Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I Installed a Dating App and Girls from Another World Became Obsessed with Me.

Episode 7: Introduction.

People respectfully called those who explored the mysteries “wizards.”

They transmuted mana flowing in nature into magical power and manifested mysterious phenomena, and they had always been respected in every era.

Historically, there was a wizard who brought rain clouds during the worst drought that swept the continent, killing many people. There was also a wizard who annihilated a horde of demonic beasts with a single spell at the critical moment when a country was about to be destroyed by them.

The pinnacle of wizards, called archmages, had left a significant mark on history regardless of the era.

And among the wizards who wielded phenomena beyond human comprehension, there were three wizards praised as the best and strongest of the current era.

Valentina Sasha Danilova, the master of the White Magic Tower built on the frozen land.

Mac Damon, the master of the Black Magic Tower in the strongest human nation, the United States.

Rupert Blake Winchester Duke, the master of the Blue Magic Tower in the magicians’ nation, England, which is called the origin of mysteries.

They were famous as the only three archmages on Earth with eight rings. So much so that many people knew the names of the archmages but not their own country’s president.

And standing before me now was another archmage who had reached the sublime level of 8 circles, on par with those archmages.

“Hyeon-u?”

“…”

I even excitedly fondled the breasts of such a person with all my might.

Even though she wouldn’t harm me now, the anxiety of a commoner who was always worried about making a living was something I couldn’t control.

“Th…that’s amazing.”

After the initial shock and surprise, I realized how amazing it was to be standing face to face with an 8-circle archmage, and Iris suddenly looked different to me.

It was like finding out that my very beautiful and rich girlfriend was actually a professor who was attracting attention in academia. Of course, the shock was dozens of times greater.

I felt a slight tingling in my brain from the repeated shocks.

But because it was a series of very unrealistic events, I seemed to be adapting relatively quickly.

“N,no, it’s nothing…”

Iris blushed, not knowing how to react to my praise.

Two hundred years ago, she was tired of hearing compliments about her level, and she came to regard such compliments as flattery that automatically came out when people saw her, the queen, rather than genuine praise.

But his compliments were different.

His blank murmuring and sudden cautious glances made her believe that he was genuinely impressed and surprised.

She couldn’t help but feel a little proud.

“He, hehe…”

A silly smile was a bonus.

While Iris was smiling, lost in her own world, Kang Hyeon-u fell into deep thought.

8 circles. An archmage, of which there were only three in the entire world on Earth.

It was a barrier that even Iris, who had reached such a level, couldn’t break for 200 years. Could I really be of help?

I confidently offered to help, but I was losing confidence.

‘There’s a limit to what I can bring from Earth.’

There was a clear limit to what I, a poor college student, could do, not a wealthy person.

It seemed like I had thought too easily.

‘Did I rush to offer help too quickly…?’

There’s nothing more unsightly and disappointing than someone who initially acted like they could do it but then said they couldn’t.

Unknowingly, my back became damp with cold sweat.

“Hyeon-u…? Are you okay?”

At that moment, I met Iris’s eyes, which were filled with concern.

I felt like I was coming to my senses.

Right, if a man has drawn his sword, he should cut something, even if it’s just a radish. To give up and be discouraged before even starting is the epitome of a pathetic man.

Slap!

“H,Hyeon-u??”

A tingling pain rose from both cheeks.

“Iris, let’s start.”

“Y,yes…? Start what…?”

With a determined look that was 180 degrees different from before, Kang Hyeon-u said.

“We need to escape.”

There was a movie I saw when I was young.

The theme was about a prison break, and I know it was based on a true story.

It was about three inmates who succeeded in escaping from a super-awesome prison and weren’t caught for decades. There was even a rumor that if the escapees were still alive, they would be in their 90s, as they haven’t been caught to this day.

‘If criminals could do it, there’s no reason I can’t.’

Even though I was a model citizen who couldn’t live a day without the law and had no experience in escaping, I was confident that with Iris’s knowledge as an 8-circle archmage and my excellent sidekick skills, there’s nothing we couldn’t do.

“So, the only entrance is that giant stone door, right?”

“Yes… as far as I know, that’s the only one.”

This place was really easy to understand.

There were no other prisoners, guards, or CCTV.

The only thing that had separated Iris from freedom for the past 200 years was that giant stone door. If we opened that, we cpi;d immediately tour the fantasy world full of mystery and adventure, but first, we needed to solve the barrier set up by a godlike being.

“Iris, to the point, what do we need to open that door?”

After a moment of thought, Iris opened her mouth with difficulty.

“…Holy relics? If we have a holy relic specialized in breaking barriers, we can open it right away.”

“…Anything else?”

“W,well…?”

Holy relics? Seriously?

This was like a daughter asking for a car, and a father who reluctantly glanced at his emergency savings account and then back at his daughter, finally giving in to his paternal love and looking for a suitable used car, only to have his daughter show him a BXW Mini Cooper on her phone screen.

No, a Mini Cooper would be better. This was like a multi-billion-dollar private jet.

“To replace a holy relic, we need a lot of things. All of them are hard to find materials, and even if we find them, it’s another problem to break the barrier with my current physical condition.”

“Another problem?”

“Yes, to put it simply, a barrier is a prison that is not restricted by form. It’s a prison that allows the caster to impose any restrictions they want on anyone they want and confine them in any space they want.”

“…Isn’t that too overpowered?”

Although I was interested in magic, I was actually a novice with little basic knowledge about barriers.

The reason was simple: barrier magic was a very minor branch in Earth. Like a minor genre that was unfamiliar even among subculture-loving otaku.

“Magic is truly equal. Because power comes with limitations. The level achieved through years of talent and effort yields a very high return, but those who haven’t reached that level face many restrictions when using powerful magic.”

Iris picked up a small stone fragment from the floor.

“To use barrier magic, you need three things.”

She placed the small stone fragment she had just picked up on a stone slab that looked like the ruins of a relic.

“First, a core to serve as the center of the barrier.”

This time, she picked up another stone fragment and drew a circle around the center of the first stone fragment.

“Second, the spell itself that will become the barrier. This includes the restrictions imposed inside the barrier and the wall that will support the barrier’s outer layer.”

Thump-

She placed a reasonably flat stone fragment inside the circle.

“Finally, a sacrifice that helps those who haven’t reached the level to use a powerful barrier.”

“So, barrier magic allows you to temporarily reach a level you haven’t attained by using a core and a sacrifice?”

“That’s right.”

Iris smiled faintly at my answer, which I had deduced with my barely functioning brain.

“Here, a sacrifice isn’t limited to objects. It can be replaced with a massive amount of mana, and this place is the same. The World Tree’s massive mana is the sacrifice that maintains this barrier.”

“Then what are the barrier’s core and spell?”

“I… I don’t know…”

Iris continued with a bitter expression.

“I’ve researched it in my own way… but all I’ve found is the spell inscribed on the barrier’s outer wall.”

Iris traced the boundary of the circle surrounding the stone fragments with her hand.

“Originally, it’s easier and simpler to find out the spell inside the barrier than outside. As I explained earlier, a barrier is ultimately a magic to confine and restrict others. Just like you can immediately tell if the gravity inside a room is stronger than outside without anyone telling you.”

“Uh… then why can’t we find out now?”

“It’s just a hypothesis, but maybe it’s because the restrictions inside the barrier aren’t directed at us.”

Magic targeted all things in the world.

Just as magic didn’t only affect living beings, including humans, the situation became much more complicated if restrictions were placed on inanimate objects inside here.

“If this place were originally a prison, the restrictions would have appeared in a form that suppressed the prisoners… but I don’t know what this place was used for in the past.”

This cavern, located directly below the World Tree, was as vast as two or three soccer fields combined and as tall as the 63 Building.

Even a slightly loud voice echoed.

However, despite being so ridiculously large, there was no proper lighting. All there was was a large lake in the center and the ruins of crumbling relics scattered throughout.

What was this place built for? This cavern couldn’t have been formed naturally, and even if it was a naturally occurring cavern, what about the relics left everywhere?

“Do you have any guesses at all?”

“No… all I’ve found is that the letters left on the ruins are in Ancient Elven. But Ancient Elven was used about 5,000 years ago…”

5,000 years ago? Seriously?

Even Sumer, known as the earliest civilization of mankind, dated back to around 4500 BC. Records of Sumer itself were already unclear, let alone the ancient civilizations that appeared after it.

It would be stranger if there were proper records of a place built at least 5,000 years ago.

‘…But elves live very long, don’t they?’

Something felt off, but I just went with it. Even for an elf who lives a long time, 5,000 years is a bit much.

“To put it simply, the spell on the outside of the barrier is ‘blockade’.”

“Blockade?”

“It means blocking both going out and coming in. It’s a very simple spell, but it’s very powerful. Even if I used all my magic power, breaking the stone door would be a distant dream. When Resilia confined me, I could enter thanks to the royal insignia…”

This meant that without the royal insignia, the only way to open that stone door was to use a holy relic of equal power.

‘…This is a big problem.’

I subtly turned my head so Iris wouldn’t notice.

[Would you like to return?]

The phrase that appeared on my phone screen, which had been buzzing earlier. It seemed that returning to Earth was my choice.

But returning to Earth in this state was also a problem.

Iris didn’t know what was on Earth. Of course, I explained that there was likely anything we could want, but if I listed all the materials used here, I might go bankrupt.

That was true. Since they were materials to replace holy relics, they wouldn’t be cheap.

“Um, Hyeon-u?”

“Yes?”

I hurriedly shoved my phone into my pocket at her slightly trembling voice.

“If… if it’s okay with you, would you consider learning magic from me…?”

“…?”