Rise of the F-Rank Hero-Chapter 157: Archmage’s "Treasure"

A little while later, on the floor of the corridor—

"Cough! Cough! I’m... I’m gonna die."

I squatted on the ground, dripping nosebleed all over and drenched head to toe in sweat, gasping raggedly. My lungs felt like someone had stuffed them with burning steel wool.

When I turned my head slightly, I saw the corridor, now no different from a battlefield.

And right in the middle of it... were heaps of debris that used to be the Guardians. Stone arms here, a shattered head there, and enough gravel to pave a road.

A sour taste rose in my mouth, and my vision swam.

-Hey! Hit him! I said, hit him!

Thirty minutes had passed since I’d started telling them to kill each other.

Though calling it thirty minutes sounded simple, in reality, I’d been in a situation where even a single blow would have smashed my head like a melon. I had danced between falling pillars of stone, baiting attacks, slipping through gaps no wider than my chest.

On top of that, I’d had to throw myself again and again, reading the precise angles and timing of their attacks—

My brain... and my heart felt like they were going to burst.

But, still.

"Uhehehe... Uhehehe. I’m Oliver Shaw, you bastards."

Even without mana, I could still crush things like you.

I let out a sly grin, blood staining my teeth, and spoke again to the empty air.

"Are you watching, Archmage?"

No matter what kind of nasty prank you pull, it won’t work on me, that’s what I’m saying.

Just as I was wallowing in my pitiful triumph—

Wuuuung! Clack!

"Huh?"

At the sudden sound behind me, I turned my head.

There, the stone door engraved with the wave crest, which hadn’t budged an inch before, was now glowing with a soft blue light. The intricate carvings filled with mana, unlocking the mechanism.

The moment I saw it, I knew.

That door was about to open.

"...It’s, it’s done."

Trembling.

I somehow managed to push myself up on shaking legs. Every part of my body ached, and my vision was going blurry, but it didn’t matter.

I was almost there.

Once I passed through that door... the Record overflowing with priceless treasure would be waiting for me. The Archmage’s legacy. Infinite mana? A weapon that could kill gods? A mountain of platinum?

Step. Step.

"Uhehehe..."

I took one step after another, reached the door, and shoved it open with all my strength.

At that moment—

"Urk!"

A blinding light flared from inside.

I squinted, my eyes narrowing to slits, and waited until they adjusted to the brilliance.

Then, gradually, the inside of the stone chamber came into view.

And in the very next instant...

"...What is this?"

My face twisted into an expression of pure bewilderment.

The Great Archmage, Solomon the Wise.

He was the cornerstone who led our family through its golden age, and a genius among geniuses. A mage who revolutionized the magical world. The mage who was behind the establishment of magical civilization as we knew it.

Many people, explorers, adventurers lost their lives in hopes of conquering his dungeon, dreaming of the riches he left behind. Discovering unfounded ancient magic that could change the world.

But... the scene that unfolded inside was far from Oliver’s expectations.

"Is this it?"

The space was only about twice the size of my bedroom back at the mansion. There were no piles of gold. No floating staves of ultimate power.

Along the walls stood three modest bookshelves.

And the majority of the books on those shelves...

I stumbled forward, pulling one out.

[The Elf Queen’s Secret Garden - Author: PointyEarsLover69]

I blinked. I grabbed another.

[My Step-Sister is a Succubus?! - Author: H. Entai]

I grabbed a thick, leather-bound tome that looked like a grimoire.

[50 Shades of Goblin Green (Uncensored) - Author: TheGiver]

They were chivalric romances. Or rather... just pure, unadulterated erotica.

"Nooo, this isn’t what I need right nowww... Don’t mess with meee."

My face twisted, growing increasingly red. The heat of embarrassment mixed with the heat of rage.

"Where’s the grimoires?! Where’s the elixir?! Where the hell is the gold and silver treasure?!"

Thud! Thud! Thuud!

No, this couldn’t be all of it. This had to be a joke. A test!

With a tearful face, I began pulling the books off the shelves and tossing them aside one after another, creating a pile of filth on the floor.

[The Maid’s Punishment]. Throw. [Bound by Tentacles in the Dungeon]. Throw. [The Hero’s Harem: Volume 12]. Throw.

’What am I supposed to do with this crap!’

Well, I knew there were collectors who gathered these types of rare, ancient books, and that they could fetch a decent price on the black market. Especially since they were written by the Solomon the Wise.

But... even so, how much money could that really bring?

’I’m not even asking for an elixir. But still, there should be something I can actually use right now!’

Please, pleaase, let something turn up. A ring? A scroll of fireball? A sandwich?!

If not... all that suffering—the fall, the cold, the Golems—would be for nothing.

"Master!"

Faintly, from behind the outer door, I heard Seraphine’s voice muffled by the stone.

"Sensors detect elevated heart rate and vocal distress! Are you engaging hostiles?"

"I’m engaging PERVERSION, Sera!" I screamed back, ripping a book titled [Big Titty Orc Mommies] in half. "The Archmage was a degenerate!"

I fell to my knees in the center of the room, surrounded by centuries-old smut.

"Damn it... damn it all..."

I slumped forward, my forehead hitting the floor.

And then.

Click.

My forehead hit a loose tile.

Whirrr...

A section of the floor beneath the smut pile slid open.

"Huh?"

I lifted my head, tears in my eyes.

Inside the small, hidden compartment, there wasn’t a book.

There was a single, small, dusty wooden box. And sitting on top of it was a note.

I picked up the note with trembling fingers.

To whoever finds this: Congratulations on surviving my ’Guardians’. If you are reading this, you have ignored the temptations of the flesh (the books) and sought the true truth (by throwing a tantrum on the floor). Inside this box is my greatest creation. Use it wisely. - Solomon.

" greatest creation...?"

I gulped. My heart started racing again. This was it. The real treasure. I opened the box.

Inside, resting on a velvet cushion, was...

A pair of panties.

White. Lace. Sheer enough to see the velvet underneath. And curiously, they seemed to be... crotchless.

Seeing those panties, Oliver wondered, ’Was the Archmage female?’

Well, till now, no one knew the gender of the Archmage. In fact, no one even knew if he/she was a human or not. Just some names in records—Solomon, The Wise, The Architect. But just by myths of him being so powerful, it was assumed by default that the mage was a male. A bearded, old, wise man.

But seeing a pair of used, crotchless lace panties here made him think otherwise. Or maybe the Archmage was just a massive pervert who collected trophies.

Putting the panties in his pocket—just in case they were a magical artifact, of course—he continued shuffling through the books in hope of finding a book of spells, or records, grimoires, etc.

Just then, while flipping through more books in the hope of finding something of value...

[The Nightly Wisdom of the Great Selina Azure - Author: Selina Solomon]

"..."

The moment he saw the name written there, a serious expression appeared on Oliver’s face. He instinctively sensed it. That there might be some crucial clue written in this. Selina Azure. A name lost to history, but it sounded powerful.

Rustle!

He carefully turned the pages.

[Question: How to keep a Berserker from raging?]

Oliver leaned in. Finally, combat tactics.

[Answer: Drain his balls dry. Take his cock deep into your throat until he gags, then milk him until his legs shake too much to hold an axe. Swallow every drop to assert dominance.]

"..."

Oliver blinked. He turned the page.

[Question: How to maximize mana transfer during dual cultivation?]

[Answer: The Pussy-Clamp technique. Wrap your legs around his waist, sink down on his shaft until your cervix is being battered, and then tighten your vaginal walls in a rhythmic milking motion. Do not let him cum until he screams your name.]

Watching this, Oliver began trembling and his face flushed red...

"Why the hell would you even put this in storage!"

Whack!

He hurled the book onto the floor.

"Damn it! Is the entire legacy just porn?!"

He threw a punch at the bookshelf in irritation.

Crash!

Oliver’s fist pierced through the bookshelf and continued into the back. Seriously, this temper of his... Grinding his teeth, he began pulling his hand back when...

"...Huh?"

From the hole he had punched through the middle of the bookshelf, a faint light was seeping out. Oliver peered through the hole this way and that, then reached out and felt around the bookshelf again.

"Could this be..."

He meticulously inspected every part beneath, beside, and above the bookshelf, feeling around with the palm of his hand. In the process, he spotted a section where the color of the wood had subtly changed. When he pressed it firmly with his hand...

Clack!

A heavy metallic sound and the noise of friction rang out. Oliver gripped the bookshelf and pushed it sideways.

Creeeaaak!

The bookshelf slid aside, revealing a hidden space behind it. A space the same size as the study. A couple of glowstones were embedded in the walls, and in the center stood a circular stone platform with two iron pillars rising from it. The magical inscriptions engraved across the pillars made clear what this structure was.

"A portal?"