From the mail, I received the annual letter from the kingdom: new identity papers and the month’s pay.
Lin, 1424 years old, Village of the West, Magic Rank B, Class: Spellcaster.
“So… Lin is my name this year, huh,” I muttered, tearing open the seal. A small pouch of coins spilled out—silver, a few gold—enough to make the table groan under their weight.
“Hmmm… this is a lot of money,” I whispered, watching a few coins roll and clink against the floor.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at them. The weight of it all felt strange. I could live for years—maybe my whole life—on what they had sent me. And yet, it felt like nothing at all.
The astronomy books I bought sit stacked in the corner: cheap paperbacks, their covers marked with stars and strange diagrams. I look at them for a long moment. Maybe I’ll read today. Or maybe I’ll just… sit here.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That night, I read the last chapter of my astronomy collection. When I looked up, the stars faintly shone above the roofline. I had never thought of going there—to the sky. From that room, the view wasn’t good enough anyway.
Classes were over, and for once, I had a full day of freedom.
I walked to the hill outside the village. There were many people gathered there, murmuring, laughing, pointing upward. Each of them held a strange artifact I had never seen before.
They looked happy — fascinated, almost glowing with excitement — but I didn’t understand why. I saw the same stars they did, yet nothing felt different to me.
I approached a small family — a child and an elder.
“What is that artifact?” I asked.
The elder smiled. “It’s called a telescope. It lets you see the stars up close.”
I didn’t quite grasp what he meant until he let me try.
And then, for the first time, I saw the stars — truly saw them. They weren’t just distant lights anymore. They were worlds, burning and alive.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since last week, I’d been waiting for this day — the day of true freedom.
I went to the store and bought the most expensive telescope they had.
That night, beneath the endless sky, I watched the stars alone.
“So this is freedom, huh…”
For the first time in years, I was doing something just for myself — something I truly enjoyed.
An old man beside me asked, “Did you say something?”
“No, I’m just curious about this apparatus. You can see everything.”
“This is just—” he coughed softly, “—only a part of what lies beyond.”
“You seem like you know a lot about this, sir.”
“Oh, no,” he chuckled, “I’m just an amateur. But I know a few things about the universe.”
“Tell me.”
“Nobody’s ever seen what’s beyond the observable universe.”
“What do you mean?”
“The most powerful telescope ever built once reached that edge. They say it was calibrated with the hero Bael’s sword to take photos near it. But nothing beyond that—just silence. The telescope vanished soon after. Some call it a myth… but I think it’s real.”
“Why? You can’t do anything even if it is.”
He smiled faintly. “Because it makes me feel alive, even at my age. That excitement… It reminds me of when I was young, studying the solar system’s motion. But the professional Scientists found it faster. I might seem like I wasted my time, but I did what I loved. It’s hard to explain, I guess.”
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Months later, I was reassigned to another region. Rumors said monsters had escaped from dungeons—yet no dungeon had been found nearby. Knights were sent, but none returned.
I knew this city. Children used to run through the streets here, and adults would gather to play basketball near the square. Now, when I walk through, people stare — not with fear, but with curiosity. Elves are rare here. Exotic.
My workmates were two human agents, both males. Our first meeting was in a coffee shop. Unlike me, they talked nonstop about their lives, barely mentioning the mission. Drinking beer and laughing loudly, they filled the space with noise.
“Tea? Lin, come on, join us with a beer,” Ricky said.
“I don’t think—”
Dad had taught me that drinking in the middle of a mission was stupid. So I settled for tea and cake instead.
Then his friend cutted in.
“Yeah, Ricky, relax. We can talk without beer. Let’s see… Lin? If you’re an agent of the kingdom, you must be really good at something Tell us .”
“No, I’m average.”
He grinned. “Come on, everyone’s got something. Like me — I can control human bodies if I touch their heads for at least five seconds. Handy when we need information.”
“Hmmm, look.”
The salt began to rise, swirling above the table.
“It’s levitating,” one of them said.
“Not only that.”
I made the salt going fast to an extreme of the ceiling and return to its original position
“Like you see, to increase the acceleration of an object, this skill is pull and push, the other is levitation, simple as that.”
Something I didn’t tell them is like the salt example is just a small example, the salt can be going as fast as a bullet if I want to, and I can levitate houses and cars If I want to.
Ricky’s stare lingered longer than I expected. I couldn’t help but wonder why he was looking at me like that.
“So, Lin—” Ricky sneered, the smell of alcohol clinging to him.
“No, Ricky,” his friend interrupted.
“I have to confess… I feel attracted to you, don’t you wanna be my girlfriend ” Ricky said.
“Ricky,” I stopped him, “we’ve only met for, like, two years.”
Ricky’s face froze in surprise. His friend grabbed him by the arm. “Dude, two years in elves is like a day or two. Chill.”
“But you have to understand—humans feel that strongly!” he exclaimed, slamming his beer cup on the table. Logically, I knew he was right in his own sense. I am an elf; that’s why I didn’t fully understand. But I couldn’t let him down.
Dad’s advice echoed in my mind: no male can be with me unless matrimony. First, there must be proper dating, but before all the previous steps is testing the male’s worth in the old-fashioned way.
“Fine,” I said.
Ricky froze. “Serious?!”
He leaned in, trying to press his lips to mine, but I raised a hand to stop him. “I’ll give you a chance. Not as your girlfriend—only if you defeat me first.”
“Huh? That’s all? Let’s go outside then.”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside the tavern, people pressed against the windows, curious. Ricky wasn’t just any person—he was a kingdom agent, level 36, twelve levels below me.
“Get ready!” he shouted, drawing his sword. “This is the end for you!”
He surged forward, swinging with a powerful slash. I dodged, but something felt off. My eyelids began to droop. He laughed. “My swords can release a somniferous effect—good night!”
Clever trick. But I wasn’t finished.
He didn’t hesitate, swinging again. “Steps of the Sound!” His speed surged, forcing me to push my own abilities to a skill to spy on his movements. Each step he took reached 672 km/h.
Swing.
Swing.
Still… not fast enough.
“You showed your worth,” I said with a bow. “But it’s over.”
Before the somniferous effect could fully take me, I surged behind him with lightning speed and kicked. Something I’ve learned about my power — push and pull— is that with enough focus, I can redirect the force of my body. When I kick, it’s as if all my weight concentrates into a single point, accelerating with impossible strength. My kick smashed through the armor under his clothes and sent him flying fifteen meters across the ground.
The battle was over.
Ricky was being hospitalized—not seriously—but his friend Thomas stayed behind.
“It’s good that you’re strong,” Thomas said, “but… have you ever thought about, you know, having someone like a boyfriend?”
“A boyfriend?” I tilted my head. “I’m not sure why I would need one—except as a step toward marriage.”
Thomas sighed. “I mean… to enjoy someone’s company. I mean not Ricky, but you know. If you test every man you meet, it’s going to be hard to find someone. Believe me—you’re so strong, I don’t think there will be many candidates.”
“I don’t see why I’d waste time looking. If someone is truly interested, they should prove their worth.”
Thomas shook his head, deciding to drop the conversation.
I don’t really enjoy company, though they are not a bother.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then, one night, I wake to the sound of chaos. Screams. Fire.
I rush outside — the city is burning. The air shimmers with heat, yet I feel only cold.
Blood stains the streets — dark trails leading nowhere. Bodies hang from poles and walls, the other agents… Ricky and Thomas, crucified as a warning.
“Ricky… Thomas…” I whispered, dread tightening my chest.
Ricky’s lips barely moved.
“Run… they’re more… than we expected.”
“I… can’t… I need to act based on the kingdom's orders,” I whispered, torn between duty and desperation.
Ricky tried to speak again, but only a spray of blood left his mouth. His hand clung weakly to my clothes.
“You… have… my permission…” he rasped, voice fading.
Screams echoed through the alleys. People ran, tripped, and vanished into the smoke — chased by shapes that moved too fast to be human. Their footsteps scraped against stone, wet with blood.
Thud.
A sound above.
I froze.
Something stepped on the roof — light, deliberate. My gaze lifted, and I saw it crouched in the glow of fire: a figure, human-shaped but wrong, eyes glowing red like molten glass.
It tilted its head. A low growl.
The air grew dense — heavy, like I was breathing through ash.
A human… but with fangs.
“Another prey,” it said, its voice scraping like rusted metal. “I was getting hungry.”
The air thickened.
Before I could react, it dropped — no, floated — down from the roof, landing with a speed and force that tore the stone beneath its feet. The ground shattered like glass.
I dodged instinctively, the shockwave slamming into my side.
“Fast—too fast,” I whispered.
I tried scanning its stats — and my vision distorted. Numbers flickered, warped, vanished.
“What…?” My interface stuttered, flashing symbols I had never seen before.
It didn’t pause. It lunged again, faster, relentless — not letting me even start a chant. My hands glowed faintly, but the words slipped out of rhythm each time I tried to cast.
With enough speed, I went under its blind spot, and I swung my leg — the kick connected, sending it flying through a house wall. The impact shook the street.
It felt like kicking a block of iron.
I raised my hand. Preparing the chant as quickly as possible. The creature recovers quickly, sending bricks flying to different sides.
“Lightning Lance.”
From my fingertip, a spear of light bursts forth — thin, white, sharp as thought. It pierces through the creature’s chest, the heat concentrated into a single burning point.
The body convulses, then crumbles into ash.
Silence.
“I… can’t find any signals to call the quarters…”
The flames whispered. Somewhere ahead, I heard a wet sound — a man feeding.
I walked closer. He was crouched over a woman’s body, fangs deep in her neck.
He stopped. Looked up. Blood ran down his chin.
“Someone alive?” he said, amused. “That’s rare. You must be quite the specimen.”
“Who are you?” I asked. “Why are you attacking us?”
He stood, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then licked the blood from his finger.
“Because we’re hungry,” he said simply. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“There are cattle and chicken. Food. Anything but humans.”
He grinned, his eyes glowing brighter.
“Animals don’t scream like humans do.”
For a heartbeat, the city felt dead. Only his grin remained — wide, red, inhuman.
I tried to connect with my device to ask permission to fight — but there was no signal. I couldn’t continue, so I decided to buy more time.
“Before I delete you… tell me, what are you?”
He froze for a second, surprised.
“Damn, you must be cold. Don’t you see the situation you’re in?”
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“I only see Demon Lord monsters that must be eliminated.”
He laughed, a sharp, guttural sound, clutching his stomach. “Demon Lord? No, no, no! We’re not from his army. Wait… this world has a Demon Lord? Damn, that would make things complicated—but we’ll deal with it when the time comes.”
The time to think is over, I used Ricky’s permission. I thought that these creatures are not but parasites that confirm it.
I began my chant, summoning a fireball—enough to disintegrate him completely.
“We are just looking for a place in this universe, nothing more. Perfect for my people to reunite. Nothing personal against you guys.”
I finished my chant while he kept talking and sent the fireball.
“I see… you don’t like talking,” he sneered, claws made of blood elongating—three meters each, gleaming like red metal.
The fireball hit. Flames engulfed him instantly. Only his torso and legs remained intact; the rest of his body charred into a twisted, burnt mess.
He regenerated—limbs and head knitting back in minutes.
“That actually hurt,” he said, rubbing at a scorched shoulder. “Now I see why you’re still intact.”
“What—” I began.
“What? Never seen a vampire regenerate?” he interrupted, laughing.
“Vampire,” I repeated. The word didn’t exist in any register I’d studied. I’d read every book I could find; this had to be a lie, or some stranger parasite. He’d also said universe, instead world and refugee, what does he mean by that? I would believe it if they are from other worlds but this is even weirder because it seems he knows about humans. Whatever the truth, I had to kill them before it spread.
“You’re talking nonsense,” I said, squaring my stance. “In every book I’ve read, there’s no race called vampires.”
Ruu grinned, crimson eyes glinting with amusement. “Ah. So in this universe, vampires don’t exist. Understandable.” He spread his arms, mocking. “Well, that gives me an edge, doesn’t it? I’m Ruu. You must be food—Ruu—food. Guess we already know each other.”
Before I activate my chant skill of quick progress, the skill lets me do a magic attack without chanting one per day.
“Lightning Lance!”
A searing bolt of energy launched from my hand, piercing the air like a blade of light. It hit him dead center — or should have.
But with an effortless sweep of his claw, the vampire slashed the air itself.
The lance bent — no, split — and burst against an invisible barrier formed by his red metal claws, hissing like molten metal. His claws dripped with a glow darker than fire.
That wasn’t magic.
He smirked at my confusion. “How can I use magic without chanting, you think?” he repeated, mocking my thoughts aloud.
“Magic? Oh, I see.” He walked around me in a slow circle, eyes sharp and curious, as if dissecting me with his gaze. “Your world runs on mana systems. Structured. Controlled. Predictable.”
He stopped just behind me.
“Good,” he whispered near my ear, his tone almost pitying. “Too bad for you, I didn’t come from here.”
He stepped back, studying me like a predator choosing how to eat.
“So, since you’ve survived this long… I’ll give you a choice. Slowly bleed, or drained dry? What do you prefer” he purred.
“Keep talking,” I hissed, and kicked aimed at his head. He caught my leg with effortless calm.
“Nice try.” His grin melted into something feral. “I’m not like the others. I am Ruu — a High Vampire.”
A red flame spat from his palm. “Burn mana.”
I felt it — not much raw force, but it ate at my mana, a corrosive heat inside my veins. I tried to dodge, but his fist slammed into my stomach. The impact hurled me through a stone wall; dust and sparks swallowed the night as breath ripped free from my lungs.
On the floor, I saw the swarm of vampires closing in around me, a ring of hungry smiles and red eyes. Ruu knelt beside me, fingers under my chin, forcing me to look at him. My ribs burned where he hit me; dust flaked out of my hair.
“Listen,” he purred, low and casual. “We will free you. You just have to deliver a message to your kingdom. We don’t want to kill you — killing is… messy, right?” The others murmured and nodded, all malice and teeth.
He feigned magnanimity. “We only ask for a sacrifice each month. There are twenty-eight of us; sometimes we want dessert. Send fifty women, fifty men. Simple exchange.” His grin widened when he read the disgust on my face. “Relax. We’re not monsters for sport. We feed. That’s different.”
“Do you think I’ll swallow that?” I spat.
Ruu shrugged like I was being unreasonable. “I tried to be reasonable. Why make this harder?” He laughed, a sound with no warmth.
One of the vampires dragged a child forward, arms bound, eyes wide and wet. “Help me! Dad! Mom!” The child flailed, voice cracking.
“Talk to them,” Ruu said softly, tilting his head. “Do us a favor, or—” He flicked his blade-thin gaze to an accomplice.
“Or?” I croaked.
The other vampire stepped forward and, with a casual, practiced motion, ripped the child’s arm free. The scream that followed was all ragged, animal noise. The street answered with a chorus of gutting, the sound shredding my stomach.
“We didn’t want to waste time,” Ruu said, voice almost bored. “Their deaths could be quick — or… drawn out. Your choice made it kinder.” He watched me like someone inspecting a spoiled fruit. “Humans rot fast if you’re careless. We kept a steady supply.”
He pushed the child. The little body collapsed. Then, with a final, calm motion born of monstrous habit, the victim was torn clean in two — sideways, like paper. Warm spray hit my face. I tasted iron and ruin.
Around me, the vampires laughed softly. The city’s firelight made their teeth shine like knives. Ruu leaned in, his breath cold against my ear.
“So,” he whispered, “will you speak for us… or do you prefer the long way?”
I stood my ground. The vampire lunged — fast — but I slipped past his strikes, each one whistling inches from my face. I couldn’t find an opening to counter.
While moving back, I started chanting under my breath. The air around me flickered with faint gold light.
“Holy Bubbles.”
Dozens of glowing orbs bloomed in the air, each pulsing with purifying mana. When they burst, the light seared through the air like ripples of sunlight underwater. The nearest vampires hissed, their skin bubbling, regeneration faltering.
“‘Holy magic?’ one snarled. ‘Tch… that hurt!’
Five figures stepped forward, shielding the weaker ones. Their eyes glinted crimson.
“Too bad for you,” one smirked. “I am not the only one of this caliber. Level high enough to tear your heart out before you blink.”
“Tch…” I tightened my stance, my knee aching from the earlier hit. The light faded, but I forced my mana to stabilize.
They rushed in together. Fangs, claws, movement like blurs.
I twisted aside, slicing my palm and hands ready upward — a throat burst open. Another lunge — I drove a kick through his chest. Blood and ash scattered.
Ruu whistled from behind the chaos.
“Damn, she’s savage,” he laughed, sounding genuinely amused.
He vanished — then reappeared in front of me.
Before I could react, his hand clamped around my throat. He lifted me as if I weighed nothing, smirking.
“You lasted longer than I thought.”
He spun and threw me like a ragdoll. I smashed through stone and debris, tumbling over shattered bricks; my lungs screamed for air. Another attacker rushed in — I sent him flying with an uppercut, but midair he snapped back to the ground as if pulled by strings; the blow barely scratched him.
One yanked my feet out from under me, lifted me high, and slammed me down. I tried again, relying on levitation to unbalance him, making him float and lose purchase. I dodged another strike, then another — until Ruu found me.
“I’m tired of this, Dracula soul.” His arm swelled monstrously, doubling in size, then he drove it forward in a punch like a falling mountain.
The force ripped through the armor beneath my clothes; I felt small bones crack.
“So this is the part where I die of fear?” I force myself out.
Ruu sneers, annoyed. “Kill her, guys.”
“Dad—was this what you meant about mentality? I am not losing my mind in fear and I will never do so. Be proud.”
I wove my mana into a bow—thin, humming light shaped by will. I didn’t have much, but it was enough.
A scrap of wood at my feet answered. I plucked it up, focused, and the wood obeyed: time slowed around it as I accelerated its mass into a single, lethal point. The bow hummed, drew taut with invisible string, and the wooden shaft ignited with compressed force.
I aimed for their hearts. One by one the arrows flew—silent, precise—piercing skin and bone. Faces went slack. Blood sprayed like rain.
Some who dared approach me got too close. I slammed the handle of my bow into them, driving it with such force it cut like a saw—slicing through arms and making them collapse to the ground.
Blood dripped down my face as I forced myself upright.
Level Up: 50.
“Ah..” A headache occurs “Finally”
throb
“You still don’t understand, do you?” Ruu said, stepping forward. “We are beings of the ancient age. You would need far more than that to defeat us.”
Some of the bodies on the floor writhed and regenerated.
Thump
throb
But Ruu was already moving. He slashed through the air, sending a wave of burning crimson energy. It tore through the street; flames licked the edges, shredding my clothes and biting into my skin sending me flying a few meters. I avoid most of the impact by using an energy shield.
throb
throb
He tilted his head, crimson eyes glowing.
“Cute trick, little mage,” he said, grinning wide. “But this game’s over.”
Before he completed his sentence, something resonated inside my head—an unbearable pressure, a ringing that turned into a scream.
But it wasn’t my mouth. It was my mind screaming.
The ground shook. The air thickened.
“She’s going crazy!” one of the vampires yelled, but his voice warped, echoing as if underwater.
I could feel something deep inside—something ancient—breaking its chains.
The vampires leapt toward me—yet before they reached, their bodies slammed violently to the ground, crushed by an unseen force.
The pressure vanished. I exhaled. The silence after the scream felt heavier than the sound itself.
I looked at my status—every skill was gone. Erased.
But new ones glow back at me.
? Skill: Gravity Gradient (Mana Cost: 35 per 250,000 m3)
Allows the user to alter the gravitational gradient within a defined volume. Alter how strong or weak gravity is across space.
- Passive: Control Gravity Vector Alienation
Grants perception of gravity vectors and the ability to see their direction, magnitude, and behavior. The user perceives all motion through gravitational flow — able to predict, distort, and kinetic forces in near areas in sight.
Skill: Gravitational Constant
(Mana Cost: 30 per 250,000 m3)
Allows the user to alter the local gravitational acceleration within a defined volume of space. The user can intensify, weaken, or even invert the pull of gravity relative to Earth’s 9.8 m/s2 baseline, effectively rewriting the local gravitational constant for that area.
Skill: Gravity Field Control Room
- Mana Cost: 40 per 280,000 m3
- Effect: Creates a gravity-controlled area where the user can detect all movement and extract information based on trajectories, speed, mass, and behavior of objects or beings within the volume.
A vampire lunged at me, aiming to sink its fangs into my neck. Instinctively, I grasped the air around him. I’ve visualized the concept of gravity, the vectors of force, and the way they interact with his body. It’s all a matter of will.
Using Control Gravity Vector Alienation, I perceived the exact trajectory of his attack. Then, with Gravity Gradient, I create a pivot point in space and manipulate the gravitational forces around his head. The vectors twist and bend unnaturally, forcing his body to rotate 180 degrees mid-air.
The vampire crashes to the ground, stunned, unable to comprehend what just happened. Gravity itself obeyed my command.
The left side of the vampire’s head feels normal. The right side is slammed with a gravity spike — many times stronger. The head twists toward that stronger pull, like a puppet on invisible strings. The neck and everything below are locked in a separate gravity volume, so they hardly move. It all happens in a heartbeat.
“What—?” one vampire manages, and I don’t give him time. I split the space, chain the volumes in my mind, and do the same to every attacker before they close the distance. Heads snap, arms kink, legs fold — each joint forced into unnatural angles by opposing gravity vectors.
Ruu laughed, furious and impressed. “Damn, girl—”
I didn’t let him finish. I carved a narrow, precise gradient around his torso: arms and legs pinned mid-rotation, bent at impossible angles but not ripped clean. I deliberately avoid tearing — instead I lock the limbs in place, twisting them so their blood flow and joint alignment are destroyed enough to interrupt normal regeneration. He thumps to the cobbles, limbs frozen like warped branches.
He gurgled, breath ragged. The swarm around him scrambled, some collapsing as their own bodies betrayed them under the sudden tides I raised.
Gravity didn’t break them — it immobilized them. Surgical. Cruel. Complete.
He begged, voice raw. “Have mercy…”
“In this war between us, you are the menace that must be deleted,” I said, flat.
“We’re just here… every vampire’s looking for a place to regroup—for Dracula.”
“Dracula.”
“Yes, mage. This is more than you can chew. Hehe—” He coughed blood. “The original. Dracula. So free me before you—”
I didn’t care. I locked the volume around him and cranked the local gravity until his bones and organs couldn’t stand the pressure. The air screamed; cobbles popped like brittle shells. He collapsed into a wet, ragged heap that sloshed into a slow pool of blood under the weight I gave it.
Silence took the street.
By morning, the city was quiet again. A few children had survived — no vampires in sight, only ashes and silence.
Not long after, the Kingdom granted me ascension status. I was recognized as a special agent — an elite, with my own badge and crest.
They questioned me endlessly about what happened that night, and I told them everything. Every detail.
Yet they said nothing in return. The subject of vampires vanished from every report, buried like it never existed.
I swore an oath to the Kingdom — to protect its secrets, even the ones it hides from its own people.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the following days, I used part of my payment to fund one of the kingdom’s astronomy centers.
Because of the vampires I knew I had to act to find what is beyond our planet.
The purpose was simple — to search for life beyond our skies.
Perhaps it will happen again: parasites arriving to feed on this world’s resources… or perhaps, there’s something out there we’ve yet to understand.
“So this is one of the centers? I’ve never visited one before,” I said.
“Yes,” the researcher replied with a faint smile. “We’re grateful for your support. The kingdom doesn’t fund us — they think the stars are just distant rocks.”
Their instruments were old, rusted, and small — barely strong enough to see beyond the nearest planets. I paid for a new lens array, reinforced with mana-conductive crystal, and in return, they gave me free access to the main observatory during the night hours.
When I looked through the telescope, I didn’t see entire galaxies or distant worlds — not like in paintings.
What I saw were faint lights — some sharp, others blurred by distance and air. Tiny points, each a sun, scattered through a black ocean.
With a bit of mana focused through my eyes, the faintest ones began to shimmer. I could trace the pale rings of a faraway planet, see the soft glow of clustered stars, even the slow drift of a comet’s tail.
It wasn’t much compared to the battles I’d fought… yet somehow, watching those quiet lights felt more alive than any victory.
Night after night, I looked through the telescope — but there were no planets that seemed alive. No glimmer, no movement, nothing that whispered of life beyond.
What bothered me most wasn’t the silence of the stars… it was what they said about the universe.
Weeks passed. Then months. Then years.
Centuries slipped by like fading candlelight.
Every era, I poured more of my fortune — and my mana — into improving the telescope. I hired the best engineers and scholars of every age. They called it the kingdom’s eye, the greatest instrument ever made.
Even the kingdom tried to take it from me once. But after the incident, fear replaced their greed.
I used that fear to my advantage — every mission from then on was mine alone.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But one day, the engineers said something that stayed with me:
“There’s nothing more we can build. We’ve reached the limit — there are no materials left strong enough to enhance it further.”
Still, in the quiet of my own time, I tried again. Channeling my mana through the structure, amplifying the sight, stretching perception to the edges of what could be seen.
And there — at the edge of the observable universe — I began to notice something strange.
A faint distortion. A ripple that shouldn’t exist.
Something that moved.
Curiosity peaks me in but I stayed silent about what I saw.
No one would believe it. Is this related to what the vampire says?
Based on their words this is bigger than me.
Instead, I disguised the story — shared the image with a few astronomers, scholars, and artisans, pretending it was just a strange pattern I’d found.
“What do you think of this?” I’d ask.
Some said it looked like a crack in the lens.
Others said it was a bending of light, a flaw in the mirror’s curvature.
If it was a crack, I thought, maybe a nearby black hole was distorting the image.But I had already mapped the surrounding region of space — there was no black hole within range. The distortion didn’t behave like gravity. It behaved like… something interfering from beyond the image itself.
The more mana I channeled into the telescope, the more the distortion resisted. The edges flickered, like the glass itself was rejecting what it saw.
When I showed the newest results to a scholar of optics, he frowned.
“It’s not a distortion,” he said slowly. “It looks like… a glitch.”
A glitch.
That word lingered with me — something that shouldn’t exist in the natural order of the universe.
The more I try to observe beyond the observable universe, the clearer the glitch becomes — faint, defiant, like reality itself rejecting my gaze.
For the first time in years, I smile.
The night breeze brushes through my hair as I gaze at the endless sky.
“I think I finally know what to do from now on.”
A few days later, a letter arrived — payment, and a quiet reminder of the life I once had.
Before setting out to the scientist’s place, I looked at the note once more:
Lars, 413 years old.
Village of the Gray Eras.
Magic Rank: D.
Class: Adventurer.
“I see... Lars. So that’s my name now. I should remember it.”
The scholars and scientists say the materials I need don’t exist — not yet, at least.
But I remember my father’s stories. There are places only elves know, lands untouched by time and civilization. If such places still exist, then maybe so do the materials hidden within them.
I will find them.
And with them, I will build the most powerful telescope ever made — one that can pierce beyond the observable universe…
and uncover the truth behind this universe.