As fascinated and elation he was about getting the Hex Magic Core, Jacob didn't lose his vigilance. For all he knows, this could all be an illusion.
Because, like before, he can't tell the difference at all. But deep down, he still wished that it wasn't, and up to now, he didn't think it was an illusion either.
So, bending his waist, Jacob moves his hand toward the crimson edge sticking out from the pile of ash. This was the only anomaly left in this place that might be able to shed some light on what happened.
When Jacob touched the pointy edge, it was icy, like he was touching liquid ice, but except that nothing out of the ordinary happened, and Jacob finally grabbed the edge and pushed it outside.
To his surprise, he found that object extremely heavy when he wanted to pull it out from the ash. However, calling it heavy was still an understatement because that thing was like a mountain, unmovable!
Jacob frowned at this moment and used more force, but it won't budge even a bit.
So, he let go of being cautious and starting to remove the ash from the top of the crimson object. He wanted to see if this thing was restricted in some way or if it was even moveable.
However, when the ashes were clear from the top of the object, Jacob was astonished because it was one meter in diameter pristine rectangular crimson surface filled with black symbols which were outlining a horrendous devilish face.
Jacob found this face quite familiar, and upon remembering, he was shocked to find that this face looked exactly like the face he saw on the book cover in his illusion. Only it was far more vivid back then, as if it was alive, yet now it was dull and appeared like a painting.
Furthermore, Jacob spotted an empty socket over the forehead of this devilish face, and all those symbols seemed to connect with that socket as well.
Jacob's eyes shimmered in astonishment when he quickly glanced over his neck and saw the Cursed Glory Path Gem had the same shape as the empty socket on the devilish face's forehead.
Realization dawned upon him at this moment, 'No wonder, this is where the Cursed Glory Path Gem came from, and this is most likely the book Immortika was hinting at. So somehow, this gem was dug out from this cover when I was in that illusion, and that's why I was able to escape alive from it?
'Does the Infinity Pendant act independently? If it did, then just how powerful is this pendant, and what are its true functions? Furthermore, it's still missing a component which means I might need to find it in the future. But since this gem was engraved in this thing before, then what of treasure could this be?'
Jacob's mind raced as he quickly cleaned the pile of ash around the devil face crimson surface. When the ashes were clear, just as Jacob suspected, it was a one-foot-thick book!
While the folding of this book was pristine crimson, its pages were pitch black.
But when Jacob tried to open it, he failed, just like how he failed to lift it before, no matter how much force he used.
"Don't tell me I don't even have the strength to open a single book?" Jacob muttered under his breath with a dark expression.
Even with his acceleration and multiplying his strength several folds, he wasn't able to budge the book or its cover even a bit, and this was now getting on his nerve.
Then he suddenly thought of something when he was looking at the devil-face and the empty gem socket.
'Since the Cursed Path Glory Gem was engraved on this book, could it be that it might be some sort of key or an important component to open this book?' Jacob couldn't help but think like this.
All these clues were pretty much forcing him into thinking like this, and he wanted this book that had been holding the Cursed Path Glory Gem and probably built around it, no matter what.
At least, not until he exhausted all his options.
He just needed to lift it just a little bit from the ground, and he would be able to store it into his pendant, and then it will be his, and he knew someday he might be able to open it. He just needs to take it away.
So, he decided to test his theory by grabbing the infinity pendant and trying to place the Cursed Path Glory Gem into the empty socket on the book. The gem was now immovable from the pendant, so he had to do it with the infinity pendant as a whole.
As for losing the pendant or something happening to it, Jacob would rather believe this unmovable book might get destroyed instead of that Cursed Book's living residence.
But nothing happened, and no reaction was made by the book nor the gem in the pendant, so he could only wear it again.
'Is this really a matter of strength? Then just how powerful force do I need to move this thing, and it might be here when I got back if this place is like some sort of spaceship which could travel anywhere and appear in any plain… it would take a miracle…'
Jacob was getting frustrated when he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten a very important thing.
'I have magic now! And this magic also originated from the Cursed Path Glory Gem!' Jacob's eyes shone in full of anticipation as he grabbed the unmovable book again.
The very next moment, his hands started to emit crimson light which was the Hex Mana, and it was also at this moment that Jacob felt the ice-cold book suddenly turn warmer the moment he touched it with the Hex Mana.
The symbols that made the devil face on the book cover also suddenly started to emit a dark sheen, and these many clues were enough to let Jacob know that the Hex Mana was the true key.
Jacob then tried to move it again, and this time it finally budged, so without hesitation, he poured out more Hex Mana and started to envelop the thick book.
As the crimson mana covered the book, it finally started to tremble under Jacob's hand, and when it was completely covered, half of the Hex Mana in his pendant was completely gone.
However, Jacob didn't care about it as he tried to lift the book again. This time it got lifted without any resistance, and its weight was like a feather under his Hex Mana.
However, Jacob's Hex Mana seemed to be running out at a terrifying speed when he lifted the book, and he didn't have enough to open this book, so reluctantly, he stowed it away in his pendant.
Over 80% of his Hex Mana was used just by doing this much. But Jacob was extremely thrilled to get his hands on that mysterious book, and as long as that book was in his possession, he could research it any time and at any place.
Now, he had another goal as his eyes emitted killing intent and his lips lifted in a cruel smile, 'I guess I have no choice but to make the Dark Beings my number one enemy, and I just happened to know where I can find an ample amount of them…!'