Zaos stepped forward, placed his hand on the pile of rock, and slowly phased through it. Earlier, he had sent the group of elves away because he didn't want them to see this.
Although his abilities to phase through solid matter would eventually be exposed, Zaos decided to keep it a secret as long as possible. After all, the more trump cards he had, the harder it was for his enemies to predict his movements.
Zaos' semi-illusionary body passed through the sealed entrance, arriving at a large cavern. The underground chamber was dark but as a dark elf, Zaos could see perfectly fine.
The floors of the cave were inlaid with luxurious marble flooring. Fine paintings depicting various beautiful scenes hung on the walls, a large king-sized bed in the middle of the chamber, and a few large chests stacked in the corner of the room.
Sat on the large king-sized bed was Syvis. She had a wide smile as small streams of tears fell down her face.
"I escaped, I finally escaped… " She muttered to herself in relief.
Zaos smiled when he saw this scene. Although he was in a phantom state, he wasn't invisible, but Syvis who had been overwhelmed with joy didn't bother looking around the room.
"You seem proud of yourself Syvis," Zaos spoke as he canceled his phantom elemental weave.
"Yes… huh?!" Syvis abruptly exited her daze and gazed at Zaos in horror.
"H-how are you here!?" She pointed at Zaos with trembling arms. She could barely make out Zaos' figure in the dark chamber.
"Didn't I tell you to not try anything stupid? What would you call what you did in the hallway?" Zaos slowly approached her with his arms crossed behind his back.
"No! It was an accident! I didn't mean it!" Syvis slowly retreated across the bed, her face paler than Zaos' vampiric skin.
"Although your bravery is commendable, you lack foresight…" Zaos shook his head. Even though he had no plans of sparing her after she had completed her duty as a guide, she still had a chance of survival. Yet now, her fate was completely sealed.
[And this is why I need power! The weak can only submit to the strong, no matter how hard they struggle!] Zaos shook his head as he continued moving towards the retreating Syvis.
"No! Please! I'll do whatever you want! Anything!" Syvis screamed as she retreated.
"You think too highly of yourself, worm. You have outlived your purpose," Zaos gave Syvis a cold smirk as he reached the edge of the bed.
"No–" Before Syvis could react, she was struck in the nape by a slender arm.
Just before falling unconscious, Syvis caught a glimpse of Zaos who had at some point appeared behind her.
Zaos coldly stared at the collapsed Syvis as he said out loud.
"I won't kill you, now. I have much better plans for you… " he spoke to the unconscious Syvis.
After that, Zaos shifted his attention to the large chests in the chambers. They were almost all brown-colored wooden chests with red lotus inlay on their exterior.
[I wonder what's inside them… ] Zaos walked to the chests. He pried the open one of the chest revealing its contents.
Inside the chest was a green set of scaly armor. Zaos lightly touched the armor, feeling its exclusive scaly exterior.
[This is mostly likely made from a Savage beast's scales… ] Zaos couldn't help but admire the armor. Compared to armor made from ordinary leather and metal, armor made from savage beast's carcasses was more durable and powerful.
These items made from savage beasts were referred to as Superior-grade items. They were usually only used by clans and churches but it seemed Marvid had luckily gotten his hand on one.
[But it won't fit me… ] Zaos sighed regretfully. He set the chest to the side and grabbed another one beside it.
Opening the chest, Zaos was stunned at the sight before him. The chest was filled to the brim with mana gems of different colors. There were dark ones, brown ones, red ones, and green ones.
[So many Mana gems!?] Zaos screamed internally.
[On top of that, they are all good-quality mana gems!] Zaos could help but marvel at Marvid's wealth. Amassing this many mana gems was impossible for a normal elf on Krulon. Probably only doted heirs of a thriving clan could obtain such wealth.
[It seems this fella had been playing something big for him to keep aside some much wealth… ] Zaos grabbed some mana gems from the pile.
[Maybe he wanted to leave the region? As a high-elf with earth affinity, being surrounded by so much dark mana wouldn't be pleasant… ] Zaos played with mana gems in his hands.
Krulon was a world filled with mana, however, the quantity of specific types of mana differed depending on the region. The Ever-night Continent was a region filled with darkness Mana hence the sky was always dark.
An environment like this was highly suited for a dark elf rather than an earth elf. Zaos speculated the high-elf: Marvid had wished to return to the Profound Mountain Ranges; the home of the earth elves.
[Well, his motives don't matter. His possessions are now mine since he lost his life… ] Zaos smiled as he returned the mana stones to the chest.
He grabbed another chest and opened it. The chest contained a large metal sword with an exclusive design. However, it was not a Superior grade item.
Zaos continued opening the chest, in some of them he found weapons, in others he found armor set, but none of them contained another Superior Grade Item. This trend continued until only one chest remained. This chest was slightly different from the rest, it was smaller and much more exclusive.
[Hopefully, there is something decent in here… ] Zaos pried open the lid in anticipation.
Placed neatly the medium-sized chest was a dark colored dagger. The dagger was slightly curved with sharp edges on its exclusive-looking blade.
[Amazing!] Zaos picked up the dagger in excitement. Immediately his hands touched the handle, he felt a chilling sensation transmit through his hand to the rest of his arm.
[This… is this a Superior grade item?!] Zaos' excitement peaked. From the memories he received, he knew that some high-quality Superior-grade items possessed slivers of the ferocity of the Savage beast that was used in its creation.
These types of Superior-grade items possessed some special effects similar to the abilities of Savage beasts used in its creation.
"Haha, what an amazing find! I must thank you Marvid!" Zaos laughed loudly. These types of weapons usually cost a fortune and one could not guarantee they would be able to get one suitable for them.
Yet, Zaos had just received one for free, and it was a weapon he could handle correctly; a dagger!