Hearing Sir Philip's words, Shaan was silent for a moment. Honestly, Shaan himself had not paid any attention to it. However, he stayed calm and tried to recall the incident.

'Come on, Shaan, you must remember something.' Shaan scratched his head over and over again. 'Damn it… Why can't I remember anything at all?'

Seeing Shaan's actions, Sir Philip sighed deeply. "Shaan, that's enough. I understand. It seems you don't remember anything about it, right?"

"Yeah… I guess so, Sir Philip." Shaan lowered his head weakly. "I'm really sorry. I can't help you."

"I understand. But I believe the destruction spell you found might only contain one triangle, which means it probably belongs to the basic level."

"Sir Philip, how many levels are there in destructive spells?"

"Based on the records I read, the destruction spell has three levels. The higher the level, the greater the impact—it can even destroy an entire Twilight Sanctum with ease. So, that's the reason why the destruction spell is very dangerous."

'Oh my God… that's terrifying.'

"Ah, too bad. I completely forgot the details of that spell." Sir Philip scratched his head. "Ask Miss Daisy. She knows a lot about this kind of thing."

"I understand."

"Okay, we'll discuss that later," said Sir Philip, turning his chair and facing the board behind him. "For now, let's check which positions still need volunteers."

While Sir Philip studied the boards, Shaan let out a quiet sigh. He felt relieved that he had only found a basic-level destruction spell inside that cave. If he had discovered a level two or even level three spell, he probably wouldn't be standing here right now.

'Maybe I should talk to Miss Daisy and ask her about that destruction spell. If I can learn more details about it, that knowledge could really help me when I'm—

"Hey, hey. Are you listening to me?" Sir Philip snapped his finger; his face looked confused. "Shaan?"

"Ah, yes. I hear you, Sir Philip."

"Good. There's still an open spot in the gathering team, and you can take it," Sir Philip said. "Your job is to collect materials in the forest for building a bridge. The staff will give you the full instructions later."

"I understand."

"Now go meet the administrative officer outside this tent and tell them you want to join the gathering team. The officer will take you there right away, and you can start your social punishment now."

"Alright, Sir Philip. I understand," Shaan nodded. "I'll talk to the officer and tell them what you said. Thanks."

"Okay, see you then, and I hope we meet again. See you."

"See you, Sir Philip," replied Shaan, walking out of the tent.

***

After walking for a while with the officer, Shaan and several other volunteers came to a halt in front of another gate that stood ahead of them. Shaan clearly saw the curious expressions on the other volunteers' faces when they realized there was another gate that led outside Twilight Sanctum.

But Shaan didn't react the same way. He already knew about this gate from his time with Dr. Marshal. Even so, he forced himself to wear a surprised look so the officer wouldn't suspect anything.

"Now, I'll explain your task here," the officer said, raising something in his hand that looked like a saw. "Each of you already holds an ArcGear. I've explained its function and how to use it before. You'll use ArcGear to cut down the trees outside Twilight Sanctum. After you finish cutting them down, the transport team will collect the wood and further process it. Do you all understand?"

"We understand," they answered in unison.

"Good. While you're inside the forest, make sure you turn on the Arcane Scanning system in your ArcGear so you won't cut down the wrong trees," the officer continued, pointing at the device. "Press this button and the system will start working. Got it?"

"Yes, we got it."

"Also, try not to cut too far from this gate because there may be dangers lurking in this forest."

"Okay," said Shaan and the others in unison.

"If you run into problems or don't understand something, ask the team members inside the forest. They'll gladly help you," the officer explained. "Now, move out and cut as much wood as you can."

Without wasting time, Shaan and the other volunteers quickened their pace, entered the forest, and started working. Once inside, Shaan immediately powered up his ArcGear and pressed the small button on its side to activate the Arcane Scanning system, just like the officer had explained.

[Arcane Scanning system successfully activated.]

"Good, now it's time to check this tree."

[Wood type: Darkwood Oak]

[Density: 40% (Grade C)]

[Magic Content: 2% - Non-Elemental]

[Internal Cracks: 3 weak points (0.85 m, 1 m, 2.2 m from the center of the trunk)]

[Fiber Structure: Smooth Linear - Easy to Cut]

"There it is. The density fits perfectly, and this tree seems to be the one they need," Shaan said while stroking his chin. "Oh wow… this is incredible. This tool explains everything in detail. Nothing like this exists in the human world. It's way more advanced than any saw I've ever seen. This… this is amazing!"

Without wasting any time, Shaan aimed the machine's blade at the tree trunk in front of him and pulled the lever to start it. But for some reason, the ArcGear didn't respond the way he expected. He tried pulling the lever again, but nothing happened.

"Huh? Wait, this is weird. Why can't I use it?" Shaan muttered as he pulled the lever over and over again. "Did just thig broke? Or maybe I forgot something?"

While he tried to figure out how to turn it on, the sound of footsteps echoed behind him. At first, Shaan tried to ignore it and forced himself to focus on the machine. But the footsteps grew louder and closer. A sharp uneasiness crawled into his chest.

He finally turned his head, and his body stiffened the moment he saw that a stranger was standing behind him.

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