novelraw Chapter 65: What Are These Eggs For?
Chapter 65: What Are These Eggs For?
As we stood before the main altar, the scent of burned wood and scorched earth still clung to the air, and ash floated gently around us like black snow. All that remained of the battle was the darkened soil and the flickering embers in the trees. Yet, despite all this destruction, there was a strange sense of calm.
The altar itself was carved with faded gold runes, now glowing faintly violet from the ritual’s completion. A wide basin stood atop the altar, and at its base, I saw a pedestal that hadn’t been there before. Embedded in its center was a narrow, keyhole-shaped recess, as though waiting for something to be inserted.
“The key fragments…” I muttered, reaching into my inventory.
Without hesitation, I retrieved the three fragments. These gleaming shards were something that we had taken from powerful enemies throughout the third to the fifth scenario. As I brought them closer together, the fragments resonated with one another, and a System prompt appeared.
You possess three Key Fragments of the Grove.
Would you like to combine them?
[Yes/No]
“Yes.” It was an obvious answer.
Then, a flash of light engulfed my hand. When it faded, I was holding a single, jagged crystal that seemed to contain a mysterious power. It was heavier than I expected, warm to the touch, and glowed a deep green.
You have successfully combined the three key fragments into Groveheart Keystone.
Use it to obtain the hidden treasure and complete the scenario.
Boris and Michelle stopped just outside the altar as I stepped toward the pedestal. But then, I stopped, tightening my hold on the keystone. “Before I end this…” I said under my breath, “let’s see if I can increase the reward with that skill.”
The skill I had in mind was Scenario Manipulation. This was an ability that I hadn’t gotten the chance to use, not because I’d forgotten it, but because the amount of plausibility consumed was simply too large, at least a few times more than Grant Plausibility. There simply hadn’t been a compelling reason to use it in the previous scenarios as well, since I could clear them without altering the scenario’s foundation, and frankly, I didn’t want to risk attracting the attention of Raphael or Istellia just yet.
I wasn’t sure what they would do if they knew that I could manipulate the scenario.
But now, I had more than enough plausibility to spare, so I could afford to be bold. And if done carefully and subtly, I could make it seem like a natural development within the scenario.
This was the perfect moment to test Scenario Manipulation—the most dangerous yet powerful skill in my arsenal.
“Scenario Manipulation,” I whispered under my breath.
You have activated Scenario Manipulation.
Please select an effect or variable to alter.
A translucent blue menu popped up before my eyes, filled with countless variables. Lines of possibility, outcomes, and narrative branches were available. Many of them were locked, some grayed out due to exorbitant cost, and others so vaguely worded that altering them felt like ticking time bombs waiting to backfire. Compared to Grant Plausibility, using this skill was an entirely different beast, in both scope and the sheer scale of what it could influence.
Of course, not unlike Grant Plausibility, this one also allowed me to manually input conditions and variables I wanted to alter.
But there was one that fit exactly what I needed:
[Outcome Adjustment – Hidden Reward Tier Bias]
Cost: 200 Plausibility
Guarantees a significantly increased chance of receiving the best possible outcome or hidden reward from this scenario.
A wide grin formed on my lips. Perfect.
Without hesitation, I confirmed this selection without my two friends knowing any better.
You have selected Outcome Adjustment – Hidden Reward Tier Bias.
200 Plausibility has been consumed.
There was no visible change to the world—not even a faint ripple in the air—but I was certain something had been altered within the scenario itself, becoming part of the scenario’s reality.
Quickly, I placed the keystone into the pedestal.
The moment it slotted into place, the entire altar trembled, and a grinding noise echoed beneath our feet. A portion of the altar’s base cracked and slid aside, revealing a staircase descending into darkness below.
“A hidden path?” Michelle murmured.
Boris peered down into the passage with a low whistle. “Well, this definitely looks like the place where they keep the good stuff.”
Without hesitation, I stepped onto the first stair while the others were following closely behind. The descent was steep, the walls lined with moss-covered stone and softly illuminated by embedded crystals that pulsed faintly with greenish light. The air grew heavier as we went deeper—not suffocating, but thick with age, as though the very air remembered things long forgotten. It felt like we were walking into the heart of something ancient, a place where the forest’s oldest secrets slumbered undisturbed.
At the end of the path, we emerged into a small underground chamber. The ceiling arched high above us, roots snaking through the cracks, and in the center was a raised platform carved from obsidian-like stone. Resting atop it were two objects nestled carefully in what resembled giant bird nests woven from silver-tinged twigs.
They were eggs.
One was pitch black, so dark it seemed to drink in the light around it, like a void solidified into form. The other was pure white, so smooth and pristine it seemed to glow with its own soft light.
??? Egg
??? Egg
“Huh?” I frowned as no information appeared about the two eggs. I quickly activated Inspect Eye, hoping to uncover more details.
??? Egg
Grade: ???
An egg of a higher being. It requires a special environment with specific criteria in order to hatch.
??? Egg
Grade: ???
An egg of a higher being. It requires a special environment with specific criteria in order to hatch.
“Not even Inspect Eye can identify them?” I muttered, raising an eyebrow in surprise. What are these eggs?
“Um, I can’t see any details about these eggs either,” Michelle chimed in, tilting her head. “Should we… make an omelet out of them? I have salt and pepper with me, and we can use the fire outside to cook them.”
I turned to her in disbelief. Seriously? An omelet? Does she not know the sheer value of these eggs?! I thought in dismay. Why would I spend my precious plausibility and risk my life fighting a corrupted divine beast just to fry up two divine-grade omelets out of them?
“Gahaha! Talking about omelets makes me hungry,” Boris added, rubbing his muscled stomach with a broad grin. “Haven’t had a proper meal in three days!”
“Ahem. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.” I shook my head, regaining focus.
There was no doubt in my mind that these were no ordinary eggs. In fact, something about their presence felt familiar, like I had seen them somewhere before. Naturally, a pair of eggs from higher beings could mean many things, but with the clues I had, I could already narrow the possibilities down.
“Anyway, let’s take the eggs and finish this scenario. We can have a full course meal once we’re back at the inn,” I said as I carefully lifted the nests and stored both eggs securely in my inventory.
Whatever these eggs contained, it was best not to count the chickens before they hatched, like literally.
“Still… this whole thing felt like a dream,” Michelle muttered. “I still can’t believe that we survived and won against the final boss with all conditions cleared… This is unprecedented in the whole Fantasia, isn’t it?”
“Mm,” Boris grunted. “But dreams or not, I could use some meat and ale while we’re celebrating our success.”
“Well then, let’s get the hell out of here now that we’ve finished the scenario.”
Without us doing anything, the scenario completed by its own since we completed all the extra conditions.
You have successfully eliminated the Divine Spirit Stag.
Congratulations.
You have cleared Scenario #5 [The Trial of the Ancient Grove].
You have fulfilled the fourth extra condition of the scenario — Light up 5 altars. (5/5)
You have fulfilled the fifth extra condition of the scenario — Uncover the last key fragment and obtain the treasure. (1/1, Complete)
Basic Rewards: 10,000 Soul Coins
Additional Rewards: Unique-Grade Armament Voucher & a Random Unique-Grade Skill Book.
You have acquired the Weapon Manifestation Skill Book.
Your Dexterity has increased by 1.
Your Stamina has increased by 2.
Your Mind has increased by 1.
Your Magic Power has increased by 1.
Basic Neutral Magic has leveled up.
You have fulfilled the prerequisites for class advancement.
Special legendary class detected.
You are now eligible for class advancement.
Would you like to proceed?
[Yes/No]
At long last, I exhaled a long breath of relief as a radiant light enveloped each of us. When my vision returned, I found myself standing once more before the Rift of Scenarios, my body fully restored to peak condition. All the wounds I had sustained in the battle against Eikthyrnir were gone, as if they had never existed in the first place.
Above us, the sun hung high in the sky. But I was certain that more than a full day had passed here since we were inside the scenario. Even though there was a time dilation, it shouldn’t be too extreme for a three-day scenario.
“It’s good to be back,” Michelle said, stretching with a yawn and raising her arms high overhead.
“Congratulations on clearing the fifth scenario, divine warriors,” Elysia greeted us with a rare, wider smile. “This marks a major milestone and your first true step toward greatness.”
“Mhm.” I nodded, then inquired, “How long were we in the scenario?”
“It has been approximately one day and four hours passed here in Fantasia when you were inside the scenario,” she replied with an earnest smile.
“I see.”
Actually, there was a reason that I asked this question. Almost immediately after we returned to Fantasia, I noticed several distant eyes were watching us from afar, likely belonging to Graham’s men. And I had a hunch that they weren’t here to offer congratulations and were up to something not good.
“Maxim, lad, you’ve noticed it too, haven’t you?” Boris muttered as we took a few steps away from where we arrived.
Michelle glanced over, her brows furrowed. “What should we do?”
I thought for a moment, then said, “Let’s head to the Hall of Classes. You two should complete your class advancement as soon as possible. Once we’re officially Gimmel-rank divine warriors, they’ll think twice before trying anything.”
Most of Graham’s elite men were likely hovering around the lower end of Gimmel rank, meaning they wouldn’t outmatch us by much anymore. As for his lackeys, like Ryan, they were likely still stuck at Bet-rank—far beneath us now.
On the other hand, I could proceed with my class advancement now that I had completed all the prerequisites. So, without hesitation, I tapped [Yes]—only to discover that what I received might make me ten times stronger.