[Inn], one of the islands surrounding the Isle of Wizards Wealth.

Setting aside her curiosity regarding how many such landmasses orbited the floating island, Sylvia, with her hair disheveled and face languid, focused on the woman sitting in front of her.

I really didnt think it would pass.

I admit. Youre definitely born with the blood of the Iliades

Instead of replying, she let her acknowledgment enter one ear and out the other as she glanced outside the window, beyond which only the clouds in the sky greeted her.

She wasnt in an inn built on an island.

Rather, the entirety of this particular floating island itself was the inn, serving as a place of relaxation for wizards traveling across the many islands around the Isle of Wizards Wealth.

Hey. Are you listening?

Yes.

Anyway, if you genuinely want to challenge becoming an Archmage, who is currently the most powerful Archmage candidate?

Chairman Adrienne.

Thats right. Shes a master of the [Destruction] series.

The woman lit a cigar, transferring the light in the air to its filter.

Sshhhhhh

If Adrienne actually became serious, theres not a lot of people whod be able to stop her. She can singlehandedly destroy the entire continent.

Shes that strong?

Yes. To make things worse, [Destruction]-series Archmages have always been naturally one of the most difficult opponents to deal with.

Some wizards, in this world, had already reached heights previously thought impossible. Archmage Demakan, his younger brother Murkan, the Black Beast Rohakan, Berchts Great Elder Dzekdan, Chairman Adrienne

And me.

The woman pointed to herself as she exhaled smoke, which spread towards Sylvias face.

She bit her lips tightly, trying to act as if it didnt bother her.

Her behavior was no dierent from bullying, but Sylvia knew her reputation well.

Idnik the Merchant.

Although her title sounded unpleasant, that was overshadowed by the fact that she was one of Demakans only three disciples and was a close friend of her mother, Sierra.

Huuuu Youre holding your breath, arent you?

I ang nod(I am not), She answered with a stuy voice, causing Idnik to smirk.

When youre having a hard time, have a cigar. Well-refined tobacco is good for a wizard since they dont cause health problems. You have a lot of money anyway, so you can definitely afford to smoke Dukrek.'

Its quite expensive at around 500 Elnes per pack, but buy some and give me one anyway.

Haaa

She continued with another pu of smoke.

Back to the point, someone as extremely trained in the [Destruction] series as Adrienne is dangerous. One wrong move against her will turn her into a disaster that can obliterate humanity as we know it. Thats why shes the most powerful Archmage candidate. If shes the heavens above, were merely the ground beneath her.

Can no one really stop her if she goes on a rampage?

The continent cant stop her but its people can. Zeit, perhaps, can deal with her. Other than that northern weapon, the truth is, even Rohakan cant deal with her.

Sccchhhhh

She rubbed her cigar against the ashtray. Do you think you can match someone as powerful as her?

Sylvia nodded without hesitation.

Yes.

You have high hopes.

Taking out a notebook, Idnik changed the topic.

Its true that Deculein killed Sierra.

At that moment, Sylvias heart twisted.

Thats probably why you came to me.

That was indeed one of the reasons why she looked for her, a childhood friend of her mother.

First and foremost, put this on.

Idnik held out a robe and a badge, both indicating she had ascended to Regello, the 8th rank of wizards.

Youre growing swiftly.

She took o her worn Solda robe silently and wore her new red robe afterward.

Youll probably reach Monarch within three months, which is Deculeins current rank. You might even surpass him in half a year

Sylvia didnt respond to her praise.

All that meant was that the Isle of Wizards Wealth recognized her talents.

Its true that Deculein killed Sierra.

She didnt feel good.

Her heart and mind slowly sank into the cold void.

*****

Zeit served as the opening event of the Great Knights War instead of being its finale.

No, he couldnt be its finale.

Zeits match was just far too unique for it. After all, despite having eleven knights as his opponents, he chose to fight them alone barehandedly.

An irrational duel that went against chivalry.

Even so, the knights standing before him had the most nervous faces in the world.

Bam bam bam

The sound of drums resonated, marking the start of their fight. Nearly a dozen knights rushed towards him soon after, whom Zeit countered by throwing his fist forward, the movement of which caused his long white hair, the Freyden symbol, to flutter like a phantom.

His target wasnt his opponents, however.

It was space itself.

!

The shockwave from his fist caused tremors that quaked the entire hall, the explosive sound that came with it resonating throughout his vicinity.

His attack was the wave itself.

In other words, it flowed through space in a sound-like form, but the power he transmitted through it was nearly no different from his actual physical strikes.

Just swinging a sword, no matter how strong, wouldnt cause it to release a wave. Even if it did, its power would be significantly lower than an actual swordsmanship technique.

But such natural laws did not apply to Zeit.

Simply put, his punches and his fists waves were the same in the sense that both of them could cause the same amount of damage despite their differences in form.

Booooom!

Hit by that strike, his opponents felt as if they had been struck in the back of their head or stabbed through their sides dozens of times.

The overwhelming power of his [Characteristic] crashed through the walls in the form of an echo, its intensity and strength increasing tenfold as it continued down its unpredictable path, which made it impossible to avoid.

With no more than a single punch from him, he obliterated the entire stadium along with the eleven knights that dared go against him, knocking them unconscious. Zeits wave, mixed with mana, then swirled around the area until it subsided.

Hahaha!

The battle ended in just one minute. As his magnanimous laughter filled the area, thunderous cheers and applause followed.

In the middle of it, Zeit looked directly at me.

Did you see that, Deculein?

His short display of strength was more than enough for everyone to know he was not a force to be reckoned with. Capable of massacring tens of thousands of enemies in a short amount of time, he was truly the epitome of a one-man army.

Throughout his history, few knights managed to even barely survive his ruthless decimation. That was what made him known as the worlds most powerful knight.

Julie.

Hmm?

Will you be able to win against him in the distant future?

There would come a day when Zeit would tell her, If you beat me, you can do whatever you want with your life.

It was part of the games ocial storyline and was also related to the main quest. In a way, Julie was his only obstacle.

Yes.

Zeits oense infinitely surged space and wind, but Julie could freeze all of it. Of course.

However

As it was now, even if countless years passed by, such a daunting feat would be impossible for her.

Julies growth, from the moment she reconciled with me, became stagnant.

I am not afraid of anyone.

Julies answer was no different from the knights paragon, but that made me realize.

Slowly, the time to let her go was approaching.

*****

Two days later, at the Head Professors research lab.

I installed the new technology [Component Analyzer], which I ordered from the Isle of Wizards Wealth.

While it looked nothing more than a microwave-sized glass cube magic crystal, it was actually a state-of-the-art magical machine that analyzed the composition of objects placed in it multilaterally.

I thought its delivery would take quite a long time, but it had been processed surprisingly fast.

That being said

Interesting~

I know Its sparkly.

Hohoho Youre as amazing as ever, Professor Deculein, known as one of this eras few intellectuals recognized by the floating island Have you used this machine before, though, Professor?

Allen, Louina, and Relin spoke, respectively.

Even the other rising professors visited my lab by chance. Looking at the [Component Analyzer], they then smacked their lips.

Im envious of you, Professor Deculein. The floating island doesnt usually give out new technologies like this. Is it because of your high-quality lectures? Louina said, her eyes fixed on the [Component Analyzer].

I answered bluntly.

Get out.

Uhm, once youre done using all of this, maybe we could later

Go away.

Come on, dont be so selfish. Ill write down my turn first. You wont be using it forever anyway. Just for one week, no, three days

Ill be using it a lot.

Still Agh.

I kicked them all out, but they chose their own turns as they pleased outside regardless.

I, Louina, was the first one to hear the rumors. In that regard, I should have priority over it.

Oho. In times like this, its only proper to take our ranks into consideration. Thats why I, Senior Professor Relin, should come first.

Uhm, I also need it for research Im Professor Deculeins assistant professor, after all

Baaam!

After slamming the door closed using Psychokinesis, I put the [Artificial Nucleus] in the [Component Analyzer] and turned on its power.

Vroooong.

Analyzing the item inside it like a microwave heating up food, Dark energy leaked from the nucleus and pricked my nose.

The scent alone made my heart race and the deep anger within me resurface, a clear sign that the Yukline blood within me was responding violently.

Knock knock

I opened the door with Psychokinesis.

Professor, I brought my research report, Epherene said as she came in. In her hand was a document containing a compilation of everything she had studied so far.

Firstly, the [Harmony of the Four Major Elements].

Taking and skimming through her 43-paged research report regarding a single magic book, I turned my gaze to her.

This is infinitely outdated.

What?

I didnt like it.

It wasnt just lacking.

From my perspective, considering Epherenes talent, it was nothing but garbage. Reading the book itself is far better than this.

Oh, I

Go one step further from just understanding it and write down what youve realized. Discern it. Analyze it. At this rate, what youre making is no better than a waste not even worth revising.

Schwaaaaak!

I tore the report in half.

A-ahh!

Her eyes widened in shock and horror as she looked at the already torn report. Soon enough, she bit her lips, not knowing what to do.

Do it again.

Okay.

The kid went outside with her head down just as my new machine completed its analysis.

[Dolans right heart, Decrion Spore, Human blood vessels]

Thoroughly identifying the materials of the [Artificial Nucleus], it even marked both the time it was gathered and its assembly date.

Winter, ten years ago.

Its definitely an amazing item.

If I initiated the investigation based on this information, it would be possible to find clues related to the Altar and Decalane.

Satisfied, I stored the [Artificial Nucleus] inside my head, one of the many functions of [Encoding], a high-class characteristic of mine.

*****

Late at night in the [Assistants Laboratory].

There wasnt any need to rip it, was there? Unbelievable. Epherene grumbled as she rewrote her entire report. What in the world does he want from me?

What did he even mean by one step further from just understanding?

Wasnt understanding advanced theories such as [The Harmony of Four Great Elements] already amazing in itself?

Phew I wonder what Sylvias doing.

She was most likely living without problems, considering she had huge amounts of money.

I also should have just went to the Isle of Wizards Wealth tsk.

Epherene, breaking her own thoughts and writing using her pencil again, glanced momentarily at the letter she received today from her sponsor. He deposited 100 thousand Elnes this time!

Crunch crunch

Writing what she understood as clearly as possible, she soon came to a realization.

The morning sun was already rising.

At this rate

She took a look at her report and nodded. Soon after, the clock struck 8 AM, which was when Deculein went to work.

Immediately looking for him, she confidently handed over her papers.

Ive completed its revision, Professor.

He seemed like he had just arrived, considering he hadnt even sat down yet.

Did you stay up all night for this? He asked as he skimmed through her document.

Yes.

Because of a certain someone

Epherene bit her lips while swallowing her retort.

He hung his coat on a hanger and read her report, his sharp eyes moving up and down.

Almost as if they were mincing through it.

Gulp.

As she nervously swallowed hard, he told her his verdict.

Its still lacking. Revise it.

What?

I said its not enough.

Uhh Can you at least tell me which parts of it are in need of revision

Deculein returned her report, his face deathly gelid.

No. Look for them yourself.

Okay.

Fortunately, he didnt rip and throw it away this time. Epherene went back to the [Assistants Laboratory] where she found Allen and Drent, who arrived while she was away, unpacking their bags in their seats.

Huh? Did you not go home yesterday, Ms. Epherene?

Yeah Lets go have some breakfast.

After talking behind Deculeins back over her first meal of the day, she revised her work for six whole hours.

Whew! Im getting older.

Satisfied with the result, she boosted her self-confidence.

I should pass this time. I still have 12 remaining reports left to do, though

Five minutes later.

Epherene squeezed her fingers together in the Head Professors oce. However, Deculeins answer to her third report remained quite concise.

Cant you understand what Im saying?

What?

I dont want a formal report. I know the contents of this magic book better than you or any other. Hence, I have no need for a narration of it from a third partys perspective. What you have to do is convey what youve realized.

Throwing away her report angrily, Epherene could only stare at him blankly.

A sudden stroke of brilliance is much more valuable than a 30-paged report.

B-but!

Get out.

Bang!

The door closed in front of her as if she was being expelled for failing thrice already.

Seriously

Fed up, she tore her own report herself, went back to the lab, and flipped through the magic book to look for a stroke of brilliance.

Skkkrrr Skrrrrr

6 hours later. Fourth attempt.

Is this the best you can do? If so, then arent you aiming for a goal far higher than your limitations?

She had already submitted three reports depicting her own thoughts, but Deculeins reaction remained dubious.

Answer me honestly, Epherene.

No. Ill do it again.

Returning to the [Assistants Laboratory], she prepared to write another report.

The next morning.

She delivered her fifth attempt as soon as Deculein arrived.

Are you stupid?

Epherene expected that much

Tik tok tik tok

Tik tok tik tok

3 AM.

Having already been rejected a total of five times in merely three days, she stared at the ceiling blankly, her mind seemingly about to lose its sanity.

Did Deculein make me his assistant to harass me? What did I even do wrong? I might murder someone at this point She mumbled absentmindedly while looking at the sixth report in her hand.

Hello?

With Deculeins office door open, Epherene stumbled in and glanced inside his room.

Whiiing

Its interior was already dark, and the Head Professor was nowhere to be found.

Thinking he left temporarily or forgot to lock his door, she decided to leave it in the drawer instead. However, as soon as she slid in her seventh report, she noticed a paper on top of his desk.

?

The darkness prevented her from scanning it properly, but fiddling with it was enough for her to tell its texture was familiar to her.

Where have I

A high-quality paper that could be used for letters. A quill pen next to it.

Frowning, she tilted her head in doubt Only to find a tall person in front of her.

No, she only found a huge, white face about 3m long and 40cm wide.

His eyes, lacking scleras and having crimson pupils, stared directly at her as his elongated mouth drew a huge smile, his lips almost seemingly tearing apart his cheeks to reach his ears. Hundreds of sharp, yellow fangs revealed themselves within his hole-like mouth, causing goosebumps to spread all over her shoulders, arms, and back.

A ghost had appeared before her.

Aaaaaaaahhh!

Epherene shrieked and cohered magic. She couldnt even think straight enough to figure what type it was. Nevertheless, she scattered it all over the place as she ran away, only for her to hit her head against a bookshelf.

Kugh!

Epherene fainted on the ground. However, thanks to her magic, an alarm went o.

Whiiiing!

Whiiiiiiing!

The ghost took turns looking at the fainted Epherene and the ceiling.

Shhhhhh..

Soon enough, he disappeared, seemingly scattering with the wind.

*****

The next morning.

I went to Epherenes hospital room at the University Hospital. She had been confined after fainting in my office.

A ghost?

Yes

Allen replied worriedly. Epherene was breathing gently, but she was sweating coldly and had sustained a wound.

She just woke up and mumbled about seeing a ghost. She fell asleep again right after.

What kind of ghost?

I couldnt ask her about the details. The doctor thinks she probably saw an illusion

Ghosts

There were certainly quests related to their existence. Like every other school, the Imperial University also had ghost stories. One of them was known as the Legend of the Tower.

I didnt know all the quests, though, so it was difficult to discern if this incident was related to one.

There were no other problems, werent there?

Yes.

I took o my gloves and clenched my teeth to avoid making my disgust obvious. But one day, it was something that I needed to overcome.

I used [Understanding] on Epherene by placing my hand on her forehead, Allens surprise visibly growing.

..

Utilizing [Understanding] this way allowed me to check ones condition. If she really was actually suffering due to a ghost, I could narrow down the possible types of her current status.

[Condition: Scared]

Nothing special. Taking my hand off of her, I found her sweat sticking to my palm. As swiftly as I could, I wiped it off with my handkerchief and got up from my seat.

Call me when she wakes up.

A-alright

Clack!

Just in time, the door of the hospital room opened, and Drent came in.

Oh, Professor!

Come in.

As I left, he took my seat.

*****

5 minutes after Deculein left, Epherene opened her eyes quietly.

Oh, youre awake?

Are you alright?

Allen and Drent asked, their voices filled with concern.

In reply, Epherene smiled bitterly, raised her upper body, then fiddled with her forehead.

Ive been awake all this time.

All this time?

Yes.

Epherene scratched the back of her neck as she recalled the situation just now.

Deculein gently placed his hand on her forehead, causing her more goosebumps than what the ghost could give her. Anyway

What happened? Drent asked.

Chills clawed up her spine as she trembled. Nevertheless, she persevered.

Ah My heart pounds even when I think about it now. See, what happened was

In a calm and orderly manner, she slowly told them of her experience.