Chapter 252: A Mystery Card
The squad soon arrived before the large silver crystal.
The crystal stood slightly more than Arlok’s height, its smooth surface glowing with a soft silver light. Strange aura and dead language runes drifted beneath the surface, appearing and disappearing before anyone could make sense of them.
Arlok scratched his cheek and stepped closer. "So, now what? Do we just put our hand on this thing?" he asked, glancing toward Ruvian.
Ruvian gave a small nod. "Yes, both of you need to place your hand on the crystal and channel your mana into it," he said. "Since both of you have the [Conqueror] Nature Card, it’s better to have the prototype register you as the ones starting the challenge."
"Alright," Yerin replied as she stepped forward.
Without any hesitation, she placed her palm against the cool crystal. Arlok followed right after her, pressing his large hand against the opposite side before both of them slowly began channeling their mana.
Dungeon prototypes came in two different forms.
Some were open prototypes, where the crystal would summon artificial Voidspawns into the real world; forcing scholars to defeat every enemy before claiming the reward.
And some were closed prototypes, where the crystal would transport everyone into a separate prototype realm that had to be cleared from the inside.
Which one appeared depended entirely on their luck.
The silver crystal suddenly grew brighter before bursting outward; a wave of mana swept across the mountain pass as glowing magic circles appeared one after another around the squad.
The air trembled, then figures slowly emerged from blue light.
Five wolf-like Voidspawns stepped onto the rocky ground. Their lean bodies were covered in dark gray fur, while sharp fangs glinted beneath curled lips.
Behind them, three giant spiders crawled out from separate circles, their black legs clicking against the stone.
Ruvian’s eyes narrowed.
’So, an open dungeon prototype then.’
At the same moment, Yerin and Arlok’s bracelets flashed with white light.
A familiar notification appeared before their eyes.
[Dungeon Prototype Initiated.]
[Objective: Eliminate all Voidspawns.]
[Time Limit: 25 Minutes.]
Yerin slowly drew her sword.
"Five Lesser-Rank wolf types and three Wretched-Rank spider types," she said. "The wolves don’t have any special abilities, but they’re incredibly fast once they start running."
Shima quietly unsheathed her falchion. Her gaze shifted toward the spiders.
"Forget the wolves. The spiders are the bigger problem," she said. "They can fire sticky webs from a long distance. My advice is don’t get caught, it’s hard to break free from it... and very disgusting."
Horren pulled his bow out.
"I... I’ll keep an eye on the spiders then," he said nervously.
Arlok rolled his shoulders.
A wide grin slowly spread across his face as mana flowed through his poleaxe. "Sounds simple enough," he said. "I’ll just smash anything that gets close."
Ruvian reached for the hilt of [The Endseeker]. The katana slowly left its sheath as the familiar weight settled into his hand.
He stared at the sky.
There were only a few hours left, maybe just one until nightfall.
"If everyone is ready, then let’s begin."
*****
The last spider let out a sharp screech before its shattered body collapsed onto the rocky ground. A moment later, the remaining fragments dissolved into countless motes of light.
One after another, familiar notifications appeared before Yerin and Arlok.
[You have eliminated all hostile targets.]
[Dungeon Prototype Cleared.]
[Completion Time: 17 Minutes 41 Seconds.]
[Performance Evaluation: Excellent.]
[Bonus Reward Granted.]
The silver crystal standing at the center of the mountain pass slowly cracked, and so the silver rank dungeon prototypes has been cleared.
’Looks like we managed to complete it in time.’
Another notification appeared.
[The Dungeon Prototype has been successfully conquered.]
[Points have been added to your bracelet!]
Yerin lowered her sword and glanced at her bracelet.
[Yerin’s Points: 450 Pts]
Arlok let out a loud laugh as he looked at his own notification.
[Arlok’s Points: 450 Pts]
Intrigued, Horren quickly checked the squad total.
[Squad Points: 1,640 Pts]
"Ohh dear Goddess Althea..." Horren said, unable to hide the shock on his face. "We really broke one thousand points!"
Arlok pumped his fist into the air.
"HAHAHA! Now we’re talking! That’s more like it! We definitely climbing the ranks tonight!"
Yerin let out a quiet breath before sliding her sword back into its sheath.
"We cleared it much faster than I expected," she said. "That was easier than fighting those Gravelclad Golems."
Shima sheathed her falchion with a soft click.
"Well, that is because this was an academy prototype," she replied. "It’s dangerous, but it’s still meant to just test scholars."
Ruvian’s gaze rested on the place where the silver crystal had disappeared. Then, another notification quietly appeared on his bracelet.
[You have received +800 Plot Points!]
[Dungeon Prototype Cleared.]
[Reward Distribution Complete.]
Ruvian smiled shrewdly.
"Everyone... check your bracelet inventory storage. We should get some reward for clearing the dungeon."
The four of them immediately raised their bracelets.
A soft blue screen unfolded before each of them as the reward window slowly appeared. Everyone’s eyes quickly scanned the list in front of them.
Horren blinked twice.
"I got... a potion," he said before reading the name out loud. "[Revitalization Potion]. Ah, a potion that restores stamina and helps recover physical fatigue."
Yerin’s eyes moved to the next line.
"Mine is a [Strength Potion]," she said.
Arlok let out a loud laugh.
"Looks like we got the same reward!" he said while holding up his bracelet. "Another [Strength Potion]. I’ll happily take more of these!"
Shima quietly checked her own reward.
"I received a [Mana Spring Potion]," she said. "It permanently increases Mana Essence by a small amount."
Hearing that, Horren immediately turned toward her.
"Wait, permanently?"
Shima gave a small nod.
"That’s what it says."
Arlok’s eyebrows shot up. "Hey, hey, now that’s unfair," he grumbled. "How come you get the expensive one?"
Yerin let out a small laugh.
"Looks like the rewards aren’t the same for everyone."
Ruvian finally looked at his own reward window.
His eyes paused for a brief moment.
[Reward Obtained.]
A faint smile slowly formed on his face.
’Oh my... what a stroke of luck.’
It was only a faint smile, but it was enough to catch everyone’s attention. The others immediately turned toward him.
Yerin raised an eyebrow.
"...Huh? Why are you smiling like that?" she asked. "What did you get, Ruvian?"
Horren, Arlok and Shima leaned over with obvious curiosity, they all wondering what he got.
Seeing everyone’s curious faces, Ruvian puffed out his chest with a proud grin.
"Heh."
"I got—"
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[Chapter 252: A Mystery Card]
Plot Points= 15,900