Chapter 350: Emma Maltis Seizes Opportunities (4k)
As the “Eye Ray” dissipated, this battle was declared over.
On one hand, Dark felt relieved, but on the other, he felt a lingering sense of dissatisfaction.
“It’s over just like that.”
He looked with regret at the small pile of black powder, and placed his hand on the top of the Ditto that had transformed into an eye.
When his fingertips touched it, a heat seeped into his skin.
Dark suddenly froze as he realized the shell of the Ditto was melting.
Soon after, the Ditto automatically returned to its original form, lying limp on the ground.
Clearly, the “Eye Ray” had pushed it beyond its limits.
Although its mana wasn’t completely depleted, it was very tired.
Dark suddenly realized he had overlooked the Ditto’s state, so he hurriedly bent down to pick it up, gently stroking it with concern.
“Bus… bus…”
The Ditto called out weakly, though its eyes were barely open.
Recently, it had been studying “Acting Techniques” to improve its transformation ability.
Though it couldn’t read the words in the book, it didn’t matter; knowing the title was enough!
But then, it was absorbed into a Golem Card by Dark.
Deoxys, who was walking over, couldn’t help but smile meaningfully.
…
After absorbing the Ditto into the Golem Card, Dark began to replenish its mana while moving toward the pile of black powder.
When he reached the black powder, he squatted down and took out a small bottle from his bag, ready to collect the powder.
After all, it was the strongest monster they had hunted since entering the dungeon, even if these remnants were useless, they could serve as proof and might slightly boost his standing with Professor Nina.
Final exam scores would be converted into temporary credits, accumulating into each college’s total score.
At that time, the college with the highest score would have the chance to make a wish to the Holy Grail.
Dark was counting on the Holy Grail to increase the level of his “Technique of the Shadow God” or “Soul Curse.”
Even though individual credits were minimal, without accumulating small steps, how could one reach a thousand miles?
He pulled out a glove from his backpack and put it on before reaching for the black powder.
After crushing a bit of it, he discovered that these black powders resembled crystalline fragments, not resembling the remains of a monster at all.
Suddenly, he frowned and reached out again, spreading the upper layer of the black powder. Indeed, he found a black crystal the size of a ping-pong ball!
This black crystal had a core-like substance.
Carefully picking it up and examining it, he found it had eighteen faces, each unexpectedly smooth and geometrically beautiful.
“But what can this do?”
Dark frowned.
“Maybe it can be used as a die?”
A voice suddenly came from behind, making Dark turn around to see Emma, who had mustered her courage.
Emma Maltis had screamed loudly when she saw Wit and Robert disappear, but after calming down, she realized they were probably teleported out of the dungeon.
The coordinates for the “Dungeon Escape Device” were set next to the infirmary, making it convenient for Sister Carrian to treat the injured.
They were likely there.
She wondered if they were the first ones to be teleported out.
It wouldn’t be the only batch, surely…
Emma then regained her composure and was immediately drawn to Dark’s actions.
She saw the giant stone being obliterated by the Ditto and cautiously stepped out of the tunnel.
With Dark Diemont around, there was always an inexplicable sense of security.
Approaching Dark, Emma saw the eighteen-faced black crystal and casually mentioned it.
This comment gave Dark a reminder.
“An eighteen-sided die? I feel like I’ve heard of this somewhere.”
Dark pondered deeply, but to no avail, so he decided to put it aside for now: “Are you okay?”
Emma blushed and lowered her head, softly saying, “I’m fine.”
“Good.” Dark didn’t ask further.
He roughly knew Emma’s movements, so there was no need to question her now.
In any case, he collected the black powder into a bottle and carefully sealed the eighteen-faced black crystal in a small palm-sized bag before standing up.
At this moment, Diana and Rose also approached.
The two girls noticed Emma standing still and started chatting with her.
“So, you want to travel with us for the rest of the time?”
Dark looked at Emma with an odd expression.
Emma, who usually acted impulsively, now looked away, her cheeks flushed.
However, she nodded slightly.
Dark observed her for a long time and suddenly said, “Suspension bridge effect, do you understand?”
This statement seemed somewhat abrupt.
Emma was indeed taken aback.
Then, she finally realized her mistake and quickly adjusted her expression, raising her voice two octaves higher: “Of course, I understand the suspension bridge effect!”
Only Diana, who was present, didn’t quite grasp it, so she interjected, “What exactly is the suspension bridge effect?”
Rose quickly grabbed her arm and whispered, “The suspension bridge effect refers to when someone nervously crossing a suspension bridge will involuntarily experience a faster heartbeat, leading to some heart-racing associations.”
Diana nodded, seemingly understanding: “Oh.”
Then, she looked at Emma with pity and said in a condescending tone, “Poor child, scared, huh?”
Dark chuckled.
Emma blushed even more and tightly clasped her fingers.
…
“Sure, we can travel together. But a team can only have one leader. Do you understand?” Dark told Emma.
Emma immediately replied, “Of course.”
She sounded very sincere.
Diana and Rose did not object to her joining.
Satisfied, Dark nodded and asked, “So, where do you want to go next?”
Emma: “Ah? Isn’t there only one leader?”
Dark: “I’m not the only one making decisions. We should consider everyone’s opinions.”
Emma: “…”
That’s true.
But actually, Dark hadn’t thought of where to go yet.
With quite some time left until evening, they definitely couldn’t return directly.
And the “Greed II” needed time to cool down after evolving the Trash Slime into the Greed Slime.
During this time, Dark had no specific plan.
“In any case, let’s take a break first.”
He waved his hand and they took a break right there.
Both Emma and Rose needed some time to adjust mentally.
…
After forming their group, the four of them moved to another location to rest.
Although Emma joined the team, she still appeared very cautious.
Dark proactively engaged her in conversation, recounting their experiences since leaving the dungeon.
From the second floor entrance to now, about two hours had passed.
During these two hours, Dark’s biggest gains were the rusty sword and the eighteen-faced black crystal.
If forced to count, the bottle of black powder—the remains of the Eye—could also be included.
Aside from that, most of their gains came from hunting ordinary monsters.
These materials could be used for magic spells, but achieving the desired magic card required some luck.
As for Emma, Wit, and Robert’s trio, their behavior after leaving the second floor entrance was largely similar to Dark’s group.
Every time they encountered a monster, Wit would immediately summon a Gigant to attack.
Relying on the Gigant’s strength and Wit’s mana, they progressed relatively smoothly.
Then, Emma recounted their adventure.
Mazes in dungeons typically contained many hidden mechanisms and secret rooms.
Of course…
The difference between “secret room” and “hidden space” was significant.
“Secret room” was also known as “密室” (secret chamber).
While exploring, Emma found a fresco blocked by a vine monster.
She quickly stopped Wit and Robert, who had already walked far ahead, and summoned a Golem to remove the vine monster. She then solved the puzzle on the fresco, opening a hidden chamber within the wall!
“What was inside the secret chamber?”
Emma had strong writing skills and narrated the story vividly, captivating the listeners.
Dark and the others were intrigued.
But Emma sighed, “There was nothing inside.”
She had been excited when solving the puzzle, especially when the door to the secret chamber slowly opened in front of her. She thought she would find treasure like the protagonist in a legend.
But there was nothing.
Inside the chamber, there was only a lamp and a fresco identical to those on the outer walls.
She took the ancient oil lamp from the center of the chamber and reluctantly left the secret chamber.
Not long after, they encountered the hidden space of the Abyss.
…
After hearing her account, Dark’s gaze became increasingly strange.
In fact, including Emma, everyone else—except Diana—had roughly guessed a possibility.
Dark couldn’t help but ask, “Can you describe the frescoes?”
“Of course.” Emma brightened when talking about her adventure, “I recorded it. Just wait a moment.”
She turned and retrieved her backpack, searching for her notebook.
Meanwhile, Dark took out the “Mana Spirit” Golem Card and tapped it.
Under Dark’s magical touch, the Mana Spirit twisted and turned like a little girl.
Soon, Emma found the notebook.
She flipped to the middle part and smiled, “Found it.”
Dark and the others leaned in.
On the notebook, finely drawn lines depicted a sharply defined totem.
Despite the distorted appearance due to the drawing style, careful observation revealed a hint of a jellyfish.
Below the mushroom-shaped body were dense straight lines that formed a corner at the bottom.
Without preconceived notions, it would be hard to imagine those straight lines as tentacles.
Dark held the “Mana Spirit” Golem Card upright, allowing it to see the totem on the notebook.
Upon seeing the totem, the Mana Spirit tilted its head in thought for a while before nodding vigorously.
“It seems so.”
Dark pondered, “This totem is likely the creature at the bottom of the abyss. It appears that something triggered the hidden space in the secret chamber. We entered earlier because we were closer.”
“Is that so…”
Emma frowned, thinking deeply, “But we didn’t do anything…”
Just then, Diana interrupted, “Emma, didn’t you take an oil lamp out of the chamber?”
Emma was surprised, “The oil lamp? I just wanted a souvenir… Okay, it must be the oil lamp.”
She closed the notebook, her frown gradually easing. Then she put the notebook back into her backpack and took out the oil lamp.
The oil lamp was sealed in a transparent bag.
She placed it on her knees, hesitating, “This is just a regular oil lamp, isn’t it?”
Dark couldn’t help rolling his eyes. How could it be ordinary?
Perhaps Emma was hoping to get the answer she wanted from others.
Fortunately, Diana chimed in, “It must be a treasure! Amazing!”
Interpersonal relationships probably formed like this.
Emma seemed very happy, rubbing the oil lamp through the bag.
Of course, no matter how many times she rubbed it, she couldn’t summon Aladdin.
Though the oil lamp resembled the Aladdin’s lamp, its red-bronze surface was covered in rust, clearly an old relic.
But looking at the oil lamp made one think of another item.
Dark picked up the rusty sword leaning against his feet, holding it up next to the oil lamp under Emma’s curious gaze.
A lamp, a sword.
They seemed unrelated.
But when placed together, they shared the same material surface.
“Could it be a set?”
Dark couldn’t help but ponder.
Emma obviously noticed this too, “This is the treasure you found in the chest?”
Diana nodded eagerly.
Emma’s thoughts turned to the academy’s history.
“I’ve heard that our academy’s dungeon always contains historical relics. If we check historical records, perhaps we can find the origins of this oil lamp and the short sword. After exiting the dungeon, let’s look for them together.”
Diana: “Should we look through books? I’m not good at reading…”
“Slap!”
Rose quickly slapped her hand, smiling, “Of course, this is our first adventure’s harvest. We must clarify it.”
…
