Second Task (7)
Second Task (7)
"Kyaaaaah—!! Save me!!"
A death scream tore through the air before fading like a ghost. Silence fell, but Ha-rin couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, every nerve in her body on high alert.
'An upper-class anomaly... At least a 7th Class Mage would be needed to face this thing.'
When the other mages were attacked, she had tried launching curses. The result was disastrous. The blades of her curses shattered like glass shards before even touching the creature's hide.
'I'm the only one left.'
That last scream had come from the final surviving mage. If they couldn't escape when there were several of them, how could she possibly get out alone?
'It's entirely possible.'
Anomalies were beings that couldn't even be compared to mere monsters or demons.
Ordinary physical attacks were useless, and overwhelming firepower from a high-rank mage was absolutely necessary to eliminate them. As a mere 5th Class Mage, she stood no chance in a direct confrontation.
However, brute force wasn't the only way to defeat an anomaly.
All anomalies were unreasonably powerful. But their strength came with clear restrictions. If she could decipher its irregularity and avoid breaking its taboo, she could survive.
Tap. Tap.
Ha-rin used the broom in her hand to probe the floor around her.
Confirming it was clear, she took slow, deliberate steps.
'Just keep moving slowly like this.'
The rule she had deduced was about sight.
Every mage who had fallen victim to the anomaly had looked directly at it. Without exception, their limbs had been torn apart before they died. The moment she realized this, she shut her eyes.
The darkness of the space had been a blessing—she hadn't seen its form.
Tap. Tap.
Leaning on the broom, she inched forward.
Squelch.
A wet sensation traveled up the broom to her hand.
The stench of blood grew stronger—likely a severed limb from one of the mages.
Gulp.
She didn't scream or panic. She was a proper mage, after all. The only reason she froze, cold sweat dripping down her back, was one simple fact:
Where there was a corpse, the thing that made it was likely nearby.
Tap— Tap—
She moved even more carefully now.
As she did, something hard blocked her path.
Tap. Tap.
The sensation of knocking against a wall traveled up the broom to her hand.
'Just need to find the exit now.'
The corner of her lips curled up slightly. If she could get away from this anomaly, she could break the barrier and call for backup. A high-rank mage from her family could kill this thing in an instant.
Fumble. Fumble.
Ha-rin chuckled softly as she ran her hands along the wall.
'Huh? What's this vibration?'
Was it just her imagination?
A strange pulse throbbed against her fingertips.
The wall, which should have been cold, was pulsating rhythmically.
Fumble fumble.
Her expression froze like a statue the moment her palms fully mapped the surface. Instead of smooth stone, she felt grotesque curves and coarse fur, and beneath it, the pounding of a massive heart reverberated against her hands.
This wasn't a wall.
[!!!!!!]
Shudder.
Her body trembled.
What she was desperately clinging to wasn't a wall—it was the body of the anomaly that had just chewed through three mages alive.
The moment she realized this, Ha-rin couldn't move a single step.
If she so much as twitched, she had no doubt this monster would tear her apart.
Flick—
I turned the page of the book in my hands.
『How to Turn a Bug into a Human』
Thud.
"Useless."
I closed it the moment I read the first sentence.
Bzzzt—
The shut book vibrated faintly. Ignoring it, I tossed it far out of sight. There were plenty more books to read.
"Stop clinging to me."
I pushed away the books floating in the air, rubbing themselves against me like needy pets.
The place I was in now was a study filled with books.
Like the kitchen, this place had objects flying around—except unlike the kitchenware that had tried to kill me, the books here were friendly.
"This is absurd... Forbidden books gathering like this... Are you the God of Magic or something?"
I ignored the necromancer's umpteenth dramatic outburst. That guy was surprisingly resilient. I'd thought he'd die on the way here, but he was still kicking.
"Next."
At my call, a book fluttered over from the waiting line. It rubbed its spine against my hand like it was begging for attention. This wasn't the first one to act like this.
I glanced at the title on the cover.
『How to Become One with an Outer God』
Thud.
"Disgusting. Next."
I swatted it away with the back of my hand. Every book that approached like this had titles I had no interest in reading.
Plop.
The rejected book's cover sagged dejectedly as it floated back up, as if heartbroken, before returning to the line.
"...Next."
I wasn't going to read that one next time either. With that thought, I picked up the next book.
The reason I was doing this was simple: I thought one of these books might contain a way out or at least a hint.
『How to Destroy Holy Spirits and Saints』
But all I found were books that had nothing to do with what I needed.
According to the necromancer, these were all forgotten ancient spells—relics of the golden age of magic, texts ordinary mages couldn't even read or approach.
But after skimming through them, I realized it was all just hype.
"These are forbidden books?"
I glared at the book in my hand with tired eyes.
『How to See the Secrets of Angels and Demons』
The moment I flipped to the first chapter, I knew—this was no different from erotic fanfiction. The real shocker was that it featured same-sex relationships.
"...I guess it counts as forbidden if you shouldn't read it?"
Closing my eyes quietly, I hurled the book far away.
I scanned the area for anything actually useful.
Then, one book caught my eye.
『How to Handle a Cursed Lantern』
It wasn't anything special-looking. What drew my attention was its bizarre behavior—cutting in line and fighting with other books.
When I picked it up, it trembled violently, as if fawning over me. Before I could even touch the cover, it flipped its own pages open.
"Huh?"
This was new. Instead of text, the page had an illustration—an old-fashioned, mysteriously ornate lantern that looked ancient.
Curious, I was about to turn the page when the book started shaking again.
Then, the illustrated lantern slowly began peeling itself off the page.
Float float float.
The lantern circled me once before settling into my palm. Meanwhile, the pages of the book in my other hand flipped on their own.
[How to Handle a Lantern]
Cherished body part,
Place your beloved within the lantern.
The shadow shall fulfill your desire.
I frowned at the text.
"Useless."
Then, the pages began flipping frantically, as if this wasn't what it wanted to show me. After a while, they stopped at a new set of instructions.
[How to Handle a Lantern.]
Just treat me however you want, hehe~ Rough is okay too! My master's commands are the best in the world! Just don't throw me away, boohoo~ T_T
"......"
I stared at the lantern in my hand with dead eyes. I thought it might be some incredible artifact, but where did that dignified tone from earlier go? This was just weird.
"...Might as well try using it."
There didn't seem to be any price for using it, so I figured I'd test its power.
"Hey, do you know what this is?"
"...An ancient magic tool? You've got something incredible there."
I walked over to the necromancer, who was sitting in a corner, and held out the lantern.
"You should stay still."
After giving him a light warning, I uttered a quiet command.
"Restrain him."
At that, the unlit lantern burst into flames.
Whoosh.
A bright fire ignited, casting a shadow beneath it.
Sssss—
The center of the shadow split open, revealing gleaming eyes and a grin dripping with malice.
The shadow expanded like a living creature, instantly binding the necromancer's limbs.
"A sentient magic tool... As expected of an ancient relic... No, at this level, it might as well be an artifact."
The necromancer muttered quietly as he observed the shadow restraining him.
Satisfied with the lantern's performance, I blew out the flame with a light breath. As the light vanished, the shadow's eyes and mouth melted away pitifully, releasing its captive.
I looked at the book in my other hand—『How to Handle a Cursed Lantern』.
Crumble—
The book disintegrated slowly, as if its job was done.
"This should be usable."
I was running low on talismans and needed a weapon. Judging by the necromancer's reaction, this was a high-quality tool. And since I'd obtained it in a dangerous place, it felt even more reliable.
After all, the best loot always came from the hardest dungeons.
But even with a good tool, my goal remained unfulfilled, so I kept reading through the books swarming me.
How much time had passed?
"Huh?"
An interesting title floated toward me.
『How to Destroy a Castle』