Ban Yue wanted to test it out.

  Since the time he arrived at this pce, he had been returned to the starting point twice due to the system’s map restrictions.

  The first time, he had been brought to the recycling warehouse by some shadow puppets as a box.

  The second time, he was being held by Ludville who was an NPC in his arms.

  Both times, he was successfully returned to his starting point without any issues, but the shadow puppets and Ludville had remained where they were.

  This meant that although he couldn’t access that part of the map, NPCs like the shadow puppets and Ludville could.

  The map restrictions only took effect on pyers like him.

  Given these facts, Ban Yue had one question: If he used Incognito and entered a restricted map, what would happen?

  Ban Yue looked around.

  The box was gone, but his consciousness was still here. Ludville had acted as his anchor to this pce.

  His ability Inspect could reveal things hidden from pin sight, while Incognito could somehow overrule the system’s return command.

  Ban Yue felt uncomfortable.

  He was happy to have these abilities at the moment, but he couldn’t help but feel like one day he’d find himself caught up in something troublesome…

  Anyhow, all this was just a dream and he would eventually forget about all of it once he woke up, so there was no point in ruminating about these too much.

  Ban Yue pushed the door open.

  The door’s hinges had become rusty and the wood had long expanded due to moisture after a prolonged period of neglect, so there was a little bit of resistance the first time he exerted some effort. When he pushed a second time, the door finally let out a loud creak and swung open.

  He couldn’t help but pause when the room was revealed.

  No, it couldn’t even be called a room anymore.

  With the steel bars separating Ban Yue from the other half of the room, this pce was more like a prison above ground.

  There was nothing else inside.

  No tables.

  No chairs.

  No beds.

  Only a small unlit torch on the wall was present for lighting during the night, while a small barred window on the opposite end acted as ventition.

  Ban Yue could see his breath form into a small cloud of fog whenever he exhaled.

  This room was too cold.

  Ban Yue took out a candle from his inventory and lit it with a match.

  He raised his arms and shared the fire with the wall-bound torch. As soon as he did, the fire quickly rose up and spread through the wick, illuminating the dungeon with a small warm light.

  Ban Yue spoke, “How did someone as tenacious as you end up in this state?”

  His voice bounced off the walls and reached the figure in front of him.

  When he heard Ban Yue’s voice, the fingers on his right hand moved slightly. The kneeling figure whose limbs had been chained to the wall behind him such that he couldn’t even sit properly finally opened his eyes.

  Even in this pitiful state, the High Priest Clodine Becket radiated a sense of regality that couldn’t be tainted by his dirty and crumpled white robes. His light green eyes shone as if they were reflecting a lush green forest that was being bathed in yellow sunlight. Yellow flecks that looked like glitter seemed to float in his eyes. His long white hair that was being held up by a golden crescent moon pin had partially come undone and spilled all over his face and shoulder in a graceful way.

  At this sight, Ban Yue couldn’t help but feel aggrieved.

  If he went as long as two days without showering, Ban Yue would already feel like he was a biological threat to mankind. But here was Clodine Becket, looking like a model in the middle of a photoshoot after 100 years of being imprisoned in such a filthy pce. To add to it, he was also the strongest mage to have ever lived and the only mage who could wield the strongest light attribute.

  Ban Yue almost felt like he was sinning looking at him from above like this. He felt like he should kneel and meet him at the same eye level.

  Clodine Becket’s light voice flowed through the small space.

  “You’re here again.”

  Ban Yue frowned.

  “…Have we met before?”

  Clodine let out a small ugh at the question.

  However, instead of amusement, his ugh sounded as if he had already gotten tired of answering the same question over and over again.

  “What’s the point of asking when you won’t even remember? You’ve found this pce several times and cried to yourself in that corner. But after a few days, you would disappear, and return in the same state. Every time, you acted like you’ve met me for the first time.”

  Is he talking about Ludville?

  Ban Yue wasn’t sure if Clodine Becket was talking about himself and Ban Yue had somehow triggered a cutscene or Clodine had really met Ludville Eckart several times in this pce.

  As far as Ban Yue knew, he and Ludville had arrived at the academy at the same time. Whatever Clodine meant, Ban Yue decided not to dig into it too much this time. After all, it was entirely possible that there was a hidden backstory between these two NPCs that pyers weren’t privy about just yet.

  “I’ve told you time and time again. There’s nothing I can do for you now that I’ve been reduced to this state, and there’s nothing you can do about it too.”

  Clodine acted indifferent, but Ban Yue couldn’t help but detect a hint of regret and helplessness in his voice.

  “I have a question for you. Your staff, how can I get it to work?”

  It was at this moment that Clodine finally lifted his head to meet Ban Yue’s eyes.

  Clodine looked at Ban Yue with slightly widened eyes. For a moment, his hazy eyes which looked tired, lit up. It was as if he was staring at something he had never seen before, and now he was deeply intrigued.

  “…This is the first time you’ve asked me that question.”

  Clodine’s eyes turned bright.

  He had been imprisoned in this tower for 100 years.

  For more than a hundred times, Ludville had stumbled in this pce in a feat of desperation and asked Clodine Becket to save him.

  Every single time, Clodine had no choice but to watch him descend into the pits of despair behind these prison bars while his arms and legs were bound by chains, and by the end of it all, he would disappear into thin air only to walk through the same door again and ask him the same thing.

  Clodine had long gotten so used and so bored of this monotony that every time someone opened the door, he no longer lifted his head up to see who it was, because he knew that every single time, it would be Ludville Eckart’s tear-streaked face that he would see. There was nothing he could do, that’s all he would say, then Clodine would never utter a single word again as if he had gone mute.

  But this time was different. Ludville had asked him a question he had never asked before. And instead of a crying boy, what Clodine saw was a calm and determined Ludville looking back at him.

  Just what on earth had changed?

  Clodine peered at Ban Yue with curious eyes. There was something different, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

  “There are shadow puppets roaming around your beloved campus, and the red moon is about to rise tonight. I know you’ve fought your share of battles against the Children of the Shadows. What can we do to survive tonight?”

  Clodine was taken aback.

  Ludville Eckart had always asked him to save him, but not once had he asked Clodine how he could save himself.

  “I see you did your research this time.”

  “We don’t have much time.”

  It was already 3PM in the afternoon.

  There were 6 hours left before the shadow puppets came out.

  There were many things to prepare, so there was barely any time for Ban Yue and Ludville to idle around.

  A distant look overtook Clodine’s features.

  “...The Children of the Shadows used to be humans who were forsaken by Airos. No, to be exact, they were the shells of souls who could no longer find the light after Airos took away his blessings. There was a time in the history of Alpainus when we suffered extreme drought and fierce sunlight. These people took refuge underground only to realize years ter that the society above ground had long developed and they were already left behind. Some were ridiculed when they reemerged on the surface and had no choice but to retreat to the remote nds, but there was a small faction who felt like they had been dealt a great injustice.”

  “Out of spite for the god Airos and the people who discriminated against them, these people performed forbidden rituals that involved live human sacrifices thinking that it would allow them to take the pces of

  “They were burned at the stake and their souls were unable to find the light because they vioted the sacredness of life. Meanwhile, their corpses were doomed to roam the earth because the soil would no longer take them back.”

  “These things aren’t immune to fire. If you have noticed, they are quite afraid of it because their bodies remember the pain of being burned alive at the stake. My staff is something that can only be retrieved and used by its master. You won’t be able to call the light as long as I am bound here, so why not consider fighting them with fire? The armory is located somewhere in the western building. You can arm yourself with a sword and hack away and free yourself of this pce.”

  Clodine didn’t ask Ban Yue to wait for the daylight.

  After all, once the red moon rose, it was uncertain when it would set.

  During the Battle of the Red Moon, the red moon had stayed in the sky for 256 days. During the 100 years that Clodine had been trapped here, he had watched the red moon rise and the dark sky turn red several times as if blood had been spilled on the clouds.

  Ban Yue was quick to shoot down Clodine’s suggestion.

  Clodine made it sound like sshing through a horde of shadow puppets was as trivial as slicing pie into eight pieces. However, Ban Yue was a box, and Ludville was a child with a very delicate mentality. When faced with these fiercer and bolder shadow puppets, forget hacking away, they wouldn’t even be able to hold a sword.

  “No, thanks. I’m an extremely fragile being who can’t even dare to lift a sword. If I brought a sword to the battlefield, the shadow puppets would be chasing after me with it before you know it. I can’t fight, and you know exactly why the fire isn’t enough.”

  Ban Yue was referring to the blessing of Nature.

  This blessing acted like a mother who was overprotective of her child. As soon as the fire started, Nature would kiss and blow the pain away.

  Once again, Clodine was surprised.

  Was this really Ludville Eckart?

  He felt like he was talking to an entirely different person.

  “You were extremely diligent with your homework, it seems.”

  Clodine was a little bit impressed.

  Ban Yue was able to understand the nature of this pce in the short moment that he was here. It was something that many of the Holy Knights failed to notice even after a full year of being stationed in the Blessed Hill of Sistyne.

  “Of course. It’s because I’m extremely scared of pain. So please, save me. I treasure myself greatly you see. Even a little scratch makes me nauseous.”

  Clodine marveled at the words that didn’t feel quite the same. This time too, Ludville finally asked him to save him. But somehow, rather than desperation, the feeling Clodine got was different.

  “You are acting very shameless.”

  “There’s no point in worrying about shame in the face of death.”

  “………..”

  Clodine couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. It was the first genuine ugh he had let out since he was imprisoned in this tower.

  “If you can free me from these restraints, I will help you.”

  Clodine said these words lightly.

  After all, the seals that were restraining him were not only the shackles around his limbs. If they were normal shackles, Clodine would be able to escape from them without even batting an eye. However, whenever he tried, a red window that only he could see would appear above his head.

  [Your existence has been determined to be anomalous by the system. Please remain in this area while a scan is being conducted.]

  Clodine had no idea what a system was.

  It was a concept that was foreign in his world.

  The power of light was known to be the strongest power in the nd of Alpainus until this so-called system appeared. For some reason, Clodine couldn’t break free from this power whose source appeared to be otherworldly. He had waited for 100 years, but every single time he struggled, the red window’s contents remained the same, so Clodine ter understood that he would never leave this tower again.

  Ban Yue stared at Clodine and observed carefully.

  From where he stood, he couldn’t see anything else that was restraining Clodine except his shackles, but there was no doubt in his mind that there was something else he couldn’t see. After all, Clodine Becket wouldn’t be staying here obediently with his head down for 100 years if he could just simply break free from his restraints.

  Ban Yue wanted to use Inspect, but he needed to see the shackles up close first. He stepped close to the prison cell’s door and frowned. There was another locked door in front of him, and unlike Ludville, he had no talent in lock picking.

  Ding!

  A blue window appeared in front of him.

  [Hello, NPC Ludville Eckart’s favorability towards you has exceeded 85%. Would you like to access NPC Ludville Eckart’s system files? ☆]

  "......"

  Ban Yue pressed “Yes”.

  [Unlocking NPC Ludville Eckart’s system files…]

  [NPC Ludville Eckart’s system files have been successfully unlocked.]

  [Skills: The Master of Stealth (S)]

  The Master of Stealth (S)

  Active effect (s): Allows the user to move around undetected for 10 mins. Allows the user to unlock any doors.

  Condition (s): The skill affects pyers and non-pyer characters who are Level S or below. A cooldown of 1 hour will be in effect after every usage.

  Passive effect (s): Allows the user to detect movement within a 10-meter radius.

  [Would you like to copy NPC Ludville Eckart’s system files?]

  [Please select the files you would like to replicate: The_Master_of_Stealth_(S).sks]

  A chill ran up Ban Yue’s spine.

  'This…isn’t this a little bit too much?'

  Things were going in Ban Yue’s favor, but he couldn’t help but feel like he was holding something dangerous.

  This level of privilege for a pyer is kind of ridiculous. Just randomly giving out these kinds of skills…

  Ban Yue could already see one hundred possible ways things could go wrong.

  What were the developers thinking?

  This dream was increasingly becoming scarier and scarier the longer he stayed here. Ban Yue wanted to finish this scenario quickly and logout.

  [NPC Ludville Eckart’s system file The_Master_of_Stealth_(S).sks has been successfully replicated.]

  Unlike Ludville who had to carefully pick the lock, as soon as Ban Yue activated [The Master of Stealth (S)], the padlock on the cell broke and fell on the floor.

  When Clodine saw this, his mouth fell slightly open in surprise.

  “…It’s a little rusty.”

  Clodine felt a sliver of hope rise within him, but after 100 years of trying to leave this pce, he knew better than to hold onto baseless expectations.

  Looking at Ludville Eckart who was now standing just a few steps away from him, Clodine could clearly see that this child didn’t possess any aptitude for magic.

  These were shackles that even he, the greatest light mage of his time, couldn’t undo. Why should he pin his hopes and expectations on a pitiful child who just several days ago can only squeeze himself in one corner and cry?

  He swallowed hard and squashed his hopes down quickly. Clodine’s bright eyes started to dim.

  He had long accepted it.

  He will never be able to leave this pce again.

  Mages typically had strong inclinations towards nature.

  Wind mages liked the feeling of wind gently caressing their hair and their skin, so they typically choose to stay in remote pces where the quality of air was fresh. They felt like they could breathe better.

  Water mages liked to feel the cold wetness of water slide against their backs, so they usually found themselves drawn to pces where kes, ponds, rivers, or waterfalls thrived. They felt invigorated as if their thirsts have been quenched after a long time.

  Earth mages enjoyed receiving from and giving back to the soil, so they liked to stay in areas where flora and fauna thrived. They felt like they had finally found something they had long lost.

  Fire mages were inherently passionate people, so they usually preferred to be in pces where they could make the most of their abilities. They created, destroyed, attacked, and defended. That way, it was less likely for them to go out of control.

  As for light mages, they were beings who liked to bask in the light of the sun, moon, and stars, so for Clodine Becket, there wouldn’t be a single day when he didn’t find himself in a high pce to look at the sky. It made him feel like he was free.

  After being imprisoned here for such a long time, Clodine felt like he had lost an integral part of himself, and that he could never be the same person again. He felt like he was stifled, drained, lost, and trapped. Some days, he wished he were dead.

  “There’s no point…” Clodine whispered under his breath, but Ban Yue didn’t hear.

  Meanwhile, Ban Yue stood there quietly, with his hands on his chin.

  A blue light was reflected in his eyes.

  He remained oblivious to Clodine’s current thoughts which were quickly making him descend into the depths of despair.

  Suddenly, Ban Yue spoke, “I’ll be back in three hours.”

  Clodine’s head snapped up towards Ban Yue’s face.

  Despite his efforts to push his hopes down, as soon as he didn’t hear a complete rejection, his heart started beating fast in anticipation.

  Clodine’s mouth turned dry, “W-what do you mean? Can it be done?”

  Ban Yue stared at the blue window in front of him.

  [Code inspection is currently in progress. Estimated Time of Completion: 02:58:31]

  Ban Yue frowned.

  He couldn’t promise anything, so he only said, “It all depends on your luck.”

  Ding!

  [The effects of Incognito have ended. You will now be returned to your original host.]

  Ding!

  [You are entering an area in the map that has yet to be unlocked. In order to not affect the progression of your currently selected scenario, the system will now return you to your starting point in…5...]

  “It’s times up for me.”

  […4…]

  Clodine looked at Ban Yue in confusion, but the tter only gave him a rexed smile. He knelt down to meet Clodine’s eye level and asked as if he was greatly troubled.

  […3…]

  “So, um, can you pass a message for me?”

  […2…]

  Ban Yue pointed to himself.

  “When this kid wakes up, tell him I’ve gone ahead. I’ll meet him back at the usual pce. He’ll probably be really confused.”

  […1…]

  “Wha-“

  “Anyway, bye.”

  Ban Yue gave a single quick wave at Clodine.

  Then, just like that, Ludville’s body slumped to the ground.

  Ban Yue had left before Clodine could even bat an eye.