The alarm blared, a maddening, repetitive chime that echoed off the cold stone walls of the underground Restricted Arcane Archives.
The cavernous space was not a library; it was a secure vault, filled with massive, metal-bound tomes and glowing crystalline data drives resting on stone pedestals.
Heuk-jae ignited his focused lamp. The beam sliced through the darkness, illuminating centuries of forbidden or dangerous research.
The Search and the Find
"We have seven minutes before the emergency lockdown seals off all internal movement," Heuk-jae said, his voice calm despite the sirens. "Eun-ji, the Master Zai Arcane Treatise."
Eun-ji, driven by a logical urgency, ignored the panic. She scanned the organizational method, noting that the archives were arranged not by topic, but by Proctor Seal signature.
"It must be near the Earth Seal pedestal," she deduced, rushing toward the section governed by Master Zai.
She found it almost instantly: a thick, unmarked leather volume, seemingly drab, resting conspicuously on a silver pedestal.
Eun-ji quickly opened the volume. It wasn't just a thesis on Arcane Logic; it was Zai's Master Plan—a cyclical record of every exam question, every logic trap, and every planned future iteration of the AATA test. It was the ultimate cheat sheet, validating Heuk-jae's entire premise.
"Found it," she whispered, carefully slipping the heavy treatise into her oversized satchel
.
The Security Trap
"Now, the exit," Heuk-jae said, moving past Eun-ji.
He had spotted a small, reinforced ventilation shaft near the far wall—too small for a human, but odd for a chamber built to withstand siege.
"This is the Proctors' emergency escape route. It won't lead us outside, but it will lead us to the service tunnels," Heuk-jae concluded, scanning the area with his lamp.
He was about to activate his Magic Mastery to blast the reinforced lock when a sudden, sickening sound echoed behind them.
Click.
A secondary, internal security measure had activated: the primary access door they had used was now sealed off, and a thin, high-frequency Arcane Barrier shimmered into existence around the vault's entrance.
Worse, standing between them and the ventilation shaft exit was a newly materialized enemy.
Combat: Confronting the Proctor
Archivist Tremain, the Water Seal Proctor, was standing where the vault had previously been, his eyes glowing with cold fury. He was lean, severe, and armed with a glowing staff that crackled with Hydric Aether.
"Two commoners," Tremain sneered, his voice laced with disgust. "Breaking the seals and raiding the Archives. I knew Zai's entrance exam was flawed."
Tremain didn't wait. He slammed his staff into the ground.
A wave of concentrated, freezing Water Aether shot across the floor toward Eun-ji and Heuk-jae. It wasn't designed to kill, but to freeze and lock their limbs.
"Eun-ji! Regulator, Air!" Heuk-jae shouted, simultaneously activating his own Magic Mastery.
Eun-ji instantly pulled out her Geomantic Regulator, channeling the Air element. She didn't have time for a facade; she acted on instinct, unleashing a concentrated Aerokinesis burst into the ground just ahead of the freezing wave.
The burst didn't stop the Water; it acted as a repulsion fan, momentarily splitting and diverting the freezing Aether just inches from their boots.
Heuk-jae, meanwhile, focused his Magic Mastery on Tremain. He didn't attack. He subtly manipulated the moisture level within the aging Archivist's robes, making them instantly cling and stiffen, distracting him with a sudden, clammy discomfort.
"Ugh!" Tremain grunted, losing focus on his second attack.
The Escape
"Heuk-jae! The shaft!" Eun-ji yelled, already channeling the Earth Aether through her second Geomantic Regulator.
She unleashed a concentrated blast of Geomantic Force directly at the locking mechanism of the ventilation shaft.
CRACK! The reinforced metal buckled and split under the unnatural, sudden pressure.
Tremain recovered quickly, his eyes locking onto the book bag at Eun-ji's side. "The Treatise! You won't leave with it!"
He charged, his staff raised.
Heuk-jae activated his Facial one last time. He projected an aura of utter resignation and surrender, a commoner accepting his fate, and stepped directly into Tremain's path.
Tremain hesitated, expecting a plea.
Heuk-jae used that split second of hesitation. He activated his Magic Mastery and focused a painful, high-intensity Kinetic Pulse directly into Tremain's staff hand.
The shock was immense, snapping the Archivist's concentration. Tremain roared in pain, dropping the staff.
"Go!" Heuk-jae screamed, tackling the stunned Archivist just long enough for Eun-ji to scramble into the ventilation shaft.
Eun-ji plunged down the dark, narrow tunnel.
Heuk-jae, seeing her safely inside, delivered a swift, concussive kick to Tremain's temple—enough to ensure the Archivist would remain dazed for a crucial minute.
Heuk-jae ripped his shoulder free from the stiffened robes, grabbed the fallen staff as a prize, and squeezed into the shaft. He sealed the breach behind them with a final, desperate burst of Earth magic from his own hands.
The sound of Proctors smashing against the main sealed vault door echoed from above. They were gone.
They slid down into a dark, reeking service tunnel, the sound of the alarm muffled, the prize—Master Zai's Arcane Treatise—safe.
[QUEST COMPLETE: The Path to Status.]
[Hidden Goal Complete: Secure Master Zai's Arcane Treatise.]
[Tier 2 Status Unlocked: Access to Advanced Knowledge.]
New Main Questline Unlocked: The Heart of Aegis.
Objective: Utilize the Treatise to leverage power within the Academy and identify the true source of the aristocracy's advantage.
Condition: Must publicly surpass a top-50 ranked student in an official challenge or exam within one month.
Reward: A meeting with the Head Proctor's Inner Circle (Tier 1 Status Unlocked).