[Numerical Mirror]

[Numerical Mirror (Purple Epic)]: Perfectly replicate the opponent's physical stats during combat. Let your opponent take a look in the mirror.

Seeing this line of text, Shane finally understood where those 1+9 Quals had come from.

So, the Demon Race Sage had actually been acting as a lab assistant for the Human Sage.

That was even possible?

He stepped forward to pick up the torn page and examined it closely.

This page was clearly different from ordinary paper; at certain angles, one could see hidden patterns composed of magical symbols.

Shane guessed that these magical patterns were likely the reason this page had not decayed for a thousand years.

Perhaps it was some form of preservation magic?

Frieren also walked up, her eyes lighting up when she saw the paper in Shane's hand.

But when she realized it was only a single page, she looked a bit disappointed.

"This is a fragment of the Notes of Sage Aewich. It should be genuine; this kind of treated, preservative paper was commonly used by the Great Sages who excelled in alchemy. Many books handed down from before the Unified Empire used this special material."

Shane nodded, his thoughts aligning with her assessment.

"I have heard of this Sage Aewich many times from Flamme. It is said he was a Great Sage of the Mythical Era and the very first Sage. He created many powerful Magic Tools and invented quite a few spells unique to humanity. Hmm... it seems the study of mental-type magic began with him."

"It is a pity that this is only a fragment. The content is incomplete, making it extremely difficult to decipher, so its research value is truly limited."

Regarding that point, Shane reserved his judgment.

While it might seem useless in the eyes of others, he was well aware of the true value of the [Numerical Mirror] entry on the page.

Although it was still in the experimental stage and could only replicate physical stats, it was already incredibly broken.

Just imagine, if he were to fight Frieren, wouldn't he instantly possess magic power comparable to that old timer?

And think about it, if he were to fight Aura the Guillotine, the scales would probably be baffled...

Of course, the outcome of a battle was not just a contest of raw numbers; magic types, combat experience, and tactical choices were all decisive factors. One could not look at just one aspect.

Furthermore, there was the issue of additional equipment attributes.

At the end of the day, numbers were a man's romance.

He liked it very much.

Wait, Shane frowned, suddenly thinking of something rather unpleasant:

If fighting a strong opponent meant replicating them, then fighting a weak opponent meant replicating them too. What if he fought a Slime...

Oh no!

This was a mechanical entry!

I go fifty-fifty with Frieren, and I also go fifty-fifty with a blob of Slime?

Because this page was quite special, Shane did not immediately Strip the entry, but instead tucked it into his backpack.

He planned to go outside and transcribe a copy for backup before Stripping it.

After all, he still needed to compare it with the Notes of Aewich that Heiter possessed.

The mirrored Gostan City had now shattered into a pile of glass shards.

What lay exposed was a gloomy underground cavern.

Walking out of the bedroom of Mad Sage Charles, Shane and Frieren arrived at the laboratory in the outer room.

The floor of the laboratory was covered in debris: broken weapons, scattered arrows, and many fragments of damaged armor.

Shane discovered quite a few city hall insignias among the clutter; he picked them up one by one and put them away.

Perhaps these were the markers worn by the fallen vanguard team, he thought. At the very least, he should bring these insignias back so their families or friends could pray for them and lay them to rest.

As for the remaining broken equipment, adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, he swept it all into his backpack.

Now, he had more entries to farm.

"Shane!"

Frieren's voice came from ahead.

Shane finished packing his things and went to Frieren's side, instantly stunned by the scene before him.

In the vast underground cavern, more than a dozen treasure chests were lined up densely!

Excitement shone in Frieren's eyes.

"This magic... I can sense over a dozen grimoires."

Shane swallowed hard and whispered a reminder: "Hey, Frieren, it would probably be better to use Mimic Detection Magic to check them first."

Who would have thought, Frieren crouched down in front of the nearest chest, completely unmoved.

Seeing that posture, Shane knew for certain that she must have already checked, but she simply refused to believe it!!!

Sure enough, the next second, Frieren placed her hand on the lid of the chest.

"Shane, the precision of that spell is only 99%; it's not exactly reliable."

"..."

"The great mages throughout history only achieved their epic discoveries because they grasped that remaining 1% of possibility. Besides..." Frieren smiled, reaching for the lid, and continued with a tone of certainty, "Based on my many years of dungeon exploration experience, there is definitely a grimoire inside."

"Wait..."

Click.

Before Shane could finish his sentence, Frieren flipped the lid open.

A massive tongue shot out in a flash, wrapped around her with a thwack, and swiftly dragged Frieren into the chest.

Chomp, chomp.

The Mimic began to chew vigorously.

Shane was completely stunned.

Immediately after, as expected, Frieren's screams echoed through the underground cavern.

"It's so dark—it's so scary—"

Her upper body was clamped tightly in the jaws of the Mimic, leaving only her backside and legs dangling outside, kicking wildly but unable to break free, her muffled cries continuing to reverberate.

The corner of Shane's mouth twitched.

How should he even describe his current mood?

After tossing and turning all night, the two finally left the underground cavern.

Frieren was wrapped in a blanket, trailing behind Shane looking soaking wet and entirely unsatisfied.

Shane rubbed his lower back, his face etched with exhaustion.

It was no use; he really couldn't take it anymore.

Honestly, one Frieren versus a dozen Mimics—this dungeon was truly "Hell" difficulty!

"Two heroes!"

Just as they stepped out of the dungeon entrance, General Glucks, who had been waiting on the sidelines, hurried over to meet them.

He looked Shane and Frieren up and down, his face filled with genuine joy. "Thank goodness, you've returned safely!"

As he spoke, he immediately signaled the Monk behind him to step forward and provide diagnosis and treatment for Shane and Frieren.

Shane looked at the man's bloodshot eyes and felt a touch of emotion. Could this city-defending general have been waiting outside ever since they entered the dungeon?

"I have already arranged for food and prepared rooms. You should rest first; I will transfer the subsequent clearing operations to the City Hall."

"General, we have already completed the clearing."

"What?!"

Glucks was taken aback.

He had assumed Shane and his companion would at most bring back some useful intelligence, but they had actually cleared it entirely!

He could hardly believe it!

Shane took out his backpack, handed the collected insignias to the general, and continued, "We also found this inside; I hope it's useful."

"This is..."

General Glucks froze.

He took the insignias with trembling hands, cradled them, and remained silent for a long time.

"Thank you both."

"Gostan City will never forget you."