"Dark spear, form by my will. Dark Spear."

While the old man was chanting his spell, Leon didn’t remain idle.

"Aqua Sentinel! …Mana, flow and dance, lighten my body. Swift!"

Leon activated the Arpina magic he had memorized and followed it with a basic speed spell.

The speed spell was simple and quick to cast, allowing Leon to finish it just as the old man completed his incantation.

Casting two spells in quick succession consumed a significant amount of mana, but Leon’s enhanced mana reserves, thanks to the elixirs, managed to sustain him.

"Dark magic?"

"Arpina magic?"

Both of them looked at each other in surprise.

Leon was shocked to see the old man using dark magic.

While it was rare to have a natural affinity for the dark element, dark magic itself was not uncommon.

The risks of using elemental magic without natural talent were borne by the user. They might not be able to learn unique or advanced magic, but dark magic was attractive to those without talent because it was quite powerful, even at lower levels.

However, dark magic was taboo and had a reputation for being secretive and closed off. Those with a natural dark affinity were often revered as near-religious figures by dark magicians.

"Pierce the enemy and take their life!"

For the first time, tension appeared on the old man’s face. Arpina’s magic was high-level, and he was starting to feel its threat.

With heightened caution, the old man launched his attack.

The dark spear that formed in the old man’s hand shot towards Leon.

Leon, with his slime-like Aqua Sentinel beside him, quickly recited the activation word.

Because this was a chained spell using the slime as a medium, the time needed to conceptualize and chant was reduced.

"Blast!"

Water quickly gathered in front of the slime’s mouth, condensing into a powerful stream that shot out to intercept the dark spear.

Boom!

Leon knew that his spell wouldn’t be enough to stop a 3rd Rank magic attack, so he quickly dodged to the side.

The dark spear pierced through Leon’s water spell and struck the spot where Leon had just been standing.

"You move like a rat. Do you really think you can change your fate by running?"

Without replying, Leon pulled a magic scroll from his spatial pocket.

He injected a bit of mana, and the scroll began to glow.

Leon threw the scroll toward the old man.

Three white missiles shot towards the old man.

"Infusion!"

Bang!

The old man didn’t dodge but instead chanted the activation word for a pre-memorized spell, allowing the missiles to strike him directly.

Despite the impact, the old man was unharmed.

"Heh, I knew it from the moment you used that speed spell."

A faint blue aura enveloped the old man’s body.

"It’s intriguing that someone who doesn’t even know basic common magic managed to awaken mana."

The old man rushed at Leon, moving far faster than before.

Leon didn’t have time to ponder what the old man meant by "common magic." He quickly pulled out another magic missile scroll and threw it.

He hoped to delay the old man’s advance, even if only briefly.

"Dark Chain!"

Chains materialized around the old man, effortlessly blocking the magic missiles.

Leon immediately threw three more scrolls.

"What’s with all these scrolls…."

For a moment, the sheer number of missiles caused the old man to hesitate.

In that brief moment, Leon calmly assessed the situation.

The old man had used two pre-memorized spells so far. As a 3rd Rank magician, he likely had one more memorized spell remaining.

Leon decided to force the old man to use that last spell before making his move.

With that plan in mind, Leon threw the remaining four magic missile scrolls and chanted another spell.

"Water Wave!"

Twelve missiles followed by a surging wave of water rushed toward the old man.

The old man scowled and shouted.

"Web Dominion!"

The chains around the old man spread out like a spider’s web, surrounding him.

All of Leon’s spells were caught in the web of dark chains, losing their power.

"Pierce and bring destruction!"

The dark chains that had shielded the old man now shot toward Leon.

"Let’s see if you can block this!"

At that moment, Leon reached into his spatial pocket and grabbed the orb.

In a flash of light, his body vanished from the spot.

The old man’s expression turned to one of disbelief as his finishing blow struck only empty air.

Inside the orb’s space, Leon quickly assumed a meditative position.

"Huff… Huff…"

One minute in the real world equaled 60 minutes inside the orb.

Leon spent ten minutes in the forest center replenishing his mana and canceled the Mana Concealment spell that had occupied his memorization slot.

He quickly replaced it with another spell and exited the orb.

In the real world, only ten seconds had passed.

Although a short time had passed, the old man’s spell had already devastated the spot where Leon had been standing.

The old man’s eyes widened in shock as Leon reappeared at the same location.

"How… How did you…?"

Leon, following the simulation he had run in the orb, immediately threw another magic scroll.

This time, it was the Earth Wall creation scroll.

Walls of earth rose from the ground, trapping the old man on all sides.

"Where did you get so many scrolls!"

Leon ignored the old man’s anger. He was too busy chanting his next spell.

"Zephyr’s Herald."

When Leon uttered the activation word for the spell he had memorized inside the orb, a small, translucent fairy with a silvery glow appeared beside him, much like the water slime from before.

It was the wind elemental summon, now available to him since he had reached the 2-star level of Arpina’s basic magic.

Leon stretched out his hands. He wasn’t planning to cast a spell immediately but was ready to unleash one as soon as the old man broke through the earth walls.

Summoning two creatures had severely drained his mana, but the recent recharge in the orb had left him with enough to continue.

From inside the earth walls, Leon could hear the old man muttering something.

He was chanting a spell.

Boom!

"Pierce and bring ruin!"

The dark chains, now much larger, burst out in all directions.

The old man, breathing heavily, emerged after smashing through the earth walls.

It seemed he had used a significant amount of power for that spell.

"I’ll capture you and make you spill everything!"

The old man’s face twisted with rage.

Leon immediately activated the spell he had prepared.

"This ends now!"

Leon poured all his remaining mana into the spell.

A jet of water shot out from the slime’s mouth, and blades of wind formed at the fairy’s fingertips, flying toward the old man.

"2nd Rank?"

Finally, the old man seemed to recognize Leon’s true rank, his face contorting in shock.

As Leon’s spells closed in, the old man hurriedly tried to react, but at the last moment, his expression shifted to one of grim determination.

A voice full of lingering strength emerged from his twisted lips.

"Defensio!"

In the old man’s hand was a small token, no larger than a fingernail.

Light burst forth from the token, forming a powerful shield in all directions.

Leon’s spells collided with the shield, but none could penetrate it.

Leon, exhausted after using two spells in quick succession, could only watch, panting heavily.

"Out of scrolls already?"

The old man smirked as he observed Leon’s exhausted state.

"Hahaha, do you think you’re the only one with artifacts?"

Even after the shield generated by the token vanished, the old man’s face remained calm.

He couldn’t fathom how someone as young as Leon had managed to reach 2nd Rank on his own, but he could see that Leon had reached his limit after using up his memorized spells.

Mocking the clearly fatigued Leon, the old man sneered.

"I’ll commend you for hiding your rank until the end."

Wiping away his cold sweat, the old man opened his mouth to chant another spell but suddenly froze.

"Huh?"

A foolish sound escaped the old man’s lips.

No wonder—the expression on Leon’s face was unusually calm.

It was a look completely at odds with someone who had been struggling for breath just moments before.

Leon calmly pulled out a scroll from his pocket and tossed it into the air.

The scroll disappeared in a flash, replaced by three large fireballs.

It was the last E-Grade Triple Fireball scroll Leon had saved.

"…."

The old man stared dumbfounded at the fireballs, his face contorting in rage.

"You deceived me, you little—!"

Boom!

The fireballs struck the old man and exploded, flames roaring skyward and scattering embers everywhere.

Crackle, crackle—

As the flames died down, Leon’s vision cleared, revealing the old man lying on the ground in a terrible state.

The mana that had previously surrounded his body had failed to protect him from the direct hit of an E-grade spell.

"…."

The old man’s lifeless eyes stared vacantly at Leon.

"I… killed someone…."

Leon felt his stomach churn.

He stood there in a daze for a moment.

But soon, the pounding of his heart brought him back to his senses.

Leon took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"If I hadn’t killed him, he would have killed me."

Leon calmly used water magic to extinguish the remaining flames.

He stared at the old man’s corpse for a while before picking it up and placing it inside the orb. Then he re-emerged.

From his spatial pocket, Leon retrieved an artifact.

A silver disc fit into his hand.

‘Mana Trace Eraser.’

Injecting mana into the disc, it vibrated, sending out waves of mana that erased all traces of magic in the surrounding area.

Soon, all that remained were the charred earth from the fireball and the marks left by the old man’s dark chains on the ground.

After erasing these, Leon picked up the token that the old man had used for the shield.

It was a shield artifact, slightly cracked on the surface.

"It should last for two or three more uses."

Leon pocketed the token and made his way back to the magic library.

He didn’t hesitate and immediately headed to the old man’s private quarters.

It was a place that had always been tightly concealed, never shown to anyone.

Since the old man was a dark magician hiding his true identity, Leon was certain there had to be something valuable inside.

The room looked like an ordinary office.

The walls were painted a light brown, and the floor was covered with a gray carpet.

In the center was a large wooden desk, and one wall was lined with a wide bookshelf.

Leon carefully inspected the space without touching anything.

"Was I mistaken…? That can’t be."

Reluctantly, Leon began to carefully examine the items in the office.

He shifted his perspective.

If there were a hidden place in this novel's world from a modern viewpoint, where would it be?

Leon’s thoughts led him straight to the bookshelf.

He started touching the books one by one.

When he reached a book located about halfway up the second row—

Click—

A sharp, metallic sound echoed, like a small mechanism falling into place.

"Bingo."

Leon let out a sigh of relief as the bookshelf slowly began to split apart.