Published at 6th of September 2026 6:21 am

Chapter 1988: Ordinary Key

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Beyond the right door was a spacious chamber.

Dust covered almost every surface, while thick cobwebs stretched between the walls, ceiling, and long-abandoned furnishings.

The air felt stale and heavy, as though it had not been disturbed for centuries.

Adam stepped inside carefully, his bare feet making no sound against the dusty floor.

[Illuminate]

His gaze swept across the chamber, taking in every detail. The room was surprisingly well-preserved despite its age. There was a large desk pushed against one wall, several shelves filled with objects, and a single bed near the far end.

Yet everything was coated in a thick layer of dust.

Adam frowned.

With another wave of a hand, he cast [Breeze Sweep], and the dust was carried out through the door by a gentle wind.

Much better.

But still, something about this place felt wrong.

The High Priest had been living in the temple for countless years. Surely, if this had been its living quarters, the room should have shown some signs of use.

Yet there was nothing. Not even a single fresh footprint disturbed the dust.

Adam narrowed his eyes and continued deeper into the room, his instincts telling him there was something here he had yet to uncover.

Why had the bastard not set foot inside the room?

There were various chests and objects scattered haphazardly across the floor. Some had been pushed against the walls, while others lay overturned, their contents spilling out onto the ground.

Adam glanced at the mess, then turned his gaze toward the doorway.

His frown deepened.

Perhaps the werewolf had simply thrown these things inside from outside the quarters. After all, there was no indication that anyone had actually bothered to organize or use them.

Was the bastard afraid of entering? He wondered.

He had already scanned the quarter carefully, confirming that no other monsters dwelled inside. Additionally, he also checked for any talismans hanging from the walls. But he found nothing.

Adam shrugged inwardly and began checking the items scattered across the floor.

There were quite a number of artifacts among the clutter. Unfortunately, most of them had been damaged beyond use by the neglect and the passage of countless years.

Weapons had rusted, their once-sharp edges reduced to corroded metal. Several material components had also rotted away, leaving behind little more than crumbling remnants.

Adam carefully picked up a few of the objects and examined them before setting them back down.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up when he saw a leather pouch. He studied it, learning that it was a space-type storage artifact. He had been wanting to get his hands on one for a long time.

But he was bound to be disappointed. The pouch had stopped functioning.

He soon came to a conclusion.

These must have belonged to the victims the werewolf captured in the past.

Perhaps they had been adventurers who had ventured into the temple by mistake, only to fall into the High Priest’s hands. Their possessions had likely been stripped from them before they were dragged into the dungeon.

Over the countless years, their belongings had accumulated here, forgotten and abandoned.

Adam swept his gaze across the room. There were far more than he had initially noticed. This room must have served as the High Priest’s quarters in the long distant past, but now it only served as a storage space to gather the loot of the victims.

He went through every item scattered across the floor, patiently organizing them and carefully examining each one to make sure he didn’t overlook anything that might prove useful.

Yet as time passed, Adam’s disappointment grew.

One item after another turned out to be worthless. Rusted weapons, rotten materials, damaged artifacts, nothing of real value remained.

Adam’s expression gradually darkened.

He had suffered so much at the hands of that bastard. And now, when it was finally time to reap the rewards, he found nothing?

How ridiculous!

He remained still for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.

Perhaps I’ve been expecting too much...

Life was not so generous as to guarantee a reward simply because one had endured hardship. Sometimes, one could struggle, bleed, and risk everything, only to find nothing waiting at the end of the road.

That was simply how life worked.

Not every hardship bore fruit, and not every sacrifice yielded something in return.

Adam had known this long before he became a Magus, ever since the times he spent as a kid trying to survive.

Yet somewhere along the way, he had grown accustomed to believing that every ordeal had to carry some hidden reward.

Why?

Just because he was the wielder of the Eternal Soul Lotus?

Had he subconsciously convinced himself that every time the Lotus brought misfortune upon him and he somehow survived the ordeal, he would inevitably be showered with fortune afterward as a reward for a job well done?

Adam shook his head.

How childish, he thought.

Surviving was not a transaction.

Life did not owe him anything simply because he had suffered.

His lips slowly curled into a faint smile.

Well, even if there is no reward, the journey still happened.

And maybe... that alone is enough.

Adam closed his eyes for a moment and quietly recited:

"The road may bleed, the heavens may turn;

Yet not every flame leaves gold in its burn.

I walk because the road lies ahead,

Not for the fruit at journey’s end."

Adam let out a soft sigh, his shoulders suddenly feeling light for some reason. He was about to get up when, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something peculiar.

He had searched through all the items scattered on the floor, yet only now had he noticed this strange thing.

How very peculiar...

It was a key.

Adam slowly reached down and picked it up.

It was an unusually ornate key, its entire body seemingly crafted from aged gold or some other precious metal that had somehow retained its luster despite the passage of countless years.

The bow was particularly elaborate, shaped into intricate symmetrical patterns. The shaft was long and slender, decorated with several engraved patterns and symbols.

It looked less like an ordinary key and more like a work of art.

Adam turned it over in his hand, examining it from every angle.

There was no rust.

And despite its ornate appearance, there was something strangely ancient about it.

Adam narrowed his eyes as he wondered:

This thing survived all these years without suffering any damage?

He lightly ran his thumb across the intricate carvings. There were no visible runes, nor did he immediately sense any particularly powerful fluctuation of mana from it.

Yet his instincts told him that this was no ordinary key.

Adam’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

He imbued a wisp of mana into the key to see its reaction.

And the reaction wasn’t something he had expected.

The key disappeared.

It took a moment to realize where the key had vanished, and when he did, his eyes widened.

It had disappeared into his spirit sea!!

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