Amber Reign—the name of the Artifact that Rosaline wielded as her signature weapon.
She had discovered it in her basement shortly after her Hunter skills awakened. It had been meticulously preserved in a hidden compartment behind a wall, accompanied by a single letter: 'If this is the path you must one day walk... use it well. I believe in you.' It was the only heirloom her father had left behind before his disappearance.
"Amber Reign." The moment Rosaline uttered the name, a warm orange glow emanated from the amber. Within that faint radiance, white motes began gravitating toward the gem.
"Mana... particles," Eugene whispered, his eyes widening. Meanwhile, the Hunter girl remained deathly calm.
Her deep blue eyes were now glazed with an orange hue. She watched as Amalin and Charlwind retreated to stand by her side.
"Rosaline, give four mana orbs to Alka. Then, consume the rest yourself," Charlwind commanded.
Rosaline obeyed instantly, guiding four orbs to float up to Alka, who was still hovering above. She consumed the remaining three.
"Can we hold them off for ten minutes?" Rosaline asked, her gaze fixed on the gargantuan creature ahead.
Alka, now replenished with mana, turned to the water spirit. "Create a Water Dome, now!"
The spirit responded by raising her hands, summoning massive waves that curved and locked together, forming a protective dome around the group. The sudden swarm of insects slammed into the watery barrier, only to be swept upward by the churning currents. Though battered, they remained persistent, relentlessly diving back into the dome alongside the parasitic serpents.
Meanwhile, the amber glow grew increasingly blinding. Structural metal began to manifest around the gem, extending outward until the staff resembled a lethal spear.
"What kind of artifact is this? Does such a thing even exist?" Amalin breathed in disbelief.
Even Alka looked stunned. "That kind of power... is it a hidden potential? Is that staff a Legendary-tier artifact?"
"Her staff is gathering mana. It requires a massive amount," Charlwind noted, bracing his ice shield against a charging insect. He pulled an ice dagger from his inventory, looked at the mismatched size of his weapon and shield, and shrugged. "Terribly unbalanced."
"Professor, you can't kill this many bugs with a scalpel. No matter how good your throwing skills are, you won't survive the numbers," Amalin teased, resting her ice pickaxe on her shoulder.
"I'm good for more than just throwing knives. That's just a hobby," Charlwind replied with a confident smirk, adjusting his glasses. "They think we're committing everything to kill them now—which we are—but until Rosaline and Alka have enough mana, we need to bottle them up. We'll open a small 'window' in the dome. Let them in, and we'll cut them down one by one."
"And then?" Amalin asked.
"And then... we survive this hellish loop for ten minutes. If anything goes wrong, Alka, seal the dome and clear whatever got inside immediately," Charlwind directed. "Stay sharp. We won't get a second chance. Edgar, I need you out here!"
"Edgar's here!" The clay golem in Adrian's form skipped out of the dome. He didn't forget to carefully place the ice box containing Eugene's arm onto the bed first.
"Man, I really wish I could blast some heavy metal right now," Amalin said, shaking her head with a grin as Charlwind handed Edgar a specially made ice sword.
"I prefer classical, unfortunately," Charlwind mused. He turned to Edgar, whose face was smeared with chocolate. "Alright, Edgar. Take this sword and do exactly as I say. Finish this, and I'll get you more sweets."
"Yay! Charlwind is the best!" Edgar cheered, jumping with joy. The flashlight on his head wobbled with every movement.
"When you swing, just go slash-slash, wham-wham," Charlwind explained. Edgar nodded vigorously. "We'll handle whatever you miss."
Rosaline looked on, concerned. "Edgar has strength, but he has no combat skills."
"It'll be fine," Charlwind assured her.
"...Rosaline, don't worry," Edgar said, using her name and giving her a childlike smile. "This time, Edgar will protect everyone."
Rosaline bit her lip, then glanced at Charlwind's confident expression before tightening her grip on her spear. "If anything goes wrong, I'm deploying my Domain immediately."
Edgar nodded again and stepped forward, ice sword in hand, with Charlwind and Amalin flanking him. Behind them stood Rosaline and Eugene, with Alka hovering above.
"Now!" Charlwind barked. Alka parted the water dome instantly.
The insects swarmed in as expected, lunging for Edgar first. Rosaline watched him intently, her 'Flames of Plundering' flickering along the edge of Edgar's ice blade.
"Okay, Edgar will show you!" The golem stuck a finger through the hole in the hilt and began spinning his wrist with a strange sound, mimicking an engine starting: "Vroom! Vroom! Vroooom!"
The ice sword blurred, spinning at a speed invisible to the naked human eye. Even to the Hunters, the blade was a blur, but the sheer force and vibration it generated—even with just one hand—was staggering.
Any insect that touched the spinning blade was instantly shredded like it had flown into a turbine. The parasitic snakes fared no better. The faint red flames incinerated the remains, releasing a steady stream of white mana motes.
Edgar knew nothing of technique or swordsmanship, but this was the most efficient way for him to use the immense physical strength of the body he inhabited.
As motes of mana gathered, seven orbs formed around Rosaline. She gave four to Alka and consumed the rest to recover. The excess mana was sucked into the amber head of the staff, which began to vibrate and grow hot.
Rosaline held on tight. She knew the most dangerous part was coming. The brighter the light became, the more the staff shook and the temperature rose. Eugene gripped it with his remaining hand, enduring the heat. "Miss... Grey Hood."
"Don't let go," Rosaline urged. "Just a little longer."
Suddenly, the insects and parasites retreated, causing the mana collection to stall. They were regrouping, waiting for a better opening.
Edgar stopped spinning the sword. "Aww... they left. I wanted to play more."
Charlwind clicked his tongue in frustration. "They caught on. We were so close."
"Professor, what now?" Amalin asked. "Where else are we going to get mana?"
"There's a way. Hermit..." Charlwind thought for a moment, then looked up with a lopsided grin, holding up an ice scalpel. "Use your skill on this."
"Professor," Rosaline protested, still holding the vibrating staff. "...If I do that, you'll have no mana left for your own skills."
"I can't use my skills in a place like this anyway," Charlwind countered. "Just do it."
Rosaline took a breath and applied the skill to the scalpel.
Thuck! The flaming scalpel sank into Charlwind's arm. Very little blood escaped, but a stream of white motes began flowing from the wound into the amber.
[You are losing Mana from Skill: 3500/4000] [You are continuously losing Mana: 3000/4000] [Your Mana: 0/4000]
The amber glowed brighter, and the vibration intensified, but it still wasn't enough.
"Professor," Eugene said, his face set in determination. "Me too."
Charlwind nodded and pressed the blade into the boy's arm.
[You are losing Mana from Skill: 1500/2000]
"Count me in," Amalin said.
"Not you. If Alka runs out of steam, you're our last line of defense," Charlwind said, before heading into the dome to take mana from the wounded members. "Sorry, guys. It's necessary."
Now, Amber Reign had sufficient mana. It glowed with the intensity of a miniature sun, reflecting off the water dome in brilliant oranges. Seeing the "sun" within the dome, the insects retreated further under Algeda's command.
"Drop the dome and blow the gas out of here!" Charlwind ordered.
The water dome vanished, and a powerful gale swept the flammable gas away.
With the preparations complete, Rosaline spoke: "Let go, Eugene... Activate Weapon Exclusive Skill: Amber Judgment!"
Rosaline stepped back to brace herself, orange sparks erupting beneath her feet. The moment Eugene let go, she rocketed forward with the speed of a hurricane. The sheer force of her takeoff sent Eugene tumbling backward.
A violent gale cleared her path, thinning the remaining gas to prevent a backfire. Seeing her approach, Algeda lashed out with her red tentacles.
"You won't stop me."
The tip of the spear tore through the air, creating a white slipstream that looked like wings, acting as a shield. Any insect or parasite in her path was vaporized by the sheer momentum of her mana-driven thrust. Even the red tentacles were severed, leaving nothing but a trail of amber light in the eyes of allies and enemies alike.
"Go... Hermit."
Algeda let out a final, desperate roar and arched her body, splitting her own chest open.
Inside the cavity sat a figure.
Ellia ...