Lencar woke before sunrise, the air inside Rebecca's home cool and silent. The faint sound of the river outside filtered through the half-open window. For once, he didn't immediately reach for his grimoire. Instead, he stared at the faint golden light beginning to stretch across the wooden ceiling.
He had a plan.
And for the first time in a long while, it didn't involve devouring anything.
He sat at the kitchen table, wearing his usual simple cloak, a half-empty cup of tea beside him. His gaze drifted over the parchment scattered around him — hand-drawn maps, diagrams of mana conduits, and lists of rare magical reagents.
On one map, the name Kiten Dungeon was circled in dark ink.
His notes beneath it read:
Dungeon Classification: Mid-tier; ancient Clover Kingdom ruin.
Expected Defenses: Traps (mana-reactive), elemental arrays, golem sentinels.
Potential Loot: Forgotten grimoires, arcane relics, research documents from the old Clover Mage Academy.
Status: Set to be explored by Golden Dawn and Magic Knights soon.
Objective: Enter first. Leave no trace.
He leaned back, exhaling.
"It's going to be chaos once the Magic Knights find it," he muttered. "Perfect timing for me to slip in before that happens."
The Valenlink Crystal pulsed once — the faint blue light hovering near his right shoulder.
> "Mana stability in your Spatial Core: 82%. Dimensional compression remains within tolerance."
Lencar smirked. "I told you, I improved it last night. You worry too much."
> "Recalibrating worry parameters…"
He laughed quietly. "Don't get sarcastic with me."
The crystal fell silent.
Rebecca entered the room, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Her hair was tied loosely, and she was still in her apron, clearly half awake. "You're up early again. What are you working on this time?"
Lencar looked up from his papers. "Just... preparing a little trip. Something I have to do before the Magic Knights crowd the place."
"Another one of your... 'research trips,' huh?" she said, crossing her arms but smiling.
"Exactly. This one's near the northern border — Kiten. Old ruins, left from before the kingdoms split. I need to confirm something about ancient mana flows."
Rebecca leaned on the table, glancing at his sketches. "You always say that like you're going to take a stroll through a meadow, but last time you came home with burn marks and soot all over your coat."
"That was controlled experimentation," he protested lightly.
"Controlled?" she laughed. "You blew up the backyard."
He gave a sheepish smile. "Science demands sacrifice."
Rebecca rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Fine. Just don't vanish for weeks again without telling me. The kids ask about you all the time now."
That caught him off guard for a second — the idea that someone might miss him.
"I'll be back before they realize I'm gone," he said finally, standing and stretching. "And I'll bring them something cool from the ruins."
"Something that doesn't explode," she said pointedly.
"No promises," he grinned.
Later that day, after helping Rebecca with deliveries and fixing a broken door hinge in the bakery, Lencar finally returned to his hidden workspace — the abandoned underground chamber beneath the small town's edge.
It was quiet except for the low hum of magical instruments. The six treasures from the Kiten treasury hovered before him, arranged on a rune-inscribed platform. Their faint glow illuminated the stone walls.
He'd named them now — each one cataloged and tested.
1. Crimson Starburst Orbs (x3) — explosive treasures forged from condensed flame runes. Activation: "Ignis Collapsus." Controlled detonation range: 20 meters.
2. Obsidian Fang Gauntlet (Offensive Type I) — a black metal glove that channels offensive mana as kinetic bursts.
3. Radiant Mirror Blade (Offensive Type II) — a crystalline dagger capable of redirecting spells of equal or lesser tier.
4. Echo Crystal Lens (Communication Type) — allows mana-encoded communication with any marked individual within 300 miles.
He lifted the Echo Lens, inspecting the faint flicker of blue light inside. It was beautiful — and far more sophisticated than he expected.
"Hmm… if I can decode its rune architecture, I could pair it with my reverse replication spell," he murmured. "Imagine—grimoires that can communicate across dimensions."
He chuckled to himself, placing it back. "Later. For now, the dungeon."
He turned toward the far wall where his grimoire hovered, open to several blank pages. He touched one lightly, focusing. A faint shimmer appeared — the runes of Reverse Replication forming at the edges.
He whispered: "Still too unstable for mass use… but if I can link the new grimoire through spatial layering, maybe I could create a temporary copy for recon."
The Valenlink Crystal flickered.
> "Attempting to reverse-layer grimoire fragments will require a triple mana partition. Estimated stability: 43%."
Lencar smirked. "Forty-three? That's better than half of my ideas."
He tore a page free — the soft sound echoing in the chamber. The air rippled as mana swirled around him. With deliberate precision, he began constructing the spell circle for a replicated scouting grimoire.
"[Reverse Replication: Spatial Projection]."
The blank page absorbed his mana, forming the faint image of a smaller grimoire — a temporary construct tied to his spatial awareness.
It shimmered in his palm like liquid light, then solidified into a thin, white-bound grimoire with no insignia.
"Perfect," he murmured, grinning. "This one will scout the dungeon for me before I even step foot inside."
He closed his hand, and the temporary grimoire dissolved into mana threads that sank into his body. He could feel the link forming, like a phantom limb connected through pure magic.
"Beautiful. This'll make sneaking into Kiten so much easier."
He grabbed his cloak, securing the Obsidian Fang Gauntlet onto his right hand and the Echo Lens around his neck. Then he opened his grimoire once more.
"Let's begin preparations."
The floor glowed beneath him as he cast:
> "[Spatial Magic: Dimensional Storage Expansion]."
The air shimmered as his personal space dimension expanded from fifty cubic meters to nearly double that. Inside, he organized the treasures, gold, and equipment neatly — the mark of someone who planned to be gone for a while.
When he finally stepped back, the underground chamber was silent again. He looked at his reflection in the Radiant Mirror Blade — tired eyes, but alive with purpose.
Tomorrow, he would leave for Kiten.
A smile crept across his face. "Let's see what secrets you're hiding, old dungeon."
He closed the blade, stored his treasures, and vanished into the night — leaving only a faint shimmer in the air where his portal closed behind him.