On the third floor of the Adventurers' Guild—Sid's office.
The entire floor was enveloped in soundproofing magic, making it exceptionally quiet. The noise from downstairs couldn't penetrate at all; only the faint scratch, scratch of Assistant Gina's pen against paper could be heard.
Stella sat properly on the sofa. In front of her was a cup of steaming black tea—and the reassembled silver shield.
"Unfortunately, there's no trace of magical power left in it. Even if it's repaired, it's just an ordinary shield now."
Sid shook his head. After listening to Stella's account of the battle against the "Lunar Queen," and being something of a magic expert himself, he had naturally been very interested in Thops's Barrier—and the shield imbued with that spell.
Seeing that it could no longer recover its former power, he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.
But since the painting fragments could be obtained again—and Stella had already explained how to get them—it was only a matter of time before a new painting could be completed.
When that time came, Sid decided he would personally enter and witness for himself what this so-called "barrier that deflects gods" truly looked like.
It would surely be a scene worthy of myth.
At that moment, Gina set down her pen and stretched her shoulders.
"The background information on the new area, 'Liurnia of the Lakes,' has been compiled."
"Good," Sid said, tapping the wooden armrest. "Please read it aloud."
"Alright." Gina flipped to the first page and put on her glasses.
"At some unknown point in time, in a place called the 'Lands Between,' the earliest sorcerers observed a meteor shower in the mountains. From this, they developed star-based magic and established the Raya Lucaria Academy of Magic, governed by the Carian royal family."
"However, the magic brought by the stars carried hidden dangers. Excessive exposure to the origin of the stars could bring harm—even physical mutation—to sorcerers. Master sorcerers Azur and Lusat were expelled from the academy for delving too deeply into the primeval current. Their follower, the sorceress Sellen, who also pursued the origin, was likewise hunted by the academy."
"As the academy's power grew, the academy faction rose, and tensions with the royal family escalated into war. The victor is unknown, but since Queen Rennala, the Lunar Queen, remained at the academy, it may suggest the royal family ultimately prevailed."
"During—or perhaps after—the war, the academy sealed its gates. In the process, no one noticed that an ordinary sorcerer named Thops was unable to return."
"One day, a being known as a Tarnished—called 'White Wolf' by Miss Stella due to his attire—encountered Thops. They studied magic together, formed a deep bond, and eventually found the key that allowed Thops to return to the academy."
"After parting with Thops, the White Wolf met Sellen and continued studying magic under her. He later conquered the academy, clearing Sellen's name. Afterward, Sellen returned to the academy and became an instructor."
"It was likely during this return that the White Wolf discovered Thops, who had died while pursuing magical research. He obtained Thops's legendary spell, used it to humiliate the academy, and—during a battle against what appeared to be a divine being—used Thops's Barrier to deflect the god's attack, fully proving the greatness of Thops's final work."
"Afterward, the White Wolf became the so-called 'Elden Lord,' whose meaning remains unclear. Together with the Lunar Princess Ranni, he took away the Lunar Queen and vanished, 'bringing a brief peace to the world.'"
"These are the conclusions drawn from currently available information…"
Gina lowered the document slightly.
"The timeline is pieced together from fragmented sources—weapon, equipment, and magic descriptions, testimonies from instructors, and so on."
"In short, it's a reconstruction from scattered clues."
"There are still many unanswered questions—what exactly the 'Elden Lord' refers to, what 'peace' means, and the mysterious 'thing' repeatedly mentioned behind the instructors' portraits."
"Isn't it just Thops's Barrier?" Stella asked.
Sid shook his head.
"Based on what we currently know, the academy already possesses techniques like Carian Retaliation and Rennala's Full Moon to deal with magic. If that's the case, Thops's Barrier alone shouldn't have been enough to cause the academy to seal itself off."
"So either it has unknown functions… or 'that thing' refers to something else entirely. I'm more inclined toward the latter."
Stella sighed helplessly.
"Researching this stuff is such a hassle…"
"But that's where the fun lies." Sid took a sip of tea. "Thank you for the information. As for your request… are you truly prepared?"
"My mental strength is solid. Go ahead without worry."
Stella smiled casually.
"It might sound a bit silly, but I really want my teacher to become famous—ah, I mean, I want Thops to be known. I want people to see what he created. His talent shouldn't end the way it did."
"Forgive me for saying this, but emotionally immersing yourself in a painting-world projection may not be a good thing."
"Doesn't matter. I 'personally' witnessed Thops's story, and I used his power at the end. That makes him my teacher—and me his student. There's nothing wrong with that."
"…Very well. We'll proceed as you wish."
Sid didn't argue further and instead turned to Gina.
"Prepare the ritual—memory extraction."
Memory extraction magic—a high-risk, high-skill spell that could extract a segment of memory and store it as a visual recording within a recording crystal.
Only a handful of mages with exceptional precision and talent could use it. It also required strong mental resilience from the subject—if they failed to endure the process, it could result in failure… or even paralysis.
Because of this, it had limited practical use.
But Stella had absolute confidence in her mental strength—and in Sid's mastery of magic.
More importantly—
She couldn't wait any longer.
She wanted people to see what happened in the painting world. She had no patience to wait for someone else to gather the fragments again.
At this moment, her mindset was probably no different from someone who, after witnessing Artorias's story, couldn't wait to tell it to others.
She had completely embraced her identity as "Thops's student."
One day later, a recording titled "The Barrier That Defies Gods" appeared in the City. Released under the guild's name, it was sold alongside instructions for obtaining the related painting fragments.
Two days later, its spread exploded. People rushed to buy blank recording crystals to copy the footage, causing a citywide shortage.
Three days later, newspapers swarmed like sharks sensing blood, publishing story after story about Thops. A wave of popularity rivaling that of Artorias surged, and the recording began spreading beyond the city.
Four days later, every region fully influenced by the Sein Dungeon had received the recording. Due to the shortage of crystals, public screenings began. Trade caravans urgently restocked, while the Bedford family had already started producing related merchandise.
Five days later, Thops became a household name. "The Barrier That Defies Gods" became one of the most frequently mentioned phrases.
Six days later, in Springday City's Cangyin Dungeon, a traveling couple accidentally dropped a recording crystal containing Thops's story. It was picked up by the city lord, Hainis.
"What's this? A recording from the Sein Dungeon? Let's see!"
"This bald guy is the main character? He looks kind of weak… what's this about?"
"He actually seems like a really nice person… just a bit too insecure. I'd be happy to have a teacher like that…"
"Waaah… Teacher, why did you have to go…"
"Whoa! So cool! Teacher's magic humiliated that great being!"
Hainis's reaction was practically identical to everyone else who had watched it.
It had become almost formulaic.
The vivid blue barrier and the golden meteor—
Those were the most unforgettable images.
A world-destroying meteor, deflected by an unassuming barrier.
Human wisdom, rejecting divine power.
Those who dug deeper into the dungeon's mechanics discovered something even more shocking:
The barrier had very low requirements.
Its Ash of War version could be used by anyone—even a farmer in the fields could deflect a noble mage's proud spells… even a god's magic!
That was the true greatness of Thops's Barrier—
Human wisdom had triumphed.
Perhaps it was precisely because Thops wasn't exceptionally talented that he created something ordinary people could use.
Compared to Carian Retaliation or Full Moon, which required genius-level ability—
His creation belonged to everyone.
Once this realization spread, Thops's fame extended beyond adventurers.
Commoners embraced him even more.
Someone even painted a scene of the barrier clashing against the Elden Beast—but replaced the hero with Thops himself.
Hopefully, the Elden Lord wouldn't mind such a small alteration.
In just seven days, Thops had risen to become a new star, rivaling the long-established Abyss Watchers.
But where there is joy, there is also discontent.
"What 'barrier that deflects gods'? Nonsense!"
Religious organizations—especially those devoted to deities—reacted strongly. They saw this as undermining divine authority.
Even the Fire Church, which worshipped Gwyn, felt uneasy.
Mages, too, felt offended.
Ever since the barrier became famous, the way people looked at them had subtly changed—almost as if they were being looked down upon.
Damn it. So what if the barrier can deflect magic? You don't even have it—what gives you the right to look down on us?
Conflicts began to arise.
Ironically, this only boosted the Sein Dungeon's popularity.
And around the city, a black-haired, black-eyed young shopkeeper could often be seen stirring up arguments—practically acting as an instigator.
All of this perfectly aligned with Stella's expectations.
In recent days, she had temporarily left the elves' group and instead acted as a "Warrior of Sunlight" in Liurnia of the Lakes.
Her goal?
Helping others obtain the Painting Fragments.
After all, simply watching the extracted memory wasn't enough.
Only by witnessing the story firsthand could one truly feel its impact.
And today—
One of the people she helped had finally gathered all the fragments and entered the painting world.
It was Sword Saint Gapar.
Sein Dungeon, the Academy Gate Town.
Clang, clang—
The sound of hammering came from next door.
Inside a nearby house, Stella and Gapar sat on the floor. He held a silver shield in his arms—a sign he had already entered the painting world.
"Have you used the Larval Tear yet, Mr. Gapar?" Stella asked with a smile. "Should I start calling you a master mage now?"
Gapar waved his hand, his expression complicated.
"No… I haven't used it yet. It's hard to explain… my feelings are a bit strange. Especially…"
He tapped the silver shield and sighed.
"After seeing all that… magic doesn't feel that cool anymore."
After witnessing the White Wolf tear through the academy using the barrier—deflecting all those flashy spells—and even facing the Elden meteor at the end…
Gapar's admiration for magic had been completely shattered.
Along with his longing.
Flashy long-range spells could be deflected.
But simple, straightforward weapons formed by magic weren't affected.
After leaving the painting world, he spent an entire night staring at his Carian Greatsword and Gavel of Haima, deep in thought.
In the end, he had to admit—
"…I don't think I want to be a mage that much anymore."
His expression was a mix of disappointment, frustration… and an odd sense of relief.
Magic could be deflected.
But the swordsmanship and physical strength he had painstakingly trained could not.
Maybe…
Close combat was cooler after all.
Spells that could be deflected didn't feel very impressive anymore.
Seeing his expression, Stella almost burst out laughing.
It might sound a bit mean, but she felt oddly satisfied—who would've thought Thops's Barrier would pull a would-be mage Sword Saint back onto the "right path"?
"No matter what, thank you for your help," Gapar said sincerely. "If you hadn't told me, I probably never would've found the first fragment… or seen such an incredible sight."
"So, are you staying here longer? I heard you came to the dungeon for the Larval Tear," Stella asked.
"It's about time I leave. I've been here so long, I almost forgot my original goal."
Gapar smiled and shook his head.
"I'll still use the Larval Tear—raise my Intelligence a bit, learn a few spells. Consider it fulfilling a childhood dream. As for when I leave…"
He stretched his body, suddenly full of vigor again.
"I plan to help my dear students fulfill their dreams first. Once that's done—I'll go."
"Dreams?" Stella tilted her head.
Gapar raised a few fingers.
"Leon wants to hunt a Golden Lion. Maru wants a pair of beautiful twin blades. Drew wants to exchange for Force Burst from the Endless Cycle. Terl wants a good warhammer."
"And Darrick… that kid wears his heart on his sleeve. He came to me not long ago."
The Sword Saint smiled kindly—like a true mentor thinking of his students.
"He asked me to go with him…"
"To grant the Abyss Watchers a peaceful end."