The buzzing sound in the tunnel faded and turned into hard, steady clanging.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
The metallic strikes blended into a rhythm as Ben hummed another song to pass the time.
Even with his new form, the grinding stayed just as dull as before.
He swung his pickaxe again and again, mining Grimslate blocks, opening more space, and trying to trigger the recipes he needed.
'If only I could multiply this pickaxe,' he thought with annoyance.
The repetition wore him down.
He had trouble keeping his focus.
His ability let him create multiple arms, but he could not copy the artifact itself.
Using his arms to smash the blocks did not work either.
That only broke the stone without giving him any understanding.
'Once I get this, I can craft a proper Grimslate pickaxe and start creating Krell to do the work for me.'
The sound of metal on stone continued.
System notifications echoed in his mind.
[Ding! You obtained 1x Grimslate!]
[Ding! You obtained 1x Grimslate!]
[Ding! You obtained 1x Grimslate!]
[258x Grimslate]
[Understanding 0.258%]
While Ben stayed stuck in the boring grind, Elvira had the opposite experience.
She was fully absorbed in studying the Empyran crystal.
In the past, only the clan leader had been allowed to touch this kind of crystal.
'If only I had this access in my past life, things would have turned out so differently.
Those bastard.'
Anger flashed in her eyes, then faded.
She let out a long breath.
'Forget it.
This time it will be different.'
Elvira kept experimenting.
She examined the energy, watching its flow and sensing its strength.
Then she noticed something important.
The crack in the crystal was actually leaking energy.
She started taking objects out of her storage.
Each item was the type that would make Ben complain in her mind. 'If you have that, why didn't you tell me?
I can use more mana.'
In her defense, these items were rare.
If Ben absorbed them, they would turn to dust.
She preferred to keep them as materials for later.
For now, she chose one and tried to use it to patch the crack.
BAM!
The result was failure.
The material crumbled straight into dust.
'I don't have the materials to contain this energy.
It will either explode or the crack will just get worse.'
Her fingers traced the line of the crack.
Frustration built up in her thoughts.
'What a waste.
If I could just use this energy.
It feels like a higher quality than mana.'
The energy inside the crystal felt too strong and too dense.
She needed something that could hold that power, something that would not collapse under the pressure.
She frowned and formed another magic circle in front of her.
The circle lit up, but as soon as she tried to channel the crystal's energy into it, it shook violently, then shattered into nothing.
'Is this thing just useless?'
Her frustration simmered, but she did not stop.
'I don't believe I can't find a way to use it.
There has to be something.'
Her fingers moved again as she drew another circle.
This one flickered to life.
She closed her eyes and whispered, "Library of Memories."
The world around her shifted at once.
In her mind, a vast library unfolded.
Endless rows of tall bookshelves stretched beyond her sight.
She walked forward and scanned the shelves.
'Empyran crystal.'
As soon as she called the words, the books reacted.
The shelves gave a slight tremor.
Books slid from their places and rearranged themselves.
Whole shelves moved aside to clear a path.
The chosen books gathered into a single row.
The row slid down the aisle toward her.
When the last book settled into place, a cupboard at the end of the path clicked open.
The cupboard's doors swung forward, offering her the selected book.
'This is less than I thought…' she thought as she looked at the lone volume.
This library held the knowledge of two lifetimes, yet there was only one book on Empyran crystals.
Her fingers hovered over the hard cover and traced its surface.
Then she opened it.
The moment she did, her surroundings changed again.
The cave vanished.
In its place stood a quiet study room with cool, polished walls made of a marble-like material.
The room felt rich but calm.
Warm wooden furniture filled the space.
At the center, a young girl with long autumn-colored hair sat at a desk.
Her red eyes moved quickly across a large magic tome.
Elvira's gaze softened.
She recognized herself in the child's focused face.
The younger Elvira raised her hand and asked, "Teacher, is there any other source of energy besides mana?"
The old man beside her smiled.
His face showed many years of life, and his eyes held a gentle amusement at her constant questions.
"Mana, child," he said, his voice soft but firm, "is already one of the strongest sources of energy we know."
"There is still so much about it we do not understand.
We have only started to scratch the surface of its true power."
Young Elvira pouted, unhappy with that answer.
Her red eyes grew wider as she leaned closer, almost pleading.
"But… is there anything else?"
The old man chuckled and shook his head.
"Well, you are royalty.
At some point, you will hear this.
But remember, do not tell anyone I told you this.
I do not want to get into trouble."
He leaned in and lowered his voice.
"There is also something called the Empyran crystal.
It is the source of energy that powers our entire clan and makes sure we can live safely."
"It is incredibly powerful, more so than mana in some ways."
Young Elvira's curiosity burned even brighter.
"How does it work?"
"Ah, I do not know how it works, only that it does," he replied. "I have heard rumors that we hire special people to maintain and harness the crystal's power.
They are called Magus."
His voice dropped even more.
"But honestly, it is better if you avoid them, Elvira…"