Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy Chapter 4 Arrival

"I'll take care of this for you…" Kyle whispered under his breath while helping himself to the necklace.

The accessory appeared humble, consisting merely of a coarse black cord that might have been simple nylon strands, yet the pendant caught his attention. It was a creamy pearl, imperfectly shaped and tied to the dark thread with clumsy knots.

Despite its plain appearance, it emitted a faint luminescence in the shadows, which had already proven quite useful to him.

He scrutinized the object for a moment, unable to discern the source of its glow. Ultimately, he decided to slip it around his own neck.

A refreshing sensation immediately washed over him... it even seemed as though his vision had sharpened within the gloom. It was a truly magical experience…

'The system wasn't triggered… Is it because this isn't a corpse, or does it lack sufficient mystical properties?' Kyle pondered briefly.

Since his inspection yielded no further answers, he decided to bring up his attribute panel to verify the physical advancements in his body.

[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]

[ Attributes: Strength 0.68, Agility 0.94, Intelligence 0.89 (+1), Vitality 0.52 ]

[ Available Energy: 110 ]

"The progress isn't massive… but what is the meaning of this plus one?" Kyle muttered, noting the bonus attached to his intelligence stat.

Out of the twenty-two corpses, fourteen had contributed to his Intelligence. Three had boosted his Agility, while the remaining five had enhanced his Strength.

Each gain was a mere 0.01 points, with the exception of the final one, which had granted a 0.05 increase.

Kyle thought for a second before unfastening the necklace and setting it on the floor.

Just as he suspected, the revitalizing feeling vanished instantly, along with the +1 bonus to his intelligence.

Through this test, he confirmed that the pendant he possessed was indeed a mystical tool.

'To think even that guy couldn't survive that potion... What on earth was in that concoction? Why is it so lethal?' Kyle scowled, remembering the agony of that experience.

It was a pity that, aside from these raw attributes, he couldn't detect any other internal transformations within his body.

Gurg… Gurg…

His stomach suddenly let out a growl, reminding him that he hadn't eaten… The last proper meal he'd had was a boiled sweet potato from the market. Recalling how delicious it tasted when fresh and hot made him instinctively swallow his saliva.

Following that, his only sustenance while evading the bandits had been leaves and moss. He had spotted several mushrooms during his flight, but with zero knowledge of fungi, he didn't dare consume them for fear of losing his life. He had been fortunate that the rain allowed him to stay hydrated, at the very least.

Kyle clenched his teeth as he resolved to scavenge the belongings of the surrounding bodies.

"Please, forgive me…"

After several minutes of searching, he realized that every single applicant's token was missing; he surmised that Lesley must have confiscated them all.

He did, however, discover some zen notes and coins. Though he didn't stop to count the exact amount, it appeared to be over a thousand zen.

More vital than the money was the food he uncovered… he managed to find a few hard, partially eaten granola bars tucked away in the pockets of the deceased.

They were difficult to chew, but they provided some much-needed substance for his stomach. He wasn't in a position to be picky… After consuming a few bites, he regulated his breathing and wrapped himself in several additional jackets.

This chamber—or perhaps mortuary—was freezing. Even with his boosted strength, the chill remained biting.

He tried to save his strength as much as possible, knowing that once the vessel landed, the doors would be thrown open and he would be found. Though his future was uncertain, he knew he would need every bit of energy to face it.

He glanced at the sealed iron door before scanning the rest of the room by the dim light of his necklace.

He confirmed that, aside from the small ventilation grates in the ceiling, there was no way to observe the world outside.

He stayed in his spot for hours until sleep eventually took him… When he finally woke, he had no sense of how much time had passed.

With nothing else to occupy him, he drifted off again. By the time he woke a second time, he felt a strange warmth.

'It’s warm... what’s happening?'

He couldn't open his eyes right away because the light was blinding… He guessed that while he slept, the airship had reached its destination and he was now being moved.

Shifting into a more comfortable posture, he slowly blinked his eyes open. It was morning, and he realized he was being transported on a cart, piled high with corpses.

There were seven or eight bodies loaded onto each of the three carts.

'Did they really not notice I was wearing extra coats and breathing when they picked me up? What the—?'

Kyle’s eyes went wide as he saw the figure pulling the cart behind his own. It looked like a zombie—or rather, a human that had been crudely stitched together. Seams ran across its body, and the skin color changed from one patch to the next.

Suddenly, their gazes locked.

Kyle held his breath, remaining perfectly still. He was paralyzed with fear, unsure how to react to such an abomination.

'Please don't eat me…' Kyle thought, though he quickly noticed the creature's mouth was sewn shut.

That meant a bite was unlikely.

After a few moments that felt like an eternity, Kyle saw that the entity was no longer watching him.

The monstrosity simply continued its labor as if it hadn't seen Kyle move at all.

Kyle let out a long sigh of relief, stealing another glance at the creature.

'I knew this world contained mystical elements… but I didn't expect anything like this. It's revolting. It’s no wonder the Dark Arts are shunned by society.'