Back in the dining room, they gazed at the table laden with delicious food.
The rumbling in their stomachs could not be ignored, and their mouths watered uncontrollably.
The high tension of the past few days, along with constantly flirting with the edge of mortal danger, had drained them of much physical and ntal strength.
Now that they had a chance to relax, all their fatigue surged to the surface.
Yet Alka couldn’t afford to relax just yet.
While eating, Alka looked at everyone at the table and said, "After we return to reality, we must imdiately set off at full speed and leave this sea area as soon as possible."
"But I can’t return to reality. The mont I do, I’ll fall into a Deep Sleep. My body will temporarily be in your hands."
"What’s going on?" Chadite asked with so concern.
Alka smiled. "It’s nothing, don’t worry. That giant Dream Realm creature hasn’t been fully digested yet; it needs more ti. I’ve stored it inside the Dreamcatcher Crystal, which is why my spirit can’t return to reality."
"Once it’s digested, I’ll naturally wake up. During this ti, I’ll leave things to you."
Hearing this, Chadite nodded. As long as there’s no danger, it’s fine, he thought. Besides, from the sound of it, this is clearly a good thing. The spoils from digesting such a monstrous creature will surely be astounding!
Then Alka flipped his palm, and a coin appeared in it.
He tossed it toward Julia.
Julia caught the coin and looked at Alka, puzzled.
"The Treasure obtained from this operation is now yours."
"Treasure? When did you get it?" Julia exclaid in surprise.
They had no idea about this at all.
"It was the mont we entered the Treasure Vault."
Upon hearing this, Juanlu’s eyes lit up as he asked Alka, "Was it when you grabbed that coin?"
"That’s right."
"Truly impressive," Juanlu exclaid.
And so audacious! the others thought. To snatch a Treasure right under their noses! All they could do was look at Alka with pure admiration. To even think of doing such a thing at a ti like that...
By now, everyone had almost finished their al, and all eyes turned to Julia.
Julia looked at them and smiled, not shying away.
For them, watching soone control a Treasure was an endlessly fascinating spectacle.
Each Treasure possessed different abilities, and the process of mastering one varied greatly.
Julia held the coin, closed her eyes, and quickly channeled Magic Power into it.
As Magic Power poured in, the coin began to shimr.
The light emitted from its obverse and reverse sides was entirely different.
The side with the beautiful female portrait radiated vibrant colors, reminiscent of youthful beauty.
Though strange, that was genuinely the feeling it gave off.
The side with the burning skull emitted a black-red aura of hatred, like sothing from Hell.
Two completely opposite, incompatible auras appeared on the coin’s two faces.
Then, the two auras seed to engage in battle.
In the conflict, the skull’s aura of hatred and evil proved superior, firmly suppressing the life-filled, youthful aura of the other side.
The suppression was continuous, and it looked as though the coin was about to be entirely consud by evil.
At this mont, Julia seed to make a decision, channeling her Magic Power toward the life-filled side.
With a surge of Magic Power, the life-filled side gained the upper hand, forcefully repelling the evil and even encroaching upon a part of its territory.
But having co this far, the life-force ceased its attack, leaving the evil so room.
Julia then opened her eyes.
Her azure eyes had transford; the blue had beco purer, akin to pristine waves on a sandy beach.
Yet within that deep azure, there was a hint of blood red, like Rubies floating amidst the waves.
She let out a long, slow breath. "The function of this Treasure is quite complex. I don’t fully understand it yet, but it seems related to fear and life."
Julia looked at the coin, its color now completely changed, and continued.
The coin had transford; one side was now a pure azure, the other a deep black-red.
"I need to balance these two forces, or it will be troubleso to use."
Everyone nodded. It appeared this was a Treasure that required training and understanding to be wielded effectively.
Judging by the two sides just displayed, using it would likely manifest in two distinct ways.
After all this, Alka returned to his room.
He needed to rest there for a while, waiting for this area to return to reality.
As the entire Island returned, it began to twist again, gradually compressing.
The once-large Island began to shrink.
The sky also twisted, reverting to its familiar, unchanging blue.
Sunlight, always beaming from one unchanging direction, shone down.
Alka felt a sensation akin to passing through a mbrane.
He quickly closed his eyes. Lying on the bed, he entered Deep Sleep.
His spirit swiftly sank into the Dream Realm, into his own bubble.
The Sound of Dawn, all its Spells fully engaged, raced across the sea, sending waves splashing to either side.
「...」
Kriel, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly awoke. He sat up, looking around vigilantly.
He felt the sunlight beaming down and saw that the distortions and changes in his surroundings had completely vanished. Simultaneously, he began to sense what was happening within his own body.
That feeling of being watched had completely disappeared.
All around him were various traces of conflict. He turned to look at the spot where he had been lying.
There were various strange attack marks—so resembling handprints, others created by the impact of massive objects.
This made him feel a residual fear.
Finally, he looked at the equipnt left behind by those who had died around him. Only their gear and clothing remained, a silent testant to their passing.
None of the elite guardians who had accompanied him to the Island had survived.
He looked at the tattoo on his chest; it had completely vanished.
Just as the Guardian Spirit Serpent had said, the contract was ended. Yet, he had survived.
Brushing dust off his body, he tidied his clothes.
Only then did he seem to realize sothing, frowning as he looked into the distance.
Behind a huge rock, beneath a tree trunk, lay the heavily wounded Balazs.
Blood had already dyed the surrounding area red.
Looking at the battered Balazs, who seed on the verge of death, Kriel thought, To survive even this... you’re truly lucky. He felt no suspicion and produced a Potion-like item in his hand.
He poured it onto Balazs.
He wanted to know what had happened while he was asleep.
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