Jump—thrust—retreat!
A perfect hit-and-run.
After stabbing the mysterious Mist Noble, Set immediately pulled back, giving the powerful foe no chance to counterattack.
He didn't even look at the result of his strike—his instincts for danger had already forced him to retreat.
As he withdrew, countless worst-case scenarios flashed through his mind:
What if the enemy suddenly appeared in front of me?
What if it unleashed an unavoidable spell?
He had been so caught up in these thoughts that only after leaping off the pavilion and retreating over ten meters did he finally come back to his senses.
…It didn't chase him?
He examined his rapier, still dripping with blood, recalling the sensation from before.
He was certain he had struck true.
But how much damage had he actually dealt?
A scratch? A light wound? Something that would heal instantly?
He didn't even dare imagine that his attack had caused serious or fatal damage—that would be wishful thinking.
After all, an enemy capable of controlling illusionary mist that even they—seasoned magic professors—couldn't dispel…
That level of mastery was beyond mortal limits.
Set stared tensely at the pavilion.
So did everyone else.
They all waited for a reaction.
Tursey had already layered multiple barriers, yet still felt it wasn't enough.
But—
There was no movement.
Looking closely, they could just make out the tall, thin figure collapsed on the ground.
That posture… is it drawing a magic circle?!
Everyone's heart skipped a beat.
At that moment, Roger suddenly pointed ahead.
"The fog—it's dispersing!"
And indeed, the dense mist was gradually fading.
The monsters hidden within it let out unwilling roars before dissolving into smoke.
Set looked at the faintly moving figure on the pavilion, then at the dissipating fog—
And nodded.
"I see."
"It can't maintain the illusion while preparing a magic circle. This is our chance to leave."
"Right—let's go!" Tursey agreed immediately.
She only had time to cast one more group invisibility spell before the group hurriedly retreated.
What incredible luck.
Thankfully, the enemy had let its guard down while maintaining the illusion.
Set and the others had no intention of lingering.
To win against the elves, they only needed to defeat the final boss. Elite enemies along the way could be ignored.
Besides…
That flute-playing figure was far too mysterious.
There was no guarantee they could win.
Running away might be shameful—
But it works.
Set glanced back one last time. The pavilion had already vanished along with the mist.
The Mist Noble was nowhere to be seen.
That probably meant…
They had escaped its range.
He let out a breath of relief.
This academy is full of danger.
---
Unseen by them—
Inside the pavilion—
The Mist Noble lay collapsed on the ground, its pierced body trembling weakly.
After struggling for a moment…
It finally fell still—
And turned into ash.
A purple drop of loot fell from its body.
Unclaimed.
Left behind for whoever might stumble upon it.
---
After running some distance, the professors found a hidden corner to rest.
Finally, they could relax—just a little.
This academy…
Or rather, what they had experienced so far—
Didn't feel like a place of learning.
It felt more like a maze disguised as a school.
They had never seen a real academy built like a twisting labyrinth.
And hidden doors? One-way locks?
"Cannot be opened from this side."
Hopefully, the designer would one day encounter that message when urgently needing a restroom.
Along the way, they had noticed something strange—
The "academy" elements felt… lacking.
Back in the earlier classroom areas, there had been portraits of mages on the walls, lecture halls, and piles of unreadable books.
But deeper inside?
Fewer classrooms.
Fewer books.
More monsters.
There were still portraits—but the intensity of the battles left them no time to examine them closely. Many visible and hidden side paths had also been ignored as they pushed forward along the main route.
Until—
They reached the end.
"…Dead end," Roger said.
He had thought the main path would lead directly to the boss.
Instead, it led to a wall.
A massive painting hung upon it.
Like before, it was a portrait—
But the subject's style was… different.
A beautiful woman—
With blue skin.
Two faces.
Four arms.
"Lunar Princess… Ranni," Tursey read softly from the nameplate below.
She was likely a magic instructor of the academy.
And as expected—anyone associated with magic seemed to defy normal appearances.
There were many portraits in the academy, each labeled—
But Ranni was the only one so far with a title.
Lunar Princess.
Just hearing it sounded powerful.
Her portrait was placed at the end of the main path—
And it was far larger than the others.
Did that signify her importance?
Surely, she must be a central figure of Raya Lucaria.
Perhaps the painting held clues—
About her status…
Her magic…
Or maybe, at the very top of the academy—
They would meet her.
Roger sincerely hoped not.
She was beautiful, yes—
But even from the painting alone, he could tell she was terrifyingly powerful.
He had no confidence in defeating an ancient sorcerer.
Set, however, was more interested in her background.
He stepped forward, intending to examine the back of the painting—
But was blocked by an invisible barrier.
Just like before—
The portrait couldn't be approached.
To them, this was new—and intriguing.
A protected painting meant importance.
As the barrier appeared, so did a line of magical text:
[You granted the world a moment of peace.]
If this were a puzzle game, the system might display:
[You have discovered a mysterious portrait. Though its purpose is unclear, your intuition tells you it holds important information.]
"…'A moment of peace'… what does that mean?" Set frowned deeply.
His instincts told him this was important—
But he couldn't decipher it.
Peace?
Tranquility?
What exactly did it refer to?
"Staring at it won't reveal anything new," Tursey said. "Let's head back and explore the other paths."
"…Right."
Before leaving, Set took one last look at Ranni's portrait—
Burning that mysterious figure into his memory.
---
Since the main route was blocked, they had no choice but to explore the maze of branching paths.
For the first time—
They felt exhausted by a dungeon.
There was no minimap here.
Even games with minimaps could be disorienting—this place was far worse.
Four people exploring such a vast maze…
Was torture.
And that was with invisibility.
Without it?
They'd probably have died several times already.
They carefully assassinated any scout-type monsters they encountered—fortunately, killing them didn't trigger additional spawns.
They began exploring backward, taking each side path one by one.
First path—
Dead end.
An explosive crystal at the end triggered another monster wave.
"Next."
Second path—
Another dead end.
But this time, three treasure chests.
They happily opened them—
Then cursed.
"Damn it—mimics. All three of them. Next."
Third path—
They didn't even finish it.
Giant metal balls kept falling from the ceiling, with small alcoves along the walls for shelter.
The solution was obvious—
But too troublesome.
"…Next."
Fourth path—
By now, they were exhausted.
If only they had ten times more people.
This kind of area clearly required large-scale exploration.
Only now did Roger understand why Lake Liurnia had no restrictions on time.
Halfway through, they decided to rest—
But then—
They heard noise ahead.
Shouting.
They exchanged glances.
There were others here?
When they rushed over—
Roger's eyes widened.
"Luluwo?!"
"Huh?"
Luluwo, who had been riding on the neck of a Royal Revenant like she was driving a cart, let out a surprised sound.
Her grip loosened—
And the Revenant charged straight at Roger like a runaway beast.
"Waaah—!"
Before he could react, the massive creature was already upon him, its many arms swinging wildly.
"Don't worry!"
Tursey quickly deployed a barrier around him.
With that, he should be safe—
Right?
Roger sighed in relief—
But—
SLAP SLAP SLAM!
The Revenant roared, unleashing a barrage of strikes.
Tursey's proud defensive magic shattered in seconds.
An endless flurry of blows crashed into Roger's face.
"—!!" Even Tursey couldn't help but curse.
What kind of monstrous attack power was that?!
Roger's body was sent flying like a rag doll—
And then… respawned at the academy entrance.
Luluwo finally reacted, summoning chains from beneath her cloak to restrain the Revenant—but it wasn't enough.
"Move!" she shouted.
Tursey thought she meant them—
But suddenly, a group of adventurers emerged from the surroundings, charging the Revenant all at once.
Where did all these people come from?!
"Graaah!"
Overwhelmed by sheer numbers, the Royal Revenant let out a terrified cry—
And was defeated.
"Phew…"
Luluwo wiped her sweat and clapped her hands.
"Good work, everyone. Glad no one got hurt."
Indeed—
No one got hurt.
Because Roger had already gone one step further:
He died.
And was back at the entrance.
At this point, there was no way he could return alone.
Unless someone went to pick him up.
"What are you doing here?" Tursey asked, skipping any mourning.
She scanned the group.
Aside from the original Skyrim Team members—
There were sixteen unfamiliar faces.
All looked like experienced adventurers.
Not quite elites like Leon—
But definitely veterans.
So the team had quietly gathered reinforcements?
"We're here for the boss," Luluwo said, pointing behind her. "It's down this path."
So this route led directly to the boss room.
Before Tursey could respond, Luluwo added:
"But I wouldn't recommend it. You won't win. We just ran back from there."
Tursey frowned—not out of offense, but concern.
If even this team said they couldn't win—
Just how strong was the boss?
Could it be as terrifying as the Mist Noble?
She exchanged glances with Set and the others.
What now?
Set shook his head.
He didn't want to lose to the elves—
But he was wary of the boss.
Seeing their hesitation, Luluwo suddenly smiled.
"How about we cooperate?"
"I've already figured out a strategy—we just need more people."
"I'll take you in to experience the boss fight first."
"Then you'll understand my plan."