Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

It appears that the doppelganger wasn't capable of feeling pain. The moment it lost its right leg, it didn't scream or even show any hint of enduring the pain.

It was confused… However, Vale found this as an opportunity and continued.

Before the doppelganger could grasp what was going on, Vale repeated the maneuver, this time targeting the shadow of the doppelganger's left arm. As his sword sliced through the shadow, the doppelganger's arm was severed in perfect synchronization.

The duration of the Shadow Mutilation had also ended…

As the enemy was now weakened, Vale swiftly suppressed this mysterious enemy to the ground with his hand, preventing any further retaliation.

At the same time, he activated his Extraction System.

[ Mystical Being has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]

"Yes…"

[ Extraction Successful. Energy +100, Strength +0.5, Agility +0.3, Intelligence +0.7, Fiend Essence +40, Echo Saber, Memory Fragment ]

"Oh… Did I extract his weapon?" Vale muttered in confusion. After all, the weapon should be just a lootable item he could pick up on the ground.

However, as he looked around, he realized that the Saber that the doppelganger was holding was still there. It means that the weapon he extracted was different.

"Where did this come from? Is it his Soul-Bound Weapon?" Vale mused. He knew that his Extraction System couldn't extract something the target did not possess, so he could only make this guess.

As the energy flowed into him, Vale also felt a surge of strength and intelligence, assimilating the doppelganger's attributes into his being. Because he had already extracted other mystical beings with their attributes, he had already gained more than 1 point in his Strength and Intelligence attributes.

Furthermore, since he was already a Half-Celestial, each increase in his attributes was more significant than before.

Soon, the memories of the doppelganger entered his mind.

His consciousness was transported into the perspective of a Wandering Spirit.

Through this method, Vale witnessed the experiences of a wandering spirit who had possessed a man who wielded a saber as his weapon of choice.

'So this Wandering Spirit gained a lot of experience through this method?' Vale mused.

He then realized that the possessed man wasn't fully controlled by the spirit or the doppelganger.

As a matter of fact, the spirit seemed harmless and just taking shelter inside the man's body.

Nevertheless, the man continued to dedicate himself to mastering the art of the Barbaric Saber Technique, honing his skills through relentless and arduous training.

Vale found himself immersed in the intensity of the man's struggles as if he had personally undergone the same rigorous regimen.

This Memory Fragment he obtained had better effects than his previous Extractions!

The training and battle experience of the man felt like it was his!

"Ahhh… Wait…"

Just as the man was about to delve into the teachings of Saber Intent, Vale's immersion was abruptly interrupted, leaving him yearning for more.

The memory fragment he accessed only covered the knowledge of the Barbaric Saber Technique.

"Urgh! What a pity!" Vale grumbled in frustration as the effects of the Memory Fragment dissipated. That Saber Intent felt so cool and he wanted to learn it!

'Haa~'

Vale wryly smiled as he felt that he had been too greedy. At the very least, he had gained valuable insights into the Saber Technique, expanding his repertoire of combat skills.

"Shadowblade Dance, Phantom Sword, and Barbaric Saber… I guess they weren't that bad. I could probably pass as a Combat Warrior if I use my Aura." Vale muttered.

While he couldn't help but feel disappointed, he acknowledged that even a partial understanding of the Saber Technique was a step forward.

He may not change his path like the doppelganger wanted him to do, but he certainly felt that this Saber Technique could be useful someday once he started roaming the world.

"W-what did you do to me?" A weak voice suddenly interrupted Vale's thoughts as he realized that the doppelganger was still alive and pressed on the ground.

However, as Vale was about to answer, the doppelganger started melting into the ground…

At the same time, a silver Treasure Chest had also appeared at the bottom of the stairs leading to the other eighth floor.

Vale's confusion was quickly replaced by elation as he saw the Treasure Chest.

"So it was indeed like that…" Vale muttered.

The reward was a Wooden Treasure Chest from the first to the third floor, while from the fourth to the sixth floor was a Bronze Treasure Chest. According to this pattern, the seventh floor up to the ninth floor would most likely give him the Silver Treasure Chest, and the last floor would be a Gold Treasure Chest.

Vale excitedly approached the chest and quickly checked its content.

"These are… Alchemy Ingredients?" Vale asked himself as he was confused at the contents of the Treasure Chest.

There was a red feather that was faintly emitting some heat, a black stone that could absorb the surrounding light, and a blue scale the size of his fist.

Vale used his Phantasm State to do a quick inspection of these items. He may not know their names with this inspection, but he could at least see the type of energy kept inside them.

Soon, he saw the fiery fire inside the red feather, a drop of black water inside the stone, and a tiny blue sphere of light inside the scale.

Vale immediately learned the affinity of these items, so he finally had a rough idea about them…

He kept all of them inside his pocket, but he paused for a moment and decided to ask Yvaine to carry his loot inside his shadow.

He already obtained too many of them, and it might affect his movement.

After settling this, he soon stepped to the eighth floor.

***

In the meantime, as Vale stepped onto the eighth floor, a hushed anticipation filled the crowd gathered outside the Ascension Tower.

They had witnessed the lights on the seventh-floor dimming, leading many to believe that Vale's journey had come to an end and he would be unceremoniously expelled from the tower.

However, to the astonishment of everyone present, Vale defied expectations and successfully ascended to the eighth floor!

"There's a light on the eighth floor!"