—Oh... well, would you like some breakfast?—Still groggy from just waking up, none of The Three Jacks reacted much to hearing the pagoda's name.
—Absolutely!—The four enjoyed a pleasant breakfast together. After preparing themselves, they entered the mirror world through the same alleyway they'd used the first time—Alright team, this will likely be a dangerous journey, but that's actually a good thing in some ways. After all, in the real world there won't always be amazing teachers to serve everything to you on a silver platter.
—We'll keep that in mind, sir. Though honestly, I'd prefer if you kept accompanying us on these trips. Your tracking skills are incredibly useful.
—Yeah! Not to mention how many times you've saved us by steering us clear of dangerous situations—Added the mage with sincere gratitude.
—What can I say? I'm no good in direct combat, so I have to make the most of my general utility skills. If anything, I should be thanking you all for giving me opportunities to contribute in battle—The enthusiast had previously explained that his first ability allowed access to the mirror world, his second let him detect living beings from a distance, and his E-rank apprentice ability enhanced his second skill with additional range and the capacity to see through it.
—Don't worry about that—The four continued walking while chatting animatedly, until their destination came into view. The Pagoda of the Second Horizon was made of a material unknown to them, neither quite metal nor stone, yet despite being surrounded by massive buildings, the towering pagoda stretched beyond the clouds—Wow...
The Three Jacks admired it for a moment. The enthusiast let them soak in the sight before snapping them back to reality by drawing his bow.
—Alright team, you've seen the incredible structure. I don't know what's inside yet since I wanted to explore it with you, but first we'll have to fight our way in. There are four wretches at the entrance, two flying and two ground-based. Go ahead, we'll cover you from behind—Nodding, they all drew their weapons.
The terrestrial wretches had humanoid forms with metallic bodies, their arms and heads consisting of constantly rotating, color-shifting prism crystals. The flying ones were spheres surrounded by spinning silver discs, with green lights at their cores resembling eyes.
—Sounds good! Let's go Jace!—The red demon declared. Both demons charged at the wretches while the mage and enthusiast prepared to support them.
The prism wretches immediately switched to alert mode, turning red as they joined arms and unleashed a massive flame blast toward the apprentices.
—That's a poor attack choice—Jack took the lead, channeling his own fire into his free hand and launching it at the enemy. The flames collided, allowing him to seize control of the entire blast and redirect it at both wretches. Unable to counter the overwhelming fire, they shifted to blue, generating huge water jets to extinguish the flames, creating a smoke screen.
With their vision obscured by smoke, the wretches failed to notice one demon had vanished. Suddenly, Jace, who'd concealed himself using his ability, materialized behind one wretch, driving his spear straight through its prism head. The crystalline structure shattered, leaving the metallic body to collapse lifeless.
Caught off guard, the remaining terrestrial wretch turned its back, a fatal mistake as Jack seized the opening to destroy its head prism too. The Codex promptly acknowledged their feat:
[You have slain "Defense System No.1" - a wretch]
As the smoke cleared, it revealed both demons now surrounded by the silver discs that had previously orbited the spheres. The floating orbs had descended to hover just meters above the battlefield. In perfect synchronization, discs and spheres began rotating, generating intense sonic waves between them.
The demons' ears bled instantly. The overwhelming sound made them feel their heads might explode, forcing them to their knees. Jace, marginally protected by his cap, managed to stay conscious longer than Jack, who collapsed completely. He fired ice shards at the discs and spheres, but missed wildly.
Just before both succumbed to unconsciousness, two projectiles struck true: a powerful arrow and an energy blast each hit a different sphere, sending them crashing down. Follow-up attacks finished them off, prompting the Codex's announcement:
[You have slain "Defense System No.2" - a wretch]
—Uuugh...—Groaning, the demons sat up weakly as the enthusiast and mage rushed over.
—Let me check your ears...Phew, luckily it's not serious. Basic healing will suffice. Joy, would you do the honors?
—One moment—Joy's Magic Spell Book began flipping pages rapidly. Upon reaching the correct page, a green glow illuminated her hands without needing her staff. As she placed them on the affected areas, the demons felt instantly restored.
—Haaah, thank you for saving us.
—Don't mention it, Jack. Though I have a question for you, Jace—The enthusiast waited for the quiet demon's attention—Why didn't you unleash a frost wave? You know that could've neutralized their attack completely without risk of missing.
—...I fired the shards without thinking.
—Hmm, I see. It must be because you're still afraid of freezing yourself. An automatic reaction like that is hard to change overnight... This time it worked out, but remember, without me and Joy, freezing would've been the least of your problems. I say this not to scare you, but to help you understand reality. We're in this together now. If you freeze, we'll find a way to warm you up. We've got your back. Understood?—Everyone was aware of Jace's fragile constitution and why it limited his usual actions.
—...Yes. Thank you for your guidance, sir—Jack and Joy remained silent during the blue demon's reprimand, as there was no fault in the enthusiast's words. Even Jack would have said the same had the enthusiast not spoken first.
—With that settled... Don't you find this curious, kids?
—What are you talking about, sir? Starting to hallucinate?—the mage teased.
—Probably. After all, he's at that age—Jace joined in the joking.
—I'm barely thirty, you brats! And I'm talking about those things!—The enthusiast pointed with mock anger toward where the wretches had fallen, making the group realize the bodies hadn't dissolved.
—Huh? I thought these weren't Alphas.
—They're not. That's what's strange, despite not being Alphas, these things didn't vanish. Now tell me, notice anything else odd about them?—The group pondered the question until the blue demon answered.
—These things were never alive... Is that what you meant?
—Correct. Though it's hard to say if regular vestiges are truly "alive," what Jace and I mean is these weren't animals or any natural lifeform. They're robots—The enthusiast examined one body's wiring—But most likely, these were never actual wretches to begin with.
—What do you mean?
—Exactly what you heard. This scrap metal was just prisons containing vestiges, specters, to be precise.
—Hmm, that would make sense—the mage added, examining the spheres and discs—After all, a simple spiritual energy attack took them down.
—Setting that aside... How much do you think this junk would fetch in our world?
—Having money troubles, sir?
—Probably. After all, Mr. Kai here is unemployed, refuses to go outside alone, and can't produce any materials—Once again, Jace and Joy teamed up to mock the enthusiast, who could only bite his tongue in response.
—Damn brats.
—Haaah, enough teasing Mr. Kai... Back to business, are we sure it's safe to explore that thing?
—Yes. I did my usual research, and as far as I know, we'll only encounter wretches here. If there's anything stronger, I'll warn you immediately, but there shouldn't be anything significantly more powerful. By climbing this pagoda, we could uncover many secrets... though admittedly, that's mainly to satisfy my personal curiosity. For you all, it means getting closer to your ascension.
—I see—Jack weighed the potential dangers. He needed just 50 more points to become a Dominator, while both Joy and Jace, despite having been Apprentices for some time, still had a ways to go. The enthusiast, on the other hand, had already accumulated enough points but was preparing better artifacts before his ascension—I'm in. What about you two?
—Why so hesitant, Jack? We're already here, after all. I say we venture inside—The mage agreed, leaving all eyes on Jace.
—Haaah... turning back now would be a pain. Let's go in—With everyone in agreement, they approached the grand entrance. The moment they stepped inside, artificial lights flickered on, startling the group.
—Well, another surprise. This place seems practically begging to be explored—They pressed forward. Like the exterior, the pagoda's interior was constructed from that strange stone-metal hybrid material. At first glance, the space appeared almost entirely empty, so they advanced until encountering a functioning mechanical staircase. It spiraled upward to impossible heights, with a sealed room beside it—No vestiges detected nearby! Let's check inside!
Without objection, they entered the chamber. Lights activated instantly, and as their eyes adjusted, they found themselves facing an ocean of bookshelves, towering so high the ceiling was barely visible.
—Haha! I knew this massive place had to be filled with something—The group explored the enormous room for a while, discovering multiple doors leading to identical chambers packed with bookshelves. Worried about getting lost, they opted to stay put, instead skimming through nearby books—Wow...hmm, fascinating.
—Find something, Mr. Kai?—Jack asked as he shelved another volume.
—Oh, nothing special, just another 15th-century elven cookbook. But it did make me realize something. Think back, what kinds of books have we found so far?
—I've seen many geography texts, specifically about elven territories—Jace answered.
—I found dozens on the revolutionary wars across elven lands in the 18th century—Joy added.
—So far, I've only come across elven philosophy—Jack finished.
—Seems my hypothesis was right. This entire place, including the adjoining rooms, holds everything ever written by all three races: humans, demons, and elves. This chamber must exclusively contain works authored by elves, likely translated into human language. There are probably identical rooms with these same books in the other languages... which explains the "Second Horizon" in this pagoda's name.
—What do you mean?
—Well... there's no concrete proof, but I believe the "horizon" represents everything experienced by all people, our wars, diseases, famines, moments of peace. All of that constitutes the first horizon, which is why everything we already know is confined to this ground floor—Before continuing, the enthusiast pointed upward—So the "second horizon" must be what lies beyond our sight, everything above the clouds, all the knowledge hasn't yet perceived.