People call those who explore mysteries, magicians, with reverence.
They convert mana flowing in nature into magical power and manifest mysterious phenomena, and they have always been respected in every era.
Historically, there was a magician who brought rain clouds when the worst drought swept the continent, killing countless people. There was also a magician who annihilated a horde of magical beasts with a single spell at the critical moment when a country was about to be destroyed by magical beasts.
Regardless of the era, the apex of magicians, called archmages, often left a great mark on history.
And among the magicians who wielded phenomena beyond human comprehension, there were three magicians who were praised as the best and strongest of this era.
Valentina Sasha Danilova, the master of the White Magic Tower erected on the frozen land.
Mac Damon, the master of the Black Magic Tower of the United States, the strongest nation in mankind.
Duke Rupert Blake Winchester, the master of the Blue Magic Tower of England, the nation of magicians called the origin of mystery.
They were famous as the only three archmages on Earth who possessed eight rings. So much so that more people knew the names of the archmages than the name of their own country's president.
And the one standing in front of me right now was another archmage who had reached the sublime realm of 8-circle, standing shoulder to shoulder with such archmages.
"Hyunwoo?"
"…"
I was even rubbing her chest as hard as I could with excitement.
I knew that she wouldn't hurt me now, but the anxiety of a petty citizen, who was always worried about making a living, wasn't something I could control.
"You're… amazing."
After a moment of bewilderment and surprise, I realized how amazing it was to be standing face to face with an 8-circle archmage, and suddenly Iris started to look different.
It was like finding out that my girlfriend, who was very pretty and from a wealthy family, was actually a professor attracting attention in academia. Of course, the shock was dozens of times greater.
It felt like my brain was aching a little from the repeated shocks.
But because it was such a series of unrealistic events, I seemed to be adapting to it relatively quickly.
"Oh, it's nothing…"
Iris blushed, not knowing what to do with herself at a compliment that wasn't really a compliment.
Two hundred years ago, praise for her achievements was something she heard to the point of exhaustion, so she came to regard such praise as flattery that automatically came out when people saw her as a queen, not as a compliment.
But the compliments he gave her were different.
"An 8-circle archmage…"
The way he mumbled to himself and suddenly looked at her with concern were behaviors that gave her the belief that he was genuinely impressed and amazed.
She couldn't help but feel proud.
"Hehe…"
A foolish smile was a bonus.
While Iris was lost in her own world, smiling, Kang Hyunwoo fell into deep thought.
8-circle. An archmage, of which there are only three in the entire world, even on Earth.
Iris, who had reached that level, had been unable to break the barrier for 200 years. Could he really be of any help?
He had boldly offered to help, but he was losing confidence more and more.
'There's a limit to what I can bring from Earth.'
As a poor college student, not a wealthy asset holder, there was a clear limit to what he could do.
It seemed like he had thought about it too easily.
'Did I rush to help too quickly…'
What could be more unsightly and disappointing than offering to do something as if it could be done, and then saying it couldn't be done?
Without realizing it, his back was drenched in cold sweat.
"Hyunwoo…? Are you okay?"
At that moment, he met Iris' eyes, filled with concern.
He felt like he was snapping out of it.
Yes, if a man draws his sword, he must cut something, even if it's just a radish. If he gave up and despaired before even starting, that would be the very epitome of a pathetic man.
Slap!
"Hyunwoo??"
A stinging pain rose from both cheeks.
"Iris, let's get started."
"Yes, yes…? What do you mean…?"
With a determined look that was 180 degrees different from before, Kang Hyunwoo said.
"We have to break out."
***
There was a movie I watched when I was young.
It was about a prison break, and I know it was based on a true story.
It was about three inmates who successfully escaped from a super amazing prison and weren't caught for decades. Because they haven't been caught to this day, it was said that if the escapees were still alive, they would be in their 90s.
'Criminals did it, so there's no reason why I can't.'
Even though I'm an exemplary citizen who can't live a day without the law and have no experience in prison breaks, I'm confident that there's nothing I can't do if Iris, an 8-circle archmage, combines her knowledge with my excellent servant skills.
"So, the only entrance is that giant stone gate?"
"Yes… As far as I know, that's the only one."
This place is really easy to understand.
There are no other prisoners, no guards, and no CCTV.
For the past 200 years, what has separated Iris from freedom is just that giant stone gate. If we could just open that, we could immediately tour a fantasy world full of mystery and adventure, but before that, we have to solve the barrier set up by a quasi-divine being.
"Iris, to put it bluntly, what do we need to open that door?"
After a moment of consideration, Iris opened her mouth with difficulty.
"…A sacred relic? If we had a sacred relic specialized in breaking barriers, we could open it right away."
"…Anything else?"
"Well…?"
A sacred relic, seriously?
This was no different from a father who reluctantly glanced at his emergency savings account and then at his daughter when his daughter asked him to buy her a car, and was about to look for a decent used car, only to have his daughter proudly display a BXW Mini Cooper on her phone screen, saying she wanted to show him the kind of car she wanted.
No, a Mini Cooper would be better. This was like a private jet worth thousands of billions.
"To replace a sacred relic, we need a lot of things. Each one is a difficult material to obtain, and even if we did get them, breaking the barrier with my current condition would be another problem."
"Another problem?"
"Yes, to put it simply, a barrier is a prison that isn't restricted by form. It's a prison that allows a magician to impose desired restrictions on a desired person and confine them in a desired space."
"…Isn't that too OP?"
I was interested in magic, but I was actually ignorant about barriers and had little basic knowledge.
The reason was simple: barrier magic was a very niche subject on Earth. Like an unfamiliar minor genre even among otaku who like subculture.
"Magic is really fair. Power comes with restrictions. It gives a very high return for the achievements of talent and effort over many years, but in order for those who have not reached that level to use powerful power, many restrictions follow."
Iris picked up a small stone from the ground.
"To use barrier magic, you need three things in total."
She placed the small stone she had just picked up on a stone like the remains of a ruin.
"The first is the core that will be the center of the barrier."
This time, she picked up another stone and drew a circle around the center of the stone.
"The second is the formula that will become the barrier itself. This includes the restrictions that will be imposed inside the barrier and the walls that will support the barrier's outer layer."
Thud-
She placed a fairly straight-looking stone inside the circle.
"Finally, there's the sacrifice that helps those who haven't reached the level to use a powerful barrier."
"So, barrier magic is about using a core and a sacrifice to temporarily reach a level that you haven't reached?"
"That's right."
Iris smiled faintly at the answer that she had inferred with her poorly working brain.
"Here, sacrifices aren't limited to just objects. Just as it's possible to replace them with vast magical power, the same is true here. The World Tree's vast magical power is the sacrifice that maintains this barrier."
"Then what are the barrier's core and formula?"
"I don't really know…"
Iris continued with a bitter expression.
"I've tried to research it in my own way… but all I've found out is the formula on the outside of the barrier, the walls."
Iris pointed to the boundary of the circle surrounding the stone.
"Originally, it's easier and simpler to find out the formula inside the barrier than outside. As I explained earlier, a barrier is ultimately a magic for confining and restricting others. Just like you can immediately tell if the gravity inside a room is stronger than outside without anyone telling you."
"Um… then why can't we know now?"
"This is just a hypothesis, but maybe it's because the restrictions inside the barrier aren't directed at us."
Magic targets all things in the world.
Just as the target of magic doesn't only affect living things, if restrictions are being placed on inanimate objects inside this place, the situation becomes much more complicated.
"Originally, if this place was a prison, the restrictions would have appeared in the form of suppressing the prisoners… but I don't know what this place was used for in the past."
This cavern, located directly below the World Tree, was as vast as two or three soccer fields connected together and as tall as a 63-story building.
Even speaking a little loudly would cause an echo.
However, despite being ridiculously wide, there was nothing that could be called lighting. All there was was a wide lake in the center and traces of ruins that were falling apart everywhere.
What was this place made for? There's no way that a cavern of this size could have been created naturally, and even if it was a naturally occurring cavern, what are the traces of ruins left everywhere?
"Can you really not guess anything?"
"No… All I've found out is that the letters left on the ruins are in ancient Elvish. However, the ancient Elvish language was used about 5000 years ago…"
Seriously, 5000 years ago?
Even Sumer, known as the earliest civilization of mankind, dates back to around 4500 BC. Not only are there no records of Sumer, but the records of ancient civilizations that appeared after that are mostly unclear.
It would be more strange if there were proper records of a place created at least 5000 years ago.
'…But elves live a very long time, don't they?'
Something was strange, but I just brushed it off. Even elves who live a long time, 5000 years would be a bit too much.
"To put it simply, the formula on the outside of the barrier is 'sealing'."
"Sealing?"
"It means that they're blocking everything from going out and everything from coming in. It's a really simple formula, but it's that powerful. Even if I use all my magic power, it's a distant dream to break the stone gate. Resillia was able to enter when she imprisoned me thanks to the royal family's insignia…"
Without the royal family's insignia now, the only way to open that stone gate was to use a sacred relic of equal level.
'…This is bad.'
I subtly turned my head so that Iris wouldn't notice.
[Would you like to return?]
The phrase that had been popping up on my phone screen since earlier. It definitely seemed like it was my free will to return to Earth.
But returning to Earth in this state was also a problem.
Iris doesn't know what's on Earth. Of course, I explained that there would be almost anything, but if I told her all the materials I used here, she said I might go bankrupt.
She was right. Since they were materials to replace sacred relics, they wouldn't be cheap.
"Um, Hyunwoo?"
"Yes?"
I quickly stuffed my phone into my pocket at her slightly trembling voice.
"Um, if it's okay with you, Hyunwoo, would you be interested in learning magic from me…?"
"…?"