◈ Episode 131. How Grandiose
[Masterpiece - Outer Wings of Hundred Colors]
[Grade: Unique]
[Restriction: Lv.350]
[Effect: When equipped, stores attribute magic manifested by the user. The number of spells that can be stored is proportional to the colors of the outer wings, and when manifesting stored magic, mana consumption is reduced by 30 percent.
- Current number of stored attribute spells: 100]
A magic tool I had borrowed before entering the Demon King’s Castle Rift.
Me, who would die before compromising on procedure.
Why was I still carrying the item around instead of returning it?
If someone were to ask, I had a perfectly valid reason.
‘Strictly speaking, I borrowed it again.’
[Token of Whirlwind].
[Masterpiece - Lightning-Struck Branch Wand].
[Masterpiece - Outer Wings of Hundred Colors].
While returning the items I had borrowed from the Garnet Hall of the Magic Tower, I had thought:
Even so, it would be better to keep at least one as insurance.
I was simply making use of my specialty: knowing my place.
‘Since I don’t have [Natural Enemy Relationship], I need to at least take proper care of my items.’
Of the three, the item I chose was naturally the Outer Wings of Hundred Colors.
Above all else, its performance was downright fraudulent.
The effects of the other items were considerable as well, but.
‘If not for the outer wings…….’
I would never have been able to defeat the Demon King, Flauros.
‘Looking at its effects, it’s strange that it’s only Unique grade.’
There were no procedural issues with extending the rental of the magic tool.
Who was I?
A chief co-researcher who had gone from parachute appointment to being somewhat recognized.
Of course, even without bringing up the authority of a chief, it seemed there were no mages who needed the [Masterpiece - Outer Wings of Hundred Colors] in the first place.
“There are many returned magic tools as well. Why not take your time looking around……?”
To the point that a skilled mage of Garnet Hall recommended that to me.
Other magic tools?
Good.
Beyond good—I desperately wanted to try using them too.
But every single one of them had a rather seriously high level restriction.
Flutter—
In the end, I had only one choice.
I draped the outer wings over my shoulders like a cloak.
The outer wings clung to my shoulder blades as though alive.
It felt as though wings had truly sprouted from my back.
Even through Granfell’s aesthetic eye, it was a form that could not be more satisfactory.
‘……Am I becoming too fond of only luxury goods?’
That thought suddenly crossed my mind, but.
Well, even so, this was still a profitable deal.
I checked the change in my status window.
[Name: Granfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
[Title: Last Adventurer]
[Class: Demon Hunter]
[Level: 425]
[Stats]
Strength: 71 / Agility: 76 / Mana: 387 / Luck: 6 / Aesthetic: Mid
[Remaining Points: 0]
Thanks to equipping the outer wings, [Aesthetic] had risen again from Low to Mid.
When [Natural Enemy Relationship] was absent, even the smallest stat was precious.
Even if it was shabby, it couldn’t be helped.
I had to take what I could get.
“That is a magic tool of the Magic Tower……!”
Of course, the others could not possibly know my complicated inner thoughts.
Fabian’s party was visibly filled with admiration.
Naturally, given the situation, everyone quickly came back to their senses.
“……No, Sir. You intend to break through the traps head-on?!”
...
“Teppern was an ancient city.”
“……!!!”
The words of the dark spirit were shocking from the very beginning.
The League explorers, Aaron and Rombus, let out hollow laughs.
Including themselves.
So many explorers had devoted themselves to Teppern.
And yet in the past, they had failed to obtain even a single proper clue.
“I never thought we’d learn Teppern’s secret in this way…….”
“Don’t trail off, Aaron. You’re making me lose strength too.”
“Both of you, be quiet for now.”
In truth, Fabian’s feelings were not much different from theirs.
‘Even if every exploration has its own method.’
Now it was an exploration with the help of a spirit.
Even he had never experienced something like this before.
However, Fabian’s mind was coolheaded.
He assessed the situation realistically.
‘In general, exploring a labyrinth takes at least a week or more.’
But this place was not an ordinary labyrinth. It was one of the Ten Wonders of the Arcana Continent, the [Labyrinth of Teppern].
At minimum, it would take several times longer.
‘……No, can we even clear it?’
Even just now, disarming a single trap had taken dozens of minutes.
And that was with three explorers, including himself, working on it.
Yet they did not even have enough time.
Why, had it been said that time was like afternoon tea?
As Sir Hoyeol had said.
‘This place is not the Arcana Continent, but a rift.’
If they also considered the rising rift collapse rate…….
Fabian had no choice but to quickly acknowledge it.
“The method we planned will be impossible.”
In that sense, it was necessary to listen carefully to the dark spirit’s words.
Any information about Teppern would be of help in some way.
“They ended up awakening an ‘existence that must not be awakened.’”
……
But an existence that must not be awakened?
“Deep underground in this place.”
“……!”
Flash!
At those words, Fabian’s intuition sharpened.
The sense of dissonance he had felt from the moment he stepped into the Labyrinth of Teppern.
If neither treasure nor honor existed here.
Then what, exactly, was the reason this labyrinth had been built?
At last, the questions in his mind began to interlock.
Fabian murmured softly.
“……Was it to seal the existence that must not be awakened?”
If he thought of it that way, everything fit together.
The traps so complex that even the designer could not solve them.
The excessively inefficient structure.
Even the gloomy voice that had echoed through the labyrinth.
—Leave this place at once. If you do not wish to die.
Fabian smiled bitterly.
“So it was not a warning, but a kindly concern?”
As expected of a legendary explorer.
Fabian’s intuition was accurate. As the dark spirit continued speaking, Aaron and Rombus swallowed groans. Then they looked at the wall where the trap had been hidden.
“They didn’t put magic on it just to screw people over.”
“And it isn’t ordinary magic either. It’s black magic.”
“Because only black magic can be maintained after long years pass.”
No matter what kind of magic tool was used.
Magic manifested from mana could not be maintained permanently.
However, black magic manifested from “suitable mana” was different.
Suitable mana originated from one’s past and background.
Fabian let out his impression.
“A tragedy.”
He did not know the specific story, but.
Teppern had awakened an existence that must not be awakened.
In order to fulfill that responsibility.
In order to protect the peace of the Arcana Continent.
They had built a labyrinth, sealed away the existence that must not be awakened, and sacrificed themselves so that the labyrinth could fulfill its role until now. Did that mean they had become sacrifices for black magic?
Aaron, who had likewise learned the whole truth.
He placed his hand on the wall of the labyrinth.
“Then the presence we felt inside the walls?”
It meant they were the residents of Teppern, unable to sleep forever.
To think such a secret had been hidden within a Wonder.
Silence—
Fabian’s party, lost in thought, closed their mouths.
Of course, thanks to Hoyeol’s bombshell declaration, the silence did not last long.
“……No, Sir. You intend to break through the traps head-on?!”
It was a conversation between Hoyeol and the dark spirit.
Even they, who had overheard from the side, had understood the truth of Teppern. There was no way Sir had misunderstood it……. And yet what followed was an action that, no matter how one looked at it, did not seem to be mere empty words.
Tap—
Because Hoyeol moved forward with his wings fluttering.
“It means I shall inherit Teppern’s pride, Fabian.”
“……By pride, do you mean?”
Sealing the existence that must not be awakened within the labyrinth?
‘If so, does he mean to make this seal even stronger?’
However, Hoyeol’s answer was far more shocking than expected.
“The existence that must not be awakened. We need only eliminate that root cause.”
“……!!!”
...
An existence that must not be awakened.
Even its name has quite the impact, doesn’t it?
I recalled the rift information once more.
[Appropriate Level: Lv.500~?]
Now I understood why the appropriate level had not been clearly specified.
Because the creature was connected to one of the Ten Wonders, a world-class quest.
At minimum, it would be a named monster; at maximum, something around a boss mob.
‘Damn it, my lot in life.’
In that sense, really, I could not help but resent this damned pride…….
Noblesse oblige.
Unable to endure without benevolently watching over all things.
Granfell’s noble pride was speaking.
“Teppern has fulfilled its duty until now.”
From the time when the ancient city, Teppern, still stood intact until now.
The survivors of Teppern, who had become hosts and sacrifices of black magic themselves, guarding the labyrinth without ever being able to sleep. It was saying that they had earned the right to rest in peace.
Was the system moved by my damnably exhausting pride as well?
The quest window was blinking.
A new quest objective had been updated.
—Witness the Labyrinth of Teppern. (Success)
—Reach the depths of the labyrinth. (Pending)
—Eliminate the “existence that must not be awakened” sleeping in the depths. (In Progress)
Pride so moving that even the system was moved……
As if.
I judged the situation coldly.
‘Once the rift was created, meeting it would have been inevitable.’
The “existence that must not be awakened.”
It would be sealed in the depths.
If I did not eliminate it, the rift would not be cleared anyway. That said, the conversation I had with the dark spirit was by no means meaningless.
‘How should I put it? I learned in advance that I was going to get beaten.’
Still, I should have been glad that I now had time to prepare, but.
‘I can’t exactly be purely happy about this situation.’
Ordinary mobs and named mobs were on completely different levels.
And named mobs and boss mobs were on yet another level.
To think I had to eliminate the “existence that must not be awakened,” which was obviously at least named and at most a boss mob.
With [Natural Enemy Relationship] not activated right now, this could only be quite a burdensome situation for me.
However, there was no hesitation in my steps.
I advanced toward the far side of the labyrinth.
Fabian’s urgent voice rang out.
“Sir! The wall will collapse. The residents of Teppern who became sacrifices of black magic……!!”
Was it because of this heavy pride that could not help but sink downward?
Or because of the white outer wings fluttering elegantly?
If not that, was it because Hiel and the dark spirit were by my side?
No, the crux was not any of that.
Because I knew.
‘Darkness is subordinated to an even deeper darkness.’
The nature of black magic.
Black Magic Studies.
An異質 kind of magic whose concepts had only been established in modern times by the senior mage, Matisse Dean Karl. Though the history of black magic was short, my knowledge of it was sufficient.
Who was Matisse?
Before Marcelo began to stand out, he was the mage closest to the position of chief more than anyone else.
What that meant was this:
His ability.
The books on Black Magic Studies he had written were not lacking in the slightest.
And I had read every single book on Black Magic Studies that existed in the Magic Tower.
Crack—
Perhaps because I stepped forward without hesitation.
The trap activated.
Looking at the wall crumbling down, I spoke calmly.
“So you manifested 『Black Coffin』 across the entire labyrinth? I see. It must have been difficult to seal that creature with a simple labyrinth alone. I can guess what you feared.”
Intermediate black magic, Black Coffin.
Its effect was to steal part of the target’s five senses. The Black Coffin manifested in the Labyrinth of Teppern was directed toward only one target: the existence that must not be awakened.
Soon, a black form revealed itself completely.
“To maintain that Black Coffin, an enormous amount of suitable mana would have been required. To supply it, you must have offered your own bodies as sacrifices and formed the 『Black Contract』.”
Advanced black magic, Black Contract.
To explain it simply, it was a type of necromancy.
The differences were the distinction between mana and suitable mana. And unlike a necromancer’s necromancy, the Black Contract could also be manifested on living targets.
At my words, Fabian hesitated.
“Sir, are you saying…… that the residents of Teppern offered their own bodies as sacrifices for black magic in order to eternally seal away the creature trapped in this labyrinth?”
Nod—
Hiel nodded in my stead.
Yes, Teppern.
As befitted a Wonder, its story was gloomy indeed.
However, regardless of what outcome it had caused, the fact remained that they had sacrificed their lives to prevent chaos from descending upon the Arcana Continent.
I could understand why this damned pride could not simply pass by.
So now that I had accepted it.
There would be no more whining.
“……Leave. If you do not wish to die. Leave.”
What remained was only the resentment from when they had been alive.
The 『Black Contractors』 were approaching.
Their numbers were beyond counting.
“……
Leave. If you do not wish to die. Leave.”
“……
Leave. If you do not wish to die. Leave.”
“……
Leave. If you do not wish to die. Leave.”
But I did not step back.
I knew their pride.
I knew their resentment as well.
“I have come to know your hearts.”
They had called it a being that must not be awakened.
I don’t know what its true identity is, but with a title that grand, it must be quite the formidable bastard.
But you see.
When it comes to grand titles, mine is no less excessive.
Infinitely Deep Darkness……
If anything, the problem is that it’s so grand it makes me want to die.
Whoooosh—I drew up mana suited to that alias.
It was on an entirely different level from resonating with the dark spirits.
The entirety of the Teffern Labyrinth began to resonate with my suitable mana.
Ruuuumble—!
A tremor rang through the labyrinth.
I could hear the flustered voices of Fabian’s group.
“L-Leader Fabian! What on earth is happening?”
But I had no leisure to listen.
Was it because of my dark past, or because of Grandfel’s gloomy background setting? I didn’t know the source, but suitable mana surged up endlessly, as if it had no limit.
Even controlling this alone is overwhelming……!
Yet, as always, there was no agitation in me.
Soon, the Black Contractors who had been approaching me came to a halt.
At the same time, a message appeared in my vision.
[You have acquired command authority over the Teffern Black Contractors.]
They spoke words different from before.
“……
After a long wait, the chance to right our wrongs has come.”*Ruuuumble—!
The Teffern Labyrinth trembled as though it might collapse at any moment.
Players’ screams rang out from every direction.
But the real thing was only just beginning.
“It’s not over just because it’s shaking!”
“Monsters are going to come bursting out of the labyrinth walls!”
“Shit! Who was it? The bastard who trolled us, get your ass out here!”
Though each of them had fallen into different parts of the labyrinth, everyone assumed combat stances.
Park Hwigang, an Explorer-class who boasted rather unimpressive combat ability, also raised his self-defense dagger.
“I’ll ask for your understanding in advance. The broadcast may not be very stable.”
This was no ordinary labyrinth.
He had sensed as much, but he hadn’t expected such a drastic change.
Was this truly one of the Ten Wonders of the Arcana Continent? The party members who had temporarily banded together each voiced their thoughts.
“We were sweating bullets even when just one or two popped out.”
“……
There’ll be more than a hundred, won’t there?”
“Only a hundred? It feels like the whole labyrinth is collapsing.”
“Hyungs, noonas. I think today is the day of my memorial rites. Could you at least sponsor me some fare for the road to the afterlife……?”
“No, are you seriously going to say something that unlucky?!”
“What? Did you chip in for my funeral soup or something?”
Ruuuumble!
Just as the argument was about to overheat.
The labyrinth collapsed with perfect timing.
But contrary to the dry saliva they had swallowed.
“……
Huh?”
[Teffern Black Contractors].
The monsters, gloomy even in appearance, did not rush at them.
No, beyond simply not showing hostility, they had completely turned their bodies and begun advancing in the opposite direction.
“Over there is……?”
The depths of the labyrinth.
The place where the being that must not be awakened was sealed.
And the place where the “Infinitely Deep Darkness” had set foot.