Crowds upon crowds of people gathered in a single pce, frozen in time and uo voice out a single word. Some were shaking, some were in awe, while some were smiling. A variety of expressions pstered on their faces as they looked up at the sky.

  The soft winds blew gently and the bdes of grass swayed at their tune, a silver glimmer grag their eyes. A ptinum dragon desded before them, extending his wings like that of a mystical butterfly as his clear eyes sparkled like diamonds.

  But perhaps the most eye-catg figures were the two youths riding on his back, unfazed by the howling winds. As soon as they were low enough, they both leaped towards the ground, nding softly as the winds cushiohem.

  "Thank you for the ride, Arcturus." ［Yuna］

  "It has been my pleasure, Mistress... Please don't hesitate to call me whenever you need my assistance." ［Arcturus］

  As suddenly as he appeared, the ptinum dragon, as if he was nothing more but a mere figment of one's imagination, vanished into thin air, only leaving behind small fragments of light as the leaves rustled softly. A sight whily begets w from the eye of the beholder.

  Yet as if it was nothing out of the ordinary, Grey and Yuan simply waved their hands goodbye to Arcturus who had now gone back to her post. It was only when they saw the surprised faces of the vilgers that they realized what they just did,

  ""Ah..."" ［Grey and Yuna］

  After all, not a single one of the vilgers had seen any of their familiars up close. From panic, to wariness, to surprise, to awe, and then fusion, they went through a whole roller coaster of emotions in just a couple of seds.

  "... Great Chief, we're back." ［Grey］

  "A-Ah, yes! We wele your safe return, Lrey, Lady Yuna." ［Manelo］

  It was only when Grey called out to them that they finally snapped back to reality. At the same time, the vilgers also remembered what they were previously doing before Arcturus' showy arrival.

  The ay which was shortly buried has now sprung back up again, they have yet to ask Grey and Yuna, but the expressions on their faces already told it all. All of them wore shifty eyes as they fidgeted with their hands, clearly worried.

  "And... Umm... About the Evil Beast..." ［Manelo］

  The Great Chief was especially worried, his plexion paler than anyone else's. It was clear how worried he had been, even preparing the vilge's warriors just in case something bad were to happen. A face which soon turo surprise.

  "Well, see for yourself..." ［Grey］

  THUD

  No more words were o be said, only a loud and heavy thud eg in the air. With a swipe of his hands, Grey summohe Leviathan's cold and dead corpse before the vilgers, taking them all by surprise.

  A body spanning more than a hundred meters, covered in deep blue scales, shining like that of sapphire, and thick membranes linkings its fins. With its dagger-like teeth, it was sure to scare the living hell out of someone. A beast even monsters would fear.

  "Th-The Evil Beast has beeed!"

  "Lrey and Lady Yuna have vanquished the Evil Beast!"

  "We're saved! We finally go back to the sea again!"

  Cheers exploded like fireworks as they filled the air. The crowd jumped up and down, hugged each other, and eveears at the sight of the beast, relief flooding their hearts as they could finally be free from the worries which bound them.

  One character in particur had quite the eye-catg rea. As soon as he saw the beast, his legs quickly gave out, pting themselves towards the ground. What followed after were tears trig down his face, hung his back again and again as he wept, repeating the same words over and ain.

  "Taroba... Larok... My sons... You've finally been avenged... May you rest in peace... My beloved sons..." ［Kalun］

  The man was her than the Head Elder, Kalun. He could no longer muster any strength on his legs, only trembling slightly as he weeped for his te sons. He was happy, but at the same time, sad. A bittersweet feeling loomed inside his heart.

  Well, it wasn't only him. There were plenty who lost their homes and loved ones due to the Leviathan, all g heavy tears as they cried their loss away. A strange sense of peace swallowed the air.

  "Lrey, Lady Yuna, We are eternally grateful. We will never fet this debt for as long as we live." ［Manelo］

  As everyo and celebrated, the Great Chief gave his gratitude to Grey and Yuna. Though it has been a difficult time, seeing his subjects with such expressions on their faces, he couldn't help but smile. A warm, gentle smile.

  "This is nothing. We only did what was the right thing to do." ［Yuna］

  "Yuna's right. And we did have a tract, didn't we? We only did our part... All we did was keep our promise." ［Grey］

  "I see..." ［Manelo］

  The Great Chief nodded in silenot speaking any words any further. Though Grey and Yuna said all that, he knew deep ihat they were simply kind and uo leave the weak behind. True embodiments of benevolence.

  Grey and Yuna had never sidered themselves as heroes or saints. To them, they were only doing what any normal person would do. It was simply their selfisho meddle and help others. heless, they were happy. Very happy.

  Well, strictly speaking, it was Sirius who defeated the Leviathan. It would have been perfect if they could thank her directly, but seeing how they reacted to Arcturus, it was a bit difficult to imagihey'll be sure to reward her ter.

  "Ah, right! I just remembered... Great Chief, have you prepared the refugee camp we asked of you earlier? We might expe influx ees soon." ［Grey］

  "Worry not, Lrey. Though I have yet tanize such a thing, we still have a lot of empty houses avaible. I'm sure they will suffice for the time being." ［Manelo］

  "I suppose that's true... But how about the rations and supplies? Would they be enough to provide for them?" ［Grey］

  "We still have plenty. There's o worry," ［Manelo］

  "Hmm... But wouldn't this be a problem for the vilge? I'm sure we could ask for help from the nearby vilges, but it would probably take some time, won't it?" ［Yuna］

  Oer anrey and Yuna asked the Great Chief questiarding the refugee camp. After all, the problem has not been fully solved yet. Though the enemy was already defeated, a lot of vilgers have lost their homes. They'll need shelter.

  Of course, they simply didn't just talk about such a topic while the others were g. They all walked away and gave them space to weep. It was a sensitive period, after all. They need all the spad time they .

  "I suppose that would be all..." ［Grey］

  "That does sound like a good pn..." ［Manelo］

  It didn't take too long before their discussion reached its clusion. Both Grey and Yuna had offered their help if ever necessary and the Great Chief would anize and aodate the ining refugees. It was a simple and effective pn.

  "Well then, I shall see to discuss this properly with the elders. I will be taking my leave now, Lrey, Lady Yuna. And once again, thank you for everything." ［Manelo］

  "Yeah, no problem. Just look for us if you ever need something." ［Grey］

  "Un! We'll be more than happy to help!" ［Yuna］

  The Great Chief nodded his head, and soon his legs started moving again. Just like he said, he headed back towards the vilge to discuss the details with the elders and aodate the refugees as soon as he could. A diligent man, indeed.

  Meanwhile, Grey and Yuna were left in the forest once again. pared to the salty breeze from the sea, the forest's fragrant and fresh breeze was still more refreshing and calming, musig in their ears.

  "And to think our walk stopped here..." ［Grey］

  And by sheer ce alohe pce they parted with the Great Chief was just by the cavern they entered just this m. It was still as dark ay as they saw from before, only slight sounds of water dripping to be heard.

  Now, their curiosity is being poked at by the ruhey saw on the ruins. It also didn't help that both Grey and Yunq were naturally curious people. With their knowledge in enting, they felt flicted on what to do.

  "Grey, let's head inside." ［Yuna］

  Well, they may have felt flicted, but their unbridled curiosity was still a lot stronger. Especially Yuna. Her eyes were now sparkling ever shtly as she asked Grey, awfully curious about what was hidden ihe cavern.

  "Haah... Alright, let's go..." ［Grey］

  "Yaay～!" ［Yuna］

  And as one would expect, Grey had no power to resist Yuna's plea. As soon as he saw her sparkling eyes, he quickly gave up and only heaved a heavy sigh. A fool would always remain a fool, after all. Love is just that powerful.

  Not wasting any more time, Grey and Yuered the cavern once more, a small orb of light illuminating the pce. Be it the chirping of critters or the dripping droplets, there was only so much to be heard. It didn't take too long before they met the wall.

  "Like I thought... These really are some high-level runes..." ［Grey］

  "Waah～ So many～! I've never seen this many runes in my entire life..." ［Yuna］

  It was no simple wall. On it, engraved were hundreds upon hundreds of runes, all of varying meaning and plexity. There were the basies and also plicated ones, all arrao form an array.

  To top it all off, not all the runes were useful. Some were just there to simply distract people and some were there to activate a number of anti-breach meisms. It was basically a giant puzzle just sitting around and waiting to be solved.

  "Grey, you solve it?" ［Yuna］

  "Well, I'll try..." ［Grey］

  Grey stepped forward, a light cck echoed in the air. Though the cavern was dim, his eyes could see it all. From left tht, all the w runes and simple symbols, all were id down and imprinted into his brain.

  There wasn't ao waste time. As soon as he finished sing the runes, he quickly started moving his hands, eyes shifti and right as he ected the dots oer another, lines and es f in his mind.

  Without a key, it would have been nigh impossible for normal people. Even experts would find su array difficult. But we're talking about Grey here. Equipped with eyes, mind, and knowledge surpassing that which is sidered normal, it was like a walk in the park.

  The array required different attributes, different amounts of mana to be ied, different binations. To top it all off, it required a specific flow and order. A single error and one would o start over from the very beginning.

  "I see... What an iing piece..." ［Grey］

  Yet despite its high plexity, Grey was able to crack the code open with his genius alone. As soon as he did, his hands moved even faster and mana started to brew in the surroundings like an orchestra, and Grey was the orchestrator.

  Red, yellow, gold, and many more. Light shone dimly as different attributes of mana were spun in the air. And as if cheering to Grey's orchestra, the ruarted glowing too, lines eg them like an intricate spider web.

  The orchestra tinued and the runes only glowed brighter and brighter until not just the wall, but the entire cavern was full of glowing runes. Like the night sky illuminated by the beautiful stars, the cavern sparkled with gem-like glow, pulsing ever so gently.

  KERCHAK CLACK CLACK K THUD GRRRRRRR

  And soon, heavy, meical sounds echoed in the air. Slowly but surely, the wall before them lit into two, parti and right as the doors which had been sealed for turies finally opened.

  "Waah～! So cool～!" ［Yuna］

  The other side of the wall was still dark and dreary, but that didn't make Yuna any less excited. Her sparkling eyes alone were enough to light up the darkness, a satisfied Grey chug beside her.

  "Grey! you make something like this too?" ［Yuna］

  "Hahaha. That would be impossible right now. Maybe when I reach Tier 9?" ［Grey］

  "Ehh～? But that's still too far away. 't we just dismahis and rebuild it in our house? It should be possible, right?" ［Yuna］

  "Well, I suppose it's possible... But what would you use it for?" ［Grey］

  "Nothing at all! I just want a cool entrance for our house, too!" ［Yuna］

  Of course, Yuna had no she of silly ideas. In her mind, it already pyed out how amazing it would look if they have magically locked entrances in their house. It would be bothersome to opeime, true, but it's cool. That's all that mattered to her.

  Well, it wasn't like Grey didn't share her se. Having watched a number of spy themed movies when he was young, he had also dreamed of having a house with automatitrahough there's o say that out loud for now.

  "Haah... You really are something, aren't you, Yuna?" ［Grey］

  "Hm? What's that supposed to mean?" ［Yuna］

  "Nothing, nothing at all... Shall we head ihen?" ［Grey］

  "Hey! You're dodging my question again! Grey, look at me!" ［Yuna］

  Yuna pounding her fist on Grey's back, and the tter ign her nontly, the two ehe other side. As soon as they did, like the tunnels of a byrinth, the corridors suddenly lit up, the pce illuminated like modern facilities.

  And a plete trast to the ruined cavern, what was inside was still fully intact, with tiled floors, arched ceilings, and walls pted with metal rods from time to time. To top it all off, the air was also ditioo be cool and fortable.

  Tap Tap Tap Tap

  To such a sight, Grey and Yuna could only remain speechless, their footsteps the only thing to be heard eg. They looked left and right, but all they could see was a well-maintained facility, free from the ravages of time,

  Soon, the corridors ended and a rge, open space greeted them. It was y at all, rge maery and numerous tables id out here and there, all taining a number of apparatus and papers ohere was no other way to say it. It was...

  "A b...?" ［Grey］

  There was no mistaking it. What was id in front of them was a rge and a boratory. Though many of the maeries and facilities were old and outdated, it was no doubt one of the best of its time.

  And even though so much time has passed sihe st time the d saw the light of day, none of the equipment was damaged. They were all preserved perfectly, not a single defect to be seen. A little stimution with mana and they would surely start w again.

  "Waah... I wonder what these do..." ［Yuna］

  "Yuna, be careful not to touything carelessly. They could be dangerous if not handled properly," ［Grey］

  "Un～ Roger that～." ［Yuna］

  Seeing the boratory before them, the two started wandering around the pd checked things out. Though they couldn't just touch things needlessly, they could still perform a quispeesmerized by the intricacy of the equipment,

  Many were old and obsolete, but some were really iing. The more they looked around, the more iing things they found. From trial products all the way to full and pleted items. The boratory was full of wonders.

  "Grey～! Over here! I found something!" ［Yuna］

  A little more time ter, Yuna found a bookshelf, filled to the brim with a rge variety of books. pared to the pieces of paper scattered here and there, they were all arranged in an orderly manner. From theses to journals, everything could be found there.

  How to tame beasts without using summoning magic, how to ma and improve abilities, how to make a more mana effit physique, the limits of humanity, and a lot more. The theses enpassed a lot of topics.

  Not only these, there were also a number of iing blueprints. From airships, to magic artillery, instant barriers, and everyday devices, there were a lot of amazing blueprints piled ly into a single folder.

  And sihe knowledge God gave him were only on sense and those that he o get stronger, some of the subjects of their theses were o him. Though some were straight up wrong, some also proved some potential. A varied sele.

  "Hm? This is..." ［Grey］

  But perhaps the most iing one was the journal tucked in all the way to the top of the bookshelf. It was a journal whiented iail what happened on the isnd and how things came to be. It told the ins of Ti.

  Acc to the journal, the isnd roject of the former Asn Empire which ceased to exist more than 500 years ago. It was the biggest project of the Empire which has been brought forward by her than God's prophecy.

  The prophetailed an era in which monsters would swarm everywhere and evil would rule the world. But in times of turmoil and need, a perso by God will appear, anding the angels and wielding the holy light to vanquish evil.

  "Grey, isn't this..." ［Yuna］

  "You're right. It's about the emissaries the vilgers knew of as a legend." ［Grey］

  But it was not as simple as it seems. The mrey read about it, the more he learnt that the people were misuanding the prophecy. Rather than "Evil", what would encroach the world would be "Corruption", and rather the "Holy Light" and "Angels", it would be more proper to say "Aether" and "Spirits".

  Grey already had an inkling after reading it first, but the prophecy was all about how God's emissary would stop the rampaging corruption and bring bance back to the world. In other words, it was about him.

  'That stupid God...' ［Grey］

  To which, Grey could only furrow his brows. He knew full well that God had waited for a soul like his for turies, but he didn't think he went around spreading prophecies here and there. He could feel his head ag from all his random whims.

  "Grey, is something wrong?" ［Yuna］

  "No, nothing... I just feel like hitting a certain someone in the face," ［Grey］

  "???" ［Yuna］

  But evehe property promised a savior, the Asn Empire couldn't simply sit still. Knowing the disaster that's about to e, they prepared the archipego and tur into their final bastion, which also doubled as a research ground.

  From abundant resources, to rare materials, absence of dangerous monsters, and the high-level magic veiling the isnds, Ti was tailored into a sanctuary where people could survive if ever the world were to fall into ruin.

  And as time passed, due to some unknown circumstahe Asn Empire fell and the project was halted. There were some survivors, but with the passing of time, the knowledge which was supposed to be passed to the geion slowly vanished. Such was the in of Ti.

  "I see... It all makes sense now..." ［Grey］

  "Re... ces..." ［Yuna］

  "Hm? Re... ces...? What's that?" ［Grey］

  But strangely enough, as soon as they finished reag the journal, Yuna suddenly turned deathly silent. She was frozen in pce, head down and veiled, only mumbling some barely audible words as her hands trembled.

  "Resources..." ［Yuna］

  "Resources? What do youー" ［Grey］

  Yuna hasn't even answered, yet it was as if a lightning bolt struck him. As soon as he uood the meaning behind that single word, a cold chill ran down his spi wasn't because of the shock that Yuna was trembling, it was...

  "Resources! The journal said resources, didn't it?! There should still be a lot of resources in the b! Grey, let's find all of them! Let's collect them all!" ［Yuna］

  ... Because of excitement. Grey hasn't even said hus answer and Yuna had already ran away in search for the Laboratory's vault and ste rooms. Her eyes were now sparkling even brighter than before, wholly determio find them.

  "Haah... Seriously, that girl..." ［Grey］

  She was just like aic puppy who just got unleashed into the park. Befrey could even call out to her, she was already out of sight, searg the corridors with all her might, excited as one be.

  Yet despite her uraititude, Grey didn't firoublesome. Rather, he found her impulsive tendeo be cute, chug to himself as he looked ahead the corridor Yuna just entered. A smile soon bloomed on his face.

  "Well, I really do love her, after all." ［Grey］

  Whispering such a thing to himself, a cck soon echoed as he put the journal ba the shelf. Soon, footsteps filled the air as Grey rejoined Yuna in their little treasure hunt. A treasure hunt they will never fet.

  From ores, herbs, rare materials, treasures, and many more. They found a mountain of items all over the pce. All of them were very useful in their professions, providing them with a whole kingdom's worth of resources. Even Grey became a little childishly excited at the sight of them.

  And as one would expect, Yuna tried to hoard the materials as soon as he id their eyes upon them. It was quite the arduous task trying to calm her down, taking a much heavier toll than fighting monsters. Grey was really drained.

  But hey, that's a story for another day.

  CHAPTER 238 END