The boy-in-black wagged his index finger with a mock-scolding look. "Tsk, tsk. QThat's cheating," he replied. "Besides, we've never learned anything worthwhile being spoon fed the answers."
"Fuck. Just give me something. If you claim to be me, then shouldnt you be helping more?"
The boy shrugged. "He didn't help me either," he replied.
"He? Whose he?"
It was like every answer out of his mouth bore even more questions.
"You're running out of time," the boy replied coldly. "And you've been asking all the wrong questions since you arrived."
Gian sighed. More cryptic answers.
"I thought you loved magic," the boy continued, walking back to his spot underneath the statue. "If I were you," he continued, turning back to look at Gian, "Which I am. I'd use that love for magic and experiment every nook and cranny of the system."
"I have," Gian grunted in response.
"Then tell me, why do you think you have a limited amount of time here?"
Gian stared at him blankly. "It's a magic space, I don't know?" he whispered hesitantly. "It has a fixed mana source."
The boy in black laughed at that. "Assumptions, at a time like this?"
"I guess we really aren't the same person."
Gian began racking his brain. Did this place serve as anything more than a gold conversion room?
He pulled up his system interface, checking to see if anything new had been added since he got here.
Nothing.
He began scanning the room, eyes scrutinising the statue for clues.
"Less than a minute left," the boy in black announced in a musical tone. "I'd focus my points in arcane knowledge if I were you."
"You're clearly lacking in magical sense."
Gian gave him the middle finger, before suddenly freezing.
"Mana," he whispered. That was it.
The first time he'd arrived here, his mana fatigue hadn't carried over. Even now he didn't feel tired, even though he hadn't fully recovered.
Was the space replenishing his mana.
He closed his eyes, envisioning the candle in his mind.
His manacore reached out for the ambient mana.
The mana bent easily against his will.
"Atreas Ignis," he whispered, and a bolt of blue flames shot up at the statue.
The boy-in-black clapped. "We're going to need more than that little spark to warm up the place," he joked.
Gian closed his eyes again, and casted the spell once more.
"Boo," the boy in black yawned. "I already saw that trick
Gian ignored him, he was too excited at his discovery.
Within the space he had an infinite supply of mana. That meant he could cast spells for as long as he was allowed to be here. A space custom built to practice and master magic.
Just then, his legs buckled and his vision dimmed.
The boy in black stood up once he noticed. "Aww, you're out of time," he mocked, walking over to Gian as the world around him slowly disappeared to black mist.
"Too bad you couldn't see, what I was talking about," he said, his eyes glowing blue right as Gian was kicked out of the space.
*
Gian awoke, face smothered against the floor.
『No coin conversions have been detected...』
『1 coin has been awarded as interest.』
Gian quickly picked himself off the ground, thr sudden return of his injury making him feel dizzy as he rose.
'I get more coins for not spending?' he thought. However he was too distracted to celebrate.
His mind was still wandered on what the boy had said before he left.
If their interaction had taught him anything, it was that the boy in black didn't just spout random rubbish. As cryptic as his answers had been, without the mana hint it would've been weeks before he realized the rooms true power.
But even now he doubted he got the full picture
'What did he mean, "I couldnt see what he was talking about"?' Gian thought. Replaying the moment right as the room disappeared.
He sat down and thought it over. "But there was nothing to see," he whispered thoughtfully. "I inspected the entire place."
"Unless there's something invisible in there, in which case how would he expect me to-"
Then it hit him.
What was the one thing that the system allowed him to see, that would otherwise be invisible.
"You're joking," Gian laughed excitedly. "That sly dog."
"I can use mana vision infinitely in there as well?"
'If that's true, then maybe there's hope.' Infinite mana combined with unrestricted sight of its movements.
Years of magic study could be compressed to mere months, perhaps even weeks.
Gians heart pumped excitedly. He had to know, he had to make sure.
He thought of rushing towards the next cabins and see if he could claim another kill.
But quickly dropped the idea.
He was still injured, and Artemis would still be a problem.
'No. I don't have to rush.'
'If she's just going to continue leaving them behind in those frozen cocoons. Then I can just take my time and melt them out for the kill,' he realized.
They were basically free coins.
However even with the knowledge of the soul wands, it would still take the group some time to defeat the attackers. And that was if they didn't just get themselves killed.
Gian's attention turned to the attacker that had been left behind.
'The curse blew up his brain, sure, but he's still alive isn't he?' Gian thought, limping over, wand in hand.
He stared down at the incapacitated attacker for a moment, gulping down audibly.
'I don't know how I did it so easily the first time,' he thought. 'But this is going to be... disgusting.'
He gripped his wand tightly, and stabbed it into the attacker's eye.
Blood and white matter sprayed onto his face with the first stab. A salty metallic twang invading his mouth.
"Fuck," he whispered, spitting blood and bits of eye out of his mouth.
He stabbed again, and again. Closing his eyes until he heard the notification chime.
『Congratulations. Quest partially completed. One enemy slain.』
『1 coin has been awarded.』
"Good," he whispered, wiping blood off his face as he got back to his feet.
A shadow mist began to fill the room once again. But this time Gian greeted it with a smile on his face.
For it was within these shadows, that he would grow stronger.