Magus Supremacy-Chapter 878: An Issue?

Chapter 878

"Here we are," Harus uttered as he stopped abruptly before a door.

It was just a normal-looking metallic door, a sight which caused Grey to tilt his head in confusion while inspecting the plain surface.

"I don’t understand. This doesn’t seem like it’s locked, so why haven’t you entered here before to maybe see what Orion has been hiding?"

Harus looked at the door blankly, his dark eyes reflecting the dim light of the corridor.

"It is locked. There’s a certain mechanism around the door that doesn’t allow anybody who isn’t the head of the faction to enter."

The librarian paused for a moment as if considering his next choice of words carefully.

"I don’t know how it works, but only the head can access this door. You might get your answer in the room, though."

Harus then lifted his head, craning his thin neck to get a good look at the mage.

"I have done my part. Good luck in your search." The man turned around and began walking away.

Tak. Tak. Tak. Ta—

Grey turned around to look at the man, but the next second, he was gone.

No footsteps, no sound, no nothing. He had seemingly vanished from view, leaving the mage bewildered in the sudden silence.

"Is that a warrior technique?"

With a weary sigh, Grey turned back to stare at the door.

Scanning the barrier from top to bottom, he was unable to spot a handle that would enable him to open the door.

"Huh?"

Stretching his hand forward, however, the moment the limb crossed a few inches of the radius, a bright light encapsulated the door.

The radiance stunned the mage for a second as the frantic thought of a possible attack crossed his mind.

He was about to take a cautious step back when a handle suddenly materialized out of thin air on the side of the door.

Taking guarded steps forward, Grey grabbed the grip, and with a firm twist, a sharp clicking sound was heard.

It was followed by a mini gale, and soon enough, a large bubble emerged that looked big enough to swallow a human whole.

It burst from the threshold with so much speed that Grey was stunned when the sphere swallowed the mage from head to toe.

Then, with lightning velocity, it surged toward the door again.

This stunned Grey, who immediately closed his eyes in fright as the bubble smashed into the metallic surface.

The next second, they vanished.

Both the bubble and Grey were gone from view.

***

Opening his eyes, the Supreme Magus could see himself in a room that possessed two rows of shelves filled with books that pulsated with a strange energy, as if calling out to him.

Looking around the enclosed space, a desk and chair could be seen in one corner of the room with several volumes placed on the table.

A few paintings hung on the wall, their subjects obscured by the dimness.

Aside from those features, the room felt lacklustre and sparse.

"What was that?" He muttered in confusion as he thought back to the strange bubble from earlier that had suddenly consumed him like a piece of meat.

"... A teleporting mechanism of some sort? A bubble? It seems that was the first water mage’s doing."

Looking around, the mage could see a few books pulsating with a steady rhythm, as if signaling for him to come check them out.

Stretching his hand forward, a portal appeared directly in front of him while another gateway manifested around the books, swallowing them whole.

They quickly found their way into the mage’s hands through the magical passage before him.

Looking at the volumes in his hand, there was no title on the hard, rough covers.

With a raised brow, he opened the first one to see that it was the history of the academy written inside.

Without hesitation, he began reading through the text.

It seemed like an autobiography written by the first mage himself.

The script was written in the language used in Arondale—the world of mages.

Without hesitation, he began quietly reading.

Due to his great memory, he only needed to look at something once for him to retain that knowledge; hence, he was just skimming through the pages, which weren’t much to begin with.

"Oh? Oh... makes sense," he was heard muttering the deeper he read.

"I still don’t see why this is locked away here, though, but okay..."

It turns out that the academy was built entirely with magic by Armin. Hence, some things are not as they seem in this world.

One of those mechanisms was the strange phenomenon Grey had just encountered a moment ago.

According to the text, once all clans have agreed upon a leader and that individual actually sits upon the throne-like chair he had occupied a while ago, the entire academy will recognize that person.

Whether their intentions were good or bad, the building itself would acknowledge them.

Hence, areas where nobody else could reach, the principal would be able to access.

That was the specific condition and rule Armin had placed upon the structure.

Furthermore, from what he was reading, it seemed as if the entire academy was alive—functioning as one giant, interconnected chain of networks.

How exactly that worked, the mage did not know, and the book offered no further explanation.

It simply detailed the history of the institution: when it was founded, the number of students it first registered, and the subjects they were taught before transitioning into the mystery of the living building.

Setting that volume aside, Grey grabbed another and began reading, choosing to fully immerse himself in the text.

In fact, after he finished that one, he gathered all the books from the shelves and sat himself on the bare floor.

He began skimming through everything, reading as if his very life depended on it.

He eventually caught a passage where Armin made mention of something intriguing...

All "Originals"—which referred to the first mages—were all partly immortal.

They could live incredibly long lives unless those lives were cut short by those seeking to kill them.

And according to one of the journals he spotted, they could practically live forever if they managed to successfully ascend to a higher plane of existence.

"Godhood. The celestial plane."

Grey stared at those words for several seconds in confusion.

’Celestial plane? I think I have heard of that. Mage Blake; one of those first mages is also a celestial.’

Reading continuously, Grey did not realize that time had passed so instantly.

He had been in this sanctuary for hours and still had not found any specific, useful information that would immediately benefit his current goals.

He had read nearly everything there was on those shelves. With a tired sigh, he rose up and stared at the littered books scattered across the floor.

"I feel like there’s still more to uncover. But for now, I need to put a pin in this and go make a plan on what to do next. I need to return to my world."

With a weary breath, he opened a portal that would lead him directly to Orion’s previous room—which was now his own.

He stepped through the gateway and appeared in the chamber a second later, only to find someone already waiting there.

"Huh? Dame? I thought they said you had returned to the Noxarian faction."

Hearing the voice, Dame quickly sprang to his feet, a deeply worried look etched onto his face.

"Er... Grey, there’s an issue."