Chapter 364: The Crystal Room

Ryan squeezed his eyes shut for a long moment, trying to block out the constant annoyance of the notifications that kept echoing inside his head.

After four straight hours of casting skills and triggering debt collections in front of hundreds of citizens, the system’s notifications had become incredibly difficult to endure.

He raised a hand to his forehead and slowly rubbed his temples, breathing in the fresh air at the foot of the mountain.

Gradually, the incessant blue flashing behind his eyelids began to slow. The noise faded, leaving a sense of calm in his exhausted mind.

But just when it seemed all the alerts had finally settled down, a new, much clearer chime rang in his head, and one more window appeared before him.

[System Notice]

[Initiating evolution process for ’Magic Barrier’]

[Success!]

[Your skill has evolved]

[Magic Barrier (Intermediate Tier)]

[Magic power increase: 20% → 30%]

[Magic defense increase: 20% → 30%]

Ding!

[Luck bonus applied]

[Initiating evolution process for ’Magic Barrier (Intermediate Tier)’]

[Success!]

[Your skill has evolved]

[Magic Barrier (Advanced Tier)]

[Magic power increase: 30% → 45%]

[Magic defense increase: 30% → 45%]

Ryan stared at the floating letters, reading every line of the changes that had just appeared on his panel. Seeing one of his defensive skills jump two ranks at the exact same time definitely caught his attention.

’This skill too, huh... It’s a solid increase. My upgraded luck is really starting to show. I wonder what’s next?’ Ryan thought to himself, noting the massive impact his newly evolved attribute was already having on the rest of his magical abilities.

Ryan opened his eyes fully and dismissed the translucent window with a simple gesture. Around him, the crowd of villagers, blacksmiths, and demons was beginning to disperse in an orderly fashion to return to their homes and workplaces.

He had finally finished the long oath-swearing ritual for the entire population. Thanks to that effort, he had secured a massive amount of new points to raise his stats.

However, rest would have to wait a little longer. Now, he and his group had to immediately proceed with the second phase of their plans for the day. The next step was heading straight to the Ignis nation to secure the materials they desperately needed for the forge.

"Lise," Ryan called out, turning his head slightly as he searched for his subordinate among the nearby crowd.

The moment her name left his lips, a gentle gust of wind blew past, and the imposing black-and-white-haired dragoness appeared instantly before him, bowing her head slightly in respect.

"Yes, dear master?" Lise replied with a warm smile and a soft voice, awaiting whatever command he wished to give her.

"There are portals here in Kowarre that connect directly to the Ignis nation, aren’t there?" Ryan asked, keeping his hands clasped behind his back as he looked directly into her eyes.

As he asked the question, he clearly remembered the details of his first real conflicts with the demons a while back. Those battles had taken place right inside the Ignis nation’s territory, back when he was still traveling with his small, original group.

Yet, according to the intel they had gathered back then, all those invading demons originated from these very frozen lands of Kowarre.

Logically, there had to be a direct method of transportation that allowed them to cross from one territory to the other without being detected at the borders.

"Yes, young master. All of those are still there." Lise nodded a couple of times without hesitation, instantly confirming her leader’s suspicions. "I’ll take you to that place immediately."

"Alright," Ryan replied in a calm tone, satisfied that he would save so much travel time.

But before setting out with Lise, he needed to ensure everything was ready for the workers’ transport. Ryan extended his right arm and reactivated the access to the hidden village contained within his spatial relic.

A magical opening formed in the air a few meters away, and he left the portal to the village open to allow passage.

After securing the dimensional entrance, Ryan looked over at his personal assistant, who was waiting to the side and paying close attention to his movements, and gave her a precise instruction. He ordered Alicia to select sixty individuals from among the elves and beastmen who had just sworn their loyalty to him during the ritual in the clearing.

Those sixty people would be tasked with harvesting the valuable mana trees in the Ignis nation, and he would transport them there personally using the relic’s pocket space.

Alicia listened to every detail of the request and nodded firmly, setting off to gather the strongest and most capable workers for the logging operation in a matter of minutes. With her orders received, the young beastwoman stayed behind in the clearing to organize the selected group.

Meanwhile, Ryan turned around and began to follow Lise’s lead toward the crossing zone. Walking closely beside him were Irina, Beatrice, Chloe, and Karol, all fully prepared to accompany him on the journey to the lands of fire.

The group moved at a brisk pace, leaving the inhabited areas at the base of the mountain behind as they ventured down a secluded path through the rocky terrain. After about five minutes of walking with the dragoness leading the way, they finally arrived at their destination.

At first glance, the site appeared to be nothing more than a quiet, secluded clearing in the middle of nowhere, with no large structures or guards watching over the entrance. But right in the middle of the clearing sat a set of ancient stone stairs that descended directly underground, plunging about five meters into the earth.

Lise headed down the steps first, and Ryan followed close behind with the four girls until they reached the bottom. Down there, they were met by a spacious underground room with completely gray walls and floors. It was dimly lit and seemed entirely empty from end to end.

The group’s footsteps echoed slightly against the cold stone of the enclosed space. There was no furniture, no torches, and no obvious markings on the ground to suggest any sort of path.

"It is here, young master," Lise said with absolute certainty, bypassing the center of the room and walking in a straight line toward one of the massive, smooth walls at the back.

Karol stopped halfway across the room and narrowed her eyes as she looked around, immediately sensing the dense pressure lingering in the subterranean air.

"This place gives off a lot of magical power," Karol murmured, surprised by the massive concentration of mana she could sense despite the room’s plain appearance.

Chloe, walking a few steps behind, turned around and surveyed the place with a confused expression, seeing nothing but four stone walls.

"But there’s nothing here," Chloe said, shrugging slightly when she couldn’t spot any visible portal.

Irina, on the other hand, heightened her elven senses and focused on the exact spot where the mana seemed to be seeping through the solid rock.

"There is something, though," Irina pointed out, raising her index finger toward one of the gray walls—the exact one Lise was walking toward.

Off to the side of the group, Beatrice remained completely silent as they inspected the room, keeping her arms crossed and watching the dragoness’s movements with her usual caution.

Meanwhile, Ryan looked around with genuine curiosity, stepping a little closer to see how the hidden mechanism in his new territory actually worked.

Then, once Lise stood directly in front of the smooth, gray stone wall, she raised her right arm without hesitation. The dragoness placed the palm of her hand flat against the cold surface, charging it with a dense flow of her own elemental mana.

Upon making contact with that energy, the rock vibrated with a deep rumble, and the wall slowly opened wide, sliding apart like a massive hidden gate.

The parted wall revealed another much larger, imposing room deeper within the earth. Inside this new space, multiple active portal rifts glowed brightly, floating and tearing through the air in all directions with intense flashes of various colors.

Lise turned back slightly toward Ryan and swept her arm toward the interior of the room, which was bathed in the glow of dimensional energy.

"We call this place the Crystal Room," Lise said, a broad smile spreading across her face.