Grace Monta lost her composure.
Leanne Vale had interacted with her plenty of times, but she had never seen her react like this.
Could there really be something wrong with this batch of materials dropped from the Forgotten Crystal Holy Land?
"These items were all dropped from an exclusive dungeon..." Leanne began.
"Exclusive dungeon?" Grace blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like—an independent dungeon that only certain special-class professions can access. This is tied to a young man we recently met." Leanne then asked, "But before we get into that, can you explain what's going on with these materials first?"
Leanne couldn't stand the stunned look on Grace's face.
Realizing she may have gotten too worked up, Grace placed her jade-like hands on her chest, trying to calm herself down.
Then she looked at Leanne seriously and said, "To be honest, for reasons I can't explain, I can't determine the grade of most of these materials."
"But based on the data alone, their properties are extraordinary."
"Take this material, for instance—the one labeled Divine Crystal. It contains a trace of something akin to a god's aura."
Gods...?
Everyone present was momentarily stunned.
Across the massive network of dungeons, there were tens of thousands of materials with the word "god" in their name. But most were mere gimmicks—many were less valuable than scrap metal.
Yet this crystal... did it truly contain the essence of a god?
Grace continued, "Right now, the country is developing a star-destroying weapon designed to kill divine beings. The blueprints are complete, but we're severely lacking in usable materials."
"Most materials either don't have sufficient hardness, or they can't store magic power reliably. It's been a grueling process."
"I believe this Divine Crystal could serve as the energy core for that weapon—a key component for magic power transmission!"
Her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Leanne, how often does this item drop?"
Leanne hesitated for a moment. She still didn't fully understand the weight of Grace's words. "It only drops from bosses. We spent more than four hours in the dungeon and managed to collect three."
"That's already a huge yield!" Grace exclaimed.
For a material of this rarity, getting three in four hours was astonishing. Bosses, after all, were infamous for their stingy drop rates.
Reinvigorated, Grace began explaining the properties of the other materials one by one.
At first, Leanne and Selene could barely keep up with the enthusiasm of this science-obsessed woman.
But the more they listened, the more they understood just how powerful these materials were.
The high drop rates and impressive attributes...
If mass collection became feasible, it could revolutionize scientific development!
Once again, Leanne and Selene exchanged a knowing glance. The conclusion was clear.
"We need to submit a national protection application for Luceris," Leanne said firmly.
"Luceris... he's the boy you mentioned—the one who can create exclusive dungeons?" Grace asked.
They both nodded.
"In that case," Grace said, "you absolutely should. If this young man's dungeon can consistently produce materials of this caliber, then it won't be a matter of us helping him level up."
"It'll be us begging him to create more copies for the sake of national advancement."
A silence fell over the laboratory.
Grace, however, remained focused. She picked up several materials from the table and declared:
"I'm heading to Tranquenhold City to present these samples to the veterans. Then I'll visit Master Karon to attempt forging a new weapon."
Master Karon, a dwarf and official weaponsmith, had forged many of the nation's most powerful magical weapons and was known for his genius—and his difficult personality. If materials didn't meet his standards, not even government mandates could sway him.
Grace chuckled darkly. "That stubborn dwarf has turned down my instrument requests more times than I can count. But this time, he'll be begging me. I'll make him crawl to me and then stomp his pride into the dirt."
Leanne and Selene instinctively took a step back.
On the surface, Grace was an elegant woman—but deep down, she was a formidable and eccentric force of nature.
Silently, they both offered a moment of sympathy to Grace's hypothetical future husband.
Material identification, of course, couldn't be left to a single authority. Multiple institutions had to evaluate and verify the findings.
And so Grace departed immediately for Tranquenhold City to deliver the report personally.
If the results were confirmed, these materials could be used for both national scientific advancement and the forging of legendary magical weapons.
And when that happened, Luceris's status would skyrocket—quickly becoming the most sought-after figure in the entire country.
"Until Sister Grace returns, let's escort Luceris safely for level grinding," Leanne suggested.
Selene nodded in agreement.
…
By late May, spring had passed, and the city basked in the brilliance of the sun.
Luceris once again found herself invited to the city center's dungeon plaza—escorted by none other than the two legendary warriors, Leanne Vale and Selene.
Their goal was clear:
To continue exploring the Forgotten Crystal Holy Land and collect materials needed to complete the 'Herrscher of the Origin' Dimensional Divine Outfit.
Time passed quickly in the shimmering depths of the dungeon.
Leanne and Selene took the lead, their graceful movements slicing through monsters with ease. The scent of battle and flowers lingered in the air.
A crystal-laden lizard was swiftly decapitated by Leanne, its body then flash-frozen by Selene.
[Your teammates have defeated a lv.65 Crystal Lizard. Experience distributed. You have gained 771 EXP.]
A brilliant beam of light shot up around Luceris.
He had reached level 20.
Her level progression felt like she was riding a rocket.
Leanne blinked. "Already level 20? That's faster than expected. The experience scaling in this dungeon is very efficient, but still... this is impressive."
Selene glanced at her. "Third day after awakening... and he's already level 20. Terrifying."
Luceris, however, didn't feel like she had done much.
Hands in her pockets, she had been strolling through the dungeon while the two women cleared the path.
But now that she had acquired Elysia's basic Dimensional Divine Outfit...
It was time to join the fight and test her own strength.
With a flash of resolve, Luceris clenched hier fists.
Determination blazed in her gem-like eyes.