The entrance leading underground was no different from any other mage’s house.
“Is it not a dungeon?”
Because of that, I wondered if it was simply a mage’s house… but the moment I descended to the first basement floor, I knew at once that this was no ordinary mage’s house.
- It’s spacious.
An underground space wider than any mage’s house I had seen so far. A stained floor. A musty smell.
And even a mound of bones piled up in one corner.
“For now, it’s definitely looking like the home of a black mage or a necromancer.”
- It is not a necromancer branch. If it were, there is no way I would not know.
“Couldn’t there be a branch you don’t know about?”
- Absolutely not.
“…You’re awfully firm about that.”
Purnel spoke with certainty, but after we descended to the second floor, my doubts only deepened.
It was a space that looked gloomy no matter who saw it. Scattered, corroded bundles of paper. Broken reagent bottles and the body parts of various creatures preserved in unidentified liquids.
At the very least, it was certain that a mage on the black magic side had lived here.
And while it did feel excessively spacious, wasn’t the structure exactly the same as a mage’s house?
The method of opening the staircase entrance, and the method of finding it as well.
In any case, it was not the dungeon I had imagined. There were no monsters and no traps either, so it was not an environment created for the purpose of being a dungeon.
Then, well, what else could it be besides a mage’s house?
- No… There is no way there could be a necromancer branch I do not know about…
Still, since Purnel was denying reality until the very end, it felt awkward to snap at him.
There could be at least one branch he didn’t know about. Why was he asserting it that strongly?
“By the way, I wonder what they were researching. I can’t tell at all.”
The papers were so old that they crumbled at the slightest vibration.
- This is only the second basement floor, so there is no need to pay it any mind. If it were research they truly considered important, they would have cast preservation magic on it. In a mage’s research, preservation magic is the most basic of basics.
“Really? Anyway, there’s less here than I expected up to the second floor. They got me all excited, saying something about an unprecedented great archmage’s dungeon…”
Wasn’t the result rather lacking compared to my expectations?
Of course, that only applied up to the second basement floor.
The third basement floor, reached after opening the entrance again from the second, was clearly different from the previous floors.
An orderly room. A wide dais located in the center.
What lay atop it was a single staff and a cloak.
A staff grotesquely shaped as though blood were flowing through it, and a pitch-black cloak that absorbed every bit of light around it.
Upon discovering them, Purnel raised his voice in great excitement, as if he had never been dejected at all.
- Wh-what did I tell you! Was I not right! They are undoubtedly the remaining two divine relics of Kreutzwald! Kreutzwald’s staff and cloak, together with the lantern! Hoo, hoo. This is… a jackpot!
The sound of Purnel’s ragged breathing was terribly irritating.
He didn’t even have lungs to breathe with… What an incurable necromancer fanatic.
- What are you doing! Hurry and go check them! See, what did I say? I told you it was no ordinary mage’s house!
“…Yeah, yeah.”
As I approached the center, information on the two artifacts, each radiating mana that was anything but ordinary, entered my vision.
A cloak so black it seemed to flow with ink, and a bizarrely twisted crimson staff.
「Kreutzwald’s Dignified Cloak (Epic)」
「A cloak crafted for Kreutzwald, the great necromancer who brought down a kingdom alone over the course of nine nights. It is specialized in powers related to death.」
「When equipped, the total amount of death energy required to create undead is greatly reduced.」
「Death Aura: All summoned undead’s stats are enhanced by +30%.」
「Dignity of the Soldier: All summoned undead are summoned with a barrier. The strength of the barrier increases in proportion to the amount of mana used by the summoner.」
「Staff of the Dark Authority (???)」
「A staff crafted for Kreutzwald, the pioneer and progenitor of black magic, the great black mage. Its power varies drastically depending on the user’s abilities.」
「Stat ‘Mana’ +15」
「Magic casting speed +15%」
「Abilities are unlocked sequentially according to the user’s mana circle.」
「3rd Circle: Skill - ‘Insight of Darkness’ available.」
「5th Circle: Locked.」
「7th Circle: Locked.」
「Skill: Insight of Darkness」
「Eyes that pierce through darkness.」
「Activates eyes that discern the essence even within darkness.」
「You will not be affected by sensory loss, cognitive decline, confusion, and the like.」
「Be cautious. At times, it is better not to look.」
“…That performance is insane.”
I still didn’t know much about black magic, but at least for a necromancer, it had such performance that I couldn’t guarantee there existed an artifact better than this.
- As expected of Kreutzwald’s Three Divine Relics. Had I still been alive, then with these, even conquering the continent would not have been a vain dream…
“Was conquering the continent your dream?”
- It was just a figure of speech. A figure of speech.
In any case, there was no doubt that they were tremendous.
The Soul Harvester’s Lantern, Kreutzwald’s cloak, and his staff.
“This is a complete necromancer set.”
And a top-tier one at that, a set that could practically be called endgame.
Even with necromancy at only the 5th Circle, it would likely be fully possible to create an undead legion that multiplied endlessly.
And if the circle rose further from there, then a unit made up of higher undead like death knights would be possible too.
- Do you not also have a reaper that handles death?
Just as he said, since I even had Kkingkkingi, all that remained now was to grow.
- Not enough. It is far too lacking. Reaching the 3rd Circle at such an astonishing speed is impressive, but should you not at least rise quickly to the 5th Circle? Beyond that, well… it is a realm that cannot be reached through talent in mere mana alone.
“I’m close to the 4th Circle as it is.”
My Endurance had exceeded the 900s, and with the fame points I had earned so far and the Mana stat attached to my items, my Mana stat was also nearly approaching 400.
That meant the maximum value of 500 was not far away, and the 4th Circle would come soon as well.
“Fast growth will only last until the 5th Circle, then.”
Even after I raised all of my Mana stat, I had the mana breathing method, so I could increase my mana beyond the limit.
But compared to purchasing stats with fame points, the speed would likely be incomparable.
Still, well, after I finished maxing out Mana, there was spiritual power, and I could raise other physical stats too.
Only after raising all of those as well would I finally have a body befitting a top-ranked player.
- By the way, is Pavlenko’s necklace reacting? Is there a fourth basement floor?
At Purnel’s question, I lowered my gaze and looked at the necklace hanging around my neck.
The keepsake left behind by my first master, Berga Pavlenko.
If this place truly was a mage’s house, this Pavlenko family necklace would unfailingly show the way to the fourth basement floor.
The place where the most important portal was located.
“There is.”
And this time as well, a thread of mana stretched out from the green necklace and showed me the way.
Which meant this was undoubtedly a mage’s house.
“Since we came all this way, we should at least check up to the fourth floor before leaving.”
Even if there was no need to go all the way to the Magic Tower, shouldn’t I at least check whether there was something else on the fourth floor?
Until now, every fourth basement floor of every mage’s house had taken the form of only a lone portal standing there, but having come this far, it would feel quite unpleasant not to see it for myself.
So I went in the direction indicated by the necklace and opened the entrance leading downward.
With a rumbling sound, the floor split apart. Stairs were revealed.
Without any particular tension, I descended step by step to the fourth basement floor, and its appearance was—
“……”
Very different from what I had expected.
- The portal… is broken.
The collapsed pile of stones in the center was certainly a familiar shape. It had once been the hexahedral statue that served as the portal.
And around it lay several sheets of paper.
Unlike the papers I had seen on the floor above, which crumbled after well over a thousand years of age, these were crisp new sheets.
They were papers with preservation magic cast on them.
If what was written on them had not been in the ancient language, I would have believed they had been written only moments ago.
Of course, there was no way that could be true.
“Are these research records?”
For research records, weren’t they laid out too carelessly?
- Let us go closer. Rather than research records… it seems as though someone intended to leave behind a message.
“A message… from that person you mentioned, Kreutzwald?”
- Is that not the most likely possibility? So hurry and read them.
His words stirred no small amount of curiosity in me, so I quickly approached and picked up the nearest sheet of paper.
Ancient language written in neat script. It was rather complex, but there was no need to worry.
Because I had Purnel, the automatic ancient language translator. After checking the sentence, Purnel began to read it aloud.
- I gazed into the abyss. The abyss also found me.
That was all that was written on the paper.
When I picked up another sheet beside it, Purnel quickly read it aloud again.
- I saw the loss of magic. Beyond that, I saw the destruction of the world.
I picked up the next sheet.
- An anomaly unbound by the laws of the world. I believe I have seen the path to the next stage.
- What is needed is immortality. Or eternal life. For that, mere objects are unnecessary.
- I willingly walk into the abyss. I will fight against the anomaly.
- It will be a long battle. No, it has already been a long battle.
- One by one, some rather decent fellows are joining me. They are lacking in many ways, but is that not better than being alone?
The papers were placed at regular intervals in the direction of the collapsed portal.
- I can feel that time has passed.
- Though the useful ones have become trustworthy comrades, and the ones who did not have had even their souls devoured. No one new is joining us.
- The loss of magic cuts to the bone.
There were two sheets left.
And two remaining passages.
- I am still here.
As I picked up the papers one by one, I found myself right in front of the collapsed portal before I knew it. The grave of a portal, somehow collapsed and scattered in a helpless manner.
And Hio could only stand there for a long while, frozen stiff while holding the last remaining sheet of paper.
“……”
Because there was clearly no preservation magic cast on that final sheet.
And yet it was utterly intact. That was the reason.
- When are you coming?
As if it had been written only a moment ago.
* * *
After closing all the underground doors and carefully placing Kreutzwald’s Three Divine Relics into my pouch, I returned to the Gray Castle.
Once I waited there for about half a day, someone who suddenly appeared right beside me spoke.
“Are you leaving now?”
It was Eos, a spatial movement ability user belonging to the imperial family.
His eyes were always hollow, as if worn down by work. A voice steeped in fatigue and a face that showed no particular emotion.
“I should return.”
“To the Imperial Castle?”
“Yes. I’ll leave it to you.”
Eos nodded briefly and stretched his hand toward the sky.
The way he said only exactly what was necessary before doing what had to be done was very much like him.
Soon, a cluster of light descended from the sky.
As my vision was being dyed in bright light, Eos’s eyes, with dark circles hanging heavily beneath them, turned toward Hio.
Just before my sight vanished completely, faint words reached my ears.
“You’ve worked hard.”
When the light slowly faded and I opened my eyes, the majestic Imperial Palace was already standing before me.
Hio immediately turned his head and asked Eos,
“What did you say to me at the end?”
At that, Eos looked at Hio with his fatigue-worn face and answered,
“Pardon?”
The meaning compressed into that short word was probably something like, “I’m so tired I could die, I have no idea what you’re talking about, and I just wish you’d stop talking and go back quickly.”
Because he sensed that, Hio shook his head.
“Never mind. You look tired, so go on in.”
“Yes.”
As it happened, there were already more than enough things to think about.
* * *
Possessors who had crossed over from Earth.
All one hundred thousand rankers who had played Ventair in the past had entered this world with their souls absent.
That was why they could freely log out.
On the other hand, Hio himself had crossed over with his soul, and so logging out was not easily possible.
And he had assumed that he was the only one like that.
Since all the other possessors he had seen so far had no souls, it was a reasonable thought.
But what about Airaitz? She had clearly existed with a soul, hadn’t she?
Moreover, when he read the memories engraved into her soul, she had been unable to log out as well.
In other words, the reason logging out was impossible was not due to some special quality of being ranked first.
What commonality existed between Airaitz and himself?
In truth, looking back now, it was not a particularly difficult question.
Had he not read all the memories of the girl who wanted to be loved?
A girl who had cut herself off from the world, firmly believing that she had not been loved and had not loved, immersing herself solely in Ventair.
And himself, who had lost acquaintances, friends, comrades, and even one leg, merely continuing a meaningless life.
Finding the common point was not that difficult.
When his thoughts reached that point—
Knock, knock. With the sound of knocking, the door opened cautiously.
“Lord Pavlenko. Vitalianus has regained consciousness.”
Hio immediately rose from his seat.
There would be quite a bit to discuss.