Chapter 18: Chapter 16: Camilla
The loot from an A-rank Catastrophe naturally won't disappoint.
However, this time the monster didn't explode into any materials. Instead, all of its energy condensed into a single card.
Not a one-time-use Skill Card, but a cultivation card.
The front of the card displayed a silhouetted image of a monster, while the back depicted a silver five-pointed star.
[Skill: Shadow Stealth]
Details: Silver Skill Cultivation Card, requires a Dark Affinity level of 15. Once merged, it grants the ability Shadow Submarine (Lv0), which enables you to blend in with the darkness.
The girl with the mechanical arm eyed the card and gave a soft sigh. "Huh... it's a cultivation card."
Leonard Churchill was startled once again.
Although he could read and understand the words, he didn't comprehend the true value of the card.
The girl with the mechanical arm apparently had gotten used to his sporadic lapses of ignorance.
This guy was evidently quite smart, but seemed to lack a lot of common knowledge.
Ah!
Novice hunters ordinarily don't encounter cultivation cards like this one, so his confusion was understandable.
She explained, "The legend says that this card bears the Divine Imprint of an ancient Curse Card Master. As rare as they come, even rarer than a piece of gleaming silver. It's more effective than any Martial Skill secret manual, and no matter who the user is, as long as they meet the requirements and merge it, they will immediately acquire this skill. It is one of the most sought-after items in the upper echelons of society and is very valuable. Plus, this [Shadow Stealth] seems to be a type of lost Assassin Type secret skill. At least I've never seen one, so it's probably best not sold lightly."
"..."
It's only then that Leonard Churchill understood.
It was the elusive ghost-like technique of the previously slain monster that could hide its true body within shadows. Once acquired by a trained assassin, its effects would indeed be extraordinary, whether for self-preservation or assassination.
Leonard found this fascinating too, for being able to master a skill without rigorous cultivation, directly imprinting it on one's soul.
For the wealthy, this indeed held a compelling allure.
Finished with her explanation, the girl handed the card to him without hesitation. "I'm not on the Assassin Type career path," she said, "so this card isn't really useful for me."
"Well, then I won't be polite."
Leonard glanced at her and without a second thought, accepted the card.
He had already encountered her habit of not taking advantage of others.
Since she stated that the card was valuable, it must have had considerable worth.
Looking at himself, his Dark Affinity level was only 1.
It would still be a long way to actually merging with this card. Embark on a journey to the beginning at n0v#lbin★
Aside from this cultivation card, there was another commonplace black card on the monster's body.
The card held no practical function and carried only two lines of text:
"When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
"Before dawn arrives, someone has to light up the darkness."
Even though his new ally was rather cold, she was a good companion nevertheless.
The two of them continued their journey deeper into the laboratory.
...
Eventually, they arrived at a rusted, aging elevator not long into their journey, for even a laboratory must have an end.
"Someone has used this elevator before."
"Yes, it was probably those mercenaries from before."
After checking the corridors and finding no dangers, they decided to take the elevator.
It seemed, no matter how one looked at it, this was the way to the exit.
This elevator appeared to have been abandoned for decades, maybe it was once a mine's lift. With rust spots all over, its screeching noise during ascent was nerve-wracking, as if it might suddenly plummet down any moment.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened, and they arrived at the top of the elevator after ascending more than twenty floors.
After traversing a narrow passageway, they arrived in a strange Mirror World.
The floor was white, while the ceiling and walls were completely covered in myriad mirrors of all sizes.
Without sensing the presence of any creatures, they stepped into it.
At first, it was just a few mirrors, but as they progressed, the number of mirrors grew.
They saw countless versions of themselves, peculiar reflections of themselves, and countless pairs of eyes that stared back at them...
All kinds of strange and chaotic images swirled in the mirrors, making them feel as if they were seeing every facet of their own hearts reflected back at them.
There were some distorted reflections as well, warped images of desire.
"Interesting..." Leonard Churchill remarked, striding forward.
While others may feel uncomfortable in the face of so many mirrors, such a situation was his daily existence.
The countless images and arguments in his mind at every moment were just like this.
Now, facing these mirrors, Leonard Churchill didn't feel uneasy in the slightest.
But Camilla, next to him, seemed somewhat disturbed by what she saw in the mirrors. Her breath became noticeably irregular.
Fortunately, Leonard Churchill noticed her discomfort and patted her shoulder. "Let's go."
Only then did Camilla come back from her nightmare-like state.
This "Mirror House" didn't seem to present any particular challenge, and it was unclear what it was designed to test.
The two of them made their way through.
Suddenly, they found themselves at a dead end.
Camilla cried out incredulously, "A dead-end? A maze?"
As she racked her brain trying to figure out where they had gone wrong, Leonard Churchill said, his eyes narrowed, "No. We've arrived."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the crystalline reflections surrounding them receded like a receding tide.
Upon looking around, they found themselves within a sealed iron cage.
Enlightenment appeared: 'Entered unknown space, discovered hidden mainline, exploratory degree +5%'.