Chapter 3: The Vault of the Valstaines
The corridors of the Valstaine estate were eerily silent at night. Gold chandeliers lined the marble ceilings, casting a dim, warm glow over the endless halls. Guards patrolled the estate, their movements precise and disciplined, but Leon had already accounted for them.
With Victor leading the way, the path was clear.
Leon followed his butler through the mansion’s inner corridors, moving past a hallway that most of the Valstaine family rarely visited.
At the end of the passage stood a grand iron door, marked with the insignia of the Valstaine House—a golden lion with piercing sapphire eyes.
This was it.
The artifact vault.
A Treasure Trove of the Unknown
Victor produced an obsidian key from within his coat, inserting it into the keyhole. With a deep mechanical click, the iron doors rumbled open, revealing a chamber filled with artifacts of unimaginable value.
Leon’s eyes swept across the room.
Weapons of legendary Hunters.
Ancient tomes sealed in protective glass.
Rare dungeon relics, their surfaces still pulsing with latent mana.
It was enough to make any Hunter or historian weep.
Yet, none of it mattered to him right now.
He was here for one thing.
“Victor,” Leon said, stepping forward. “Where are the unidentified or ‘useless’ artifacts stored?”
Victor hesitated before answering. “The unclassified items are kept at the far end, Young Master. Most of them are considered broken or unresponsive to magic.”**
Leon nodded. That’s exactly what he was looking for.
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The Forbidden Relic
Leon moved to the back of the vault, where neglected artifacts lay within dust-covered shelves and forgotten crates.
His memory from the game guided him.
In Hunter Gate Crisis Fantasy, this relic had been described in one obscure side quest, dismissed by most players as a minor piece of world-building.
A black sphere, no bigger than a human fist, its surface cracked like volcanic rock.
Most scholars in the game believed it was a failed mana core, a remnant of some ancient failed experiment.
But Leon knew the truth.
This was the catalyst for the Forbidden Awakening.
And it was just sitting there, collecting dust.
His lips curled into a smirk.
Found you.
He carefully reached out and grasped the relic. The moment his fingers made contact, a faint pulse ran through his palm, like a heartbeat.
It was weak—barely noticeable—but it confirmed what he already knew.
This thing was alive.
Victor, watching from a few steps behind, furrowed his brows. “Young Master, that artifact has been deemed worthless for decades. Why are you—”
Leon turned to him. “Because it’s not worthless.”**
Victor’s expression was unreadable, but as always, he did not question further.
“Shall I arrange for it to be appraised?”
Leon shook his head. “No need. Just prepare a secure place for me to study it.”
Victor hesitated but eventually nodded. “Understood.”**
Leon smirked to himself.
Everything was falling into place.
A Power No One Should Touch
Later that night, Leon sat in his private study, the relic placed carefully on the desk before him.
A single candle flickered in the dimly lit room, casting shadows across his face.
His heart pounded.
This was it.
According to the hidden storyline in the game, the Forbidden Awakening Method required three things:
1. A vessel—a person with strong willpower but no natural magic.
2. A catalyst—a relic containing dormant power.
3. A trigger—a method to break the relic’s seal.
Leon had all three.
He leaned forward, placing his hand on the relic once more.
Then, with a deep breath—
He injected his own life force into it.
The response was immediate.
CRACK.
A sharp fracture split across the surface of the relic, releasing a faint black mist into the air.
Leon gritted his teeth. A wave of cold energy surged through his veins, sinking into his very soul.
His vision blurred.
A deep, ancient voice echoed in his mind—a voice that should have been long forgotten.
[You dare awaken me?]
Leon’s body tensed, but he refused to flinch.
Instead, he smirked.
“Dare? No. I plan to make you my stepping stone.”
The relic trembled violently, cracks spreading further as a strange force pulled at his consciousness.
And then—
Everything turned black.
Elsewhere...
Far beyond mortal comprehension, past the veil of reality, a council of gods stirred.
A presence—one that had been sealed away for eons—was awakening once more.
The constellations that oversaw this world turned their eyes toward a single name.
Leon Valstaine.
A being that was never meant to enter the great stage of fate…
Had just stepped into the unknown.
End of Chapter 3.
