章節 614: CHAPTER 771
[T.L: punisher87]
[My ko-fi link:- https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 ]
***
Both Luet and Euria have completed their verification of Sael. Just like Luche, he applied to join the Vamel alliance out of pure intention.
Of course, the one most excited about the fact that the "completed long-distance communication device" might have been developed over three hundred years ago was Qwaul.
"If the contents written on this paper are true, then that engineer named Zen must be a genius on par with me. Our Valeria's ancestors wouldn't have invented it, so it's very interesting. But Valeria, what does it mean that the soul and body of Zen and your ancestor are all preserved in the succession temple?"
<All of Zen Lutberh's knowledge and achievements, soul and physical body, even my soul... they will be preserved in Maliet's succession temple. If the enemies can't find it, it will remain there forever.>
That was the sentence written on the paper given by Sael.
"I'm not sure either. It could be a metaphorical expression or perhaps a way to actually seal the body and soul. We'll have to go and see for ourselves to confirm."
"If it's the latter, maybe Zen Lutberh and this Qwaul might be able to meet. You might be able to meet your ancestors as well."
"No matter how special my clan's magic is, I don't think that's possible. But it's certain that the succession temple has remained hidden from Zipfel until now, so there must be a significant harvest waiting for us."
If Zipfel had discovered Maliet's succession temple, they would not have a simple calling function on the Tower Master's staff, and then Sael would not be alive.
"Yeah, yeah. The succession temple is notorious, so the part about being careful is a bit concerning... But since Jin will be with you, you don't have to worry. There aren't many traps or tricks in this world that even he couldn't handle."
"Before meeting Jin, I managed to explore dangerous succession temples alone, so don't worry. Please organize all the information related to the communication device until I return."
Due to frequent long-distance jumps, Qwaul quickly repaired the Red Owl.
The region where Maliet's succession temple was located was a small island called "Honka." It was an uninhabited island located in the northern part of the empire, so there was no need to worry about unnecessary friction with enemies.
However, the conditions for entering the succession temple were somewhat complex and demanding.
"Ancestor Maliet... seems like quite an eccentric person."
Valeria spoke as the Red Owl arrived near the island, Honka.
"That's right. Looking at those conditions, it makes me wonder if such things are related to the area of magic. No, it's definitely impossible."
Jin said as he summoned Shuri.
Shuri pushed the Red Owl, which was floating in the sea, and swam towards Honka island.
[Mya.]
"Hello, Shuri. Some of the conditions are probably jokes or some kind of disguised test. But no matter how strange they are, they are the conditions left by my ancestor, so let's follow them as they are."
"Hmm."
As they reached the island, Shuri shook its body and basked in the sunlight, while Jin anchored the Red Owl in a suitable spot on the beach and made it transparent.
"Jin, are you ready?"
"Yeah."
"Then let's try them one by one."
After saying that, Valeria coughed awkwardly, as if embarrassed.
'Recently, my teacher's personality has improved a lot. If it were before, even if it was absurd and embarrassing, she would have said it in a dry manner without any reaction,' Jin thought to himself and smiled inwardly.
However, he still felt a sense of embarrassment and amusement.
"First... Once we arrived on the island, we were supposed to spin around twenty times and touch the ground with our nose, right?"
Jin asked, and Valeria nodded.
Anyone who arrives at Honka Island to enter the succession temple must spin around twenty times and touch the ground with their noses.
That was the first condition.
The two of them looked around for a while and then assumed the position of spinning.
And then, one by one, they synchronized their movements and started spinning twenty times.
"Pfft."
"Ha, Haha!"
They started laughing as soon as they touched the ground.
The second condition was to climb a tree on the island and imitate the sound of a monkey's cry.
Even though they had already burst into laughter during the performance of the first condition, imitating the sound of a monkey's cry made them feel awkward.
"Howl..."
"Howl..."
Shuri tilted its head as she watched them.
Then they had to crawl on all fours and roar like a lion, sing two random folk songs they knew, and so on.
They gradually felt a sense of indescribable strangeness as they completed all those conditions.
Both of their faces were flushed.
"...Hmm, I feel like I've had a peculiar experience."
"Ahem, now that we've done everything, it's time to activate the star."
On Honka Island, there were five mana devices created by Maliet.
Jin and Valeria rode Shuri and searched for the locations of the mana devices indicated in the letter.
Every time Valeria infused mana into the devices, a blue light appeared.
With all five devices open, the light soon turned into a line that connected the entire island, forming the star.
Both of them went to the center of the star and took their positions.
"I wonder what kind of guardian will appear."
The final hurdle was to face the summoned guardian that responded to the star.
"Maybe it's a golem."
There was only information about the summoned guardian in the letter, and nothing was mentioned about its combat power or other details.
After a while, the ground began to tremble.
Jin had no tension at all because he had the thought that the guardian, whether it was a golem or something else, could never be his opponent.
[Greetings... those who have come to Maliet's succession temple.]
Roar!
Suddenly, the ground in front of the group opened wide, revealing a massive entity.
'A toad?'
A creature resembling a toad.
The guardian protecting the succession temple was not a golem but an inner core monster-like creature that could speak human language, like Ozdock or Vailam.
[I am Honka, the owner of this island. State your names.]
"I am Jin Runcandel."
"I am Valeria Hister."
[It feels like Histers who come to visit me always bring humans who are not Histers. Anyway, when I felt it from underground, you two have faithfully fulfilled Maliet's requirements. If you had missed even one, I would not have appeared.]
Realizing that those embarrassing actions were not entirely useless, the two of them inwardly sighed in relief.
"I am glad. So, once we defeat you, will it be over?" Valeria asked.
Honka nodded in response to Valeria's question.
Recalling the memory of dealing with the two humans (Zen Lutberh and the Hister who brought him) who came about 350 years ago.
However, Honka glanced at Jin and silently thought to himself.
'...I can't even grasp a bone if I fight against this human named Jin Runcandel.'
Honka is by no means a weak entity.
Having lived for thousands of years, he had created his own inner core and formed his own ego. He couldn't be weak.
The problem was that his opponent happened to be Jin.
[That's true... stop, stop. I'll just let you in, so stop.]
When Jin placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, Honka finally decided to give up the fight.
"It would be easier that way, but why?"
[You are too strong... Although there were negative comments about the danger of Maliet's succession temple. Valeria Hister, you have no conscience. Why did you bring such a monster? Aren't you trying to make it too easy?]
Jin and Valeria didn't answer, their pupils flickering.
They had never expected the guardian to react like this.
"You made a wise choice."
Jin lowered his hand from the hilt and spoke.
[But there's a condition.]
"A condition?"
[...Inside the succession temple, there are various traps and equipment that Maliet installed with great difficulty when she was alive. Maliet considered them her artistic creations and was very satisfied with them.]
"It seems like you were very close to my ancestor, Honka."
[Yes, Valeria Hister. The reason I settled on this island and began using the name Honka is also thanks to Maliet. She was certainly eccentric, but she was my only friend. Anyway, I can't bear to see those artworks being carelessly damaged by the monster you brought.]
"Is there no way to prevent the traps from activating?"
[I don't have the authority for that.]
"Then what do you expect us to do?"
[Simply pass through without breaking any traps that come your way. For the sake of the future successors who will come after you. I assume you wouldn't even dislike making that level of effort, right?]
The next successor.
Upon hearing those words, Valeria felt something stirring in her chest.
Just a few years ago, she was completely alone in this world.
But now she had Jin and her comrades, Luet had become part of her clan, and the monster who was her ancestor's friend was telling her to think of her descendants.
[You should have come here much sooner. The difficulty level set by Maliet is tailored for budding geniuses. That's why the Hister who came with the engineer 350 years ago had an incredibly tough time. Well... to be honest, I only started remembering all of this recently.]
Honka's recollection of Zen and the Hister who came 350 years ago, and even remembering his only friend, Maliet, were all recent events.
Until the history manipulation on Hister weakened, Honka had stayed on this island with only a vague sense of duty.
"I will do as you say. We will enter without breaking anything."
[Good, I trust you and open the succession temple.]
Honka's massive body rolled backward two times.
Then, beneath Honka, a thick iron door installed below the cave was revealed.
[Go on. And leave this ruby cat behind. Let's have fun while they're gone.]
[Mew-mew.]
As soon as Jin opened the door, an unbelievably bright light pierced the eyes of the two.
In an instant, as they were about to activate their protective shields, Honka, who was outside the cave, blew a powerful gust of wind towards them.
The gust of wind shot out like a projectile, pushing the two into the doorway.
The first trap was a narrow cliff path.
[Tsk, this seems to be the only trick that might work against those guys. But even that won't have much effect.]
As Honka had said, the two were falling without any panic.
After all, when they hit the ground, they could simply generate sword wind or mana to cushion the impact.
[Maliet, it seems like this time will end in disappointment. Let's look forward to the next one. It's still good to see that your lineage hasn't been severed.]
[Mew-aah.]
Saying so, Honka stretched and yawned together with Shuri.
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章節 615: CHAPTER 772
[T.L: punisher87]
[My ko-fi link:- https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 ]
Hoooong-!
The wind formed by Valeria's mana gently enveloped them.
They landed gracefully on the ground and adjusted their clothing with ease.
"Is pushing like this seems to be the beginning of the succession temple's trap? It is an interesting monster. Just like your ancestor, Maliet."
Valeria nodded her head and placed her hand on the wall.
As if she wanted to directly touch the legacy left by her ancestor.
The wall was made of a transparent gem-like mineral, and a faint flow of mana could be felt within it.
If she were the Valeria of the past, and if she had come here alone, she would never have dared to do such an action.
Touching the wall could trigger some kind of trap.
But now, she had the confidence that whatever happened, she could handle it.
Jin read her thoughts and felt relieved.
"The atmosphere here is a bit different from the succession temple I have found so far."
"How so?"
"Up until now, the succession temples usually excluded a sacred energy that made me feel solemn from the moment I entered. But here, it feels like someone mischievously watches over us."
"Really? Despite the infamous reputation of the succession temple being vicious, it seems like Maliet might have been a good person."
In past life, Jin had never heard the name Maliet from Valeria.
In other words, this was a succession temple that Valeria had not been able to find in past life.
'Besides the communication device created by Zen Lutberh, it would be great if there's something else here that could be of great help to my teacher. Perhaps Maliet's records or remaining magic.'
As they looked around, they saw a short, sketched path.
At the end of the path, there was a crossroad.
"We have a crossroad from the beginning. Which way should we go?"
Valeria lightly waved her silver pine wand and created a record window.
She intended to examine the records about which path was the right one.
However, the last remaining record in this space was over three hundred years old, and there were some kind of disturbances.
"It seems like ancestor Maliet took precautions to make the records not easily accessible."
"That means we have to leave marks."
"Let's go to the left side first."
As the two entered through the left entrance, they heard a ominous noise in the distance.
The sound and vibration resembled something massive rolling at high speed.
Grrr!
It was indeed a metal sphere about the size of a small dragon's torso.
Anyone with combat power capable of barely defeating Honka would definitely turn and run as the best course of action.
Jin reflexively clenched his fist to smash the metal sphere but remembered Honka's words.
Instead of breaking the metal sphere, he opened his palm, bringing it to a halt.
Thud!
The metal sphere came to a stop, emitting a heavy sound.
"The slope of the path where the sphere rolled down is quite steep. This seems to be a device that forcibly directs people towards the right entrance," Jin said.
Valeria had the same thought.
Leaving the metal sphere behind, they went out and entered through the right entrance, where they witnessed a trap triggered at a lower level than the metal sphere.
It was just a few stones being thrown.
"It seems like it. If they intentionally make us choose the easier path, then this side is more likely to be the true path."
They decided to return to the left side and continue their progress.
Jin used his strength to push the metal sphere upward, clearing the way.
And as they reached about halfway through the path, the two noticed a hole in the floor.
The metal sphere could never fit through, but a person could easily enter the hole.
"Shortcut, perhaps?"
"Yeah, probably."
As they fell through the hole, a vast communal landscape unfolded before them.
And immediately, the two recognized that this communal space was being used as some kind of "battlefield."
The floor, walls, and even the ceiling were filled with traces of combat.
From sword marks to stray magical remnants, there were marks that seemed to have been created by some kind of intense struggle.
[Grrr, Uhh, Intrusion, Reached in... 3 minutes... 24 seconds. New record, updated. Average time, 78 hours 13 minutes, excessively fast. Beyond extraordinary, a formidable foe...]
This time, it was a golem.
Jin and Valeria turned their heads toward the direction where the golem's voice came from.
They saw a golem with a humanoid form similar to Jin's physique, awkwardly moving with yellow eyes flickering.
'78 hours? Does it usually take that long unless you have the ability to use shortcuts? And moreover, it doesn't seem to be a living golem, yet it possesses such judgment and intelligence?'
In past lives and current lives, Jin had never heard of such a golem.
[Honka... Survival, confirmed. Succession temple damage, none. Red hair, complete mana body. Hister... confirmed. Top-tier armament, not applicable to 1st class enemies.]
The golem spoke in a dim and slow voice.
Chiiiiing!
Suddenly, runic inscriptions appeared all over the golem's body, and an enormous amount of mana began to emanate from it.
Jin was more astonished by the golem's intelligence than by its mana.
[The Successor, the final... test begins. If you feel like you're about to die, shout. Surrender.]
Immediately after the golem finished speaking, various forms of transformation magic, unlike any they had seen before, started pouring out.
Jin and Valeria simultaneously formed a protective shield, not to avoid injury but with the intention of examining the golem's magic.
They were amazed by the fact that the golem could use such high-level magic.
Although the golem had instructed them to surrender if they felt they were about to die, both of them observed the transformation magic comfortably within the protective shield.
It was possible because Jin was there.
If they were merely knights or mages of around the 8-star level, they would have undoubtedly struggled and likely faced defeat.
"Your ancestor was an incredible person."
"I'm still in shock."
Honka had referred to the traps set by Maliet in the succession temple as artistic works, and among them, the greatest masterpiece was this golem.
"This magic... is it a variation of Hellwind? The way it changed the flow was impressive. The moment when the mana was released was particularly astonishing."
"And the way it was set to be cast alongside consecutive Flame Orbs is also impressive. And considering the casting speed is on par with a simultaneous user, it's probably in the middle of unleashing the magic stored in the runic inscriptions."
"Storing magic in runic inscriptions... theoretically possible, but to be able to store this many high-level spells like this?"
"It would be impossible with the methods commonly used by ordinary mages. In my opinion, it's a variation of Record Magic. Bestowing the property of storage onto records."
As Valeria mentioned, all of the golem's magic were the ones Maliet used in her lifetime.
Maliet had "recorded and stored" her magic in the golem.
"Record and store... If we can develop this as an alliance technology, perhaps all the knights in the alliance could engage in combat like the magic swordsman. Even without the mana of a 1-star mage, they would just need to use the stored magic at the right moment."
Surprisingly, it was Valeria who spoke those words, not Jin.
Jin widened his eyes and looked at Valeria's profile.
Suddenly, Jin recalled a memory from his past life where he enjoyed seeing Valeria's profile like this.
"Of course, it won't compare to a real magic swordsman like you, but the combat abilities of all the knights would greatly increase. If we can research it, it could be as remarkable a discovery as the communication device we were looking for."
The two of them continued their conversation inside the protective shield for about ten minutes.
By that time, the Golem's magic seemed to have depleted significantly compared to when they first encountered it.
[10 minutes and 32 seconds have passed. Consumed magic spells: 871. Effective strikes: 0. The trial... is complete, Successor.]
The Golem spoke in a dull and slow voice.
Jin and Valeria released their protective shields, and the Golem raised its left hand to its chest as a gesture.
[Please follow me. It is time for you, to see... my master's world.]
Jin and Valeria couldn't take their eyes off the Golem as they walked behind it.
From up close, they could see a much more intricate and complex craftsmanship.
After a few minutes, a massive door that extended to the ceiling came into view.
[I will inform you in advance.]
"What is it? Is it a cautionary note?"
[Inside, there are deceased individuals who have recorded and overlaid themselves onto the succession temple. They are the previous successors. Although their condition is unstable, they are harmless. Furthermore, it is not your future unless you make the choice to become like them.]
"Could one of them be Zen Lutberh?"
When Valeria asked, the Golem nodded.
The contents of the letter were not metaphorical expressions but literal descriptions.
[That's correct, and also, Teben Hister.]
"Teben Hister... That was the name of the ancestor who wrote this letter. I see. But what is your name?"
The Golem didn't answer but placed its palm on the center of the door.
As it did so, the entire door reacted with mana and began to shine.
The door gradually opened, revealing the end of the succession temple beyond it.
A vast space spread out like a serene sea, adorned with hundreds of blue dots floating within it.
Each dot was a Record Window, the essence of the records left by Maliet Hister, which could be called "Maliet Hister's world."
Valeria immediately became pious, but before she could fully experience the awe, they heard another voice.
[Oh, oh! It's a living person, and a newcomer!]
[Finally, the descendants have arrived...!]
It was the voices of Teben and Zen.
They appeared ghost-like, with a hazy figure, but their expressions were full of excitement, even visible from a distance.
Valeria first bowed her head respectfully, having grown accustomed to meeting spirits these days.
"Pleased to meet you, Ancestors. I am Valeria Hister."
"I am Jin Runcandel."
Teben and Zen smiled widely, and immediately bombarded them with questions.
[You guys!]
[When you came in here, did you do twenty spins and all those strange things?]
It wasn't a question one would typically ask a newcomer they met after three hundred and fifty years, but it seemed to be an extremely important issue for Zen and Teben.
The Golem rubbed its forehead while looking at Zen and Teben.
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