Chapter 158: The Box

“The Platinum Dragon...? Are you really planning to hunt that dragon right now?” Aidan asked Karyl with a look of greater shock than when he first saw the Bone Dragon.

“I was just joking.”

Karyl chuckled and patted Aidan on the shoulder, enjoying his reaction.

“Don’t be scared. We’re at the Ghost Castle, and we haven't finished our task here yet. We’re not just suddenly going to hunt the Platinum Dragon.”

“Oh...”

Aidan felt his face flush at Miliana’s scolding.

“But that doesn't mean we won’t do it eventually.”

“What?”

“It's just been pushed down the priority list. Going into a dragon’s lair requires a lot of preparation.”

Karyl’s words made Aidan realize just how silly he was for thinking they were actually going to hunt a dragon right then and there. But in his defense, although hunting a dragon seemed like the achievement of a lifetime for many, it was more than doable with these companions.

“How is it? More fun than when you were in the Burning Darkness?”

“What?”

“You should tell Zouk de Holde about this when you meet her later. Tell her about the things you’ve experienced here,” Karyl went on.

Aidan shook his head. “I already have more than enough to tell her.”

“No, this was just the beginning.”

Those words, spoken so nonchalantly, sent a thrill through Aidan, making him tremble.

Damn...

But it wasn’t just excitement; Karyl’s words also awakened in him something he had almost forgotten about. Aidan had come from the Eastern Lands for this mission, and although he was known as a talented individual there, he felt infinitely small among these powerful people.

I want to become stronger.

Aidan admired Karyl’s strength, but he didn’t want to content himself with just that. When they had killed the dragon, he had done nothing.

But even so, his growth was by no means slow. In his past life, he had been one of the empire’s seven strongest warriors. It was just that the people around him now were beyond exceptional.

If I could master that...

Aidan bit his lip slightly, unnoticed by the rest. He thought there was only one way he could keep up with these monsters: the secret arts passed down to the successor of the Burning Darkness—the Shadow Arts.

The techniques of the Burning Darkness used mana transformation, which temporarily increased the user’s mana, allowing them to cast higher-level magic.

However, Shadow Arts, in a special form called Awakening, not only increased the user’s mana but also enhanced their physical abilities, doubling their overall power in an instant. Shadow Arts consisted of three stages, each with its own unique secret techniques.

Only the ruler of the Eastern Lands could master the final third stage, while the heir of the Burning Darkness was limited to the second stage.

The main drawback of this technique was its duration. While the higher stages provided greater temporary boosts in power, the severe aftermath made it difficult to use consistently.

Rumors had it that even the first stage could rival the strength of a Sword Master, making it a suitable technique for Aidan, who relied on a decisive blow.

Maybe that was why all the successors of the Burning Darkness were assassins—because they had inherited the Shadow Arts.

But now it’s out of my reach,

Aidan thought with a bitter smile.

Having already forsaken the Eastern Lands to follow Karyl, Aidan was lucky just to not be targeted by them; the techniques of the Burning Darkness were now far beyond his reach.

“Well, we’ll have to venture into the lair of the Platinum Dragon someday... but isn’t there a place we should visit here first? Gordon, how long did it take you to get from here to the Eastern Lands with your airship?”

At Karyl’s mention of the Eastern Lands, Aidan flinched.

“Hmm, about three days?”

“And by ship?”

“To take a ship, we’d have to go around the wall, which would take over two weeks. But if we break through here, we could reach the southern end in four days. From there, it would take about a week by ship, so roughly ten days in total.”

“Hmm, then we can estimate about a week,” said Karyl.

“Are you even listening to me?” Gordon asked with a slightly annoyed expression.

“If the route takes a week, then the ship coming to meet us will only take three days,” Karyl explained.

“You're up to something again, aren't you?”

Gordon looked at Karyl in disbelief, his expression indicating that he couldn’t keep up with Karyl’s boldness.

“Why do you ask?” Karyl replied curtly.

“No reason.”

With that, Karyl lightly tapped Aidan on the shoulder and moved on. It was as if he knew what Aidan had been thinking about earlier, causing him to smile bitterly without realizing it.

“First, we need to handle things here. To take the ship to the southern end, we need to break through the wall.”

“Yes, we must hurry. Once the monsters in the castle realize the dragon is dead, they’ll swarm out.”

“And you two are casually chatting away knowing that? Geez...” Miliana, who had been rummaging through the shattered bones, stood up while scolding Karyl and Gordon.

“This came out of the dragon's heart.” She showed something to the others, holding it with both hands, indicating it was quite heavy.

The Bone Dragon no longer had a functioning heart, given it was a dead creature. However, the green smoke, which served as the necromantic medium to animate the body, turned into a sticky liquid and seeped onto the ground after the dragon died.

What emerged from the bone dragon’s corpse was a peculiar old box. The green slime that coated the box dripped from Miliana’s hand onto the floor.

“Hmm, what is this...?”

“Could it be a key to unlock the seal on the wall?”

“That would be nice. Let me see it.”

Gordon took the box from Miliana and tried to pry it open with his bare hands.

Creeeak... Crack—!

The sound of twisting metal echoed in the air, and the veins on his thick forearms bulged.

“Ugh...!”

But surprisingly, despite Gordon’s best efforts, the tightly locked box didn’t budge. He eventually gave up, threw the box on the ground, and exhaled heavily.

“Huff...What is this?”

No matter how powerful the sealing magic, he had always managed to break things open with sheer force. Thus, Gordon looked at this box with an incredulous expression.

“This place existed during the Magical Era. It might not be human magic. After all, the Bone Dragon used to be a living dragon. Let me try.”

Miliana concentrated her mana and channeled it into the box.

Snap—!!

But as soon as she did, sparks burst out, and her hand was knocked back. Black smoke was rising from the box.

“Ugh?!”

Instead of breaking the seal, the box’s lock shook briefly as if reacting to the dragon’s mana. Miliana winced slightly from the stinging pain.

“Are you alright?”

“It's nothing. But have you ever seen metal that repels mana? This is a first for me.”

Miliana examined the box from all angles but couldn't find any magic circle.

“This...”

Aidan, who had been watching them, stepped forward and examined the box closely.

“Do you know anything about this?”

“It doesn't look exactly the same, but it resembles the Sealing Chain of the Burning Darkness. I don't know why a box with such enchantments is here though...”

“Sealing Chain? What's that?”

In response to Milliana’s question, Aidan explained as he kept examining the box, “The continentals probably don’t know about it. There’s this special plant called Reversis, which only grows in the Eastern Lands. It hardens when fermented for a long time in a dark room. When it’s processed using a secret technique passed down only to the ruler of the Eastern Lands, it creates a unique seal that cannot be opened by either mana or physical force.”

Karyl nodded at Aidan’s explanation.

“Hmm... It’s similar to Clear Distilled Water. When Clear Distilled Water is processed, it becomes as hard as a mineral, but in its normal state, it’s actually moss from the Spring of Vision.”

“Ugh...? Clear Distilled Water is moss?” Miliana asked Karyl in surprise.

“Yeah. That's something for another time. For now, let's move on.”

Miliana pouted slightly at Karyl's words.

“Hmm, it seems the Ghost Castle isn’t entirely unrelated to the Eastern Land. There's a theory that the continent’s black magic is based on the secret techniques of the Eastern Lands,” Gordon said, looking curiously at the tightly locked box.

“The Ghost Castle itself is an amalgam of black magic.”

“That’s true. The Immortal Council would be furious to hear this, but even in the Antihum Grand Library, which preserves their spellbooks, there’s nothing about history older than five hundred years. It’s possible that earlier magic is related to the Eastern Lands’ secret techniques.”

“You’re awfully knowledgeable. Have you been there?” Gordon asked, to which Karyl shook his head lightly.

“I haven’t been there. I just heard it from a black magician I know.”

“Hmm, you know all sorts of people. The Immortal Council doesn’t even glance at anyone who’s not from their own group.”

Karyl nodded, understanding what Gordon meant. Of course, there was no need to mention that the black magician he knew was someone he had met in his previous life.

“So, can you open this?”

Gordon handed the box to Aidan.

“I’ll give it a try. Fortunately, this is quite crude compared to the sealing locks that are made nowadays in the Eastern Lands.”

“Well...”

Gordon Fabian was intrigued by these strange artifacts from the Eastern Lands, especially since this lock, which he couldn’t break, was considered second-rate.

“Just a moment.”

Aidan drew a small dagger from inside his coat, one he always kept on him.

Click—!

Surprisingly, the dagger’s hilt came off after Aidan twisted it, revealing five small needle-like objects inside. Holding these in his mouth, he reassembled the dagger, then took out another dagger, aligning the two blades, so they stuck together like magnets, forming a double-edged blade.

“Huh...”

Gordon couldn’t help but marvel at the fascinating sight. Although he had been a mercenary for a long time, not even he knew much about the Eastern Lands. It was the most veiled country on the continent.

Clink... Clink...

Aidan inserted the five needles, one by one, into the lock of the box.

Tremble...!

And as he did so, the tips of the needles trembled as if they were alive. Interestingly, each needle seemed to emit a faint mana, even though Aidan hadn't infused them with any.

“These needles are given only to the first-class assassins of the Burning Darkness. The mana contained in them isn’t significant, but the secret technique embedded in that mana is what matters.”

“What is it?” Miliana asked him.

“It's poison. Enough to kill a person instantly.”

“...”

Miliana stared at Aidan speechless, recalling how he had casually held those deadly needles in his mouth.

“You’re not ordinary either.”

“But they’re not usually used for assassination.”

“Oh, why not?”

“Because it’s more reliable to do it directly than to use the needles.”

“...I see.” Finding it oddly convincing, Miliana nodded while briefly touching her own neck.

“Instead, they’re mainly used to unlock sealing locks. In the Eastern Lands, they use sealing locks even for sending secret messages.”

Crackle... Crackle...

“This poison instantly melts the hardened Yeokro used to create sealing locks. Normally, one or two needles would suffice... but since this is old, I had to use all the needles.”

The parts where the needles were inserted started to bubble and sizzle, and the lock began to soften.

“And with the sealing lock in this state...”

Aidan inserted the double-edged dagger he had assembled earlier deep into the box’s lock and twisted.

Snap—!

With a dull sound, the sealing lock’s bond was broken.

“Impressive.”

“Haha, should we say this combines mana and poison arts?”

“It’s a bit different. If we were to compare just those two aspects, it's not much different from the curses of the Immortal Council,” Aidan explained to Gordon in a voice filled with pride, even though he had left the Burning Darkness.

“Indeed, secret techniques... They’re quite remarkable. The techniques of the Eastern Lands shouldn’t be underestimated.”

“I'm glad we brought you along. Otherwise, we might’ve been stuck in an unexpected place.”

“Haha, it’s nothing.”

Aidan rubbed his nose sheepishly at the praise from Gordon and Karyl, whom he considered exceptional individuals. Although he hadn’t been able to contribute much in combat, he felt a childish sense of pride in being able to help in a unique way.

“Alright, let's see what was hidden inside this strange sealed box, found in the Bone Dragon’s body.”

Click-

The lid of the box opened, and everyone’s gaze was fixed on it.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“...Huh?”

Everyone else reacted just like Miliana, their faces frozen as they stared at the box.