The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth

[I’m surprised this still exists. It predates even the Magical Era.]

It was the Blazing King, Ramine, who broke the silence, gazing at the ancient fountain with a renewed sense of nostalgia. Unlike the other well-preserved artifacts in the treasury, the fountain seemed worn out by the passage of time, as if its power had been exhausted and was now just an empty shell.

Or... maybe it’s not so much that time has worn it down, but rather that it’s been emptied and left behind, Karyl thought as he looked at the fountain.

Flames flickered around his hand as the Ein Trigger embedded in his wrist glowed. Karyl observed the flames, intrigued by Ramine’s unusual activity.

Fortunately, the others thought the flames were merely Karyl’s own creation and didn't give it much thought.

What’s the Soul Spring? Karyl asked.

[It’s a type of dimensional gate,] Ramine replied.

A dimensional gate...?

Karyl recalled Pharel, which also served as a gate, summoning aberrant monsters from another dimension.

[It’s a gate to the Spirit Realm. I mentioned before that the Spirit Realm was nearly obliterated, remember? That happened because the gates connecting it to the human world vanished.]

What about spirit power?

[Currently, the only way to open a gate to the Spirit Realm is by using spirit power. But with the gates gone and the spirit energy of the human world having dwindled so much, how effective do you think spiritualists can be? Gates opened through spiritual contracts are temporary and weak,] Ramine explained.

Karyl nodded in understanding. Indeed, that was why there were so few spiritualists on the continent.

[The essence within that bottle has a dense spiritual aura. While it doesn’t contain a sealed entity like myself, it should be enough to open a gate to the Spirit Realm once,] Ramine went on.

So, opening this bottle would allow access to the Spirit Realm? Didn’t you say there were still Spirit Kings there? Karyl inquired.

Ramine circled around him before answering, [But you can’t do it. Just because there’s essence doesn’t mean anyone can open the gate. You need a certain amount of spiritual energy to activate the Soul Spring.]

Hmm... Not even with your power?

[You might have my power, but you can’t fully wield the combined might of the Arcane and the Two Great Lights, right? I’m like Zarka Hochi. You can’t fully utilize my power. I’m just a bit more cooperative than he is,] Ramine said pointedly.

You are being sarcastic, aren’t you?

[You need to be realistic. You can become stronger than this,] Ramine remarked as Karyl chuckled bitterly.

Ramine’s words dashed Karyl’s hopes of increasing his spiritual power by entering the Spirit Realm and contracting with the remaining Spirit Kings.

[Despite our harsh contract, I'm still somewhat hopeful about you.]

Ramine circled around the Freezing Talon strapped to Karyl’s waist before disappearing.

[Besides, this fountain is clearly too old. You’ll need to find another Soul Spring. The elves wouldn’t have left behind the essence next to a functional well,] he added.

Karyl, who had been silently hoping, felt a pang of disappointment at Ramine's words.

[If you could rebuild the Soul Spring... Who knows? The whole Spirit Realm might be grateful to you for that,] Ramine’s voice echoed in Karyl's mind.

Click—

Karyl carefully took out the glass vial containing the Essence of the Soul Spring, which was placed on top of the fountain.

“...”

He was briefly lost in thought, staring at the liquid in the vial before tucking it into his robe.

“Are you seriously expecting me to drink this?” Gordon’s voice interrupted his contemplation. He was pointing to the viscous substance by the old tree next to the fountain.

The sticky sap released a putrid stench as it bubbled.

“That’s Cruah’s sap, and it’s priceless. Aidan, you should collect some too. We might need it later,” Karyl instructed.

“Me too?” Aidan asked with a grimace.

“Cruah? Isn’t that the name of the Green Dragon that lives in the northwest lair?” Miliana asked, intrigued.

“Yeah, that’s the one. The leaves from this old tree are its favorite. The elves used to cultivate them,” Karyl replied.

“What? So... Cruah is a thousand-year-old dragon?” Miliana asked, astonished.

“Probably not. The only dragon over a thousand years old is the Platinum Dragon. He’s the only one who survived the Magical Era.”

“Really?”

“The current Cruah is probably not even two hundred years old. Think of Cruah as a surname,” Karyl explained, leaving Miliana in awe.

“How do you know all this?”

“Eh, I was just friends with someone who was into this kind of trivial stuff,” Karyl said, smirking.

“I’d love to meet this person who finds dragon tales trivial,” she mused.

You’d be surprised. He’s a dragon himself, Karyl thought, unable to suppress a bitter smile.

“Oh, by the way,” he went on, snapping his fingers as if remembering something. “Miliana, do you know what this sap is also called?”

“Hey, stop it,” Gordon interjected, sensing trouble.

"Cruah’s excrement."

“...”

Gordon’s face contorted with disgust.

“Gordon, if you don’t like it, you can always try the method I mentioned before. Quit drinking for ten years, avoid meat, and perform regular mana circulation exercises. You might recover from your Oxidized Blood Syndrome,” Karyl suggested.

“Shut up.”

Despite his revulsion, Gordon begrudgingly collected the sap, knowing that giving up alcohol was a fate worse than death.

“But doesn’t it feel a bit underwhelming? This fountain is quite the artifact, but the elf treasury leaves a bit to be desired.”

“The artifacts here are anything but ordinary. Don’t get greedy. I’m taking everything,” Karyl replied, causing Gordon to scoff.

“Are you planning a war with all these items?”

“Yes.”

“...”

Gordon’s lips twitched at Karyl’s resolute demeanor.

“I know all of these are A-grade weapons. But my point is, if Zarka Hochi was a proud member of Blader, would he have been satisfied just storing these weapons in his treasury?” Gordon asked.

“Hm...”

“Well... Elves aren’t particularly known for crafting exceptional items. But still, a Blader should have something more.”

Karyl silently regarded Gordon.

“Hmm...”

“That emblem, the one from the box. It’s a symbol of Blader, the creators of the Five Great Artifacts. I had higher expectations because of that.”

Gordon made a valid point. There was a possibility that Zarka Hochi had something more significant hidden away. While the Soul Spring was an Elven relic, it hadn’t been created by Blader. There could still be more to uncover.

“Master, Sir Gordon might be right,” Aidan chimed in, removing his hand from his nose and pointing inside the Soul Spring fountain.

“Huh?”

All eyes turned to where Aidan pointed.

“Could you hand me the emblem for a moment?”

Aidan, putting down his canteen, approached the Soul Spring. Though the fountain was dry, the base was obscured by the old tree’s sap pooled around it. Aidan and Gordon got rid of it, revealing the base of the fountain.

“We were lucky.”

Gordon shrugged at Aidan’s words.

“It seems the seal from the dragon’s box wasn’t related to black magic from the Eastern Land but to Blader,” Aidan suggested, indicating a seal similar to the one on the emblem box.

“That brute did help us find this secret, huh? Sometimes even old life can be useful,” Miliana quipped, nudging Karyl.

“Ever heard of ‘all life is equal’?”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t seem to apply to you.”

“Why?”

“Do I really need to spell it out? That’s one of the reasons I avoid becoming your enemy.”

Karyl chuckled at her remark.

Click—

Aidan took the round emblem from Karyl and carefully fit it into a small slot inside the Essence of the Soul Spring. The crevice was so tiny that it could easily be overlooked by the unobservant eye.

Rumble...

Surprisingly, as Aidan slid the disc into the tiny space, the fountain split open, revealing a small box inside that bore the same tower emblem.

“It seems all Blader members like to hide things.”

Watching Aidan retrieve the box, Karyl was reminded of when he obtained the Freezing Talon.

“It took less time to find this one,” Miliana remarked, eyeing the box.

“The emblem itself must have been the key. Or perhaps the box contains something incredible that doesn’t need sealing.”

“Uh, wouldn’t it need sealing if it’s incredible?”

“Well, opening it without permission might spell disaster. It implies either we sneaked in or killed the owner to get here.”

“...You open it.”

Miliana handed the box to Karyl.

“Hmm?”

And as he opened the box, everyone’s eyes were fixed on it. Even Gordon, who pretended not to care, peeked over Miliana’s shoulder.

“It’s surprisingly ordinary,” Miliana said.

“Indeed,” Karyl agreed.

Inside the box was an old pair of gauntlets. They emitted a faint jade-like glow, a mineral hue Karyl had never seen before.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, as Karyl reached for the gauntlets, a blinding light obstructed his vision, making everything around him disappear.

“What?”

When his sight returned, he realized he was alone. The others had vanished, leaving him with the gauntlets in his hands.

“Is this a trap? Or just another test?” Karyl mused, recalling Aidan’s words and chuckling bitterly.

He was isolated in this strange space, but the gauntlets were still securely in his grip.

“They won’t give these up easily, huh? Alright then,” he muttered, unfazed by this sudden incident.

In the stark white space, a towering mountain stood out, seemingly alive, with its peak rising and falling as if breathing.

“I never imagined I’d meet you here...” Karyl said, glancing between the gauntlets and the massive mountain.

A low growl responded to his voice. The mountain’s tremors ceased, and golden eyes glowed from within a cavern at its base.

The chilling aura made Karyl shiver. What looked like a towering mountain was actually a colossal shell, with a head hidden in the cave-like opening.

“Ha...” Karyl sighed in astonishment at the enormous blue turtle before him, one of the three legendary creatures believed to be extinct since the Magical Era.

Clenching the gauntlets in his hands, Karyl whispered in awe, “The Blue Turtle, Kalduan...”