Marik's POV:
While I was sleeping, I felt someone enter the illusory field surrounding me. At first, I thought it was just another blockhead who had wandered in and would soon die like so many others before him.
After all, if one does not possess extreme determination and an unbreakable will, escaping this place is impossible. Such people inevitably perish from exhaustion, trapped in the infinite loop illusion until their minds collapse.
Thousands have died this way. Only an extremely small number have ever succeeded in escaping it. And even among those rare few, most still died,simply from standing in my presence alone. Their resolve shattered the moment they looked at me.
Yet this time was different.
It was the first time someone had escaped my infinite loop illusion and survived. That boy possessed an extraordinary level of determination, as if he knew from the beginning that he would escape and had nothing to fear. He walked forward without hesitation, showing no signs of exhaustion or fear of the unknown,as though the illusion itself held no threat to him.
Although time flows faster inside my illusion compared to the outside world, it still gives a very real sense of time passing.
By the time the boy reached me, fifteen days had passed within my illusion.
For fifteen days straight, he continued walking with unwavering resolve, never once faltering in his path.
That alone impressed me greatly. It had been decades since someone last managed to do so.
For the final test,enduring my presence,I deliberately increased the pressure on his will. Even then, he remained calm and unshaken, speaking to me as if nothing unusual was happening.
After reaching SS rank, one can see through many truths and lies using intuition alone. Yet, for some unknown reason, my intuition failed when it came to him. I could not tell whether he was telling the truth or lying when he claimed to have read about me in human records.
That surprised me even more.
This boy truly had something special about him,something I could not identify.
So, to fulfill my promise, I opened a gate to his destination. With my illusion powers, anyone who passes through my gate will arrive at the place they most wish to reach, anywhere in this world.
I wonder where that boy has gone. Even I do not know the destination beyond the gate.
I only hope he knew where he wanted to go,and that he will survive.
That kid was truly a strange one.
Marik sighed internally as he recalled the encounter. Soon after, the enormous snake lowered his head and closed his eyes once more, returning to slumber for the next few decades,waiting for another visitor.
And perhaps, another interesting encounter.
Rio's POV:
After walking toward the tomb, I soon found myself standing before a massive gate.
It was enormous, seemingly forged from iron, and heavily rusted,clear proof of its immense age. Memories from the novel surfaced in my mind as I looked at it.
According to the story, Fade and Kira met Marik on their sixth day of walking through the infinite loop illusion. They reached the giant snake far faster than I did.
You might wonder,were their wills stronger than mine?
No.
They were simply protected by the heavenly will.
Illusions like this cannot trap the heaven's children for long. Because of that protection, they reached Marik easily, and much earlier than expected. Even Marik himself was dumbfounded,and angered,when his great illusion failed to torment them.
His pride as a supreme illusion master was hurt.
Fortunately, Kira intervened. She recognized Marik's name immediately.
She is not considered a main heroine merely for being part of Fade's harem. Her background is exceptional. Raised by a powerful father, she had access to countless historical records and texts since childhood. Her interest in history allowed her to instantly recognize Marik from ancient records.
Kira deliberately praised Marik's past achievements,especially his feat of trapping the demon army in an eternal illusion. That praise soothed his wounded pride, and Marik ultimately forgave them, opening a gate to their destination.
Despite his humble appearance, Marik takes immense pride in his strength and accomplishments. Praise works exceptionally well on him.
That was the key difference between them and me.
Unlike them, I was tested thoroughly,my words, my intentions, my resolve. If not for my true immunity skill, Marik's intuition would have exposed me instantly.
Without it, I would not have survived this test.
The heavenly will would not help me reach the end, and a single mistake would have meant death.
Thankfully, everything resolved without major issues.
This further proves that the heavenly will is not absolute. Fate can be altered,through effort, preparation, and resolve.
Now that I think about it, Fade and Kira really did find this place through pure luck.
Their original destination was simply to escape the forest and return to the academy. Yet the heavenly will would never let them leave without reward.
The portal fluctuated and redirected them here,to the Tomb of Wishes.
What a coincidence… or rather, destiny.
I sighed internally and looked at the ancient words engraved above the gate. Though I could not read the language, I knew what it said from the novel:
"The Tomb of Wishes."
Kira had translated it for Fade. Her talent in history surpassed even her magical ability. She truly was a walking library.
Tsk. Fade really did get a gem.
Not that I want to get involved with her. She's a disaster magnet, constantly dragged into danger, only to be saved by Fade every time. I don't have the energy,or patience,for that.
I'm selfish to the core.
Building a relationship with her just to translate ancient texts would cost far too much time.
Enough distractions.
I pushed the gate lightly. It opened without resistance.
Beyond it lay a long corridor. As I stepped inside, the gate closed behind me on its own. I wasn't surprised,it was merely a mechanism.
After walking for some time, I reached the end.
A vast hall opened before me. At its center lay a serene, beautiful lake. To the right of it stood a solitary grave.
I approached it quietly.
So this is the grave of Ivan,the greatest magician in history. How ironic.
Ivan was said to possess power capable of destroying continents with a single spell. One of the few to reach the peak of SS rank, he stood on the brink of ascending to a higher realm.
Yet the bottleneck stopped him.
Like countless others, he failed to ascend and met his end.
Before dying, he used his final magic to create this separate dimension,hidden so deeply that only those who passed Marik's test could enter.
Ivan and Marik had been brothers in all but blood. For decades, Marik protected this grave without fail.
He truly deserved the title of Great Holy Beast.
This lake,the true Lake of Wishes,was formed from the magic and essence Ivan released upon death. It can grant up to five wishes.
The outer lake is a fake.
This one is real.
Its power is bound by world laws and limitations. Immortality is impossible, but wishes within the scope of SS rank are allowed.
Only one wish per person.
At present, none of the five wishes have been used.
When Fade and Kira came here, they wished for advancement.
Fade's fire magic evolved into a higher rank, granting him the power to defeat a D-rank enemy while still being E-rank.
Kira gained knowledge,memories left behind by Ivan himself,greatly enhancing her understanding of magic and history.
So what will I receive?
The choice is simple: knowledge or strength.
I already possess future knowledge from the novel.
What I lack… is power.
If I don't grow stronger soon, Fade will catch up to me far too quickly.
I stepped toward the lake and focused my mind.
"I wish for strength."
…