CHAPTER 837: A SOUL-BOUND GIFT

Adam’s eyes widened at the notification, his finger shooting toward the [Yes] button. It took all his willpower to let it hover without pressing it. After all, he had seen the blade in action. Negation of enchantment that could render adversaries vulnerable, absorption of energy that would rob them of their strength, unbreakable, able to be split into twin blades: the sword in his hand was perfect, definitely worthy of being a supreme mage-ranked artifact.

And yet, his eyes darted to Desmond. The teenager lay on his belly, barely able to push his torso up to give him a brilliant smile.

Adam tightened his lips in a thin line as his finger twitched on [No.]

With a sigh, he waved the notification window, scattering it into mist, then picked up the grimoire and climbed out of the crater. He helped Desmond up, coiling the boy’s arm around his shoulder.

"You’re not too bad at improvising," Adam smirked through his burnt face, from which fresh muscle tendrils wove themselves into new cheeks.

The spectacle forced a dry gulp down Desmond’s throat before he let out a relieved smile. "And you’re terrible at following plans. Did... did we really defeat that horrible golem?"

"Sure, we did. She’s gone for good." He pressed the sword against Desmond’s torso. "Didn’t you beg me for equipment?"

For a moment, Desmond remained silent. Then, his pupils constricted. "No way! You deserve—" His refusal caught in his throat as Adam’s hand turned ghostly and pushed the weapon inside of him.

Not feeling anything made the realisation rumble even louder through his mind. Adam had an affinity for souls—one of the ultimate taboos on the archipelago. If anyone ever learned about it...

His worries faded as soon as they had appeared. Alchemist, enchanter, cultivator, could Haldris kill Adam several times over for his secrets? So what was one more? As for what Adam was doing, he simply trusted his friend.

Soon, Adam retrieved his hand, turning it back to healing flesh, then nodded. "Imagine you’re holding the blade."

Frowning, Desmond did as told. Bright particles suddenly condensed in his palm. The cold hilt of the sword followed before the silvery scabbard adorned with a black star with jagged edges extended over the blade.

"Good." Adam gave a word of explanation, nodding. "I bound it to your soul so you can’t lose it."

"As if I’d lose something this precious." Desmond rolled his eyes, but his heart pounded against his warm chest. "Thank you..." he muttered, failing to hold a tear. "You shouldn’t have..."

Adam interrupted him with a grin. "I never felt the call that led you to this mysterious room. I believe it was meant to be yours." He ruffled Desmond’s purple hair, winking. "And I wouldn’t have won without you, so don’t mention it anymore. Give me a minute and I’ll hand you the grimoire, too."

With a wave, particles condensed into his palm. Green hair framing big blue eyes formed first, before the tiny frame of a fairy—dressed in a white shirt, a crimson bow tie, and a dark skirt—followed. Her transparent wings fluttered before Desmond’s open jaw as she adjusted her scholarly round glasses.

"It’s been a while since you let me out." She puffed out her cheeks in a fake pout.

"I missed you, too, Lulu." He patted her head gently, and she giggled.

"What do you need me for?" Her eyes landed on the grimoire’s thick cover depicting a light and dark blade crossed over a chaotic background. "Need a copy?"

His smile reached his blazing eyes. "The first piece of our ultimate mana gathering technique."

Lulu flew up and rubbed his recovering cheek, her voice softening. "I’ve seen it all with that blabbermouth of a cleaver. Please, keep yourself safe."

She flew to the grimoire as he nodded. With a touch, she recorded every intricacy, hidden meaning, and magically concealed information into her database. Then, the pages of a replica flapped open over her palm, the only difference from the original being the fresh scent of ink and the new parchment taken from Adam’s soul sea.

"And done!" They raised their thumbs at each other before she waved her palm cheerfully. "See you when you get the next piece. Oh, and don’t worry about me. I know you can’t summon me here as much as you would like."

"Thank you." With a nod, she faded into a rain of light particles. Then, the five elements blazed on his fingers as he rotated them against his stomach, sealing his dan tian and soul sea with it.

As his recovery slowed without his Qi, Desmond pointed at Adam’s empty palm. "W-what was that?" he stuttered, shocked to see a creature he had never read about.

"The best archivist." Adam smiled. "I’ll tell you more another time."

He placed the grimoire in Desmond’s hands, but the teenager shook his head. "Give me the copy."

"Are you sure?" Adam asked, but Desmond’s determined gaze said it all. "Alright, then." His smirk returned as he passed the copy, fresh with the scent of ink, while tucking the powerful original beneath his armpit.

While Desmond grinned as he pondered what could be recorded in its pages, a furrow crept onto Adam’s brow, the delight from their narrow victory slightly eclipsed by their situation. The clock continued to tick even as he supported Desmond toward the door.

His wounds would take a couple of minutes to heal, not to mention his vaporised uniform. Leaving the mysterious room looking like a burned zombie when Louis waited or was on his way on the other side would be as terrible as not going out at all.

For a moment, his mind raced with the most optimistic scenario. Go out. No Louis. Rush to the dorm to get a new uniform. Impossible. He would have to cross the Reward Hall on his way out. The working magi would never let a student scramble naked from their treasury.

Blinking out? They would instantly sense it...

He bit his lip, bitterness filling his mouth as he wove sky-blue mana pants around his legs. "Guess we can only try to improvise."

He gripped the handle, sighing. "I wish that Caelmorne bastard had set his mysterious room in our dorm. I don’t know, imagine if we could enter it through my closet."

"Wait, wait!" Desmond called out as Adam lowered the handle. "Let’s come up with a story first."

"Louis won’t believe it." Adam simply shrugged and pushed the door open.

But when he saw what lay on the other side, a strangled gasp escaped his throat.