Chapter 577: Is Something Wrong in Seeking Treasures in the Dungeon? (7000)
With a hint of embarrassment, Dark pondered, “So that means I can gain higher permissions from within the ‘Door to Truth,’ allowing me to evaluate things of greater value.”
This was indeed a pure benefit. But looking at it this way, the cause of this situation became quite apparent.
He decided not to pursue it further and said to Professor Kazel, “I understand now, thank you, Professor.”
“Nothing,” Professor Kazel waved off. “I once heard a saying: ‘To wear the crown, one must bear the weight.’ Whether it’s you or Eudora, it applies to both of you. Walk your paths well from here on out.”
Dark nodded and stepped back.
At this point, only a few people remained in the office. Dark turned to look at Eudora and gave her a signal.
Eudora then bid farewell with him to Professor Kazel and left the office soon after.
Their schedules overlapped, and they had no classes until evening.
Although Eudora had a rare chance to walk alone with Dark, she seemed preoccupied and had no time to dwell on it.
They didn’t say much on the way and quickly arrived at Professor Metia’s residence.
But before they could knock on the door, it opened from the inside.
Professor Metia leaned against the pristine white wall, looking at them meaningfully, and lazily said, “Come in.”
Dark’s gaze dropped slightly as he led Eudora into the room.
It was his first time visiting Professor Metia Bartholomew’s dormitory. At first glance, he saw several cloaks hanging on the rack, all identical wizard robes.
Though Professor Metia was lazy enough to wear the same set of clothes, the room was surprisingly tidy—though it could also be that she had tidied up in anticipation of their arrival.
Dark walked to the guest table and sat on the sofa. Two cups of steaming black tea were placed on the table.
“Have some tea,” Professor Metia gestured, then sat next to Eudora, turning her face towards herself and using her fingers to pry open Eudora’s eyelids to observe her right eye closely.
Dark picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then used a spoon to scoop some sugar from the jar, stirring it into the tea before taking another sip.
Sweet…
At this moment, Professor Metia had finished her observation and sighed lightly, lifting her head.
Dark asked, “How is it?”
Professor Metia smiled, “Not too bad. There is a slight fusion between the ‘Eye of Truth’ and the ‘Eye of Stars,’ which triggered the ‘Revelation.’ This is normal.”
Dark frowned, “What about the ‘Death Star’?”
Professor Metia gently touched Eudora’s forehead and playfully said, “Look, your sun is worried about you.”
Eudora’s face flushed red instantly.
Dark’s expression darkened, “Professor, we’re discussing serious matters.”
Professor Metia replied, “Dark, you should know that Eudora chose alchemy class with my permission. No one else in this world can help someone open the ‘Eye of Truth’ so easily. But only by fusing with the ‘Eye of Truth’ can her ‘capacity’ truly become as vast as the stars.”
Dark couldn’t help but ask, “Is there a precedent for this?”
Professor Metia shook her head, “No.”
Dark suddenly furrowed his brows, “Since there isn’t…”
Professor Metia immediately said, “Then we are pioneers!”
Dark asked, “Are there no other methods?”
Professor Metia shook her head seriously, “Eudora has already embarked on the path of an astrologer; she cannot escape it. She has the most beautiful eyes in the world, with the entire starry sky in her eyes.
No one is more favored by fate than her. Even without the ‘Eye of Truth,’ she would still constantly experience ‘Revelations.’ I know this better than anyone.”
As she spoke, Professor Metia looked at Dark, and a silver moon slowly emerged from the depths of her eyes, as if telling him that her words were true.
Both having the ‘Eye of Stars,’ Professor Metia’s eyes held only one bright moon, while Eudora’s eyes contained the entire starry sky!
As she said, no matter what Eudora did, she could not escape the ‘Revelation.’
All she could do was face it, accept it, and embrace it!
The ‘Eye of Truth’ was the key to expanding her capacity.
Dark slowly nodded, somewhat enlightened.
Assuming Eudora could withstand X number of ‘Death Stars’ before dying from them, we cannot determine the exact value of X beforehand.
In such a case, increasing X to (X+N) would be necessary.
Then ensuring N is always greater than or equal to the number of ‘Death Stars’ appearing would prevent Eudora from dying due to the cost.
Simply put, adding external memory.
However, this would increase the frequency of ‘Revelations’ due to the increased memory usage!
Eudora needed to accelerate the fusion of the ‘Eye of Truth’ and the ‘Eye of Stars’ before the number of ‘Revelations’ exceeded N, thereby rapidly increasing the value of N.
As for how to manage the gains and losses, only Professor Metia could handle it.
After all, she was the expert.
…
Having understood, Dark gradually relaxed and casually asked, “So, Eudora, what did you see in the ‘Revelation’?”
Eudora’s expression turned pale as she glanced at Professor Metia and said, “I saw the ‘Death Star.'”
“The ‘Death Star’?” Professor Metia raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Dark also said gravely, “And then? Was it like the last calamity warning?”
“No, not very clear,” Eudora shook her head, “I only saw the ‘Death Star’ falling from the pitch-black night sky. They were dim and flickering, emitting a very ominous aura, and finally…”
“Wait, them?” Dark instinctively interrupted.
“Yes.” Eudora nodded seriously, “There were three stars. They fell from three directions, but ultimately landed in the same place, causing an explosion that flattened the entire land. The creatures lurking in the darkness were turned to dust by the terrifying black light.”
Unlike her first prophecy, Eudora spoke about the ‘Revelation’ with a calm tone, as if it were completely unrelated to her.
Of course, this wasn’t entirely due to her personal growth.
As diviners delved deeper into divination, they discovered that what they saw in prophecies was often just a sign.
Often, what was seen in a prophecy might not happen in reality.
For example, seeing someone’s death doesn’t mean that person will die; it merely indicates they will encounter misfortune.
Divination is very profound; simply interpreting the surface-level images is far from sufficient.
…
Without guessing wildly, Dark directly asked, “How should this be interpreted?”
He subconsciously looked at Professor Metia, who instead looked at Eudora.
Eudora glanced around and said, “The ‘Death Star’ represents ominous things, three being the number, and landing in the same place signifies they will converge, causing disaster. For now, I can only interpret this at a superficial level.”
“That’s enough,” Professor Metia said contentedly. “In practical terms, it means three people or organizations will secretly join forces, eventually causing disaster.
Such ‘Revelations’ are common, but because they are too vague, it’s hard to determine when they will come to pass.
However, this ‘Revelation’ has a key number: three. We can start our search based on this number.”
After a brief contemplation, Dark said, “Professor Metia, can I tell others about this ‘Revelation’?”
Professor Metia held up three fingers and said, “Yes, but you can only tell three people.”
“Three is enough,” Dark nodded and asked, “Then can they pass on the message?”
Professor Metia smiled and said, “That’s their business. You are the first one entrusted with this task and cannot spread it too much.”
Dark nodded.
In fact, he was only planning to inform Claire about it.
Claire would temporarily leave after the Silver Cup opened in October, and she would take either Eve or Irina with her.
Informing Claire about this “revelation” was like informing Alvaraite.
However, such vague calamity prophecies occurred every year, and saying them was better than not saying them at all.
…
Dark stayed at Professor Metia’s residence until half past eleven, then went to the cafeteria with two others for a meal.
During this process, he took the opportunity to ask Professor Metia many questions left unanswered from the “Astrology Class.” He felt quite enlightened by the experience.
After the meal, Eudora left with Professor Metia, while Dark went to the library to complete his homework.
That night’s “Astrology Class” proceeded as usual.
Professor Metia taught knowledge that was too profound for Dark.
As for Lil’Eevee, she sat dumbfounded on the table, not knowing how much she had absorbed.
Fortunately, Professor Metia wrote down all the content of the class on the blackboard, which allowed Dark to copy and study it later, eventually figuring out some of it.
After the “Astrology Class” ended, Dark checked on Eudora and found her fine before going to the clubroom to sit for a while. Then he brought some golems back to the dormitory with him.
Upon entering the dormitory, he immediately took out various materials he had stored and tried to use the “Eye of Truth” to measure their value.
The value of something wasn’t completely fixed.
Even from the perspective of the “Door to Truth,” the value of each thing changed constantly.
Thus, quantifying it was very difficult.
But by placing two things together, the “Eye of Truth” could clearly measure their relative values.
This was whether they were equivalent or not.
For an alchemist, the most important thing was to determine if what they sought matched the cost they paid.
Only then could they achieve true equivalent exchange!
…
Before going to sleep, Dark, like a child with a new toy, used the “Eye of Truth” to its fullest extent, measuring almost everything in the room.
The final result surprised him greatly.
Under the “Eye of Truth,” the value of the Grass Cat Plant was even higher than that of the Worm Tree!
And that old Mana Dropper had a value even higher than the Grass Cat Plant!
The value of the golems naturally exceeded that of the Mana Dropper.
Even the “Capital Sin” extracted alone had considerable value.
Furthermore, distinguishing between real and fake items was almost instantaneous when placed together.
Unless there was a special case where the fake was more expensive than the real one…
In short, having the “Eye of Truth” was a great help, even just for selecting materials without considering alchemy.
After a night of excitement, Dark was able to remain calm the next day.
After finishing his morning exercises, he began preparing for the dungeon adventure.
This dungeon adventure was a true “first” for every second-year student.
The previous adventure under Professor Nina’s guidance felt more like a “picnic” rather than an “adventure.”
Moreover, Dark chose to enter the dungeon alone.
What he was about to face was a completely new challenge he had never experienced!
…
“Mana Needle, Mana Collector, Dungeon Escape Device, rations, water…”
Dark quickly filled a small backpack and strapped it on, finding it a bit heavy.
Considering he might stay in the dungeon for two days and nights, this was already the limit he could reduce.
And once he started gathering materials, he would need a sturdy bag to store various items without a “Dungeon Storage Box.”
In any case, he would eventually summon golems to carry the backpack. So, wouldn’t it be normal to have the golems carry the backpack from the start?
Therefore, Dark didn’t pay too much attention to the weight of the backpack.
Considering it wasn’t convenient to summon a second-tier golem in the dungeon, he planned to select one to carry the backpack and another for front-line protection.
Deoxys and Lion Beast, with their human forms and powerful abilities, were obviously the best choices.
Supporting these two golems’ long-term existence was no longer a problem for him now.
After preparing, Dark went to the Magical Animal Club, gathered all the golems, and reiterated the time and purpose of this dungeon trip.
Since he couldn’t determine whether he would encounter situations requiring the use of “Paradise” in the dungeon, he decided to keep “Paradise” hidden and bring all golems except Agumon with him.
The golems supported this decision and were even excited.
Each one eagerly wanted to enter the dungeon and show off their skills.
Agumon was slightly disappointed but calmed down after rubbing the head of the Hino-Emiya in his arms.
It was his duty to take care of the club’s familiar.
“So, the Magical Animal Club is in your hands for the next two days!” Dark said seriously.
“Rest assured.”
Agumon puffed out his chest and nodded forcefully.
…
Shortly afterward, the other three members of the Magical Animal Club arrived at the clubroom.
Catalysta and Broni had taken on the role of “guides,” leading Diana and Rose into the dungeon for their first real adventure.
Although these third-year students weren’t frequent visitors to the dungeon, they were perfectly capable as guides for the first ten levels.
Diana and Rose were quite cautious.
Each carried a small bear or rabbit backpack and immediately started asking what else they needed to bring upon arriving at the classroom.
Once everyone was ready, the five of them bid farewell to Agumon and headed to the castle’s cafeteria.
It was around 10:30 AM, and the cafeteria was already bustling with students.
Mostly, the second-year students and the third-year students responsible for guiding them.
Not every second-year student had a third-year guide.
A sufficiently strong third-year student could watch over several second-year students.
Of course, there were also lone wolves like Dark.
They ate early in the cafeteria to ensure they had more time to explore after entering the dungeon.
Dark found a six-person table near the wall and casually observed the other students in the cafeteria.
Most second-year students had formed groups.
Like Tudor and Pistons’ team, which included six second-years and two third-years.
On the other side, Emma was seen with her two classmates, accompanied by a third-year student with an unfamiliar face.
As for Wit… Next to him was none other than Scott, who had advanced to third year!
Scott Hurst, who had finally become a legitimate duelist through the Dueling Club this year, was considered a bottom-of-the-class third-year student.
However, in the Marine Biology Research Department, Scott was the closest third-year student to Wit.
Even if only to earn 1000 credits, Wit had reasons to choose him as a guide.
The two faced each other, with Robert, who was not allowed in the dungeon, sitting beside them.
Nevertheless, Robert was not in the least disheartened; on the contrary, his naturally loud voice was somewhat annoying to those around him.
But no matter how.
The second-year students who were allowed to enter the dungeon had clearly made ample preparations.
…
Before noon.
Almost everyone had gathered at the square in front of the dungeon entrance, waiting.
At the foot of the Angel Colossus, two members of the Students’ Union were loudly hawking, reminding the students about to enter the dungeon not to forget to rent the “Dungeon Escape Device.”
The high-grade students, excluding the second and third years, had already formed teams and were waiting outside.
Most of them were in groups of three, their expressions calm as they exchanged information.
“Have you all put on your ‘Dungeon Escape Devices’?” Dark reminded again before entering the dungeon.
Diana and Rose both raised their hands, showing off the “Dungeon Escape Devices” on their wrists.
Catalysta and Broni couldn’t help but smile. “Why so worried? Why don’t you join us?”
Dark shrugged and said, “I have my own purpose.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the chimes from the Spiral Bell Tower rang out at exactly twelve o’clock.
The students waiting in the open square slowly stood up and looked toward the “dungeon entrance.”
It was a massive archway, approximately twenty meters high.
The square pillars were carved with patterns resembling spells, and the width between the two pillars was over ten meters.
As soon as the hour struck, someone lightly tapped the pillar, and a large amount of magic power surged from the grooves on the inside of the pillar, quickly forming a giant magical door like a water curtain.
Immediately after, the students who had been waiting for a long time began to enter this gate one by one.
Dark and his group of five followed the crowd, crossing the gate without hesitation and arriving at the reception hall on the first floor of the dungeon.
In an instant, the atmosphere of the dungeon came rushing over.
Dark felt his heart skip a beat, inevitably feeling a bit nervous.
Even he felt this way, let alone the other second-year students.
This caused a slight traffic jam at the entrance.
In the center of the reception hall, the mermaid statue floating above the altar continued to emit a faint blue glow as usual.
The upperclassmen holding “Gate Keys” activated the mermaid statue upon approaching it, and then the three-person teams entered through the gate, delving deeper into the dungeon.
The second-year students also went to collect magic power in front of the mermaid statue under the guidance of the guides.
They first used the “Mana Collector” to gather magic power, and then used the “Mana Needle” to do so.
Since the third-year students had taken on the role of guides, they naturally wouldn’t just take the second-years on a tour of the dungeon.
They would patiently teach them the necessary procedures and precautions.
Of course, some third-year students who needed guidance themselves were not included in this group.
…
“So we split up here?” Dark said to Diana and the others after completing two collections.
Diana pouted, not wanting to speak.
Rose spoke up, “Be careful.”
“Don’t worry,” Dark pointed to his left and right protectors, smiling. “Deoxys has its backpack, Lion Beast has its arms crossed, exuding a steady aura.”
The small imp beast perched on Dark’s shoulder dutifully played the role of “mood maker.”
Few students could carry so many golems around like him.
Most people, for safety, only summoned a familiar and a first-tier golem, the former scouting ahead and the latter protecting.
Dark Diemon drew attention from the start.
…
After separating from the members of the Magical Animal Club, Dark quickly entered an adventurous state.
He had planned to act alone when he first entered the dungeon last semester, but was disrupted by Professor Nina’s requirement of three-person teams, forcing him to team up with Diana and Rose.
Fortunately, luck was on his side, and they encountered a “hidden room” and even found a tier boss.
In his previous adventure, he did not have a clear goal; he simply wanted more experience.
But this time was different; he came with a purpose from the beginning.
“Let’s try our luck and see how the feng shui is today.”
Only after leaving the reception hall for a while did Dark summon the “Greed Slime.”
The plant-like green slime squirmed slightly in his palm.
Dark took out “Greed II,” placed the magic card on its head, and quickly recited the incantation.
Three seconds later, the blue-purple light released from “Greed II” enveloped the Greed Slime, causing it to gradually swell into an elastic jelly-like form.
Dark rubbed it against his cheek, feeling the cool touch, and smiled. “Start now, release your greed fully.”
“Miu—”
“Greed Slime I” rubbed forcefully against its owner’s cheek, and its eyes gradually sharpened.
Ultimate Skill: “Treasure Olfaction!”
“Poyo!”
In just a few seconds, it squeezed out a short tentacle from its body, pointing in a direction within the dungeon.
Dark patted the decoration on his shoulder and said, “Go.”
The imp beast immediately spread its wings and flew forward swiftly.
But soon, Dark heard a series of cries for help.
“Chirp chirp chirp—”
The imp beast returned in a panic, with a swarm of black bats chasing it.
If these black bats could communicate, the imp beast would surely sing to them: “We were born from the same root, why rush to destroy each other?”
Even in the first layer of the dungeon, there were quite dangerous monsters, such as the “Venomous Lizard” that could emit poison mist, the “Vine Monster” that disguised itself as ordinary vines… and these “Paralyzing Bats”!
The bodies of the paralyzing bats were tiny, each about the size of a ping-pong ball, but their fangs contained toxins. Once bitten, one would be completely paralyzed.
In a place as dangerous as the dungeon, the consequences of being paralyzed were obvious.
Therefore, students were extremely vigilant when encountering such monsters, never allowing them to get too close.
“I’ll handle it,” Lion Beast raised its head and looked at the swarm of black bats, saying calmly.
As soon as it finished speaking, its right fist clenched, and as the imp beast flew past its head, it suddenly unleashed a punch!
“King Beast Fist!”
The energy wave released from its entire body instantly expanded, covering almost the entire passage.
With a roar-like explosion, dozens of paralyzing bats turned to ashes in the fifth-tier golem’s ultimate skill.
Not even the materials remained.
“This is the strength of a lion taking on a rabbit?” Dark remarked, looking at the layer of ash on the ground.
