Dark Moon
I woke in the dead of night.
I quietly glanced at my wristwatch. 1:22 a.m. Just the right time.
I carefully sat up and looked over Instructor Lexy sleeping beside me. She had terrible sleeping habits—already half-undressed. Both hands were raised above her head, her shirt rolled up, and her pants hung precariously around her thighs.
My eyes were drawn to her small black panties. The image of Instructor Lexy's womanhood from a few hours ago floated into my mind.
Pink… No. This isn't the time.
I shook my head. From this moment on, every second counted. I erased my footsteps with Silence magic and headed toward the waterfall. Fortunately, the alarm magic was set up outside the waterfall, so I wouldn't trigger it.
When I saw the waterfall, I frowned. It was pitch dark. Even concentrating mana into both eyes, it was hard to see. The inner reaches of the stream were completely invisible.
Light.
I cast the spell. A sphere of light appeared before me and illuminated the surroundings. I controlled the light sphere with my will, sending it slowly upward. Flying insects swarmed toward it as if they'd been waiting.
Watching their shadows thrash wildly across the light, I felt the urge to burn them all with Fire magic.
If I'd had the time, I would have.
I wandered near the stream rather than through its center, eyes fixed on the ground as I searched for a particular rock, dredging up my memories of the game Dark Moon. Mana detection picked up nothing, so I had to find it with my naked eyes.
Found it.
A rock half-submerged in the water. Looking carefully at its surface, I could make out a faint pattern carved into it.
Rune characters.
One of the magical systems commonly used in ancient times. In the modern era, with spell formulas so well established, inefficient rune characters were gradually disappearing from the magical world. Still, they remained hot among treasure hunters and archaeologists.
In the game, an activation button would automatically pop up when your character got close.
This wasn't a game. This was reality. I had to activate it myself. I placed my hand on the rock. Carefully channeling mana into it, the rune characters glowed softly.
The fact that this exists means the game's gimmicks are intact here too.
The secrets sleeping in this world. I knew them all. Feeling an indescribable sense of superiority, I continued my work.
The second stone was on the opposite side.
I found and activated it without difficulty. The third was a small rock beneath a tree.
The last one, the fourth, 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 along the rock behind the waterfall. Through my palm, I felt the sunken shape of a rune character on one side of the rock.
Just as I had with the other three, I channeled mana into it. The rune characters glowed softly.
Rumble…
The rock behind the waterfall split open to either side like automatic doors. A space large enough for one person appeared. I dismissed the Light magic and created a new sphere of light above my palm. It illuminated the interior. There were stairs leading downward.
Slightly tense, I descended.
I reached the bottom. All sides were sealed off, and a sunken floor was visible. I stared at the floor intently. Triangle, square, circle, diamond. Four patterns in total were drawn there.
Just like the game.
The answer came to me the moment I saw it. Compared to my hazy memories of Earth, information related to the game Dark Moon was crystal clear.
Earth-me hated using his brain. I didn't play Dark Moon to solve puzzles. Whenever a puzzle came up while progressing through the game, I immediately searched the internet.
That was my play style.
The answer here is two triangles, two squares.
I lifted my right foot, stepped on the triangle twice, then the square twice.
Rumble…
A path leading downward opened a short distance away. I solved two more puzzles and set foot in the final chamber.
The last gimmick ends once you light six torches.
I walked around lighting five fixed torches. The sixth was hidden. Of course, I knew exactly where.
I craned my neck upward to look at the ceiling. A circular pattern was drawn at its center. That was the sixth torch.
Fire.
Flame touched the center of the ceiling.
Woooooom…
The mana within the space surged. Watching the movement of mana, I swallowed hard. Every single swirling current of mana had been precisely calibrated.
The walls and ceiling moved, powered by mana. Eventually, the mana gathered at the center of the ceiling. A hole opened there, and two objects dropped down.
A short sword that looked comfortable to grip in one hand, and a red hood.
The rewards are the same too.
I smiled with satisfaction.
The short sword was a 4-Class artifact—an Attribute Sword. You could imbue the blade with whatever attribute you wanted. Honestly, it wasn't a huge help in combat. But the ability to grant attributes made it useful in all sorts of ways.
When solving gimmicks, you often need attribute power, so it helps a lot.
Of course, that was in the game. To me—a mere 1-Class who could nonetheless use every elemental magic—it wasn't particularly necessary.
What I was after wasn't the short sword. It was the red hood.
The 6-Class artifact: Wolf's Red Hood.
The artifact's effect was simple. It allowed you to use a magic called Transparency.
Transparency magic falsifies a character's information.
Say you have a level 50 mage character. Using Transparency magic, you can falsify their level, class, and even their stats.
When entering dungeons with conditions, you can use Transparency magic to fake your character info and get in.
Spaces with class restrictions, level restrictions, or stat restrictions—all of them could be passed with Transparency magic. Of course, there were special restricted zones where Transparency didn't work, but those simply had restriction conditions unrelated to character information.
One thing not to misunderstand: Transparency magic only falsifies information. It doesn't actually change your class or stats.
With Transparency magic, I can hide my realm.
I stared at the red hood.
This was the critical part. I couldn't carry something like this around. I was a soldier and a slave. Unauthorized property couldn't be kept, and if I brought it back to the unit, I'd immediately face an inspection of my belongings.
If I have this during an inspection, they'll one hundred percent discover it's an artifact.
On top of that, it was a 6-Class artifact you couldn't easily obtain even for a fortune.
I drew a deep breath and pulled up my mana. Channeling mana into the red hood, I 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 spell formulas engraved inside the red hood. Complex formulas flashed through my mind. I twisted my lips.
Different from the magic formulas I already know. Illusion-type magic that twists perception and senses?
To analyze it more thoroughly, I needed to dismantle the red hood's spell formulas. Only then could I examine even the formulas buried deep within.
…Doing that means I'll never be able to use the artifact again. One chance. Failure means it's over.
One failure and it was finished. Feeling my resolve waver, I steeled myself again.
I can't stop here. For my goals, I need Transparency magic. I believe in myself. I believe in my talent.
I focused my mind.
My mana invaded deep into the red hood. The one silver lining was the absence of security formulas, so I could examine the raw spell formulas without interference.
Creak, creak…
Of course, just examining them wasn't enough. I had to dismantle the layered spell structures and understand each meaning one by one. In the process, the artifact began to break down.
The way the formula unfolds… it's spinning. A circle twisted once… close to a Möbius strip.
With this kind of structure, the formula wouldn't leak outward—it would keep circulating.
…No need for it to escape. What it's deceiving is its own information. Right. Unfolding it in a Möbius strip shape makes maintaining the magic easier.
Cold sweat poured down my forehead as I plundered the Transparency magic formula.
By the time I finished, over two hours had passed. At my feet lay the shattered red hood. No magical power remained. The artifact had become trash.
Transparency. Hard to pin down exactly what Class it is.
I modified part of the Transparency magic formula to suit myself. Rather than falsifying, I focused on concealing. Thanks to that, the difficulty of the magic dropped significantly.
Even so, to use it smoothly, you'd need at least 3-Class level.
I closed my eyes.
I urged the growth of my Astral, which I had kept suppressed.
The quality of my Astral rose and expanded. Not stopping there, my 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 presence of the twenty-five mana roads planted throughout my body. The flow of mana was smooth and free.
Transparency.
I cast the magic to hide my skill and realm. The influence of my Astral vanished, and seven mana roads disappeared from view. From the outside, I would appear as 2-Class.
Perfect. Even I, the one who cast it, am fooled.
There was a drawback.
The moment I used the power I'd hidden with Transparency, the effect would break.
I wasn't planning to use 3-Class magic in front of others anyway, so it's not a big drawback.
I'd achieved my goal.
I took the Attribute Sword and walked toward the stairs.
If I take the Attribute Sword, the unit will just confiscate it, so I should hide it here. I can come back for it when I get the chance.
Coming back up, I surveyed the surroundings with Light magic.
Water slimes that hadn't been there moments ago were bouncing toward me with wet plops. I wasn't startled. I'd already known this would happen. The reason I'd brought the Attribute Sword was to deal with these things.
I pushed mana into the Attribute Sword.
The attribute I wanted: ice.
White cold energy flowed along the blade.
I swung the sword at a water slime.
Whoosh.
The blade cut through empty air. The water slime had hopped and dodged my attack. My expression twisted in irritation.
A water slime lunged at my head. The Barrier I'd prepared bounced it away. Other water slimes hopped closer, closing the distance.
Fuck. A slime dodging my attack? Is my swordsmanship that pathetic?
I already knew I had no talent for physical combat, but watching even a slime casually dodge my strikes killed my motivation completely. Any thought of learning swordsmanship vanished into the distance.
Confirming that my mana was still connected to the Attribute Sword, I let go of the hilt. The sword didn't fall—it floated in midair.
3-Class non-elemental magic: Telekinesis.
I flicked my right index finger. The Attribute Sword flew at a water slime and pierced it. The cold energy of the Attribute Sword seeped into the water slime. Crack. Instantly frozen, the water slime shattered and fell to the ground.
If I don't have the confidence to swing a sword by hand, I can just swing it with magic. Much easier. Though Telekinesis has the worst mental energy efficiency compared to other magics, so maintaining it for long… Hmm?
I tilted my head.
Magic normally activates at a ratio of 2 mental energy to 8 mana. But Telekinesis, a 3-Class magic, runs at 9 mental energy to 1 mana. Thanks to that, mana consumption is low, but mental energy drains fast—which is why mages avoid it.
As your proficiency with a magic rises, the mental energy cost decreases, but Telekinesis is different.
Telekinesis has a simple formula. From the start, willpower matters more than the formula. It's literally telekinesis—force of mind.
But why am I completely fine after using Telekinesis? Does it match my aptitude? Come to think of it, I don't recall ever running short on mental energy when using other magics either.
Water slimes approached. Setting the thought aside, I flicked my finger. The Attribute Sword, charged with Telekinesis, flew through the air and sliced through water slimes.
Definitely twice as easy as gripping the hilt and swinging myself.
I changed the Attribute Sword's attribute to fire. Flames rose along the blade. I spun the sword in midair like a wheel. The flaming wheel rotated, scattering sparks.
Movements impossible while holding a sword become possible with Telekinesis.
The spinning Attribute Sword mercilessly shredded the water slimes. Steam filled the air.
Now wind.
The hazy steam was tossed about by the blowing wind. Blades of wind sliced through water slimes. Their liquid sprayed in every direction.
Water's not great. Let's try electricity.
Crackle.
Blue current ran along the blade. The Attribute Sword left electric trails through the air as it finished off every remaining water slime. The dead water slimes became puddles soaking the ground.
I drove the Attribute Sword into the floor. Current spread through the puddles across the entire ground. A kind of encore for the finale.
"Telekinesis and the Attribute Sword… Pretty useful, huh?"