Adapalene (8)

Night had quietly fallen, and the last streak of sunset vanished behind the ridge at the edge of the basin.

Inside the burrow, magical lamps flickered, illuminating Ang's focused face.

He steadily carved the final rune into the edge of the magic array, then let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Finally finished," Ang said softly, his voice carrying the relief of tension released after being held for far too long.

Beside him, Dana crouched and studied the magic array's intricate, elegant lines. He could not help but marvel. "This is much more complicated than when you imbued the Black and White Shield with a spirit."

Ang nodded, his gaze unconsciously falling on the magic core at the center of the array. "This is an improved version. And it differs from the Empire's method of directly forcing magical beast souls into Enchanted Armaments."

"What's the difference?" Dana asked curiously.

"I haven't mastered the Empire's spirit-imbuing system." Ang shook his head. "I discovered this while sorting through the Guanda people's inheritance. They originally used it to imbue people with spirits, so I tried applying the system to Enchanted Armaments."

"The way you changed it... sounds more like the right way," Dana muttered.

"You're far better than those Imperial mages." Margherita could not help speaking up as well, a hint of surprise in her tone. "Ang, can you make Tier 2 Enchanted Armaments now?"

Ang smiled instead of answering directly, spreading his hands. "Whether it works is still uncertain. This is the important magical experiment I mentioned before."

"This is your first time?" Margherita's eyes widened with excitement.

Ang nodded.

"That's wonderful! I actually get to witness the first time in your life!" She smiled until her eyes curved into crescents.

"...You make it sound like my