Chapter 113

White Lion

“My goodness…….”

Isilof saw that shocking scene clearly.

The White Lion had amazingly summoned the Magic Tower Lord using a scroll while inside the Spirit Lake.

A scroll containing 8th-tier magic?

He had never seen one directly, and even hearing rumors about them was rare.

“Professor!”

Dalstream was on the verge of death after receiving the worst possible counter inside the Spirit Lake, and no one on the ground had any way to save him.

“Caleb?”

Suddenly, that student who had been thrown by the monk with his strange strength had entered the Spirit Lake. Right in front of Dalstream.

***

That expression on the White Lion’s face.

I’ve seen it somewhere before.

Hmm.

Like when my senior colleague at the company, who was a veteran manager, got passed over for promotion again.

[Underwater Breathing Scroll]

That form of pulling out a scroll from his palm was also similar to that senior who used to take out a cigarette on the rooftop.

“Phew. That’s a bit better now.”

While tearing the scroll, the White Lion let out a sigh like cigarette smoke.

That magic directly supplies oxygen to the lungs through magic, bypassing all physical and physiological phenomena like water pressure or gas exchange in the alveoli.

“You, what are you trying to do?”

The monster’s eyes, somewhat annoyed, stared at me intently.

Honestly speaking, just being stuck here makes me feel suffocated.

Thud!

I quickly stuck close to Professor Dalstream and linked arms with him.

As if daring him to try killing me.

“These scrolls are already activated.”

The hand holding the scrolls trembles.

Focus.

Put all my strength into acting nonchalant.

“They just haven’t exploded because there are no corpses nearby. If I die, they’ll all explode in my hands.”

Because I’m in contact with a corpse.

My hands will turn to powder.

And I’ll die from the tremendous shock, but my torso will probably maintain its shape.

Because the Static Coat is working.

I can resurrect after that.

The worst thing that could happen to me in this lake is dying once and the spherical prison bursting, causing me to fall.

After that, the professors will take care of me. I can survive.

But.

“You can’t avoid the explosion. You’re trapped inside the Spirit Lake.”

In technical terms, this is called being restrained.

“If the professor dies, the lake will be destroyed too, won’t it?”

“You’ll get caught up in the explosion before you can escape from the lake.”

“Still, I won’t die.”

“You will.”

I pointed at the ground with my chin.

Below, Meldini and Isilof were aiming their wands at the White Lion.

If they attacked carelessly, Dalstream’s lake might be destroyed. Not by touching Dalstream, but just because too strong magical power was applied to the lake itself.

So the professors are watching the situation from below.

But if the White Lion gets injured and falls, they’ll attack immediately.

If the White Lion is such an absurd monster that he could still win against everyone even in that situation, there would be no need for him to operate these shady gatherings in hiding, and if that were the case, Soren would already be finished.

‘The opponent is strong, but not to the extent that he can’t be defeated when deep-layer adventurers gather.’

The fact that his gathering has maintained a parallel line of mutual restraint while watching Black Dog’s moves, and that he schemed the foolish plan of using Maria to assassinate Dalstream, all explain the limits of that bastard’s abilities.

He’s probably deep-layer level, of course. Probably ‘Deep Layer Exit Boss‘ level or higher. But Soren’s full power can handle him.

“That’s why you stopped the Magic Tower Lord, isn’t it?”

Indeed, the Magic Tower Lord is still not moving and only watching us.

The White Lion scratched his cheek.

“Caleb.”

Dalstream’s voice came from behind.

“You were curious about the inter-floor village’s flag, weren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“That bastard is the lord of the 9.5th floor.”

Damn, he came from far away.

“And…… He was a king of an ancient kingdom long ago. That bastard offered his entire kingdom to the labyrinth.”

“What?”

“That became the inter-floor village of the 9.5th floor.”

***

Professor Dalstream’s main specialty is ancient history.

He’s a researcher who searches through ancient documents and stone tablets to find traces of old history that are now faintly recorded.

In his works, this world is largely divided into three eras.

The first is the Age of Myths.

In the distant past, transcendent beings lived together on this land. Gods familiar to us now like Wizus, Nataniel, and Sanfriel, as well as gods whose names have been lost.

But most of those gods were devoured by the labyrinth, and the rest fled beyond the Spirit Galaxy, bringing that era to an end.

And the second. The Age of Nine Kings.

At some point when even the traces of the transcendent beings who had been devoured or departed were fading away, countless kings on the surface began claiming hegemony and fighting each other, and they used the labyrinth to increase their power.

The power of the gods devoured in the labyrinth is sometimes provided through blessing fountains. The labyrinth’s treasure rooms provide weapons needed for war.

And some kings came to deal directly with the Labyrinth Master.

They offered their entire kingdoms—all territory, buildings, wealth, and even people—to the labyrinth.

What they gained in return was the powerful force of gods devoured by the labyrinth.

“The God of Gifts and Scrolls.”

Though the name has now disappeared, Dalstream knew of that god’s existence.

“The power that bastard gained in exchange for offering his kingdom.”

Shit.

Then bastards like Dagger Raptor, Gourmet Whale, and Spider Doctor too……?

“There’s something to correct.”

The White Lion said.

“The other bastards never dealt directly with the Labyrinth Master. They did it through me.”

The lion’s lips curved up gently. Full of pride and confidence.

“I am the first son newly born from the labyrinth.”

Something important comes to mind.

Looking back now, it gives me chills again.

‘Living sacrifices.‘

That’s what Bipa and Mugol called the possessed people of the inter-floor village.

What the hell are those bastards preparing?

“Caleb.”

Dalstream gently pulled at my shoulder.

“I’m grateful that you helped us get through this crisis, but this isn’t a place for you to fight.”

The professor grasped the Corpse Explosion scrolls in my hand.

“Give them here. I’ll send you down.”

Honestly, I want to just give them and go down.

But if I’m just going to do that much and go back, there was no reason to risk my life coming up here.

I wanted to buy time with the corpse explosion, and if the transformation cooldown for Dalstream’s Spirit Lake had returned.

“Professor. Please change to whip form.”

If that bastard can use spirit magic, the spherical prison is a mistake.

It would be better for all three of us to go down and get backup from the professors, and change the lake to a different form to attack……

“You.”

The White Lion pulled out a scroll from his palm.

“Do you really think you can protect the professor with something like those Corpse Explosion scrolls?”

No. Wait a minute……

Isn’t this really too much?

[Spirit Lake Scroll]

“I’ll have to make my own Spirit Lake and escape through that.”

It’s possible. Then like an amoeba dividing through binary fission, the White Lion will escape from here.

And……

“You’ll explode and die here with the professor.”

The Magic Tower Lord raises his greatsword.

***

The concepts of 1st-tier wizard, 2nd-tier wizard, and so on are determined by whether magic slots of the corresponding grade have opened in the Memory Book.

For example, Caleb, who has 2nd-tier magic slots opened, is a 2nd-tier wizard.

Doesn’t he have 3rd-tier Hail Storm?

That doesn’t count. Because binding grimoires don’t enter this grading system.

In the old days, there was no concept of grimoire binding at all. Still, there was a need to divide wizard grades even in that era, so they distinguished based on spellbook slots.

So wizards ultimately end at 7th-tier.

Meldini, Isilof, and Dalstream are all 7th-tier.

Therefore, 5th-tier wizard Izel…….

“Living Flame.”

6th-tier binding grimoire <Book of Great Fire>.

That flame, said to have the greatest pure destructive power among all known 6th-tier and below magic, spouts from the tip of her wand and moves between monsters as if alive.

Bang! Kaboom!

Causing flame explosions everywhere it touches.

“Clarence!”

And that magic has good compatibility with her younger brother’s magic.

“Living Plague!”

4th-tier binding grimoire <Book of Epidemic>.

The ground moves as if tens of thousands of snakes are writhing just below the surface. What flows is ‘disease’ itself. But it’s accompanied by physical force.

Crack!

When something like a tree trunk shoots up from the ground, dark green smoke billows out.

The plague has the ability to restrain targets, catches fire well, and has explosive properties when ignited.

Kaboom!

The wizard siblings began suppressing the area near Security Headquarters, destroying even high-floor monsters effectively, and it was at that point that Izel received that note.

Pop!

The message that appeared before her eyes was from the gathering.

[This is Chihuahua. Stop, Izel.]

“…….”

Izel’s body froze for a moment.

She took out a message transmission wand from her waist and brought the tip to the note Chihuahua had sent.

“Message Transmission.”

The target is Chihuahua.

Replying to the sender using the received note is a kind of procedure to confirm if the sender is really who they claim to be.

Originally, message transmission magic requires knowing the target’s name and face, but the gathering has other means.

“What are you doing in the middle of battle!”

Clarence shouted.

“J-just a moment.”

Pop!

Another message arrived.

[Don’t interfere with the White Lion.]

“…….”

Izel bit her lip hard.

“Damn……it…….”

“Izel!”

Edward shouted while taking down a demon guard.

The battle is still in full swing.

“…….”

“L-look over there!”

One of the Security Officers shouted.

Another Spirit Lake was being newly created inside the Spirit Lake floating in the sky.

“What is that…….”

Even the professors had never seen such a strange phenomenon.

“Caleb!”

Meldini thought he needed to change tactics.

“We can’t wait for Professor Dalstream to withdraw his lake.”

Isilof felt the same.

“Positive Charge Bullet!”

He fired a magic bullet at the White Lion.

Whoooosh!

And Izel tore up Chihuahua’s note.

“Living Flame.”

She refused the gathering’s orders.

***

“Caleb!”

Security Officer Neko climbed up over the collapsed ruins of the annex.

Aimus and Yernil were there. Backstab was nowhere to be seen.

“H-how did this happen! Why is Caleb up there?”

She grabbed the two people and shouted.

“Caleb…… Asked to be thrown.”

Aimus said.

“He said he could protect the professor.”

“…….”

Neko is very anxious.

“D-doesn’t it look like things aren’t going well……?”

She glanced at Yernil.

That lively elf archer was looking up at the sky restlessly.

“Where did Backstab go?”

“Caleb made him do something…….”

“I’m right here?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Backstab climbed up the ruins.

And from the main building’s front plaza.

Kaboom!

A powerful magic bullet shot up toward the sky. Isilof’s magic, which could have pierced through the structurally transformed dormitory walls, aimed at the White Lion.

***

The White Lion didn’t get hit by the bullet.

That labyrinth monster was watching the professors on the ground even while creating the Spirit Lake, and when Isilof began his incantation, he pulled out another scroll.

‘I get it.‘

And at that moment, I grasped something important.

The moment the White Lion defended, the limits of that ridiculous scroll were revealed.

[Wisdom’s Breakwater]

That 7th-tier defensive magic is excellent, but not enough to block the Positive Charge Bullet.

Eventually, the bullet pierced through the breakwater, and the White Lion defended with his claws.

The breakwater reduced its power so he barely managed to block it, but he almost took damage and lost concentration, nearly causing his lake to disappear.

‘But why did he use that?‘

He’s already used two 8th-tier magic spells, so why did he pull out a breakwater instead of 8th-tier defensive magic in a moment of crisis?

‘He can’t pull out 8th-tier magic scrolls.‘