Chapter 9: Heretical Speedrun (Part 1)

“I said, can this really work?”

The two little figures in cloaks arrived at the entrance of the Grand Library.

“Mmm… since you chose to trust me… mmm… don’t be so hesitant, okay… mmm…”

“… Finish eating before you talk.”

Luo Ya pressed her forehead.

Zhi Zi shoved the remaining snacks into her mouth in one go, her cheeks puffed out, and it took a while to swallow.

“Damn, finally got a decent meal.”

“Today’s a rare opportunity. The witch in charge of the Forbidden Books Area is at the regular meeting, so if I want to get you good practical combat material, I have to look inside.”

“What about that card of yours? Let me see it.”

Luo Ya pulled the card from inside her robe and handed it to Zhi Zi.

“Holy crap, full permissions! Are you sure you’re not his secret daughter?”

Zhi Zi’s eyes widened.

To be honest, Zhi Zi felt a little jealous.

Why did other masters treat their disciples like their own children?

Thinking about her own situation, Zhi Zi couldn’t help but wipe away a tear of bitterness.

With that card, the two easily reached the Forbidden Books Area.

As they pushed open the old wooden door, the dim, cold wind made Luo Ya shiver.

“This is where you said we’d get practical combat experience?”

Luo Ya looked around.

The counter was empty, with a sign that read: “Out on business. Please register your borrowed books yourself.”

“That’s right. Come on, let me show you something amazing.”

Before Zhi Zi finished speaking, she disappeared, leaving only her echo fading into the darkness.

In a moment, Zhi Zi came back carrying a book.

“Uh… History of the Kingdom of Atalan (Volume 7)?”

Luo Ya was full of question marks.

“What are you doing with that?”

“Ordinary books can’t simulate combat scenarios. A magic book like this, imbued with Magic Power, is extremely precious and usually well-preserved.”

Zhi Zi gently blew the dust off the cover.

“Probably a relic from a kingdom destroyed by Deep Blue—like a national history written by the royal family. Now it’s useless and left here to collect dust. Perfect for us to use.”

“Doesn’t it feel like you prepared all this beforehand?”

Luo Ya frowned.

“Don’t worry about it. We need to hurry—it’ll be trouble once that witch comes back.”

They found a table and sat down.

Zhi Zi gently opened the old book.

At the tip of her finger, a light flickered, bright in the darkness.

As her glowing finger touched the page, the words seemed to come alive, breaking free from the paper and gushing out like a fountain.

In an instant, Luo Ya was swept away by the tide of text and blacked out.

When she woke up again, she found herself lying on a desolate sand dune.

She was wearing unfamiliar clothes and holding a standard staff.

A bright moon hung in the sky.

A Magical Colossus over a hundred meters tall had been pierced through the middle by an unknown force and was collapsing.

Around her, bones littered the battlefield.

The armor had rusted beyond recognition over the long years.

Broken swords stuck out of the sand like a forest of tombstones.

Luo Ya stared blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings.

“Right now, you’ve entered the Historical Fragments through the magic power of the book.”

Zhi Zi’s voice sounded in her ear.

“The only thing you can take out of here is the memory of your battle. The book’s Magic Power is limited—use it wisely.”

“The Historical Fragments are re-created by lingering wills. Defeat it, and you’ll fully absorb all the experience gained in this period. Understand?”

“So defeat a strong enemy and gain experience. Got it.”

Luo Ya nodded.

“The fragment you’re in now is from the history when Deep Blue destroyed the Kingdom of Atalan. That stubborn will belongs to the kingdom’s Chief Knight. It should be wandering around this area… Ah, here it comes.”

A knight, blood-red all over with rusted armor, emerged from between the dunes, wandering like a zombie.

***

It spotted Luo Ya standing frozen in the distance.

From behind the twisted, deformed visor came a low, hoarse, and startled voice.

“Still… Deep Blue’s… lackey…”

The hazy consciousness sharpened again.

The knight straightened its hunched body and swung its broken heavy sword with a heavy whoosh.

“Don’t think you’ll… get past me…”

The knight staggered toward Luo Ya, its pace growing faster until it leaped like a wild beast with a roar, crossing dozens of meters in an instant.

The broken sword came crashing down!

“Filthy dog!”

Luo Ya instinctively raised her staff.

A ball of flame condensed at the tip and shot out.

“Die!”

The scarlet knight cleaved through the fireball with a single swing, charging through the explosion like a vengeful ghost.

Following her body’s muscle memory, Luo Ya immediately raised a magical barrier.

But under the knight’s heavy sword, the barrier shattered like glass, and Luo Ya was cut in half along with it.

“Whoa!”

Luo Ya jerked awake, drenched in cold sweat.

She was back at the desk.

Everything she had just experienced was fake.

But that feeling of being split in two at the waist, with her entrails spilling all over the ground…

‘Damn, why does it feel so real!’

Luo Ya convulsed, collapsed, and dry-heaved on the floor.

“How was it?”

Zhi Zi’s voice came from beside her.

Luo Ya felt dizzy, weak all over, and twitching slightly.

“Looks like you got one-shotted.”

Zhi Zi shrugged.

“You just experienced the perspective of a Deep Blue War Mage. In the historical fragment, you can feel all her memories and insights. Don’t you think your understanding of magic is a bit deeper now?”

Luo Ya was still shaken.

“There are some extra memories, but how can I possibly defeat it?”

“Historically, that Chief Knight died at the hands of the War Mage you’re playing. He was already on his last legs—you have a chance.”

Zhi Zi said.

“Anyway, you’ve taken the first step. Congratulations.”

Luo Ya frowned.

She felt like something was off, but she didn’t have time to think about what.

“You have to keep going. If you don’t completely destroy that residual will, the skills you just gained will gradually fade with time.”

Zhi Zi tapped the desk lightly, a teasing expression on her face.

“Or are you scared?”

“… Don’t use such a cheap provocation.”

Luo Ya took a deep breath and opened the book again.

Light flared and then dimmed.

In the dim Forbidden Books Area, only Zhi Zi remained.

Zhi Zi tapped her index finger on the desk, but her expression was completely different from her usual flippant attitude—dark and conflicted.

‘Sorry, little girl. I’ve dragged you into this too.’

‘Through you, I’m indirectly passing this research to Master Xia An, leaking my master’s work.’

‘Master Xia An is a surefire Future Sage. Even my master will have to think twice. If it annoys her, then my goal is accomplished.’

‘Of course, if you come to hate me after knowing the truth, I have nothing to say.’

After all, I never approached you with good intentions.

You could even call it deliberate framing.

‘I needed someone who could take this thing in a hurry. In that crisis, you were my only choice.’

‘Anyway, every extra day I live is a bonus. What happens after—kill me, cut me up, do whatever you want.’