“It’s up to you whether you believe it or not.” Victor snorted. To him, she was still a frog trapped in a well, unable to see the world beyond.
“If you’re not lying, then prove it. Right here. Right now.” She tapped her desk impatiently.
Victor merely shook his head. “I won’t. But by assisting KuroUsagi and his friends, you will naturally come to realize the truth. What you choose to do after learning about it will be your decision. Of course, I hope that when the time comes, we can continue and even expand our cooperation.”
Auralise was no ordinary business partner. She owned a massive multi-billion-dollar corporation, and her family was rumored to be of noble lineage. Whether in politics or finance, there was no better candidate than her to extend Victor’s influence on Earth. At the same time, however, her independence made her difficult to control — unlike KuroUsagi and his friends, who were far easier to guide.
Victor had no intention of resorting to extreme measures such as mind control or curse spells to force her compliance. That path was only for Victor’s worst enemies. Besides, she had been a staunch supporter since the early days of the game, back when it had barely gathered a few hundred players. For that reason alone, she deserved his respect, not his coercion.
Financially, Victor had inherited Thunder’s fortune. However, without anyone capable of managing it on the other side, the wealth amounted to little more than cold cash, scattered shares, and real estate he could not properly utilize. What he required now was something far beyond money alone.
For a few moments, Monica said nothing. Then, slowly, she released her clenched fists and exhaled. “Really… if this is some kind of bluff, it isn’t amusing. But at the same time, you don’t seem to be lying either.”
“If you believe I’m lying, you can simply cut off your support for them,” Victor replied evenly. “There’s no disadvantage to you in doing so. But if you choose to continue, then sooner or later you’ll discover the truth for yourself. I’d rather you hear it from me now.”
“So,” he added, “is it a deal or no deal?”
“Fine, it’s a deal.”
She leaned back in her chair, arms crossing once more as she studied him through the screen. “I’ll play along for now, Mr. Simon. But don’t think I’ll forget this conversation. If what you say turns out to be true… then you’re holding something far more valuable than any piece of technology. And that means that our cooperation will extend beyond just the game.”
Victor made a faint smile. “Perhaps. But that depends on how you choose to act when that time comes. I only hope you won’t go back on your word.”
“Well, that much is natural.” She gave a small nod before cutting the video connection.
For now, he had secured her cooperation. How things would unfold once she learned the game’s true secret was another matter entirely. Still, Victor believed Monica was not the type to go back on her promises. At the very least, she carried herself with enough pride to stand by her word, though as a businesswoman, he knew profit would always take precedence.
“Huh… since when did I start trusting people this easily again?” Victor muttered under his breath.
Caution had been his constant companion ever since the betrayal of his former comrades. Yet here he was, choosing to place some measure of faith in her. Maybe because, deep down, he wanted to believe that people from Earth, his former homeland, were more trustworthy than those here in Seraphia.
“Master, that sure is one risky gamble you took,” Lizbeth chimed in as she fluttered toward him.
“Well, there’s no venture without risk.” He shrugged. “Either you bite the bullet and accomplish great things, or you sit idle and watch opportunities slip away.”
“True.” She bobbed her head in agreement, then smirked. “You just sounded like a wise headmaster giving a lecture. Did you copy those words from somewhere else?”
“Anyway.” Victor ignored her teasing as he rose to his feet. He strode toward the tall bookshelves lining the side of the room and pulled one of the books, triggering the hidden passage to the basement. “I’ll be practicing the meditation technique in the meantime. You handle the players and the update. Inform me if anything urgent arises. Oh, and don’t forget to message KuroUsagi and inform him about his task that I’ve input into a note, as well as the fact that Auralise will help him.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Fine, fine. But I’m eating all your food, Master.” She stuck her tiny tongue out at him.
“Do whatever you like.”
It had not been long since Victor had ascended to the rank of Nexus Temporal Magus, and he still needed time to consolidate his newfound strength. Without full mastery, facing an Anchored or even an Attuned-stage Nexus Temporal Magus would leave him helpless, becoming nothing more than a sitting duck. Victory would be impossible without a complete understanding of his own power.
Victor sat in his meditation chamber with eyes closed, exhaling slowly as he steadied his breath and practiced the Omni-Elemental Fusion Method. The space around him warped, as though on the verge of collapse, before gradually returning to stillness.
He guided his consciousness inward. His soul sank deeper, slipping past the veil of his physical form until he touched an endless current that stretched beyond both time and space.
The Primordial Nexus.
It was not a place, but a realm — a boundless sea of origin where all mana and elemental particles flowed from, cascading into every world like rivers branching from a hidden spring. Its brilliance was indescribable, an ocean of shifting light and soundless thunder that pulsed with unfathomable power.
Victor willed his consciousness closer, attempting to peer into its structure, to glimpse the truths buried at the root of creation itself. For a fleeting instant, he succeeded at something that countless Nexus Temporal Magi dared not attempt. He saw spirals of infinite energy, eddies of law and order, fragments of power that predated even the oldest myths. His mind staggered beneath the sheer immensity.
And then, he saw it.
A presence, vast and unfathomable. Something that was not the Primordial Nexus, but the essence at its core. A titanic figure, seated cross-legged in the void. From its back rose sweeping, winglike structures that seemed woven of both light and shadow. A blazing sigil pulsed at its chest, while its faceless head split open with lines of radiant blue light, forming an eye that turned directly upon him.
That single glance crushed thought, will, and existence alike. No mistake, it was the Primordial One.
The contact lasted less than a heartbeat, yet it was enough to fill Victor with instant regret. In an instant, an intense agony seared through Victor’s soul.
“AAARGHHH!!” he screamed as his body convulsed in the basement chamber, blood spilling from his eyes, ears, and nose while the magic formation around him flickered violently. He wrenched his consciousness back with sheer force of will, gasping as if drowning.
His heart pounded violently, feeling it was about to burst from his chest. Even now, his mind trembled at the terrifying memory of what he had witnessed — an abyss without end, and the chilling certainty that it had seen him in return.
Victor wiped the blood from his lips with a trembling hand. “So… this is the danger of staring too deep… No wonder peering into the Primordial Nexus is deemed suicidal for Nexus Temporal Magi. Had I been a second slower, I might have lost my life.” His voice was hoarse, each word weighed down by the lingering dread.
If you look at the abyss, the abyss looks back at you.
It was indeed suicidal for Victor, a mere Nexus Temporal Magus, to gaze directly upon a godlike being such as the Primordial One. It was only through sheer will and a stroke of luck that he had managed to sever his connection to the Primordial Nexus in time and survive. Yet how could he fault himself for such curiosity? No Magus would willingly waste the chance to glimpse the truth behind creation itself when given the chance.
Shaking his head, Victor summoned his status screen through the Master Shadowlink Mark while uncorking healing potions to mend the internal injuries ravaging his body.
Victor Asteriscus
HP: 71%
MP: 10003/10003
Power Rank: Primal-stage Nexus Temporal Magus | Ki Sentinel
Elemental Affinity: Cosmo (99%) | Chrono (96%) | Anemo (82%) | Pyro (57%)
Dreamforce Affinity: 12%
Mana Aptitude: Inferior shining grade
Meditation Technique: Omni-Elemental Fusion Method (second level, first sub-level, 7%)
Breathing Technique: Harmonic Resonance Art (second level)
Status: Internally Injured
Strength: (60)
Agility: (61)
Vitality: (60)
Magical Power: (74)
Infused Mana (total): (9883 → 10003)
Spell Repertoire:
- Aleph: {Blink Step}, {Spatial Mirage}, {Slicing Wind}, {Zephyr Dash}, {Tempest Burst}, {Wind Guard}, {Flame Whip}, {Flame Dart}, {Flame Prison}, {Ember Shield}, {Heat Wave}, {Demonic Eye}
- Bet: {Warpblade}, {Prism Divide}, {Blink}, {Gap Hole}, {Ethereal State}, {Nova}, {Space Fold}, {Gravity Hammer}, {Time Reversal}, {Time Prison}, {Eyes of Space-Time}, {Volcanic Spear}, {Tempest Gale}, {Blazing Burst}, {Curse of Dreamland}, {Curse of Nightmare}, {Indomitable Will}, {Mind Programming}
- Gimmel: {Cosmo Lock}
About a week had passed since Victor promoted to Nexus Temporal Magus, and yet his arsenal of spells remained unchanged, particularly at the Gimmel tier. Unlike Aleph- and Bet-tier spells, Gimmel-tier spell models were exponentially harder to construct. Even upgrading Bet-tier spells to Gimmel-tier spells demanded tremendous effort.
With hundreds of high-end computers working nonstop to refine and upgrade spell models, it would likely take at least another week before any results surfaced. Still, Victor was not overly concerned. With the Merlin family now fallen, he finally had the time to consolidate his strength and gather power.
The surrounding Magus factions would tread carefully around his academy, fully aware of what had happened to the Merlin family, which was once one of the most renowned Magus families in the kingdom. As for the Arcane Radiance College, Victor was certain they would send a representative sooner rather than later. And when that time came, he intended to play coy, dragging out negotiations to buy himself as much time as possible.
“I just hope there won’t be any unexpected trouble ahead,” Victor muttered.
Alas, those words might have just spelled his doom soon enough.
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