"Sometimes the smallest treasures carry the oldest secrets."
The faint shimmer of the dungeon's exit portal lit the tunnel ahead.
For once, the air was calm — no monsters, no tremors, just the soft dripping of water echoing through stone.
Asura walked near the back, carrying Lucilla on his back this time, her arms lazily draped around his shoulders, her black hair brushing his cheek every few steps.
Mary led the way, Rhazor walking beside her with his sword slung over his shoulder.
It would've been a peaceful walk — if not for the flood of notifications pinging in Asura's vision.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Congratulations, Asura. Dungeon cleared — Evolved Mimic defeated. ]
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Residual EXP +250,000 (Post-Core Stabilization)]
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : New Skill Acquired — "Abyssal Dominion (Passive)" ]
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Level Up → 470 ]
Asura blinked. "Sweet."
Then another window opened.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Caution: Soul synchronization incomplete. Fallen Core integration detected. ]
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Processing data… ]
Asura's brow furrowed. "Integration?"
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : You absorbed the Fallen Core earlier — a relic believed to have been shaped by exiled angels during the early dungeon era. It binds to those touched by both creation and destruction. ]
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : In short, congratulations. You're now part cursed artifact, part divine mistake. ]
"Wow, thanks," Asura muttered under his breath. "Always so encouraging."
Mary glanced over her shoulder. "You say something, Asura?"
He smiled brightly. "Just complimenting your leadership skills, Miss Mary."
She squinted at him, unconvinced. "...Right."
Lucilla shifted on his back, murmuring half-asleep. "You're such a bad liar."
He smirked. "I'm a great liar. You're just psychic."
✦ The Coin in His Hand
They stepped out into the open — sunlight pouring through the canopy of dead trees at the dungeon's mouth.
The cool air felt different out here, like it actually belonged to the living.
Asura let out a breath, adjusting Lucilla on his back again.
His hand slid into his pocket — his fingers brushing against cold metal.
He pulled one out. A coin — faintly platinum with golden edges, symbols swirling like constellations across its surface.
The same kind he'd found in the hidden chamber behind the Fallen Door.
He hadn't told anyone about it.
Not that he planned to.
Lucilla stirred again, eyes fluttering open.
"Mmh… what's that?"
Asura nearly fumbled it. "Huh? Nothing! Just—uh, pocket lint."
Her sleepy voice gained a bit of teasing lilt. "Your pocket lint glows?"
"Special lint."
Lucilla leaned forward, chin resting on his shoulder. "Let me see."
"No."
"C'mon."
"No."
She smiled faintly, tracing her finger across his wrist. "You know, if you say no again, I'll just use my charm skill."
Asura deadpanned. "Lucilla, that's basically flirting with cheat codes."
"Then give it."
"Never."
Lucilla grinned and reached forward, trying to snatch it from his hand. Asura twisted slightly, laughing.
"Hey—stop! You're gonna make me drop—"
The coin slipped, spinning midair before Asura caught it again with a smug grin. "Ha! Reflexes."
Lucilla pouted. "Showoff."
"Thank you, I train daily."
Mary, from the front, sighed loudly. "Can you two not flirt while I'm trying to sense for traps?"
Rhazor snickered. "You still think they're not dating?"
"Shut it," Mary muttered.
✦ The Aion Coin's Origin
They paused at a resting point near the exit arch, where the sunlight met shadow.
Mary turned to face the group — and noticed the coin gleaming faintly in Asura's palm.
"Hold on…" she said, narrowing her eyes. "Where did you get that?"
"Found it," Asura said quickly.
"Where?"
"The floor."
"In a dungeon?"
"It was… a really shiny floor."
Mary crossed her arms. "Show me."
Asura sighed and handed it over reluctantly.
Mary held the coin up to the light, her eyes widening slightly.
"No way… this can't be real."
Rhazor tilted his head. "What's the big deal? It's just money, right?"
Mary shook her head slowly.
"No. This isn't a regular coin. It's called an Aion Coin — said to be the purest form of divine mana in existence."
Lucilla blinked. "Wait—like, a divine miracle coin?"
Mary nodded, clearly slipping into lecture mode.
"Exactly. Public belief says these are formed naturally — pure mana compressed over millennia, blessed by the gods. They say the writing is decorative, that the glow is just divine residue. humans think it's a miracle, a gift from the heavens."
She flipped it between her fingers.
"The most ever gathered together was two… during the Celestial Transport. Whole eras were dated around that event. No one ever noticed the runes glow brighter when they're near each other."
Rhazor whistled. "Sounds like holy money."
Mary chuckled softly. "To mortals, yes. Nobody suspects the engravings are anything more than art."
She handed the coin back to Asura, her tone almost reverent.
"Keep that safe. It's worth more than all the gold in this region."
Asura smiled faintly. "Oh, don't worry. I'll take good care of it."
In his mind, though, he was thinking—
…And good thing no one here knew what that actually meant.
✦ The True Lore
As they started walking again, another window appeared before Asura's eyes, overlaying the path ahead.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Correction — The mortal belief is inaccurate. ]
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : True Designation — Aion Tetradrachm. ]
Asura blinked. "Tetra… what now?"
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : 'Aion Tetradrachm'. Forged at the dawn of existence — said to have been shaped by the First Breath attributed to the One True God, before Creation and Destruction divided. ]
Another line of glowing script scrolled beneath.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : The coin carries three things —
(1) His true name, engraved in primordial script.
(2) A fragment of the Prima Materia essence — the first substance of all things.
(3) A sealed drop of the Abyssal Pulse — a phenomenon scholars describe as the 'heartbeat' of early creation. ]
Asura's steps slowed.
"So these coins aren't just coins…"
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : They are divine keys. To hold one is to hold a fraction of the First Breath. ]
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Oh, look who's in a sharing mood now! Where was this when I was trying to tell him about the Fallen Core? ]
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : The situation required discretion. ]
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Discretion? You were practically screaming "classified" every five seconds, and now suddenly you're writing a whole novel in his head! ]
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : I do not 'scream'. I use text windows. ]
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Yeah, and your text windows yell politely. ]
Asura had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.
Mary glanced back again. "What's funny now?"
"Just… thinking about how much I love field trips."
Lucilla leaned closer again, whispering near his ear. "You're acting weird."
He smiled faintly. "You have no idea."
✦ Secrets Between Worlds
They stepped into the open world again — light washing over them, wind carrying the faint smell of the forest.
The dungeon portal behind them flickered and collapsed into dust.
Asura glanced at the coin once more in his hand — the blue glow dancing faintly over the engraved runes.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Store them in your inventory. That many exposed to the world may start a big war between even the humans. ]
[ ＡＥＴＨＥＲＢＯＲＮ : Translation — it that many might end the world if you don't. ]
"Yeah, yeah," Asura whispered, slipping it into storage. "My lips are sealed."
He looked up at the sunlight filtering through the trees, his grin softening.
"Who knew pocket change could start a war?"
The system's faint hum answered quietly in the back of his mind—
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : Only those who remember the dawn, Asura. ]
And with that, he followed Mary and the others down the hill —
a thousand divine coins hidden in his storage,
and a name of God etched quietly in his palm.