The masked figure's words trailed off mid-sentence as a sharp, almost tangible pain seized his heart, as if some unseen hand had clutched it. The agony, so intense, made him instinctively clutch at his chest, yet no amount of effort could diminish the searing torment.
‘…No, wait. I cast a spell to negate pain—why am I still feeling it?’
For a moment, the pain seemed to vanish, almost as if it had been a mere illusion. As the masked figure came to this realisation, the torment in his heart dissipated like smoke in the wind.
He sighed in relief. Just moments ago, he had feared that using his full strength for the first time in ages had led to some unforeseen aftereffect or side effect. He had heard of simir conditions in other worlds—something called ‘sudden death.’ When he had first learned of it, he had been terrified.
“Phew... Good, nothing’s wrong. Let’s continue.”
With that, the masked figure exhaled, wiping nonexistent sweat from his brow, his gaze once again focusing ahead.
Then, his eyes widened in shock, as if he had seen something utterly horrifying. The shock he felt now far surpassed the earlier surprise.
“Y-You… how did you appear here!?”
Before him stood a young woman with radiant golden hair and eyes, but on closer inspection, several bck strands marred the otherwise holy golden locks, lending an eerie charm to her appearance. Below her neck, she wore a simple, sleeveless white dress, with nothing else visible save for a bck leather belt strapped tightly around one thigh, partially hidden by the flowing fabric.
Yet, it was not the girl’s attire that caught the masked figure’s attention, but the inexplicable nature of her appearance—and how he hadn’t sensed her approach.
‘…No presence, as though she doesn’t exist… Was that a hallucination?… No, wait!’
The bizarre aura surrounding the girl made the masked figure uneasy. Numerous questions rushed through his mind, and without a second thought, he invoked a forbidden spell.
“Information Search.”
This spell was akin to connecting with a ‘system’ to access one’s personal status panel. However, unlike a simple ‘information’ spell, the ‘Information Search’ was far more complex and had no guaranteed success. More importantly, it could be used to reveal the status panels of others.
The reason this magic was cssified as ‘forbidden’ was because the witch who constructed the ‘system’ did not endorse such viotions of privacy. She had instead created a spell called ‘Identification,’ which allowed for accessing a panel with the person’s permission—or, in some cases, even the information of inanimate objects. In the world’s terms, ‘Information Search’ was essentially an ‘open box tool,’ making it a severe breach if used without consent, with punishments to match.
“Ugh!… It worked!”
Enduring the pain that gnawed at his very soul, the masked figure looked upon the panel now materialising before him.
[Name: gT7@zP#L2e1!n_Ae%_QxRw9K^Mb8Yu&Cj(valu1)]
[Species: @Aq#5VnLyTZ^m??]
...
[TZ^mEar Only: Err404BSxr7!]
Magic: Z^tMd7!cYu&E]
Strength:Fz8@k#N1w^CYvLp3!EmJqXt&9uBd.._*^]
Endurance: @Aq#pL#3X@w9^8q&&KvN1jBR___valuesO++verloooOah!!!++]
Abilities: …
...
...
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...
...
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...
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...
[Are you done looking?]
The words at the bottom of the panel made the masked figure shiver, the cold creeping down his spine, sending goosebumps all over his body.
Though he had not used ‘Information Search’ many times before, he had seen a fair share of panels, even those that had been permitted by others. But nothing like this.
And most arming of all—why did those words appear at the end?
It was almost as if… she could control his magic in return…
The masked figure slowly raised his gaze to meet the girl’s eyes. For some reason, even though her height barely reached his chest, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was looking down at him. It was as though an illusion of her towering over him had been cast.
“…Who exactly are you?”
But in response to his question, the girl remained silent.
“…Seems like she’s one of their companions… A presence this dangerous... There’s no choice!”
His eyes flicked momentarily towards Veridith and Mira, standing behind the girl. They bore expressions of tentative relief, and given the girl’s position and timing of her appearance, he was almost certain they were allies.
With Veridith aside, another such dangerous being was present. The masked figure couldn’t afford to take any chances now. He was prepared to give his all.
“I pray to you, the Almighty. Your light can guide the way; your light can purge the evil…”
He spread his arms wide, as if offering a prayer. At that moment, a golden light radiated from an unknown source, enveloping him.
Instantly, the faint wounds and exhaustion from the earlier battle were completely healed, and the energy emanating from him grew stronger than before.
“At st! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is...”
Before he could finish, however, he saw the faintest hint of anger fsh across the girl’s face.
No, ‘anger’ wasn’t quite right. Her expression was still impassive, but this ‘hint of anger’ seemed to overflow from within, a simmering fury threatening to break through.
“…Sister Aris, he’s very strong.”
“…”
“And… it seems light magic has no effect on him.”
“…”
The young girl, who was addressed as ‘sister’ by the much rger green dragon, turned her gaze to the creature before her, resting on its severed left arm and the gash on its jaw.
“…Did he do this?”
After a long pause, Aris finally spoke.
“Yes...”
[…Recover now.]
Aris’s words suddenly shifted, and an unusual force enveloped Veridith, rapidly healing her severed arm and pierced jaw.
“Is this… the Ancient Dragon Tongue?”
Veridith, as a dragon herself and the niece of a former Dragon King, was familiar with the existence of the ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue.’ Yet, the version Aris spoke was entirely different from the formal, commanding tone she had expected. It was almost as if Aris was speaking casually, the words flowing effortlessly from her lips.
The result was equally astonishing. The ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue’ was typically used to pressure weaker beings, and beings as powerful as Farkonia could occasionally use it in combat. But what Aris demonstrated was beyond that. She had reached the point where her words could directly affect reality—an utterance of will!
“…Leave the rest to me.”
“Understood.”
Veridith returned to her humanoid form, the wounds that had pgued her now fully healed, her strength restored—if not better than before.
In stark contrast, the masked figure’s expression was one of intense concentration, his brows furrowed, as if preparing for an imminent battle.
Had it been the old him, he would have shed out in anger when completely ignored. But now, deep down, a voice told him—he could not afford to do that.
“…So, how do you intend to die?”
