Victor’s sigil flared brightly, releasing the accumulated mana into his spell. A massive, violent spatial rift erupted at the heart of the monstrosity’s grotesque form, swirling with a void-like energy that defied comprehension. The air warped and twisted around it, the very fabric of space bending as the rift’s dark maw began to pull everything inward.

  The monstrosity’s guttural, ear-splitting roar reverberated through the air. It flailed in a frenzy, its grotesque tendrils reaching desperately for anything they could grasp—anything to resist the rift’s overwhelming pull. But the force was absolute, dragging the creature’s writhing mass inward, inch by agonizing inch.

  With his hand outstretched, Victor stood resolute, guiding the rift with unwavering focus. “This is the end for you! Die!” he shouted in an adamant voice.

  Lumen leaped clear of the abomination just as the rift expanded. Spectral claws followed in her wake, tearing into its flesh one last time. The creature’s body continued to contort unnaturally, black ooze seeping from every wound, evaporating into nothingness as the rift consumed it. The tendrils were the last to go, squirming helplessly before they, too, were swallowed whole.

  At last, the rift shrank and disappeared with a soft hum, leaving nothing behind but an eerie silence.

  Breathing heavily, Victor collapsed to the ground, utterly drained, his body trembling from the toll the spell had taken. Then the side effects of the potion he had consumed hit him with brutal force. An intense, searing pain coursed through his body, as if countless ants were ripping him apart from the inside.

  “Aaarghh!” Victor cried out in agony, thrashing on the ground, helpless against the overwhelming torment.

  Suddenly, a radiant energy surged through his body, and the searing pain began to ebb away. Weakly, he glanced at Lumen, who stood proudly by his side—it was she who had healed him just now. Although the residual effects were not completely erased, he felt significantly better. Her powers had always been miraculous and saved him time and time again.

  “Thank you, Lumen. You’re my greatest buddy,” Victor said, affectionately patting her head. The oppressive weight of the battle began to lift.

  “Woof!” Lumen, in return, affectionately licked him all over. Clearly, she had been missing her master for some time.

  “Stop, please!” Victor laughed, trying to push her away, but she only nestled closer. He could feel the warmth of her body and the softness of her fur.

  Just then, his Master Shadowlink Mark activated as a request for a video call from Lizbeth appeared. Accepting the call, Lizbeth’s face appeared, framed within the holographic screen.

  “Master, you won! I thought things were going south for a moment, but I always believed in you! I promise!” she exclaimed with a sheepish smile.

  “Why do I feel like you’re lying?” Victor squinted at her in suspicion.

  “How rude. I seriously believe in you!” she rebutted.

  “Mentor! Lillie also believes in you!” Another voice—a young girl’s—joined in, cheerful and bright.

  “Hmm? Is Lillie there with you?” Victor asked. He had never really told Lillie about the undead invasion, yet somehow, she had managed to pick up the information from other sources, including his fight against the flesh monstrosity.

  “Yup! She’s here with me. Ask her if you don’t believe me,” Lizbeth puffed out her cheeks, turning the screen toward Lillie’s innocent face.

  “Mm-hmm. Miss Lizbeth isn’t lying! She’s cheering you on, Mentor Victor,” Lillie said with a beaming smile. “You’re so cool! Lillie was on the edge of her seat watching the whole time!” She then made a dramatic sound effect, mimicking the battle’s intensity: "Boom! Boom! Raaaaargh!"

  “I see…” Victor’s lips curled into a soft smile, a light chuckle escaping him. Hearing Lillie’s words filled him with a quiet sense of pride. This monstrosity had been the most formidable adversary he’d faced so far—and the most dangerous one of all.

  Soon, the players hiding in the surroundings cautiously emerged from cover, realizing the flesh monstrosity had been defeated.

  “Hooray! We won!”

  “Long live Sir Astralium! Long live the academy!”

  “Long live Sir Astralium! Long live the academy!”

  Cheers erupted among them, and some immediately began performing Fortnite dances and other popular moves, seemingly unfazed by the carnage that had just unfolded. In fact, one of the players was “tea bagging” the small charred remains of the monstrosity.

  “Did you see that final attack? The cutscene this time was so epic!”

  “I totally carried that fight! My damage made it so much easier for the headmaster to finish it off.”

  “Ha! Keep telling yourself that. You were cowering in the back the whole time!”

  “Wait… but we still haven’t beaten the undead army.”

  “Shush! Don’t ruin the mood. Let’s just enjoy the celebration!”

  Really, these players… Victor watched the scene with an exhausted sigh. He had no energy left to chastise them or teach them a lesson.

  He let out a tired breath, sinking into Lumen’s fur. “Just a moment of rest…” he mumbled, closing his eyes. Within seconds, sleep claimed him.

  At the same moment that the players were celebrating their victory, far away in the heart of a large, dark stronghold belonging to the Armageddon Cult, a man with a hideous, scarred face staggered back, coughing up blood. His crimson robe billowed as he clutched his chest, his body trembling from the backlash. On the stony floor lay a cracked, ominous mask.

  His bloodshot eyes burned with fury as he covered his grotesque face with trembling hands. “Damn it! The low-level champion of the Outer God… killed!”

  As the summoner of the entity, he had to endure the consequences of its destruction. Even though it was merely a low-tier minion of the Outer God, the severed link exacted a steep toll. However, the deeper connection he shared with the entity granted him its fading memories.

  Moments later, a distorted vision flared in his mind—the last moment of the creature. Amidst the chaos stood a young man with striking blue hair, garbed in a blue Magus robe. The man wielded Cosmo-elemental spells, culminating in a devastating blow that annihilated the entity. Fragments of memories followed, unveiling scenes of hundreds of acolytes and the foundation of a Magus academy.

  “So, this is the perpetrator, the same one who killed Graviel…” the man said in a cold voice. “Astralium… Wasn’t he supposed to be a newly-advanced Elemental Adept Magus? Preposterous. And yet, he has built an academy… in the Thornwood Forest, no less. And wasn’t the Cult’s mine raided near there recently? Must be him.”

  In a flash of negative energy, his lips curled into a twisted smile as he rose, emitting the mana fluctuation on the level of a peak Nexus Temporal Magus. The internal injuries that he had sustained were almost completely healed. “You may have slain a minion of the Outer God, but you’ve also drawn its gaze. Thornwood Forest will burn for your insolence.”

  Naturally, as a high-level world, Seraphia was not so easily infiltrated, and this insignificant Magus was far from deserving the full attention of an Outer God. But the man wasn’t one to let such matters rest, though he couldn’t act until the gathering of the nine Harbingers of Doom, set to convene in less than a year. Until then, this little Magus and his band of acolytes would be left to enjoy their fleeting triumph. I’ll let him bask in his fleeting victory.

  Donning a fresh mask, he flicked his fingers. A cultist emerged from the edge of the dim chamber, immediately kneeling in reverence.

  “What are your orders, Master Tenebrael?” the cultist asked, his voice trembling with devotion.

  Tenebrael laid out his plan to the cultist. The existence of an uninvited academy in the Thornwood Forest was bound to draw the attention of the Merlin family, who were still hunting the perpetrator who had killed their heir. It might even provoke the Arcane Radiance College.

  The cultist listened intently, then bowed deeply before hurrying off to execute his master’s orders.

  Tenebrael remained alone, standing before the altar bathed in the flickering light of a solitary candle. Though stirring the Arcane Radiance College would stretch beyond his capabilities, he intended to use the Merlin family as pawns in his grander scheme. When the time came, after the Harbingers’ meeting, he would personally deliver his vengeance. To top it all off, every secret and Magus inheritance hidden within its grounds would belong to him.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “And you, insignificant little Magus, will soon understand the depths of my fury.” Tenebrael’s hand reached forward and snuffed out the candle’s flame in an instant.

  The wrath of a Demon Magus was beyond comprehension, rivaled by none.

  A day after the climax of the undead invasion.

  William groggily opened his eyes, his body feeling stiff as though he had been lying still for hours— no, days. The last thing he remembered was cornering SuperNova before falling into a pitch-black crack in the ground. Now, however, he found himself sprawled on a cold stone floor alongside his party members—Zero, Storm, Mike, and Rainbow—inside what appeared to be an underground castle.

  “What… the hell just happened?” Zero muttered, pushing himself up.

  “I’d like to know that too,” Storm groaned, rubbing his temples. “Still, I had a really weird dream. In it, I was feasting on an insanely delicious meal. Haha, it felt so real.”

  “I had that dream too,” William admitted. Strange that despite being unconscious, we weren’t disconnected from the game.

  Both Mike and Rainbow nodded in unison. Rainbow, in particular, still looked lost in thought as she absently reached for the food.

  “Anyway, forget about that. Where are we? And where’s SuperNova?” William sat up, glancing around. The chamber was dimly lit, the air stale with decay, though strangely, there was also an unmistakable aroma of herbs and cooked meat lingering in the background.

  “Did… we die?” Mike asked hesitantly. “Because I swear, I remember seeing a ghost lady feeding us food. That’s way too weird to be real.”

  Soon, from the darkness, a familiar figure emerged—a ghostly woman with bluish skin, bluish-green hair, red eyes, and a pair of demonic horns protruding from her temples. It was the Ghost Necromancer, the same entity they had seen in their dream.

  “Ah, you’re finally awake.” Her voice was smooth, almost amused.

  William instinctively tensed, readying himself for combat, but the moment he moved, he realized that his staff was missing. A quick glance at the others confirmed that they were in the same situation, their weapons nowhere to be found.

  “What the hell did you do to us?” William demanded.

  “Yeah, and what’s up with that ridiculously tasty feast in our dream?” Storm added.

  The Ghost Necromancer tilted her head with a smile creeping onto her face. “Feast in your dream? Pfft. That was no dream—I actually fed you.”

  “What?”

  She crossed her arms. “I gave you a feast. My own cooking. And now, I’m releasing you.”

  “Releasing us?” William furrowed his brows.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “You have fulfilled your purpose, and I have no need for you anymore.”

  Silence filled the room.

  “…That’s it?” Storm asked incredulously.

  “No hidden strings? No curses? No undead servitude?” Zero added, clearly suspicious.

  The Ghost Necromancer merely waved her hand in dismissal. “No. You may leave.”

  Before they could even process her words, their surroundings morphed in an instant. The next thing they knew, they were outside, standing in the middle of a barren landscape—cold wind sweeping through the lifeless terrain.

  For a moment, none of them spoke. The eerie silence of the barren landscape only made the situation feel more surreal.

  Storm was the first to break the silence. “Okay… what the hell just happened?”

  Zero turned around, scanning their surroundings. “Did she seriously just let us go? She’s definitely one unique NPC.”

  Mike hesitated before muttering, “And that meal… it was real?” His stomach grumbled slightly, as if longing for another bite.

  Rainbow, who had been oddly quiet, suddenly let out a sigh. “I knew it. That taste was too real to be a dream.” There was an odd melancholy in her voice.

  Storm swallowed hard. “I don’t know what’s worse—the fact that we were captured by the big bad NPC, or the fact that she cooked for us before letting us go.”

  “What’s even crazier,” Zero added, “is that was probably the best meal I’ve ever had in this game.”

  William, however, wasn’t concerned about the food. His gaze swept the area until he spotted his magic staff lying nearby. A quick check confirmed that all their belongings were there as well. They sighed in relief, but one lingering question remained: Why had she treated them as guests instead of prisoners?

  Whatever happened back there, William had a nagging feeling that they were missing something important. With no better option, they began making their way toward the academy, the unease lingering at the back of their minds…

  …And completely forgetting their friend, SuperNova, was still missing.

  Victor rubbed his temples, still feeling the lingering fatigue from his battle two days prior. Sitting across from him in the academy’s meeting room was none other than Valeria arc Noctis, the Fallen Princess herself, with the Death Knight standing closely behind her. Lizbeth stood at Victor’s side, her small wings fluttering nervously. Surprisingly, Valeria had clandestinely come to the academy to meet him before he got the chance to go to her lair.

  “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, Victor,” Valeria began with a sly grin. “So I’ve come here of my own initiative. Tell me—what are these so-called two requests of yours in exchange for the promise of the food ingredients?”

  Meeting her gaze steadily, Victor spoke with measured calm. “First, I want you to withdraw your army and stop attacking us. Additionally, I want your assurance that you won’t harbor any malicious intentions toward me or the academy in the future.”

  With the academy's defenses weakened and the player count halved after the war, any more battles would likely end in catastrophe. Even if these players were not very dependable, they needed time to grow stronger and become more useful pawns in his plans. Continued conflict would only stall their progress and cripple productivity, which was something he couldn’t afford.

  Valeria tilted her head, her grin fading with a sigh. “Is that all? How predictable. I was expecting something more ‘interesting’ from you.”

  Victor shook his head with a simple smile. “Of course not; that’s merely the first condition. Second, I want you to join the academy.”

  Her grin vanished entirely, replaced by a raised brow and a flicker of disdain. “Join? As in becoming one of your underlings?” Her tone signaled her displeasure at such a notion coming from someone far weaker than her.

  But Victor had completely figured her out.

  “Not exactly,” he said smoothly, leaning forward and clasping his hands on the table. “What I’m proposing is more of a partnership. I’ll give you a position befitting your status. Think about it: you’d have access to the academy’s resources without the hassle of managing your own domain. You can solely focus on your hobby—cooking. I think this is a solid offer with no downsides for you.”

  If you can’t beat them, join them—or better yet, make them join you. This was Victor’s motto.

  As expected, there was an unmistakable spark in her crimson eyes that signaled her interest. She was nearly convinced, but just needed one more push…

  “And as a token of goodwill,” Victor reached into his interspatial ring, pulled out an ordinary-looking frying pan, and said, “I’ll even give you this.”

  Despite its appearance, it was no ordinary frying pan; it was the Supreme Frying Pan, the superior-grade magic tool he had acquired from the free gacha. Who would have thought that it could be used as leverage in this situation?

  “Deal!”

  “If you’re still not satisfied, I can even give you Liz— Wait, what?”

  “Master! What do you mean you want to give me away?” Lizbeth interjected, tugging sharply on Victor’s collar and jabbing his neck with her tiny fist.

  “I was just joking…” More importantly, Victor couldn’t hide his surprise. She’d accepted the offer just like that? Could she really be that interested in cooking?

  Noticing his confusion, Valeria smirked, caressing the frying pan. “Do you really not know its true potential? It’s far more than just a superior-grade magic tool!”

  “Really?” Victor muttered and was quickly astounded that the frying pan was unknowingly taken from his hand.

  Well, he did recall that the magic tool had hidden functions, but he hadn’t paid much attention to them since it was cooking related. But regardless of the magic tool’s true value, all that mattered now was securing the deal. There was no way a frying pan could exceed the Ghost Necromancer’s value, could it?

  “All right, then.” Victor rose from his seat and extended his hand toward her, expecting a handshake to seal their agreement. “Do we have a deal?”

  Contrary to his expectations, Valeria widened her eyes, and her expression softened as she hesitated. After a few seconds of silence, she reached out and clasped his hand. For a brief moment, her crimson eyes carried a hint of melancholy.

  Uh, now that I think about it, did I just shake hands with a ghost?

  “It’s a deal,” she said.

  Victor had considered using a magic contract to solidify the agreement, but no level of magic contracts in his possession could withstand the power of someone so far beyond the level of a Nexus Temporal Magus. In his current state, Victor was too weak to discern the full extent of the other party’s true power. Even the Shadowlink Mark, which he had once considered reliable, could be neutralized by her with ease. Trust, as tenuous as it was, would have to suffice.

  With that thought in mind, Victor spoke frankly. “Initially, I had considered offering you the position of vice headmaster—”

  “Heeyy! I thought I was the vice headmaster!” Lizbeth suddenly blurted out, her wings fluttering with indignation as she tugged on his hair.

  Victor creased his eyebrows at the sudden interruption. What the heck? She still remembers that empty promise I made months ago.

  Ignoring Lizbeth’s outburst, he continued, “But I figured that position wouldn’t interest you. So instead, I’m offering you something more suited to your expertise. How about becoming the dean of the Department of Necromancy? I promise to provide you with the best ingredients and resources you could ask for.”

  “Ooh! The dean of Necromancy, hmm? Alright, and I do expect those ‘best ingredients’ you promised,” she said with a nod. “Oh, and can I experiment on your acolytes? Especially that one that I turned into an undead?”

  “S-Sure… You can do whatever you want, I suppose, as long as it is within the academy’s rules and reasons.” Frankly, the players would be more than willing to be experimented on so long as they were compensated with enough merit points.

  “On that matter, I have a small request,” Victor said casually. “Could you keep sending your undead army to harass my acolytes starting a week from now? Nothing on the scale of the attack on my academy, of course—just enough to keep these play— uh, acolytes preoccupied and excited.”

  If the undead stopped attacking altogether, then the expansion wouldn’t mean anything. Many players would likely lash out at the developers, accusing them of hyping an expansion that barely lasted half a version update. Moreover, Victor saw this as a golden opportunity to train the players, molding them into a battle-hardened army over time.

  As such, he wanted Valeria to send waves of undead creatures to harass the academy periodically. However, the attacks needed to be manageable—small enough that the Nexus Tower’s incubation pods could keep pace with the casualties and ensure the players remained engaged.

  Valeria tilted her head, studying him curiously. “Why would you want me to do that?” But then, her eyes lit up with sudden realization. A sly grin spread across her face.

  “Oh, I see.” She leaned back slightly, looking more amused than anything. “All right. I can do that.”

  “But,” she added, her tone turning serious, “in exchange, I want a Magus tower!”

  Victor’s jaw tightened. C’mon! I don’t even have a Magus tower myself… Are you expecting me to build one for you before my own?

  Still, as much as it irked him, the idea of constructing a Magus tower in the near future wasn’t entirely unreasonable. He nodded slowly and said, “Fine, but it will take some time,” as he filed the thought away as a long-term goal. After all, with Valeria as an ally, the academy’s future seemed promising.

  Indeed, he could really look forward to the times to come.

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