He tapped on it.
And just like that, something shifted.
The rest of the items, his skills, his realm, even his lifespan, all had a small plus icon appearing next to them.
Curious, he reached out again and tapped on the plus sign beside his realm.
A new panel slid into view, simple and clear:
[Not enough monster essences to upgrade to the next realm, please collect more]
He tilted his head slightly, brows raised. It didn't even say how much was needed.
Not that he cared.
For the first time in what felt like his entire life, a smile crept across his face, slow, steady, and entirely genuine.
So that's why his gut had screamed at him earlier, back when he stood before that crater. No wonder his instincts had been so loud.
His fingers closed around the card as he raised it to eye level. The glow against his face flickered gently.
"This really is… a treasure."
Escaping? The thought didn't even cross his mind anymore.
He tightened his grip around the sword's hilt, knuckles shifting as the metal groaned softly.
His gaze swept across the surroundings, almost like a hunter trying to memorize a new territory.
Then, a dry chuckle escaped him.
"If only I didn't have to deal with mental and physical fatigue," he muttered, shaking his head, "I'd have grinded here for years."
He laughed, genuinely amused.
But just as quickly, a sense of focus returned to his expression.
Was he really the only one with access to this place?
Miss Ilya's reaction earlier... it had been intense.
She wasn't just surprised, there was something layered beneath her expression.
But it hadn't looked like she knew exactly what she was handling.
Maybe she recognized it from stories, or maybe someone older had warned her about it, an elder, perhaps? A clan memory passed down?
The thought narrowed his focus.
Judging from her reaction, it wasn't impossible that there were others. Other cards. Other people who could find their way in here.
"Find her," he muttered under his breath.
His tone dropped, low and deliberate, "and get the answer from her mouth."
This wasn't just about answers anymore.
This card was a path forward, toward power, toward realm breakthroughs, toward a future that most could only fantasize about.
A future where immortality wasn't a story told by old men, but a real possibility, as long as he kept this place a secret.
He slid the sword to his side, body lowering slightly, and without another word, slipped into motion.
He moved like drifting mist, silent and precise, vanishing deeper into the shadows.
Outside that strange pocket space, Liam had been watching the entire time.
From the wild chase through the Great Wilderness, to the desperate entry into the shadow worm's lair, he had seen everything.
Like a film unspooling perfectly, scene by scene, it all played out.
As if it had been written in advance.
But he didn't buy that.
Something about it felt too real, too chaotic in the right ways.
Now, his eyes flicked downward as he summoned the panel that had appeared just moments ago, triggered the instant Lucien activated his own interface.
A new display greeted him:
[Dungeon Diver]: 1
[Universal Essence Gathered]: 1000
[Name]: Lucien Alvaron, The Moon Gazer
[Realm]: 8th Layer – Qi Refining Realm
[Lifespan]: 21 / 150 Years
[Monster Essences Gathered]: 10
[Techniques]:
• Fiery Blossomed [Expertise]
• Diamond King Body Refining Technique [Expertise]
• Wind Gale Sword Technique [Expertise]
• Five Heaven Refining Method [Expertise]
• Shadow Steps Technique [Expertise]
[Items]:
• Kiolin Sword [Broken]
• Ancient Golden Grass Pill ×10
• Intermediate Teleportation Talisman ×3
• Cross-Region Talisman ×1
• Golden Core Attack Talisman ×1
• 5th Grade Api Bead ×1
Liam stared at the panel in silence.
Lucien Alvaron.
His brows lifted, expression unreadable. He hadn't expected this.
Not the realm level, not the sheer number of refined techniques, and definitely not the strength of the items the boy carried, even if the sword was broken.
Still, the surprise didn't last long.
He exhaled slowly, fingers brushing his chin.
"So, that's the first diver…"
He leaned back slightly.
And things were just starting.
Two things made him stop whatever he was doing.
First was the notification, every single entry Lucien made into the dungeon from now on would grant him 1,000 Universal Essence.
Just like that.
Each visit, no matter how brief, no matter what was done inside.
A thousand essence, guaranteed.
Naturally, he tried feeding the essence straight into the permission gauge, curious to see how much progress it would bring.
But it barely nudged, just a sliver, maybe 0.1%. Still, it was more than enough for him. He didn't lack time. He could wait.
And he doubted Lucien would be the only one. With targets, there'd be more. Many more.
What surprised him even more was Lucien himself.
There was something about him, everything this person had, from his cultivation method down to the items in his possession, screamed "protagonist template."
Liam wasn't easily impressed, but even he had to admit this guy was cut from a different cloth.
And his age, twenty-one years old, already at the late stage of Qi Refining Realm.
It was absurd. With or without the opportunity Liam gave him, Lucien was destined to climb high.
All Liam had to do now was wait and reap the harvest when it bloomed.
A few moments passed.
Then came the hurried steps, rushed, heavy, topping just outside the door of his residence.
He didn't need to look. He already knew who it was.
He waved his hand lightly.
Outside, Ilya looked up, just as a strange force rustled through the air toward her.
Before she could make sense of what she saw, colors flickering, pressure stirring the dust around her, her entire body vanished from where she stood.
One blink later, she was inside.
The colors still clung to her vision when she found herself standing before him again, the same enigmatic young master who had once gifted her those two mysterious guards.
Liam's gaze, calm as ever, settled lazily in her direction.
Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees. Her breath was shallow, ragged.
Sweat clung to her skin, soaking through her clothes and making them stick tightly to her limbs. There were scrapes along her arms and legs, fresh wounds from whatever madness she had just come through.
But before her palm could touch the ground, he waved again.
A soft wind swept through the space, lifting her up in a gentle breeze.
Ten, just as she was steadied mid-air, an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy surged through her body like an incoming tide.
It came in waves, rolling through her, washing over her battered frame.
Her wounds closed, her muscles relaxed, and the pain faded like it was never there to begin with. Even the scars disappeared, leaving her body pristine.
It was one of the new techniques he had learned recently, something he had grown proficient in over the past few months.
Not many techniques made it into his repertoire, but this one had proven useful enough to earn its place.
While Ilya stood on the side, still catching her breath and slowly regaining composure, Liam opened the system window and glanced at his updated status.
[Dungeon Creation System]
[Name]: Li Am / Liam
[Realm]: Foundation Building Realm [Perfected]
[Lifespan]: 57 / 850
[Universal Essence / Points]: 1890
[Techniques]:
Spiritual Rain [Intermediate]Soil Movement [Intermediate]Basic Fireball [Intermediate]Basic Earth Wall [Intermediate]Basic Body Movement [Expertise]Common Sword Mastery [Expertise]Azure Green Hand [Expertise]Imagination Spiritualism [Expertise]Iron Guard Dharma [Expertise]
Three new techniques had joined his arsenal.
The one he just used, Azure Green Hand, was versatile.
Originally designed as an auxiliary technique, it excelled in tasks like healing, searching, and manipulating external spiritual flow.
Just like now. Quiet and efficient.
Each one of these skills were bought through the chamber of commerce under Ilya's hand, oh... To be more precise, his hand.