"Is this... me?"
Looking at the shadow of herself, Kiana was stunned and subconsciously reached out to touch it.
Her fingertips passed through the illusory shadow, but she felt a warm sensation—completely different from the cold and ruthless Herrscher of the Void who would harm those around her.
This shadow looked like a warrior who had been forging ahead through hardships. There was no confusion in her eyes, as if she had found something important worth fighting for, something she would never give up.
This expression...
Kiana pursed her lips tightly, and a trace of longing appeared in her blue eyes.
If... I really become a Herrscher, then the one in front of me is definitely what I hope to become!
Mei and the others were also surprised by Kiana's new Herrscher image.
Of course, after the surprise came confusion.
"Why does Kiana have two Herrscher appearance?"
"Look at the posture of that shadow. Maybe that's the new form Kiana will gain after defeating the Herrscher of the Void."
It wasn't Mei who answered Theresa's doubts, but Himeko, who until now had rarely made her presence known.
She looked at the shadowed, flame-wrapped Herrscher Kiana and showed a trace of relief.
As someone who had been through it, Himeko understood the expression on Flamescion Kiana's face and the emotions in her eyes.
It was the frustration of suffering hardships, transforming, and growing through many dangerous situations.
However, to achieve such growth, most of the time, you have to pay a sorrowful price.
What belonged to Himeko were her father and her teacher Ragnar, who guided her on this path.
"Kiana, what have you experienced?"
Staring at the shadow of the Herrscher of Flamescion, Himeko silently asked herself.
She didn't know what the future held until this space revealed it.
But as a teacher of Kiana and the others, her duty was to protect her students from storms before they matured, and guide them toward progress.
…
After the eighth question, this long and torturous Q&A finally ended.
[End of this Q&A]
[Start settlement]
[Number of answers: 8]
[Number of correct answers: 6]
[Number of wrong answers: 2]
[Rewards: 5 Rare Homu Treasure Boxes, 1 Common Homu Treasure Box]
After settlement, the Q&A space slowly dissipated.
They returned to Theresa's office, in front of Fu Hua, Bronya, and Mei.
Just like the number of correct answers before, the Homu Treasure Boxes quietly awaited them.
Then it was time to open the boxes!
First up was Mei, the contestant with the most Homu Boxes.
She opened a box.
Golden light burst out.
The first Homo Box produced a card.
[Powerful Resurrection Card (2/5)]
[It looks like a beautiful card, but it holds immense power.]
[This card can revive the dead.]
[Don't worry about not collecting all the cards, because this powerful card can be used even if you haven't collected them all.]
[Suggestion: You can use it before collecting all cards, but don't be alarmed if you use it prematurely.]
[Also: Please do not use this series of cards to revive different people.]
"?!"
When Himeko and Theresa saw the information on the card, their breathing grew heavy.
According to the description, this card can resurrect the dead!
Resurrecting the dead—
What a tempting and incredible effect!
Both Himeko and Theresa had people who had passed away and whom they regretted losing, and they longed to bring them back.
Himeko's was Ragnar.
Theresa's was Cecilia.
Even Fu Hua... she had no one left to revive.
For her, the important people had almost been forgotten.
The only thing she now remembered was the promise she made with her friend.
Fu Hua wanted to revive that friend, but unfortunately, she didn't even know the friend's name or appearance.
Kiana and Mei wasn't particularly shocked by this card.
After all, a similar card had been issued before, but since no one had wanted to use it, Kiana hadn't paid much attention to the previous resurrection card.
Well... now, that earlier resurrection card was probably gathering dust at the bottom of Kiana's suitcase.
"Kiana has drawn this kind of card before."
"Although the description says it can be used directly..."
Since everyone present was trustworthy, Mei revealed the existence of the card Kiana had drawn before and then pulled the corner of her mouth.
"But... I think it's better to collect all five cards before using them. It's 'better.'"
Actually, Mei wanted to revive someone: her mother who died when she was a child.
Given her close relationship with Kiana, since Kiana hadn't made use of her card, Mei felt she should be able to get it.
But Mei didn't ask.
Because she always felt that if she used the card without collecting all five, something terrible might happen.
With such a strong premonition, Mei hesitated and gave up on the idea of reviving her mother.
"...Does this mean that only part of a body can be revived?"
Himeko raised her eyebrows and made a guess.
"This possibility cannot be ruled out."
"Kiana and I have never used it."
Hearing Mei's words, Himeko instantly abandoned the idea.
If only an arm or a leg of her teacher Ragnar was revived, she shuddered at the thought of that scene.
Of course, Theresa wasn't convinced either.
Although she also couldn't accept resurrection of only limbs such as arms or legs,
if the head could be revived... Then that might be acceptable!?
With Schicksal's medical technology, even if only the head was resurrected, the other parts could potentially be assembled later.
Of course, this was just speculation.
After careful consideration, Theresa decided not to take the risk.
She would wait and see if all the cards could be collected later.
Just like that, this half-broken resurrection card was forgotten.
Mei opened the second Homu Box.
For a moment, golden light shone everywhere.
Then, Mei took out... a pan?!
Let's not talk about the weirdness of pulling a large pan out of a small box.
Mei was doubting her own sanity.
"You're the only one who laughed at me for being a cook?!"
She looked at the shiny black pan in her hand with some grief and anger.
While Theresa and Himeko held back their laughter, Mei reluctantly opened the information sheet for the pan.
[Magical Non-Stick Pan]
[From the outside, it looks like an ordinary pan with a good appearance.]
[Effect 1: Food cooked with this pan will have various time-limited attributes, and there is a chance that food with permanent attribute enhancements will appear.]
[Effect 2: This pan cannot be damaged.]
[Effect 3: This pan does not require fire; simply hold the handle and inject lightning to generate heat.]
[Effect 4: When thrown, this pan will lock on to its target.]
[Note: This pan is truly magical.]