Rainer held the first book reverently, wondering if, perhaps, the enchantments of this room were why he could still hold it in such good condition. During his quick and brief scans of the book, he became more and more excited.

Magical Theory. There wasn’t just a few passive spells and some scrying-type spells in here; this book held the theory that went into their making. No luck or chance was involved, these spells were patiently crafted.

It took all his rapidly depleting willpower to not sit down and read these. Instead he had to be content with the knowledge that his rapid scanning would let him retrieve the memories of it in [Sleep Learning].

Eventually, Rainer removed his [Void Suppression], seeing no reason to keep it up in this heavily enchanted area. Regaining his attributes ten minutes later, he blew through the books, finally ending up at the desk in the room.

The notes on the desk were far too incomplete and disordered to represent anything useful, but he recognized several of the runes involved as relating to space.

Looking to the center of the room, Rainer found the size of the four-pronged small tower to be far too familiar. His eyes widened as he looked at the stone doorway seemingly on the side of the room for no reason. It wasn’t hard to make the connection with the scattered notes.

Walking up to the thin pillar, he manipulated a block of solid dirt the size of the Mana-Well and put it in.

“Holy shit.”

Void Suppressed once more, Rainer headed out of the enchanted room. He nearly stumbled when he met with the blind old man he thought had seen him before.

“[Archon],” the man greeted naturally as if he hadn’t just caught him sneaking into their highest guarded location.

“[Soul-Fire Seer],” Rainer returned, wondering why everyone was always calling him [Archon]. He saw little point in keeping up [Void Suppression] and wondered if he could keep talking until the after effects wore off. Though he supposed it was time to recreate this Avatar soon anyhow, given how he felt his main body was reaching the next stage in altering itself.

“I see we’ve both found ourselves on a walk tonight. Though I must admit I’ve never thought of changing myself in such an... interesting way on my walks,” the Farseer Magus said, wondering just how the [Archon] knew his class. Did he keep a Fairy in his pocket, the old man thought with amusement. How improbable would that be?

“What can I say, my fiancée has strange tastes.”

Rainer nearly laughed at the Farseer’s twitching mouth as he tried to keep up a serious face.

“How long we’ve wondered what the last floor might hold; never did we predict it wouldn’t be us to visit first.”

“You shouldn’t feel bad, most mages are incompetent compared to me,” Rainer said, now just interested in getting a reaction out of the old man. Life was far more fun when your body dying was just a minor inconvenience.

“Given your lack of spatial storage, I imagine you are here for knowledge rather than physical wealth. Perhaps you’d be interested in a trade?” Tian just decided to be more blunt, as he wasn’t sure how long the [Archon] would mock him for otherwise.

Rainer raised an eyebrow, inwardly chastising himself. Now that he thought of it, he could have stored things in his [Arcane Awakening: Spatial Storage].

But, catching him, the thief, and acting so pleasant, something was wrong with this picture. Though he wondered what they could even do to him. Nothing. So he supposed this was the only rational option.

It had been a while since an opposing force acted rationally towards him. Perhaps letting the world know he was an [Archon] was one of his better moves?

“What kind of trade?”

“Of knowledge, of course. Though I admit, catching you in such a weak state. I could call in the others in a moment’s notice. In exchange for letting me upstairs, I’ll avoid doing so. Knowledge for knowledge, in a way.”

Ah… not so rational…

Rainer sighed despondently. Would he have to destroy half the world before people stopped taking him so lightly?

“Look at my Soul,” he said, remembering their talk of how powerful it was from earlier.

“Look at your... “ Tian’s eyes bulged as he sensed his strength. But.. he was so sure. This was certainly a true body. How…

“I admit it would be a bit of inconvenience to recreate this Avatar, but not so much I could be threatened by a blind old man,” Rainer said, pointedly ignoring that said ‘blind’ old man was the only one who ‘saw’ him.

“Then what do you wish for in exchange for letting me upstairs?” Tian said with a long sigh of his own. They needed to reevaluate the [Archon] if he could create such impressive Avatars.

Rainer thought that over. It was very likely the Farseers lacked the theory behind the passive spells that made them such a strong Guild. So would he be willing to strengthen them? Of course he would be willing. And not only willing, he’d be beyond happy to. Not only would it take numerous years, but by the time they had advances he could just steal them again. He would certainly be strong enough to do so by then.

“I am foremost a Magus. Exchange spells to me, and once I feel it is enough, I’ll let you up,” Rainer didn’t want to push too far and lose this chance, but he also didn’t know what was ‘fair’.

“A hint on what’s up there?”

“Passive magics…” he said, enjoying how the old Mage’s face fell, “and how they created them.”

There came the greed. Feeling the slight fluctuation of magic, Rainer had a feeling he had just been truth-spelled, just like with his earlier statement about the trade. Not that he cared. All the easier. He had no plans to scam this Mage. Both sides of the trade were to his own benefit after all.

“We have a deal [Archon]. Out of curiosity, what level is your [Avatar Control]?”

“7, though I feel I’m not far off from 8.”

Tian’s face fell again. They needed to reevaluate this [Archon] after all. Was something wrong with their spells that had seen him only as 20? What sort of absurd world produced such a monster at a young age?

“Oh, by the way,” the [Archon] said with a bright smile that had something frightening behind it, “If you use any sort of scrying or spying spell on my fiancée again, I’ll do everything in my power to ensure your Guild is wiped from the face of the planet. You have my sincerest word. Communicate that to the others, yeah?”

The world flashed grey as Tian stumbled back. Despite the [Archon]’s body seemingly having not recovered, it didn’t lessen the threat he felt. Nor did the disarming smile make the room any less chilly.

What was this presence? What was this ‘Human’? Why did it seem as if the very world cried out in pain? He briefly closed his [Seer-Sight], unable to stand it, becoming truly the blind man he was.

“I also have some questions about the Northern Empire…” the [Archon] continued as if nothing was wrong.

Tian suddenly got a frightening feeling that the only reason the [Archon] sneaked in here was for his own entertainment and not because he needed to. No wonder the young man had looked at him as if he was braindead when he made a threat. How many times had he given people that look before he turned them to ash?

“That is one thing I can easily help with,” the old man answered, feeling the cold sweat on his back. But a part of him felt hope. Perhaps their world wasn’t doomed the moment those hasty Tier 2 parties entered the dungeon...

Rainer couldn’t keep a smirk off his face at the pained expression of this Magus Tian. As they found out, the locked study contained not only all the passive spells Tian tried to offer, but several the Farseer’s Guild did not have.

So it was with great reluctance Tian had to trade their Seer-related spells. And, now knowing that the value of the study had increased, Tian had little choice but to agree with the [Archon]’s request for even more spells.

Even worse, the [Archon] could truth-read him. And, in the end, he had little choice but give up the Tier 6 Scrying spell of their Guild, [Eye of Augury]. He knew and the [Archon] knew that the Farseers had no chance of entering the top floor without his help.

“Is this enough,” Tian said through clenched teeth. The passive spells the [Archon] had mentioned were simply too great to give up. Not to mention the theory. For so long they had tried to understand the spells that had taken their Guild from a group of weak and abused seers into the strongest Mage Guild - no matter what the Flameborne claimed - and yet they came no closer. The old magics remained mysteries.

He wanted to slap the [Archon]’s face that looked like he was thinking it over and only barely held back. What more could he want?

Rainer let out a ‘despondent’ sigh.

“I suppose,” he said, and then making it look as effortless as possible, descended the Arcanium upon the room upstairs. And let a bit hang over the room down here as well. It was always good to remind the man across from him of his strength. The enchantment buckled under the pressure, and slowly but surely unwound.

Tian’s face darkened further as he felt some of his passive spells strain and one of the weaker ones almost turn off.

He’d had enough of spending time with this impossible being.

Later that night in his [Sleep Learning] space, Rainer recreated all the books he read, focusing on the spell formulas as he lined them up across tables. Sarah went over to the passive spells immediately, before backing off as her head cramped.

“Looks like I have to use them after all... “ the [Manaborne] said disappointedly before spending the points she had been saving for the Tier 2 class store on raising [Faaran Runic Language] to level 6, the same as Rainer’s. While having the same knowledge of English didn’t mean someone could analyze literature as well as another, it did let Sarah read the spells without issue. And without the fear of injury or death, it wouldn’t take too long for her to learn, especially with the theory available on the side.

Rainer looked at the nine main passive spells that made up combat of these imperial Mages. While he didn’t have much use for them himself, except perhaps in a situation where he would only be using one of his magic blades, their principles could help him decipher [Void Insulation], if not later [Void Harmony]. Passive spells required both a long set-up time and a long cooldown time for removing them before the Mana Pool fully required. They were designed to always be on. Only in rare cases would more than one be useful for him with his Mana Pool.

[Passive: Zan Strength], [Passive: Zan Armor], [Passive: Zan Fist], [Passive: Zan Haste], [Passive: Zan Perception], [Passive: Zan Shielding], [Passive: Zan Mirror], [Passive: Zan Charge], [Passive: Zan Absorption].

All were Tier 4 spells, with the exception of [Zan Haste], which was Tier 6. This one in particular interested Rainer as he wondered if it would work well with his own [Arcane Awakening: Surge], both being overall speed-increases.

He had learned from Magus Tian that the old imperial north was less an empire and more a hideaway founded by a group of Magi who ran away from another world, from the Imperial Magocracy of Zan. No one knew what these founders had looked like as they ruled from behind. Though he got the feeling from [Mana-Reading] that Tian was telling him some half-truths.

The Farseers didn’t know why they had fled to this world, but Rainer could guess. And their final destination likely had resulted from a mistaken teleport, leaving the future Nalmar to find the Mana-Well in a ruin. Or rather a grave of accidental magic. Without the natural guidance given by the Void, Rainer himself had no idea how they could account for issues of World Travel.

Of course, he could be completely off. But he doubted it. It also made sense, then, why the quest dungeon had appeared here, if the Mana-Well was once here as well.

Others were coming over to look at his acquisitions, but Sarah interrupted their discussion with an annoyed yell.

“Argh!! Rainer! Learn these spells and teach me.” Sarah had run over to him with bloodshot eyes. How she hated Runes.

Rainer just looked at her.

“Please.”

“Glad to help.”