***
The scene froze in place, and Elvira locked her gaze onto the older man. "Master Althar…" she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. Her eyes turned glossy, but she quickly wiped it away before it could fall.
The scenery dissolved into darkness once more. As she opened her eyes, she muttered to herself, "To think I forgot about this... Those Magus… Master was right—they're a huge problem." Her expression darkened, anger flickering in her gaze like a smoldering ember.
She looked down at the cracked Empyrean Crystal in her hands, confusion clouding her thoughts. Holding it felt like having a billion dollars sitting in your bank account, yet utterly useless because you couldn't spend a single cent. And worse, it was dwindling, slowly eaten away by inflation.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of Ben's pickaxe striking Grimslate snapped her out of her thoughts. Looking at the pickaxe, an idea ca to Elvira's mind. Floating toward him with the Empyrean Crystal trailing behind her, she called out, "My beloved, are you busy?"
Ben's lips twitched, his pickaxe pausing mid-swing. "Can't you see?" He shot her a tired glance before adding, "What about you? Finished with your little experint yet?"
Elvira sighed. "Not exactly... I can't find a good way to use this crystal. Normal objects can't contain its power—it's too much. But then, I thought of your pickaxe." She pointed at it.
"It's a Traveler's artifact. As far as I know, those things are indestructible. Maybe it can absorb the energy." Ben glanced at the crystal, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
'I still haven't unlocked the upgrade function, but... logically, wouldn't the system just need energy to trigger it?' He was sure the system could handle it—if it wanted to. But since it hadn't given him any guidance so far, he doubted it would be that simple.
Still, it was worth a shot. 'Hey system, can I do that?' Ben asked in his mind.
[…] Silence. His lips curled into a smirk. 'Figures. Silent treatnt again, huh? Think I'll give up that easily?'
Turning back to Elvira, he nodded. "Go ahead. Try infusing the energy into my pickaxe." Elvira raised her hands. Without another word, magic circles began forming in the air.
Just as the final glyph started to take shape, a sudden notification flashed across Ben's vision, making him frown.
[Stop. You'll regret it if you do that!!!]
Ben's eyes narrowed. 'So you can talk? And you think I'll just believe you?' A grin tugged at his lips. 'Too late, buddy.' He said nothing and let Elvira finish her work.
Her mana guided the crystal's energy, pouring it toward the pickaxe. The mont it touched, the pickaxe's dull surface ignited with a brilliant golden glow.
It began to vibrate, sending out a ringing sound—like a chorus of tiny bells chiming in harmony. The sound grew louder, almost like a bird chirping in delight.
Then, without warning, a powerful suction force burst from the pickaxe. Elvira gasped as the cracks on the Empyrean Crystal widened, glowing brighter. The energy within it surged uncontrollably, spiraling toward the artifact in a blinding swirl of light.
[You're dood.]
Ben's eyes twitched at the sudden notification, but he didn't stop. 'You and your cryptic ssages. If you don't explain things properly, how am I supposed to know what's going on?'
[It's not that I don't want to, but I can't. There are limitations placed on —ones that should be gradually lifted as you level up. But you… you keep finding ways to leap past those restrictions.]
Ben smirked. 'So what you're saying is... I'm too good?'
[No, I'm saying you're dangerously reckless.]
His grin widened, but before he could reply, the golden light from the pickaxe flared even brighter, illuminating the entire cavern like a miniature sun. The Empyrean Crystal's cracks deepened, and the tunnel walls began to tremble.
'Isn't that proof you can bend the rules a little? You're already talking to , after all.' The system's response ca after a brief pause.
[Yes... but I don't know why. The restrictions loosened when you beca a Hive Sovereign.]
Ben's brows furrowed. 'Then explain it to now.'
[…]
'Why the silence all of a sudden?'
[There's too much information, and we're running out of ti. You're reckless, and honestly, I don't understand why soone like you was chosen in the first place.]
Ben rolled his eyes. 'What? Why no ti? You're stuck with , aren't you?'
[The energy flow is too intense. I'll likely have to enter hibernation soon to process everything and complete an update.]
Before Ben could fully react, his mind was bombarded with a flood of fragnted information. His head throbbed under the sheer weight of it all.
But just as suddenly as it ca, the stream of knowledge was cut off. The pickaxe pulsed one last ti, the golden glow surging into a brilliant burst before finally settling.
CRACK!
The blade of the pickaxe shattered, revealing a new surface. It glead with a srizing rainbow hue, shifting colors depending on the angle it was viewed from.
Ben could feel a surge of strength coming from the pickaxe.
[Blockify Pickaxe has been upgraded.]
***
Blockify Pickaxe
Type: Tool/Weapon
Rarity: Divine (Growth)
Durability: Infinite
Damage: 100 (lee)
Ability:
Send You Flying
Knockback: 10
Critical Strike Chance: 14%
Blockify
Power: 5
Limitations: Cannot be used on living beings, equipnt, or liquids.
Magic Destroyer
Effect: When Blockify is used against a magic or spell, it consus 10% of the calculated mana required for that attack.
Tooltip: "A strange power lies within, turning nearly anything into blocks—but not without a cost."
***
Seeing the update, Ben should feel exhilarated, but compared to the information he just learned, this was nothing. "Is sothing wrong? Shouldn't you feel happy with the upgraded artifact?"
"Seems we need to quickly improve the base and do things faster. We just got a new enemy."
"What you an?" Elvira asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Give a minute." Ben replied as he sat on the ground trying to filter the information.
anwhile at an undisclosed location, in a majestic grand hall; a figure with a scar on his face was walking with his aide, his heavy armor clanging every ti he took a step.
On his back, a huge sword could be seen. Suddenly he stopped, then turned his gaze toward the floor. "Is sothing happened, Sir Alexander?"
"Just another pest. Inform the Magus."
"Yes sir." The person walking behind him replied with a bow, then quickly left the area.
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