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An awkward silence lingered. The people who had just emerged from the dungeon stood there, dazed, unable to shake the stunned expressions from their faces.

Sophia turned her gaze elsewhere. There, she saw the ground team, who had been on guard, wary of any strange phenomena that might occur in the dungeon.

Suddenly, a bright, intense light appeared, signaling the arrival of the dungeon entry team. The ground team, while still on alert, cautiously observed the state of the entry team, their eyes filled with curiosity and suspicion.

Sophia didn’t need to ask to understand their thoughts. What had happened inside the dungeon? What had they seen that left the entry team floating in such a dazed state? There were so many questions.

Moreover, the dungeon’s issues were not distant problems for those living on this land.

Dungeon, dungeon. Sophia’s gaze shifted again. There, towering into the sky, was the massive beanstalk, still intact. Unless something unexpected happened, the beanstalk would continue to serve as both a ladder and a key connecting the aerial dungeon to the ground.

Fortunately, the cracks that had been etched in the air near the beanstalk had now completely sealed and disappeared. This was good news. It was proof that the dungeon had been fully conquered, and no more dungeon leaks would occur.

The one who had conquered the dungeon was now sitting cross-legged, deep in meditation, far from the crowd. It seemed he was determined to quickly digest and internalize the experiences and realizations he had gained inside the dungeon.

Sophia immediately recognized Conra’s state.

‘He’s achieved the profound techniques of Heart-Generated Qi and Qi-Commanding Body.’

She made a subtle expression at the realization. Though he was taken in as a disciple, the boy had reached a level of understanding that even seasoned practitioners would find remarkable.

Heart-Generated Qi—where the mind leads and the qi follows—and Qi-Commanding Body—where the body is governed solely by qi—were advanced techniques that normally required immense hardship and discipline to achieve.

Through his insights into non-learning, Conra had purified his consciousness to an extreme degree, removing all unconscious stains, and focused his mind to reach the state of Heart-Generated Qi.

And by completely blocking the five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—he had mastered the method of regulating his body solely through qi manipulation and understanding, achieving Qi-Commanding Body.

Conra had reached a realm where these two understandings were intricately intertwined.

‘In a past life, mastering just one of these would have made him a legend in the martial world…’

Sophia quietly marveled at her disciple’s achievement. Though his path was the opposite of hers in her past life—where she had deepened her qi and fire techniques to refine her body and mind—it was not the wrong order.

Mind, qi, and body were closely related elements, with no hierarchy among them. When one advanced, the others naturally followed, leading to the realm of Transcendent Martial Arts, known as Heart Martial Arts.

With this, Conra was now ready to step into the realm of Heart Martial Arts. A few more steps, and he would be able to manipulate phenomena at a microscopic level, manifesting them in the macroscopic world through sheer will. He would then enter the realm of Heart Sword, the same realm Sophia had reached.

Of course, those few steps would be heavier and more difficult than anything an ordinary martial artist could achieve in a lifetime. But Sophia believed that with Conra’s innate talent and destiny, he could bridge that gap.

“Of course, it’s still a long way off.”

Mastering Heart-Generated Qi and Qi-Commanding Body didn’t mean he could immediately take the next step. Progress in such realms required first solidifying the essential elements of the previous stage.

Unlike physical training, which required gradual, steady effort, or skill mastery, which required repeated practice and internalization, the mind could sometimes leap forward in an instant. However, this very fluidity of the mind could also lead to instability and a lack of explosive power needed for the next stage.

Thus, for Conra to move forward without losing his current foundation, he needed to further refine his physical and technical skills, which were still lagging behind his mental advancements.

Compared to Sophia’s own condition, where mind, qi, and body were perfectly balanced and each played a leading role without any disharmony, Conra’s state was still far too fragile.

As Sophia began planning a rigorous training regimen for her disciple, the spirits Gabrielle and Lucas-Kukunis could only offer their silent prayers for the boy’s well-being.

[… (sweating) (moment of silence)]

{Poor kid… Please, survive this.}

While Sophia was diagnosing her disciple’s condition and planning a somewhat harsh future for him, the atmosphere at the scene began to change.

The dungeon entry team, initially lost in the overwhelming and wondrous sights they had witnessed inside the dungeon, slowly began to regain their senses. As they did, the ground team approached them, eager for answers.

“What happened inside the dungeon? The cracks in the sky are gone, so it seems the dungeon has been successfully conquered.”

“How did things go? It’s frustrating not knowing. Can you tell us what happened inside?”

Pressed by the ground team’s curiosity, the entry team began to explain their experiences, though the quality of the information was not high. They hadn’t been able to observe everything from an omniscient perspective, after all.

Still, by piecing together the scattered information and adding contextual evidence, a certain narrative began to emerge.

“The dungeon has been conquered, and there’s no need to worry about dungeon leaks anymore. So now, the dungeon is…”

Now, the dungeon was like a honey pot with its thorns removed. This realization took root in everyone’s minds.

Swoosh.

The eyes of those who understood changed. They began to eye each other more openly, and their positions shifted as they grouped together.

Even though the dungeon had been conquered, it was still a treasure trove. While the true artifact—the key to conquering the dungeon—was no longer inside, other artifacts of similar value would regenerate periodically as long as the dungeon existed.

Not to mention, the dungeon contained many things from its era that no longer existed in the present world. Spellbooks, artifacts, lost knowledge, rare minerals, flora, artworks, and other treasures of academic and economic value—all were waiting to be discovered.

If they were lucky, they might even find a priceless treasure that could become a city’s symbol.

With the danger of dungeon leaks removed, the dungeon’s existence was inevitably seen in this light.

Moreover, though the people of Plymouth didn’t know it, the dungeon no longer housed the Crow Dragon Haegis or the guardian giants. Thanks to Sophia’s actions during the conquest, they had been freed from the dungeon’s illusions and now roamed the spirit realm as spirits.

The only remaining threats in the dungeon were the giant soldiers, mere recreations of the past, who would respawn according to the dungeon’s cycle.

“Well, we don’t need to worry about that. This land has its own paladin knights.”

Originally, the Caledonia diocese was overseen by a skilled knight known as Georgios Johann, who specialized in spear and sword techniques. However, he was currently tracking a demon-related incident in the northern Pictland Orkney Castle, so his path didn’t cross with Sophia’s group.

By now, he would have heard the news from Plymouth and would likely head there once his current mission was complete. Then, the political conflicts in this land would stabilize.

For now, though, they had other concerns.

“What time is the ship leaving?”

“They’ll depart after breakfast, I hear.”

Amidst the sudden dungeon commotion, time had flown by, and the next day had arrived. The floodwaters that had swept through the streets had receded, and the port was ready for departure.

So, they too had to board the ship on time. After all, they were originally on their way to teach the Immovable King Wisdom Technique to the Church Order’s talents in the central continent. They couldn’t stay in Plymouth forever.

“Then we should hurry and grab a bite to eat.”

At Hildegard’s words, Sophia and Esiocles agreed. Conra, having finished his meditation, was ready to follow, and Maria, who had somehow joined them, was also packing her things.

After a quick breakfast at the church dormitory, the group headed to the monastery to bid their farewells.

“We knew you’d leave, but so soon… I’m embarrassed we couldn’t offer more.”

“We’re not lay priests, how could we expect hospitality? Especially in a monastery full of fellow clergy.”

Esiocles smiled, easing the burden of the regretful Subdeacon Baelin Allen.

The monastery’s highest authority, Priest Owain Powell, had overexerted himself the previous night and was now bedridden, groaning in pain. Remembering the priest lying motionless in bed, the two shared a bitter smile.

“When he wakes up, make sure he eats something hearty. And tell him not to skip his exercises, even if it’s just light ones.”

“Hahaha, I’ll be sure to pass that on. The physical and spiritual training methods you shared will be quite a challenge for our Dominican Order monks. We’ll all need to work together to digest them, so I doubt the priest will try to skip out.”

As the muscular priest and the soon-to-be equally muscular subdeacon exchanged pleasantries, a certain nun knight who loved drinking like a whale was receiving a delightful gift.

“Oh, this is…!?”

Before Hildegard was a full barrel of Plymouth gin, sealed and exuding presence.

“Thanks to Sir Wolfstein, we were able to uncover the sinister plot. If not for your sharp insight, our response would have been delayed, and the outcome for this land might have been very different.”

The monastery’s master brewer, Brother Bryanil, smiled as he spoke.

“What I’m giving you now is the finest of the Plymouth gin I’ve brewed this time. Though it may not be enough to repay our debt, I hope you’ll accept it.”

“Ugh, but can I really take this? Even though Plymouth gin is mostly sold at low prices, the top-quality ones are hard to come by, even at a premium…”

“It’s already yours, Sir Wolfstein. How you handle it is entirely up to you. And actually, the real gift I wanted to give you is… this.”

Brushing aside Hildegard’s hesitation, Brother Bryanil presented the true gift.

“What I really wanted to give you is this, the gin was more of a bonus. Please, accept this.”

What the young monk pulled out was a high-quality glass bottle sealed with a cork. With her keen eyes, Hildegard quickly noticed the tiny bubbles clinging to the inside of the bottle.

“You’ve noticed, haven’t you? This is the sparkling liqueur I’ve made. It’s a white wine with honey and other medicinal sediments added for a second fermentation, then five types of grain and malt for a third fermentation. Finally, during the finishing stage, I added distilled Plymouth gin and various herbs for aging. I’ve had many failures trying to perfect this, but this time, I succeeded and saved a bottle.”

The complexity of the process was evident just from the description. Creating the right carbonation, extracting the flavors and aromas stably—none of it was easy. The effort Brother Bryanil must have put into achieving the desired quality was unimaginable.

Hearing this, Hildegard had no choice but to accept the gift. She struggled to suppress the urge to open the bottle and taste it right away. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached out to take it.

Sophia watched Hildegard with a mix of pity and envy. As Hildegard quickly stashed the bottle, Sophia called out to her.

“Hey, Hilde. When you open that later, call me. Don’t drink it all by yourself. Hey, are you listening?”

“Ah, so noisy! This is mine!”

Correction. It wasn’t pity in Sophia’s eyes, but envy.

Soon, Sophia and Hildegard began a childish argument over the bottle. When Sophia threatened to confiscate it if Hildegard drank too much, Hildegard quickly hid the barrel and bottle behind her back.

The nun knights’ antics were met with an indulgent smile from the priest, while Conra and Maria, the nun knight’s disciples, sighed in exasperation.

It was a late summer day, just after the rainy season.

 

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