Chapter 48: Illusion Magic Circle
Sssaaaa―!
The glyph, infused with third-star mana, radiated a dazzling wave of light, bathing the confined space in golden brilliance. Trapped within that golden radiance, the chiras froze in place, as if turned to stone.
[……!]
As the light dimd and the space grew silent,
I slowly turned my back and looked at Fenry, lowering my hand.
Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-kuung―!
The hundreds of chiras toppled over, collapsing in unison as if prearranged. A single gesture had brought down everything—a breathtaking, overwhelming sight.
“You… you son of a bitch….”
For the first ti, astonishnt flickered across Fenry’s face.
She gazed at for a long mont, her eyes slightly widened. Then, removing her weapon and placing her pipe in her mouth, she seed lost in thought.
Arthur Clayton.
The first ti we t, he had seed like a nobody. Yet, the more I got to know him, the more my expectations were upended.
The deeper I dug, the more unexpected layers he revealed.
“You’re like an onion. Were you hiding your strength all along?”
“I’ve never hidden anything.”
“You were definitely a first-star when you groped my ass. That’s strange. My senses don’t lie.”
“…….”
Wait, groping your ass back then had that aning?
When I first t Fenry at the Black Rose, I really had been a first-star. Her assessnt was accurate.
But my rapid ascent to third-star in such a short ti was naturally confusing.
My awakening speed was undeniably abnormal.
It had been nothing short of a miracle, made possible thanks to the bio mana stones.
“And on top of that, you’re so kind of awakened special trait holder? A support-type ability that enhances weapons, is it? And that light—was that divine power?”
The light that had subdued hundreds of chiras in an instant.
That power wasn’t typical. It was… unique.
Fenry looked at with eyes full of curiosity. Under her gaze, I let out a short breath and wiped my forehead.
Dizziness surged through from the excessive mana consumption.
‘At least the goal’s been achieved.’
Revealing my power in front of her like this wasn’t just a show. It was a precaution for what would happen after we found Sharbadin.
From then on, we wouldn’t be allies by contract, but companions by necessity. In situations where I needed to rely on Fenry’s strength, I couldn’t afford to let her take the lead.
‘I need to maintain the upper hand.’
At least in this place, I had to prove that I held stronger abilities than her.
That way, my opinions would carry weight moving forward.
The glyph’s light had demonstrated overwhelming power against the chiras—far greater than hers.
“A chira-countering ability, huh? If that madman finds out about you, he’ll probably try to tear you apart.”
“I trust you’ll keep this a secret.”
“That depends. Are you hiding anything else? Any other abilities? Spill it all.”
This damned elf. I lend her a coat when she’s cold, and now she wants to strip down to my underwear.
Of course, I hadn’t revealed all my cards.
I had a new card to play now.
It was the awakened trait I gained after reaching third-star.
I had worried I might end up traitless, but at least I wasn’t entirely unlucky.
“If you’re that curious, how about a trade? I’m curious about your abilities, too, Fenry.”
“Why would I?”
“If you don’t want to, forget it. We don’t have ti for this.”
She exhaled a puff of smoke into my face.
Cough! Cough! Damn it, it’s spicy! I said it’s spicy, you witch!
“Heh. Let’s see what you’ve got outside.”
Leaving with a cryptic smile, she turned her attention to the iron door.
The door that led to the altar was tightly sealed.
“Bring it over.”
“Yes, yes.”
With a short sigh, I cut off a dead manager’s hand and moved to stand behind her.
She stepped aside, and I pressed the severed hand against the iron door.
Monts later, Kuuung―! With a deep rumble, the massive iron door began to creak open.
The captives behind us crossed my mind, but I decided there was nothing I could do for them right now.
If it were one or two, maybe, but there was no way I could take responsibility for hundreds.
“Wait a second.”
Fenry briefly glanced at the cart before pulling out a crystal from her pocket.
A crimson crystal, no larger than a fingernail.
I was familiar with its purpose.
It was the sa item she had handed in the past when heading toward the Nelitori Gorge. Crushing that crystal would send her current location to the Black Rose.
In other words, she was signaling soone about the altar’s location.
“Who are you sending that to?”
“Their master.”
Inside the cart were unconscious captives from various species.
The master of the captives?
In the Tobaron region, there was only one figure who could be their leader.
My eyes widened.
The Lord of Beneta—Dorneth.
“Why are you informing Dorneth?”
“This job is connected to that dwarf’s mate. Do you think that impatient dwarf would just sit around waiting for ?”
“Are you saying Dorneth is coming here?”
“I’ve been signaling him throughout. He should be on his way.”
“Weren’t you moving solo?”
“We were moving separately, technically. But once I found Sharbadin’s location, he started moving.”
It seed she had been in communication with Dorneth at the start of this mission. My information must have played a role in drawing him here.
That was good news.
“Do you know exactly when Dorneth will arrive?”
“With those short-legged dwarves, I feel a bit uneasy. But they’ll be here within half a day.”
If Dorneth’s forces were composed of dwarves, they would be top-tier elites. The only issue was the timing of their arrival, which was critical.
“There’s a chance they’ll clash with Dominic’s forces.”
“They won’t clash. The dwarves will avoid them. That madman has a real monster by his side. Last ti they ran into each other, Dorneth got wrecked.”
As expected, Dominic’s army and Beneta’s forces had already faced off in the past.
A real monster guarding the madman?
‘Arena Huaton.’
I imdiately realized who the “monster” was and quickly asked. Had Fenry fought that monster?
“Have you faced that monster?”
“Not yet. But Dorneth warned to never fight it alone.”
“And?”
“I told him to shut up. That thing’s nothing compared to .”
God, this doesn’t feel reassuring.
If it was the incomplete Arena Huaton, I had assud Fenry could handle it. But if Dorneth’s warning held true, my judgnt might have been wrong.
‘This makes Sharbadin’s survival even more crucial….’
As the lord of a region, Dorneth was a dwarf as strong as Fenry.
If I could keep Sharbadin at my side, I might even be able to draw Dorneth fully into my plans.
And with reinforcents arriving, things would progress much more smoothly.
‘Please, let him be alive.’
Thinking of Sharbadin, I turned my gaze beyond the now fully opened door.
Aside from the surrounding crimson walls, the interior was empty.
The only thing visible was a small pit at the center.
Approaching the pit, I peered into it, but it was too dark to see anything.
The width of the hole was only slightly larger than that of a village well. It seed the captives were being thrown into this pit.
“This is the altar? It’s just a hole.”
“The bottom might be different.”
“The bottom?”
There was likely a creature lurking below, hunting its prey.
I wanted to tell Fenry exactly what that creature was, but if I shared information that even the managers didn’t know, it would only arouse suspicion.
‘Not like she needs my help.’
In fact, I was the one who needed to worry more.
Because I had to go down into that pit myself.
“Wait here.”
Fenry extended her hand toward the pit and began chanting a spell.
A mont later, a small sphere of light materialized in midair and began descending into the darkness below.
As the light spread, the bottom gradually ca into view.
The pit wasn’t very deep.
No, it was shockingly shallow.
Five ters, at most?
A thought crossed my mind.
“It’s shallow. Doesn’t that seem odd?”
“What does?”
“At this depth, anyone could climb out. Why hasn’t a single person escaped the pit?”
There were no signs of guards or surveillance around the pit. And yet, there were no records of anyone escaping after being thrown in.
“Maybe they were all unconscious when brought here?”
“If that were the case, there would be traces left behind. But there’s nothing on the ground. Hundreds of captives, including Sharbadin, were thrown in here, weren’t they?”
“They were.”
“Then shouldn’t there be at least so bloodstains or other traces down there?”
Fenry seed to be pondering my words.
The exposed bottom was unnaturally clean.
Where had everything disappeared to?
The more questions arose, the fewer answers I had.
‘Moving faster than the novel’s tiline has its disadvantages.’
In the novel, the altar’s true nature was revealed long after Dominic’s death.
By then, this place had already collapsed, rendering the altar inoperative.
If I acted with that mindset, I’d be in trouble.
‘This is still the pre-Dominic stage.’
All I knew was the altar’s identity. I had no idea what was happening down below.
“If we can’t figure it out, we’ll have to dive in and see.”
“Agreed.”
“In that case, good luck.”
“…Excuse ?”
My body suddenly tilted, and I felt myself being pulled into the pit. Fenry had grabbed the back of my neck and tossed in.
As I fell, I saw Fenry waving at with a cheeky grin.
“If it’s safe, I’ll follow you.”
You wretched elf!
I was about to hurl a string of curses when,
“……!?”
Fenry’s figure vanished without a trace, replaced by nothing but darkness.
Darkness?
My confusion lasted only a mont before,
Kkwajajak―!
“Kuugh!”
I crashed into sothing and was slamd to the ground. The objects I collided with shattered and scattered in all directions.
What the hell are these?
I’d seen nothing on the floor earlier.
“Ugh!”
Clutching my aching back, I slowly stood up.
Thankfully, I wasn’t injured.
As I dusted myself off and opened my eyes,
“…….”
I froze, stiff as a statue, and surveyed my surroundings.
Thanks to the faint sheen emanating from the crimson walls, I could barely make out the area. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. The interior looked like a blood-soaked nightmare.
But what was even more horrifying…
“What the fuck is all this?”
Piles of bone fragnts were scattered across the ground, so nurous they brushed against my feet as I moved.
These remains likely belonged to the captives who had been brought here.
How many had been devoured to leave behind such a massive pile of bones?
And why hadn’t I seen any of this from above?
Where the hell had these bones co from?
‘Don’t tell …!’
I looked up in a panic, and my face contorted in shock.
The pit was gone.
The hole had vanished, replaced by a ceiling of solid crimson walls.
I reached out and touched the ceiling, but it wasn’t an illusion.
It was real.
“Fenry! You goddamn witch!”
I shouted her na as loud as I could, ready to take my punishnt when she responded.
But no answer ca.
Even the presence of Fenry herself had disappeared.
Suddenly, the experintal prison of the Laup Forest ca to mind.
‘An illusion magic circle!’
If this place also had an illusion magic circle, then it all made sense—the managers couldn’t access the area beneath the pit, and the captives couldn’t escape.
A place you could enter, but not leave without permission.
‘I didn’t expect this.’
A major variable had just appeared.
And suddenly, alarm bells began to ring in my mind.
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