Chapter 21: Blue Chrysanthemum Crystal Flower

After changing into my equipment, I made my way to the designated meeting spot. To my surprise, only Thomas was waiting for us there. Observing Thomas, I recognized the magic suit he wore as the renowned Mark-V series. This suit was famous for its lightweight armor, which provided both durability and ease of movement. Although there were a few distinguishing features from the commercial Mark-V suit, it was still based on the same design. At first glance, I had never considered Thomas to come from a noble family. However, seeing him in that suit made me second-guess my assumptions.

While I pondered Thomas's background, two girls approached us from behind—Sarah and Anna. "William, are you really going to wear that?" Anna's voice reached my ears, even without turning around. I understood her doubts, as the suit I wore was exceptionally rare. It was an AD-2 series suit specialized in defense. Unlike most magic suits that incorporated magical support, this suit discarded all magical enhancements. Moreover, due to the material used in its armor, it weighed ten times more than a normal magic suit. At first glance, the AD-2 series resembled a knight's armor, adorned with handguards, shin guards, boots, gloves, and body armor, giving it a striking appearance. However, considering its high cost and impracticality, it became one of the least desired suits in the world. When I initially received this suit from my master, I was baffled. However, after receiving a clear explanation from my master, I understood the reasoning behind it. As my master explained, as a warrior who focused on close combat, magical support was practically useless. Even the suit's weight was negligible, as warriors possessed stronger bodies compared to mages. Based on that reasoning, I realized that no other suit would be more suitable for me than the AD-2 series.

"It's fine. I won't burden you," I replied, aware of Anna's concerns. "Anna, it's not nice to say that. William may have his reasons," Sarah intervened, looking at me with understanding eyes. "But if you have any problems and want to change your suit, just let me know. I have a spare suit you can borrow."

"Okay," I acknowledged her offer without saying much more. With everyone prepared, Sarah led us as we ventured into the vestige.

As soon as I set foot in the forest, an eerie coldness enveloped me, seeping through my magic suit. Even with its protective capabilities, nothing could fully ward off the chilling atmosphere that permeated the area. Though we had only been inside for thirty minutes, I could already sense the challenging nature of this place.

"Be cautious from this point onward; we will begin encountering monsters," Sarah reminded us, emphasizing the need for vigilance. Even Anna, who was typically exuberant, appeared subdued upon hearing Sarah's cautionary words. On the other hand, Thomas remained calm, as if encountering situations like this was entirely normal for him. It made me wonder if, during his absences from school, he had been training in other vestiges similar to this one.

We proceeded cautiously, with Thomas taking the lead. Throughout our journey, we trained our teamwork and honed our skills. They even allowed me to engage in a battle against a one-star monster. During the fight, I once again surprised them with my combat abilities, leaving them in awe, including the usually silent Thomas.

"Hey, what's over there?" Anna pointed her finger toward the entrance of a cave. Inside, a blue flower could be seen blooming. Curiosity piqued, we approached the cave entrance, intrigued by the sight before us.

As we neared the cave entrance, the alluring sight of a vibrant blue flower caught our attention. Its petals shimmered with an ethereal glow, contrasting against the darkness of the cave. Anna took a step closer, her eyes fixated on the mesmerizing flower. "What kind of flower is this? I've never seen anything like it before."

Sarah joined her, her gaze filled with wonder. "It's truly captivating. The magical energy emanating from it is incredible. I wonder if it possesses any unique properties."

The flower was blue in color and had crystal-like petals, making it look beautiful from afar. "Blue Chrysanthemum Crystal Flower!" At one glance, I quickly recognized what type of flower it was.

This was a rare herb that rarely existed in the Miston City market. I once heard from a student in school that this herb had made an appearance once in the city, and when it happened, it was bought for 100,000 Magic Coins.

Of course, when you considered its effect, you would understand why people sought this herb. This herb belonged to the non-element category, making it usable by everyone. That alone already made it precious, but what made it even more precious was its effect of increasing one's mana inside the body.

Normally, when people trained their magic, in order to advance and condense more stars, one had to accumulate enough mana. This accumulation took time, and the higher one's level, the longer it took to accumulate the mana inside the body.

To shorten the accumulation time, there were a few ways to do it. The most commonly used way was to have a high-level mage scripture. The higher the level of a scripture, the higher the efficiency of mana absorption. Having a high affinity also affected one's accumulation time. Higher affinity allowed a mage to sense mana more easily, thus aiding the accumulation process. There were also other methods, but among them, consuming a medicinal herb was one of them.

A medicinal herb was already rare, and a herb that allowed one to increase their mana was rare among the rare.

All of us stood there without moving. We knew that though the herb was precious, we still needed to be careful.

"Thomas, can you detect anything in our surroundings?"

"I already did. According to my detection, there is no monster within a 500-meter radius around us." Thomas answered Sarah's question without any hesitation, though his answer only made Sarah frown.

"Now that's weird. A rare medicinal herb like this usually has a monster guarding it. For a herb like this, I would expect that we would likely encounter a 2-star monster. Even a 3-star monster is not impossible. Then how come there is no monster presence around us at all?" Sarah voiced her doubts to us.

I understood her doubts and concerns. This was a forest full of monsters. When a rare medicinal herb like this appeared, monsters would come and guard it until it matured.

"I know all of you are worried, but don't you think that this is an opportunity for us? The monster guarding this place may be away for a moment. I say we should just go in and take the herb before that monster comes back. Don't all of you think so?"

"Anna is right. Right now is our best chance to take the herb. Though it comes with its own risks, I do think that we should make our move before it's too late."

"Agreed," I stated my approval toward Sarah's idea, while Thomas simply nodded in agreement.

"Alright then. Anna, you go with William and take the herb. Thomas and I will wait here and guard the entrance."

Anna and I quickly moved after hearing Sarah's instructions. We would take the herb quickly and leave as fast as we could.

When we entered the cave, I couldn't help but feel a strange unease. It was as if my intuition was warning me of something bad about to happen. But no matter how I tried to analyze it, I couldn't seem to grasp what it was.

"Hey! What are you gawking at? Help me with this," Anna scolded me for not paying attention, but I just couldn't focus myself right now.

"Don't you feel like something is wrong?"

"What could be wrong? Luck is on our side right now. Now, before the monster guarding this herb comes back, we better hurry up." Anna carefully scooped the soil around the herb, trying not to damage it. Though she said to hurry, her actions were anything but quick. Picking a medicinal herb required carefulness, which usually took time.

Because of that, her words did not relieve me at all. In fact, my unease grew as time went on.

Ten minutes later, Anna finally managed to take the herb, and as we were leaving, my senses tingled as if warning me.

Without saying anything, I looked back into the cave and noticed a big shadow approaching us. Just its presence made me feel like I was up against a giant. As expected, my tingling senses had sensed something.