How to Survive as a Dungeon Manager in Another World

38: The Spire of Arkasia (1)

*Swooshhh-*

The sound of massive wings cleaving through the clouds roared in my ears.

At first, maintaining my balance was difficult.

Even secured in the saddle mounted on the griffin’s back, my entire body lurched with each flap of its wings.

The ground, seen from that dizzying height, was tiny, like a painted scene, and the clouds seemed close enough to touch.

Each time I saw the immense expanse of land beneath me, my stomach clenched uncomfortably, but I soon grew accustomed to it.

Blackmore looked different from above.

Endless stretches of dark forest gave way to a gray wasteland, at the edge of which hung a dense, swirling fog.

It was Kalmash, our destination.

‘The Spire of Arkasia…’

I gazed silently down at the land, lost in thought.

The Spire of Arkasia.

A forgotten mage tower, rumored to be the ruins of a great necromancer, hailed as a Lord of Darkness in the primordial era.

It was located deep within the Labyrinth, in the most profound depths of the Border, beyond the horrors that spawned there.

When a particular place is devoured by the bizarre, its very structure and nature twist, losing their original form, transforming into a space gripped by endless chaos and darkness.

Such a space is commonly called a labyrinth, yet there exist special cases.

Beyond mere erosion by the bizarre, there are instances where the space itself evolves into the bizarre.

From this point on, even the term labyrinth seems inadequate.

The risk is so extremely high that they might be called Great Labyrinths, but even then, it’s more fitting to view them as a singular ‘Domain.’

Naturally, their number across the continent isn’t many, and even if they do exist, they’re mostly buried deep within the unpopulated corners of the hinterlands.

The Spire of Arkacia, where the Holy Text is interred, is no different.

The reason anyone would dare to raid such a horrific place is, of course, due to the utility held within the Runes of Space.

While all runes possess their own unique qualities, the Rune of Space is in a class of its own.

Its harmony with other runes is especially remarkable, stemming from the fact that space itself is the fundamental foundation of all existence.

Naturally, manipulating the very source of space demands a considerable expenditure of mental imagery, but its versatility more than compensates.

Its compatibility with magic is especially potent, as with enough mental imagery and mastery, one can even transfer the spell itself right before the opponent’s eyes.

‘We’re here.’

Having flown swiftly upon the Gryphon, I could now see the colossal pillars looming in the distance.

The only passage that can be linked to Kalmash, the Chains of Order.

The Gryphon, which had been weaving across the sky, lowered its altitude and landed right in front of us.

Arkan dismounted first, followed by myself, Adina, and finally, Ludine.

“Are we going straight through?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“I thought you’d be bringing a whole regiment along. Quite the surprise.”

“Why bother? We have you, one of the Six Lords, and myself. What more could we possibly need there?”

Well, that’s true enough.

I may be reliant on runes, but Arkan is a strategic weapon in and of himself.

“Stand back.”

She slowly approached the pillar and raised her hand.

As her hand touched the surface, the black light that emanated from the pillar, like the last time we crossed to Kalmash, swirled like churning waters.

Chakang! Kaddeudeuk!

A riot of bizarre visual effects erupted around the pillar, followed by the gradual stench of rotting corpses filling the air.

Kuuung!

The passage opened, revealing a desolate land devoid of light.

Arkan glanced at me and grinned, wide and unsettling.

“Shall we venture in, Sixth Lord?”

“……”

Damn it, back here again.

I trudged forward, crossing the threshold.

It had been days since we’d entered Kalmash.

The scenery that unfolded before my eyes was a monotonous repetition of a thick, ebon sky, crimson-black rocks, and desolate earth.

We walked, and walked, and walked, endlessly through the suffocating darkness.

Each step deeper made it harder to breathe, choked by that peculiar stench, but the real problem was the impenetrable gloom.

“…Left, from over there.”

As before, the task of guiding us fell to Adina, with her awakened spirit eyes, and she dutifully took on the role.

Perhaps because she had already traversed Kalmash once, she navigated with a composure that bordered on indifference.

What *had* changed, however, was the increasing number of unidentifiable creatures that sprang forth the deeper we went.

Kieeeeek—!

The monsters beyond the boundary were each overtaken by some grotesque corruption, their forms barely discernible, but the aura they exuded was utterly malevolent.

And it wasn’t just one or two. They emerged in hordes the deeper we ventured, which, frankly, was getting tiresome.

What’s worse, there were quite a few with troublesome and bizarre abilities that induced hallucinations or spewed poisonous mists.

At least.

“Tsk.”

*Snap!*

Arkan flicked her fingers, and a long, twisted strand of dark light bloomed from her fingertips, spiraling through the oppressive atmosphere and shooting forth like a laser.

The purplish hue, different from magic created with ordinary mana, stained the space.

Kwajijijik!!

The fired beam drew a flowing curve, tearing the creatures apart.

“……”

Minimum *Ma* (Demon)-class beasts, ripped to shreds each time she flicked her finger.

They were far lower in rank compared to *Jae* (Calamity) or *Myeol* (Annihilation)-class beasts, but even *Ma*-class creatures possessed inherent anti-magic traits, greatly increasing their resistance to spells.

Their durability against mana was fundamentally tough, but before Arkan, they didn’t even last a second before their bodies were torn asunder.

What’s more, the speed at which her incantations unfolded was so rapid, it almost looked as if the spell appeared fully formed from the start.

While other mages relied on ‘incantations,’ ‘mental constructs,’ or even ‘magic circles’ to compute the formulas for their spells, she operated on a level where calculation itself was unnecessary.

I knew from the original work that the Archduke’s strength defied common sense, but even so, I couldn’t help but be astonished each time.

‘Makes things convenient, I suppose.’

Kkeeeeek! Kkeeeeeeek!

Whenever monsters lunged, a mere flick of her fingers would turn them into corpses, which, frankly, was quite agreeable.

Of course, I could step in, but it was necessary to conserve the power of the runes.

If another Catastrophe-class monstrosity decided to pop out like last time, then I’d have no choice but to deal with it myself.

Leading the way, Adina, with violet light gleaming in her eyes, continued to guide us, following the traces of Sephirot through the dense miasma.

“…The right, past those bushes.”

“Can you actually see something?”

“Of course. I can see those traces of light you mentioned, but…are we sure something will come of following them endlessly like this?”

“Well, beyond the boundary, the path is predetermined, you see.”

“What in the world does that mean?”

Ordinary aberrations exist within the rules of the world.

No matter how powerful an aberration may be, it is ultimately subordinate to the order of the world.

However, a ‘Domain’ is different.

A Domain is, quite literally, a space with its own independent rules.

It is not a space where the rules of the world apply, but rather, a space that conversely imposes its own rules upon the world.

Kalmash was the same.

Kalmash, once the domain of the World Tree of Light, Sephirot, had been eroded by entities from the Outer Seas and turned into a domain of chaos.

In other words.

“This entire place is a single, massive Domain, you could say.”

Fortunately, traces of Sephirot still remained, and these traces were interwoven like threads, forming a path.

Only those with Spiritual Eyes could see these traces, and by following them, one could arrive at the desired destination.

That was the rule of the ‘Domain’ known as Kalmash.

And so, Adina’s assistance was necessary to find the way.

“…You really know everything, don’t you, Sixth Duke?”

Arkan let out a hollow, disbelieving laugh after hearing the explanation.

I mostly ignored him and continued to move forward.

It was then.

“…Something lies ahead.”

Adina halted abruptly in her tracks.

Through the dense fog, the faint shape of something could be discerned, at first merely the silhouette of a spire, but with each step closer, its true nature began to reveal itself.

Countless patterns were etched upon the surface of the spire, resembling black marble, and these crawled across it like sable serpents.

Occasionally, a crimson light flickered within these patterns, as if the spire itself were drawing breath.

The pillars were twisted unnaturally, as though their very bones were warped, and between them, cliff-like walls rose towards the heavens.

The apex of the spire was lost in the fog, but judging by its sheer scale, it must have pierced the clouds and soared far beyond.

Most strange of all was the spire’s structure.

Disregarding all geometric laws, space seemed to fold in upon itself, and certain sections were inverted, the inside becoming the outside, the outside the inside.

A structure of illusion, infinitely repeating like a Möbius strip, thrust itself vertically, stabbing at the sky.

An exterior where the very order of the world was contorted.

A visage that perfectly embodied the title of ‘Chaos’.

The Grand Labyrinth.

The Spire of Arcasia.

“…We’ve arrived.”

The place where the primordial scripture was sealed.