Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

The underground armory was a compact, dimly lit chamber, illuminated by a small glowing crystal embedded in the ceiling.

Nine stone pedestals were evenly spaced throughout the room, each supporting a single artifact. The artifacts varied in shape and size, glowing faintly under the light of the crystal.

The walls were bare stone, the air was cool and still, carrying the dust and musty scent that marked how long it had been since anyone had entered this small chamber.

As Adam extended his senses to observe the armory, his body involuntarily trembled, and he murmured, "No way…"

He suddenly felt an urge to burst into a fit of laughter, but as usual, he bit his tongue and forced himself to remain sane.

"I should have known," he muttered with a bitter smile. "It has been thousands of years since these artifacts were placed here. Of course…"

Out of the nine artifacts, six had heavily deteriorated from the ravages of time, their shapes barely recognizable and edges crumbling with age.

However…

Adam's breathing turned heavy when he noticed something peculiar.

Three intact artifacts stood out sharply!

Adam found his feet moving on their own, his heart beating rapidly from sheer excitement. He walked to the nearest pedastal, upon which sat a pair of blades linked by chains at their ends.

His fingers brushed against the blades, tracing the mysterious runes carved across them. Adam instantly knew that the pair of blades was a Grade 4 Artifact!

The sound of battle upstairs was fading fast, and Adam knew he didn't have time to admire the beauty of the blades. So he quickly snatched them and shoved them inside the rucksack, causing the mimic to nearly gag in protest.

"Oh, shut up," Adam grumbled as he walked to the next stone pedastal.

This one held a pair of dark leather boots. He grabbed them and put them on. He had been moving barefoot ever since the Battle of Ravenfell, leaving his feet blistered and torn.

Without wasting another moment, he walked to the last pedastal, but suddenly froze…

His footsteps didn't produce a single sound! He immediately realized that the pair of boots was a stealth artifact, of the fourth grade, no less!

Adam grinned from ear to ear as he muttered under his breath, "All that suffering… it's finally paying off!"

He reached the final stone pedastal, upon which rested a black hooded cloak. Adam quickly removed his blood-soaked, tattered cloak that he had found inside the sleeping quarters in the attic and stuffed it inside the mimic's mouth.

Then, he quickly put on the black cloak. Instantly, he felt its effects.

"This one provides stealth, too," he muttered, barely concealing the excitement in his voice. "Grade 4 artifact… haha… hahaha—ugh!"

He once again bit down on his tongue and forced himself to quiet his reaction.

"Time to leave," he murmured.

"Gege! Gege!" The mimic was excited as well.

Adam swung the rucksack over his back, strapped it securely to his shoulders, and hurried towards the staircase. But he quickly realized that something was wrong…

As he observed the situation above ground, his heart sank.

The battle upstairs was over. Hundreds of beast corpses lay shredded in rivers of blood, while a few creatures were still alive, albeit barely.

And the steel golem… it stood at the entrance of the staircase, drenched in blood, its dark crimson eyes fixated on Adam standing below.

"Haha… hahaha… hahahaha!" Adam erupted into a crazed fit of laughter, while the mimic strapped to his back shuddered in terror.

Adam laughed and laughed and laughed, and all that while, the steel golem did not move an inch. It already knew that he was trapped with no way out.

There was, after all, no way he would be able to defeat the steel golem and make it out of this place.

At last, Adam finally stopped laughing and stared at the steel golem. "You're quite something, you know?"

The steel golem took a step and began its descent.

Adam involuntarily took a step back. His lips curled into a crazed grin, and he said, "Your master, the elven Artificer, he truly created a masterpiece. If I had you during the Battle of Ravenfell, the outcome would have been so much different, no? All those people wouldn't have had to die…"

Sorrow overwhelmed his heart, yet his smile turned brighter.

The steel golem, however, did not care about Adam's feelings. It continued to descend the staircase, the crimson glow in its eyes turning darker and darker.

"Ah, what a pity," Adam murmured. "I was so close. Despite turning mad, I was able to extensively plan this heist. For a moment, I was really proud of myself. Yet, in the end… I still fell short."

The steel golem took another step.

Adam's smile faded into bitterness. With a reluctant, helpless sigh, he raised his hands in surrender.

The steel golem took yet another step, raising its fist to deliver the killing blow on this thief who had dared to enter its master's vault.

"Forget it," Adam said softly. "I've lost."

But then, his lips curled unnaturally, twisting his hideous face. "Or have I?"

The next instant, the Staff of Calamity appeared in his hand. Before the steel golem could deliver the final blow, Adam leveled the staff at its chest and roared in snaketongue:

"EXPAND!!!"

With a thunderous boom that echoed across Ivory City, the Staff of Calamity shot out, extending over a hundred meters in an instant! The domed roof of the building split open as the massive black pillar tore through it, and the steel golem, caught helplessly at its tip, was hurled across the sky.

The very next moment, the giant black pillar shrank and disappeared, returning to Adam's spirit sea.

Amidst the collapsing roof, with dust and debris filling the air, Adam emerged from the underground armory. The staircase behind him had been blasted into a wide tunnel by the force of the staff.

Adam faced the twin moons through the gaping hole in the ceiling. He inhaled deeply, then… laughed and laughed and laughed.

A resounding thud echoed from the city's edge. Adam turned towards the sound and realized that was where the golem had landed. He had never hoped to defeat it in the first place. He just wished to buy enough time for himself to escape. And he had.

With a wide grin, he turned to leave, but suddenly… he froze.

Adam turned to a particular section of the floor where, amidst the heap of corpses, a familiar figure twitched, struggling desperately to flee.

"I almost forgot about you," Adam muttered coldly as he walked towards the beast.

It was the eight-legged panther that had nearly killed him a month ago. He stood before the bloodied and broken body of the beast. The beast looked at him, fear and helplessness gleaming in its eyes.

Adam's lips curled into a cruel grin as he slowly lifted his foot. In the next heartbeat, he viciously stomped on the panther's head.

SPLAT!

The panther's body twitched for a few moments before finally falling still.

Adam picked up the corpse and shoved it inside the mimic.

"I'll skewer your meat and savor it with relish. Your death won't be in vain, you filthy rat! As for your hide… I don't need a cloak anymore. I've got a much better one. Hey, Gege, don't you dare eat this bastard! I'm cooking it later."

"Gege…"

The mimic grumbled helplessly, as if saying: Why shove it into my mouth if you aren't going to let me eat?

After getting his revenge, Adam turned towards the place where the steel golem had fallen, his lips curling into a triumphant smirk.

And by the time the golem had returned to its master's armory, Adam had already disappeared…