Chapter 231 – Change
As I briefly shuddered at realizing that evil plan, Minerva, who was smiling brightly, looked at me, erasing her radiant smile and glowing with her eyes.
“But, child. Didn’t you just let the ability verification orb use its power not long ago?”
“Yes. It hasn’t been long. Why do you ask?”
“Your body has changed a lot in such a short time. It’s quite remarkable. What could have happened?”
It was the same curious gaze I had seen before. Her silvery-white pupils scanned me from top to bottom. Parnari also followed Minerva’s lead, nodding her head a few times.
“That’s right. You’ve become incredibly strong. What happened?”
Both seemed to have instinctively sensed that my stats had significantly increased.
They couldn’t have noticed that my power had grown, or sensed that my divine power had risen, so they must have realized the amount of magical energy had changed.
From Minerva and Parnari’s reactions, it was reasonable to guess that, for some reason, my stat increases had not been applied until I confirmed them.
‘I almost grabbed my neck in shock.’
What if I had looked at the ability verification orb much later?
The spine-chilling thought of possibly struggling for a whole 150 levels without realizing it made me shiver. If that had happened, I might have been bedridden for a month out of frustration.
“It must relate to why the Popes were standing in front of the Central Hall, insisting on taking me to the Holy Kingdom.”
Minerva easily accepted my response with a simple nod.
“I understand. If the Sun and Moon descended directly to bless you, then it is only right.”
As she approached me, she leaned her face towards mine. Her dove-colored lips brushed against my ear. I heard her whisper softly.
“You always surpass my expectations, child. Thinking back, it’s been like that since we first met. The few months I spent with you were far more enjoyable than the past two hundred years.”
Her lips drew closer, and warm breath whispered in my ear.
“So, just as you have up to now…”
Minerva gently nibbled on my earlobe. My body trembled at the unique sensation. Her lips withdrew after several squeak sounds, as if licking my earlobe.
“Please continue to make me happy in the future. I will always wait.”
“……”
A captivating smile appeared, and Minerva backed away, smoothing her lips as the warmth of saliva began to dry, leaving a slightly cold sensation.
Parnari tilted her head, confused as to why we had such expressions.
“Now, child. The light conversation is over, so now we…”
“I know. We have to find the Ancient Scroll.”
At my words, Minerva couldn’t hide her ecstatic expression.
She had been patiently waiting, but now that it was time to obtain the second scroll, it seemed her emotions were hard to contain.
“Before that, may I make one request?”
“Request?”
“Yes. I want to take one more person besides us.”
“If the child desires, then it shall be done. It’s up to you to decide, and I have no objections. Who do you wish to bring?”
“Uh… Hehe. Hello, Minerva…”
Nix timidly greeted. Minerva’s face slightly hardened.
Good thing I had brought her myself and was standing by her side just as we were about to set off to find the Ancient Scroll; otherwise, I felt she would have definitely said something.
“Was that who you intended to bring along, child?”
“Yes.”
“Since it’s your choice, I’ll comply, but… I just want to make it clear that I am not very friendly with her.”
“I’ll make sure to keep her close beside me so she can’t approach. So you don’t have to worry.”
I subtly hid Nix behind me. Nix immediately wrapped her arms around my waist, peeking her head out just slightly. Glancing, her black eyes were observing Minerva’s reaction.
‘What on earth happened for her to react like that?’
At least the Minerva I knew wasn’t the type to have such a prickly personality, and Nix was too timid to lash out at anyone.
Yet Minerva snarled at the sight of Nix, and Nix kept glancing at Minerva, so it was natural for me to be curious.
The Goddess mentioned Nix had come from another world; could something have gone wrong during the transition?
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have put the two together, but this time there was a reason I needed to take Nix along. Nobody would overhear us deep within a dungeon where the Ancient Scroll was kept.
“Let’s leave the chit-chat for now, child. Where should we move to?”
“It’s a place that Minerva is familiar with.”
“I know it; but what do you mean by that?”
“Right here.”
I pointed to a part of the map that Minerva had opened. Minerva tilted her head with a peculiar expression upon seeing the location.
“Child, that place is…”
“I know. It’s a location you had already uncovered previously.”
Minerva wore a complicated expression but promptly struck her staff down. Instantly, blue mana enveloped the four of us. Nix, still holding onto my waist, tightly shut her eyes.
In less than a second, a vast plain covered in grass unfolded before our eyes. I guess it was her first time experiencing such a long-distance teleportation because Parnari’s eyes widened in surprise.
In the middle of the grassy plain stood oddly shaped triangular pillars, with a two-story tower rising in the center. There were exactly thirty triangular pillars.
The magic barrier protecting the pillars and tower melted away as its owner stepped through.
“I never expected to return to this place. I thought I had found everything that could be found.”
Minerva murmured with a tone mixed with admiration.
The strange white triangular pillars scattered across the vast plain were made of a pure white substance and were about the thickness of my thigh, with not a speck of dust on their surfaces.
Anyone could feel that there was something unusual about this landscape, and indeed secrets lay hidden therein.
The person who discovered the secret of the triangular pillars and made the tower rise was the Eternal Magician standing beside me. Was it set a century or two ago?
“So, child. Where can we find the Ancient Scroll?”
“It’s simple.”
I pulled out the Wingless Nightmare and approached the pillar.
“As you know, these pillars regenerate no matter how much you break them. That’s why they remain intact and clean like this.”
“That’s right.”
“Minerva, do you remember the order in which the pillars were placed?”
“I do.”
The pillar located on the outermost side towards the direction of the rising sun. I stepped forward and tapped its surface with the blade’s tip.
Nix remained stubbornly glued to my side, refusing to part. The overwhelming mass of her chest continued to press near my waist.
“This is the first one. Right?”
Minerva nodded affirmatively. I raised the Wingless Nightmare diagonally and, careful not to hit Nix’s arm, swung it horizontally.
ㅡcrack!
The top of the pillar rolled on the ground. Fragments fell like rain. Perhaps it was because new secrets were about to be revealed, Minerva wore an excited expression.
“Just as I did, you should break all of them in the order they were placed. But, within a time limit.”
“If there’s a time limit, how long is it?”
“Five minutes. That’s more than enough for Minerva.”
This was a puzzle with more than sufficient time even for a ranged character in the game; without a doubt, Minerva would certainly manage it, even if it were only five seconds.
“Understood. Wait a moment.”
Minerva, beaming, conjured a mana orb in the air. After a moment, magic began to pour out of the orb. It was magic that fired projectiles made of ordinary mana.
The projectiles shattered the second pillar, then the third, and then the fourth pillar. One by one, the pillars crumbled down like dominoes falling.
The firing time was precisely calculated without any error.
In the blink of an eye, Minerva destroyed all thirty pillars with a flourish. The mana orb that had been floating in the air disappeared.
The fragments that lay scattered across the grass and the remnants floated into the air.
“…There’s something here.”
Along with Minerva’s murmurs, the fragments that had risen into the air clung onto the tower haphazardly. But not just randomly, with a certain pattern.
Before long, the outer appearance of the tower began to change.
It flattened from front to back, transforming from a narrowing cylindrical shape to a flat rectangular shape. The place where the door once had been swung wide open, revealing a passageway blocked by a wall of white mist.
The structure, no longer a Mage Tower, now stood as a sort of gateway, wide open, leading into the dungeon where the Ancient Scroll was kept.
“It’s in there.”
I spoke nonchalantly, Parnari clapped enthusiastically, and Nix, still glued to my side, beamed with joy.
“……”
Of course, Minerva’s reaction was intensely more vigorous compared to ours. She stood there with her eyes wide open, wearing a bewildered expression as if she had turned to stone.
Even in the game, when handing over an Ancient Scroll and explaining where it was found, the reaction was one of heavy sighs.
For having it right in front of her yet not discovering it, she had wasted over a hundred years continuously improving magic that had already been enhanced, so it was only natural.
It wasn’t particularly Minerva’s fault. Honestly, who would have predicted that another puzzle was hidden beneath the spot where the tower had emerged after solving the previous one?
“…How sad. To have had the truth right before my eyes and yet not see it, leaving me in this state. The name ‘Eternal Magician’ will weep.”
Minerva drooped her shoulders with a pitiful face, resembling a mouse caught in water. This was the first time I had seen her like this.
“It’s alright since we found it now. Come on, let’s go inside.”
I delicately took her hand. Minerva flinched, hesitated for a moment, and then firmly intertwined her fingers with mine. It seemed like her trembling had calmed a bit.
First, Minerva and I stepped inside the wall of white mist, followed closely by Nix, who naturally clung to my waist. Parnari was the last to enter.
The interior of the dungeon was structured such that the entrance was the highest point, gradually leading downward. In the plaza below, a vast labyrinth stretched upwards.
At the end of that maze, something resembling a scroll seemed to float, almost touching the ceiling of the dungeon.
“That’s…”
Minerva attempted to use teleportation in an ecstatic voice, but I tightened my grip on her intertwined hand, stopping her. The staff she had been about to swing halted sharply.
Yet, as if driven by instinct, her eyes were still fixated on the scroll, and her partially relaxed pupils showed no signs of recovering. The faint lemon scent wafting in was a bonus.
I intentionally ignored the lemon smell and snapped my fingers in front of Minerva’s eyes. At that, her faltering silvery-white pupils regained a hint of life.
“…What is it, child?”
“That’s a trap. Just an illusion. Don’t be deceived.”
The moment I mentioned it was a trap, her silvery-white pupils regained their vitality.
“What then?”
“The real one is separate.”
