{Right right, the secret knowledge that this message is bound to is supposed the reward and compensation for all the trouble you have gone through, I almost forgot this part... it should be really satisfying if you are a user of either fire or water elements, and… if you aren't… well you can trade it off for coins or something, though most normal people won't benefit that much from it anyway… I said, do. not. interrupt me!}

'Does he also have a split personality disorder and he is talking with his other half or is he just talking to a person whose voice didn't get transmitted…?'

Seemingly entertained by these thoughts, I waited to see what this old voice had to say…

{ahem… ahem, back to where I stopped, yes, so since you passed both events that means that you are either heading down to demon base or possibly even managed to take it down, if you are still heading down, then I wish you good luck with the removal of this tumor and hope you don't end up being a toll, and if you are already out, then thank you! You have not let our work go to waste.}

{These bases are tumors that aren't just supposed to be an underground tunnel of infiltration, but they will also be the source of all the 'Corruption Gates' that are expected to spread through the domain by the time this message is delivered…}

{Due to the interference of some idiots and some restriction put on us that we couldn't break, we weren't able to stop these 'Seeds' at the time they were sowed as we could only use the primary tests to limit the access of most traitors and incapable ones, thus at least delaying the inevitable…}

{However, in case you already managed to destroy that base, this also serves to prove that our works have finally paid off! So, considering your capabilities as you have cleared that tumor, I could only encourage you to clear more, only once all the tumors have been removed could humans truly stand a chance at the final battle, or else all of the preparations we made would go to vain…}

{Of course, it's your choice to stop here, you could already be considered to have done enough, but if you find it in your heart to do more, then you won't go unrewarded, although not all tests give rewards, but the ones that does grant ones at the level of the 'Icy Fire Formula' that you have received, but always remember that the choice is all yours…}

{Good luck at whichever choice you take… This is the end of this recorded message... }

'As expected, it wasn't the work of the demons…'

Considering the space play in that gate, and adding to that the Trial of Ice & Fire, it was already normal to expect that, but it was better to have more accurate information this way…

A quick understanding of this would leave me at the conclusion that the 'First Floor' or the 'Qualification Tests' were left by powerhouses of the past who might have already discovered a part of the demons' plot, but due to restrictions, they could only leave tests to stop humans who worked with the demons from being easily capable of opening the gate, allowing demons to leave whenever they wanted… However…

'How were they expecting people to discover these… by stumbling into it out of pure chance like I did…'

That part seemed a bit incomprehensible, but it was possible that they legacy and the info they left behind might have been destroyed by some traitors or… but it wasn't that useful to assume the reason why…

'The important point is that I know now.'

This was practically the reason why I planned to share my experience in this gate, though not in detail, but I planned to at least let the Brigade and the Imperial family know, after all, I was but one person, even if I could clear the gate once it's found on my own, it would take me forever to scan through the whole domain...

Leaving that for when it was time to be 'interrogated' by the Head, I tapped into the knowledge in my head once more to check the actual 'Icy Fire Formula'...

'Another dual art…?'

As to be expected from the name, the 'Icy Fire Formula' was an elemental art that was somewhat similar to 'Thunder-Lightning dual wave', but it was a bit more versatile, it was an art that could be practiced by either water or fire element users, allowing them to gain a limited affinity to the other attribute and fuse them together, achieving the extreme effects of 'Burning Ice' and 'Freezing Fire'...

An affinity nurturing 'Elemental Art'!

The fact it was a dual art wasn't that surprising to me having already seen the 'Thunder-Lightning dual wave' of the Thunder lions, but this one didn't rely on one element to stimulate the other, it instead allowed the user to achieve a similar case of a dual-attribute holder using the relation between fire & water!

Most importantly of all, it didn't need to be the core elemental art, it could be used even if one has already practiced another elemental arts, that was why it was identified as a secret art by the system.

'I guess what he said could be considered true…'

Any fire or water element user would find this art very worthy of the trouble they have suffered or even more precious than that, especially water elements user who would be able to alternate between water and the superior ice element!

'But that also doesn't mean it will be useless to me…'

As I had already laid several possible elemental paths, having this elemental art would allow me to narrow my decisions as I was just waiting for the right opportunity and link to start, so what seemed to be the legacy of that powerhouse, with how precious it is could be considered quite a good addition to my knowledge arsenal.

'I will be sure to put it to good use…'