The Heart of a Mage
[Support Magic: Magic String]
A thread of light extended from Tyrbaen's hand and wrapped tightly around my ankle.
Then Kals gripped the other end with both hands.
That was my lifeline.
Once I went down there, there would be no way back up—
not unless one could use flight magic.
A powerful mana field covered the entire area, making even communication magic impossible.
So we decided on the simplest plan—
to pull me up exactly on time.
"Kals, three minutes. No matter what happens, you pull me up after three minutes. Got it?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Determination burned on Kals' face as he nodded firmly.
Tyrbaen wore a similarly grave expression.
"I'll cast a defensive spell on you, but what matters most is your mind. Keep reminding yourself that everything you see is an illusion. Do not falter! Understand?"
[Blessing Magic: Steadfast Will]
Shsssss…
The magic flowed from her and circled above my head, radiating a refreshing energy.
It would give me at least some resistance against the illusions I'd face within the flames.
"Alright then. I'm going in. Three minutes, Kals. Remember that."
Both of them nodded.
And without hesitation, I stepped off the platform and dove into the sea of fire below.
The crimson waves surged like the flames of hell.
I clenched my teeth as I plunged toward them.
'…That face I saw earlier.'
It felt familiar.
Too fleeting to place, but I was certain I'd seen it somewhere before.
What kind of illusions were waiting for me down there?
The thought filled me with dread.
But I forced myself to focus.
"It's all an illusion."
Just as Tyrbaen had told me—
I held onto my sanity and dove deeper.
All of this was…
"Nothing but illusion!"
***
Thick darkness blanketed everything around me.
"…Huh?"
I blinked and looked around in confusion.
I'd just entered the sea of flames within the lair—
but this wasn't the scene I remembered.
'Where am I?'
According to the original, I should've seen a faint outline of the ancients' laboratory through a red mist.
Instead, everything was pitch-black,
with only a dim light illuminating the space around me.
It felt like standing on a darkened stage holding a single candle.
'So it's different from the original, after all.'
Because it's the beta version?
I couldn't be sure.
I'd never actually reached this lair during beta testing.
'Still, even if it's beta, the general structure shouldn't have changed.'
Maybe they just added new visual effects during the full release.
And though the nightmares were said to be more intense here—
"…It's still just illusion."
I repeated it under my breath and started walking.
Three minutes.
That was all I had before Kals would pull me out.
So I needed to find what I came for before that time was up.
It was dark, but at least the terrain was exactly as I remembered.
'Right here.'
I entered a hollow chamber shaped like a massive tomb.
Amidst ancient devices whose purposes I couldn't guess,
a few sheets of paper lay scattered on the floor.
They looked like nothing more than discarded scraps—
But this was it.
The grimoire.
The pinnacle of Non-Elemental Magic Theory—
'Zero Magic.'
Shff.
As soon as I picked up the pages, a system message appeared.
[You have acquired the technical book 'Intermediate Zero Magic Theory'!]
***
[Comprehensive Skill] [A-rank]
A record left behind by ancient scholars who first encountered untamed mana at the dawn of magic.
A form of attribute-less magic that pursues pure dynamics.
Special: Cannot be learned if any other elemental magic has already been mastered.
***
'…Perfect.'
Finally, freedom from my cursed magic block!
Without hesitation, I activated the grimoire.
"Intermediate Zero Magic Theory—learn."
The parchment pages rose before my eyes, glowing faintly.
A subtle current of mana began to flow—
a sensation I hadn't felt once since arriving in this world.
Tsutsutsutsu…
The glowing sheets circled me, their energy spiraling outward.
It was as though they were inspecting me—
checking whether I'd ever learned any other type of magic.
I chuckled.
"Go ahead, take a look. You won't find a Mana Heart purer or more innocent than mine."
…Well, except for the part that's cursed with magic immunity.
The grimoire's movement quickened, spinning faster as it created a new current.
It centered right over my heart—
injecting mana directly toward it.
[You have learned the Comprehensive Skill 'Intermediate Zero Magic' from the technical book 'Intermediate Zero Magic Theory'!]
Everything seemed to be going smoothly—
Until another message appeared.
[Hidden Unique Trait 'Magic Immunity' detected!]
[Unique Trait 'Magic Immunity' is obstructing skill acquisition!]
A searing pain tore through me instantly.
"AAAAAAAHHH!"
It was the same piercing agony I'd felt back at the abandoned monastery,
when Tyrbaen had jabbed my mana core with her magic needle—
Only now, it was ten times worse.
The pain struck straight through my chest, right where my heart was.
The meaning was clear.
'The mana of Zero Magic is attacking my Magic Immunity trait.'
But how?
Let's think—what is magic immunity, really?
To understand that, I had to consider the nature of immunity itself.
It's like a vaccine—
the body creating antibodies to resist infection.
In this case, it meant my Mana Heart had its own "counterforce"
that nullified any foreign magical influence the instant it appeared.
'A powerful inner defense that renders all elemental mana useless.'
But if a mana force existed that ignored those rules—
Then, to my Magic Immunity, that would be an enemy it had never encountered before.
That was what Non-Elemental, or Zero Magic, truly was.
Because of that clash, my Mana Heart convulsed violently—
as if it were about to shatter.
This was pain beyond needles.
"Ghhhhhkk—!"
Had three minutes passed yet?
It felt like it had.
I already had the grimoire in hand.
At this point, I'd rather grab Kals by the head and get pulled up than writhe here in agony.
"Gods, this hurts like hell!"
And then—
"…Does it hurt that much?"
A low voice came from above me.
I froze—
and saw a dark silhouette bending over me.
"…!"
Even through the unbearable agony, I forced my eyes open.
The pain had been maddening only a second ago—
but now, I couldn't feel it at all.
"Wh–Who's there?!"
Instinctively, I grabbed my sword hilt and trembled.
The shadow glaring at me burst into a wild, twisted laugh.
"Who else? Your master, of course."
My master?
Who in this world would dare call themselves the master of the Third Prince of the Magic Empire?
I was about to draw my sword and cleave the insolent man in two—
—but then I saw his face.
And froze.
"Your Majesty…?"
"Yes. It's me, Gilroshan."
That face—
was none other than the Emperor of Vareshan.
My father.
The sovereign of the Empire.
The greatest mage across the entire continent.
Vareshan Carlo de Valt.
His crimson eyes—identical to mine—gleamed with a mocking smile.
Before I knew it, my mouth was moving on its own.
"With these foolish and unworthy eyes, I humbly behold His Majesty, merciful and exalted, guardian of all arcane power—"
I was reciting the old imperial etiquette—
lines I couldn't even consciously remember.
And with graceful motion, I rose and bowed deeply.
It wasn't me doing this.
My body moved like a puppet on strings.
I could feel everything—yet I couldn't stop it.
The Emperor laughed cruelly.
"Enough. Be silent. Your voice irritates me."
At once, my mouth snapped shut.
And my mind began to unravel in panic.
What the hell was going on?
A moment ago, I'd been struggling with the Zero Magic Theory—
Now the Emperor had appeared out of nowhere,
and I couldn't even move my body.
'And where… is this?'
The surroundings had changed entirely.
The Emperor and I were now standing in an opulent hall—
like the very heart of the Imperial Palace.
Then it hit me like cold water.
The palace…?
Don't tell me—
'Is this one of the illusions… the Phantom Flames of the lair?'
The ones I'd dreaded so much—
the grotesque nightmares from the original story?
But no—this wasn't that.
'It's showing me Gilroshan's memories?'
That realization was shocking… but oddly relieving.
This was far better than being torn apart by zombies.
In fact, thanks to this illusion, the searing pain in my heart had vanished completely.
All I had to do was hold out for three minutes.
Then Kals would pull me back up.
Still…
'How am I seeing Gilroshan's memories?'
Was it because I was inside his body?
Some kind of echo engraved in the soul?
As that uneasy thought passed through my mind—
"I heard about earlier today," said the Emperor, lips curling into a sharp smile.
"You dared to challenge the Crown Prince?"
I blinked in disbelief.
'Challenge the Crown Prince?'
I'd never heard of that before.
The First Prince, Lucashan, was six years older than Gilroshan.
But to challenge him?
Not in the main game, not in the lorebook, not in any of the short stories had that ever been mentioned.
'What kind of challenge? A duel? Maybe a noble's duel?'
Then the illusion—my body—answered for me.
"His Highness the Crown Prince was gracious enough to overlook my insolence, Your Majesty."
"Overlooked you? In the end, you won, didn't you?"
"It was merely a game, sire."
"Fool. You take me for an idiot? Decachess isn't just a game."
'Decachess!'
The complex board game played with ten pairs of pieces.
To ordinary players, it was just a minigame—
but to Imperial nobles, it was sacred tradition.
A ritual inherited from their ancient founders—
a test of accelerated thought and instantaneous decision-making through the use of mana.
Within the Empire, Decachess skill was a matter of pride—
and for royal heirs, it could even determine their standing in the line of succession.
So the Crown Prince letting him win?
Impossible.
'Wait, what?!'
Gilroshan had defeated the Crown Prince in Decachess?!
The more I thought about it, the more incredible it seemed.
If Gilroshan had been the Second Prince with a solid faction behind him—
'Then every noble and minister in the court would have rallied to reconsider the succession!'
That was a perfectly reasonable conclusion.
And judging by the Emperor's expression, he was thinking the same thing.
He tilted his head and said coldly,
"I'll give you one chance—right now—to explain yourself."
"…Pardon, Your Majesty? Explain what?"
"Why did you do it? Do you covet the title of Crown Prince?"
"No, sire. I had no such insolent ambition…"
My mouth—acting on its own—tried to reason with the Emperor's overwhelming pressure.
Meanwhile, I—the observer—was wondering:
'Why is this an illusion of pain?'
Why was I being shown this scene, of all things, by a torment spell meant to shatter the mind?
…And what did the Emperor's first words—"Does it hurt that much?"—really mean?
I was about to find out.
"Enough! Shut up, you wretched fool. Every word you speak is a pathetic excuse."
The Emperor's red eyes gleamed savagely.
"You do covet the crown. You just lack the honesty to admit it. Lying to my face, hiding your greed—disgusting."
"…!"
"I'll admit, your talent is remarkable. You might even have potential. But I have no intention of changing the succession. Why? Because it would annoy me."
He growled like a maddened beast—
and pointed directly at my chest.
"I've just placed a magical seal on your Mana Heart. You'll never again harbor such foolish ambitions."
The pain hit all at once.
"AAAAAAHH! NOOOO!"
It was as if my mind went blank, seared white by agony.
I lunged at the Emperor, screaming—
But he tossed me aside effortlessly and turned his back.
"Do not bother me again, worthless trash."
And at that exact moment—
Something yanked hard at my ankle.
The lifeline.
Kals was pulling me back.
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