He raises his hand. A circle of ancient sigils spins beneath Alix's feet, glowing with pale blue light. "I'll teleport us to my master's treasure chamber."

Alix gives a small nod.

Mero flicks his smoky fingers, and the world blurs into light.

When vision returns, they're standing in a vast underground chamber. The air hums faintly with ancient energy. Pillars carved with runes rise into a ceiling of glittering crystal, and mountains of gold, gemstones, and artifacts stretch as far as the eye can see. Floating weapons drift lazily in midair—each radiating its own distinct law energy. The ground itself gleams, engraved with divine markings that pulse like living veins.

Mero spreads his smoky arms dramatically, grinning. "Ta-da! The treasury of my master, the Great Arcanum of the Old Age."

He turns toward Alix, waiting for the usual wide-eyed awe, the gasping disbelief, the trembling excitement. "Go on, take it in. You're allowed to drool a little; no one will blame you."

But Alix only scans the chamber, expression calm, eyes steady. His gaze drifts over the gold, the mountains of jewels, the enchanted relics—unimpressed.

Mero's grin falters. "…You're serious? Not even a 'wow'? Nothing?"

Alix steps forward, looking around quietly. "They'll help," he says simply.

"Help?" Mero echoes, exasperated. "You see these four tier 7 artifact. They are legendary treasures! The kind of artifacts heroes fought wars over! They're not meant to help—they're meant to rewrite history!"

Alix glances at him. "Then they'll help my kingdom grow faster. That's all."

Mero just stares, half frustrated, half amazed. "…You're impossible to impress, aren't you?"

Alix didn't reply. His eyes narrow slightly as he stops in front of a pedestal near the chamber's center.

Unlike the rest, this one is sealed within several layers of transparent crystal, runes constantly shifting to keep the air itself from touching it. Suspended inside is an orb-like relic—black and silver, humming with quiet power. The air around it bends slightly, as if reality doesn't know how to exist near it.

Mero floats closer, his smoky form flickering with unease. "Ah, that one," he murmurs. "That's no ordinary relic. A tier 8 artifact—The Abyssal Core. My master forged it using the crystallized heart of a dying tier 8 void beast."

Alix studies it silently. His gaze sharpens as a faint chime echoes in his ears.

[System: Artifact Analyzed]

Name: Abyssal Core (Tier 8)

Type: Destruction-Type Relic

Effect: Converts ambient mana into void energy.

Ability: Singularity Pulse – Condenses all gathered energy into a single eruption capable of erasing everything within a city-scale radius.

A transparent screen hovers briefly before Alix's eyes—visible only to him. The golden letters fade a moment later as he lowers his hand, expression unchanged.

He looks back at Mero. "It's powerful."

"Powerful?" Mero sputters. "That thing could erase a city! My master sealed it here for a reason!"

Alix hums softly, almost to himself. "It could be useful."

Mero groans. "Of course you'd say that."

He waves his smoky arms in surrender. "You can take everything here. Every single artifact, gem, it's yours now."

Alix doesn't hesitate. He raises his hand and swipes it through the air once. A ripple of light flashes across the entire chamber.

In an instant—everything vanishes.

Mountains of gold, floating weapons, priceless relics—gone, all drawn into the void at Alix's command. The vast treasury is left barren, empty except for the glowing crystal pedestal that once held the Abyssal Core.

Mero just floats there, silent. His smoky form flickers once. Twice. Then he exhales a shaky laugh. "You know," he mutters, "I think I've finally reached the point where nothing you do can shock me anymore."

Alix looks at him, faintly amused. "You sure?"

Mero gives a half-hearted shrug. "At this point? Probably." He tilts his head, eyes dimming slightly. "So… I guess this makes it official then."

Alix raises a brow. "Makes what official?"

Mero shrugs, floating closer. "You heard me. The one who passes the final trial becomes my new master. That was the old agreement my creator left behind. Since you won… I'm bound to you now."

Alix's eyes narrow slightly. "Bound?"

"Not in a bad way," Mero says quickly, waving his misty hands. "Think of it more like… partnership. You command, I follow. Also, this place will collapse soon anyway, so… might as well stick with the living."

Alix goes quiet for a moment, considering. A faint hum passes through the air as the runes along the walls begin to dim, signaling the treasury's slow unraveling.

He finally nods once. "Fine. You're coming with me."

Mero blinks. "That's it? Just like that?"

"You said you know your master's records," Alix replies evenly. "That includes knowledge of the three main continents, right?"

Mero's smoky form straightens. "Of course. I've got more information stored in me than most archives on this planet."

Alix nods slightly, his voice calm but edged with authority. "Good. That means you're useful to me."

Mero stares for a second, then chuckles. "Useful, huh? That's one way to say 'welcome aboard.'"

Alix turns and said. "Since I'm your new master… I can take the artifact your creator used in the second trial, right?"

Mero tilts his head. "Yeah, technically you can. If you can find where he hid it."

A faint smirk tugs at the corner of Alix's lips. "That won't be a problem."

Mero raises an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

Alix doesn't answer.

An artifact suddenly materializes in Alix's hand—a small, golden mouse statue etched with ancient runes. The moment it appears, faint sparks of mana dance around it like living threads.

Alix holds it up, his tone calm. "Go and find the most valuable artifact in this place."

The golden mouse twitches once, its gemstone eyes flickering with life. Then it lets out a soft chirp, leaps from his palm, and instantly burrows into the crystal floor—vanishing without a trace.

Mero blinks, staring at the spot where it disappeared. "…Wait, that was a tracking artifact?" He floats closer, voice rising. "Oh, master, you have a tier 7 tracking artifact! Do you know how rare that is? Not even my old master had one."

Alix glances at him, tone even. "Well, I just got lucky to have it, that's all."

Mero floats around him in a small circle, muttering in disbelief. "You must be some kind of young lord from one of the top forces in the three main continents, right? There's no way someone from anywhere else could casually pull that out."

Alix's expression doesn't change. "I'm not."

Mero pauses midair. "…What?"

"I'm just a person from the Lower Continent," Alix says simply.

For a moment, Mero just stares—then laughs, a sound that echoes strangely in the empty treasury. "A person from the Lower Continent," he repeats, shaking his smoky head. "And you're walking around with a rare tier 7 artifact and adding four laws in an element skills, while in tier 6." He lets out a long sigh. "This world really has gone mad."

----

After some time, the golden mouse finally returns, its tiny body shimmering with traces of dust and mana. It scurries up Alix's boot and stops at his side, letting out a faint squeak that only he seems to understand.

Alix kneels slightly, his expression calm. "So, you found it?"

The mouse nods, or at least makes a motion that resembles one, its jeweled eyes flickering once. A moment later, it darts across the floor toward the far side of the chamber, tapping its small paw on what looks like solid stone.

Mero hovers nearby, curious. "What's it saying? Or… is it saying anything at all?"

Alix glances at him. "It found something. That's all you need to know."

Alix walks toward the marked spot. The wall looks ordinary—smooth crystal veined with faint light—but the mana flowing through it feels slightly different. He places a hand on the surface, feeling the subtle vibration underneath.

Without hesitation, Alix channels his energy. A swirl of mana gathers around his palm—earth and fire intertwining in controlled balance. The ground trembles, and molten light begins to outline a circular opening.

He exhales slowly. "Burst."

A muffled crack echoes as the wall gives way, forming a molten-edged tunnel leading downward. The heat fades quickly as he cools it with a flicker of frost energy, turning the passage smooth and stable.

Mero watches, eyes wide. "You just combined two conflicting elements like it's nothing. Do you even realize how absurd that looks?"

Alix doesn't answer. He steps forward, lowering himself slightly to enter the newly formed tunnel. The golden mouse scurries ahead, its faint golden glow lighting the way.

The tunnel winds downward, narrow at first, then widening as they descend. The air grows denser, humming faintly with sealed energy. Alix moves with measured calm, each step deliberate.

After a few dozen meters, the passage opens into a small hidden chamber—barely large enough to hold a few people. The air here feels still, untouched for ages. Faint blue runes pulse along the walls, forming a containment seal around a single stone altar at the center.