Miracle Summoner

Atlas Institute, Central Area

This was a vast and complex space, as expansive as a city.

The area was buried in sand and gravel on all sides, yet traces of numerous facilities in operation could still be seen.

The ceiling was entirely open, revealing the sky, adding to the vastness and comfort of the space.

Here, the conditions allowed for long-term residence without discomfort, satisfying both mental and psychological needs—a stark contrast to the oppressive and heavy atmosphere of the tunnels outside.

In the very center of this remarkable place stood three stone monument-like obelisks.

"That is the Atlas Institute's greatest record-keeping device, capable of collecting, sorting, and recording vast amounts of information from this planet—the pseudo-spiritronic processor known as Tri-Hermes," Nitocris said, addressing Rozen and Mash.

"That is…"

Mash gazed at the three obelisks, her voice trembling with both awe and emotion as she murmured softly.

"Tri-Hermes…"

Rozen, too, focused his attention on the pseudo-spiritronic processor, his eyes brimming with interest.

According to Nitocris, by using the device and inputting a query, one could retrieve the desired information from its vast archives.

Named Tri-Hermes, the pseudo-spiritronic processor was the largest record-keeping medium of the Atlas Institute—and indeed, the entire planet. It not only stored an enormous repository of information from across the globe but also held the Institute's confidential knowledge.

All of this was automatically collected, categorized, and recorded by Tri-Hermes, requiring no manual effort from the Institute's personnel. It was one of the most extraordinary inventions in the Institute's history, a miracle that, for the alchemists who regarded knowledge as everything, surpassed even the allure of the Holy Grail.

With such a comprehensive repository, the Atlas Institute had no need for libraries, archives, or data repositories; all knowledge could be stored within it and accessed at any time.

Of course, while access was theoretically possible at any time, there were restrictions.

"I've used it before, trying to locate the sealed sites of the Seven Weapons, but I wasn't successful. It's not that Tri-Hermes didn't have the records—it's that access permissions were required. Information within the pseudo-spiritronic processor is categorized based on its importance, with varying levels of access permissions. Other than the director of Atlas, who has unrestricted access, everyone else is assigned different access levels depending on their rank, which determines the information they can view."

Nitocris expressed her dissatisfaction openly.

"In terms of rank, a Pharaoh's status is undoubtedly the highest. Yet the director of this mere Atlas Institute dared to set permissions above mine. It's outrageous."

Nitocris grumbled in frustration.

For Rozen, this was also unwelcome news.

"So, access permissions are required…"

Rozen frowned.

If that was the case, it might not be easy to access the Atlas Institute's alchemical knowledge.

It was only logical to assume that such an important body of knowledge would require high-level permissions.

Otherwise, Nitocris herself, a queen of magic, wouldn't have been utterly stymied, unable to discover the locations of the Seven Weapons even now.

If anyone else were in the same position, they might also be unable to proceed.

However, Rozen had his own methods.

Thus, he turned to Nitocris.

"Can I use Tri-Hermes?"

Just to be polite, Rozen asked.

Regardless of her answer, Rozen had already decided to proceed.

Fortunately, Nitocris didn't seem too bothered.

"Do as you wish," Nitocris replied candidly. "Since I've brought you here, it'd be pointless to stop you now."

That was a fair point.

"I'll be back in a bit."

Rozen smiled and began heading toward the obelisks.

"Be careful, Senpai."

Mash couldn't help but give a gentle reminder.

"Don't worry."

Rozen patted Mash's head reassuringly and then walked straight up to the obelisks.

As he approached the Tri-Hermes, he placed his hand on the stone surface.

"Beep!"

Almost instantly, the obelisks seemed to activate, emitting a sound akin to electronic machinery.

At the same time, intricate patterns, resembling electric circuits, briefly flickered across the surface of the obelisks.

"Input your question into Tri-Hermes!" Nitocris called out loudly.

"Once you enter a query, Tri-Hermes will provide an answer from its archives!"

Upon hearing this, Rozen wasted no time in inputting his query.

"Tell me all the magical knowledge and technical data of the Atlas Institute."

The moment this question was entered, the surface of the obelisks displayed a line of text.

————'Insufficient permissions. Access denied.'————

This line of text confirmed what Rozen had suspected all along.

"Just as I thought…"

Rozen sighed inwardly and made up his mind.

"It's time to cheat."

With that, Rozen closed his eyes and activated his Mind's Eye.

Yes.

The cheat he intended to use was Mind's Eye.

"If I can peer into the past usage of Tri-Hermes and see the permissions the director of the Atlas Institute used to access it, I can obtain the highest level of access."

With that, Rozen would be able to view all the Institute's archives and extract every piece of knowledge and technology it had to offer.

Determined, Rozen gradually unleashed the full power of Mind's Eye, letting the world around him fade away.

Before he knew it, Rozen began to witness a series of scenes.

He saw flames consuming the land.

He heard the cries of humanity.

These were the final days of the Atlas Institute, consumed by the flames of the Human Incineration Incident.

But Rozen wasn't searching for this. He pushed further, reaching deeper into the past.

He continued to delve into the depths of the world and the distant past, stretching his spirit and soul as if reaching out to the farthest corners of history.

Finally, at some point, Rozen saw it.

He saw someone standing before the obelisks, inputting their access permissions.

Rozen's spirit surged with excitement as he memorized the exact credentials used to access Tri-Hermes.

At that moment, an intense pain shot through Rozen's head.

"Ugh…!"

Rozen immediately snapped back to reality, letting out a muffled groan as his spirit and soul returned to his body.

"Senpai!"

Mash, hearing Rozen's groan, was alarmed.

"Are… Are you okay…!?"

Even Nitocris was taken aback.

"I'm fine."

Rozen quickly reassured the two without turning around.

Because he knew that if he turned now, his condition would be evident.

Peering into the distant past came at a price—his head throbbed as if being crushed, his vision blurred, his eyes filled with blood, and his pupils dilated to their maximum extent.

Enduring the excruciating pain, Rozen smiled bitterly.

"Let's hope this was worth it."