With reverence for those who explore the mysteries of the universe, people call them mages.
In every era, they have been respected for their ability to convert the mana flowing through nature into magic power, creating mystical phenomena.
History tells of a mage who summoned rain clouds when the worst drought in memory swept the continent, killing countless people. There was also a mage who, in a moment of desperation when a nation was on the brink of destruction by magical beasts, annihilated an entire army of them with a single spell.
Regardless of the era, the pinnacles of magic, known as Archmages, have always left a great mark on history.
And among the mages who wielded phenomena beyond human comprehension, three were hailed as the greatest and strongest of the current age.
Valentina Sasha Danilova, Lord of the White Magic Tower, built upon the frozen earth.
Mac Damon, Lord of the Black Magic Tower in the United States, humanity's most powerful nation.
Duke Rupert Blake Winchester, Lord of the Blue Magic Tower in Great Britain, the nation of mages known as the origin of mystery.
They were famous as the only three Archmages on Earth who possessed the 8 Rings. It was said that more people could name the Archmages than their own country's president.
And standing before me now was another Archmage who had reached the sublime realm of the 8th Circle, standing shoulder to shoulder with them.
"Hyun-woo?"
"..."
And I, in my excitement, had just groped the chest of such a person with all my might.
I knew she wouldn't harm me now, but just as my ingrained commoner's mindset—always worrying about my next meal—wasn't going anywhere, the intimidation I felt was something I couldn't control.
"Uh... you're amazing."
Once the shock and surprise subsided, the realization of how incredible it was to be standing face-to-face with an 8th Circle Archmage hit me, and suddenly, Iris started to look different.
How should I put it? It felt like finding out that my very pretty, rich girlfriend was also a renowned professor in academia. Of course, the shock was dozens of times greater than that.
The repeated shocks made my brain ache slightly.
But then again, because it was a series of such unrealistic events, I seemed to be adapting surprisingly quickly.
"Oh, no, I'm not..."
Iris blushed, not knowing how to react to the backhanded compliment.
Two hundred years ago, she had grown tired of hearing praise for her achievements. Eventually, she came to see such praise not as genuine compliments but as the automatic flattery that came with being a queen.
But his praise was different.
"An 8th Circle Archmage..."
The way he muttered blankly and suddenly started watching her every move convinced her that his admiration and surprise were genuine.
She couldn't help but feel a little proud.
"Heh, hehe..."
A silly giggle escaped her lips.
While Iris was lost in her own world with a smile, Kang Hyun-woo was deep in thought.
The 8th Circle. An Archmage, one of only three in the entire world.
This was a barrier that even Iris, who had reached such a realm, couldn't do anything about for 200 years. Could he really be of any help?
He had boldly offered to help, but his confidence was rapidly fading.
'There's a limit to what I can get from Earth.'
As a poor college student, not some wealthy tycoon, there was a clear limit to how much he could help.
No matter how he looked at it, he had been too naive.
'Did I offer to help too hastily...?'
What could be more pathetic and disappointing than acting like you could do it at first, only to say it seems impossible now?
Without realizing it, my back was damp with a cold sweat.
"Hyun-woo...? Are you okay?"
At that moment, his eyes met Iris's, which were filled with concern.
It was like a splash of cold water.
Right. If a man draws his sword, he should at least cut a radish. Giving up and getting discouraged before even starting—that was the very model of a fucking loser, someone who couldn't even call himself a man.
Slap!
"H-Hyun-woo??"
A stinging pain rose from both my cheeks.
"Iris, let's begin."
"Y-Yes...? Begin what...?"
With a determined gaze that was a complete 180 from before, Kang Hyun-woo said:
"The prison break."
*
There was a movie I saw when I was a kid.
It was about a prison break, and I remember it was based on a true story.
The gist was that three inmates managed to escape from some super-secure prison and were never caught for decades. In fact, since they were never apprehended, it was said that if the escapees were still alive, they'd be in their 90s.
'If criminals could do it, there's no reason I can't.'
Even though I was a model citizen who couldn't live a single day without the law and had zero experience with prison breaks, I was confident that with the knowledge of an 8th Circle Archmage and my excellent skills as her assistant, there was nothing we couldn't do.
"So, the only way in or out is that giant stone gate, right?"
"Yes... as far as I know, that's the only one."
This place was refreshingly simple.
No other prisoners, no guards, no CCTV.
For the past 200 years, the only thing separating Iris from her freedom was that massive stone gate. If we could just open it, we could immediately go sightseeing in a fantasy world full of mystery and adventure. But first, we had to deal with the barrier set up by a god-like being.
"Iris, let's cut to the chase. What do we need to open that gate?"
After a moment of thought, Iris spoke with difficulty.
"...A holy relic? If we had a holy relic specialized in breaching, we could open it right away."
"...Anything else?"
"Well... I'm not sure...?"
A holy relic, of all things.
This was like a daughter asking her dad for a car. The dad, after a reluctant glance at his emergency savings account and another at his daughter, finally gives in to his paternal love and starts looking for a decent used car. But then, when he asks what kind of car she wants, she hands him her phone, where a picture of a brand-new BXW Mini Cooper is proudly displayed.
No, a Mini Cooper would have been better. This was on the level of a private jet worth hundreds of billions.
"To substitute for a holy relic, we'd need a lot of things. All of them are incredibly difficult materials to obtain, and even if we did, breaking the barrier with my current physical condition would be another problem entirely."
"Another problem?"
"Yes. To put it simply, a barrier is a prison not bound by physical form. It's a prison that allows the caster to place desired restrictions on a desired target and confine them in a desired space."
"...Isn't that totally overpowered?"
As someone with a keen interest in magic, I was a complete novice when it came to barriers, lacking even basic knowledge.
The reason was simple: on Earth, barrier magic was the most niche of all niche fields. It was like a minor genre that even otaku who loved subcultures found obscure.
"Magic is truly fair. Power always comes with restrictions. It offers a very high return for the realm one achieves through long years of talent and effort, but for those who have not reached that realm, using such powerful magic requires many constraints."
Iris picked up a small stone fragment from the ground.
"To use barrier magic, you need three things."
She placed the small stone she had just picked up on a larger piece of stone that looked like a remnant of the ruins.
"First, a core that will serve as the center of the barrier."
This time, she picked up another stone fragment and used it to draw a circle around the first one.
"Second, the spell formula that will become the barrier itself. This includes the restrictions imposed within the barrier and the wall that supports the barrier's exterior."
Clink.
She placed a rather neat-looking stone fragment inside the circle.
"And finally, a sacrifice, which helps someone who hasn't reached the required realm to use a powerful barrier."
"So barrier magic is what allows someone to temporarily reach a realm they haven't attained, by using a core and a sacrifice?"
"That's right."
Iris smiled faintly at the answer I'd managed to deduce with my slow-turning brain.
"The sacrifice here isn't limited to just objects. Just as it can be replaced with immense magic power, the same applies here. The World Tree's immense magic power is serving as the sacrifice that maintains this barrier."
"Then what are the barrier's core and spell formula?"
"That... I don't know either..."
Iris continued with a bitter expression.
"I've tried to research it myself... but all I've managed to find out is the spell formula inscribed on the barrier's exterior, on the wall."
Iris touched the edge of the circle she had drawn around the stone fragment.
"Normally, it's easier and simpler to figure out the internal spell formula than the external one. As I explained before, a barrier is ultimately magic for confining and restricting others. It's like how you'd immediately know if the gravity inside a room was stronger than outside, even if no one told you."
"Uh... so why can't you figure it out now?"
"This is just a hypothesis, but it's probably because the restrictions within the barrier aren't directed at us."
Magic affects all things in the world.
Just as the target of magic isn't limited to living creatures like humans, if the restrictions here were targeting some inanimate object, the situation would be far more complicated.
"If this place were originally a prison, the restrictions would manifest in a way that suppresses the prisoners... but I have no idea what this place was used for in the past."
The cavern beneath the World Tree was vast, about the size of two or three soccer fields combined, and as tall as the 63 Building [a famous skyscraper in Seoul].
Even speaking slightly loudly would produce an echo.
However, despite its ridiculous size, there was nothing that could be called lighting. All that existed was a large lake in the center and the crumbling remains of ruins scattered about.
What on earth was this place built for? A cavern this large couldn't have formed naturally, and even if it had, what were these traces of ruins left everywhere?
"You really have no idea?"
"No... The only thing I've found out is that the letters on the ruins are in Ancient Elvish. But Ancient Elvish was used about 5,000 years ago, so..."
5,000 years ago.
Even Sumer, known as humanity's first civilization, dates back to around 4500 BC. Records of Sumer are scarce, let alone clear records of the ancient civilizations that appeared after it.
It would be stranger if there were any proper records left of a place built at least 5,000 years ago.
'...But don't elves live for a really long time?'
Something felt off, but I decided to just let it go. I guess even for a long-lived elf, 5,000 years is a bit much.
"For now, if I were to describe the spell formula on the barrier's exterior in one word, it would be 'Sealing'."
"Sealing?"
"It means it blocks everything from leaving and everything from entering. It's a very simple spell formula, but it's just as powerful. So powerful that even if I unleashed my magic at full strength, breaking the stone gate would be a distant dream. When Resilia imprisoned me, she was able to enter thanks to the Royal Emblem, but..."
Her words meant that now, without the Royal Emblem, the only way to open that stone gate was to use a holy relic of equivalent power.
'...This is bad.'
I subtly turned my head so Iris wouldn't notice.
[Return?]
The message had been floating on my phone screen, which had been buzzing for a while now. It seemed returning to Earth was indeed up to me.
But returning to Earth in this state was also a problem.
Iris didn't know what was available on Earth. Of course, I had explained that most things probably existed, but she warned that if she listed all the materials used here, I might go bankrupt.
She was right. Since they were materials to replace a holy relic, they wouldn't be cheap.
"Um, Hyun-woo?"
"Yes?"
At her slightly trembling voice, I quickly shoved my phone into my pocket.
"Um, Hyun-woo... if you're okay with it, would you be interested in learning magic from me...?"
"...?"