Appearance, details, magical fluctuations.

A perfect match for a masterless Great Secret Treasure.

The Three Titans’ investigation team had memorized precious ancient records beforehand, so they knew exactly what a masterless Great Secret Treasure looked like.

Seeing their reactions, everyone else instantly understood what this was.

Silence crashed over the crowd like a tsunami.

That the Great Secret Treasure would eventually be found was inevitable.

But no one had expected it to appear so abruptly, in this manner.

What now?

Rush forward to seize it, claim it as their own?

No—impossible. The Great Sorcerers and Great Battle Spirits would blast them to dust on the spot.

Then what? Just walk away?

Even more impossible. How could anyone abandon the world’s greatest treasure right before their eyes?

The onlookers were in chaos.

The four Great Battle Spirits/Great Sorcerers were even more conflicted.

Whoever found it first would claim it, naturally hiding it away and smuggling it out of Cassol quietly.

Yet—

Now, the Knighthood, the Pantheon, the Heavenward Tower, and the Lord’s Mansion had all "simultaneously" detected its presence.

In that case—who—

"—W-wait!"

Sako shattered the silence. His eyes widened as if he’d spotted something unbelievable. Ignoring the Great Secret Treasure on the ground entirely, he swung his sword. A blade of energy lifted Butcher’s corpse, flipping it over—

"““““““!!!!!!!!!?????????””””””"

If the crowd had merely been chaotic before, they were now utterly dumbfounded.

Unfathomable.

Unbelievable.

Unacceptable.

But—the truth lay right before them.

After Butcher’s body was turned over, beneath him—

A round object, no bigger than an egg.

Its shell was crystal-clear and transparent.

Beneath the shell, specks of light swirled in an incredibly complex pattern.

The entire orb radiated a rainbow-hued aura, dazzlingly beautiful, its magical fluctuations shifting endlessly.

A masterless Great Secret Treasure.

Sako slowly turned his head to the side.

Another masterless Great Secret Treasure.

"H-hey… this…"

Two? Why were there two? Cassol was supposed to have only one Great Secret Treasure. Just one had drawn countless treasure hunters—now a second had appeared—

"—Words?"

Sako’s gaze sharpened. He suddenly noticed a line of bloodstained characters written on the patch of ground beneath Butcher’s body—the only spot untouched by the blood pool.

The handwriting was messy and hurried, clearly scrawled with a blood-soaked finger. Sako recognized Butcher’s script.

"It says… ‘Following the Great Secret Treasure’?"

Had this fool truly slipped out at night after discovering the treasure’s trail, then written his purpose with his dying breath? But with the Great Secret Treasure already here, what did these words matter now?

Meanwhile—

"Ahem… Lady Glori?"

Saint Anthony creaked as he turned his head toward Glori.

"This might sound foolish—forgive my ignorance—but… can a Great Secret Treasure, especially a masterless one, be *replicated*?"

"Rep…licated?"

Glori froze for a moment, then seemed to recall something.

"Now that you mention it… Yes! The Sage of Craftsmanship from back then—"

————————————————————

*(What in blazes is going on…?)*

Li Jin the dwarf stared fixedly at the square, his breath growing ragged. He and a few brothers had been patrolling outside while Ossam and the others hid in a tavern. He never expected to witness this.

Dwarves were born craftsmen and warriors, but they also possessed an instinctive, burning desire for rare treasures. Seeing the world’s greatest treasure before him yet unable to reach it felt worse than death itself.

The city guard was trying to disperse the crowd, but with little success—even the guards looked distracted.

Two masterless Great Secret Treasures appearing here defied all imagination.

If…

If Li Jin could claim just one—

"…………Huh?"

Suddenly, his foot bumped against something.

Small. Hard. Spherical.

"What’s this…"

Li Jin bent down, picking up the object that had rolled to his feet. He held it up, peering closely—

"Eh?"

One glance froze him solid.

His movement caught the attention of those nearby. They glanced at the dwarf—then couldn’t look away.

An egg-sized orb.

A rainbow-hued glow.

An uncanny magical fluctuation.

It was practically—

"W-wait wait wait wait NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY!"

Caught completely off guard, Li Jin fumbled wildly. Yet deep-rooted dwarven greed surged to the surface. Almost instinctively, he clutched the Great Secret Treasure and stuffed it into his pocket—

*Crack!!!!!!*

"Ah…"

————————————————

"What happened!?"

Stella was the first to notice the commotion among the dispersing crowd. Others followed suit.

A powerful magical surge erupted from the group nearest the square—undoubtedly a Sorcerer or Battle Spirit’s level! A scream pierced the air. A splash of crimson blood flew. Then a furry head soared upward—a dwarf’s head—

"We’ve got it! Fall back!!!!!"

A man resembling a heavily armored mercenary roared. His hand gripped something, rainbow light leaking between his fingers! His companions in the crowd—stunned for a split second—snapped to attention. They each pulled out an item!

"—STOP!!!"

Stella shouted, but too late. They activated teleportation scrolls simultaneously! Space warped. They could only watch helplessly as the group vanished into thin air—

"Insolent brats!!!"

A shrill, ancient voice cut through the air. Glori unleashed overwhelming magical power! The space within the crowd rippled violently. The teleporting group reappeared instantly! Piercing cold radiated outward. Icicles speared through the hearts of every single one—including the Battle Spirit-level man who’d seized the object!

His Battle Spirit constitution kept him alive a moment longer, but the item slipped from his fingers, clattering to the ground—the third Great Secret Treasure!

By now, everyone understood.

There were fakes.

The investigation team had confirmed Cassol’s Great Secret Treasure should be singular.

Yet three had suddenly appeared.

Without a doubt—only one could be real at most. Perhaps none were.

Even so—

As long as there was a *chance* the one they grabbed was genuine, people would go mad for it!

"GET OUT OF THE WAY—!!!"

"DON’T BLOCK ME—!!"

"GIVE IT TO ME—!!"

Ignoring the bone-chilling cold radiating from the Great Sorcerer’s magic, several people lunged desperately for the fallen treasure! One man, resembling a mage, threw up a shield, shoving others aside. A flash of magical light—and the Great Secret Treasure was in his hand—

*Squelch!!!*

Before he could flee, a pitch-black blade slit his throat!

"Release your grip, vermin!"

A low female voice hissed from his shadow. In the next instant, a woman clad in black erupted from the darkness—Ailian of the Heavenward Tower! Pure black blades, forged from shadow magic, extended from her fingertips—the very weapons that had just slain the mage!

Others tried to approach, but Ailian, a rare Shadow Mage, unleashed Sorcerer-level magical pressure, freezing everyone in place!

"Retrieval complete…"

Ailian flicked her wrist. Her shadow peeled off the ground like a membrane, wrapping around the Great Secret Treasure.

"Ailian, watch out!"

Glori’s sudden shout made Ailian look up—

*BOOM!!!*

The ground beneath her feet collapsed. A pair of hands shot out from the pit, grabbing her ankles with lightning speed!

Ailian looked down—and locked eyes with her captor. Even she gasped. Eight scarlet eyes stared back, gleaming with cold, inhuman light. Terrifying.

"It’s *that thing*!?"

Though far away, Stella recognized those hook-like arms!

*Insectoid!!!*

*"SKREEE!!!!!"*

The Insectoid screeched. Its arms unleashed monstrous strength, yanking Ailian into the pit! Strength was Ailian’s weakness, but her reflexes were sharp. As the Insectoid pulled, her spell finished weaving. Shadows coiled into countless threads, lashing toward its body!

But the Insectoid was equally fast! It recoiled first. Its long scorpion tail slashed through the air, shattering the shadow membrane around the Great Secret Treasure! The orb tumbled out—straight into its pincer-like jaws!

"How dare you!!!!"

Murderous intent flared in Ailian’s eyes. Her shadow merged with the pit’s darkness, forming hundreds of shadowy spears that pierced the Insectoid. Cracks spiderwebbed across its armor, but its flesh remained unharmed! The Insectoid let out a triumphant screech, ready to retreat into its burrow—

*SHIIING!!!!!!*

The earth split apart.

A perfectly straight fissure tore open—from Sanelis on the square to the spot before Ailian. The crack plunged into unfathomable depths, its edges razor-sharp.

Sanelis remained in his sword-swinging stance. In his hand blazed a massive, cleaver-shaped blade forged from solidified magic.

His cold gaze pinned the Insectoid. Its lower half, still buried underground, had been cleanly bisected. Foul fluids gushed out.

"A mere crawling insect… quite bold."

Though agile, the Insectoid’s strength was only Battle Spirit or Sorcerer level. Against a Great Battle Spirit’s serious strike, it stood no chance.

*"Krrr… gkkk…"*

The Insectoid writhed in agony, yet refused to release the Great Secret Treasure clamped in its jaws. It twisted its remaining half, trying to burrow back down—

*BOOM!!!!*

A brilliant beam of starlight crashed down from the sky—Stella’s Celestial Chart Magic! Ailian leapt back just in time. The colossal energy focused entirely on the Insectoid!

*"SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!"*

The ear-splitting shriek nearly tore eardrums apart. Ailian shielded her ears with shadows as blinding light engulfed the scene. The half-bodied Insectoid disintegrated limb by limb, finally crumbling to ash.

"Damned monster…"

Ailian muttered under her breath, picking up the small orb.

The Great Secret Treasure.

But there was no joy in her heart.

She raised her head, looking past the restless crowd.

Everyone felt it.

Fierce magical surges. Overwhelming battle intent. Explosions. Roars. Massive chaos erupted simultaneously across the entire city.

Fierce battles were breaking out in multiple locations within the same city.

Without question.

News of multiple Great Secret Treasures had spread instantly.

And more had appeared elsewhere in the city.

Beneath-the-surface currents erupted into raging waves.

From this moment on, Cassol plunged into the largest-scale riot in its history.

And no one noticed—

Atop the Lord's Mansion, perched on the very tip of a spire, sat a girl in a maid uniform.

Her eyes had split into insect-like compound eyes, gazing into the distance.

She occasionally jotted something down in the notebook held in her hands.

Her expression remained eternally serene, as if utterly detached from the impending massive-scale riot.