Rise of the F-Rank Hero-Chapter 158: Message from past

A portal—an apparatus created by inscribing teleportation-type magic onto a specific place or object, allowing movement between two connected points. The alloy used in its structure had to be a precise mix of mana stone and steel. The raw materials were expensive, and the craftsmanship required to make it had to be exceptional. I wasn’t sure how things were now, but back in my time, it had been an absurdly expensive item. Why something like that was here, I had no clue.

’If I dismantled and sold it, maybe I could get enough to afford an elixir?’

The problem was how to get it out of here... Still, it was much better than nothing, wasn’t it? Just as Oliver scratched his forehead with a complex expression—

"– ...Welcome."

A voice suddenly came from behind him. It was husky, rich, and dripped with a sultry resonance that vibrated straight to his groin.

"Eek!"

Startled, Oliver leapt into the air and grabbed the hilt of his chipped dagger. And by the time he came to his senses, his eyes and mouth opened wide for an entirely different reason.

"Wha... what?"

Standing at the center of the space was someone. Or rather, a projection of someone.

A pale face, small slit-like eyes that held a mischievous glint, and a kind mouth that gave a gentle, yet incredibly lewd impression. And light-blue hair, elegant and flowing down to the waist.

But it was her attire—or lack thereof—that froze Oliver’s brain.

She was wearing a purple witch’s hat and a robe that seemed to be holding on by pure magic and prayers. The fabric was a sheer, black silk that clung to her damp skin like a second layer. Her breasts were massive—heavy, milky udders that spilled aggressively out of the deep, plunging neckline. The fabric barely covered her large, dark areolas, and as she breathed, the mounds of flesh heaved and bounced, looking like they would pop out completely at any second.

The robe had slits on both sides that went all the way up to her waist. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath. When she shifted her weight, the fabric parted, revealing thick, soft, doughy thighs that looked incredibly eager to crush a man’s head. Her hips were wide, breeding hips, leading down to a patch of neatly trimmed blue hair between her legs that was peeking out shamelessly.

She looked like a fertility goddess designed for sin. A mature, experienced woman who knew exactly how to use that body.

"It’s been a while since I had a visitor," she purred, licking her lips while looking Oliver up and down.

Oliver felt the blood rush from his brain straight between his legs. Boing. His cock twitched and instantly hardened into a rock, straining painfully against his trousers. He couldn’t help it. The sheer overwhelming aura of sex radiating from her was potent enough to knock a dragon out of the sky.

"Are you... Selina?"

Oliver croaked, his throat dry, his eyes glued to the heavy, hypnotic sway of her breasts as she breathed.

But the figure didn’t respond. She didn’t even blink at his voice. Instead, she brought a slender finger to her chin, tilting her head.

– I am Selina Solomon. Well, if you’re standing there drooling, you might have already guessed that.

The figure continued speaking, her voice echoing with a strange, hollow resonance.

– If you have reached this chamber, then congratulations. You have passed all my trials, ignored the Guardians, solved the riddles—or just smashed everything like a brute—and proven yourself worthy of my legacy.

She kept speaking, pausing for dramatic effect in places where a listener should have responded, but plowing ahead regardless. Oliver opened his mouth to ask about the elixir, but she simply turned her back, her spectral robe flowing like water.

"Hey, wait—"

Oliver walked closer.

Up close, she looked even more stunning. The sheen of sweat on her collarbone, the rise and fall of her chest... it was hyper-realistic. Mesmerized, and perhaps a bit tempted, he moved his hand forward, intending to touch her shoulder.

Whoosh!

Oliver’s hand passed straight through her body.

"...Huh?"

Whoosh, whoosh.

Oliver blinked stupidly. He tried to grab her arm, then waived his hand through her torso. There was no warmth, no softness. Just empty, cold air.

A deep furrow formed between Oliver’s brows.

"...An illusion spell?"

A Memory Echo. High-tier magic used to leave behind a message for future generations. It wasn’t sentient; it was just a recording playing on a loop.

’Yeah, it wouldn’t make sense otherwise.’

No matter how great the mage was, Selina Solomon lived centuries ago. There was no way she’d still be alive and looking this good in a damp dungeon.

"..."

It was a strange feeling, standing in front of a ghost who was currently winking at empty space.

– By the way, this record hides a tremendous treasure. I’m talking about tens of millions of gold coins, artifacts that could buy a kingdom, and gems the size of dragon eyes.

"Really?!"

Oliver instinctively reacted, his greed flaring up instantly.

Just then, the illusion of Selina covered her mouth with a dainty hand and smiled, her eyes curling into crescents.

– Ho ho! Just kidding. As if there would be something like that left. I spent all my money on booze and spell reagents years ago. The books you saw on the way in—those masterpieces of literature—are all there is. Though, I do believe those works of art hold value far beyond gold. I collected them while traveling the world.

"..."

This bitch...

As Oliver scowled, the illusion gave an awkward, self-conscious laugh and cleared her throat a few times before her expression shifted. The playful, sultry vibe evaporated, replaced by a weary, ancient melancholy.

– Ahem! Anyway... since you have reached this far, you must have gone through hell.

"You bet your ass I did," Oliver muttered.

– I had to make sure. I had to ensure that whoever finds this place has the strength to survive the truth. But before I give you the key... would you like to hear an old woman’s story?

She paused, looking at the ceiling.

– Huh~ Who am I even asking? It’s not like I can hear your response. I’m going to say it anyway, so sit down and shut up.

She began to pace around the circular platform, her voice taking on a storytelling cadence.

– I was born in the Era of Ash. A time you probably only know from history books, if those dusty scholars even recorded it right. Back then, there were no Kingdoms. Just survivors.

She spoke of being thrown away in a ditch the day she was born simply for being a girl in a time when physical strength meant survival. She spoke of waiting to die in the mud, only to be picked up by a wandering mage—not a human, but an Orc Shaman.

– He saw my mana sensitivity. He adopted me. I learned magic before I learned to speak. By the time I was twenty, I had surpassed him. By thirty, I had reached the ceiling of the world. I became the Archmage. The pinnacle.

Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous, nostalgic light.

– But I was greedy. Being an Archmage wasn’t enough. I wanted to see what lay beyond the sky. I wanted to break the laws of the world.

She stopped pacing. Her face darkened.

– It seems... I shouldn’t have looked up.

– Suddenly, out of nowhere, an Oracle descended upon the Holy Empire. The Divine Voice spoke: "Selina Solomon has colluded with the demons. She is a harbinger of the End."

Oliver listened, his breath hitching.

– It was laughable. The revered Archmage, to whom kings sent their children for tutoring, the woman who invented the very irrigation spells that fed their people... turned into a monster overnight.

– I was declared a Heretic. A Witch. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

– Every nation sent their troops to my tower. Paladins, Heroes, Assassins. They came in waves.

She smirked, a cruel, cold expression that sent shivers down Oliver’s spine.

– But an Archmage isn’t easy to kill, little guest. I didn’t just defend myself. I wiped them out. I turned battalions into ash. I boiled the blood of kings in their veins.

– And with that, the Oracle became a self-fulfilling prophecy. My name became notorious. I was labeled the Demon King of the West.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping.

– But I became tired. Tired of the relentless attacks. Tired of the smell of burning flesh. Tired of killing the people I once tried to save.

– So I built this dungeon. I filled it with Guardians and monsters, and I locked myself in the bottommost floor. Just to get some damn peace and quiet.

She looked directly at where Oliver was standing, her gaze piercing through him.

– As I spent my final years here in the dark, thinking, calculating... I realized something. My situation... it wasn’t unique. It was a pattern. It was strikingly similar to a nation that was erased from history decades before I was born.

– Tenebris.

Hearing that name, Oliver’s ears perked up. His heart slammed against his ribs.

’Tenebris... Isolde’s nation. The Umbrals.’

– Tenebris was a nation of Umbrals, proficient in Rune Magic. They were peaceful. Advanced. But they were getting too advanced.

– Just like with me, an Oracle came down. It claimed Tenebris was delving into "Forbidden Knowledge." And just like with me, every human nation united. They attacked Tenebris and wiped out the Umbrals. They committed genocide on an entire race because a voice in the sky told them to.

Selina’s voice dropped to a whisper, filled with venom.

– This pattern... it is not random. It is a culling.

– It seems the "Gods" do not want us to become strong. Not truly strong. They want servants, not equals. Anyone who approaches the realm of the Divine... anyone who tries to break the ceiling... they nip the bud in the cradle.

Oliver clenched his fists. The Gods? The entities that granted the Blessings? The ones the Heroes worshipped?

– To whoever has reached here... I don’t want to place a burden on you by giving you some impossible task like "Kill the Gods." But I hope you take this truth to heart.

– The Gods are not what they seem to be. They are no different than demons. They are just demons with better PR.

She smiled sadly.

– I hope you become strong enough to stand against them when your time comes. Because if you found this place... you are likely an irregularity too.

– Jokes and porn aside, I have left the learning of my whole lifetime here. And in the last days of my life, I crafted one final artifact.

She pointed to the center of the portal platform.

– An artifact that creates a veil. It will let you hide your true potential from the eyes of those celestial bastards.

– Become strong. Strong enough that they can’t crush you.

Just then, the image started to distort. Static lines ran through her body like a glitching screen.

– Ah... the mana is running out. My echo is fading.

She looked at Oliver one last time, a gentle smile on her face.

– Live freely. And enjoy the books.

The distortion intensified, and the image grew more and more faint...

Whoosh!

The illusion vanished completely, leaving Oliver standing in the silent, cold chamber.

"...Damn it."