Noctis carefully adjusted the Heavenly Demonic Arts scroll back into its preservation slot while faint spiritual light drifted across the ancient shelves surrounding the chamber. The linen surface of the manual brushed softly against his fingers as he aligned the jade rollers with the formation markings engraved into the storage rack, and the moment the scroll settled fully into place, thin streams of preservation aura flowed quietly across the shelf to seal the manual once more beneath the layered maintenance formations overhead.
The chamber remained calm around him.
Dust drifted slowly beneath the rotating preservation arrays while the scent of old ink, dried herbs, bamboo, and ancient linen lingered throughout the hidden room. Hundreds of eastern scrolls rested across the surrounding shelves beneath faintly glowing formation seals, and the farther Noctis stepped away from the Heavenly Demonic Arts manual, the stranger the entire chamber continued feeling to him. Every shelf surrounding him contained traces of another civilization buried beneath the academy vault for reasons he still did not fully understand.
Valdred remained near the chamber entrance while watching him carefully beneath the dim preservation lighting. The vice principal had spent nearly the entire time Noctis examined the cultivation manual standing with defensive aura quietly circulating beneath his robes as though preparing for some unknown disaster to emerge from the scroll at any moment, and only after seeing the Heavenly Demonic Arts returned safely to its designated position did the tension around his shoulders finally begin easing slightly.
"Good," Valdred muttered while folding his arms beneath the rotating formations overhead. "Now let us leave before you decide this chamber belongs to you."
Noctis glanced toward him while preservation light shifted softly across the surrounding shelves. "You say that like it is an unreasonable thought."
"It is."
"Debatable."
The vice principal sighed through his nose while the two slowly turned toward the chamber exit. The preservation formations embedded throughout the walls continued humming quietly around them, and as Noctis walked between the towering shelves lined with cultivation manuals, his gaze lingered repeatedly across the bamboo scrolls, silk wrappings, faded calligraphy labels, and ancient jade rollers surrounding the hidden chamber. The more he observed the storage methods and preservation structures throughout the room, the more convinced he became that these manuals had not been casually collected curiosities. Someone had deliberately preserved them with extreme care.
Then suddenly—
several formation rings embedded throughout the chamber walls brightened faintly.
The drifting preservation aura throughout the room shifted slightly.
Valdred stopped walking immediately.
A familiar voice spread calmly through the chamber moments later.
"Noctis, you may take any of these scrolls if you want."
The vice principal froze beneath the preservation light.
Then slowly turned toward the surrounding formations while disbelief spread visibly across his exhausted expression.
"Principal?"
The older demon's voice echoed softly throughout the hidden chamber again while faint spiritual light continued moving across the shelves surrounding them.
"It appears the boy actually understands what those manuals are."
Valdred stared upward toward the rotating formations overhead while one hand instinctively pressed against his forehead.
"Principal," he said carefully, "these scrolls were sealed personally by you. You labeled them dangerous and restricted them from academy access."
"And yet they have remained untouched for years," the principal replied calmly. "No one within the academy could properly identify their contents. Most assumed they were foreign magical records with incompatible structure."
Noctis remained silent while listening, though his attention had already shifted back toward the countless cultivation manuals lining the surrounding shelves.
The principal continued speaking through the preservation formations while dim light reflected softly across the old bamboo scrolls nearest the chamber walls.
"But Noctis recognized the manuals immediately. More importantly, he actually understood the contents." A faint trace of amusement entered the principal's voice afterward. "That alone already makes him more suitable for these scrolls than allowing them to continue gathering dust beneath seals forever."
Valdred's expression gradually became more pained beneath the preservation lighting.
The vice principal clearly wanted to object further.
Unfortunately for him, openly arguing against the principal's decision inside the vault itself was not something he could realistically do.
Meanwhile Noctis slowly turned his gaze across the surrounding shelves once more while countless possibilities surfaced one after another inside his mind. Combat arts. Demonic refinement methods. Spiritual body tempering manuals. Weapon cultivation techniques. Sect inheritance systems.
If even half the chamber contained authentic cultivation methods—
then the academy principal had somehow acquired fragments of an entirely different civilization and hidden them beneath the academy for years.
"Thank you, Principal," Noctis said respectfully while preservation aura drifted quietly through the chamber around him. "Although there are far too many manuals here for me to make a decision quickly."
A low laugh echoed faintly throughout the chamber afterward.
"Then take your time."
Valdred slowly closed his eyes.
Painfully.
The principal sounded almost entertained now.
"These cultivation manuals will not count toward your treasure reward limit."
The vice principal's jaw visibly tightened beneath the dim chamber lighting while the surrounding preservation formations continued rotating overhead.
Noctis meanwhile looked genuinely pleased.
"Thank you again, Principal."
"You are welcome."
Noctis glanced toward the endless shelves surrounding the hidden chamber once more before eventually shifting his attention back toward Valdred.
"In that case," he said while stepping slowly toward the chamber exit, "perhaps we should continue exploring the vault first. I would rather return later and examine these manuals properly without rushing through them."
Valdred slowly opened his eyes again.
Then sighed deeply.
"…Fine."
The ward formations surrounding the chamber entrance gradually parted while preservation air drifted outward into the deeper vault corridors beyond.
The two left the hidden chamber afterward and continued descending deeper beneath the academy.
Time passed slowly underground.
The academy vault stretched far deeper than Noctis originally expected, and as he followed Valdred through endless corridors lined with suppression arrays, rotating preservation formations, and sealed chamber entrances, the underground structure gradually stopped resembling an organized treasury and instead began feeling like the buried remains of multiple civilizations layered together beneath the academy over countless years.
Some corridors carried lingering traces of battlefield aura so ancient that portions of the stone walls themselves had become permanently discolored by old magical pressure.
Others preserved broken relics sealed behind reinforced barriers while fragments of unstable abyssal aura drifted continuously around the containment chambers.
Farther below, entire sections of the underground structure appeared partially abandoned, with collapsed pathways, flickering maintenance formations, and ancient suppression pillars covered in layers of dust thick enough to suggest centuries of neglect.
The academy above felt old.
The vault beneath it felt older.
Noctis continued observing everything carefully while walking beside Valdred through the underground corridors. Every chamber represented another possibility for strengthening the fallen angels and transformed clergymen waiting above, and as the two continued descending deeper into the academy vault, the surrounding atmosphere gradually began changing once again.
The air became warmer.
Heavy draconic pressure spread faintly through the nearby corridors while crimson-orange light flickered softly across the stone floor beneath reinforced containment arrays embedded throughout the walls.
Noctis slowed slightly while observing the shifting aura around them.
The pressure ahead felt ancient.
Not merely powerful.
Ancient.
Valdred noticed the reaction immediately while continuing toward a heavily sealed chamber entrance farther ahead.
"That relic was discovered decades ago," the vice principal explained while activating the layered containment formations guarding the chamber. "The academy never fully identified it."
The seals gradually opened.
Heat rolled outward immediately.
The chamber beyond carried overwhelming draconic aura that pressed heavily against the surrounding space while crimson-orange light reflected continuously across the rotating suppression formations embedded throughout the walls and ceiling. Massive containment pillars surrounded the central relic while ancient draconic script glowed faintly across the chamber floor beneath layered sealing arrays.
At the center floated a massive crystalline core.
Noctis stepped farther into the chamber while heat distorted portions of the surrounding air around the relic.
At first glance the object resembled a dragon core.
Then he looked closer.
Inside the translucent crimson-black crystal, countless streams of silver light rotated endlessly through the core like distant stars drifting through an enclosed galaxy. Nebula-like patterns moved continuously beneath the crystalline surface while clusters of faint light formed and dissolved throughout the swirling interior space.
The farther Noctis observed the relic, the stranger it became.
The core did not merely contain draconic aura.
It carried the unsettling impression that an entire fragment of distant space had somehow been compressed into crystalline form.
Noctis slowly approached while the galaxy-like patterns reflected faintly across his eyes beneath the chamber lighting.
"Principal," he asked while continuing to observe the relic carefully, "do you know what this actually is?"
Several nearby formations brightened faintly before the principal's voice echoed calmly through the chamber.
"I discovered it inside an ancient ruin during one of my expeditions. Unfortunately, I was unable to determine its exact origin."
The galaxy-like patterns inside the crystal continued rotating endlessly beneath the layered containment arrays surrounding it.
"The only thing I confirmed with certainty was the draconic nature of its aura."
Noctis remained standing before the relic while observing the miniature galaxy shifting continuously within the core.
The pressure emanating from it felt ancient beyond normal draconic bloodlines.
Almost cosmic.
Eventually he extended one hand toward the containment field while the surrounding suppression formations brightened immediately in response. Draconic aura surged briefly through the chamber while heat spread across his arm, and moments later the crystalline core slowly floated into his palm beneath the layered containment arrays.
The swirling galaxy inside the relic shifted faintly the moment his fingers wrapped around it.
Noctis narrowed his eyes slightly while continuing to observe the movement beneath the crystal surface.
Interesting.
The reaction had been subtle.
But real.
Valdred noticed it as well.
"That thing has never reacted to anyone before."
Noctis continued studying the galaxy-like currents rotating within the core while possibilities surfaced gradually inside his mind. He still did not fully understand what the relic truly was, but one thing remained obvious.
This core possessed value far beyond ordinary draconic materials.
Eventually a blood-red portal opened beside him before the draconic relic disappeared into storage moments later.
The surrounding draconic pressure inside the chamber weakened noticeably afterward.
Valdred folded his arms while glancing toward Noctis. "You looked unusually interested in that one."
"I am."
"That concerns me."
"It should."
The vice principal sighed heavily beneath the lingering draconic aura filling the chamber.
Noctis looked around the containment room once more before shifting his attention toward the nearby formations.
"Principal," he asked, "are there any other treasures here that may prove useful?"
A brief silence followed.
Then the principal answered calmly.
"There is one more chamber you may find particularly interesting."
Valdred visibly tensed.
"The treasures originate from the World of Gods."
Noctis's gaze sharpened slightly while the draconic chamber lighting reflected faintly across his eyes.
"World of Gods?"
"They are elemental materials," the principal explained. "Valdred knows the chamber location."
The vice principal slowly closed his eyes.
Then opened them again while visibly suppressing another sigh.
"Of course I do."
"Lead him there."
Valdred gestured silently toward the corridor exit afterward.
The two continued descending deeper beneath the academy vault.
The farther they traveled, the stranger the surrounding environment gradually became. Thin layers of frost spread intermittently across portions of the underground walls while warm wind currents drifted through the corridors despite the sealed structure surrounding them. Sparks occasionally crackled across nearby suppression pillars before dissolving into the air, and farther below, traces of water mist drifted through sections of the tunnels beneath rotating elemental formations embedded into the stone.
The elemental pressure intensified steadily around them.
Eventually another massive chamber opened ahead.
The moment Noctis stepped inside, shifting elemental light flooded the surrounding space.
Rotating formations suspended throughout the ceiling continuously regulated unstable elemental energies drifting around the chamber while streams of frost, flame, wind, lightning, water, earth, shadow, and light aura moved through the air like living currents beneath layered preservation arrays.
One section of the chamber radiated intense heat while drifting embers floated continuously around several crimson containment pillars. Nearby, freezing mist spread softly across the floor beneath pale blue formation arrays while tiny ice crystals drifted slowly through the surrounding air. Farther within the chamber, arcs of golden lightning crackled intermittently between floating barriers while compressed wind currents circulated around emerald preservation fields strong enough to visibly distort portions of the nearby atmosphere.
At the center of the chamber floated dozens of spherical orbs suspended beneath layered elemental formations.
Each orb radiated a different elemental affinity.
But unlike ordinary magical crystals, these objects felt alive.
Noctis continued walking deeper into the elemental chamber while rotating preservation formations overhead released shifting streams of colored light across the stone floor beneath his boots. As he passed one floating crimson sphere near the center of the chamber, waves of intense heat distorted the surrounding air strongly enough that nearby suppression arrays periodically flickered beneath the pressure. Molten currents rotated continuously beneath the translucent surface of the orb like compressed magma trapped inside crystal form, and every few moments drifting embers spreading through the chamber spiraled instinctively toward the sphere before dissolving into sparks against its containment field.
Nearby, a sapphire-colored orb released flowing streams of cold mist while the translucent image of a coiling water dragon moved endlessly through the sphere's interior beneath rotating preservation seals. Its serpentine body appeared and vanished repeatedly within the swirling elemental currents trapped inside the orb, and as the surrounding mist spread softly across the nearby floor, thin layers of frost gradually crystallized around the base of the containment formation supporting the sphere.
Farther beyond it floated a golden orb radiating sharp arcs of lightning that occasionally leapt outward and struck nearby formations before dispersing into showers of sparks across the chamber walls. Deep within the sphere itself, countless strands of electrical energy twisted continuously together into the faint outline of a winged beast formed entirely from lightning.
Several meters away, an emerald-green orb rotated slowly beneath compressed atmospheric pressure while miniature hurricanes spiraled endlessly through the sphere's interior. Every few moments the surrounding wind currents shifted violently around the orb before calming once more beneath the regulating formations embedded throughout the chamber ceiling.
Near the rear section of the room, a dark violet sphere drifted quietly beneath shadow-covered preservation seals while black mist continuously circled around its surface. Occasionally the silhouette of a massive serpent-like creature appeared faintly inside the darkness before vanishing once more into the swirling void hidden within the orb.
Noctis continued walking slowly between the suspended elemental spheres while shifting lights from the surrounding formations reflected across the chamber walls around them.
"These are the treasures?"
Valdred nodded while keeping a cautious distance from several unstable lightning spheres floating near the upper sections of the chamber.
"The principal recovered most of them during expeditions into the World of Gods."
Noctis approached one floating orb while elemental pressure intensified around his body.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the sphere, dense elemental energy surged immediately through his arm beneath the layered formations regulating the chamber. Heat spread gradually across his palm while compressed currents of fire aura rotated continuously beneath the translucent shell of the orb.
Noctis slowly rotated the sphere beneath the shifting chamber lights while his senses extended deeper into the object's internal structure.
The farther he examined the orb, the more familiar the energy composition gradually became.
Compressed elemental aura.
Biological energy remnants.
Internal circulation pathways.
As the elemental pressure continued flowing steadily through the sphere in his hand, memories from his understanding of magical beasts surfaced naturally inside his mind. The dense biological aura hidden beneath the elemental pressure did not resemble ordinary magical crystals at all. Instead, the internal circulation structures, compressed elemental nucleus, and lingering traces of creature essence matched the composition of monster cores almost perfectly, except the energy density inside these specimens far exceeded anything produced by ordinary magical beasts.
These belonged to creatures from the World of Gods.
Noctis continued observing the orb carefully while possibilities surfaced rapidly inside his mind beneath the colorful elemental lights drifting throughout the chamber.
If integrated into armor, the elemental affinities would dramatically increase elemental resistance.
If embedded into weapons, the weapons themselves could inherit elemental attributes.
Crimson Arsenal could integrate them directly into blood-forged equipment.
The fallen angels' armor.
The transformed clergymen's weapons.
Bahamut's draconic equipment.
Every piece of equipment under his control could evolve further through elemental integration.
Noctis slowly tightened his grip around the monster core while shifting elemental lights reflected continuously across his eyes beneath the rotating chamber formations overhead.
For the first time since entering the academy vault, his thoughts were no longer focused solely on obtaining treasures.
Now he was envisioning the foundation of an entire equipment evolution system.