Meltas and Marina labeled Gadena as an extreme elitist, but it wasn’t necessarily because Gadena was especially unique.

Gadena was an elf, and most elves had an ingrained disdain for other races, as naturally as breathing.

While many found this elven arrogance distasteful, no one dared to challenge it openly.

Elves lived several times longer than other races, aging much slower. More than that, their affinity with spirits gave them an undeniable aura of superiority.

…For this reason, Gadena felt a distinct sense of confusion.

A magical tome. It was a book imbued with mana, forming a will of its own, and, in essence, was a type of spirit. Most magical tomes preferred elves over humans.

Especially if the comparison was between an ancient book expert like Gadena, versed in every piece of ancient knowledge, and a young human who answered questions with vulgar jokes, the choice should have been obvious.

And yet, for some reason, the tome seemed to prefer Lysir over Gadena.

“...”

One of the unexpected guests, the elf Gadena, for the first time, looked curiously at the young human man.

After a moment of observation, she concluded, “It must be a whimsical tome.”

While being at the late stage of the fourth level at such a young age was remarkable, that was all she found noteworthy.

There was no obvious reason for the tome to favor the man. Even looking at the woman beside him, Heynia, Gadena couldn’t see a reason for the tome’s choice.

Gadena rarely took interest in humans, but she had heard of Heynia. She was one of the most prominent figures publicly recognized by the Grey Tower, a prodigy who had reached her current level after just one year of formal magic training.

Such talent was impressive even among elves. And Heynia herself had said, “The knowledge granted by the tome through questions only allows a single page at most.”

Although Gadena didn’t know how long the man had been practicing magic, she was confident about one thing: his experience was surely longer than Heynia’s single year.

In light of that, the tome’s reaction to the man seemed more like whimsy than favoritism.

To avoid any misunderstandings, Gadena immediately shared her thoughts with the others. She wanted to prevent anyone from misinterpreting it as “The tome prefers humans over elves!”.

Given everyone’s awareness of Heynia’s talents, they would understand her point.

“...”
“...”
“...?”
  
Yet, for some reason, the response from the three was less than enthusiastic.

They exchanged uneasy glances.

“It does seem like favoritism…”
“Meltas, what do you mean by that?”
“…Nothing. Please, continue with your explanation.”
“…?”

Though Gadena was somewhat bothered by their reaction, she didn’t dwell on it.

After all, what could humans truly understand about spirits? What could they possibly know about magical tomes?

The dignified elf simply walked her own path.

“It’s not certain, but it seems like this tome was created by a mage from the ancient order, Dalatzan.”

“Dalatzan?”

“Yes, a renowned magical society that flourished in ancient times.”

“How could you tell just by looking?”

“It’s the method it uses, granting knowledge through questions. Dalatzan would place such tomes in public libraries to seek out potential successors.”

“Choosing a successor through a method like that?”

“They were a group purely dedicated to the pursuit of magic in every sense.”

Gadena took the tome back from Lysir, opened it, and spoke.

“Am I wrong?”

<No, that’s correct. I didn’t expect anyone in this age to know of Dalatzan. As expected of an elf, your insight is deep.>

Gadena’s otherwise expressionless face showed a satisfied smile.

Based on her judgment, the tome possessed powers and a consciousness comparable to a mid-level spirit. And it didn’t even seem fully awakened yet.

To be acknowledged by such a tome was exhilarating, even for someone of Gadena’s caliber.

Feeling emboldened, Gadena continued.

“Tome, ask me another question.”

<You mentioned Dalatzan, so let’s see if you know this—tell me about La-Diman.>

“La-Diman… La-Diman…”

Gadena chewed over the word for a while before passing the tome back to Lysir and heading to the archives, searching through the shelves as if entranced.

“So… what exactly is La-Diman…?”

Without any excuse or explanation, Lysir muttered wistfully at the sight of Gadena’s clear-cut indifference.

“Lysir, did you know? For Gadena, this level of attention is akin to royal treatment.”

“Maybe if it were just me, but even with two masters and a noble like Heynia present, this level of disregard… Her contempt for humanity is truly unwavering. You almost have to respect it.”

“Hey!”

At that moment, something seemed to occur to Heynia, and she asked Lysir.

“That answer just now—why did you answer it that way?”

“The answer just now?”

“Counting the legs of a horse from a distance. Wouldn’t most people say there are two?”

Seeing a horse’s legs from afar as two was a famous saying and riddle among mages, though Lysir was unfamiliar with it.

“Why would it be two…?”

“What are you saying? Of course, it’s two. So why did you say five?”

Heynia demanded with a mix of frustration and curiosity. She believed that the tome’s positive reaction to Lysir’s answer must contain a hidden wisdom she had missed.

Lysir hadn’t realized how high Heynia’s evaluation of him had risen after their duel.

“...”

Lysir avoided Heynia’s gaze.

How could he tell her the truth? That the hidden meaning she sought was, in fact, a low-brow joke, something a noble like her would find improper to even utter.

“Of all things, that’s the only answer that came to mind…”

Lysir silently berated himself. Heynia’s pure reaction was somehow more unsettling than overt contempt.

“What? Why are you ignoring me?”

“...Heynia.”

Unable to hold back, Marina stepped in and explained the truth to her student.

Heynia, who usually understood ten things when taught one in magic, required a lengthy explanation this time to grasp the joke’s true meaning. When she finally understood, her refined face turned bright red.

“Oh… so that’s one way to think of it! How… clever and witty!”

Embarrassed yet struggling to maintain her composure, she put on a brave front, unwilling to let her rival see her ignorance in that area.

But, of course, it was far too late for that.

An awkward silence settled over the room for a while.

“Anyway—”

In an attempt to clear the air, Lysir spoke up.

“Why did the tome favor me, I wonder? Could it really just be whimsy? Heynia, have you seen it behave this way before?”

“Whimsy…? I suppose. But it’s the first time I’ve seen a tome so pleased.”

“Lysir, if you’re curious, why not ask it directly? It’s in your hands, after all.”

“Oh… can I open it as I please?”

“It’s yours now; there’s no need to hesitate.”

“I didn’t mean it like that—”

Lysir tightened his grip on the tome.

Initially, he’d sensed only a faint, ominous aura, but it was growing stronger.

‘Damn… Is this thing actually dangerous?’

Realizing the weight of his discovery, Lysir decided to share what he’d felt with the others.

“What? An ominous aura… Are you saying the tome could be related to dark magic?”

The mention of dark magic instantly sobered Marina.

“Why would such an item be in our family’s archives…?”

Heynia couldn’t conceal her shock either.

“Dark magic… is that… alright?”

Their surprise only grew when Meltas reacted nonchalantly.

“Did you just say, ‘It’s alright because it’s dark magic?’”

If not for her long-standing acquaintance with Meltas, Marina might have questioned his morals right then and there. His casual response seemed more fitting for a dark mage unafraid of curses.

“Hm? Oh.”

Seeing their reactions, Meltas smiled knowingly.

“Ah, you don’t know yet.”

“Don’t know what? That you used to be a dark mage?”

“Don’t be absurd.”

Meltas gestured at Lysir as if introducing a masterpiece.

“Dark magic is nothing to worry about, at least as long as this young man is around.”

“…?”

“…?”

Marina and Heynia exchanged bewildered glances.

Dark magic was one of the most dangerous, malevolent, and mysterious forces in existence. It was impossible to fully grasp, and thus nearly impossible to defend against.

The more one knew, the more cautious and fearful they became.

They couldn’t understand why Meltas, a mage as knowledgeable as he was, seemed so unconcerned.

And what was even stranger—he attributed his confidence to Lysir?

“Yes, Meltas. If you haven’t lost your mind, I’d appreciate an explanation.”

“Haha. You’ll be surprised. Prepare yourself.”

Puffing up with pride, Meltas began to speak, exuding an air of boastfulness.

“…He defeated a necromancer?”

Necromancers, wielders of death, manipulated it to serve their purposes. Even the collective strength of the tower’s masters couldn’t guarantee victory against such beings.

And yet, here was this young mage, having defeated one.

“You expect me to believe that?”

“Seeing is believing, as they say, and I witnessed it myself.”

“…”

“Lysir has a special ability.”

“A special ability…?”

“Yes

, he exerts an absolute influence over negative energies. He used that power to banish a necromancer from this world and even identified Tulan, the dark mage who mocked the tower and its masters. I believe this unique power is Lysir’s essence.”

With Marina and Heynia reeling in confusion—

Lysir leaned close to Meltas and whispered cautiously.

—Master Meltas, weren’t we told not to disclose that event?

That figure, of course, was none other than Salana, the master of the Assassin’s Guild.

Another terrifying entity whose promise had to be honored.

—Technically, we were told not to mention *her* specifically.

—...

Lysir watched in amazement as Meltas recklessly bragged, risking much for another’s glory.

“…”

Marina, equally taken aback, looked at Meltas with disbelief. Normally strict and composed, Meltas seemed utterly transformed.

‘Come to think of it… That boy was the one who resolved the Tulan incident.’

Eventually, Meltas won her over, and she crossed her arms with a resigned expression.

“So… what now? Are you suggesting Lysir’s ability could purify the tome?”

“Lysir, do you think you can?”

After a brief hesitation, Lysir nodded and opened the tome once more.

As Lysir reopened the tome, words appeared across its pages in a style that seemed part-insult, part-riddle.

──────────  
**[Title: When Will My Fate Quest Unlock?]**  
Content: So far, I've unlocked up to page 14…  
- : Yup, once you get to page 21, a special trait appears, and that's when the Fate Quest starts.  
- [Author]: Ugh, why do I still have half left?  
- [Author]: What's the max pages you can unlock per question?  
- : I think it's 2 pages max.  
- : Actually, 2 pages max is only if your main trait is S-grade. If both your main and secondary traits are S-grade, you can unlock up to 3 pages.  
- : I saw someone confirm it with screenshots.  
- : Jeez, both traits at S-grade? This game is wild.  
- : For real, must be an insane game.  
──────────

──────────  
**[Title: Trait Granted by the Asking Tome]**  
Content: Ancient Heart  
Should I really get rid of this?  
Using it, the magic boost is no joke.  
- : Sure, your magic power gets boosted, but have you thought about your life getting "boosted" out of existence?  
- : Don’t delete it; keep using it and see what happens.  
- [Author]: Seriously curious, what happens?  
- : All your magic traits disappear, leaving just that one.  
- : And then the tome takes it back.  
- [Author]: Ugh, Ancient Heart? More like Ancient Parasite.  
──────────

──────────  
**[Title: Damn You, Asking Tome!]**  
Content: For a brief moment, I trusted you like a friend. But you suddenly planted this “Ancient Magic” parasite in me, saying, “If you want to live, you better nurture it.” What a joke.  
- : I’d seen screenshots of the tome being cold to low-grade players and thought it was just rude, but then it started treating me nicely, and I got attached. When it turned around and treated me like a parasite host, I felt the betrayal deeply.  
- : Yeah, of course it was friendly; it needs you for nutrients.  
- : Who trusts kindness in this game?  
- : Kindness = backstabbing warning. Time to learn that lesson.  
──────────

──────────  
**[Title: So What’s the Deal with the Asking Tome?**  
Content: Why does it use humans as hosts to grow its magic?  
- : That’s its creator’s command: “Advance magic.” When it couldn’t boost magic on its own, it started using human bodies.  
- [Author]: Artificially…”  
──────────

──────────  

Gadena’s hand, which held the tome, trembled as she read the unfamiliar language of these bizarre entries, almost like a strange modern diary.

“La-Diman…”

The mention of La-Diman took Gadena on a mental journey to an ancient faction within Dalatzan.

That faction practiced every form of power: orthodox magic, white magic, elemental summoning—and even dark magic, blood magic, and curses.

They were madmen, willing to use any means necessary to advance magic.

This tome, brought here by humans, was one of their twisted creations. What catastrophe might occur if someone accepted the knowledge and power within?

“This is no object for a mere fourth-level mage…”

She glanced around urgently, her gaze sharpening as she remembered that she’d left the tome with the human man.

The elf bolted out of the archives and raced back to the others, eyes wide as she saw the human opening the tome.

“No! Close it immediately!”

Her cry was echoed by an unexpected ally.

<Close it!!!>

It was the tome itself.

<That’s my mana! It’s my mana, I tell you!>

The tome shrieked like a victim being robbed, while Lysir, abruptly crossing into the domain of the fifth-level, stood there, enveloped in the tome’s surging power.

Gadena couldn’t begin to fathom what had transpired in her absence.