Chapter 596: Chapter 595- A new concept
"Hmm?" Adrian frowned. As expected, there was nothing about the Deep Sea Prison in any of the books he possessed.
Naturally, he hadn’t expected much from books available to the public or even those stored within the academy archives. However, among the countless forbidden and undisclosed tomes housed inside his Time Chamber, he had hoped to find at least the faintest clue.
Instead, he found nothing.
"It’s a cage built to imprison a deity... of course no one would know about it. Even Avirin." He let out a slow sigh.
He wanted to make a few preparations before facing that beast. Since the guardian was entrusted with protecting the prison of a deity, even a fallen one, Adrian could safely assume it would be something colossal and dangerous.
Nytharos had mentioned that his affinity for the water element would give him an advantage. That much was only natural. The creature guarded a prison hidden in the depths of the ocean.
But beyond that?
He knew nothing.
How strong was it? What kind of spells could it wield? More importantly, how was he supposed to make it reveal itself in the first place?
"System?" Adrian asked, leaning back in his chair as he stared at the dark ceiling above. "Any idea what this creature is? Or perhaps you could at least tell me how to find it?"
A brief silence followed before the system responded.
[From all information available to the system, this being is stronger than the dragon the host fought a few days ago. It is not comparable to ancient creatures, as such beings merely endure the passage of time. This entity existed before the world itself came into being.]
"..."
Adrian fell silent.
For real?
Something that ancient was guarding a mere prison cell?
Sure, he knew the being sealed within was the strongest fragment of a fallen Deity, but still...
The scale of it felt absurd.
"Anything else you can tell me?"
[That sounds like a reward, host.]
[And rewards must be earned.]
[Ding! Quest generated.]
[Task: Learn the first phase of the Dual Affinity Book.]
Thump.
The moment the words vanished from his vision, a book dropped onto the desk before him.
Adrian leaned forward and stared at it.
What in the seven hells is this?
"Dual affinity..." He flipped through a few pages before letting out a defeated sigh. "Yeah, this sounds impossible."
Just a handful of lines was enough for him to reach that conclusion.
Why?
Because an armament could only withstand the pressure of a single element without shattering into fragments, regardless of how skilled the runesmith forging it was.
[Host, you must understand the fundamentals of fusing two elements, not only for runesmithing but for independent sorcery as well.]
Adrian frowned and raised both hands.
A flame blossomed above one palm while several floating fragments of stone emerged above the other.
Slowly, he brought them together.
The moment the two forces neared each other, resistance appeared. It was as though they were opposing poles forced into contact. The closer they came, the stronger the repulsion became.
[This is phenomenon rewriting. What you create is not truly an element. It is magic imitating a phenomenon. And one phenomenon does not willingly transform into another. It either overpowers resistance and expands, or it is suppressed and fades away. You cannot simply force two fundamental forces of nature to merge.]
The system had fully slipped into teaching mode.
Adrian watched the trembling flame and stone fragments for a moment before dispersing them.
"But I don’t have much time, System." Frustration crept into his voice as he leaned back in his chair. "Forgelet’s world is burning. She trusted me with this responsibility, and instead of searching for a solution, I’m sitting here learning theory."
[Then proceed. Take the risk and enjoy the journey.]
The message appeared.
And then... nothing.
No follow-up. No explanation.
Silence.
Adrian immediately straightened up. "You are upset?" he asked. "Ah, I’m sorry. That was just me being difficult. I know you’re worried about me, so please forgive me this once and talk to me."
No response came.
A trace of guilt surfaced within him.
He had been careless with his words. The system was clearly trying to help him, trying to give him a few more cards to play before the inevitable battle. Yet he had brushed its efforts aside.
The silence persisted.
Adrian let out a long sigh and rubbed his forehead.
"Don’t start ignoring me now, friend." His voice softened. "You’re the only one I can show all my problems to. The only one before whom I can put down this confident act."
For what felt like several minutes, there was still no response.
Then, at last,
[This book is not about preparation. It will allow the host to gain a deeper understanding of magical application and the mechanics behind spells. Once the host completes the first part of the book, the host will thank the system.]
Adrian let out a relieved sigh and picked up the book.
The silence between them finally broke.
Taking a deep breath, he asked, "How long do I have before the session expires?"
[Since the host insists on spending less time in the outside world, the system has extended the stay by four hours. Ten hours now remain.]
A faint smile appeared on Adrian’s face.
"Thanks."
With that much time, he could finish the first section of the book and still have enough left to prepare several artifacts.
That alone eased a portion of the pressure weighing on his shoulders.
He glanced at the thick tome resting in his hands, its pages filled with concepts that already seemed intent on giving him a headache.
Still, if the system believed it was important, then it was worth learning.
Without wasting another moment, Adrian opened the book and began to read.
Another lesson to be learned to move ahead in life.
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A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far please leave a comment or review.
