A Normal Tuesday

After we eat breakfast Myla, Hino and I get ready to leave. The girls change back into their uniforms, having changed to spar. We leave my Domain but Hino takes me back to her house, where she came from.

"So why did you want me to come here?" I ask her after she asked me to come here.

"My father wanted to ask you something, he's read your report on the Ruins." Hino answers.

"He can do that?" I ask a little shocked.

"Yeah, but only Guild masters can." Myla answers and Hino leads me back to where I met her parents the last time I was here, to get a new item to replace the sword they gave me. I see Kagiyama and Sugano talking to another person I haven't seen. They're an elf, if the long ears are any indicator. He's wearing a white t-shirt and jeans with glasses on. They stop their conversation when we enter.

"Sorry for bringing you here out of the blue." Kagiyama says.

"It's fine, so is this about the Ruins?" I ask and he smiles and nods.

"I read the report that you submitted. I wanted to ask if you still have the lockbox with the Magicalium lock?"

"Yeah, I still haven't been able to open it though." I say frustrated. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, our friend Lander here is the one who asked." Kallen says gesturing to the Elf.

"Right, as Kallen said, my name is Lander. I'm a researcher on all things mana. I don't know how much you know about it, but Magicalium is incredibly rare. It's also still unknown. We have no idea where it's from or how it's made. So I'd like to make a trade of sorts. I'll open the lock for you, and in return, you'll let me take the lock. The box and its contents are yours." Lander says and I think about it. I must admit that some of me wanted to melt the lock down later. That way I could make a weapon from it once I had gathered more.

"Why do you want the lock?" I ask him.

"I want to study it. Like I said before it's a rare material. So getting it and the opportunity to study it is a rare experience that may not come again." He answers and I nod.

"Okay, you have a deal. How long do you think you'd need to open it?" I ask and he smiles.

"I should be able to do it now. That is if you have it on you." He says and I nod.

"Yeah, I've kept it on me in case I thought of a way to break it open." I say and take it out. The lock box appears and I turn the lock to Lander. He walks over and places his hand a few inches away. I can feel him cast a spell and a moment later the lock clicks open. "How did you do that!?" I ask in shock and disbelief. I've tried multiple times to **** it open, even freezing it. I've also tried to pick it, but the moment I try, my makeshift lockpicks shatter into dust. Lander chuckles before taking the lock and standing up.

"It's a Spell from my School. As a researcher, most of my Dungeon trips are into ones that have been cleared out. So I learned magic to help me explore, it's aptly called the Explorers School. It lets me cast spells that disarm traps, open locks, and locate hidden objects." He answers and I nod.

"What's inside?" Myla asks, she's sitting across from me with Hino.

"Let's see." I say before opening it. Inside is a small metal pole with an orange gem on top and a small red orb. I Observe them both.

Fire Dragons Ball, Legendary

This small red ball is like a miniature Magic Core. It cannot be used as a normal core, needing a tool or item designed to use it. It contains the Fire Dragons powers and will add the Dragons powers to whatever it is used on. The Dragon was from a Ruins, making it stronger than normal. This makes the Orb stronger than before.

Mana Sword Lvl 45, Legendary

This metal staff is made of Enchanted Steel. The staff will create a blade of mana whenever mana is poured into it. The blade appears around the gem and stretches for about three feet. The blade deals magic damage on every attack. It deals 200-250 magic damage. Costs 10 MP to activate. Hidden Properties: You can spend 50 mana to overcharge the weapon. Doing so will double the weapon's damage until you end it. However you can only do so once every two days, otherwise, the weapon will break.

"What are they?" Hino asks and I pick up the staff. I pour 10 mana into it and a blue blade appears. It's see-through and I'm shocked by how light it is. Although it is only a metal pole.

"What is that?" Hino asks and I see Lander smile.

"That's a Mana Sword, it's a type of staff that uses mana to create a sword. It isn't as effective as a normal blade but it's easier to carry around. It also deals magic damage so it's better against monsters like Trolls that are more susceptible to magic damage." He answers and a thought appears in my mind. Trolls have high regenerative capabilities. This makes them resistant to most melee attacks, but it takes them longer to heal from any magic attacks. I remember how my Wisdom Milestones gave me the ability to understand monsters.

"That's all good, but I think it's time you three get to school." Sugano says and Myla checks the time.

"Crap, come on. We're going to be late at this rate." She says and we leave. I make sure to thank Lander before leaving.

"Eric, could you come by the guild hall after school?" Kagiyama asks before I leave.

"Yeah, I'll be there." I say before leaving the room. After Myla, Hino, and I have left Lander turns to Kallen.

"I'm a little surprised he didn't ask about my ears. I thought he only recently discovered magic." He says and Kallen nods.

"Yeah, but he apparently has an Elf living with him. I haven't met her though." Kallen answers.

"Do you know what her name is?" Lander asks and Kallen shakes his head no.

"How do you not remember? Hino was telling us about her the other day. She's pretty shy and is an Alchemist, surprisingly. Her name is Ramia." Sugano says.

"She's alive? I thought her caravan was destroyed." Lander says, thinking aloud.

"You know her then?" Sugano asks and Lander nods.

"Yeah, she lived in the Elven village I used to live at. Her parents passed and some humans adopted her. I was good friends with them but, well you know how Elves typically are. They sent me a letter a few weeks ago saying she was on her way and asking me to take care of her. By then, however, her caravan had been attacked by Goblins. I hired the Hunting Guild to look for her, but they couldn't even find the Goblins. Her parents were so devastated hearing this, they asked me to help them move out here. In fact, they're arriving in a few hours. They'll be so glad to hear she's alive." Lander says.

"Wait, the Hunting Guild couldn't find any traces of the Goblins? How? Did the Goblins have another monster that was intelligent enough to cover their tracks leading them?" Kallen asks in disbelief.

"No, it was confirmed that a Goblin King was present. But, as I'm sure you know, all King-class monsters are too prideful to let another monster outside their clan aid them. According to the Guild, the Goblins just disappeared into thin air. They couldn't even find traces of a Dungeon." Lander says before remembering something. "Wait, has Eric recently left this city?" He asks.

"No, we've placed a tracker on him. At first, it was to make sure we could track him down in case he joined a dark guild. But we've left it on him in case the Devils manage to kidnap him. But we know he's only gone as far as the farms towards the south. Why?" Kallen answers.

"The caravan was attacked out east of here. Around the state border. So how'd he find her if he was here?" Lander asks and Kallen and Sugano remain silent, unable to find an answer.