Thud… Thud.
The sound of light footsteps echoed faintly through the cave.
Accompanied by a dazzling light, a breathtaking scene unfolded before him.
“Wow… this is beyond imagination, isn’t it?”
Having been surrounded by darkness where nothing was visible just moments ago, it felt as if he had stepped into a different dimension.
Raging pillars of fire, transparent pools of water, and walls covered in giant ice—vines and shrubs reaching up to the ceiling adorned the walls, where light and darkness intertwined harmoniously.
‘I can definitely feel the strong presence of all attributes here.’
Enhanced by the overwhelming mana pressure, Ian strengthened his entire body.
Finally, the oppressive force weighing him down began to dissipate gradually.
It was the power of the Ancient God Neltalion that helped him overcome the pressure of mana.
Was it because of that? In the space that had been empty just moments ago, a massive statue began to emerge.
Neltalion, after confirming the gem held in the statue’s hand, jumped excitedly.
– Ian! I sense an extraordinary energy from there! It must be something good!
‘Is Neltalion recognizing its value as well?’
The gem held by the statue was quite valuable.
That was the artifact Ian had been searching for—the Origin Jewel.
‘According to Elysion, Ariel’s Holy Sword, the Origin Jewel is a crystallization of the combined energies of the elements created since the inception of the world.’
The five attributes existing in the world.
Inside the cave, all attributes existed in balance, their powers coming together to create the Origin Jewel.
‘A gem formed over a long period by the accumulation of elemental energies. Consuming it grants even those without awakened attributes the power of attributes.’
It might seem trivial, but for those who understood the value of attributes, it was a treasure worth marveling at.
‘If one possesses attributes… they can deal additional damage to enemies based on compatibility. When facing enemies without attributes, they can deal twice the damage regardless of compatibility.’
Only a very small fraction of those who awakened mana possessed attributes.
In other words, most were attributeless. By consuming the Origin Jewel, he could gain the power to overwhelm them.
But the value of the Origin Jewel didn’t end there.
‘Then, would it be useless for those who already possess awakened attributes? Not necessarily.’
The Origin Jewel contained the accumulated energies of the elements over many centuries.
When consumed by one who already possesses awakened attributes, they can absorb the essence of their compatible attribute.
‘You can gain proficiency in the relevant attribute and a vast amount of mana.’
This was important for Ian.
If the proficiency of his Dark attribute increased, Neltalion could recover its strength faster.
And the vast amount of mana could provide more assistance in reaching Expert level.
Approaching the statue, Ian cautiously retrieved the Origin Jewel.
Now the question remained: how to consume it?
‘Probably the best method is to follow what was described in the original and consume it in small pieces.’
The best way is to swallow the jewel whole and absorb it internally.
However, swallowing a jewel the size of an adult fist is no easy task.
Despite wanting to swallow it all at once to minimize mana loss during the process of breaking it into pieces, it was unavoidable.
As Ian concluded and raised his fist to break the jewel…
– Ian… are you not going to eat that? Then, I’ll eat it.
‘What?’
Suddenly, Neltalion, who had swelled up, opened its mouth wide and swallowed the Origin Jewel.
‘Neltalion?’
Suddenly swallowing the jewel? This was unexpected.
In the midst of his confusion, a system window appeared before Ian’s eyes.
[Neltalion has consumed the Origin Jewel. As per the contract, Ian Volkanov, the contractor, also gains the same effect.]
[Consumed the Origin Jewel without any loss. Proficiency in the Dark attribute has significantly increased.]
[Curse, Hatred of the Blade, Curse Removal 13%]
[Neltalion grows due to the vast amount of experience.]
[With Neltalion’s growth, it is now possible to simulate battles with enemies in its memory.]
[Something from the abyss has started watching you.]
Staring at the sudden flood of notifications, Ian’s eyes widened.
‘So consuming it like this is also possible?’
It wasn’t something to boast about, but he was sincere about this game, even remembering the smallest details.
But… consuming the Origin Jewel in this manner…
– Mmm… I’m full… sleepy.
Neltalion, the main actor of the event, seemed satisfied, swaying its plump body and closing its eyes.
Puzzled, Ian tried to understand the situation…
‘I’m not sure what’s going on.’
Though he still didn’t fully grasp it… one thing was certain.
Thanks to Neltalion, he had achieved an outstanding result.
That alone was reason enough to be satisfied.
He smiled with joy.
Thump!
A sound came from the entrance of the cave.
‘What’s that?’
With the thought that there might be potential threats, Ian cautiously headed towards the entrance.
There he could see it.
‘Celia Wignoron?’
Celia, lying unconscious with numerous wounds.
And then…
“Grrrrrrrrr!”
Monsters approaching her as if recognizing her as prey.
‘I guess I’ll have to rescue her first and see.’
Ian sighed deeply. He walked towards her.
***
In her childhood, her grandmother used to say to her.
“Celia, when the moment of danger comes… you’ll see an illusion of someone dear to you.”
She said that when life is at stake, memories of being with someone dear would come to mind.
To understand the concept of someone dear, young Celia replied,
“Someone dear? Then, would it be Grandma or Dad?”
Her grandmother would smile gently and stroke her cheek.
“It’s hard for our little one to understand now… but… as you grow older, there will be someone more precious to you than your father or grandmother.”
“Hmm… But… wouldn’t it be sad to think of someone dear before dying? If you can’t see them again…”
“Haha… maybe… but isn’t it fortunate to know who was truly precious, even if it’s late? If you get a new chance… you can meet that person again.”
“It’s hard to understand…”
Her grandmother simply stroked her head in response to her lack of understanding.
At that time, she didn’t grasp the meaning of those words.
It wasn’t until she was falling from a cliff, her foot slipping, that Celia could understand.
‘Ah… so that’s what it meant.’
Someone dear. It meant someone you love.
Then, Celia thought she would see Ariel in her dream.
At the moment, the most precious person to her was none other than Ariel.
‘Is this my last chance to see Ariel…’
She could recall the happy memories she shared with her.
Thinking so, she closed her eyes.
“Hoo… Hoo…”
“Ian… I’m sorry… I was wrong… Please don’t die…”
‘Why is this memory coming back now…’
What she saw were her younger self and Ian Volkanov.
Blood was flowing from the large wound on Ian’s back, and she was tearing her cloak to stem the bleeding.
Ian’s face was pale, and she was crying… It remained etched in her memory.
‘It was definitely… when I was young…’
When she had clumsily learned the Wignoron healing magic, she had sneaked into the forest away from people.
Looking back now, she wondered how she had dared to venture into a place teeming with monsters. At that time, she thought that if she could use her family’s ancient spear technique, she could easily deal with those monsters.
But that was a mistake.
“Ahh! Help me!”
“Grrrrr!”
‘Yeah… I had wandered around the mountain and got lost. I was surrounded by monsters, facing imminent death.’
With no real combat experience, she froze upon seeing the monsters and was exposed to their attacks.
Just when she thought she was going to die, Ian rescued her.
After taking the monsters’ attack with his back, Ian quickly escaped the mountains carrying her.
Only when he arrived at the forest entrance and put her down did he lose consciousness.
‘After that, our family’s caretaker found me crying, and she treated Ian, who was badly injured.’
As Celia meticulously reviewed her childhood memories, her mind was filled with questions.
Surely… He must have been someone important to her. Why did this scene come to mind?
And why was her heart starting to ache more and more…?
Her grandmother used to say.
But isn’t it fortunate to know who was truly precious, even if it’s late?
And just before she passed away, her grandmother held her hand and said,
“Celia… you must… find that precious person to you…”
So, was the person dear to her Ian…
She still couldn’t understand it well. Why, in a situation where she should think of someone dear, was Ian Volkanov, whom she despised, coming to mind?
However… one thing seemed certain.
“Why do I want to see him?”
Once again, she wanted to see his face.
With that thought, the light disappeared.
And when Celia opened her eyes, she saw it.
Boom! Bang!
“Aaargh!”
“Annoying.”
The image of the man who had protected her from monsters in her childhood.
“I… Ian?”
As Celia muttered as if she couldn’t understand, Ian glanced at her indifferently and then spoke.
“It was the same even when we were kids… You haven’t changed.”
***
For Ian, Celia Wignoron was an important woman.
However, it didn’t mean he harbored any affection for her.
Although she was an attractive character in the game, his feelings had dulled after learning the truth through the diary, and especially since the moment she rejected Ian, any favor had long vanished.
She was important for a different reason.
‘Celia is a member of the future Hero Party led by Ariel.’
She was a woman destined to cut down demons as a new vanguard of the Hero Party.
With that in mind, leaving her to die at the hands of monsters was not an option.
‘To see a happy ending, I need to uncover the secrets Ian has hidden… Then, I must enable Ariel to handle the demons.’
If Ariel were to perish before defeating the Demon God, he would lose his life to the secret and himself.
Although it wasn’t pleasing, for now, he had no choice but to save her.
That’s why he hunted monsters to protect Celia.
“Just wait a bit longer. We’ll reach the top soon.”
Ian started climbing the cliff with Celia in his arms.
“…Let me down. I’ll climb up myself.”
Although Celia insisted on climbing up herself, feeling embarrassed to be held like a princess by the person she despised, Ian ignored her words.
“Aren’t you hurt? If you can’t walk properly, I’ll carry you.”
“Still…”
“I understand it’s unpleasant. Just endure it. I had no other choice.”
“It’s not unpleasant… No… I’ll just stay quiet.”
After firmly stating so, Celia closed her mouth.
There wasn’t really any other way, even in her opinion.
As Celia remained silent, Ian focused on climbing the cliff again.
While climbing the steep cliff, Ian checked the system.
[Something from the abyss has started watching you.]
It was the notification that appeared when he absorbed the Origin Jewel. At the time, he didn’t pay much attention due to being preoccupied with other matters.
But looking back now, it wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
‘In Heroic Academy, there’s only one thing that can be called something from the abyss.’
Demons. Beings dwelling in the darkest abyss.
The fact that the system notified him to this extent meant they were preparing to extend their dark influence.
Unless he knew what kind of scheme they were up to, he couldn’t move slowly.
Ian climbed the cliff with determination.
Finally, when they reached the summit, he could see it.
“Aaaaagh…”
“Ugh… My arm…”
“Heuk… Heuk…”
Celia Wignoron’s squad members were lying injured.
“Hah… Damn it… What kind of monstrous strength is this…”
And Igor, who was blocking a headless knight.
“Kraaah!”
When the creature spotted Ian, it let out a piercing scream.
