As we stepped deeper into the altar chamber, eight large iron cages came into view. Inside them, abducted villagers were crammed together like laboratory animals.
The moment they spotted us, color rushed back into their pale faces.
“The Quentaltin Clan badge…!”
“They’ve come to save us!”
“Hurry—get us out!”
At the villagers’ desperate pleas, the Quentaltin clan members moved swiftly. Those with thief-class traits picked the locks in seconds, and the prisoners were quickly freed.
A few of Osgos’s subordinate black mages had been stationed in the room to watch the captives. But having witnessed the outcome of the battle outside, they chose surrender over futile resistance and meekly allowed themselves to be bound.
We pressed on, deeper into the altar’s heart.
A strange room appeared.
It looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie or comic—four large cultivation tanks stood in a row. Inside the green nutrient fluid floated four demi-humans who radiated an unmistakably extraordinary aura even while unconscious. When I scanned their status windows, their levels were noticeably higher than those of the villagers locked in the outer cages.
I immediately understood Osgos’s intention.
He must have isolated the especially powerful ones separately because they were too difficult to control.
The <Black Swamp> ritual had one absolute requirement: living sacrifices. And the more vigorous the life force, the better. That meant preserving the offerings in optimal condition without inflicting unnecessary injury. Apparently Osgos had prepared this special room for precisely that purpose.
One of the tanks held a minotaur warrior whose height easily exceeded two and a half meters.
“Ravalbea… you’re alive!”
Clang!
Kubri swung the hand axe in his right hand and shattered the cultivation tank in a single strike. He then hoisted the still-unconscious bull-headed warrior onto his shoulder.
Right at that moment—
[MacGuffin No.826 / Minotaur Warrior recovered.]
[Achievement Points +50]
The minotaur warrior Ravalbea was merely a bonus attached to the Undefeatable Divine Holy Sword MacGuffin. That explained the relatively modest point reward.
Having successfully accomplished the primary objective—recovering the missing villagers—I returned shortly afterward to the ritual site where the battle against the black mages had taken place, bringing only the Blispiel members with me.
This was so Clara could shrink and retrieve the 『Undefeatable Divine Holy Sword (S+)』 with her power.
“Osgos… he’s already dead.”
The black mage’s corpse, completely drained of mana, had shriveled into something resembling a mummy.
Strangely enough, even in the original history where the ritual succeeded, Osgos met the same fate—killed by the Undefeatable Divine Holy Sword. The only difference was that in the original story he had been beheaded in an instant, whereas just now he had been slowly desiccated.
That made sense. His opponent had been Bellifort Shafeck, leader of the Five Heroes and more than twenty levels above him. Terrible matchup.
In truth, post-ritual Osgos had been a grand mage close to the level of Tristan Alabur, but because he appeared so late in the story, he never left much of an impression on readers.
By the extreme power inflation of Part 2’s final arc and the beginning of Part 3—when the protagonist Epio was already approaching level 60—Osgos felt like little more than a moderately strong mid-boss at best.
When his status window was finally revealed, the general reaction had been a listless “Eh, he seems like a decent measuring stick after all the grinding in Part 2.”
No one back then could have imagined that five continent-top-tier powerhouses, long thought to be nothing more than setting lore, would suddenly revive and become the main antagonists of Part 3…
Flash!
“Ta-da! Retrieval complete!”
Clara, wearing the 『Fortune Wheel Amulet (S)』, triumphantly raised the now-shrunken Undefeatable Divine Holy Sword.
After confirming it, I rummaged through the dead Osgos’s pockets.
My hand closed around a single ominous tome radiating sinister energy. The moment Chesa sensed the eerie yet strangely sacred mana leaking from it, she gave a small shudder.
“Aiden, that book…”
“As expected, he had it.”
The book’s title was Abyssal Black Tome (S).
It was a grimoire that granted tremendous bonuses when handling yin magic, along with countless auxiliary functions. In short, it was the ultimate dream item for taboo-dabbling mages like Osgos. For ordinary humans, even touching it was extremely dangerous.
The moment my fingers brushed the cover, a clammy, insidious energy began creeping up my hand.
Crackle!
But the defensive mechanism derived from my 『Thunder God Physique (S)』 trait instantly vaporized the invading aura along my arm.
Epio frowned at the sight.
“It feels… really unpleasant.”
[…That wave seemed familiar. Isn’t this the grimoire that once formed a contract with Zirqal Alexic?]
“Zirqal Alexic?! You mean the grand mage Zirqal who was Tiamia’s comrade?!”
Linia’s eyes widened at Plebelziam’s words.
Correct.
The Abyssal Black Tome was the very grimoire that had once been contract-bound to Zirqal Alexic—one of the Five Heroes and a master necromancer.
There was even a terrifying piece of background lore that placed it among the so-called “Four Great Grimoires of Xiencia,” but that could wait.
For the past four hundred years—ever since the Five Heroes entered eternal rest—this tome had been enshrined and guarded like a sacred relic by the disciples who inherited Zirqal’s necromancy.
And the organization those descendants eventually formed was none other than the Black Tower—the very faction Osgos once belonged to.
In other words, this bastard hadn’t been content with stealing the heavenly-grade elixir Wings of the Firebird; he had also absconded with one of the founding treasures of his own school.
Once again I found myself marveling at whatever his liver was made of to pull off stunts like this.
Well… only someone this insane could have even attempted a ritual like <Black Swamp> in the first place.
In any case, when the Five Heroes revived in Part 3, they spent an enormous amount of time searching for the equipment they had used in life.
Zirqal Alexic, however, already possessed the Abyssal Black Tome from his very first appearance. Why he had it—when lore stated it should have been under strict lockdown in the Black Tower—was a mystery that never got resolved.
Looking at it now, it seemed Bellifort had retrieved the book after killing Osgos and passed it on to his comrade Zirqal.
[MacGuffin No.406 / Whereabouts of the Abyssal Black Tome recovered.]
[Achievement Points +750]
The achievement points were steadily piling up.
Still, I decided to hold off on any draws until after recovering the Sun Cathedral–related MacGuffin. By then the gold card would probably be unlocked anyway.
Clara and Chesa were chatting quietly.
“But why didn’t the Giant’s Sword tear this book apart? It’s clearly overflowing with impure mana.”
“Maybe inanimate objects are exempt from its judgment criteria?”
Chesa ventured the guess.
But she was wrong.
The Undefeatable Divine Holy Sword destroyed anything—living or not—so long as it detected malign energy.
The reason this grimoire remained intact was simple: it carried the mana imprint of Zirqal, a comrade of the sword’s original wielder.
Zirqal had been an extremely anomalous necromancer; unlike other black mages, he suffered almost no damage from holy-element attacks or tracking spells.
That unique trait had been fully transferred to this book that had absorbed his mana for centuries.
I took out a sack imbued with divine power and carefully placed the Abyssal Black Tome inside. During my previous visit to the Holy Nation, besides the Thousand Gold Church I had stopped by several other places—including the Life Church, where I made a donation and received this very container in return.
Plebelziam’s voice rang in my head.
[You’re wrapping something like that so carefully—what exactly do you plan to do with it? Let me tell you in advance: even if you burn it, it’ll regenerate. Using it yourself is completely out of the question.]
“I’m not crazy enough to touch something this dangerous myself. If I hand it over to the headquarters of alchemy—the Alpanium Library—it’ll become an excellent bargaining chip. They have far too many people obsessed with grimoires.”
The Alpanium Library was the single wealthiest organization on the Prima Continent. Even if they poured every coin they had into the effort, they could never stand on equal footing with the Five Heroes—but if they truly wanted to lock their doors, no one would breach them easily either.
If I could eliminate him before the book reached Zirqal’s hands, the profit would be incalculable.
…
Over the past few years, most of the missing villagers had finally returned.
A miracle, if one were to put it dramatically.
It was simply unbelievable.
“I heard an evil mage was kidnapping people to use as ritual sacrifices?”
“They say Master Rolango personally stepped in to rescue them?”
“And that human who destroyed the Giant’s Sword played a huge role too.”
Thanks to the incident, the Quentaltin Clan instantly regained the full support of Umbril’s residents, and the name of their key partner—the Blispiel Clan—rose even higher.
Most of our objectives in coming here had been achieved.
The issue of the Giant’s Sword had been an extremely famous problem in the south. The fact that Blispiel played a central role in resolving it would spread far and wide in the days to come.
Inside the Quentaltin Clan house.
The minotaur warrior Ravalbea—who had been missing until yesterday—was now lying in a sickbed. According to the physicians and priests, he would wake within a few days.
<Ravalbea Trilk>
[Level: 44/46]
Because he had spent so long submerged in nutrient fluid inside the cultivation tank, he had suffered almost no loss of levels or skills.
Kubri, standing beside him, spoke to me.
“He is one of only three founding members of the Quentaltin Clan. He and I grew up together as childhood friends. I cannot tell you how happy I am to see his face again. Aiden, without your help we would never have even discovered the existence of the underground altar where Ravalbea was imprisoned. This time, the debt we owe you is too great to ever repay.”
Kubri bowed his head with utmost courtesy.
Right now he was speaking purely as Ravalbea’s friend; there was no trace of the authority of a grand clan master or one of the Continent’s Twelve Heroes.
I gave a small cough and opened my mouth.
“Now that things have settled down, may we discuss compensation?”
“Ah, of course.”
I had made three demands of the Quentaltin side.
The first was naturally exclusive rights to the treasures obtained from the underground altar. After slight negotiation we agreed to give them one-third, but since almost all items of genuine practical value—elixirs, rare materials, and the like—had been swept up by our side, the concession held little real meaning.
The second demand.
“In the event that civil war breaks out in Glicia Kingdom, we request that the Quentaltin Clan officially declare support for the side aligned with Blispiel and dispatch forces accordingly. Is that correct?”
“Yes. If the Quentaltin mercenaries we dispatch distinguish themselves by helping bring the civil war to an end, it will lay a solid foundation for advancing into the central region. For you as well, Kubri, it should not be a loss—assuming victory, of course.”
“…”
Kubri fell briefly silent in thought before replying.
“I must be clear on one point, Aiden. This is embarrassing to admit, but as one of the Continent’s Twelve Heroes I cannot directly participate in the civil war to support Blispiel.”
“I understand.”
The title of one of the Continent’s Twelve Heroes carried immense renown and corresponding influence.
If Kubri personally intervened in a conflict outside the south just to seize profit, it would give every rival major power the perfect excuse to join the war as well.
That would turn the Glicia Kingdom into utter chaos—precisely what I did not want.
“When the time comes and I request assistance, it will be enough if you issue an official statement of support and dispatch a few high-ranking executives along with an elite unit.”
“In that case, I will gladly accept.”
The second condition passed without issue.
Then, recalling the third and final demand, Kubri’s expression turned subtle.
“You requested that I transmit a portion of the techniques I have mastered.”
“Yes.”
“I saw you in action at the underground altar. At such a young age you have already established a unique combat style that skillfully blends swordsmanship with strong wire techniques. Do you truly need to obsess over learning new skills at this stage?”
It was sincere advice.
But I shook my head.
“I don’t need anything else. Just teach me your heart method.”
“The heart method I practice is nothing particularly outstanding…”
Kubri was not being modest.
The main heart method he used—『Quentaltin Modified Heart Method · Extreme (B+)』—was something he had personally created by researching various heart methods popular among southern mercenaries and several prestigious martial schools.
Moreover, his 『Champion (S+)』 title trait was one that could only be obtained after thoroughly mastering a wide variety of close-combat weapons. It synergized exceptionally well with the inherently eclectic Quentaltin heart method.
In short, it was a case where synergy pushed the technique’s performance beyond its nominal grade.
Still, I shook my head again.
“What I want is not the modified version. I want the Taramu Blood Current Control Heart Method.”
“…!”
Kubri’s eyes widened as though he had never expected those words.