Ariel's death. Multiple worlds… some with multiple suns, some led by deities, others completely drowned in water.

  Matthew thought. They are definitely not Earth as we know it. But is it a past we don't know about? Or a future?

  Kirk stroked his beard, frowning. "Not gonna lie… I have no idea what to do with this information."

  Matthew stayed silent, thinking deeply. If these weapons had come from other worlds, why were they here? Were they left behind, or was something actively supplying them? It made him even more curious about the altar and its deeper functions.

  He turned his focus back to Colin. Healing was critical in their environment. The White Lantern was a major boost to their survival.

  The longer someone could fight, the more damage they could deal.

  Jesse examined the lantern and asked, "How much does it improve recovery?"

  Colin shrugged, pushing it toward her. "We can test it on us cripples," he said, pointing at Matthew.

  Jesse grimaced, glancing at Matthew's red, swollen legs.

  Some spots were burned worse than others. "He has mostly first-degree burns, but some are second-degree. Normally, it would take at least three to four weeks to heal. Your wound, Colin, would take six to eight weeks before you could walk properly."

  Joey clapped excitedly. "So with faster healing, we could be out there next week, maybe?"

  Matthew shot him a deadpan look. "Have you never heard of a break?"

  Jamie smirked. "You won't eat with too many breaks. If you can get out there tomorrow, you need to be out there."

  Colin had a serious look in his dark eyes. "Even if you can't, let's at least help the hunting teams while we recover. I hate not being able to walk."

  Parker frowned uncomfortably, rubbing his wrist. "We actually need to save the healing field for when we come back, in case anyone gets seriously injured."

  Colin looked impatient but nodded. Turning to the Fifth Legion, he asked, "Alright, let's bind ourselves to the lantern. Um… who else? Jesse, you're like a doctor, right? You wanna join us?"

  Jesse's eyes brightened a lot as she nodded and stepped forward.

  The binding was completed, she also joined the Fifth legion bringing their total to six members.

  Meanwhile, Jamie and Parker began discussing their next mission.

  The White Temple was buzzing with movement. The red glow of the torches bathed them in its energizing light.

  People moved around, discussing and drinking their water. They sat on the smooth white stone, their expressions forceful yet tinged with fear.

  They had to get out there and find food.

  Matthew was waiting for someone—a representative from another group—to come meet them.

  There were many different groups, most composed of either boys or girls. The girls formed large clusters, speaking in hushed, uncertain voices. The boys were bolder, arguing among themselves.

  Each group averaged at least ten people, while massive, already successful groups like Parker's had nearly a hundred.

  They mostly congregated and camped near the second exit, which was close to the hidden route leading to the safe point.

  Thomas' group still hadn't returned. They had gone out and came back after gathering water, but then left again and had been missing all night.

  From what Matthew had heard, they had recruited many more people, their numbers now reaching almost fifty.

  Jamie turned to Casey while they were talking about procedures. "Watch the transport group. People will try to skimp on the stones they collect."

  Parker frowned at how loudly Jamie had said it but didn't object. He turned to Colin. "Have you figured out the timing?"

  Colin nodded. "Yeah. It's night mode now. I checked my status, and it says I can pick a skill."

  Joey looked conflicted. "We can pick a skill now… but will their mana regenerate in time for healing if we need it?"

  Jamie laughed. "We survived without skills or armaments before. They'll be fine. Besides, only one person gets a skill—who's it gonna be? The Dunes or the Dark Forest team?"

  Darwin, the Fourth Messenger, spoke up. "The Dunes are deadlier than the Dark Forest. Parker should get it."

  Jamie scowled. "A couple salamanders and sand swimmers aren't as bad as Red Seekers or Yellow dragons."

  Darwin shrugged. "But the ants attack there more often. Plus, the Blade Demon and those titans are down there. There's also no food or water—every piece of food has to be fought for."

  "Hey, it's not like we're sending them in unprepared," Joey argued. "Both our Level Three's are going down there with two armaments."

  "The forest isn't a playground either," he added. "The frequency and chances of getting into a fight on the first terrace are far higher."

  Parker stood, spreading his arms. "Let's go with the Dark Forest group. They need more power."

  He paused. "Actually, I wanted to say we shouldn't use the mana yet, but let's switch the people bound to the Lantern. They'll sacrifice their mana, we draw the skill, then they unbind, and the Fifth Legion takes their place again."

  Everyone agreed, admiring his quick and decisive thinking.

  Matthew watched the group closely, gauging their reactions.

  He was also watching for Joshua while testing different prompts on his stat screen, searching for hidden functions.

  He wanted to find a translation or information feature of some sorts.

  The skill-drawing process began. Six people bound themselves to the Lantern, sacrificing their mana.

  Colin activated the skill draw, and the Lantern glowed with golden light, illuminating its white paper screens.

  The figurines on its wide brown base began to move. Some walked, admiring their surroundings.

  Others sat, eyes closed in deep concentration. Many spoke in pairs or small gatherings.

  A figure was cast in the light, a shadowy figure watching the figurines. It wore a crown adorned with three sun symbols and smiled softly.

  People began to whisper to each other, Adelina suggested to Jesse that the shadowy figure was some kind of king or god.

  Some people were more interested in the moving figurines as they seemed glued to the brown base of the lantern before.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  A stack of cards appeared over the Lantern, shuffling themselves in midair. The noise drew attention, and soon, a crowd formed around them.

  Murmurs filled the cavern:

  "Hey, what the hell is that?"

  "It's an armament."

  "Wow, what kind of armament is that? It's not a sword... and what's with the cards?"

  "A magic Lantern! Hey, do you mind if we ask what it does?" a girl squealed, turning to one of the formal group members.

  The boy she asked grinned proudly. "The Lantern grants one skill. We're picking a skill before heading out on our mission."

  "Ehhhh, that sounds OP—a skill before Level Five?"

  A newer member of the formal group frowned. "Wait, when did they decide this? And who's getting the skill?"

  "You should've stuck around instead of running off," someone replied. "They're giving it to the Fourth gro—uh, I mean, the Fourth Legion."

  "What about us? We don't get any skills?"

  As explanations and rumors spread, Matthew called Petyr over for the first time since he'd switched sides.

  "Hey, how are you doing?"

  "I'm good," Petyr said with a shrug. "Well-fed and rested, I guess."

  "I need your help," Matthew admitted. "I can't move around, so go into those big groups and clarify their misunderstandings about the card draw. Challenge their assumptions."

  Petyr hesitated. "Why? Just let them misunderstand. It's not like they can do anything."

  "A lie said a thousand times becomes true when no opposing evidence is presented. Trust me, okay?" Matthew clarified before he told Petyr the points he wanted him to counter and slowly suggested points he could use to argue, not wanting Petyr to feel he was being ordered to spread an idea.

  He didn't need to worry about being slow or methodical with who he approached or spread his ideas to because Petyr could openly challenge ideas and be domineering, allowing the ideas to spread quickly.

  At the same time, Matthew nudged Brian into action by appealing to his sense of truth and order, telling him that people thought Parker's group was monopolizing the Lantern.

  Meanwhile, Asha groaned. "This is even longer than the stat card draw."

  Parker nodded but remained silent.

  A minute later, he said, "It's ending."

  The cards stopped shuffling. Three of them floated forward, each one beautifully illustrated.

  One depicted a towering clock tower, another a grand mansion, and the third, a strange warrior.

  Colin turned to Jackson, the chosen recipient. "Tap on them to see the rank and description. It'll ask if you want to pick a card. Be careful not to click 'yes' by accident."

  Jackson exhaled and stepped forward, tapping the middle card.

  Name: Harrigan's Umbrella

  Rank: Epic

  Description: Harrigan was a proud great mage of the dark world, he seeked magic that would turn back time to when the world had light.

  Using six mana, create a small field of time degradation for thirty seconds. An illusory umbrella will form. By controlling its opening, you can slow down incoming attacks.

  The card showed a man with long, black hair holding a black umbrella with a golden tip.

  He was dressed in a strange black suit covered in buttons, flaps, and pockets, with a long coat that transitioned from red at the top to deep black at the bottom.

  There was a dark clock tower behind him that had strange symbols.

  Jackson moved to the second card. It featured a beautiful woman with brown hair, sharp blue eyes, and glossy red lips curved into a playful smile.

  She stood in front of a golden mansion with black windows and massive white arches.

  Name: Defiled Sigil

  Rank: Epic

  Description: favoured weapon of the priest of defilement.

  Using five mana, you can mark anything with a sigil of defilement, which attacks its spirit and reduces its potentcy.

  Finally, Jackson examined the third card.

  It depicted a fully armored warrior with a raised faceplate, revealing an alien-like creature with blue skin and large yellow eyes.

  The warrior wielded a spiky sword and wore a red surcoat over his armor, displaying a heraldry of a four-eyed beast with massive, protruding teeth.

  Name: Great Wind Sword

  Rank: Rare

  Description: Using twenty stamina, strike as fast as the wind. After five strikes, your entire body moves faster as well.

  Matthew immediately spoke before anyone else could. "What would be the best for supporting against stronger threats?"

  People looked around, murmuring as they considered his question.

  Jackson looked conflicted, while Asha's excitement dimmed slightly.

  Parker gave Matthew an approving smile before concluding, "I think the choice is pretty obvious. Great Wind Sword is rare and only benefits one person, same with Harrigan's Umbrella. The best choice is Defiled Sigil."

  "I think Harrigan's Umbrella, aside from its trash name, is actually very useful," someone objected.

  "It's literally time magic. How is that not overpowered?" Jamie insisted.

  A few people nodded in agreement, though the majority remained unconvinced.

  Asha reluctantly added, "As much as I'd love to see umbrella magic in action, Defiled Sigil basically weakens enemies into something we can actually fight."

  Kirk nodded. "Yeah, debuffs are great when you're underleveled. Every fight against stronger opponents means one bad hit could kill us."

  "And the sigil can be placed on anything," Matthew said, reinforcing their argument.

  Jesse's eyes lit up as an idea formed. "We could use it on poison—or even the air—to give monsters carbon dioxide poisoning."

  Jamie hesitated to disagree but clarified, "We could use the umbrella for that too, to slow down poison or even blood loss."

  "Yes, but we can't heal poison after the thirty seconds ends," Joey countered. "With the sigil, we could weaken the poison, then use water to flush it out or help the body fight it. We could also use it on walls to create new paths or set traps."

  Eventually, everyone was convinced. They chose Defiled Sigil and began preparations—the second exploration began.