Hendrix stepped into the giant chamber, his boots clicking against the smooth stone floor. The sound seemed to bounce in the silence, causing his every movement to feel amplified. He stopped just past the entrance, his sharp eyes scanning the room for any signs of life.
But there was no one.
"I could've sworn…" Hendrix muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes. "I heard voices. Footsteps. Someone was here."
The room felt off—too quiet, too still. His instincts screamed at him that something was wrong. Hendrix advanced cautiously, his gaze sweeping over the chamber and settling on the stone platform that rose out of the water.
The treasure was still there.
Hendrix exhaled a sigh of relief and said in a low voice, "It seems I was just being too paranoid. This place—"
Hendrix was about to continue, but at that moment, he suddenly looked around the chamber. A chill ran down his spine. What greeted him was an empty room. The first time, his mind had not registered it, but now… now he realized that…
The treasures were gone.
"What the…?" Clone Hendrix whispered, his voice barely audible. His fists clenched tightly as anger and disbelief boiled within him. "No one could've… No one should've been able to—"
Clone Hendrix stopped mid-sentence, the words catching in his throat. The seals, the traps, the Abyssal Centipede—they were meant to make this room impenetrable. The perfect defense.
Unless someone had bypassed them entirely.
"Who…" Hendrix muttered through gritted teeth. "Who could've done this?"
"All the treasure!" Clone Hendrix gritted his teeth as he began to leave from where he had come in a brisk pace. "If I hurry, I might be able to close down the entire island!"
Deep beneath the surface of the lake, Nox, who had climbed into the opening he had come from, swam with all his might. Just a few seconds before the presence had appeared, he had quickly activated Phantom Cloak, turning invisible.
In his inventory, the treasures he'd managed to secure sat safely. Not all of them, unfortunately—he'd been forced to leave one behind. The last moments in the chamber had been tense, and although he wasn't scared, Nox didn't dare spend another second there and quickly left the remaining item he was supposed to take. Hence, he had no idea about the clone that had entered the room moments after he left.
Though he felt a bit of regret, as he suspected that the item on the elevated platform was the most powerful among all the treasures, he decided to console himself with the ones he had obtained.
"Better a successful thief than a dead one," Nox thought grimly.
After making a considerable distance from the chamber, Nox deactivated Phantom Cloak. Swimming while invisible was a very strange feeling, and he didn't feel comfortable, which greatly reduced his overall speed.
As soon as Nox deactivated Phantom Cloak, he felt the cold water pressing heavily against him as he swam against the current. It was powerful but not strong enough to restrict him.
Nox finally broke the surface of the water, gasping for air as his head emerged near the edge of the lake. He dragged himself onto the shore and collapsed onto his back, his chest rising and falling.
"It's not wise to stay at the crime scene. I'd better leave before—" Nox said as he got to his feet, noticing the presence of his beast, who arrived before the lake as he had instructed.
Moments later, a booming voice, which Nox recognized as Boris Fanum's, echoed throughout the forest, announcing the end of the test.
Nox began to make his way back to the bridge. There were slight hops in his steps and a sly smirk that threatened to break into a grin on his handsome face.
"You seem excited. It looks like you got a lot of soul fruits."
While he was walking, Nox suddenly heard a voice from behind. Turning around, he noticed it was Theo Fanum.
"A lot, actually. You won't believe me if I tell you," Nox said.
"Hehehe, I doubt it's as much as mine," Theo smirked, puffing out his chest in an arrogant manner. But the smile on his face made Nox realize that he was only messing around and not actually serious.
Nox had been observing Theo for a while now, and he could easily tell that he was not the prideful, arrogant type. He seemed like a pretty good person, even if Nox had not known him for too long. But still, Nox wouldn't consider him a friend yet.
"Just watch and see," Nox responded with a smug smile. He was inwardly laughing in his mind. How was he supposed to tell this guy that he had hundreds of soul fruits lying in his spatial space?
While Nox and the rest of the students were heading toward the wooden bridge, back in the temple atop a hill, Clone Hendrix had ascended the flight of stairs. Through a long corridor with windows on the sides, he arrived at the courtyard.
In the courtyard, the real Hendrix was training as usual, and big beads of sweat rolled off his body. He continued to swing his weapon even after noticing his clone approaching silently from behind.
The clone clenched his fists, his face filled with unease. Hendrix, even without turning around, sensed the uneasiness and asked,
The clone didn't respond immediately and only bit his lips. After a while and with a deep sigh, he said, "The treasures… all of them have been stolen."
Hendrix paused mid-swing, a sharp light flashing across his eyes. "What did you say?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"The treasures… someone has stolen all of them," the clone repeated after hesitating for a while.
Hendrix's grip on his weapon tightened, the veins on his forearm bulging.
"All of them?" Hendrix asked calmly, but one could see the fury in his eyes. "Every single one?"
The clone hesitated, then nodded, swallowing hard. "Except one, Master. The artifact on the stone platform—whoever it was didn't take it."
"Did you see anyone?" Hendrix demanded, his tone icy.
The clone shook his head. "By the time I arrived, the chamber was empty. The thief must've escaped just before I entered."
Hendrix, without saying anything, walked to the edge of the countryard and glanced below. His gaze settled on the group of students who were slowly making their way across the wooden bridge to the other side, where the academy was located.