Across the continent, Abyss Gates began to appear, and Daphne along with the adventurer guilds responded swiftly.
The identified Abyss Gates were controlled so that ordinary citizens could not enter, and thorough training was given even to regular guild members, not just Bingijas.
Still, the world was vast, and the number of gates was far too many for a single organization to control.
If time had been on their side, they might have collaborated with the newly allied Imperial Royal Family to manage them, but time was not their ally.
The most urgent matter was still the assault on the 51st floor.
Preparations for that were underway with utmost care, but progress was noticeably slower than before.
The reason was the lack of information.
No contact had come from those who entered as the vanguard.
Whether it was because logout was impossible, or if they had been wiped out so quickly that even that couldn’t be done—no one knew.
Because the cause was unknown, preparations dragged on to cover every possible scenario.
This was an unprecedented situation. Even the Bingijas, who were treated as heroes in the outside world, couldn’t help but feel intense anxiety.
‘Had they ever faced threats to their lives before?’
Outside, Abyss Gates were easy, and there was the invincible means of logout.
That was why the rankers had climbed to their current positions without major danger.
But the Abyss they now had to face was completely unpredictable.
‘What kind of monsters would appear? Would anomalies like the sudden changes on the 50th floor happen again? Was it possible that the ultimate escape of logout was disabled?’
Anxiety grew rapidly.
Yet the time limit for the assault was fixed, and time flowed impartially.
Now was truly the time to enter.
Though fear and unease pressed down, there was no turning back yet.
Wasn’t there a reputation built up until now? Weren’t numerous high-ranking Awakened like Daphne gathered here?
To flee in fear with such people at your side would only make you a laughingstock and prey.
There were over fifty top-tier Awakened present.
Each one a famous figure known to all in the outside world.
“Let’s depart.”
Thus, the lavish expeditionary force entered the gate for the Abyss assault.
After the small commotion on the fourth underground floor ended, the only place left alone was the Magician’s House.
Hio had spoken at length with Isidore and had just seen her off.
“You surprised me when you suddenly knelt and begged for mercy.”
Even without kneeling and bowing so dramatically, he was prepared to listen.
It aligned perfectly with Hio’s purpose for coming to Arilleia.
“Anyway, the number of spells I need to learn has really increased.”
Muttering while inspecting the fourth underground floor alone, Hio received agreement from Furnel.
‘It’s a blessing for a magician.’
Books were scattered everywhere.
Starting with draconic language magic, there were tomes about dragons themselves.
Various research materials and traces on how to manifest magic in any way possible.
Surrounded by such things, Hio pulled out a few volumes.
[Kreutzvalt’s Book of Necromancy]
He hadn’t read this one properly yet.
It didn’t look easy at a glance, so he planned to examine it thoroughly when he had time.
Kreutzvalt’s magic book, kept in the most secret place of the Sealed Island.
This was probably the key.
“And these are a problem too, if that’s the case.”
Next to the Book of Necromancy lay several papers and magic books on theory.
[Spatial Studies]
[Definition of Summoning]
[Purification]
“So I’m supposed to learn these.”
These were handed over directly by Isidore herself.
“Purification magic and summoning magic. Or rather, a kind of spatial transfer magic.”
The magic needed to awaken the sleeping dragon and bring its overwhelming power back to this world.
But when Hio and Furnel heard the plan from Isidore, their reactions were a bit strange.
“You need to awaken a dragon that’s been asleep for a thousand years…?”
“How do you think? Does it seem doable with this?”
“To be honest, I’m skeptical.”
It was puzzling.
“Purification is a 4th Circle purification magic. But could the soul of a dragon sealed for a thousand years really be purified with just this?”
Naturally, they were skeptical.
According to what they heard from Isidore, the dragon was sealed in the deepest part of the island.
A deep underwater location, unreachable by hand or eye.
The reason was that its soul was corrupted.
The soul deeply stained by the Abyssal Curse.
If it hadn’t been sealed, it would have certainly become an evil dragon, not a protector of the world, but its destroyer.
“To think the soul of a demi-god-level being is purified by just 4th Circle magic.”
For Hio and Furnel, this was obviously strange.
Elves who couldn’t even form a single circle would consider 4th Circle magic an absolute unknown, but Hio and Furnel knew better.
They knew that even high-level magicians couldn’t wield such a status easily.
“Still, the summoning spell for the dragon seems real. The runes related to spatial transfer are at least 5th Circle. If we want to use it now, we’ll need the help of a magic circle.”
The dragon’s sealed place is made in a sort of pocket dimension, so even if you explore the ocean, reaching the place is impossible. It can only be called forth by summoning magic.
No time to complain about the low level of purification magic.
There was an overwhelming amount to study.
“Anyway, since I need to reach 4th Circle and I’ve already found the portal, I’ll go back and forth with the Tower of Mages to learn.”
Though he spoke of Purification like a basic spell, that was only because the target was a dragon.
4th Circle magic was no joke.
At present, Hio was still only 3rd Circle. First, he had to reach 4th Circle.
“First, master the concepts of space and summoning perfectly. Without that, the plan can’t even start.”
“…Yeah. Let’s go.”
Gathering the scattered materials and books, Hio headed for the portal.
First stop: Tetradia to reach the 4th Circle.
That was the first step to awaken the sleeping dragon.
“The 4th Circle, the mark of an advanced magician, focuses mostly on destruction and expansion.”
It’s the stage that moves beyond formal magicians toward the upper echelons of society.
From 4th Circle upward, magicians are treated as elite forces in war, often targeted first.
If the 3rd Circle is about expanding magical types and finding one’s own path, the 4th Circle is about greatly increasing power and delving deeper.
“If you don’t understand, memorize it! Don’t grumble over something this small!”
The number of runes that had to be memorized was far from small.
Each circle rose, magic became more complex, and as runes increased, every interaction produced different effects.
The more sensitive they became, the broader the scope of study was endlessly widening.
“Why memorize so ignorantly? Understand it! If you understand, memorization becomes easy!”
Furnel grabbed Hio’s collar excitedly, as was usual when it came to learning magic.
What could be done? Even a foolish ghost was still a teacher.
“Tsk, tsk… In my day, we memorized interactions of this complexity in a day. Nowadays, magicians lack perseverance…”
After being ignored by Hio every day, he seemed thrilled at this rare moment of influence, so Hio just played along.
Of course, as Furnel said, reaching that level overnight was impossible.
Though Hio had enough magical power, proper understanding and practice were essential to reach a perfect 4th Circle.
Moreover, he couldn’t focus only on advancing circles in Tetradia.
***
After spending about a day in the Tower of Mages, he had to be busy elsewhere.
First, returning to Arilleia to teach magic.
He demonstrated magic to the magic-thirsty Arilleia people and corrected their uncertain theories.
“Ohhhh! As expected of the magician!”
“That rune marked as Fixed System #7 was actually #17? No wonder it kept messing up…”
Of course, even with corrected theory, they still couldn’t use magic.
Their bodies and souls simply could not form circles.
Still, they had lived all their lives for magic.
Awakening the dragon was their long-standing destiny, and magic was necessary for that.
So, they were enthusiastic about Hio’s lectures.
Problems that had been blocked for a long time opened up with a single word from Hio.
But Hio wasn’t the only one he had to teach.
“Ughhh…”
In the Magician’s House, on the third underground floor, Freya sat cross-legged on the floor, staring intently at a book on draconic language magic.
There wasn’t much Hio could do for her.
Draconic language magic was, as the name suggests, magic using the dragon’s language.
It was impossible for humans.
“I don’t know the details either, but dragons use magic differently from humans. For them, it’s like breathing.”
Born with magic, a race with infinite magical power within their bodies.
That’s why draconic language magic is used naturally, as if breathing.
‘Fire…!’
‘But how could he honestly say that to Freya?’
Freya was born as a fragment of an uncorrupted dragon’s soul that had broken off.
Such phenomena had been steadily occurring for a thousand years.
It was proof the dragon still lived.
That it still willed to send a part of its intact soul to the island.
To reclaim lost magic and find a way to heal itself.
Actually, the soul fragments born shortly after the sealing were much stronger than Freya.
They had more knowledge and even showed the Arilleia people which way to move forward.
But did the world accept such born souls as new souls?
Even with the dragon’s soul within, they couldn’t use magic.
They weren’t the dragon’s body, nor did they have infinite power, so draconic language was impossible.
Still, these fragments meant a lot to the Arilleia people.
They proved the dragon existed, and gave them the motivation to keep their mission alive.
But over time, the fragments’ strength weakened.
New fragments became younger and weaker, and their knowledge diminished.
Eventually, the fragments stopped appearing altogether.
Until a few years ago.
By a miracle, Freya appeared again.
Though she looked very young, her birth revived Arilleia.
It gave them hope.
All of Arilleia’s hopes and expectations rested on Freya’s small shoulders.
“Ugh… It’s not working…”
Alone underground, Freya’s mood was different from usual.
Her innocent smile and confident demeanor when with other elves were gone.
She furrowed her brows and stared at her book.
For hours, she kept practicing without rest…
“I have to do this myself…”
Finally, she buried her face between her knees and sobbed.
Learning magic, summoning her true form, and purifying it were all tasks she had to do.
But she felt incompetent and had failed, so it had fallen to Hio instead.
Therefore, she had to succeed at least in this.
If she could learn to use draconic language magic, maybe someday when she returned to her true form, she could help a little.
She had never lived up to the heavy expectations before, but this time she wanted to try.
Yet it wouldn’t go as planned.
No, it was impossible.
After all, she was mute.
‘Wasn’t the start of draconic language magic the ability to speak the words?’
‘How could she perform draconic language magic without the ability to speak?’
The previous fragments were all able to speak properly.
‘Why was she the only one…?’
Such thoughts crept in, and she would bury her face for a long while.
She would silently sob, uselessly moving her lips.
After returning from the Tower of Mages, Hio quietly watched Freya and sat down beside her.
He didn’t say anything.
He just closed his eyes and concentrated.
He rotated his magical power and moved the still incomplete fourth circle.
Freya, sensing the magic, raised her head and looked at Hio with wide eyes.
What Hio was attempting was Purification, the 4th Circle spell he was currently learning.
His incomplete fourth circle rotated fiercely.
Countless runes floating like a galactic belt responded, shining brightly.
They interacted with each other; some pulled others, and each manifested different powers.
Gradually, they gathered and began moving.
Slowly, slowly. Moving along Hio’s body, the spell took shape.
A drop of sweat slid down Hio’s concentrated forehead.
“…Hang in there!”
Without realizing it, Freya sent a silent cheer to encourage him.
But… this was an incomplete spell from the start.
A spell cast without fully completing or understanding the 4th Circle.
It was doomed to fail.
Whether something went wrong or not, the gathered magic cluster began shaking violently.
The countless shining runes shook hard as well.
And then, eventually…
Tot…
Click—
The light from all the runes went out, and the forming spell scattered.
A grand beginning met with a pitiful end.
Freya looked at Hio with worry-filled eyes.
She knew that emptiness well.
She had experienced failure’s futility more than anyone, so she worried about him.
But contrary to that worry…
“Tsk… what a shame.”
Hio’s eyes opened, and his expression was bright.
“But if I keep trying, I’ll get it someday.”
Though regretful, he nonchalantly promised next time.
From that whole scene, Freya realized something.
That even the most brilliant and powerful magician in the world had countless failures behind the scenes.
To form the countless star-like runes inside, they had faced countless challenges and setbacks.
Yet they never gave up and finally achieved it.
“Let’s do it together, Freya.”
She wiped away the tears on her face and nodded vigorously.
That was all Hio could teach.
Not to be crushed by failure, but to keep trying.
He had been crushed more than anyone. He had lived miserably after giving up everything, so he could say that confidently.
“I’ll definitely succeed someday.”
Freya, now filled with motivation again, began reading the book.
She had seen the great magician who succeeded in magic after countless trials and failures.
He had sworn it would succeed someday.
So she read with the determination to delve deep into the book.
Focusing with all her might, she tried her best once more.
What Freya didn’t see was…
“That you’ll be able to do it.”
Hio’s face, as he gently stroked her head, had turned cold.
The slight unease in his voice was because this doubt had suddenly crossed his mind.
“…Definitely.”
‘If the dragon awoke, what would become of this child?’
[Hidden Trait – No Violence Allowed! (Patience: 20/1000)]