”
Cown stopped in front of a rundown building. Its exterior was crumbling in places, far from sturdy-looking.
“Inside.”
Cown pushed open the creaking door and entered. Hanbit followed right behind.
“...This place is usable, right?”
Juyeonu stared at the shabby interior in disbelief. Forget anything else—they barely had a spot to talk.
“Over here.”
At that moment, Liora grabbed Hanbit's arm and led him to a section of the floor covered with wooden planks.
“What is it?”
Hanbit approached, playing dumb. Liora wordlessly pressed her ringed hand against the floor.
At that instant.
Srrk—
A faint light seeped from the cracks between the planks.
Grind—
The floor slid aside with a grinding noise. It was similar to the temple structure they'd seen, but no stairs here.
“In we go.”
Liora led Hanbit into the revealed underground space. Dropping down after her revealed a massive room, like several chambers fused together.
“Whoa, this is like a whole other world.”
Juyeonu marveled at the huge interior. It was furnished like a shelter, complete with tables and chairs—a far cry from the decrepit surface above.
“This place was also designed by Camon, but... it's changed a lot. Please, have a seat, miss.”
Once the floor sealed shut behind them, Cown pulled out a chair for Liora first. Hanbit scanned the room, noting several doors embedded in the walls.
“Where do these lead? Five of them.”
“The central door is the entrance to the secret passage to the Norton mansion. The rest... weren't here before.”
Cown approached the doors for a closer look. Moments later, he continued in a surprised tone.
“These are... magic teleport devices. Single-use, self-destructing ones. Looks like he set up escape routes all over the city. Camon must've pulled some strings.”
-Teleport?
-High quality whoa;
-Camon's the real deal.
-Pretend you're crazy and open one.
-???: Our cat stepped on it.
Magic devices for teleporting to specific spots weren't easy to come by. Installing them here meant clear intent. He must've figured an ally would show up to expose Brooke and Bares' crimes.
“Camon...”
Liora's expression darkened as she listened. Even if Libentia herself had come here, the task remained the same. Hanbit carefully placed the red stone on the floor.
“First, let's unseal it. We need to check the workshop to learn anything.”
“That's where the trouble starts. That sealing stone's tricky to handle—even Bares gave up on it. Mess it up, and it could shatter completely.”
Cown eyed the red stone, issuing a warning. It was a natural concern, but Hanbit had already prepped to unseal it.
“Best to test the Norton family ring first, as expected. Miss, mind if I borrow it briefly?”
“I'll do it myself.”
Liora stood from her chair with a nod. Cown blocked her path.
“No, it could be dangerous.”
“Only the owner can use it anyway. Camon wouldn't make it risky.”
They locked eyes, opinions clashing. Hanbit stepped in to mediate.
“The necklace I gave you should block most damage. I'll watch your back.”
“That's...”
The goblin spirit necklace Liora wore. Mentioning it gave Cown pause. After a silent moment, he relented with a nod.
“Very well. But miss, back off immediately if anything feels off.”
“I know. Not planning to die stupidly.”
With a firm reply, Liora slowly moved her ringed hand toward the stone. Her fingertip soon touched the red surface.
“...?”
Tense, Liora faltered in confusion. She gripped it firmly—but nothing happened.
“...This isn't it, huh?”
Expecting some reaction, Liora was thrown off. She'd been pretty sure the Norton ring was the key.
“If not the ring... this is bad.”
Cown's face fell too. Finding another option now wouldn't be easy—nothing obvious came to mind.
Hanbit, watching from the side, spoke up.
“If Camon sealed his own workshop, he probably left something prepared.”
“Prepared how?”
“This space got his upgrades too, right? Maybe he wanted any ally to come here.”
“...Makes sense.”
Cown nodded in agreement.
“Prepared...”
Liora glanced around. After scanning briefly, she headed to a wide-open area and started searching.
And soon.
“Over here!”
Everyone rushed to her urgent call.
“Did you find something?”
“This. Doesn't it look like it matches the sealing stone?”
To Cown's question, Liora pointed at the floor. A jagged groove was etched there.
“Hold on.”
Hanbit dashed back with the red stone. Kneeling, he placed it carefully into the groove.
Click—
The stone fit perfectly, like slipping into tailored clothes.
At that moment.
Flash—!
Intense light flooded the space.
“Urk!”
“Miss!”
Cown shielded Liora defensively amid the sudden flare. Hanbit, standing casually, just observed the changes.
“No need to tense up. The seal's released.”
“...?”
As Hanbit spoke, their vision cleared.
“...Ah.”
Liora sighed softly at the familiar scene. An unforgettable old memory—Camon's workshop, visited like a playground countless times. A bit different now, but vividly real.
“This is... astonishing.”
Even Cown, seeing a sealed space unseal for the first time, was stunned. The workshop lingered in his memory too.
“No need to look further.”
Hanbit pointed to a translucent crystal orb and parchment on the workbench, with a note beside them.
<To whoever reaches this place, I entrust the evidence I've gathered. The crystal orb is a projection magic device recording the underground temple altar scene. The parchment contains blueprints of the renovated Norton mansion and Bares' mansion. Please restore the honor of Lord William and Miss Libentia.>
“What...!”
Cown's eyes widened as he read it.
“What's up?”
“A projection magic device of the temple interior! If it shows Brooke or Bares, it's damning evidence!”
Unlike his usual calm, he raised his excited voice.
-Projection magic device?
-Edlen dropping this? lol
-This evidence existed?
-What kind of war are you fighting, folks.
-Julio's snowball rolls all the way here;
The emergence of unknown evidence plunged viewers into despair. Meanwhile, Cown snatched the translucent orb and infused it with mana.
At that instant.
Srrk—
Light from the orb painted a vivid image of the temple.