The artifacts she was fusing had been the foundation of her strength for a long time now.

The Phantom Core Extractor allowed her to extract the soul or spirit of a recently slain being. It was a powerful ability, but it had its limits. The success rate dropped by ten percent for every level the target was above her.

In theory, that made it unreliable against stronger enemies.

In practice... it had never failed her.

Isaac suspected it had something to do with her bloodline.

The second weakness was more dangerous. Extracted spirits weren’t guaranteed to obey her. In fact, they could turn on her at any moment.

That was where the Celestial Spirit Pact Token came in.

It allowed her to form a permanent bond with spirit-type beings. Once bonded, they couldn’t harm her.

Of course, the target had to agree first.

But under Alice’s guidance, Emily had learned how to deal with it. She didn’t rely on persuasion alone. Instead, she used her Spirit Element to suppress spirits before forming a pact. Once a spirit was weakened enough, it became much easier to negotiate, or force compliance to a certain extent.

On top of that, her strength didn’t remain static.

Each strong summon she gained made the next one easier. With every new bonded spirit, she could channel Spirit Element through more of them, using them to subdue newly extracted spirits. It created a steady cycle. Strong spirits helped control newer ones, and over time, her army became more stable.

Looking at it from the outside, the two artifacts complemented each other almost perfectly.

One extracted spirits. The other bound them. It was simple, and efficient.

But there was still a glaring weakness.

Both artifacts could only be used once per day.

That limitation forced Emily into a difficult position every time she fought. She had to choose carefully. If she used her extraction early and later encountered a stronger monster, she had no way to capture it. She would have to let it go.

And in a place like the Great Dungeon, that wasn’t a small loss.

It was frustrating.

But now—

The two artifacts floating in front of Emily began to glow.

The Phantom Core Extractor pulsed with a faint, eerie light, while the Celestial Spirit Pact Token shone with a softer, steadier glow. The two lights slowly intertwined, wrapping around each other like threads being pulled into a single point.

Isaac stood beside her, watching without interrupting.

The Fusion Ticket’s energy wrapped around both artifacts, binding them together.

The light intensified for a moment, then it faded.

What remained was a single item.

It hovered quietly in front of Emily, its form completely different from before. The sharp, mechanical feel of the extractor and the elegant, spiritual design of the token had merged into something balanced.

It resembled a small crystalline core, about the size of her palm. Soft streams of pale light moved within it, like slow currents, and faint markings ran across its surface, shifting slightly as if alive.

Emily read its description, and her eyes widened.

"Isaac, check this!" she said, grabbing his sleeve with clear excitement.

Isaac raised a brow and pulled up the description.

[Soulbound Spirit Core]

Grade: Legendary

Effect: Allows the user to extract the spirit of recently slain beings. The success rate decreases by 5% for each rank the target is above the user. Once extracted, if the target agrees, a permanent bond can be formed.

Daily Uses: 3

"That’s better than I expected." Isaac let out a low whistle.

The original artifacts had both been Mystic Grade. Now they had reached Legendary Grade.

That wasn’t a small jump.

Legendary Grade items weren’t something people casually came across. Even in powerful kingdoms, they were treated with importance. Just an hour ago, the armor the Third Priest had given him was of Legendary Grade. A figure of that level wouldn’t hand out something ordinary.

That alone showed how valuable such items were.

And now, Emily had one.

More importantly—

"It has three uses each day," Isaac said, glancing at her.

Emily nodded quickly, her excitement obvious.

Before, she had to choose carefully. Now, she had room to take risks.

Inside the Great Dungeon, there would be no shortage of strong monsters. Mini-bosses, bosses, rare creatures hidden in deeper layers. Opportunities were everywhere.

If Emily moved fast enough, and reached those targets before others...

She could build a terrifying army.

Isaac smiled and placed a hand on her head, patting it.

"Congratulations."

Emily leaned into it slightly, a small smile forming on her face.

Then he pulled his hand back.

"Now let’s go."

She nodded, still holding the new artifact for a moment before storing it in her spatial ring.

The two of them stepped out of the room.

As soon as they entered the corridor, Isaac noticed someone still there.

Eleanor.

The Sword Empress was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, as if she had been waiting for a while. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Isaac wasn’t surprised. He had already sensed her presence earlier.

He gave her a small nod, then turned to Emily.

"You go ahead. I’ll follow in a bit."

Emily glanced between them, then nodded.

"Alright."

She didn’t ask questions. She simply floated away, heading toward the Dungeon entrance where the others were waiting.

Soon, only Isaac and Eleanor remained.

The atmosphere shifted slightly.

Eleanor straightened and looked at him directly.

"Why did you recruit Sera in front of everyone? Do you realize how many problems you just created?" she asked sharply.

Isaac didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he activated the Mirror Dimension and pulled her in with him. The surroundings changed instantly, isolating them from the outside world.

Eleanor didn’t resist. Once they were inside, Isaac explained everything.

About Sera. About her connection to his Mother. About why he chose to act quickly instead of waiting.

Eleanor listened quietly.

When he finished, her eyes flickered slightly before she nodded.

"I see. That explains why you moved so fast to secure her," she said.

She paused for a moment, thinking.

"There’s still the issue of the livestream. On one hand, the livestream would show to everyone that you will recruit anyone, as long as they were talented. On the other hand, the other Lords will feel insulted. Some of them might take it personally," she added.

"That was going to happen anyway This just speeds things up," Isaac replied.

Eleanor studied him for a second.

Then, instead of continuing the discussion, she stepped forward, and patted his head.

"...What are you doing?"

"I’m saying it’s fine You made that decision because you were emotionally affected by the possibility of your Mother being involved, didn’t you?" she asked calmly.

Issaac fell silent.

Even Catherine, who had trained for decades to remain calm in all circumstances, had lost control of her emotions, when she sensed Sera might be connected to Mother.

Her emotional distress made her actions sloppy, which was why Isaac was able to find her easily.

And him?

He had thought he was being rational.

But looking back...

Maybe he had rushed things more than necessary.

Still, seeing Eleanor patting him, Isaac gave a small, wry smile.

"I’m not a kid. You don’t need to console me."

Eleanor smiled faintly and pulled her hand back.

"You’ll always be a kid in my eyes. I’m your Master, after all," she said.

Isaac shook his head slightly, but didn’t argue.

Before either of them could say anything else—

An anguished howl echoed through the building in the Mirror Dimension.

"Isaac! You bully! How can you trap a defenseless maiden inside a Mirror Dimension and leave her alone! Let me out!" Celia’s voice carried clearly, full of exaggerated grievance.

Isaac and Eleanor paused. They looked at each other, then both of them chuckled.