Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Indefinite Contractor Receives Compensation (2)
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The door to the Infinite Archive swung open once more.
Golden motes of mana spilled out from within, dyeing the corridor in their glow.
Accompanied by the guardian golem, the mage who had entered six weeks earlier—Daniel—stepped out.
He looked utterly bedraggled, like someone who'd been shut away in a library for six straight weeks, nose-deep in books. But no one there dared to laugh.
Everyone gathered could sense it.
The Daniel standing before them was a completely different mage from the one who had gone in six weeks ago.
The Magic Tower Lord, waiting at the forefront, greeted the returning Daniel with a warm, benevolent smile.
"Looks like you've made some real progress."
"It's all thanks to you, Tower Lord. My deepest thanks."
"Hoho, no need to mention it. A talent as devoted to the Tower as you deserves rewards fitting that loyalty, wouldn't you say?"
The mages listening in flinched at the exchange.
Having drawn out exactly the reaction he wanted, the Tower Lord flashed a smile, offered Daniel his congratulations, and promptly took his leave.
There would likely be no shortage of regular mages lining up to see the Tower Lord anytime soon.
The moment the Tower Lord departed, Daniel scanned for familiar faces.
Titania and Elena welcomed him warmly.
"You've worked hard, Daniel. Congratulations."
"Incredible, Supervisor Daniel. You're unrecognizable."
Titania celebrated Daniel's growth, while Elena showered praise on the man who had now reached a level on par with her own.
Daniel smiled at their compliments.
"It's all thanks to the Infinite Archive. This experience really drove home why it's called the mages' paradise. It was like stepping into another world entirely."
Daniel bowed his head to Titania.
"Thank you, Manager Titania. Without your advice, I would have been in serious trouble."
"Oh, come on. It was just my duty as your superior."
Daniel cracked a wry smile.
He still hadn't repaid the debt he owed her from the North, and now it had only grown.
'Maybe I should just hand over a magic stone or something for real.'
Daniel recalled the events from six weeks prior.
In truth, Daniel had planned to consume the elixir after his visit to the Infinite Archive.
He'd figured that advancing his realm with the elixir would disrupt his mana control, making training in the Archive a waste.
"Daniel, drink the elixir before you go in."
That had been his thinking—until Titania's advice.
"I got a week there as a reward for hitting 5th Circle mastery, but most of the grimoires in the Infinite Archive won't even open without a certain mana threshold."
"What? Really?"
"Yes. So take my advice and use the elixir first. Even if you can't fully master things inside, you can at least get a feel for them and polish later with practice. That's how I did it."
"Fair point. Makes perfect sense."
Daniel had followed her advice, and it had been the right call.
'If I'd gone in at a lower level, I'd have just stared at a mountain of unreachable temptations.'
There wasn't a single spell below 4th Circle in the entire Infinite Archive.
The lowest were 5th Circle, and as Titania had warned, most grimoires wouldn't even budge without sufficient mana.
That's right.
The Infinite Archive demanded one thing from its visitors: raw mana quantity.
Dozens of grimoires had gone unread because of that.
And that was even after he'd bloated his mana with the elixir to enter at Expert mid-tier.
Just imagining the loss if he'd shown up at Expert low-tier made him dizzy.
"I'd love to show off some of the magic I learned there as thanks, but I suppose that's off-limits."
"Yeah. We hate to miss out, but we can't have you breaking Tower regs."
Titania and Elena nodded.
The Tower's rules on the Infinite Archive were ironclad.
Everything in it belonged to the Tower—no exceptions, not even for those who laid hands on its treasures.
By Tower law, any magic learned there was merely loaned to the user.
You could use it for work or personal training, but revealing or teaching it to others was absolutely forbidden.
Violators faced immediate revocation of mage qualifications, stripping of position, and the Tower enforcement squad's ultimate punishment: magical incapacitation.
They felt the regret keenly, but no one wanted to gamble their mage career on it.
Seeing their disappointment plain as day, Daniel gave an inscrutable smile.
"No need to look so glum. It's not like I can't show you anything."
"Huh? What do you mean, Daniel?"
"I can demonstrate at least one. Strictly within Tower allowances, of course."
"What?"
"How's that even possible?"
Their eyes went wide.
"Manager, mind if I ask a favor?"
"Of course. Shoot."
"Could you help me source some magic catalysts? High-end stuff—probably only someone at your level could even acquire them. And since we need upper approval, a bit of paperwork assist too?"
"Catalysts? Paperwork?"
"Yeah. Essentials for a superior demon contract."
"......?!"
They jolted in shock.
"A superior demon?"
"Daniel, don't tell me you've forgotten? Official black mages are capped at intermediate demons. Anything higher is straight-up illegal...!"
Elena trailed off.
"Supervisor Daniel... don't tell me?"
"Looks like you've caught on. Yeah, exactly as you're thinking."
Daniel nodded.
"I'm planning to try demon possession contract magic."
"My god!"
"......!"
Only then did Titania realize Daniel hadn't spent his time in the Infinite Archive just learning spells.
"Daniel, you've done your homework. All the knowledge and intel for demon possession contracts!"
"Yep. Not for nothing it's called the Infinite Archive. Names of superior demons open to possession deals, their abilities, required materials—stuff you can't find anywhere outside was just sitting there in a tome called the Demon Dictionary."
Daniel shrugged.
"Demon possession contracts require the contractor to supply all materials, costs, and info themselves. Per Tower Official Black Mage Statute 12, Demon Contract Law—no issues whatsoever. Right?"
"Ha!"
Titania couldn't stifle her laugh at Daniel's impish grin.
"Daniel, you really are the best."
"Honored, Manager."
Daniel bowed courteously to his superior.
Here was a mage who, even after ascending to greater heights than six weeks prior, refused to rest on his laurels—and had already laid the groundwork to soar even higher.
Titania's eyes sparkled like stars as she gazed upon the Magic Tower's one-of-a-kind Indefinite Contractor.
One week later, in the Magic Tower's summoning chamber.
A vast circular hall. An intricate magic circle etched into the floor, surrounded by some ten mages on standby.
All of them 5th Circle veterans in summoning magic—and today's hired hands for Daniel.
"Demon possession contract? Never dreamed I'd witness one."
"The pinnacle of money pits. Most can't even afford to start, and now an Indefinite Contractor's pulling it off."
"Guess the North's war hero's on another level."
"Cut the chatter and prep. Contractor or spoiled rich kid, who cares? Focus on the job. When else do we get to summon a superior demon? Just don't screw it up."
"Fair enough."
The mages dove into final checks.
For all their 'spectator' mindset, their work was flawlessly precise.
Today's premium magic reagents, handled by experts, were arrayed atop the circle one by one.
Wyvern heart, troll liver, harpy talons, prime magic stone from Kazan.
And the final ingredient: a black chicken locked in an iron cage.
Obviously no ordinary fowl.
What chicken sports a serpent's tail?
Basilisk.
A greater magic beast whose claws dripped with petrifying venom.
The reason for such a creature was straightforward.
This basilisk was the key component for today's demon possession contract spell.
"Alright, time to start."
"Let's do it."
At the lead summoner's signal, the mages began their incantations.
The circle lit up, the sacrifices liquefying and vanishing into it.
Only the basilisk chick emerged unscathed.
-Kuuuuaaaahhh!!!
Moments later, a guttural roar shook the chamber as black smoke erupted from the circle.
The sulfurous plume coalesced midair, twisting into a living form.
A chicken's head atop a neck, fused to a draconic body below.
Basiliscos!
The greater demon said to be the forebear of all basilisks!
The soul-summoned entity scanned its surroundings.
The mages shuddered under the sheer authority radiating from its gaze.
Just a soul, and it carried this much presence—superior demons lived up to their name.
"That's me."
Daniel gazed up at Gorgo, eyes alight with thrill and eager anticipation.
Gorgo sniffed the air, then nodded.
It cackled, its cock's comb wobbling comically.
Gorgo's crimson eyes gleamed.
The demon's red eyes flashed insistently.
Daniel slowly parted his lips.