Chapter 86: The Broken Gate

The entrance leading underground was no different from that of any other Magician’s House.

“Is this not a dungeon?”

Because of that, I just thought it was an ordinary Magician’s House… but the moment I stepped down to the first basement floor, I immediately realized it wasn’t an ordinary one.

• It’s spacious.

The underground was wider than any Magician’s House I’d seen so far. The floor was stained, and there was a musty smell.

And in one corner, there was a pile of bones.

“Looks like it’s definitely the home of a dark magician or a necromancer.”

• It’s not a Necromancer Branch. If it was, I would know about it.

“Could there be a branch you don’t know about?”

• Absolutely not.

“…You’re certain, huh.”

Furnel stated firmly, but after going down to the second floor, our suspicion only deepened.

Anyone could see it was a gloomy, eerie space. Scattered, decayed bundles of paper. Broken reagent bottles. And the bodies of various creatures preserved in some unknown liquid.

It was clear that a dark magician had lived here.

And though it felt excessively spacious, structurally, it was still exactly like a Magician’s House.

The way the stair entrance opened, the way it was found—everything matched.

Anyway, it wasn’t the dungeon we expected. There were no monsters or traps, so it wasn’t an environment designed as a dungeon.

Then what else could it be besides a Magician’s House?

• No way… there can’t be a Necromancer Branch I don’t know about…

Still, it was awkward to scold Furnel, who was adamantly denying reality.

I mean, there could be one unknown branch somewhere. Why was he so certain?

“By the way, what were they researching? There’s no way to find out.”

The papers were so brittle that even the slightest vibration would make them crumble.

• ・It’s only the second basement floor. No need to worry yet. If it was truly important research, preservation magic would have been placed on it. Preservation magic is a fundamental part of any magician’s research.

“Is that so? Anyway, up to the second floor, there’s not much to see. They built up such high expectations saying it was an unprecedented great mage’s dungeon…”

There was little to show for the hype.

Of course, that was only up to the second basement floor.

Opening the entrance again from the second floor and going down to the third basement floor was completely different from the floors above.

A neat room. A wide dais in the center.

Resting on it was a staff and a cloak.

A grotesque staff that looked like it was bleeding, and a pitch-black cloak that absorbed all the surrounding light.

Furnel, who discovered it, immediately perked up from his usual dull demeanor and shouted excitedly.

• W-Wasn’t I right?! This has got to be the other two sacred artifacts of Kreutzvalt! Kreutzvalt’s staff, cloak, and even the lantern! Hoo, hoo! This is… incredible!

His heavy breathing grated on my nerves.

He was a relentless necromancer fan despite not even having enough breath to spare…

• Hurry up and check it out! Didn’t I say it wasn’t an ordinary Magician’s House?!

“…Yeah, yeah.”

Approaching the center, two artifacts with extraordinary magical power information caught my eye.

The cloak, so dark it seemed to ooze blackness, and the grotesquely twisted crimson staff.

「Kreutzvalt’s Dignified Cloak (Epic)」

「A cloak made for the great necromancer Kreutzvalt, who single-handedly toppled a kingdom over nine nights. Specializes in death-related power.」

「When worn, significantly reduces the total amount of morale required to create undead.」

「Death Aura: Increases the stats of all summoned undead by 30%.」

「Soldier’s Dignity: All summoned undead are summoned with shields. The shield’s strength scales with the amount of magic power used by the summoner.」

「Dark Authority’s Staff (???)」

「A staff crafted for the pioneer and progenitor of dark magic, the great dark magician Kreutzvalt. Its power varies greatly depending on the user’s abilities.」

「Stat ‘Magic Power’ +15」

「Magic Casting Speed +15%」

「Abilities unlock sequentially according to the user’s magic power circle level.」

「3rd Circle: Skill – ‘Insight of Darkness’ available.」

「5th Circle: Locked.」

「7th Circle: Locked.」

「Skill: Insight of Darkness」

「An eye that pierces through darkness.」

「Activates an eye that perceives the essence even in darkness.」

「Unaffected by sensory loss, cognitive decline, or confusion.」

「Warning: Sometimes, it is better not to look too deep.」

“…Insane stats.”

I don’t know much about dark magic yet, but at least for a necromancer, I doubt there’s any better artifact than this.

Truly, the three sacred treasures of Kreutzvalt. If only I had lived to wield these, dominating the continent wouldn’t have been a futile dream…

“Was dominating the continent really your dream?”

• That’s just how you put it. Just words.

In any case, it was undeniably a tremendous find.

The Soul Harvester’s Lantern, Kreutzvalt’s cloak and staff.

“This is a complete necromancer set.”

And a top-tier one at that—close to an endgame set.

If necromancy reached the 5th Circle, it would be fully possible to create an infinitely reproducing undead legion.

And if the circle rose further, an army made up of advanced undead like Death Knights could be possible too.

• You even have a death-reaping grim reaper, don’t you?

Exactly, now that we have that, it’s just a matter of growth.

• Not enough. Not nearly enough. Reaching the 3rd Circle quickly is remarkable, but you have to get to the 5th Circle fast. Beyond that is a realm that can’t be reached by magic power talent alone.

“Actually, 4th Circle isn’t far off.”

With endurance over 900 and the magic power stat nearly at 400 thanks to reputation points and item bonuses,

it meant the maximum of 500 was within reach, and the 4th Circle was imminent.

“Fast growth only lasts up to the 5th Circle.”

Even if I max out magic power stats, I have the Mana Breathing Technique, so I can increase magic power beyond normal limits.

But compared to buying stats with Reputation Points, the speed would be incomparably slower.

Still, once I max out magic power stats, I have spirit power and other physical stats to raise.

Only after raising those would I finally have the physique worthy of a top-tier ranker.

By the way, does the Pavlenko necklace react? Is there a fourth basement floor?

Lowering my gaze to the necklace hanging from my neck,

the heirloom left by my first mentor, Berga Pavlenko.

If this truly is a Magician’s House, this Pavlenko Family necklace would undoubtedly point the way to the fourth basement floor,

where the most important portal is located.

“It’s here.”

Again, greenish threads of magic power extended from the necklace, showing the path.

This meant there was no doubt this was a Magician’s House.

“Since we’re here, we should check the fourth floor too.”

Even without going to the magic tower, it’s worth checking what’s on the fourth floor.

Every Magician’s House basement fourth floor I’d seen so far had only the portal left lonely and alone,

but coming this far and seeing it without checking felt unsettling.

So, following the necklace’s guidance, I opened the entrance leading down.

With a crack, the floor split open, revealing stairs.

Descending without much tension, the sight of the fourth basement floor was

very different from what I expected.

• The portal… is broken.

The pile of collapsed stones in the center was definitely familiar. It was originally a hexagonal sculpture serving as the portal.

And scattered nearby were several sheets of paper.

Unlike the brittle papers upstairs that had crumbled over a millennium, these were crisp, new sheets.

Papers protected by preservation magic.

If it weren’t for the ancient language written on them, I might have believed they were written just moments ago.

Of course, that wasn’t possible.

“Are these research notes?”

They seemed too haphazardly placed to be proper research notes.

• Come closer. It feels less like research and more like a message left behind.

“A message? Like the Kreutzvalt person you mentioned?”

That seemed likely. So let’s read them quickly.

Curious, I picked up the nearest sheet.

The neatly written ancient language was quite complex, but no worries—Furnel, the automatic ancient language translator, was here.

Furnel began reading aloud.

I looked into the abyss. The abyss looked back at me.

That was all that was written on that page.

I picked up the next sheet, and Furnel quickly read it.

• I saw the loss of magic. Beyond that, I saw the destruction of the world.

Next sheet.

• A supernatural anomaly that defies the laws of the world. It seems to be the path to the next stage.
• What’s needed is immortality or eternal life. Ordinary objects are unnecessary.
• I willingly walk into the abyss. I will fight against the anomaly.
• It will be a long battle. In fact, it has already been long.

Some worthy comrades joined one by one. There were many shortcomings, but better than being alone, right?

The sheets were placed at regular intervals toward the direction of the collapsed portal.

• The passage of time is felt.
• Even though capable comrades have become trustworthy allies, and even though some have had their souls devoured, no new members join.
• The loss of magic power pierces the bones.

Only two sheets remained.

Two lines left.

• I am still here.

Picking up the sheets one by one, I eventually stood right before the collapsed portal,

the grave of the broken portal lying helplessly scattered.

And I, holding the last remaining sheet, was frozen in place for a long time.

Because this last sheet wasn’t protected by preservation magic.

Yet it was perfectly intact for that very reason.

• When will you come?

It was as if it had been written just moments ago.

Closing all the underground doors, I pocketed Kreutzvalt’s three sacred treasures and ascended back to Gray Castle.

Waiting about half a day as it was, someone suddenly appeared beside me and spoke.

“Are you leaving now?”

It was Eos, the Imperial Palace’s teleportation expert.

His weary eyes always looked drained from work. His voice was tired, and his face showed little emotion.

“I’m heading back.”

“To the Imperial Castle?”

“Yes. Please.”

Eos nodded briefly and raised his hand to the sky.

His manner of saying just what was needed and then doing what was necessary was truly typical of him.

Soon, a cluster of light descended from above the sky.

As the bright light flooded my vision, Eos’s heavily shadowed eyes met mine.

Just before my vision fully faded, I faintly heard him say,

“Thank you for your hard work.”

When the light finally faded and I opened my eyes, the majestic Imperial Palace stood before me.

I immediately turned to Eos and asked,

“What did you say to me just now?”

He looked at me tiredly and replied,

“Huh?”

I doubt he knew what I was talking about.

Within that brief phrase was probably the meaning: “I’m exhausted, so just don’t say anything more and go back quickly.”

Feeling that, I shook my head.

“No. You look tired, so come in.”

“Yes.”

There was already too much to think about.

A Bingija who came from Earth.

All the former Ventair’s top players who had played Ventair Online had entered this world with their souls missing,

so they could freely log out.

But I came with my soul intact, so logging out wasn’t so easy.

And I had assumed I was the only one like that.

All other Bingijas I’d seen so far had no soul, so it made sense.

But what about Airlights? She definitely had a soul.

And reading the memories engraved on her soul, she too could not log out.

That meant the reason logging out was impossible wasn’t some special trait of the number one ranker.

Is there some commonality between Airlights and me?

Looking back now, it wasn’t such a difficult question.

Hadn’t I read the memories of a girl who wanted to be loved?

Cut off, unloved, and firmly believing she could neither love nor be loved—

a girl who immersed herself only in Ventair.

Someone like me, who had lost friends, acquaintances, comrades, even a leg, and carried on a meaningless life.

Finding common ground wasn’t difficult.

As my thoughts reached this point,

Knock knock—the door cautiously opened.

“Mr. Pavlenko, Vitalianus has regained consciousness.”

I immediately rose from my seat.

There would be a lot to discuss.