The Broken Halo

Yara and Orvek were inwardly relieved.

Neither of them showed it on their faces, but after the first two shells produced nothing but a dead reef parasite and rotten beast marrow, they had both started to worry.

It was not because the pavilion would be blamed. Simon had been told clearly that rock gambling came with no guarantees, and he had paid willingly. Even the most expensive abyss shell could contain trash.

Their concern was much simpler.

Simon was a first-time customer who had spent hundreds of thousands of low grade hell stones without hesitation. If his first experience ended with six worthless shells, he might never return to the Abyss Shell Pavilion.

Losing such a customer would already be unfortunate.

Losing one who had a connection with Korran Veyl, the Iron Examiner, would be worse.

So when warm silver light and a breeze of demonic energy escaped from the third shell, both of them relaxed inwardly.

Orvek widened the narrow opening with extreme care. His metal thread moved along the weakest section of the shell, shaving away one thin layer after another until the bronze-coloured exterior split apart.

Crack

The two halves slowly opened.

A book rested inside.

Its cover was dark silver and slightly rough, while thin green lines crossed it like currents of wind. Some dust had gathered around the edges, but there were no signs of decay.

Orvek stared at it for a moment before carefully lifting it out.

”The pages are made from treated stormhide parchment,” he said. ”The material resists water, decay, and changes in temperature. The abyss shell also sealed it away from the outside world.”

He held the book out to Simon.

Simon accepted it with both hands. He wiped away the dust on the cover and looked at the title written in faded silver characters.

[Fury Tempest Art]

His eyes flickered with surprise.

”A wind technique?”

Yara moved a little closer, but she did not attempt to read over his shoulder.

”It should be an offensive technique,” Orvek said after seeing the small symbol beneath the title. ”The symbol was commonly used for destructive wind arts several centuries ago.”

Simon looked at the book with a strange expression.

He had chosen this shell randomly.

Out of all the things it could have contained, it held a wind technique when he had just revealed a High S grade wind affinity during the recruitment.

His luck was becoming suspicious once again.

Still, he was curious.

The technique might not be stronger than something he could create with the knowledge of his past life, but old techniques sometimes contained unique ideas. Even if its original form was ordinary, he might be able to modify it and use it as a cover for his other abilities.

Simon did not open the book.

He had no desire to study it in front of Yara and Orvek, even inside a private room. He sent it into his spatial ring and looked at the remaining shells.

”I’ll read it later.”

Orvek nodded. He did not ask any questions and moved to the fourth shell.

This was the knee-high abyss shell recovered from a collapsed mine. Its outer layer was thick, but the Resonance Cutting Array revealed a straight path through one side.

Orvek cut it open in less time than the previous shell.

Inside was a dull lump of stone.

Yara inspected it with an appraisal plate, then shook her head.

”Ordinary mine rock. No useful ore and no demonic energy.”

Simon looked at it for a second.

An abyss shell had actually formed around another rock.

He could imagine the expression of a demon who spent all their wealth on such a shell only to find an ordinary stone inside.

Orvek moved on to the dark green shell recovered from the abandoned ruin near a hell hole.

The shell was softer than the others, but a foul smell escaped once the first few layers were removed. Orvek continued cutting until a dried root appeared inside.

The root crumbled the moment the air touched it.

”Dead medicinal material,” Yara said. ”It might have been valuable when the shell formed, but nothing remains.”

Five shells had now been opened.

Two contained trash.

Two contained things that had once possessed value but had decayed.

Only one had given Simon something useful.

That was already a better result than what many demons obtained from rock gambling.

Orvek cleaned the cutting table and finally turned toward the Dreadfall Sea shell.

The dark grey shell was placed inside a large basin beside the table. Orvek poured a thick blue-black solution over it until the entire lower half was submerged.

”The sea pressure made the layers extremely dense,” he explained. ”It needs to soften before I begin.”

Simon nodded.

As the solution slowly entered the small holes near the bottom, the black star containing UnholyRegeneration trembled.

The reaction was stronger than before, almost like the weaker the shell became, the stronger the reaction became.

Simon remained calm, but his attention never left the shell.

After several minutes, Orvek removed it from the basin and placed it in the center of the Resonance Cutting Array.

Hum!

The silver lines on the table lit up.

The first wave of vibrations entered the shell and returned almost immediately. Orvek frowned and adjusted the array before sending another wave through it.

The result was still unclear.

”Strange,” he muttered.

”What is it?” Yara asked.

”The inner density is uneven. Some areas are extremely hard, while others feel almost empty.”

Orvek tested it from four different directions before choosing where to begin.

The metal threads appeared between his fingers.

Unlike the earlier shells, the first layer alone took several minutes to remove. The threads released sharp sounds whenever they touched the shell, and Orvek had to stop repeatedly to examine the changing resistance.

Layer after layer fell away.

The dull reddish lines on the shell became darker.

At the same time, the black star in Simon’s Sea of Consciousness trembled more violently.

The tree-like rune inside it glowed without fading.

Simon’s expression remained indifferent, but his suspicion deepened.

Whatever was inside was definitely connected to UnholyRegeneration.

Orvek removed another layer.

The Resonance Cutting Array suddenly released a low hum, and the recording crystals on the walls flickered.

He stopped immediately.

”There’s a hollow section ahead.”

He changed the metal threads and began cutting from the flattened side of the shell. His movements became slower, and even Yara stopped speaking.

Chiiiiii

A thin crack appeared.

A cold and ancient feeling spread through the room.

UnholyRegeneration reacted so strongly that the black sea beneath the seven stars rippled.

Orvek’s eyes narrowed. He carefully inserted a metal thread into the crack and moved it along the edge.

Crack!

The final layer separated.

The shell opened.

And inside it were two objects.