Chapter 552: Sacred Treasure

Sylphy hovered near the end of the corridor, pointing excitedly toward the chamber ahead.

"Look! There’s something over there!"

Adam and Azrynn followed her into the room.

Unlike the previous chambers, this one was relatively spacious, with a large stone pedestal standing at its center. A magnificent statue resembling a griffin stood in front of it, its massive wings partially spread and its sharp gaze directed toward the entrance.

However, the statue wasn’t what caught their attention.

Floating behind the griffin was a beautiful green ring. Its design resembled intertwined vines, with delicate branches wrapping around its circular frame. At its center sat a brilliant purple gemstone, radiating a faint but mesmerizing glow.

A transparent barrier surrounded the treasure, preventing anyone from reaching it.

Sylphy immediately flew closer, her eyes sparkling.

"Oh! Look at that! It’s the first treasure!"

She pointed excitedly at the ring.

"Isn’t it beautiful? Come on, let’s keep going!"

"Wait."

Azrynn’s voice stopped her.

She stared at the floating ring, her golden eyes narrowing slightly. Something about its design seemed familiar.

Adam noticed her expression.

"What is it? Do you recognize that ring?"

Azrynn slowly nodded.

"I think so. I’ve seen something similar in the records kept by our elders."

She stepped closer to the barrier, carefully examining the object beyond it.

"That ring is a sacred treasure of the dark elves. It disappeared a very long time ago, and our elders believed it had been lost forever."

Her expression became more serious.

"I never expected to find it here."

Adam looked at the ring again.

"A sacred treasure? Do you know what it does?"

"Unfortunately, the records didn’t contain much information about its abilities. But its appearance is unmistakable."

Azrynn turned toward him.

"If possible, I’d like to take it back and return it to our elders. It belongs to my people, after all."

Adam considered it briefly before nodding.

"Sure. We can take it with us."

He then looked toward the little wind spirit.

"Sylphy, can you handle this?"

Sylphy’s cheerful expression immediately disappeared.

"Eh?"

She looked at the barrier, then back at Adam.

"Why me?!"

"Because you know this temple better than we do."

"I know the passages and some of the puzzles! That doesn’t mean I know how to open every treasure chamber!"

"Still worth asking."

Sylphy turned her face away.

"Besides, weren’t we being chased?! Shouldn’t we just keep moving instead of messing around with things we don’t understand?"

Adam shook his head.

"I don’t intend to leave a sacred treasure belonging to Azrynn’s people behind."

Azrynn nodded in agreement.

"If you don’t know how to open it, that’s fine. I’ll try to figure it out myself."

Sylphy’s wings suddenly stopped fluttering.

"...What?"

Azrynn approached the barrier, looking at its surface with a thoughtful expression.

"I might be able to identify the mechanism."

"W-Wait a minute!"

Sylphy hurriedly flew in front of her.

"Don’t underestimate me! I know how these things work!"

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Didn’t you just say you didn’t know how to open it?"

"That was before! Now I remember something!"

She crossed her arms proudly.

"Besides, I’ve tried taking treasures from places like this before. There are usually mechanisms protecting them, and the easiest way to activate those mechanisms is to touch the barrier."

Adam stared at her.

"...And you think that’s a good idea?"

"Of course! That’s how you find out what kind of guardian is protecting the treasure!"

Azrynn looked at her.

"Or it could activate another trap."

Sylphy’s expression stiffened.

"W-Well, that’s also possible..."

Adam let out a quiet sigh.

"Your confidence is reassuring."

"Just watch! I’ll show you!"

Before either of them could stop her, Sylphy flew toward the transparent barrier. She extended her tiny hand and carefully pressed it against the surface.

Then a faint ripple spread across the barrier.

The purple gemstone in the center of the green ring flashed.

A low rumbling sound echoed throughout the chamber.

The griffin statue’s head began to move.

Stone fragments crumbled from its neck as its enormous wings slowly unfolded. Two glowing eyes opened beneath its stone brows, illuminating the chamber with a brilliant golden light.

Sylphy froze in midair.

"...Ah."

Adam slowly turned his head toward her.

"You said you’ve done this before, right?"

"Y-Yes?"

"And what happened afterward?"

Sylphy swallowed.

"Usually... the statue starts moving."

Adam closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"Of course it does."

The griffin spread its enormous wings, sending a powerful gust of wind throughout the chamber. Dust and loose stone fragments scattered across the floor as the ancient guardian slowly descended from its pedestal.

Its golden eyes fixed on the three intruders.

Then it opened its beak and released another deafening roar.

"ROOOAAARRR!"

Adam instinctively stepped forward, positioning himself between the guardian and the two girls.

"Alright. Since you were the one who activated it, I hope you have a plan."

Sylphy immediately shook her head.

"Why are you looking at me?! I told you it would start moving!"

"You conveniently forgot to mention that part."

"I didn’t forget! I just didn’t think it was important!"

Adam gave her a blank stare.

’This little spirit is going to give me a headache.’

The griffin suddenly flapped its wings.

A powerful gust swept toward them, forcing Adam to brace himself. Azrynn quickly drew a rune in front of her, creating a protective barrier that softened the impact.

However, the guardian wasn’t finished.

It lunged forward, its massive claws tearing through the stone floor as it charged toward them.

"Azrynn, stay back!"

Adam stepped forward and raised his scythe.

The griffin’s claws collided with the dark blade.

CLANG!

The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber. Adam’s feet slid backward several meters, leaving deep marks across the stone floor.

He adjusted his grip, observing the creature.

Unlike the previous guardians, this one possessed considerably more fluid movements. Its body was made of stone, but its wings and claws moved with the agility of a living beast.

Before Adam could counterattack, the griffin pulled back and launched itself into the air.

Its wings beat once.

A concentrated blade of wind formed around its claws before it dived toward him.

Adam twisted aside, narrowly avoiding the attack. The wind blade struck the floor, carving a long gash through the stone.

"It’s using wind magic!" Azrynn shouted.

"Yeah!"

Adam raised his hand and released several Void Tendrils. The dark appendages shot toward the griffin, attempting to wrap around its wings and legs.

However, the guardian twisted in midair and released a burst of wind.

The tendrils were torn apart before they could reach their target.

"That’s troublesome..."

Azrynn immediately drew her bow.

Several purple runes appeared around the arrowhead as she pulled the string back. She released it, sending the projectile toward the griffin’s right wing.

The arrow struck.

A purple explosion erupted, forcing the guardian to lose its balance momentarily.

"Adam! Its movements are being restricted!"

He didn’t waste the opportunity.

Adam disappeared from his position and reappeared above the guardian, his scythe already raised.

[Eclipse Spines!]

Several dark crystalline spikes emerged from the surrounding space, converging toward the griffin from multiple directions.

The guardian spread its wings and generated a powerful wind barrier.

Most of the spikes were deflected, but two managed to penetrate its left wing.

A cracking sound echoed through the chamber.

The griffin released a furious screech before crashing onto the floor.

Adam landed several meters away, watching as the guardian struggled to regain its footing.

"It’s not completely invulnerable, at least."

"Adam!" Azrynn called. "Look at its chest!"

He followed her gaze.

Beneath the griffin’s stone feathers, a faint purple light was pulsing around its chest. It wasn’t particularly noticeable while the creature was moving, but now that it had fallen, the source of its power had become clearer.

A small purple crystal was embedded beneath its chest armor.

"Is that its core?"

"I believe so! The magic sustaining its body seems to originate from there!"

Adam narrowed his eyes.

’So that was the weak point.’

However, reaching it wouldn’t be easy. The griffin was already beginning to recover, and the damaged sections of its wings were slowly repairing themselves.

Behind them, Sylphy suddenly spoke.

"Ah! I remember now!"

Adam glanced at her.

"Please tell me this is actually useful information."

"I’ve seen this guardian before! It’s called the Verdant Griffin!"

"Wonderful. Does knowing its name help us defeat it?"

"Of course it does!"

Sylphy flew closer, pointing toward the floating ring.

"That ring is the reason it’s here! The guardian was created to protect it, but the ring also controls the guardian!"

Adam looked at the green ring behind the griffin.

"Then, how do we retrieve it?"

"That’s what I’m trying to remember!"

The griffin suddenly rose again, its golden eyes glowing brighter than before.

Its wings spread wide, and the air throughout the chamber began to swirl violently.

Azrynn raised her bow once more.

"Whatever the answer is, we’d better find it quickly."

Adam tightened his grip on his scythe.

"Agreed."

He glanced at the guardian, then at the purple crystal embedded in its chest.

’I can probably break that core if I concentrate enough force into one attack.’

But he wasn’t certain what would happen to the ring if the guardian was destroyed.

And considering how important it was to Azrynn’s people, he preferred not to take that risk.

"Alright, Sylphy. Figure out how to disable it without damaging the treasure."

The little spirit nodded nervously.

"I’m trying!"

The griffin let out another roar.

Its enormous wings began beating, gathering enough wind to fill the entire chamber.

Adam and Azrynn prepared themselves for the next attack, while Sylphy hurriedly searched her memories for the mechanism that could finally bring the guardian to rest.