Chapter 112

Archmage Dalstream (2)

The night when Teramond was murdered.

Maria, who met the White Lion in her lodgings, shed tears.

The frail heart of an ordinary general store owner and country bumpkin was already exhausted.

The White Lion embraced her.

“What you did was executing justice. Not simple murder.”

The wickedness of demons stems from their kindness. Sweet logic flowed like a stream from the lion’s mouth.

“Maria.

No human being in this world speaks of themselves as righteous with their own mouth.

They simply point fingers at others and condemn them, saying ‘that bastard is a bad guy’.

That’s how ordinary humans gain a sense of justice

The way to become a socially righteous person is simple.

Just condemn those who have committed wrongs, created controversies, have moral blemishes, or are embroiled in scandals.

By pointing fingers at scoundrels, one places oneself in a relatively righteous position.

Humans originally all live that way. That’s human nature.

That’s why humans cannot be generous toward others’ mistakes. Humans are justice addicts. But at the same time, they’re cowards.

Suffering in the dilemma between two concepts that cannot coexist is humanity’s fate.

When they hide behind others and gossip about someone’s faults among similar people, they’re not actually criticizing out of righteousness.

They’re enjoying the small moral superiority they gain from it, and merely finding stability there.”

The White Lion firmly secured her broken heart.

“But Maria. You took risks and stepped forward directly. That was true righteousness.

You were truly brave.

While social justice is simple, pursuing absolute justice is quite difficult.

Originally, righteous deeds require enormous costs and labor. Because human nature is lacking in virtue.

Think of that psychopath who murdered the adoptive parents who had shown him kindness.

Look at Soren’s courts and Magic University that highly valued his abilities and forgave him arbitrarily, accepting him back into society.

To fight against those despicable evil laws and fascist order, justice uses courage as fuel.

Courage is justice’s promissory note.

The reason you trembled was because you were afraid, and the reason you accomplished it despite that was because you were brave.

That courage proves that what you carried out was not simple murder but the execution of justice.

Maria. So you don’t need to doubt yourself.

You’re a more wonderful person than you think.”

So perhaps.

“Your parents would be proud too.”

The lion’s logic was sweet.

Sweet enough that Maria had no choice but to accept it.

And the lion’s logic was cruel.

So that she would have no way out.

“But you made a mistake. You ended up bumping into some Elf. You’ll be tracked down.”

With her head leaning against his soft and abundant mane, Maria felt her life gradually sinking into the swamp of hell.

“You’ll be caught and executed in Soren.”

“……”

“If you’re going to be caught anyway, let’s show them a noble appearance. Show courage once more. Make your message known to this world. Teach them that Soren is wrong.”

“……”

“There’s someone just like Teramond. That guy also committed murder and became a slave. But that evil murderer is currently the most beloved student at the Magic University.”

The demon pulled out a Corpse Explosion scroll from his palm.

“Kill that kid.”

*** 

Inside the giant spherical Spirit Lake floating in the air.

The White Lion scratched his nape with his index fingernail. While looking down below.

“It’s somewhat different from what I expected.”

The club didn’t explode.

There was no terrorism that Black Dog had to handle.

The security officers weren’t hurt, and the wizards didn’t need to waste time mourning the death of an excellent student.

They all moved with one heart to deal with the labyrinth eruption.

“I thought the club would explode.”

To the White Lion, who had lived countless long years, all mortals seemed like children.

Just as an adult’s perspective can see through children’s innocent hearts, the White Lion was confident in penetrating human hearts.

And manipulating them too.

He had thought that just by pushing Maria into the club and creating a situation where security officers surrounded and made a commotion, Maria would fall into a panic state and explode. Such a powder keg would detonate with just one lit match.

Moreover, what was even more surprising was.

“Too fast.”

It was as if they had detected it in advance before the White Lion even attacked.

They had rushed from Black Dog to here at tremendous speed, and the magistrate had already entered the security headquarters.

“Not everything can go according to your will.”

Professor Dalstream said.

“Attacking me today was also a reckless move. Deep-layer adventurers are already gathering. You’ll be caught.”

“Probably not.”

The corners of the lion’s mouth gently rose.

“I’ll kill you and escape. Then I’ll blend back into Soren. No one will be able to find me……”

The White Lion suddenly had his breath completely cut off.

‘Water pressure……?’

The Spirit Lake looks like sapphire-colored water on the outside, but inside, you can breathe and speak.

But now the White Lion couldn’t make a sound. He couldn’t breathe either.

‘It’s because of the pressure.’

Imagine if someone put a hose connected to the surface in their mouth and went deep underwater.

Since they can inhale and exhale outside air through the hose, would there be no problem breathing?

No. That person would eventually suffocate underwater.

Because of water pressure.

Deep underwater, the weight of the water physically compresses the chest and presses on the lungs, preventing them from expanding.

So even if you try to breathe oxygen through the hose, you can’t breathe properly.

Dalstream’s magic was exactly the same.

“Be crushed.”

The old professor’s left hand, focused on the Spirit Lake, clenched into a tight fist.

Even that most alien monster from the inter-layer village would find it difficult to maintain its body when tons of water pressure are applied.

Inside the Spirit Lake, the caster is like a small wizard.

No matter who the opponent is, it’s not easy for an archmage to be defeated in this space.

***

“This way. Backstab!”

I was heading to the annex behind the Security Headquarters with Backstab.

The Security Headquarters was in chaos inside and out. In the main building, the Magistrate and Security Officer were chasing out monsters that had entered inside, while outside in the plaza, high-layer monsters battled with professors, university teaching assistants, Chrome and Black Dog, and some Security Officers.

Aimus and Yernil?

They’re probably highly likely to be inside the main building.

I would pass through the annex ruins and enter through the back door of the main building.

I just needed a small hole to be drilled.

‘Shadow Leap!’

I leap with Backstab and enter inside.

“Yernil!”

“Caleb!”

“Big brother!”

“Oh! Both of you are safe!”

Professor Hailey had raised monsters with necromancy, and they were fighting against other monsters.

The main building was being sorted out reasonably well. The Magistrate’s participation was more than just one deep-layer force. You could feel morale filling the entire Security Headquarters.

“Caleb!”

Professor Hailey held her staff like a rifle and fired lasers in succession while shouting.

“Go outside! You need to go out and protect Professor Dalstream!”

I think I understand why she made that judgment.

“The magic Professor Dalstream is using right now is Spirit Lake, in the form of a spherical prison.”

Professor Hailey kindly informed me, but I already knew this.

The owner of Spirit Lake can cast several types of attacks, and among them, the single-target suppression ability is the most powerful.

Spherical prison form.

The target falls into a ‘suppressed’ state in game terms, and as time passes, the water concentrates on the target, gradually increasing pressure.

After 1 turn, two status effects are added. If this were a game, messages would probably be floating above the White Lion’s head by now.

[Suppressed]

[Suffocation]

[Silence]

In the suppressed state, only one action point is generated per turn, and speed decreases, making movement very difficult.

Moreover, because of silence, incantations are impossible, and after 3 turns, suffocation starts dealing damage per turn.

Since that damage isn’t a fixed value but is determined as a certain percentage of total health, even boss monsters with tremendous durability quickly fall into critical condition.

“But if attacked from outside, concentration will be broken!”

Hailey shouted.

That would be right.

In the game, when I used that magic, I tried all sorts of things to protect my wizard with party members.

Monsters would go crazy trying to somehow touch my wizard and break concentration.

“Go outside and prevent monsters from sniping Professor Dalstream……”

“Aimus! Please help me!”

I burst out through the broken back door again with Aimus and Yernil.

What Professor Hailey thought would normally be correct.

But not now. I don’t have time to explain, and there’s no proper solution either.

‘Dalstream cannot defeat the White Lion inside the lake.’

Because of that monster’s fraudulent abilities and the 1 action point generated in the suppressed state.

***

The monsters inside and outside the headquarters didn’t target Dalstream.

Even though they could have sniped enough to liberate the White Lion.

‘I wondered why.’

Now Dalstream knew the reason.

“What kind of magic is that……?”

How mysterious it was.

Even Dalstream, who had studied magic for such a long time, still didn’t know about it.

“That such a thing is possible……”

The White Lion pulled out a scroll from his palm.

Magic to summon scrolls, Dalstream had never even heard of such a thing.

Thump.

The White Lion smiled and tapped his neck with his finger.

It meant he couldn’t speak.

So even though he wanted to teach what the identity of the magic show he had just demonstrated was, he couldn’t.

Instead, he showed what the scroll’s identity was. By showing its front to Dalstream.

[Summon Lord of Spirit Tower]

“Haha……”

The old professor let out a small sigh.

The scroll contained 8th-tier magic.

As an archmage, he was certain that Soren’s professors couldn’t even dare to attempt creating such a thing.

That was a ‘labyrinth product‘.

Even that could only be obtained from treasure rooms deep in high floors, an extremely rare item.

Riiip.

The scroll was torn.

A warrior glowing emerald green appeared inside the spherical prison.

The Lord of Spirit Tower was not restricted in movement even inside the lake.

Because the Spirit Galaxy was originally his home.

“The wizard is being too much.”

1st-tier magic like Ice Spike was used even by 3rd-floor monsters like Frost Hunters. Originally, labyrinth monsters can use magic from the Memory Book.

Of course, Dalstream knew that too, but wasn’t this still too much?

Wasn’t the ‘Book of Supremacy’ part of the wizard’s authority that the wizard manifested on earth?

Swooosh!

The Lord of Spirit Tower, who originally inhabits the galaxy, was much faster now than when running on ground with two legs. Summoning the lake had actually become poison.

Even an archmage had no way to anticipate such a situation.

Even if Isilof had been trapped in here, Isilof would have fallen into silence and couldn’t have summoned the Tower Lord.

The very fact that he could pull out such an absurd scroll was a situation that couldn’t be assumed by common sense.

Therefore, it would be inevitable that the Tower Lord’s greatsword would pierce through Dalstream……

Swooosh!

Suddenly, something flew in front of Dalstream.

It was a person thrown from the ground.

“Ca…… Caleb?”

That mid-tier wizard wore a Static Coat. Charged with lightning to the maximum level.

And that wizard was holding a bundle of Corpse Explosion scrolls in his hand.

The Tower Lord’s sword stopped in front of his chest.