Levi froze as Professor Heimler stepped through the warpgate. Thankfully, nobody else came through after him; the professor seemed to be completely alone. He had his customary stern aristocratic expression on his face as he strode through the halls with an unnatural grace, though there also seemed to be an undercurrent of eagerness to his step, as though he was looking forward to returning to the Restricted Sanctum.

  Thankfully, it didn’t seem like Heimler had noticed him at all. His gaze swept over the hall, passing directly over Levi and not registering him in the slightest. Levi suppressed a sigh of relief.

  Slowly, Levi crept to the side, letting Heimler pass by. He was still under his presence concealment; the professor shouldn’t be able to see, smell, hear, or sense him. He should be safe–

  The professor was looking directly at him.

  Levi’s breath caught in his throat.

  “Impressive,” Heimler spoke, each word clipped in that cultured, refined tone of his. “All my senses are telling me there is nothing in front of me, yet I know that not to be the case. Whatever skill you are using to conceal yourself, it is a formidable one. Who are you? A Grand Assassin? A Shadow?” His eyes narrowed. “One of the Crucible?”

  Levi stayed very still. The professor might just be bluffing, relying on his instincts or something…

  Fuck. Levi cursed silently as Heimler made direct eye contact with him. The professor’s gaze was just slightly off, enough to suggest that he didn’t know the exact position of Levi’s sightline, but the unnerving accuracy nonetheless made it clear that he knew Levi was there.

  Did this mean Levi had no choice but to become a fugitive? He didn’t think there was a plausible explanation for why Levi Ironwood could be found up here–

  “You can give up hiding,” Heimler said. “My Conceptual skill, [Stillpoint], allows me to detect the movements of air molecules. The void occupying the space where you exist couldn’t have been more obvious.”

  Levi relaxed slightly. Oh, so that was what it was. Heimler hadn’t seen through his presence concealment – he’d simply observed the empty space where Levi stood, correctly deducing by the nothingness that there was something there. That meant that the professor couldn’t actually see Levi’s face. His identity was safe.

  So long as Levi was able to escape, that was.

  Heimler sighed. “How stubborn. It seems like we’ll have to do this the hard way.” He smiled. “I offer you my thanks for that – these days, I don’t find that many enemies willing to stand up to me. They seem to be under the impression that they’d die too quickly if they did.” He paused. “Then again, I suppose I’ve done little to disabuse them of that notion...” He shrugged. “Mea culpa.”

  A sudden pressure exploded outward as the professor’s [Stillpoint] manifested into reality. With his True Sight, Levi could see Heimler’s magic forming as a perfect sphere around him. Inside, air molecules slowed then stilled completely as everything was completely frozen in place.

  Levi had read about Professor Heimler's Conceptual skill, [Stillpoint], in the library. Heimler was sponsored by the god of Order, giving him the Concept of Precision. The skill granted Heimler absolute control within his sphere of influence. The exact range hadn’t been specified in the books, but Levi roughly estimated it to be around two meters in diameter.

  Within that sphere, everything converged toward the single ideal value: zero. All motion ceased, all energy stilled. Entropy itself was halted in place as Heimler asserted his absolute control over reality, reducing everything to zero deviation; a precise stillpoint. Perfect control led to perfect Order, as the theory went.

  Effectively, the professor could forcibly freeze anything inside his range, leaving the targets utterly defenseless. If the target’s innate magical resistance was weak enough, then the professor could even halt the flow of their blood or the beating of their hearts.

  Consequently, [Stillpoint] became known as one of the most powerful Conceptual skills in recorded history. It was the skill that had singlehandedly ended the Third Blood War, and it was the skill that Professor Heimler had just unleashed on Levi.

  Levi was faster.

  Before [Stillpoint] fully manifested into existence, Levi had already leaped backward. He felt several muscles tear from how fast he moved – his physical conditioning wasn’t up to par – but he ignored the pain, instead pouring more magic into his muscle fibers to compensate. He ended up around twenty feet away from Heimler, well outside his range of influence.

  His mind raced at a furious rate as his magic swelled within him like an inferno.

  Right now, his only objective was to escape. There was no need to fight; in fact, fighting was just about the worst thing he could do, considering there was a chance the professor might pierce through his presence concealment and discover who he was.

  Levi’s eyes flitted around as he analyzed his escape routes. He doubted he’d be able to hijack the warpgate; he didn’t have enough time to analyze the enchantments, much less devise a hack for it. The walls were so dense with defensive magic, not to mention being constructed of adamantine, that Levi didn’t think he’d be able to blow a hole through it – not without leaving himself precariously vulnerable in the process. Teleportation was out of the question, judging by the sheer number of anti-teleportation wards lining the corridors.

  The stairwell was the only way to escape. Unfortunately, Professor Heimler was also well-aware of this, as he had positioned himself to stand right in front of it, his sphere of influence covering every spare inch of the path.

  “You chose a good time to infiltrate the Institute,” Professor Heimler said. It seemed he was content to monologue for a while further. And why wouldn’t he be? He had the only escape route covered, and theoretically there should be no way to get past him. Victory was already in his hands. “Most of the professors are preparing for the numerous Ascension Trials and graduation exams they have to oversee. Unfortunately for you, I am excused from those duties.”

  Likely a special provision in his contract with the Institute, Levi assumed. That explained why he hadn’t encountered that many people on his way up.

  Idly, Levi realized he was extremely lucky that Professor Heimler hadn’t attempted to use [Institute Registry] on him. He was pretty sure it was the one thing that could bypass his presence concealment completely, as his System was directly connected to the Institute’s Central Nexus System.

  However, that skill only worked on registered students – [Institute Registry] wouldn’t even work on professors or staff. Professor Heimler clearly didn’t think he was a student, which was why he hadn’t tried to use it.

  “I suggest you surrender now,” Professor Heimler said. “The punishment won’t be lenient, but I assure you it will be better than the alternative.” He flicked his hand and drew an ornate blade from seemingly nowhere. Was this the inventory Levi had read about? It had to be. “Release your stealth skill, and I will show you mercy.”

  Not a chance in hell. It hadn’t been an easy decision to make earlier, to turn away from the sealed door and choose to embark on an adventure. Levi had no intention to begin his adventure in a prison cell. He began gathering his magic, condensing and layering it upon itself.

  Earlier in the library, he’d wondered if he would win against Professor Heimler in a fight. It seemed fate had conspired for him to find out the answer the hard way.

  And so, Levi let the magic that had been building up within him burst out in full force.

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  Sever and Cleave!

  This was Levi’s original and most dangerous attack. The single ability that had instantly promoted him to the exalted rank of archmage and led to Death conscripting him into service.

  In his old world, the cutting spell had originally been a basic charm, used mainly to prepare food and cut firewood. It had been judged useless beyond that due to lacking enough inherent magical power to actually cut through any substantial defenses, physical or magical.

  Levi had changed that, though, with two guiding principles that he based his Sever and Cleave upon.

  The first principle was that if the magic wasn’t powerful enough to cut through something, then he simply had to make it stronger and sharper.

  Initially, it had been a struggle. His magic had been so weak and unstable, it hadn’t even been able to cut through wood. But as Levi’s control and connection with his magic deepened, his magic became more malleable, resilient, and potent, eventually allowing him to pierce even diamond.

  However, that hadn’t been enough. Eventually, Levi had hit a wall; while his magic was powerful, there were still too many things he couldn’t cut down.

  That was what had led him to his second principle. If his magic wasn’t able to cut through something, then that just meant he wasn’t finding the right place to cut.

  So Levi had trained his senses, sharpening them to beyond what was considered possible. He had delved deep into the mysteries of the world and traced legends back to their origins until he’d finally found the solution.

  True Sight, the ability to perceive the myriad layers of reality and magic itself. It was normally used by sorcerers to view magical phenomena in its rawest form for research purposes, but Levi had pushed it further than it had ever been pushed before.

  With a metric fuckton of experimentation, sheer dumb luck, and a near-death experience or two, Levi had honed his sight to become capable of perceiving the metaphysical ‘lines of death’ immanent in a target. The same lines Death himself cut with his scythe whenever he wanted to end an existence.

  These death lines existed on every living entity. Magic included, since it was alive in every sense of the word. Up until Levi, they had been perceptible by only Death itself; observing them required peering into a deeper, orthogonal layer of reality. The lines of death outlined the ontological failure points of a target; if Levi cut along them with his magic, then the target would instantly die.

  It was said that with enough audacity, man could rival even the gods themselves. As it turned out, it was Death’s own power that Levi had unknowingly replicated. This miraculous impossibility had led to Death taking notice of Levi and eventually recruiting him to become his personal servant.

  Activating his True Sight and twisting it at just the right angle, Levi’s vision became superimposed in shades of grey. He could see the [Stillpoint] manifested around Professor Heimler, a radiant sphere that shone with pure unadulterated power.

  More importantly, he could perceive the two lines of death tracing down the sphere’s surface.

  Levi slashed his hand across the air and his magic burst forward in two crescent grey arcs. Professor Heimler didn’t attempt to defend against it; it was clear from the trajectory that neither would come close to hitting him.

  But he hadn’t been the target.

  Levi’s aim struck true. Professor Heimler’s [Stillpoint] shattered like glass as it was overcome by death.

  Heimler’s eyes widened in absolute shock as a “What the fuck?!” tore its way out of his throat. He leaped backward, his burgundy robes swirling around him as he brought his blade up in a defensive position, its edge glowing with a devastatingly powerful ability.

  Levi was already moving. He surged forward, his presence concealment wrapped tightly around him as he ducked under Professor Heimler’s reflexive counterattack. The sound barrier cracked as wind blasted out from the sheer force of the swing, and Levi took a moment to admire Professor Heimler’s swordsmanship.

  With that single strike, he could immediately tell that Professor Heimler’s bladework was peerless in quality. The strike had been nothing less than perfect; if it had struck true, it would’ve incapacitated Levi in a single blow.

  Professor Heimler had undoubtedly earned his reputation and status as a Mythmaker-tier individual. Someone who created myths with every swing of his sword.

  Unfortunately for him, he was facing the former servant of Death itself.

  Levi fired off several more Sever and Cleaves at Heimler at point-blank range. This time, he didn’t aim for the lines of death; he didn’t want to actually kill the professor. Not that he would’ve even been able to – while Levi could instantly kill someone if he cut along their death lines, the hard part was actually hitting the precise lines. If the target dodged or blocked, then the metaphysical effect wouldn’t occur, and Sever and Cleave would be reduced to a mere cutting strike, albeit a very powerful one.

  Professor Heimler blocked every one with his sword, the magic coating the edge of the sword resisting Levi’s Sever and Cleave. While the magic coating the sword itself had lines of death as well, the blade was so fast Levi doubted he’d ever be able to cut them properly – not without immobilizing Professor Heimler first.

  That was a task easier said than done. Professor Heimler recovered from his shock remarkably quickly, exploding into a whirlwind of motion as he fought Levi with immaculate skill. Even though Levi was invisible, soundless, and effectively presenceless, the professor’s instincts were honed enough that he blocked every single one of Levi’s strikes and returned several of his own.

  Levi’s heart skipped a beat as he narrowly managed to dodge a decapitating slice, some of his hair fluttering to the ground. He instantly snapped his fingers, sending out tiny embers to burn the strands — he didn’t want his hair falling into the wrong hands — but was forced backward by another stab.

  Fuck. He didn’t have any more time to waste. He had to get out now before the professor decided to try activating his [Stillpoint] again. Levi didn’t know how absolute the professor’s control was within his sphere of influence, but he had a feeling that if he was ever fully caught by the sphere, then it would be over. He didn’t know if he could shatter it from the inside.

  Gritting his teeth as he compressed his magic, he let out a soundless shout as he thrust his hand forward. A massive avalanche of flames roared into existence and seared through the air toward Professor Heimler.

  The professor simply gave it a contemptuous stare as he twirled his blade in an intricate pattern and parried the incoming firestorm with some unknown skill.

  However, that few seconds of distraction had given Levi enough time to rush past the professor in a sudden burst of speed and launch himself down the stairwell. Thankfully, there were no reinforcements. The professor hadn’t sounded the alarms earlier; he had probably been confident he could subdue Levi on his own.

  Professor Heimler made to pursue him, but Levi shot several more Sever and Cleaves at him, and the professor was forced to give ground.

  By the time the dust cleared, Levi was long gone.

  Mythmaker Aldric Heimler’s expression was unreadable as he surveyed the destruction. Several gash marks marred the adamantine walls, an astounding feat by itself considering how durable the material was.

  “Intriguing,” Heimler mused to himself. He didn’t bother trying to chase after the intruder. Considering how fast the invisible foe had been, he doubted he could catch up.

  And even if he could… Despite himself, Heimler felt an instinctual, primal shudder run through him. He felt he could be forgiven for reacting this way, though.

  After all, the intruder had fucking broken his [Stillpoint]. Shattered it, like it was just some amateur barrier instead of one of the strongest skills in existence. It shouldn’t even have been theoretically possible. Heimler didn’t want to admit it, but he had felt genuine panic rush through him when that’d happened. He hadn’t felt that way in years.

  Whoever the enemy was, they had been a truly terrifying opponent. Better not to hastily chase after them and meet an untimely demise in an ambush. One didn’t reach the level of Mythmaker without acquiring a healthy dose of self-preservation.

  Briefly, he thought about sounding the alarms. The Institute of Ascension had a lockdown mode that could be activated by every staff member and would result in a bottom-to-top search and clear. However… He decided against it. That held the risk of interfering with his own plans.

  He’d let the rat scurry away for now. Heimler doubted he had learned anything of value; the intruder didn’t seem to have been able to bypass the sealed door to the Restricted Sanctum. The alarms would’ve sounded if he did.

  Still, though, it appeared that more players were making their way onto the playing field. What could the infiltrator have been after? Could he have been trying to gain access to Heimler’s own research?

  Maybe Heimler was just being paranoid. The Restricted Sanctum held an untold number of secrets and treasures, and the intruder could’ve been after any of it. But the timing… Heimler couldn’t afford to believe in coincidences. Not now. Not when he was so close.

  Besides…

  Kneeling down, Heimler picked up the single surviving strand of hair he’d managed to sever from the intruder. The intruder had tried to burn it all, but he had missed one tiny strand that Heimler’s keen eyesight had easily caught.

  It was already black and inert, useless for determining its owner’s identity. Even so, the hair and blood of a mage were always valuable.

  Professor Heimler smiled. He could think of several uses for this.

  headhunted him in the first place.