Chapter 166: The Elf’s Treasury (1)

“Hmm.”

Karyl lifted the large table in the banquet hall, revealing a spiral staircase leading down. With a sense of familiarity, he descended into the depths.

Clank—

The musty scent of ancient moss grew more pungent as Karyl and the others ventured deeper into the dungeon of the Ghost Castle. Eventually, he pressed a dusty spot on the wall, revealing a hidden mechanism behind.

Clunk, clunk, clunk...

As he pulled the lever, the gears interlocked, and the chains within the wall began to tighten from all directions.

Rumble...

As the wall split apart, a solid iron door came into view. The mechanism continued to whir, slowly opening the door.

“Wow...” Aidan couldn’t help exclaiming as he gazed at the door of the underground treasury.

A bright white light poured out as the door cracked open, piercing through the darkness of the dungeon.

If there was a place on the continent where the rarest items were gathered, everyone would undoubtedly point to the black market of Tatur. From ancient relics of the Magical Era to various odds and ends that people had just left behind, one could find just about anything there.

“This is just... The black market is nothing compared to this.”

Everyone had the same impression. Even Miliana, who had never been to the black market, could tell that the treasures here were extraordinary.

This is just as expected...

Karyl glanced around and nodded in satisfaction. Since this place hadn't been raided in his previous life, everything here was new to him as well.

Zarka

, Karyl called out to him, but the lich had been silent since the moment the treasury was revealed.

[Thanks to the tempering in the Spring of Vision, the Freezing Talon can serve as a repository for spirits, but since you haven’t mastered necromancy, it will be difficult to control him fully.]

“Does that mean he can refuse my commands?”

[Not only that, but it could also affect the power of the Freezing Talon. Well, since he let himself be sealed by you, he probably won’t do anything too rebellious.]

Karyl frowned slightly at those words.

Even when fighting Gordon Fabian, moments of hesitation had determined victory. There were still four Sword Masters on the continent, and powerful Grand Sorcerers who had reached the 7th Class were still active.

Moreover, the dragons, who surpassed even the Sword Masters, awaited Karyl, so not being able to use a weapon fully could be a significant disadvantage.

Hmm... Ramine, can’t you do anything? He was an elf when he was alive, so he should obey a Spirit King.

[If you talk to him, he might listen a few times. But elves and spirits exist on different planes, so it’s best to give up commanding him through me.]

Hearing that, Karyl clicked his tongue in frustration.

Handling a lich is proving to be more troublesome than I thought. At this rate, Zarka might become a liability.

[Heh, nothing is easy to obtain. You should face some difficulties as well, for fairness' sake.]

At that, Karyl smirked bitterly.

Difficulties... I don’t have time for that. I’m not wandering all over the continent for fun.

[You’re still as greedy as ever.]

You wouldn’t understand. I have my reasons for being this way.

[...]

Necromancy... Maybe I should seek help from the Immortal Council.

Instead of rejoicing over the treasures in front of him, Karyl was already pondering his next step.

The magical systems built by the Seven Elders definitely formed the foundation of the magic of the Dawn and Immortal Societies. Hence, the magical knowledge left by Allen Javius for Karyl had to cover necromancy as well.

But unfortunately, among the Seven Elders, Allen was a master of Arcane mana, not black magic.

The first necromancer, Wel Bahar, was one of the Seven Elders and a traitor who took part in the killing of Allen Javius, along with Gustav and Celine Han. During the Magical Era, he was at the pinnacle of black magic.

When Allen Javius showed him his memories at the Gray Training Ground, Karyl saw Wel Bahar having his head blown off by Allen’s magic arrow. However, it was possible that the necromancer hadn’t truly died from that.

Feels like my to-do list keeps growing.

Karyl chuckled.

If anyone could continue Wel Bahar’s legacy, it would undoubtedly be the sorcerers of the Immortal Council. Along with the Ivory Tower of Dawn in the far north of the continent, the Immortal Council’s Antihum Great Library in the northeastern part of the empire was one of the two greatest magic factions.

While the Dawn Council received full support from the Church, the Immortal Council was the opposite.

Come to think of it, the Antihum Great Library is near the Maron Canyon. How ironic.

Ironically, the base of the Immortal Council was located north of Heim, the Holy Land of the Church. Although Heim itself was a hidden place, Karyl recalled using the teleportation Magic Circle to get there.

With my current mana, unlike before, I should be able to enter the Great Library through the front door.

Even when he left the manion, Karyl possessed mana but hadn’t opened his meridians. Now, although he had yet to master mana, the number of unlocked meridians put him on par with a mid-level 5th Class sorcerer.

Good. I had to visit the Great Library at some point anyway.

Karyl thought of someone, one of the Ten who had fought alongside him in the Oracle— another sorcerer like Serga, known as the reincarnation of Kaye Aesir: Israphil, the Spire.

Though he hated that title...

Serga, an elite sorcerer trained by the court sorcerer Kadin Luer of the Dawn Council and nurtured at the empire's academy, stood in stark contrast to Serica Lauren, a wildflower who had become strong without any mentor.

Israphil’s background was particularly unique. Despite his tremendous talent, after becoming a sorcerer, he joined the Immortal Council and spent his life as a librarian at the Antihum Great Library.

If not for the Oracle, I never would have known about him.

Because of that, Karyl didn’t consider him a card to be used in his ascent to power.

“He was one of the Ten in the Oracle, and we fought many battles together. Despite being a black sorcerer specializing in curse magic, he was unsuited for combat."

Back then, Israphil would struggle even to kill Tarak. He couldn’t fathom killing people, and even Karyl, who had fought alongside him, used to have the same mentality. Given Israphil’s fragile nature, it was anticipated that the War of Sorcerers would be a three-way battle between Serica Lauren, Serga, and Mikhail.

Well, except for that one time... After that battle, everything changed.

Karyl sighed bitterly as memories he’d rather forget resurfaced.

That’s when he earned the nickname “Spire.”

Perhaps it was just his arrogance from living a second life, but Karyl didn’t want Israphil to go through that ordeal again.

Anyway, even if I can't recruit him immediately, it would be good to establish a connection. I could use his advice on necromancy.

There was no use worrying about it now. It was just another task to handle later.

“Hey, what do you keep thinking about? Everyone else is already inside. You’re going to miss out on all the good stuff!” Miliana exclaimed as she approached him.

“...You’re right. Let’s go."

Karyl realized he had been pondering for too long, uncharacteristically for himself.

Israphil... Just thinking about recruiting you makes me nostalgic.

How ridiculous it was.

Karyl shook his head, recalling his pledge in the tower to cast away all emotions regarding the past.

“Master! Th-This is...! This is Mountain Scale Armor! Unbelievable! It’s a top-tier artifact that not even the high-ranking officials in the Eastern Lands can easily obtain...”

Aidan’s eyes sparkled as he showed Karyl the artifact. It was a scaled armor with three-directional protruding scales linked together with chains.

“How did this end up in an elf’s castle?”

“Well, the Eastern mana from a thousand years ago might’ve had some elements of elven magic. Both involve nature-based techniques."

“Wow...”

Aidan's eyes gleamed like a child’s at Karyl’s words explanation.

“Take it. It seems to have several enchantments besides preservation magic, so it might be better than the armor worn by the ruler of the Eastern Lands.”

“R-Really?”

“Of course. I already have armor, and that guy doesn’t need any,” Karyl said while pointing at Gordon.

“Thank you!! Wow... I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.” Aidan hugged the armor, his voice trembling with joy.

“But be careful. Not everything here is genuine.”

“What?”

“Have you ever heard of elves being fond of wealth? They’re neither dwarves who love minerals nor gnomes obsessed with gems. There are traps. If you touch the wrong thing, you might lose an arm.”

“...”

Aidan had reached out for a golden scabbard on a nearby shelf, but he quickly withdrew his hand after hearing Karyl’s explanation, licking his lips.

Karyl chuckled at his reaction.

The treasures in the elf’s treasury within the Ghost Castle were undoubtedly exceptional artifacts. And yet, unlike Aidan, Karyl, Gordon, and Miliana showed little interest, merely glancing at the artifacts as they passed.

As Sword Masters, the three of them valued their growth over weapons. Karyl was also concerned about the problem of the Freezing Talon containing Zarka Hochi’s essence, but he knew he wouldn’t find a sword here to replace it.

“Hmm... I should take a few items. Some things here might be useful for Beikan and Kinu Mukari.”

Karyl examined a peculiar bow displayed on the wall—its shaft was blue and had snake-like fangs protruding from both ends.

“This looks like the Wind Poison Bow kept in the royal palace.”

Karyl marked it and a few other weapons, planning to summon the barbarians to retrieve the rest later.

“Karyl!”

Just then, Gordon’s voice boomed from deeper within the treasury, suggesting he had found something.

“I think I’ve found the remedy.”

Gordon, arms crossed and with a satisfied look, gestured for Karyl to follow.

Vooom...

An ornate fountain stood against the inner wall of the treasury. The water had long dried up, leaving nothing behind. Yet a small blue vial glowed faintly in a glass case atop the fountain.

“This must be the Essence of the Soul Spring Zarka mentioned.”

Karyl approached slowly to inspect it. The blue liquid inside the vial sparkled as though it contained stardust. This was obviously the rarest and most valuable item in the entire treasury.

“It was a tough journey, but it was worth it. We’ve got our reward.”

Gordon reached out for the vial.

“Wait. Gordon, your medicine isn’t that. It’s the one next to it.”

Karyl’s calm voice drew everyone’s attention to a foul-smelling, rotten sap pooled under a large tree next to the fountain.

“What...?”

Everyone turned to look at the putrid liquid next to the tree.