Chapter 24: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Ryuto stared at the parchment in his hand, feeling a strange mix of excitement and unease. The quest they had just accepted was unlike any they had taken before. A Black Pearl hidden in a sunken temple beneath Lake Salora, powerful enough to turn the tides of battle for any kingdom that possessed it. A nobleman, desperate for its magic, had offered an astronomical reward for its retrieval.

"It's cursed," Celeste muttered, leaning over his shoulder to glance at the details of the quest. "You know that, right?"

Ryuto smirked, folding the parchment and sliding it into his pocket. "Everything worth finding usually is."

"Yeah, but cursed items aren't exactly known for being easy to deal with," Celeste shot back, her voice tinged with concern. "We don't even know what kind of curse we're dealing with."