Translator NoteShady Grove → Shadowgrove, all instances of Shady Grove have been replaced (I hope I didn’t miss any) for all chapters, this note also appears in chapter 38
Within the Phoenix Pendant.
Aivrel, who had been secretly observing all along, took in everything that had happened in Frostwhisper Village.
Her exquisite brows were tightly furrowed.
Unlike Igor, who only had elemental perception.
She possessed consciousness perception capable of discerning everything, allowing her to see many things Igor could not, and sense auras he could not perceive.
The girl’s gaze lowered, her consciousness spread out.
The perception anchored within the Phoenix Pendant, like an intangible breeze, began to spread outwards from the pendant as the center, extending deeper into the surroundings.
Her consciousness perception easily penetrated the manor’s roughly hewn stone floor, passed through layers of soil and rock, pierced the hidden, formless master-rank ice-element barrier, and stretched downwards into the more shadowy realms beneath the earth…
The manor’s dungeon was cold and damp, but Aivrel’s perception did not linger there, instead probing further down.
Behind a seemingly solid wall in the deepest part of the dungeon.
There shockingly existed another secret prison cell!
And outside this secret prison stood several figures holding torches.
They were precisely the carpenter apprentices who had infiltrated the manor during the day!
Not only that, but even the missing carpenter, Ruben, had shockingly appeared from another entrance to the secret prison, followed by even more villagers!
“Uncle Ruben! Did you get the key?”
The apprentices asked with a mix of hope and worry.
“That Blood Wolf kept it on him at all times; I almost didn’t get it. But it’s a shame… I couldn’t kill him.”
The carpenter sighed, pulling a key from his robes.
“Excellent! Now we can save the lord!”
The apprentices were incredibly excited.
Under the villagers’ excited gazes, the carpenter Ruben unlocked the door to the secret prison.
Inside the prison was locked a massive chest.
The chest continuously shook and rattled; it seemed to contain some living creature. Low, beast-like growls and whimpers, as if from an injured animal, faintly seeped out from the gaps between the wooden planks.
Aivrel’s consciousness focused on that wooden chest.
In an instant, a chaotic, violent, yet strangely familiar mana aura soaked into her perception.
That aura… was the unique mana fluctuation of an Elemental Spirit.
Icy, pure, sharing the same origin as her.
But at this moment, this power was tainted and enveloped by an even darker, more chaotic, bestial will, becoming distorted and frenzied.
“It’s a magical beast.”
Aivrel instantly made the judgment, a flash of understanding passing through her ice-blue eyes:
“And… it’s a magical beast that has devoured an Elemental Spirit and, because of it, has birthed a certain level of sentience!”
Her gaze fell upon the villagers, her expression unreadable:
“These villagers call this magical beast ‘lord’. Are they its followers? Are they… here to save it?”
However, although this magical beast had developed a certain level of awareness, in Aivrel’s perception, its weak soul balance was on the verge of collapse.
In other words, it was soon to go completely berserk.
To be honest, Aivrel did not want to interfere too much with Igor’s growth right now.
But this magical beast’s aura was too strong.
In her perception, it was at least at the level of a Third-Tier Imprinter, absolutely no match for the current Igor.
The saving grace was that this magical beast seemed to have suffered heavy injuries, its aura also fluctuating erratically.
If things were delayed, waiting for this magical beast to go completely berserk, its power would surely increase once more.
By that time, it would escape that weakened state, becoming invincible.
“No wonder this village is so strange. So there’s a secret like this hidden here.”
“They call it ‘lord’, could it be that…”
Aivrel’s gaze grew deeper.
Any living creature could potentially be corrupted by mana, falling to become a magical beast.
Magical beasts are spiritually chaotic, lacking reason.
But the more one lacks something, the more one desires it.
For magical beasts, their favorite food is creatures abundant in spiritual essence, especially intelligent beings.
Such as… humans.
Not only that, the more intelligent beings a magical beast devours, the stronger it becomes, and the harder it is to suppress when it goes mad.
If the villagers really are here to save this magical beast…
Involuntarily, Aivrel thought of Frostwhisper Village’s strange cases of missing people.
She had a faint, absurd, and horrifying conjecture forming in her heart.
“I hope it’s not as I suspect. If it really is, then things… are troublesome.”
The girl thought to herself.
Shifting her perspective, Aivrel looked again at Igor, who was constantly searching throughout the manor.
Igor was clever, with high potential.
But his time was too short.
Not only that, he was isolated and without support.
Even the city lord’s manor guards were not his subordinates; they would not obey him completely.
This was also why he did not gather the villagers for a collective inquiry. The villagers wouldn’t cooperate, the guards were just going through the motions, and any drastic action could escalate into even fiercer conflict between the two sides.
“It seems… I must intervene.”
Aivrel let out a soft sigh.
No one would have thought that a monster like this was hidden deep beneath the manor.
Using the terminology of her past life’s games, the current Igor was like someone who had just created an account, barely figured out the character’s skills, and was immediately dragged to fight the final boss.
This boss also had to be found by himself; not only was there no quest marker, but the longer he delayed, the stronger the boss might become.
In this situation, without cheat-like help, he was undoubtedly doomed to fail.
Although she originally wanted to continue staying hidden, Aivrel knew—
If she didn’t want the chess piece she had finally found to be wasted, she must now make a choice and assume the role of the “ring-bound grandpa”.
Having thought this, Aivrel hesitated no longer, decisively connecting with the Phoenix Pendant.
The next moment, the pendant on Igor’s body flickered faintly, a thin chill spreading around him.
As the cold invaded his body, the young man stiffened.
Before he could gather his thoughts, an ethereal, clear, and cold female voice echoed hauntingly in his mind:
“If I were you, I would take a much closer look at the deepest part of the dungeon.”
…
“Lord Ale? You… you’re awake?”
Hearing that familiar female voice, Igor was instantly overjoyed, his heart also calming slightly.
The power of a High-Level Spirit was unfathomable.
As long as she was awake, he had the most powerful aid and backing!
“Mmm… had a nap, feeling much better.”
Aivrel pretended to yawn, saying lazily.
Igor wanted to inquire more, but he knew the situation was special now.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he immediately abandoned the futile search within the manor’s main buildings and turned, striding quickly towards the direction of the dungeon.
“Lord Ale, you just mentioned the deepest part of the dungeon?”
Igor asked inwardly as he walked briskly:
“What’s there?”
“Chaos… corruption… and… the weeping and wailing of a spirit.”
Aivrel’s voice remained cool and calm:
“Very faint, but it is there. The secret passage you’re looking for is also there. Something is imprisoned there, its power essence… similar to mine, yet completely twisted. I fear it is a magical beast.”
Magical beast?
Igor’s heart turned cold.
A magical beast with power akin to a High-Level Spirit…
Could it be a demon?!
The young man’s expression instantly grew grave.
He had no time to ponder in detail, his steps quickened further.
The dungeon entrance was hidden beneath an inconspicuous stone hut behind the manor’s main residence. The cold, damp stairs extended downwards, like a throat leading to hell.
The guards on duty, seeing Igor return with a solemn expression, quickly saluted and cleared the way.
Igor offered no explanation, heading straight down.
The deeper he went, the heavier the smell of mildew and blood in the air became.
“South-east corner of the dungeon, the wall where the torture tools are stacked. About one meter from the ground, there’s a loose grey stone. Push it inwards firmly.”
Aivrel’s voice was direct and clear, without any detours; it was the action she had seen the carpenter apprentices take.
Thinking for a moment, she added:
“If you can’t find it, you can try using mana. Mana can neutralize the elemental barrier interference there.”
“Behind the grey stone is a downward secret passage. Be careful, the mana there… is chaotic.”
Igor’s spirits lifted, and without hesitation, he moved towards the location Aivrel indicated.
The guards on duty saw this and hurriedly followed.
Following Aivrel’s guidance, the young man soon found that corner.
Covered in cobwebs and dust, that grey stone blended seamlessly with the surrounding wall. Without prior knowledge, it would be extremely difficult to notice anything amiss.
Igor frowned slightly.
He had not investigated this spot earlier, but at that time, he had found nothing.
Recalling Lord Ale’s reminder, he pondered briefly, then changed his approach, channeling mana and tapping lightly with a curled finger.
Unlike the reaction during his earlier inspection, this time, the grey stone emitted a faint fluorescence, and from within came a distinctly different, hollow echo!
‘So… the key is mana!’
‘There’s a barrier concealing this. Without using mana, you can’t detect the stone’s abnormality!’
Igor’s spirits were roused.
Taking a deep breath, his hand coated with a layer of 【Frost Resilience】, he pressed against the stone wall and pushed forcefully—
Crack… Rumble…
A low grating sound rang out. The seemingly solid wall rotated inwards, revealing a pitch-black hole just large enough for one person to pass through.