"Karthenheim? Did he perhaps mean Kamien?" Caelum muttered thoughtfully while staring at the ancient text.

Kamien was a well-known Knight Kingdom located in the southern region of the Human Continent, but he had never once heard of any nation called Karthenheim.

The only reason he even made the connection was because some of the written symbols vaguely resembled the modern name of Kamien.

At that very moment, Caelum did not realize that the knowledge contained within this old book would be considered priceless within modern Kamien itself.

And the information recorded here contained secrets connected directly to the royal bloodline and the name Karthenheim.

If the Lords of Kamien learned that such a record still existed, many of them would likely pay absurd fortunes just to obtain it.

Slowly, Caelum continued reading through the pages.

However, after progressing further into the diary, he unconsciously paused for a moment.

The atmosphere surrounding the book felt strangely eerie.

Not only had the text clearly been written using blood, but even the pages themselves appeared to be crafted from the skin of some unknown beast.

"If you want to sleep, go ahead, I will rest later." Caelum eventually said while glancing toward Bonjour.

Bonjour shook his head slightly.

"Then we take turns, how about four hours?"

"It’s fine, you can think of me as having a high tolerance towards sleep." Caelum replied calmly.

Being a cultivator truly became convenient in moments like these.

Bonjour eventually nodded before leaning against the icy cave wall and falling asleep surprisingly quickly.

Meanwhile, Caelum continued reflecting upon the contents of the diary.

The story recorded within was surprisingly tragic.

After some enormous war whose scale the knight never fully described, the man named Zusur had begun feeling insignificant in the greater scheme of the world despite already being a Grand Knight.

Then, during the chaos of battle, he was apparently swallowed by a mysterious portal and transported into this frozen land.

He never learned where exactly he had arrived.

Still, despite being trapped within this place alone and heavily injured, he somehow managed to survive here for nearly an entire year while continuously searching for a path back home.

However his wounds had worsened beyond recovery.

Knowing his death was approaching, Zusur decided to record all of his knowledge, experiences, and discoveries within this book.

Using beast skin as pages and his own blood mixed with his will as ink, he left behind his legacy for whoever might someday discover this cave.

The diary also mentioned something particularly strange.

Anyone who arrived here still possessed hope of returning unlike him.

Additionally, various maps and directional markings had been drawn throughout the later pages.

"What kind of war was that...? For even a Grand Knight to consider himself insignificant." Caelum muttered quietly as another system notification appeared before his eyes.

——————

Quest

Description: Obtain the inheritance of the Grand Knight Zusur. A Great inheritance in front of your eyes, how can you think twice before trying to obtain it. Your path to becoming a true cultivator is bleak!

Rewards: System Points depending on performance.

Failure: Mental Death.

——————

Caelum stared silently at the final line with deep eyes.

Still, he understood something important.

Even if this inheritance did not provide powerful resources or cultivation treasures, it contained something he currently wanted.

Insights regarding the sword.

And right now, that was precisely what he needed most.

After thinking carefully for some time, Caelum finally made his decision as he did what the book said.

He drew his sword slightly before making a small cut across his thumb.

A drop of blood slowly fell onto the book.

The moment it landed, Caelum narrowed his eyes slightly.

His blood looked somewhat darker than normal.

Then the entire book emitted a brilliant light.

Before Caelum could react properly, his consciousness was forcibly dragged into the inheritance.

At that exact moment, only one thought surfaced within his mind.

’I seriously don’t have good memories involving glowing books...’

***

Caelum suddenly found himself standing upon a massive circular platform surrounded by endless darkness.

The platform itself appeared normal, while cold winds drifted silently through the empty space.

Then, directly in front of him, a young man slowly appeared.

He looked no older than his late teens and possessed slightly brown hair alongside an extraordinary aura that naturally drew attention toward him.

The young man wore a complete suit of knight armor decorated with old symbols unfamiliar to Caelum, and despite standing casually, he carried an imposing sense of discipline and sharpness.

The man looked at Caelum carefully before speaking.

"Blue hair..." he muttered thoughtfully.

"That is somewhat unusual from where I come from."

Then his eyes narrowed slightly.

"So, how exactly did you arrive in that place?"

Caelum thought about the question honestly for a moment before replying.

"I patted someone on their back." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"...What?"

The Knight of Karthenheim, Zusur, stared at him silently.

The explanation sounded absurd.

However, after thinking about his own situation, Zusur could not exactly complain.

After all, he himself had only accidentally slipped into a spatial disturbance during war and ended up trapped within the frozen land.

Perhaps strange circumstances were simply common for people who arrived there.

Then he looked at Caelum once more before sighing lightly.

"Though I must admit, I am slightly disappointed that you are not a knight." he continued.

Caelum immediately raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, even I know I’m not suited to becoming a knight."

He had already heard similar comments from Grror before.

Apparently, even the dead agreed on this topic.

To Caelum’s surprise, Zusur nodded immediately.

"That much is obvious," the knight replied without hesitation.

"There is absolutely no way someone like you could become a proper knight."

Caelum’s expression twitched slightly.

"And strangely enough, I also feel that the path of honor fundamentally does not suit you."

"Why do I feel like you’re secretly praising yourself while insulting me at the same time?" he asked suspiciously.

Then his expression became more thoughtful.

"And honestly, what even is this so called path of honor? Most people only chase control, wealth, authority, or survival, very few truly care about things like honor."

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere changed.

Zusur’s gaze sharpened instantly.

"Did you just insult the Knight’s Path?" he asked quietly.

BOOOOM!

Tremendous pressure suddenly descended upon Caelum like a collapsing mountain.