Chapter 1113 – 1113. Dark Moon
I opened my eyes in the middle of the night.
I quietly glanced at my wristwatch. 1:22 AM. It was the perfect time.
I carefully got up. I checked on Instructor Lexi, who was asleep next to me. She, who had bad sleeping habits, was already half-undressed. Her hands were above her head, her shirt was rolled up, and her pants were hanging precariously on her thighs.
My eyes were drawn to her small black panties. The image of Instructor Lexi’s femininity from a few hours ago came to mind.
‘Pink… No, this is not the time for this.’
I shook my head. Now is a crucial time. I used Silence magic to eliminate the sound of my footsteps and headed towards the waterfall. Fortunately, the alarm magic was set up outside the waterfall, so there was no chance of it going off.
I frowned when I saw the waterfall. It was very dark. Even when I focused mana into my eyes, it was hard to see. Especially the inside of the stream was completely invisible.
‘Light.’
I used magic. A sphere of light appeared in front of me, illuminating the surroundings. I controlled the sphere of light with my thoughts. The sphere of light slowly rose upwards. As if they had been waiting, flying insects rushed towards the sphere of light.
Seeing the shadows of the flying insects darting around, I felt the urge to burn them to death with Fire magic.
‘If I had enough time, I would have.’
I wandered around near the stream, not in the center. I looked down and recalled the memories from the ‘Dark Moon’ game, searching for a special rock. Since I couldn’t sense anything with mana detection, I had to find it with my eyes.
‘Found it.’
It was a rock half-submerged in the water. If you looked closely at the surface, you could see faint patterns engraved on it.
Rune letters.
It was one of the magic systems frequently used in ancient times. In modern times, the system of formulas is well-established, so rune letters, which are less efficient, are disappearing from the magic world. However, they are still hot in the treasure hunter and archaeology fields.
‘In the game, an activation button automatically appeared when the character got close.’
This was not a game, but reality. I had to activate it myself. I placed my hand on the rock. As I carefully channeled mana, the rune letters glowed faintly.
‘If this is here, it means the gimmicks in the game are the same.’
The secrets sleeping in this world. I knew them. I continued my work, feeling an indescribable sense of superiority.
‘The second stone was on the opposite side.’
I found it easily and activated it. The third was a small rock under a tree.
‘The last fourth one is behind the waterfall.’
I approached the waterfall. My clothes got wet. I didn’t care. I could dry them with magic later.
I groped the rock behind the waterfall with my hand. I could feel the shape of a recessed rune letter on one side of the rock through my palm.
Just like I did with the other three rune letters, I channeled mana. The rune letter glowed faintly.
Kugugugugung.
The rock behind the waterfall split open like an automatic door. A space appeared that could fit one person. I deactivated the Light magic and created a sphere of light on my palm again. The sphere of light illuminated the inside. There was a staircase leading downwards.
I went down, feeling a little nervous.
I reached the bottom. The area was enclosed on all sides, and there was a recessed floor. I stared intently at the floor. Triangle, square, circle, rhombus. There were a total of four patterns drawn.
‘This is just like the game.’
The answer came to mind as soon as I saw it. Compared to the hazy memories of Earth, the information related to the ‘Dark Moon’ game was very clear.
‘The me from Earth hated using my brain. I didn’t play ‘Dark Moon’ to solve puzzles. When a puzzle appeared while playing the game, I immediately searched for the answer on the internet.’
That was my way of playing.
‘The answer here is two triangles and two squares.’
I lifted my right foot and stepped on the triangle twice, then stepped on the square twice.
Kugugugugung.
A path leading downwards opened up a little further away. I solved the puzzle two more times and stepped into the final chamber.
‘The last gimmick is to light six torches.’
I looked around and lit the five fixed torches. The last sixth torch was hidden. Of course, I knew its location.
I tilted my head back and looked at the ceiling. There was a circular pattern drawn in the center of the ceiling. That was the sixth torch.
‘Fire.’
The flame reached the center of the ceiling.
Wooooooong.
The mana within the space fluctuated. I held my breath as I watched the movement of the mana. Each and every swirling flow of mana was precisely set.
The walls and ceiling moved with mana as their power source. The mana eventually gathered in the center of the ceiling. A hole appeared in the center of the ceiling, and two items fell down.
A short sword that looked easy to hold in one hand and a red hood.
‘The rewards given are the same too.’
I smiled with satisfaction.
The short sword was a 4th-grade artifact, an elemental sword. You could imbue the sword with any element you wanted. Honestly, it wasn’t very helpful in combat. However, the fact that you could imbue it with elements meant it could be used in many ways.
‘It’s very helpful because there are many cases where elemental power is needed to solve gimmicks.’
Of course, that was in the game. It was only 1st grade, but for me, who could use all elemental magic, it wasn’t a very necessary item.
What I was aiming for wasn’t the short sword, but the red hood.
The Wolf’s Red Hood, a 6th-grade artifact.
The effect of this artifact was simple. It allowed you to use Transparency magic.
‘The effect of Transparency magic is to deceive the character’s information.’
For example, let’s say there is a level 50 mage character. If you use Transparency magic, you can deceive your level, class, and even your stats.
‘It’s possible to enter dungeons with conditions by deceiving character information with Transparency magic.’
You could pass through spaces with class restrictions, level restrictions, and stat restrictions using Transparency magic. Of course, there were special restricted areas where Transparency magic didn’t work, but those had different restrictions than character information.
However, what you shouldn’t misunderstand is that Transparency magic only deceives information. The class and stats don’t actually change.
‘I can hide my realm with Transparency magic.’
I stared at the red hood.
This was the important part. I couldn’t carry these items around. I was a soldier and a slave. I couldn’t carry unauthorized possessions, and if I brought them back to the unit, I would be immediately subjected to a possession check.
‘If I have this during a possession check, I’ll be 100% exposed as having an artifact.’
Moreover, it was a 6th-grade artifact that you couldn’t easily obtain even with billions of dollars.
I took a breath and pulled up my mana. I channeled mana into the red hood and began analyzing it.
‘I’ll learn the Transparency magic contained in the artifact. With my talent, it should be possible.’
No, it had to be possible.
I examined the formulas engraved inside the red hood. Complex formulas flashed through my mind. I twisted my lips.
‘It’s different from the magic formulas I already know. Is it an illusion type that twists perception and senses?’
To analyze it in more detail, I needed to disassemble the red hood’s formulas. Only then could I examine the formulas deep inside.
‘…If I do that, I won’t be able to use the artifact again. I only have one chance. Failure is the end.’
One failure was the end. I felt my resolve wavering and reaffirmed my determination.
‘I can’t stop here. I need Transparency magic for my goal. I believe in myself, in my talent.’
I focused my mind.
My mana invaded deep into the red hood. Fortunately, there were no security formulas, so I could examine the formulas as they were, without being disturbed.
Gigiigigigik, gigigik.
Of course, just examining it wasn’t enough. I had to disassemble the overlapping formula structures and understand each and every meaning. During this process, the artifact began to break down.
‘The way the formulas are deployed… they’re spinning around. It’s closer to a Möbius strip shape, with the circle twisted once.’
With this deployment method, the formulas wouldn’t escape and would instead circulate.
‘…There’s no need to escape. What needs to be deceived is my own information. That’s right. Deploying it in a Möbius strip shape makes it easier to maintain the magic.’
I was sweating profusely as I explored the Transparency magic formulas.
When I finished, two hours had passed. The shattered red hood lay at my feet. No magical power could be felt. The artifact had become trash.
‘Transparency. It’s ambiguous to determine exactly what grade it is.’
I modified some of the Transparency magic formulas to suit me. I focused on hiding rather than deceiving. Thanks to that, the difficulty of the magic dropped significantly.
‘Even so, it needs to be at least 3rd grade to use it smoothly.’
I closed my eyes.
I urged the growth of the astral that had been stopped.
The quality of the astral increased and expanded. It didn’t stop there, and the astral began to take root in the world. This vast world acknowledged my existence. No, I acknowledged this world.
I slowly opened my eyes. I could feel the existence of the 25 mana rods rooted in my body. The flow of mana was refreshing.
‘Transparency.’
I used magic to hide my skills and realm. The influence of the astral disappeared, and seven mana rods vanished. From the outside, I would appear to be 2nd grade.
‘Perfect. Even I, who cast the magic, would be deceived.’
There was a drawback.
The moment I used the power I had hidden with Transparency, the effect of Transparency would be canceled.
‘Since I don’t plan to use 3rd-grade magic in front of others anyway, it’s not a big drawback.’
I had achieved my goal.
I picked up the elemental sword and walked towards the stairs.
‘If I take the elemental sword, it will be confiscated by the unit, so I should hide it here. I can come back for it later when I have the chance.’
When I came up, I surveyed the surroundings with Light magic.
Water slimes, which hadn’t been there before, were bouncing towards me, their bodies squishing. I wasn’t flustered. It was something I already knew would happen. The reason I brought the elemental sword was to deal with these guys.
I pushed mana into the elemental sword.
The element I wanted was ice.
White frost flowed along the blade.
I swung the sword at the water slimes.
Swoosh.
The sword cut through the air. The water slimes jumped and dodged my attack. My expression twisted in annoyance.
A water slime jumped at my head. The barrier I had prepared bounced the water slime away. Other water slimes jumped and closed the distance.
‘Damn it. Slimes are dodging my attacks? Is my swordsmanship that terrible?’
I knew I had no talent for physical actions, but the fact that even slimes were dodging my attacks so easily made me lose all motivation. The thought of learning swordsmanship disappeared into the distance.
I confirmed that my mana was connected to the elemental sword and let go of the hilt. The sword didn’t fall to the ground but floated in the air.
3rd-grade non-elemental magic, telekinesis.
I flicked my right index finger. The elemental sword flew towards the water slimes and pierced them. The coldness of the elemental sword seeped into the water slimes. Crack. The water slimes, which had frozen instantly, shattered and fell to the ground.
‘If I’m not confident in swinging the sword with my hand, I can just swing it with magic like this. It’s much easier. However, telekinesis has the worst mental power efficiency compared to other magic, so it’s hard to maintain for long… Hmm?’
I tilted my head.
Magic is usually activated with a ratio of 2 mental power to 8 mana. However, telekinesis, a 3rd-grade magic, has a ratio of 9 mental power to 1 mana. Thanks to this, mana consumption is low, but mental power quickly runs out, making it a magic that mages avoid.
‘The mental power consumed decreases as the mastery of magic increases, but telekinesis is different.’
Telekinesis has a simple formula. In the first place, it’s a magic where will is more important than the formula. It’s literally telekinesis (念力).
‘But why am I okay even though I used telekinesis? Is telekinesis my forte? Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever felt a lack of mental power when using other magic either.’
The water slimes were approaching. I put my thoughts aside and flicked my finger. The elemental sword, imbued with telekinesis, flew through the air and cut down the water slimes.
‘It’s definitely twice as easy as holding the hilt and swinging it myself.’
I changed the element of the elemental sword to fire. Flames rose from the blade. I rotated the sword in the air like a wheel. The flaming wheel spun, and sparks flew.
‘Movements that are impossible when holding the sword are possible with telekinesis.’
The rotating elemental sword mercilessly shredded the water slimes. The water vapor was thick.
‘This time, it’s wind.’
The hazy water vapor was tossed around by the blowing wind. Blades of wind sliced through the water slimes. The water slime liquid splattered everywhere.
‘Water is not good, how about electricity?’
Zzzzzzt.
A blue current flowed along the blade. The elemental sword left electric trails in the air and completely annihilated the remaining water slimes. The dead water slimes became puddles of water, soaking the ground.
I stuck the elemental sword into the ground. The current spread through the puddles of water and across the entire ground. The last part was a kind of show.
“Telekinesis and elemental sword… they’re useful?”
