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Chapter 62: Opening the Chest
The momentum of the flame sword didn't diminish. From the center of the Cryo Abyss Mage's head, it sliced all the way down, cleaving its short, stout body and staff neatly in half.
The scorching sword qi penetrated through, leaving a charred black sword scar several meters long on the hard stone slab behind it, the edges still burning.
As the bisected Abyss Mage dissolved into particles of light, the entire platform finally fell completely silent.
With that, all monsters in the Domain Instance [Midsummer Courtyard] had been annihilated.
Aiden slowly dispersed the longsword composed of flames in his hand. The iron sword, long overburdened, let out a mournful cry. Its blade, covered in spiderweb-like cracks, finally shattered into countless metal fragments with a clatter, falling to the ground.
He exhaled a long breath of hot air. The surging power brought by the enchantment magic [Everlasting Flames] receded like a tide, and a trace of exhaustion welled up in his heart.
The battle was over.
At that moment, the entire massive circular altar space began to emit a low hum.
In the center of the platform beneath their feet—the area where Lefiya's magic had blasted a large scorched crater—light began to gather.
A blue-purple vortex identical to the entrance appeared out of thin air, rotating slowly and emitting a soft halo. Clearly, it was the portal to leave this place.
Beside the portal, the light condensed even more dazzlingly and densely, finally materializing with a hum into an ancient and ornate treasure chest.
The chest was about half the height of a person, made of unknown dark wood and inlaid with silver metal strips forming complex star and vine patterns.
In the center of the lid, a large blue gem flickered rhythmically, as if breathing, emitting a pulse of magic power that made hearts race.
"Treasure chest!"
Aiden, who had been slightly exhausted from the battle a second ago, instantly had his eyes light up the moment he saw the chest.
It was a look mixed with anticipation and fervor, completely different from his calm, sharp demeanor during the fight.
He subconsciously rubbed his hands together, walked up quickly, and impatiently announced, "I'll open it! I've got great luck."
Seeing him like this, Robin couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly.
She knew this would happen.
Every time Aiden used the system called [Intertwined Fate] to summon at the Familia headquarters, he looked just as expectant and excited.
She had played games too, so she could understand that obsession where you couldn't walk away when you saw a treasure chest.
However, out of politeness and thoughtfulness, she didn't forget there was an "outsider" present.
She looked at Lefiya and asked gently, "Miss Lefiya, do you mind?"
"Huh? N-No problem."
Lefiya tilted her head, her blue eyes full of confusion. "If Mr. Aiden wants to open it, go ahead."
She didn't understand why he had to ask for her opinion just to open a chest.
In her knowledge, dungeon treasures, whether Magic Stones or drop items, appeared directly after monsters died. Since when was there such a thing as opening a chest? This peculiar ritual felt both novel and bewildering to her.
With permission granted, Aiden rubbed his hands together, his face radiating boundless confidence.
He firmly believed in his elusive "luck."
Are you kidding? He had summoned three perfect companions—Robin, Tifa, and Hyacine—in a row without losing the 50/50 once. With such a god-tier start, how could he lose? Today was destined to be golden.
He took a deep breath, placed his hand on the chest's latch, and lifted it forcefully.
Click.
With the crisp sound of a mechanism, the lid popped open.
Instantly, several multi-colored orbs of light floated out from the chest, emitting their respective glows.
However, the smile on Aiden's face froze the moment he saw the colors of the light.
His body seemed to petrify, and he subconsciously slammed the lid shut with a bang.
"Impossible... I saw it wrong..." he muttered to himself, rubbed his eyes, and opened the chest again with renewed hope.
Inside the chest, the two soft blue lights, one bright purple light, and a book emitting a faint green glow lay there quietly, as if mocking his naivety.
Aiden's face turned completely dark.
"Is Aiden... cursed?" Hyacine blinked and leaned in curiously.
She peered over the stiff-as-a-statue Aiden into the chest and clearly saw the orbs of light.
"No gold? Impossible!" Aiden looked at his hands, falling into deep self-doubt.
This wasn't scientific.
Their team composition wasn't powerful: a Lv. 3 Lefiya, a Lv. 2 himself, plus three Lv. 1 companions.
Five people. That was barely half the dungeon's ten-person limit.
According to the "Drop Restriction," the lower the level and the fewer the people, the higher the drop rate should be.
Under these circumstances, how could there not be a single "Golden Legend"?
"Um... what's wrong with Mr. Aiden?"
Lefiya looked at Aiden, who seemed as disappointed as if he had lost a fortune, and whispered to Robin with a mix of worry and confusion.
"It's nothing. Ignore him; he'll be fine in a moment," Robin smiled helplessly and comforted her softly.
"Alright, stop moping. Let's see what dropped first."
Tifa was the most pragmatic. She walked to the chest and reached out to take the orbs of light one by one.
The light dispersed, revealing their true forms.
The first item was a feather, the 3-star [Feather of Homecoming], belonging to the [Resolution of Sojourner] set.
It had a soft color between milky white and pale azure, like the condensation of the first glimmer of dawn on the horizon.
The texture of the feather was incredibly unique—warm as jade to the touch, yet light as air.
Looking closely, one could see strands of pale azure light flowing slowly within the translucent quill, like a stream of longing.
Just holding it made one feel an inexplicable nostalgia and yearning for a distant homeland.
The second item was a pocket watch, the 3-star [Adventurer's Pocket Watch], belonging to the [Adventurer] set.
The bronze casing was covered in fine scratches and traces of erosion, as if it had accompanied its owner across countless steep mountains and desolate deserts.
Its dial had no numbers; instead, there were twelve ancient runes of varying shapes representing different directions and celestial phenomena.
The hands were no ordinary items either. A slender hand pointed eternally to a certain star in the sky, while a shorter, thicker hand pointed persistently toward the unknown distance like a compass.
Holding it, one could feel a weak but tenacious magic power—the crystallized will of an adventurer who was indomitable and forever moving forward.
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