Chapter 32
“Ah, this thing, you mean?”
I muttered in a deliberately indifferent voice.
But inside, I was cheering.
My intuition whispered.
The stage had been set. I had to milk it for all it was worth.
I slowly shook my head and murmured quietly, like a sage who had grasped some profound truth.
“So that’s how it is…. You don’t know, do you….”
My unruffled tone made the young man’s expression crumble.
“….”
His lips moved for a long while as if he wanted to object.
But in the end, he couldn’t say a word.
“Heh heh….”
A dry laugh escaped him a moment later.
For the first time, it was a laugh that admitted his own ignorance. He muttered.
“…No. Shouldn’t it be natural not to know? There’s no way such magic exists in this world. To be beyond causality—how on earth is that possible? Please, tell me.”
Causality? To break free of causality….
I caught a familiar word in the young man’s rambling monologue.
The words that crazy old geezer from the 5th floor had said.
‘You have stepped beyond causality.’
In that instant, I realized.
The thing this young man was shocked by wasn’t me, but the mysterious magic clinging to my body.
I had this game completely figured out now.
I gazed into the distance with wistful eyes and said, like a sage bearing a great secret.
“Sadly, I don’t think now is the time to tell you….”
“Not the time? What does that mean? A clue will do! I’ll give you my research, my equipment, anything! Just tell me!”
The young man now looked ready to kneel before me at any moment.
In truth, I had no idea why he was so obsessed.
But that was something I didn’t need to know.
What mattered was one thing.
The hierarchy had been completely reversed.
I was no longer a pitiful test subject being toyed with in the clutches of a madman.
At this moment, I was in charge.
I barely suppressed my satisfied smile and, pretending to be annoyed, crossed my arms and said.
“Why should I tell you?”
“What do you want? Rare magic materials? Ancient relics? Anything, just say the word!”
“Hmm….”
It was time to begin negotiations in earnest.
What could I wring out of him….
I propped my chin on my hand and looked the young man over carefully.
That outfit he’s wearing looks pretty nice, doesn’t it?
“First, give me the robe you’re wearing right now. Start with that.”
“My robe? Hmm, this is something I treasure….”
At my demand, the young man seemed to hesitate for a moment.
“Then don’t.”
But as soon as I acted like I was about to back off, he took off the robe he was wearing without the slightest hesitation and handed it to me politely.
“Here you are. Well, is that enough now?”
I took the robe.
The feel of it at my fingertips alone was anything but ordinary.
A robe as deep and black as the young man’s eyes.
I smiled in satisfaction.
[???'s Robe]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Effect: Artificial Mana Core Manufacturing.]
A status window that appears naturally for anything appraised as an item.
Its grade was Legendary, no less.
Jackpot.
I cheered inwardly.
But on the outside, I had to keep my expression as cool and indifferent as possible.
I clenched my jaw and barely held back the corners of my mouth from lifting as I said.
“Good. I’ll let you research it for just 30 minutes.”
“Thirty minutes? Just thirty minutes?!”
The young man bristled. But I didn’t even blink.
“I said it before—if you don’t like it, don’t.”
“…Very well. Thirty minutes, then.”
He bit his lip in frustration and nodded.
Then he immediately came up to my main body and began his research.
He didn’t touch my body directly.
Instead, he circled around me, observing the flow of mana and drawing complex formulas in the air while muttering nonstop.
“This is unbelievable…. An idea I never could’ve imagined. The root itself seems similar to mine, though….”
As I watched him mutter in words I couldn’t understand, I thought about my next demands.
If those 30 minutes passed like this, he’d definitely ask for more time. I had to be ready for that.
Hmm…. What should I squeeze out of him next?
I wasn’t greedy for money or items anymore.
I’d already obtained the best item.
Then, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
This might be more valuable than money or items.
It would become the one and only thing in the world that only I could possess.
“Back off, time’s up.”
30 minutes had passed.
The young man stepped back from me with a regretful expression.
“Hmm…. I think I could figure it out if I just looked a little longer…. How about it? Could you spare me a little more time?”
“I have a condition.”
“Say it.”
“Take a picture with me.”
At my bizarre request, the young man seemed to lose his words for a moment.
A flicker of bewilderment passed over his face.
“…Picture? What’s a picture?”
“Ah. You don’t know that either…. You put on all sorts of airs, but you don’t know anything, do you?”
“…Haha, today I’m painfully realizing just how ignorant I am.”
I lowered my voice as if revealing some tremendous secret and explained.
“It’s a spell that records a moment. If you snap a picture with it, this exact scene gets frozen as it is. Forever.”
“To freeze a moment… forever?”
The young man’s eyes shone with wonder.
“Interesting. A concept that resists the flow of time. Good, show me that magic.”
“Now, come over here and stand.”
I had my sand clone hold the phone, then stood beside the young man.
And naturally made a V with my fingers.
I even put an arm around the young man’s shoulders. It was a little awkward because the heights didn’t line up.
“Okay, V.”
The young man stared fixedly at the shape of my fingers.
His expression was as serious as a scholar deciphering ancient rune script.
“What meaning does this gesture carry? Is it a mudra used to activate a specific spell?”
“…It’s a symbol of victory and peace. Just copy it.”
I snapped at him as if annoyed.
The young man tilted his head for a moment, then awkwardly copied my hand shape.
His face still clearly showed that he had no idea what the hell was going on.
Click-
The historic moment was captured in the photo.
After checking the photo, I smiled in satisfaction.
But something felt a little lacking.
It didn’t seem like I’d get another chance like this….
“Let’s take a few more. This time stand by yourself. Make both hands into V signs here and….”
“…That’s a pose that somehow makes me feel uncomfortable. Still, all right. How many more minutes will this get me?”
“Hmm…. 30 minutes?”
“Deal.”
The young man nodded.
“Smile wider! Cheese!”
“Chee…se…?”
“Okay, great pose!”
Excited, I kept snapping away at the camera.
The flash kept popping again and again.
After taking more than ten photos, I finally nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. Thirty minutes as promised.”
“Hah…. This is tiring.”
After letting out a sigh, the young man dove back into his research.
He now sat down right in front of me and began drawing a giant magic circle in the air.
The magic circle drawn by his fingertips was so complex and intricate that I couldn’t begin to understand it.
While he was absorbed in his research, I quietly checked the time.
[Remaining Time: 31 minutes 15 seconds]
Once the promised 30 minutes passed, I’d have almost no time left in the tower.
I had to strike then.
Time passed quickly.
For the full 30 minutes, the young man never once rested and focused only on his research.
Arcane jargon I couldn’t understand poured nonstop from his mouth.
Watching him, I started to get nervous.
What if he figures out the magic faster than time runs out? What if he suddenly goes berserk and kills me?
The image of the crazy old man I met on the 5th floor came to mind.
Fortunately, the promised 30 minutes passed without incident.
[Remaining Time: 1 minute 12 seconds]
The young man was the first to stand up, looking regretful.
“The time’s already up this soon. It’s a shame, but I suppose I’ll have to let you go for today.”
I let out a sigh of relief inside.
Thankfully, he seemed intent on keeping his promise.
But the very next moment, what came out of his mouth completely derailed my expectations.
“I’ve nearly figured it out.”
The young man’s voice had gone cold, unlike before.
The pure curiosity in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a chilling glint.
“This magic isn’t yours.”
Cold sweat ran down my spine.
“W-What are you talking about?”
“At first, I thought you were a genius even greater than me. But I was wrong. The theory forming the basis of this magic… is unmistakably mine.”
The young man took a step closer.
I reflexively stepped back.
“This is magic completed over decades, maybe centuries, based on my research. It isn’t something someone else could create.”
His gaze raked over my body.
A sharp look, as if he were about to dissect me.
“There is only one conclusion. I don’t know what trick you used, but one thing is certain. You met my future self, didn’t you?”
A chill ran through me.
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
The mage who had been giving things away like a sucker just moments ago was nowhere to be found.
[Remaining Time: 10 seconds]
The timer was blinking.
This was the last chance.
I shouted without looking back.
“Uh, then I’m off!”
And without hesitation, I hit the emergency escape button.
[Would you like to leave the tower? Y/N]
Y!
My body was engulfed in light, and a familiar sensation of floating washed over me.
Just before my vision blurred, I saw it.
The young man waving at me with an unpleasant smile.
[Congratulations on clearing Tower Floor 15 (EXTREME).]
“Phew… that was fucking terrifying, seriously.”
The familiar clear message.
Once I was out of the tower, I collapsed in place and sucked in ragged breaths.
My heart was pounding like crazy.
I really thought I was going to die.
Only after sitting on the ground for a long while and calming myself down did I finally get back on my feet.
It had been a dangerous moment, but the payoff was more than enough.
I looked at the robe in my hand and smiled in satisfaction.
“It’s a shame I couldn’t get my VPN fixed… but still, there are things I have to do.”
As soon as I got home, I turned on the computer like I always did.
[Title: I just got a piece of loot. Is this good?]
Author: ㅇㅇ(V33.332)
(Photo of the Magic-Carving Old Man’s robe. jpg)
The Hunter Gallery went into an uproar over the brag-filled post.
ㄴ What is this? I’ve never seen an item like this before.
ㄴ Holy crap. That’s a drop from the Magic-Carving Old Man. A unique item.
ㄴ The Magic-Carving Old Man? That hidden boss in the 30s?
ㄴ Was there a team that recently ran a Magic-Carving Old Man raid?
ㄴ If there had been, the rumors would’ve spread everywhere. Seriously, what is this?
ㄴ No, that’s not the point right now. If they went to the 30-floor range, doesn’t that mean this person is A-rank too?
ㄴ An A-rank guy who spends 20 hours a day on the gallery causing trouble? Does that even make sense?
ㄴ Got it. It’s an AI-generated image, yep.
The gallery started getting flooded with posts speculating about my identity in no time.
Everyone was acting like they knew something, tossing out all kinds of guesses.
“Hmm, good reactions~.”
I was in the middle of savoring the comments one by one when
I suddenly sensed something odd and stopped.
“Why does everyone keep saying it’s a unique item? This is Legendary.”
Looks like I just picked up something incredible.