A man with perfectly trimmed hair, not a single strand out of place.
Dark eyebrows as if painted with charcoal.
No trace of stubble, as if he shaves every morning.
Small lips and a sharp look, giving him a somewhat clumsy appearance.
Unlike the wizards, he wore a military uniform with sharp angles, resembling that of royal knights. His neat white clothes were spotless as if treated with bleach.
Why does he look so prim and proper?
It reminded me of the classmate who used to eagerly remind the teacher to check homework when the rest of us hoped for the teacher to forget about it. Anyway, he was a man whose naivety reflected in his appearance.
“Darn it.”
I can’t beat him. Despite looking like he’s in his late thirties, he’s a powerful wizard of the 5th Circle. One of the remarkable abilities of Heavenly sky Eyes was the ability to easily grasp proportions. While desperate fighting might induce complacency, I was here to steal an artifact. It’s not a matter of life and death.
So.
A diversion?
A momentary plan occurred to me.
He, brimming with hostility, immediately casted a spell.
Dozens of ‘invisible’ spheres emanated from his hands.
What’s frightening about turquoise wizards is their manipulation of unseen forces. But to my eyes, his destructive magic was all too clear. The greatest strength of the turquoise wizard was useless against me. I transformed Lamelstar into a shield and pushed back. But soon, I lowered it again. I realized it was futile.
Dozens of spheres appeared around the wizard.
I remained as composed as possible. I didn’t look at him directly but turned my head. His provocation was merely a challenge. His expression wrinkled slightly, but there was no significant reaction.
I responded with action.
Shoo-!
Dozens of spheres began to assault me. Since I couldn’t afford to stop the illusion, I still pretended to be calm. Eventually, a barrage of spheres struck around me.
Bang! Clang-clang!
It felt like dozens of shells bombarding. The destructive force was tremendous, enough to make the ground I stood on collapse. The force of a single sphere left a three-meter pit. Dozens of marks, as if made by a giant’s fist, appeared. Only I and Dalbi were unharmed, protected by magical forces. I experienced firsthand the power of a 5th Circle wizard.
He’s a tactical weapon.
But still, I maintained a calm smile.
When magic failed to work, he furrowed his brows. He seemed somewhat surprised, but it wasn’t the reaction I wanted. In a low, thick voice, reminiscent of the one Ranista used when threatening me, I said to him:
“Give it up.”
And I slowly turned my head to watch the battle between Melissa and the wizards. I’m not a 14-year-old boy. I’m an enigmatic figure cloaked in long robes, standing far back and calmly observing, even overshadowing the top-tier wizards and elite mages.
Thunk!
The wizard seemed angry. He conjured dozens of spheres again, larger and more numerous than before. I glanced at him and sighed softly. Every reaction of mine was calculated; I couldn’t show any signs of fear.
“I dislike fools.”
This time, there was a reaction.
The wizard’s movements stiffened.
“But ignorance won’t earn you death.”
Ignorant, foolish.
The insults wizards hate the most.
He still kept the spheres hovering in the air as he spoke to me.
“If I’m ignorant, old man?”
Old man? Perfect. Transformation magic is quite useful.
“If a moth dives into fire, it’s because of ignorance. Aren’t you the same, rushing into the flames?”
“Are you calling me an intruder?”
“Tsk, that’s exactly what I mean by ignorance.”
Actually, I’m just making noises.
“Why would you charge into fire?”
“…How do you know if you’re fire or not?”
“You’re revealing your own ignorance.”
“Nonsense, if you had the power, you would have crushed me.”
He cast magic again. But I didn’t move from my spot.
Clang-clang!
As the barrage passed, I remained standing still. It was actually fortunate that his magic focused on me. He showed no interest in the two doors Melissa had set up. I didn’t even glance in their direction.
When his second magic failed, his beetle-like eyebrows visibly furrowed in confusion. I reached out to him, then shook my head and slowly withdrew my hand. It might look like I intended to kill him. Once again, I didn’t respond, prompting him to ask with a hint of anxiety this time.
“If you truly were fire, why wouldn’t you fight? Such pitiful hypocrisy…”
“Beddard’s irony.”
Studying pays off.
Beddard’s irony.
Grand Mage Beddard was a powerful wizard.
But to become too powerful, he was restrained and suppressed.
After destroying an entire city to kill a single demon, Beddard refrained from using his magic recklessly. Beddard’s irony refers to the irony that as wizards’ magic becomes stronger, it becomes more restricted.
“Show me.”
My purpose is simple.
Wait until the Return Point of the spatial regression.
If I fail to attack him, he won’t think much of me.
The unknown and unexpected mysterious power is more terrifying than the revealed power.
Bite the bullet!
The meteorite fell towards me instead of him.
Wham!
As the meteorite hit the ground, it erupted in a flash.
It was like when I shattered the demon in the Terrin Island.
The light didn’t harm me.
There was a reason for choosing a method with less destructive power.
To him, it had to appear as if I had blocked the meteorite.
As the light faded, the wizard, who had been running away, stood still, staring at me with an expression of astonishment.
Both eyebrows were raised as if greeting each other, and his forehead creased in amazement.
“The power of the stars… You wield it.”
The fame of the Meteorite comes from ancient history.
The power of the stars, using magic to drop meteors, is evidence of transcendence.
In magical history books, Meteorite is said to have been used by wizards of the 6th Circle or higher.
He has now become more docile in attitude.
It seemed like a sloppy performance, but it worked.
“This is your final warning. Do all wizards wish for death?”
Even in the face of threats, he responded with a polite tone.
“I am Mano, Guardian Wizard of the Blue Tower, and Blue Leader. I greet the transcendent sorcerer who has reached a great stature.”
He didn’t need to respond.
But I felt a hint of mischief.
It seems amusing to leak false information.
“I am a Grand Wizard of the Stars, Doune.”
“Great… Doune…I have realized my ignorance keenly. But even so, I must stop you.”
“Do you think that’s possible?”
“I cannot stop.”
“Knowing that, are you still determined to stop me?”
“Conviction is tempered by folly. Even if you do not know what the great Doune intends, by trespassing upon the Tower, you are an enemy.”
“Even if the cost is death?”
“Willingly.”
Tight, it was more blocked than I had anticipated, like visceral fat.
He unleashed magic once again. This time, not spheres, but dozens of whip-like forces.
“Are you going to whip me?”
I could see surprise appearing on his face.
“H-How…?”
Confused, he unleashed another spell. Now, dozens of long, pointed spears appeared.
“A toothpick, huh?”
He bit his lips tightly. His small lips were already completely concealed.
Every time he used magic, I narrated exactly what I saw. In that way, he would think all his magic was being seen through.
“Why insist on only one form? Combining gu and geomancy would make you more powerful.”
“…Great Doune. Why do you, my enemy, impart teachings to me?”
Trying to buy time, you brat.
“Enemy? Do you dare to call yourself my enemy?”
“But I intend to eliminate you…”
“What does your intention matter?”
“I don’t understand. You and I are clearly enemies, so why do you dwell on my intentions?”
“Don’t you understand better than anyone?”
“The belief of the Guardian Wizard is to protect the Tower… Ack!”
That was the moment.
Suddenly, he began to tremble like a struck snake.
His eyes rolled back so much that the whites were visible, as if possessed by a spirit.
The sudden convulsion looked terribly grotesque.
“What’s wrong with him?”
Just then, Melissa arrived.
She had effortlessly triumphed over the Tower Master and other wizards.
No one was killed. It was all a complete bluff.
“Recovery is complete. Let’s go.”
Leaving the convulsing man behind, we crossed the threshold.
—
Upper level of the Blue Tower.
We arrived at the Chamber of Deep Contemplation.
It was a strange place.
In a narrow room, there was only one door.
“Beyond the door lies a darkness as black as ink.”
“An emptiness where only darkness exists, impenetrable even by magic, but you should be able to see it with your eyes.”
She opened the door and instructed me to find the way.
To the secret library containing the relics of Duk’s Ancestral Artifact and the Archmage Maje.
I opened the door.
Instantly, the universe unfolded.
“I can see… stars.”
“Stars?”
Melissa frowned.
Indeed, while she described it as a darkness as black as ink, to me, it was a starry night sky sparkling.
“Best of luck.”
As I stepped through the door, I could tread upon the void. Like swimming in water, I floated through the night sky. As my body completely crossed the threshold, the door closed on its own, hiding my form.
“This place is unlike anything I’ve seen.”
It was eerie yet mysterious. Dark but bright. Lonely yet not solitary. Warm yet cold. Terrifying yet not frightening. It felt like I had stepped into a dreamlike world rather than an actual reality.
“A path.”
I saw a path with my eyes. If I tread anywhere other than this path, I would be swallowed by darkness and fall. Below is an abyss without end. There was only one correct path. The rest all led to death. But even that path was chaotic. It intertwined, disappeared, emerged, split, rose, and fell in an instant.
It was a dreadful maze.
Carefully, I walked the path. I couldn’t even afford to close my eyes. This maze was like a snake flicking its tongue, ready to swallow me if I didn’t watch it closely.
This was why the chamber containing the Maje’s legacy had been guarded for hundreds of years. Among thousands of paths, there was only one that led to the ‘answer.’
“Nobody but me will be able to find it.”
I believed in myself.
That the path my eyes showed me was the only path leading to the answer.
—
I walked, and walked, and walked.
How many hours had passed? Time was distorted here. I couldn’t tell how much time had passed. It was a lonely and desolate place. I walked only to find the end. Contemplation was a hindrance in this silent world. I wandered through the darkness seeking answers.
Knock, knock.
Finally, I faced a single door.
As I knocked on the door, ‘a voice’ echoed in my mind.
[One among tens of billions, the one who has breached the open path.]
[We…]
[We shall be together.]
