Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Mage's Workshop (3)
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“Rowen, let's head inside now!”
After dispatching the gatekeeper, the sturdy door that had been firmly shut was now wide open.
A gatekeeper gets taken out, and instead of tightening security, it welcomes the intruder.
In a normal dungeon, you'd expect defenses to ramp up, but the mage's workshop was different.
True to its moniker as the Demon of Wisdom, it had a personality that sought to explore everything that came into its view.
The gatekeeper was probably just there to gauge if intruders had even a shred of intrigue.
“The inside is way cleaner than I thought...”
“From outside, it looked so small.”
Stepping into the dungeon with Lea, a surprisingly spacious corridor stretched out before us.
Mana stones were embedded at regular intervals along the ceiling, illuminating the darkness.
Ornate decorations lined the path to the workshop, and statues displaying various equipment stood in neat rows.
It was hard to believe we'd just been in a cave moments ago—this space felt grand and antique.
You could really feel like you'd entered a proper dungeon.
“Heave-ho! This shield looks the most usable!”
“...”
We'd only just been marveling at the novel sights for a moment.
Lea, scanning the surroundings, had found a shield she liked and was tapping it with her knuckles—thump thump—to check its condition.
...No matter how you looked at it, it seemed forged entirely from steel.
When she tried to take the shield from the statue's grasp, it made a grinding screech like skreeeech as if being forcibly pried loose.
Yet she lifted and swung it around with one arm like it was a fluff of cotton.
It was still hard to get used to such immense strength coming from her slender frame.
“It's a bit light, which is a shame... but hey, it's just scavenged gear, so what can you do!”
I figured even straining with all my might, I couldn't budge it.
But if Lea liked it, that was all that mattered.
With that, Lea and I headed toward the dungeon's heart to deal with the guardian.
No traps or monsters appeared as we slowly made our way down the corridor.
Something about hoping the path to truth would be free of obstacles.
Despite being a demon, it had said it didn't want others to suffer the hardships it endured while pursuing knowledge.
That's why this dungeon had the unique setup: no obstacles on the way to its workshop.
Of course, once you arrived, it would attack like there was no tomorrow.
If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to slack off from the start? I thought, advancing without incident.
Then, an unpleasant mana signature began to emanate from up ahead.
“Lea, you feel that too?”
“...Yeah. It's creepy and gives me the chills. I don't know why, but it just repulses me on a fundamental level.”
As expected. We're almost there.
Lea and I exchanged quick glances and readied ourselves for combat at any moment.
I thought I'd gotten used to it after the entrance exam and spars.
But this being our first real life-or-death fight, the tension was inevitable.
No matter how well I knew the patterns, mistakes could happen.
...Still, I had to face far stronger foes ahead, so having these weak thoughts already was no good.
As I closed my eyes and took slow breaths to calm myself,
Creeeeak...
The sound of a wooden door opening rang out, carrying the musty scent of old books.
Before we could question it, space warped, and Lea and I dropped into a library alcove.
“Lea. You okay?”
“Yeah... I'm fine. But where's this...?”
Looking around, shelves groaned under the weight of countless books.
The smell of aged paper and dry ink hung in the air.
It felt like centuries of accumulated knowledge were asserting their presence.
Bubbling flasks and suspiciously dubious potions dotted the space too.
We'd apparently reached the dungeon's core.
“Lea. The guardian's about to show up.”
In the game, the boss fight kicked off the moment you arrived at the workshop.
Better to prepare for the guardian's imminent appearance.
Step, step.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than footsteps echoed from afar.
It emerged from between the bookshelves with leisurely strides.
Its gray robe sleeves were stained with black ink.
Slicked-back gray hair and round glasses gave it an intellectual air.
Were it not for the two horns on its forehead, you might mistake it for a regular librarian.
'Though reality is far different.'
This thing was the lingering will left by the Demon of Wisdom.
“Hm? It's been ages since visitors graced this place. May I ask the purpose of your visit?”
“...”
Its gaze lingered on Lea and me with a faint smile.
The words were mild and polite, yet they sent a chill down my spine.
“Ah, perhaps in human custom, one introduces oneself first? I am Libramon, a humble scholar in pursuit of knowledge.”
Libramon, the Seeker of Truth.
The moment I heard its name, I kicked off the ground and charged.
'Never give it an opening.'
Debates always raged about whether knights or mages were stronger.
Knights edged out in one-on-one; mages in one-versus-many.
But one truth held across all arguments:
Assuming equal skill,
no one beats a mage fighting in their domain.
“Haaah!”
Dealing maximum damage before it could prepare its magic.
That was the key to victory.
Slash!
I poured aura into my blade and cleaved its torso clean through.
Libramon's body split in half, dissolving into smoke.
...But it wouldn't end that easily.
“Hmm... Quite the aggressive response to a greeting. I thought guests had arrived after so long, but it seems I was mistaken!”
Libramon reformed good as new, scowling as it unleashed a barrage of spells.
A torrent of magic rushed in instantly.
Centered on dark magic, it wielded every element except light.
Stars filled the ceiling, raining down on me relentlessly.
Haha... One hit, and I wouldn't walk away unscathed.
Standing still would leave no trace of me.
As I gathered aura at my blade's tip to pierce the weakest point,
Boom!
“Rowen! You okay?”
Lea dashed in front, blocking Libramon's spells with her shield.
Aura-coated, it absorbed the full onslaught.
Vast numbers of spells, yet none pierced Lea's defense.
“Any ideas!? It didn't die when you slashed it!”
“It did die! It just rewound time the moment my sword hit!”
As an archdemon mastering all magic, Libramon commanded time itself.
Though the devs nerfed it by having heroes slay it for balance.
True to the Demon of Wisdom, its lingering will wielded tricky time magic mechanics.
“So it keeps coming back no matter how many times we kill it!?”
“No! It can only rewind twice now!”
Even in its Seeker of Truth days sowing chaos,
time magic's mana cost prevented spamming.
Not even Libramon, a 9th-circle powerhouse beyond 8th-circle grandmastery, could overuse it.
A mere remnant couldn't spam indefinitely.
The spell barrage finally tapered off; as Lea lowered her shield, mana-exhausted Libramon heaved.
“Haha... I never imagined you'd endure that. Even in decline, those weren't spells you should withstand.”
Blocking all of Libramon's magic was absurd, sure.
But with the ultimate frontline like Lea, it was manageable.
She hadn't tapped her full potential yet.
No matter its 9th-circle prowess, its meager mana pool couldn't breach her.
“Not yet, Lea. Too early to let your guard down.”
I urgently stopped Lea as she gripped her shield to finish the mana-drained Libramon.
She shot me a puzzled look.
This vulnerable state was its most dangerous phase.
Rush in blindly,
and it recovers mana via time magic, seals your movements, then unleashes point-blank unlimited self-destruct for massive damage.
Then heals fully with its last rewind. Utterly despicable.
“Hm? The young man seems to possess sharp insight. Doubting even the foe's most vulnerable moment—a habit unlike other brutish knights.”
The exhaustion vanished; it straightened up, eyeing us nonchalantly.
Of course. An archdemon and 9th-circle wouldn't gasp from mana drain.
Libramon's interest in us piqued, wearing a satisfied expression.
Lips curved, eyes dead—an uncanny mimicry.
It understood human emotions intellectually but couldn't feel them.
“...What? Other brutish knights? Hey! You talking about me!? With your creepy mug, who asked you!”
“I have no interest in you, miss, so kindly stay quiet. Vulgar, crude, and noisy to boot. Truly, the worst.”
“What'd you say! Hey—!”
Stung by Libramon's words, Lea growled like an angry pup.
A millennia-old monster was a verbal masterclass.
Libramon turned from the ranting Lea, interest faded, and fixed on me.
“In contrast, this young man intrigues me. Predicting my moves for that slash, spotting my magic circle's weakness.”
Rune words swirled around Libramon, forming a magic circle.
“And handling my ability like you knew it. Unbelievable unless you foresaw the future! Care to share my secret?”
Libramon grinned ear-to-ear, pressing me knowingly.
It had already concluded; this was confirmation.
Denials would just paint me as evasive.
Decision made, I spoke.
“...Time. You can rewind time.”
“Hahaha! Correct. The ability everyone misunderstands is time-reversal magic. So you know my identity too. If so, why not say earlier? Made a fool of the Smiling Demon.”
Clapping sharply,
the floating circles converged, erupting in blinding light.
Flash!
“Though late, allow a proper introduction. I am the Demon of Wisdom, once called the Seeker of Truth—a mere mortal scholar.”
The light faded; blinking, Libramon had transformed.
Slicked-back gray hair now flowed long down its back.
The robe gone, thousands of runes covered its upper body.
One hand clutched a grimoire leaking ominous energy; black-stained legs dripped demonic aura.
Above all, its eyes swirled with countless geometric patterns in circular orbits.
'That's the Eye of Truth...'
The blessing and curse Libramon, the Demon of Wisdom, was born with.
“Libramon.”
Phase 2 begins.