Chapter 216: Challenge Complete!

Soren walked through the quiet corridor, passing rows of private labs sealed behind reinforced glass doors, each one fitted with its own mana stabilizer.

This was where every certified Crafter in the Academy was given a personal lab to research and produce gear.

But the one he was looking for wasn’t just any Crafter.

She was an S-rank Crafter, Isolde Valemir!

‘She seems quite busy. Is she trying to meet the quota from the Academy?’

The place where he met her before was in the market, where he didn’t find her, prompting him to come here instead.

And looking at the area, it was definitely a specifically designed workshop for the Crafter class.

Soren stopped in front of a lab tucked at the very end of the corridor. Unlike the others, this one didn’t even have her name displayed on the digital panel outside, just a blank screen that occasionally flickered.

‘Still as antisocial as ever, huh.’

He scanned his guest pass, which he got from her before, against the panel before pushing the door open without waiting for a response.

“Oi, I told you not to come in without permission!”

A sharp voice rang out the moment the door slid open.

Isolde stood by her workstation, hair tied messily, a pair of mana-conductive gloves on her hands, glaring at him as he had just ruined her concentration.

“My bad, my bad. I figured you wouldn’t mind since it’s me.”

Soren raised both his hands in mock surrender, walking in anyway. With the few encounters they had these days, he was quite close to her.

Well, at least he thought so, as Isolde just frowned at him and turned to look at her desk instead.

“Tch, shameless as always.”

She clicked her tongue, setting down the tool in her hand. Then, she pulled off her gloves before turning to face him properly, her sharp eyes studying him from head to toe.

“So? What brings the great Soren to my lab today? Don’t tell me you finally decided to pay back the debt you owe me from last time.”

“Debt? What debt? I don’t recall owing you anything.”

“You conveniently forget things when it benefits you, don’t you?”

She crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed.

To be honest, although reluctant, she had given quite a bit of help to Soren already. From the noise-cancelling array to that bow of his, everything was made by her.

Even though he paid her mostly, he still owed her.

Especially after that incident where he stopped her from entering the Abyss.

If not for that dreadful incident with Professor Ruther, she would still be mad at him.

Maybe that’s why Soren didn’t tell her he was going to conquer Howling Chasm.

Just so he could surprise her.

“Haha…don’t think like that.”

Soren chuckled, deciding not to drag this further. Instead, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a small case, tossing it toward her.

“Here, I have a gift for you. I believe this will cover up every debt I owe you these days.”

Isolde caught it out of reflex, her brows furrowing in confusion as she opened the case.

But the moment she did so and saw what was inside, her entire expression changed immediately.

“This is…”

Her voice trembled slightly as she lifted out a small, translucent silver-blue crystal.

The faint hum coming from it resonated through the room, almost like it was singing a soft tune only she could hear.

An Echo Stone.

And there were lots of them inside the case.

“You…”

Isolde looked up at him, disbelief written all over her face. As Soren guessed, she was really caught off guard.

“Where did you even get this?”

She couldn’t help but ask, only to see Soren roll his eyes.

“From a dungeon, where else?”

Soren shrugged like it was the most casual thing in the world.

“As I promised, I conquered that D-rank Dungeon, the Howling Chasm, and brought what you wanted. And there is more than one, you see.”

He signalled at the case with a proud look. Their deal was that he would get her an Echo Stone. And he brought her more than that.

Well, he encountered a mine after all. This much was really nothing.

But for Isolde, things were a bit different.

“Y-You really…h-how…”

Even though she was a senior with a higher level than he, she couldn’t help but be shocked.

After all, Soren was really advancing too rapidly.

It didn’t even take him a month to fulfill his promise and win the challenge.

Really, Soren was something else.

As much as Isolde thought so, seeing his smug look at her surprise, her demeanor abruptly returned to its previous state as she clenched her hand, clutching the Echo Stone.

“Okay, it seems I underestimated you, junior. You win this challenge. Can you stop that smirk on your face now?”

She didn’t know why, but she felt like he was mocking her, making her annoyed.

So, she didn’t even wait for his response and chose a relatively large stone from the case before pushing the case toward his side.

“Hmm? Why are you pushing them to me? Didn’t I say they are yours?”

Soren asked, a bit confused, when Isolde rolled her eyes.

“Tch, you say it so easily. Do you know how many Crafters would kill for just one of these?”

Isolde held the stone carefully, almost like it would shatter if she wasn’t gentle enough.

Her eyes never left it, filled with a kind of greed that only a true Crafter could understand.

Despite this, she didn’t take more than she deserved from him.

“I only need one Echo Stone for my research. You can keep the rest for yourself. They are very rare items, you know.”

She suggested, albeit reluctantly. Her eyes never left the case.

To be honest, she was restraining herself from swooping in and taking everything. She had been struggling with funding problems recently, after all.

Still, unlike her usual self, she didn’t try to loot Soren since he really completed his challenge like he said he would.

‘If he is this capable, then maybe he might even allow me to join his exploration team.’

That hope remained, which made her feel that a few Echo Stones were nothing.

Unknowingly, Isolde now somehow wanted to impress Soren with her honesty.

To be honest, Soren couldn’t help but smile seeing her state before pushing the case toward her magnanimously.

“Keep it… Don’t worry, I have plenty of those stones with me.”