How Grand
◈ Restriction: Lv. 350
◈ Effect: Stores attribute magic manifested by the user. The number of storable magics is proportional to the wing's colors; mana consumption reduced by 30% when manifesting stored magic.
◈ Currently stored attribute magics: 100
A magitech tool I'd rented ahead of entering the Demon King's Castle rift.
I, who live and die by proper procedure—what was I doing still holding onto this item without returning it?
If anyone asked, I had a perfectly justifiable reason.
Strictly speaking, I've re-rented it.
Token of the Whirlwind.
Luxury - Lightning-Struck Branch Wand.
Luxury - Wings of White (Hundred Colors).
As I returned the items I'd borrowed from the Mage Tower's Garnet Hall, a thought struck me. Even so, it might be wise to keep one as insurance.
Just me living up to my specialty: knowing my place.
No Natural Enemy relationship, so I need to gear up properly at least.
Out of the three, the one I chose was, naturally, the Wings of White.
Above all, its performance was downright cheat-level.
The other items' effects were impressive too, but...
Without the wings...
I never could have taken down the demon king, Phlaurus.
Looking at the effect, it's weird it's only unique-grade.
There were no procedural issues extending the rental.
Who am I? The parachuted-in chief co-researcher now earning his keep.
Even without invoking chief privileges, no mage seemed to need the Luxury - Wings of White (Hundred Colors) anyway.
"There are plenty of returned magitech tools. Feel free to browse at your leisure...?"
The skilled mage at Garnet Hall even encouraged me like that.
Other magitech tools? Sure. More than sure—they were so good I wanted to try them myself.
But every single one had brutally high level restrictions.
Flutter—
In the end, I had only one choice.
I draped the wings over my shoulders like a cape. They clung to my shoulder blades like living things.
It felt like real wings had sprouted. Even by Grandfell's aesthetic standards, the sight was utterly satisfying.
...Am I liking luxury items too much?
The thought crossed my mind briefly.
But hey, at this rate, it's still a profit.
I checked my status window for changes.
[Title: The Last Adventurer]
[Class: Demon Hunter]
[Level: 425]
[Available Points: 0]
Thanks to equipping the wings, my Aesthetics rose from Low to Medium again.
When there's no Natural Enemy boost, even a single stat point matters.
No choice but to be petty about it. Gotta grab what I can.
"That's a Mage Tower magitech tool...!"
Of course, others couldn't read my complicated inner thoughts.
Fabian's group looked awestruck. Though the situation being what it was, they quickly snapped out of it.
"...No, milord. You're going to charge straight through the traps?!"
.
.
.
"Tepfern was an ancient city."
"...!!!"
The shadow spirit's words were shocking from the start.
Alliance explorers Aaron and Lumbus let out hollow laughs. Including themselves—so many explorers had obsessed over Tepfern.
Yet they'd never uncovered a single solid clue in the past.
"Never thought we'd learn Tepfern's secret like this..."
"Don't jinx it, Aaron. You're killing my vibe."
"Hush now, both of you."
Fabian's feelings weren't much different from theirs, honestly.
Even if exploration methods vary...
Exploring with a spirit's help? Even he had no experience with that.
But Fabian's mind stayed cool-headed. He assessed the situation realistically.
Normal labyrinth clears take at least a week.
But this was no ordinary labyrinth—it was one of Arcana Continent's Ten Great Mysteries: Tepfern Labyrinth.
It would take several times longer, at minimum.
...Can we even clear it?
Even now, disarming one trap took dozens of minutes. With three explorers on it, including himself.
And they didn't have time to spare.
Why was time like afternoon tea, as Ho-yeol had said?
This is a rift, not the Arcana Continent proper.
Factoring in the rising rift collapse gauge...
Fabian had no choice but to admit it quickly.
"Our planned approach won't work."
In that sense, the shadow spirit's words were worth hearing closely.
Any info on Tepfern would help somehow.
"They awakened the 'being that must not be awakened.'"
...A being that must not be awakened?
"From deep underground."
"...!"
Flash!
Fabian's instincts sharpened at those words.
The unease he'd felt since stepping into Tepfern Labyrinth.
If there were no treasures or honors, then what was the point of building the labyrinth?
Finally, the puzzle pieces in his head clicked together.
Fabian murmured softly.
"...To seal away the being that must not be awakened."
That explained everything. Traps so complex even the designers couldn't disarm them.
The inefficient structure.
Even the gloomy voice echoing through the labyrinth.
-Leave this place at once. If you don't want to die.
Fabian smiled bitterly.
"Not a warning, but a heartfelt concern?"
As expected of a legendary explorer. Fabian's instincts were spot on.
As the shadow spirit continued, Aaron and Lumbus swallowed hard.
They glanced at the trap-laden walls.
"Not just petty curses, then."
"And not ordinary magic. It's black magic."
"Only black magic endures over long ages."
No matter the magitech tool, magic from mana can't last forever.
But black magic from 'fitting mana' is different.
Fitting mana stems from one's past and background.
Fabian sighed.
"Tragic."
He didn't know the full story, but Tepfern had awakened the forbidden being.
To atone, to protect Arcana Continent's peace, they built the labyrinth to seal it—and sacrificed themselves.
Becoming offerings to sustain the black magic, keeping the labyrinth functional to this day.
Aaron, grasping it all, placed a hand on the wall.
"Then the presence I felt from the walls...?"
Tepfern's residents, forever unable to rest.
To think such a secret hid in a Great Mystery.
Silence—
Fabian's group fell deep in thought, mouths shut.
Of course, Ho-yeol's bombshell kept the quiet short.
"...No, milord. You're going to charge straight through the traps?!"
It was the conversation between Ho-yeol and the shadow spirit.
They'd overheard it too—the truth of Tepfern.
Milord couldn't have misunderstood...
Yet his actions seemed utterly sincere, no empty words.
Clack—
Ho-yeol strode forward, wings fluttering.
"I shall uphold Tepfern's pride, Fabian."
"...Pride, milord?"
Sealing the forbidden being in the labyrinth?
Does that mean reinforcing the seal further?
But Ho-yeol's answer was far more shocking than expected.
"Eliminate the being that must not be awakened—the root cause."
"...!!!"
.
.
.
A being that must not be awakened.
The name alone exudes overwhelming presence.
I recall the rift info again.
Now I get why the recommended level wasn't specified precisely.
Being tied to a World Quest Great Mystery, it's at least named, at worst a boss mob.
Damn my luck.
In that sense, this damn pride is truly loathsome...
Noblesse oblige.
Grandfell's aristocratic pride wouldn't let him overlook anything without benevolent care.
"Tepfern has fulfilled its duty to this point."
From the ancient city Tepfern's prime to now.
Its survivors, hosts and offerings to black magic, unresting guardians of the labyrinth.
You've earned the right to rest peacefully.
Is even the system moved by my exhaustingly noble pride?
The quest window blinked.
New objectives updated.
Tepfern Labyrinth
📍 Witness Tepfern Labyrinth. (Complete)
📍 Reach the labyrinth depths. (On Hold)
📍 Slay the 'being that must not be awakened' slumbering in the depths. (In Progress)
Pride that moves even the system...
...My ass.
I judged coldly.
Once the rift spawned, encountering it was inevitable.
The 'being that must not be awakened' is sealed in the depths.
Without slaying it, the rift won't clear anyway.
That said, the shadow spirit's words weren't meaningless.
It's like learning in advance about the whipping coming my way.
I should be glad for prep time, but...
Can't exactly celebrate the situation.
Regular mobs and named are worlds apart. Named and bosses, another level.
Having to take down a definite named—at worst boss—'being that must not be awakened'.
Without Natural Enemy active, it's a heavy burden.
Yet my steps held no hesitation.
I advanced toward the labyrinth's far side.
Fabian's urgent voice rang out.
"Milord! The walls will collapse. Tepfern's residents, offerings to black magic...!!"
Because of my沉重 pride that can't rest easy?
Or the elegantly fluttering white wings?
Or High El and the shadow spirit at my side?
No, that's not the core.
I knew it.
Darkness yields to deeper darkness.
The nature of black magic.
Black Magic Studies. Senior mage Matis Din Karl formalized the concept in modern times—an aberrant magic.
Its history is short, but my knowledge is ample.
Who is Matis? Before Marcelo shone, the mage closest to chief.
Meaning his skills—and his Black Magic Studies tomes—lack nothing.
I've devoured every such tome in the Mage Tower.
Crunch—
Probably because I strode forward without pause.
The triggered trap. Walls crumbling.
I spoke calmly.
"Black Gaze manifested over the entire labyrinth? I see. Sealing it with mere labyrinthine means was insufficient. I can guess what you feared."
Mid-tier black magic, Black Gaze.
Effect: Steals some of the target's five senses.
Tepfern's Black Gaze targeted only one: the being that must not be awakened.
Soon, the fully revealed black silhouettes.
"Maintaining that Black Gaze demanded vast fitting mana. To supply it, you offered your bodies in a Contract of Black."
High-tier black magic, Contract of Black.
Simply put, a form of necromancy.
Differences: mana vs. fitting mana. And unlike necromancer summoning, it works on the living too.
Fabian hesitated at my words.
"Milord, are you saying... Tepfern's residents, to eternally seal the thing trapped here, offered their bodies as black magic offerings?"
Nod—
High El nodded in my stead.
Yes, Tepfern. Fittingly tragic for a Great Mystery.
Whatever the outcome, they sacrificed to prevent chaos on Arcana Continent.
I get why my pride can't overlook it.
Now that I've accepted it, no more whining.
"...Leave. If you don't want to die. Leave."
Only lifetime grudges remain.
The Contractors of Black approached.
Their numbers beyond counting.
"...Leave. If you don't want to die. Leave."
"...Leave. If you don't want to die. Leave."
"...Leave. If you don't want to die. Leave."
But I didn't retreat.
I know their pride.
Their grudges too.
"I understand your hearts."
You called it a being that must not be awakened.
I don't know its identity, but that grandiose title suggests something formidable.
But you see.
This side has a title just as grandiose, in its own right.
Infinitely deep darkness.
...Grandiose to the point it's a problem, really.
Rooooar—
I summoned fitting mana worthy of that epithet.
Worlds apart from resonating with the shadow spirit.
Tepfern Labyrinth—all of it—began resonating with my fitting mana.
Rumble rumble—!
The labyrinth quaked.
Fabian's panicked voices.
"F-Fabian Alliance Leader! What's happening?!"
But I had no leisure to listen.
Black history? Or Grandfell's gloomy backstory?
Unknown origin, but endless fitting mana surging.
Controlling it alone is overwhelming...!
Yet as always, no agitation from me.
Soon, the approaching Contractors of Black halted.
A message appeared in my view.
You have acquired command over the Tepfern Contractors of Black.
They spoke differently now.
"...At last, after long waiting, the chance to right our wrong has come."
*
Rumble rumble—!
Tepfern Labyrinth shook as if about to collapse.
Players' screams echoed everywhere.
But the real show was just beginning.
"Shaking doesn't end it!"
"Mobs will burst from the labyrinth walls!"
"Crazy! Whose troll is this? Hurry up and come out, you bastard!"
Spawn points varied, but all entered combat stance.
Even class explorer Park Hwi-gang, with his meager combat skills, drew a dagger for self-defense.
"Apologies in advance. The feed might be spotty."
No ordinary labyrinth.
His instincts had warned him, but not of changes this drastic.
As expected of a Great Mystery?
The makeshift party shared thoughts.
"We broke a sweat on one or two mobs."
"...Over a hundred now?"
"A hundred? The whole damn labyrinth is collapsing."
"Bro, sis. Feels like my funeral today. Mind sponsoring some hell money for the road...?"
"No, you're seriously saying that now?!"
"What? You gonna chip in for my spicy beef soup?"
Rumble!
Just as bickering heated up.
The labyrinth crumbled at the perfect timing.
But the dry swallow was for naught.
"...Huh?"
Tepfern Contractors of Black.
Gloomy-looking monsters didn't charge.
More than non-hostile—they turned fully, heading the opposite way.
"That direction...?"
The labyrinth depths.
Where the being that must not be awakened is sealed.
Toward the place where the 'infinitely deep darkness' had set foot.