The Mighty Mage

Gu Jin walked deeper into the ancient temple. The air inside was cold and still. Her footsteps echoed softly as she moved through the wide hallway, her eyes scanning everything around her.

But there was… nothing.

No traps. No monsters. No shining treasure waiting to be found.

After a while, she reached a strange open space. There were several tunnels branching out in different directions, and tall stone pillars stood around a large circular platform in the center.

The platform looked smooth and ancient, but like the rest of the temple, it seemed completely empty.

Feng Lian followed closely behind her. His face was serious as he looked around. He even walked near the walls and touched them carefully, hoping something would react.

But still, nothing happened.

They spent a long time walking around, checking every corner. The tunnels led to more blank halls. No carvings, no light, no signs of energy. Everything looked lifeless.

Feng Lian finally sighed. His face showed a hint of sadness.

He turned to look at Gu Jin. Her expression didn't change. She stood still, her face calm, her eyes focused.

Feng Lian felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Country J had spent so much money on this project. They had sent experts and officers. They had waited for years. But in the end, they got nothing in return. Only losses. It made him feel helpless.

Just then, Gu Jin slowly walked to the center of the round platform.

Feng Lian frowned. "What is she doing?" he thought, but said nothing.

Gu Jin looked down at the smooth stone surface. Her eyes narrowed. Then, without warning, she raised her foot and gave a strong tap to the center.

The sound echoed like a bell.

Feng Lian's eyes widened. His heart jumped. He wanted to speak, but something told him to stay silent.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the ground beneath them began to shake.

"Step back," Gu Jin said quickly.

Feng Lian didn't hesitate. He moved away just as the circle in the center began to glow. A bright line of light appeared around it, and slowly, with a heavy rumbling sound, the ground started to open.

A hidden door in the floor lifted up, revealing a deep space below.

Inside that space, there were countless treasures.

Jewels sparkled under the dim light. Gold coins were piled up like small hills. There were ancient scrolls, rare-looking artifacts, beautiful defense items, glowing weapons, and even boxes filled with pills.

Feng Lian stared, completely stunned.

His eyes landed on the pills first. Just by looking at their color and energy, he could tell, these were rare cultivation pills. Some of them could help mages rise directly to Emperor Rank.

And there were a lot of them.

Feng Lian's heart pounded in his chest. He knew at a glance that this treasure wasn't small. This was enough to supply an entire country's mages. Maybe even more.

And this was just what was on the surface. He could already feel stronger energy coming from even deeper inside.

He turned to Gu Jin with a look full of respect and gratitude. "Miss Gu Jin," he said, his voice filled with emotion,

"I… I don't know how to thank you. You've given Country J something no one else could."

Gu Jin nodded lightly. She didn't smile, but there was a calm look in her eyes.

Feng Lian didn't ask how she did it. Even though many powerful mages had tried before and failed, Gu Jin had succeeded. But he knew better than to question her.

Gu Jin, on the other hand, had no plans to explain anything. She had simply felt the strange pulse in the floor and followed her instincts. It was one thing to help a country. It was another thing to reveal her secrets.

Soon, Feng Lian went outside and gathered the officers.

When they heard that treasure had been found, they followed him inside quickly. As they stepped into the treasure room, their mouths dropped open in shock.

One by one, they started praising Gu Jin and Feng Lian.

"You really are amazing!"

"How did we miss this? Miss Gu Jin is incredible!"

"Please, if there's another task in the future, we'll pay double!"

Hearing this, Gu Jin calmly shook her head.

"I won't take on any more jobs from Country J," she said clearly.

The officers were surprised but didn't argue. They had heard about Gu Jin's experience and knew it wasn't a pleasant one. Some of them even respected her more for being honest.

Once the task was complete, they all returned to their offices. Each one wrote a report explaining what Gu Jin had done. They sent these reports to the higher authorities and even to the biggest news media in the country.

It didn't take long for the story to spread.

News broke out everywhere, on TV, online, and in newspapers.

"Gu Jin Uncovers Lost Temple Treasure!"

"The Heroine Who Helped Country J!"

"Saint-like Mage Returns With Key and Reveals Hidden Secret!"

The people of Country J were amazed. Everyone was talking about Gu Jin.

A young woman from another land had found a key no one else could. She had survived the dangerous Void Gate. She had handed over the key honestly, even though she didn't have to.

And then she helped reveal treasure that the country had been searching for years.

To them, she wasn't just strong.

She was noble. Kind. Brave.

She had become a true celebrity in Country J.

If Gu Jin had known what the people of Country J were saying about her, she might have laughed out loud. They were calling her a noble heroine, a kind saint, someone who helped their country without expecting anything in return.

But Gu Jin wasn't a saint. She never thought of herself that way. She just didn't care to correct them.

Right now, she had more important things to do.

After everyone left her alone inside the temple, Gu Jin continued her quiet exploration. She walked calmly through the long, empty halls while Feng Lian and the officers stayed near the treasure chamber, busy making records and counting items.

They didn't try to follow her. Feng Lian believed that if Gu Jin had wanted to steal something, she could have done it long ago. There had been many chances. She could first open the temple, but she didn't, and she was the one who triggered the hidden treasure vault.

If she had any bad thoughts, they would have known by now.

But what they didn't know was that Gu Jin didn't even see those shiny treasures as anything special.

To her, the real treasure was something else.

As she walked past the pillars, her senses picked up a strange energy. It was faint, but it was there.

Necromancy.

She paused and looked at the floor again. The stone path, the pillars, the air.... it all felt cold and filled with death magic.

Gu Jin knelt down and pressed her palm against the ground. Her eyes narrowed. She could feel it.

There were skeletons buried deep under the floor. Dozens. No, hundreds.

Without hesitation, she began to summon them.

Dark energy swirled quietly from her body, and one by one, the hidden skeletons started to respond.

Suddenly, she heard a voice in her mind.

It wasn't human. It felt ancient, powerful, and cold, like something very old was trying to connect with her soul.

Gu Jin stayed calm. She closed her eyes and thought of the fire element, her hidden dark fire mixing with the necromantic energy.

A moment later, the entire hallway came to life.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Bones started rising from the floor. Skeletons climbed out of the stone ground like they had been sleeping for centuries.

They were silent and obedient.

They marched toward Gu Jin and knelt in front of her.

Gu Jin opened her eyes and stared at them. Her gaze turned sharp.

Each skeleton gave off the aura of an Emperor Rank warrior.

She raised her eyebrow in surprise.

This wasn't just a group of summoned skeleton soldiers.

This was an army.

If she wanted to, she could destroy a city or even take over a kingdom with these soldiers. She could lead a rebellion, topple rulers, and take power for herself.

But Gu Jin didn't care about such things.

Instead, she calmly stored the skeletons in her hidden space. Their bones vanished one by one as they entered her storage, ready to be summoned later.

Once that was done, she turned her attention to the walls.

To everyone else, the stone walls were plain, maybe with some ancient symbols. But Gu Jin saw something more.

She saw weapons.

They were cleverly hidden, covered with a layer of necromantic magic. Normal eyes couldn't see them. Even Feng Lian and the officers had walked past them without noticing.

Gu Jin walked closer and reached out. As her hand passed through the illusion, her fingers touched cold metal.