ltas and Marina labeled Gadena as an extre elitist, but it wasn’t necessarily because Gadena was especially unique.
Gadena was an elf, and most elves had an ingrained disdain for other races, as naturally as breathing.
While many found this elven arrogance distasteful, no one dared to challenge it openly.
Elves lived several tis longer than other races, aging much slower. More than that, their affinity with spirits gave them an undeniable aura of superiority.
…For this reason, Gadena felt a distinct sense of confusion.
A magical to. It was a book imbued with mana, forming a will of its own, and, in essence, was a type of spirit. Most magical tos preferred elves over humans.
Especially if the comparison was between an ancient book expert like Gadena, versed in every piece of ancient knowledge, and a young human who answered questions with vulgar jokes, the choice should have been obvious.
And yet, for so reason, the to seed to prefer Lysir over Gadena.
“...”
One of the unexpected guests, the elf Gadena, for the first ti, looked curiously at the young human man.
After a mont of observation, she concluded, “It must be a whimsical to.”
While being at the late stage of the fourth level at such a young age was remarkable, that was all she found noteworthy.
There was no obvious reason for the to to favor the man. Even looking at the woman beside him, Heynia, Gadena couldn’t see a reason for the to’s choice.
Gadena rarely took interest in humans, but she had heard of Heynia. She was one of the most prominent figures publicly recognized by the Grey Tower, a prodigy who had reached her current level after just one year of formal magic training.
Such talent was impressive even among elves. And Heynia herself had said, “The knowledge granted by the to through questions only allows a single page at most.”
Although Gadena didn’t know how long the man had been practicing magic, she was confident about one thing: his experience was surely longer than Heynia’s single year.
In light of that, the to’s reaction to the man seed more like whimsy than favoritism.
To avoid any misunderstandings, Gadena imdiately shared her thoughts with the others. She wanted to prevent anyone from misinterpreting it as “The to prefers humans over elves!”.
Given everyone’s awareness of Heynia’s talents, they would understand her point.
“...”
“...”
“...?”
Yet, for so reason, the response from the three was less than enthusiastic.
They exchanged uneasy glances.
“It does seem like favoritism…”
“ltas, what do you an by that?”
“…Nothing. Please, continue with your explanation.”
“…?”
Though Gadena was sowhat bothered by their reaction, she didn’t dwell on it.
After all, what could humans truly understand about spirits? What could they possibly know about magical tos?
The dignified elf simply walked her own path.
“It’s not certain, but it seems like this to was created by a mage from the ancient order, Dalatzan.”
“Dalatzan?”
“Yes, a renowned magical society that flourished in ancient tis.”
“How could you tell just by looking?”
“It’s the thod it uses, granting knowledge through questions. Dalatzan would place such tos in public libraries to seek out potential successors.”
“Choosing a successor through a thod like that?”
“They were a group purely dedicated to the pursuit of magic in every sense.”
Gadena took the to back from Lysir, opened it, and spoke.
“Am I wrong?”
Gadena’s otherwise expressionless face showed a satisfied smile.
Based on her judgnt, the to possessed powers and a consciousness comparable to a mid-level spirit. And it didn’t even seem fully awakened yet.
To be acknowledged by such a to was exhilarating, even for soone of Gadena’s caliber.
Feeling emboldened, Gadena continued.
“To, ask another question.”
“La-Diman… La-Diman…”
Gadena chewed over the word for a while before passing the to back to Lysir and heading to the archives, searching through the shelves as if entranced.
“So… what exactly is La-Diman…?”
Without any excuse or explanation, Lysir muttered wistfully at the sight of Gadena’s clear-cut indifference.
“Lysir, did you know? For Gadena, this level of attention is akin to royal treatnt.”
“Maybe if it were just , but even with two masters and a noble like Heynia present, this level of disregard… Her contempt for humanity is truly unwavering. You almost have to respect it.”
“Hey!”
At that mont, sothing seed to occur to Heynia, and she asked Lysir.
“That answer just now—why did you answer it that way?”
“The answer just now?”
“Counting the legs of a horse from a distance. Wouldn’t most people say there are two?”
Seeing a horse’s legs from afar as two was a famous saying and riddle among mages, though Lysir was unfamiliar with it.
“Why would it be two…?”
“What are you saying? Of course, it’s two. So why did you say five?”
Heynia demanded with a mix of frustration and curiosity. She believed that the to’s positive reaction to Lysir’s answer must contain a hidden wisdom she had missed.
Lysir hadn’t realized how high Heynia’s evaluation of him had risen after their duel.
“...”
Lysir avoided Heynia’s gaze.
How could he tell her the truth? That the hidden aning she sought was, in fact, a low-brow joke, sothing a noble like her would find improper to even utter.
“Of all things, that’s the only answer that ca to mind…”
Lysir silently berated himself. Heynia’s pure reaction was sohow more unsettling than overt contempt.
“What? Why are you ignoring ?”
“...Heynia.”
Unable to hold back, Marina stepped in and explained the truth to her student.
Heynia, who usually understood ten things when taught one in magic, required a lengthy explanation this ti to grasp the joke’s true aning. When she finally understood, her refined face turned bright red.
“Oh… so that’s one way to think of it! How… clever and witty!”
Embarrassed yet struggling to maintain her composure, she put on a brave front, unwilling to let her rival see her ignorance in that area.
But, of course, it was far too late for that.
An awkward silence settled over the room for a while.
“Anyway—”
In an attempt to clear the air, Lysir spoke up.
“Why did the to favor , I wonder? Could it really just be whimsy? Heynia, have you seen it behave this way before?”
“Whimsy…? I suppose. But it’s the first ti I’ve seen a to so pleased.”
“Lysir, if you’re curious, why not ask it directly? It’s in your hands, after all.”
“Oh… can I open it as I please?”
“It’s yours now; there’s no need to hesitate.”
“I didn’t an it like that—”
Lysir tightened his grip on the to.
Initially, he’d sensed only a faint, ominous aura, but it was growing stronger.
‘Damn… Is this thing actually dangerous?’
Realizing the weight of his discovery, Lysir decided to share what he’d felt with the others.
“What? An ominous aura… Are you saying the to could be related to dark magic?”
The ntion of dark magic instantly sobered Marina.
“Why would such an item be in our family’s archives…?”
Heynia couldn’t conceal her shock either.
“Dark magic… is that… alright?”
Their surprise only grew when ltas reacted nonchalantly.
“Did you just say, ‘It’s alright because it’s dark magic?’”
If not for her long-standing acquaintance with ltas, Marina might have questioned his morals right then and there. His casual response seed more fitting for a dark mage unafraid of curses.
“Hm? Oh.”
Seeing their reactions, ltas smiled knowingly.
“Ah, you don’t know yet.”
“Don’t know what? That you used to be a dark mage?”
“Don’t be absurd.”
ltas gestured at Lysir as if introducing a masterpiece.
“Dark magic is nothing to worry about, at least as long as this young man is around.”
“…?”
“…?”
Marina and Heynia exchanged bewildered glances.
Dark magic was one of the most dangerous, malevolent, and mysterious forces in existence. It was impossible to fully grasp, and thus nearly impossible to defend against.
The more one knew, the more cautious and fearful they beca.
They couldn’t understand why ltas, a mage as knowledgeable as he was, seed so unconcerned.
And what was even stranger—he attributed his confidence to Lysir?
“Yes, ltas. If you haven’t lost your mind, I’d appreciate an explanation.”
“Haha. You’ll be surprised. Prepare yourself.”
Puffing up with pride, ltas began to speak, exuding an air of boastfulness.
“…He defeated a necromancer?”
Necromancers, wielders of death, manipulated it to serve their purposes. Even the collective strength of the tower’s masters couldn’t guarantee victory against such beings.
And yet, here was this young mage, having defeated one.
“You expect to believe that?”
“Seeing is believing, as they say, and I witnessed it myself.”
“…”
“Lysir has a special ability.”
“A special ability…?”
“Yes
, he exerts an absolute influence over negative energies. He used that power to banish a necromancer from this world and even identified Tulan, the dark mage who mocked the tower and its masters. I believe this unique power is Lysir’s essence.”
With Marina and Heynia reeling in confusion—
Lysir leaned close to ltas and whispered cautiously.
—Master ltas, weren’t we told not to disclose that event?
That figure, of course, was none other than Salana, the master of the Assassin’s Guild.
Another terrifying entity whose promise had to be honored.
—Technically, we were told not to ntion *her* specifically.
—...
Lysir watched in amazent as ltas recklessly bragged, risking much for another’s glory.
“…”
Marina, equally taken aback, looked at ltas with disbelief. Normally strict and composed, ltas seed utterly transford.
‘Co to think of it… That boy was the one who resolved the Tulan incident.’
Eventually, ltas won her over, and she crossed her arms with a resigned expression.
“So… what now? Are you suggesting Lysir’s ability could purify the to?”
“Lysir, do you think you can?”
After a brief hesitation, Lysir nodded and opened the to once more.
As Lysir reopened the to, words appeared across its pages in a style that seed part-insult, part-riddle.
──────────
**[Title: When Will My Fate Quest Unlock?]**
Content: So far, I've unlocked up to page 14…
- : Yup, once you get to page 21, a special trait appears, and that's when the Fate Quest starts.
- [Author]: Ugh, why do I still have half left?
- [Author]: What's the max pages you can unlock per question?
- : I think it's 2 pages max.
- : Actually, 2 pages max is only if your main trait is S-grade. If both your main and secondary traits are S-grade, you can unlock up to 3 pages.
- : I saw soone confirm it with screenshots.
- : Jeez, both traits at S-grade? This ga is wild.
- : For real, must be an insane ga.
──────────
──────────
**[Title: Trait Granted by the Asking To]**
Content: Ancient Heart
Should I really get rid of this?
Using it, the magic boost is no joke.
- : Sure, your magic power gets boosted, but have you thought about your life getting "boosted" out of existence?
- : Don’t delete it; keep using it and see what happens.
- [Author]: Seriously curious, what happens?
- : All your magic traits disappear, leaving just that one.
- : And then the to takes it back.
- [Author]: Ugh, Ancient Heart? More like Ancient Parasite.
──────────
──────────
**[Title: Damn You, Asking To!]**
Content: For a brief mont, I trusted you like a friend. But you suddenly planted this “Ancient Magic” parasite in , saying, “If you want to live, you better nurture it.” What a joke.
- : I’d seen screenshots of the to being cold to low-grade players and thought it was just rude, but then it started treating nicely, and I got attached. When it turned around and treated like a parasite host, I felt the betrayal deeply.
- : Yeah, of course it was friendly; it needs you for nutrients.
- : Who trusts kindness in this ga?
- : Kindness = backstabbing warning. Ti to learn that lesson.
──────────
──────────
**[Title: So What’s the Deal with the Asking To?**
Content: Why does it use humans as hosts to grow its magic?
- : That’s its creator’s command: “Advance magic.” When it couldn’t boost magic on its own, it started using human bodies.
- [Author]: Artificially…”
──────────
──────────
Gadena’s hand, which held the to, trembled as she read the unfamiliar language of these bizarre entries, almost like a strange modern diary.
“La-Diman…”
The ntion of La-Diman took Gadena on a ntal journey to an ancient faction within Dalatzan.
That faction practiced every form of power: orthodox magic, white magic, elental summoning—and even dark magic, blood magic, and curses.
They were madn, willing to use any ans necessary to advance magic.
This to, brought here by humans, was one of their twisted creations. What catastrophe might occur if soone accepted the knowledge and power within?
“This is no object for a re fourth-level mage…”
She glanced around urgently, her gaze sharpening as she rembered that she’d left the to with the human man.
The elf bolted out of the archives and raced back to the others, eyes wide as she saw the human opening the to.
“No! Close it imdiately!”
Her cry was echoed by an unexpected ally.
It was the to itself.
The to shrieked like a victim being robbed, while Lysir, abruptly crossing into the domain of the fifth-level, stood there, enveloped in the to’s surging power.
Gadena couldn’t begin to fathom what had transpired in her absence.
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