Chapter 211: Valkyrie Kaleidoscope (4k)
Dark did not know that the treasure location left by the Hero had the same setup; otherwise, he might have guessed that it was once a popular trend.
However, he did not stop because of this but entered carefully.
Alvaraite certainly did not create such a mirror room without reason; there must be some hidden mechanism within.
“This should be the last puzzle.”
After confirming there was no danger, Dark removed his backpack and took out a Magic Pen.
He brought many tools, but without any prior information, he could only use the Magic Pen to detect the mana in each mirror, hoping to uncover something.
The treasure location, which was supposed to be a dragon’s nest, was much larger than the Hero’s treasure location, making the whole procedure very complicated and time-consuming.
But he brought enough rations for three days and ample time for research.
…
At the same time.
Scott and the others found the Hero’s treasure location under Wit’s guidance.
Since they had been there before, their search for the treasure went relatively smoothly, but some minor changes in the secret passage led them astray several times, wasting some time.
Now that they had found the secret room again, Wit entrusted the puzzle-solving task to two seniors.
“Is this the Hero’s treasure location?”
Scott stepped ahead into the secret room.
He looked very excited; after all, this was something left by the Hero.
In this era, many children, after hearing stories about the Hero from their parents, would fantasize about obtaining the Hero’s legacy and becoming a hero themselves when they grew up.
Scott used to be a child who enjoyed fantasies and was thrilled about becoming a Magus.
However, his fantasies were shattered by harsh reality.
Although he considered working hard again, it was difficult to do so.
His situation was quite similar to Wit’s, and he empathized with Wit’s current state.
The difference was that Wit had talent surpassing most Magi, while he did not.
If Wit could succeed with his help, he felt he could also find motivation to start over.
This idea of relying on others for hope without personal effort was actually a form of escapism.
But that was Scott.
A weak person who shied away from heavy burdens.
…
Scott couldn’t find any mysteries within the secret room.
Finally, he tidied his bangs in front of the mirror and walked out, shrugging his shoulders: “It’s a pity; I guess I’m not the one chosen by the Hero.”
“This was expected, Scott,” Betty said with a mocking smile, unmasked.
Wit worriedly said, “If that’s the case, we can only rely on the senior.”
Betty confidently stated, “I heard the Hero wasn’t good at school; the puzzles he set wouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Hmm…”
Wit’s expression darkened slightly, thinking Betty deserved her ex-boyfriend’s rejection. She clearly hadn’t read a book titled Emotional Intelligence!
However, Betty wasn’t unintelligent.
As a top student in the Mana Academy’s fourth year, she was proficient in various knowledge areas.
Before entering the secret room, she took out a pair of glasses from her bag, giving her a scholarly appearance.
Wit curiously asked, “What kind of glasses are those?”
Scott glanced at him and explained, “Mana Glasses; they can see traces of mana flow, often used during refined spell crafting.”
Wit realized, “So these are tools used by second-year students and above?”
Scott corrected, “Actually, you’ll start learning these advanced tools in the second semester of first year.”
Wit scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
…
When Betty entered the secret room, she frowned.
The room was filled with chaotic mana, remnants of Scott’s mana.
In this situation, she had to wait for the mana to dissipate naturally before conducting a more detailed study.
Before that, she could only deduce based on observing the shape and arrangement of the mirrors.
After a few hours.
Betty sighed.
Mirrors are excellent carriers of mana; ancient mages often used mercury mirrors for spells—especially curses!
Thus, mana adhered to mirrors would disperse slowly.
She had to intervene, spending a long time clearing Scott’s remaining mana.
Once the interference was removed.
She adjusted her Mana Glasses and touched one of the mirrors, closely observing the flow of mana.
She believed the mirror itself might be a mana artifact; if she found the right method, she could potentially unlock a “mirror world,” where the treasure would be hidden inside.
Given the size of the room, without such a design, it wouldn’t be able to hide anything.
Unless the Hero’s treasure was not a physical object but some precious information.
But that information would likely be conveyed through mirrors.
There might be a “lock” set up!
Thus, the primary goal now was to find the “lock.”
Only by finding the lock could it be unlocked.
This could be a very long process.
…
People skilled in seeking knowledge are always patient.
After Betty formally began her research, she stopped caring about the passing time.
While Wit, Scott, and Robert waited outside the secret room, she focused on studying.
Wit and Scott naturally gathered together.
Robert leaned against a corner, watching them talk quietly, his gaze gradually turning cold.
Under normal circumstances, he and Wit would be together, leaving Scott to observe from afar.
This made him feel uneasy.
…
In the shadow where the firelight didn’t reach, a bat appeared silently in a corner, its wings merging into darkness as black mist enveloped it.
Far away in the secret passage.
A pale humanoid figure stood like a zombie in the shadows, its eyes opening as the night deepened.
Blood-like liquid flowed around its feet.
In an instant, it became active.
Starting from its toes, it climbed up to its neck, forming a dark red collar.
In a blink, a nobleman dressed in a classic “vampire outfit” emerged from the shadows.
His skin was as pale as a corpse, his eyes blood-red, and his mouth revealed two sharp fangs.
He was stern yet handsome, elegant and noble.
He seemed to awaken from an eternal slumber, becoming a blood noble in the night!
…
But when hunger occupied his mind and red filled his eyes.
The desire for blood shattered his elegant demeanor.
The supposedly extinct vampire showed a twisted face in the dark, silent passage, his hoarse growl filled with indescribable ferocity and madness.
Dragging his stiff limbs, he moved instinctively toward the intruders.
Danger approached.
…
Inside the dragon’s nest.
Dark’s research stalled.
He spent a lot of time detecting the mana in each mirror, but the results were clear.
None of the mirrors reacted specially to the mana.
They seemed to be ordinary mirrors!
This made Dark suspect he might have missed one or two.
He repeatedly walked back and forth in front of the mirrors, racking his brain, but to no avail.
“Is my lack of necessary knowledge limiting my thinking?”
Dark gradually became agitated.
“Maybe I should take them apart?”
This wasn’t a joke.
Breaking conventions and forging new paths was a possible approach.
Night had fallen…
But Dark had no intention of sleeping.
He sat down, staring intently at one of the mirrors, trying hard to suppress the urge to dismantle it!
During his prolonged mental struggle, a thought naturally surfaced.
What was behind these mirrors?
Humans have an innate desire to vent violence from birth.
Tearing paper, smashing toys.
Breaking all rules that bind them…
Time passed.
He suddenly stood up, startling the imp beast guarding the entrance.
…
Similarly, the thought couldn’t be suppressed from Betty’s mind.
The mirrors in the secret room were making her restless.
If the entrance hadn’t been left open, this would be a terrifying mirror room that could drive someone mad!
To ease her mood, Betty had to leave the secret room.
Seeing Wit and the others, she couldn’t help but complain, “Is there any point in this?”
Wit promptly served her a bowl of freshly cooked noodles, saying, “Senior, try some?”
Betty glanced at the noodles with just two pieces of dried meat but accepted it, saying, “Thank you.”
It was bitterly cold at night.
The warm soup of the noodles still warmed her heart.
…
Robert remained in the corner, watching Wit and Scott cook the noodles.
He expected Wit to call him over once the noodles were ready or, better yet, bring him a bowl directly.
But that bowl now belonged to Betty.
After a long time, Wit impatiently said, “Robert, are you going to stand there all night? Come eat the noodles.”
Robert rubbed his stomach and slowly walked over.
He felt like an outsider.
“I shouldn’t have come along…”
…
“What’s the use of mirrors?” Dark abruptly stood up behind the imp beast and asked.
The imp beast looked puzzled, wanting to tell its master it was just a shark hand, not a high-intelligence detective.
Under Dark’s gaze, it still tried its best to answer, “For washing your face?”
Seeing Dark’s lack of response, it added softly, “To dress yourself? Talk to yourself? Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”
Dark shook his head, a rare smile forming on his lips.
“The purpose of mirrors is to reflect light!”
…
Dark realized he had fallen into a mental trap.
Due to his fantastic experiences, he instinctively associated mirrors with magic, ignoring their basic function.
From the entrance, it was easy to think of a toy he had made in elementary school—a kaleidoscope!
A kaleidoscope uses mirrors to reflect light and create beautiful patterns through a prism placed in a tube.
This world seemed to have similar tools, but they weren’t circulated as toys.
Mages preferred to view them as mana artifacts, even though they didn’t involve actual mana.
This didn’t prevent mages from calling them “mirrors’ magic.”
Dark wasn’t sure if he had found the correct answer yet.
But this was at least a line of thought.
He exited the dragon’s nest, summoning Eevee at the entrance.
Among his mana spirits, Eevee was one of the few capable of manipulating light techniques freely.
The other was Moon Eevee in the “Bliss III? Moon” state, but it wasn’t controllable.
As soon as Eevee was summoned, it wrapped a ribbon around Dark’s arm.
A sweet scent emanated from the ribbon.
Dark squatted down and nuzzled its cheek before stating his request.
Eevee cheerfully chirped, indicating it had no problems!
“That’s good.”
Dark felt relieved; he had been most concerned about Eevee’s ability to manipulate light techniques effectively. Now, it seemed its high intelligence had broken the limitations of mana spirits.
Unlike ordinary mana spirits that follow strict skill releases, it could now control skills precisely within allowed limits.
For instance, controlling the power of “Moon Power” to zero, only concentrating moonlight into a small beam!
If Eevee couldn’t do this, Dark would have to find a way to make a simple light projector.
But that was difficult.
Perhaps he would have to exit the secret passage, go to Traveler’s Street to buy a light condenser, and start over.
Fortunately, Eevee was adorable.
Dark instructed the imp beast to retreat behind Eevee and prepared paper and pen for recording.
In the next moment.
Moonlight suddenly poured down.
Bathed in moonlight, Eevee was ethereally beautiful, like a celestial being descending to earth.
It raised its head, letting moonlight gather in its mouth before emitting a high-brightness, harmless beam!
The beam was as straight as a laser, striking the center of the mirror facing the entrance, then reflected onto another mirror, and another.
In an instant.
The continuous reflections created a magnificent and fantastical light array in the dragon’s nest!
