After a bit more conversation, Ben parted ways with the Lady of the Lake and made his way back to the RV. He climbed inside and gave One order to continue exploring, then headed toward the rear compartment to take some time for himself.
Once the door slid shut behind him, he sat down and pulled the pickaxe into his lap.
Rarity: Divine (Growth)
Critical Strike Chance: 14%
Limitations: Cannot be used on living beings, equipment, or liquids.
Effect: When Blockify is used against a magic or spell, it consumes 10% of the mana cost used to create it.
A strange power lies within, turning nearly anything into blocks—but not without a cost.
Ben stared at the description, frowning. The Magic Destroyer ability had potential, but most of the enemies he'd fought so far didn't cast spells—they used physical attacks or mutated abilities. There wasn't much to destroy in the traditional sense.
'Send You Flying? 'That felt more like a gag feature. Sure, the knockback was useful to create distance or launch something off a cliff, but he could already do that with his own strength. It didn't add anything new.
His gaze lingered on the pickaxe in his hand. 'Maybe I've been thinking about this wrong,' he thought. 'It's not a weapon. It's a tool. A miner's tool. Maybe I should treat it like one.'
He leaned back, closing his eyes briefly. The Lady of the Lake's words echoed in his mind. 'Artifacts don't always reveal everything they can do. Sometimes, you have to find it yourself.'
Ben opened his eyes again, more determined this time. He focused and tried to pour a steady stream of mana into the pickaxe.
But there's no effect. Nothing. Not even a flicker. He grunted. "Okay, maybe not enough juice."
With a sigh, he pulled out one white gemstones. He cracked it open with a snap of his fingers, unleashing a rush of condensed mana—and funneled the entire flow into the pickaxe.
This time, the tool vibrated.
A soft, unnatural hum buzzed through the air, like the sound of stone grinding against metal. The tip of the pickaxe shimmered faintly, the edge glowing with geometric lines.
Ben's eyes lit up with realization. "So it does respond to mana… but how the hell do I actually use it?"
He considered heading outside to test it in combat. Swing it at some rocks, maybe pick a fight with whatever beast was dumb enough to wander close. But after a moment of thought, he changed his mind.
If this thing really was hiding some hidden ability, it was better to figure it out with Elvira first—especially after everything he just learned from the Lady of the Lake. Discussing it with Elvira take priority.
He turned on his heel and made his way through the RV. As expected, he found her exactly where she always was—hunched over her desk in the workshop compartment, surrounded by softly glowing magic circles, half-assembled gadgets, and stacks of talismans. But this time, something was off.
Elvira wasn't moving. Her eyes were glazed, locked onto a point in space where no diagrams floated. Her hand hovered mid-air, fingers twitching slightly, as if tracing something only she could see.
Ben narrowed his gaze. He knew that look. "Elvira," he called out.
He took another step forward. "Elvira."
"Wah—!" she yelped, nearly falling out of her chair. Her hand slapped the desk, scattering a few talismans. "D-Don't sneak up on me like that!"
Ben raised a brow. "which of my memories were you snooping through this time?"
Elvira gave a nervous laugh and quickly turned away, pretending to reorganize her notes. "No, no, of course not. I was just... immersed! In... science. Yes. Scientific theory. From your world. Fascinating stuff."
"Really?" Ben said, crossing his arms. "Which part?"
"Uhhh… all of it?" she offered, flashing an awkward smile. "So much logic! So many contradictions! I had to look deeper!"
Ben stared for a long moment, clearly not buying it. But he let it go with a sigh. "Fine. Whatever. We'll talk about that later. Right now, I've got something more important."
That got her full attention. She turned in her chair, sitting up straight. "Oh?"
Ben dropped into the nearest chair with a heavy sigh, the pickaxe still resting across his lap. He leaned back, one arm draped lazily over the seat, the other rubbing his temple. "Alright, get comfortable. This one's gonna take a bit."
Elvira didn't need telling twice. She flicked her fingers, and a runic circle zipped across the room, dragging a stool under her in one smooth motion. She sat down, legs crossed, her eyes locked on him, curious about what Ben had to say.
Ben started. "I met something. Called herself the Lady of the Lake."
Elvira's brow twitched. "Lady of the lake? Is that the same kind from storybook on your world."
"Nope, Try frog-octopus mix," Ben said flatly.
He recounted the encounter—the shimmering lake, the glowing purple fish that turned out to be mana constructs, the water clones, and finally the woman-like form the guardian had taken mid-fight. Elvira listened in silence, nodding occasionally, her fingers tapping against her knee like she was already writing a report in her head.
Ben continued, voice low but steady. "We fought. Real hand-to-hand stuff. She's not just powerful—she controls her mana like it's part of her muscles."
"That's... something else," Elvira murmured, a hint of awe in her voice. "That level of skill takes decades to learn, maybe centuries."
Ben gave a tired chuckle. "Yeah, well, I got the bruises to prove it." He leaned forward, his expression darkening. "But that's not all. She told me stuff. About the old era. The third epoch, the Judgment War."
Elvira's posture stiffened slightly.
Ben pressed on, relaying everything—how they're at the four epoch, and how the war at third epoch reached a point of no return, where magic science abandoned all restraint.
How a coalition of races created a common enemy to unite the world in fear. How that choice gave birth to something worse. The Daemon.