Dahlia stared at the cracked ruins, her hands on her hips. Her face darkened as she turned to Garion.
"Seriously? We ran for days through monster, poison air, and nearly died.... for a pile of rocks?"
Garion just smiled, turning back to her.
"Of course not. I’ve got the feeling that this place is important. Just wait for it."
In his mind, he shouted silently.
’System, tell me what’s here. Dahlia’s already in a very bad mood. Please don’t waste my time anymore.’
As if answering, a faint arrow appeared above him, pointing at a half-buried spot near one of the fallen pillars.
Garion raised a brow as he went to that spot, knelt, and picked something up from the ground, cleaning it a bit.
His eyes widened as it was a smooth, round black object about the size of a man’s head.
Its surface gleamed faintly under the dim light, like polished stone.
It was also heavier than it looked and cold to the touch.
"Dahlia, have you ever seen something ?"
But the moment Dahlia looked at the item, her breath caught. Her face paled instantly.
"No... How can this be? How can this be here?
"What? You know what this is?"
Dahlia swallowed hard, her body stiff.
"Yes. This thing... It’s called the Origin."
Garion tilted his head.
"Origin? That’s a pretty simple name."
Dahlia suddenly snapped at him, her voice sharp.
"What do you know, Master! The simpler the name, the more terrifying it is!"
He raised his brow, a little surprise at her tone.
"Terrifying? Why call it ’Origin’ then?"
Dahlia’s fists tightened.
"Because it’s the source."
Garion frowned, not knowing what Dahlia meant.
"Source? Source of what?"
She met his eyes, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and awe.
"The source of mana."
Garion froze, turning back toward the black sphere in his hands.
"Wait... What? You mean this thing actually produces mana?"
Dahlia nodded firmly.
"Yes. Origin is a special item that turns the land around it into a mana heaven." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelFɪre.net
Dahlia rubbed her forehead as she explained it more.
"With it, even barren land can become rich in energy, and that’s why it’s so scary and amazing at the same time."
Dahlia leaned in, narrowing her eyes at Garion, reminding him.
"Basically, entire sects, great clans, and empires are built on one of these. Without an Origin, they cannot rise to the top."
Garion whistled low, staring at the sphere.
"Damn... and here I thought it was just a fancy black ball. I never guessed it was this important."
Dahlia nodded again, her face still tight.
She studied the black sphere more carefully.
"But I never saw one described as dark in colour. They’re usually pure white or glowing blue. This one..."
She paused, biting her lips.
Garion’s eyes widened as he held the sphere tighter.
"So that’s it. This must be the reason why they called this place Demon Gate Island. The demonic mana might as well come from this thing."
Dahlia nodded slowly.
"Yes... What you said might be true, Master. Dark Origin, the source of black demonic mana."
Garion then lowered the sphere and turned to her with a curious look.
"But... how do you know about all this, Dahlia? You’re awfully knowledgeable about this thing."
Dahlia stiffened. For a moment, her lips parted, but no words came out.
Then she forced a weak smile and rolled her eyes.
"Haha... well... it’s just... I read it in a book once. That’s all. It said Origin is the most important item to have if you want to form a true super sect."
Garion studied her for a moment, then nodded slowly.
Dahlia let out a tiny breath of relief, shoulders slumping.
’Not now. I can’t tell him the truth yet.’
Garion tapped the sphere with his knuckle, grinning.
"Well, book or not, we’ve got one now. Looks like God Gym just got an upgrade."
Dahlia frowned, crossing her arms.
"Master, you really think you can use something this dangerous?"
Garion laughed, holding the Origin up like a trophy.
"Of course. Pain, danger, and whatever. You know my rule..."
Dahlia groaned, already knowing the answer.
"No pain, no gain..."
Garion grinned wider.
And at that very moment, a glowing screen appeared before his eyes.
[Item Acquired: Black Origin]
[New Task Generated: Submit Black Origin to the System]
[Completion Reward: New Gym]
Garion blinked, stunned.
’So this was the reason you dragged me here, huh? For this Black Origin?’
Instead, the screen cleared, leaving only four glowing arrows pointing inward like an empty frame.
"Damn it. Always so cryptic."
With a deep breath, Garion just put the Black Origin onto the screen ,and in an instant, it vanished into thin air.
Dahlia gasped, stepping forward.
"Master! What did you do? How can the Origin just disappear like that?!"
Garion waved his hand casually.
"Relax. This is how I used it. Your master is different from those elders."
Before Dahlia could argue, another screen appeared in front of him.
Then suddenly the ground beneath them began to rumble, shaking the things around.
Garion’s eyes narrowed. His smile faded into something more serious.
The tremor grew violent, and without wasting a second, Garion sprinted over to Dahlia and put her on her shoulder before running.
He dashed out of the ruins, just as the floor behind them caved in.
Dahlia, still catching her breath, not knowing what had happened, asked Garion.
"Master, what the hell is happening?!"
Garion put her down, steadying her, then glanced back at the ruins that were slowly crumbling away.
"You’ll know soon enough. For now, let’s put some distance between us and this place. Whatever’s coming... I don’t want us buried with it."
Dahlia bit her lip but nodded quickly.
Together, they hurried away from the ruins as the rumbling grew even louder behind them, the land reshaping itself into something entirely new.