~So many books. Apophis hissed in quiet awe as he took in the vast expanse of the library. Your grandmother has clearly amassed a great deal of knowledge.

"She has indeed," Luca murmured, heading up the spiral staircase to the library's second floor.

Apophis' sleek form coiled tightly around Luca's left arm as his purple eyes swept over the towering shelves, vaulted dark green ceiling, and a hanging long chandelier at the center. The chandelier supplied the three stories of the circular library with a warm glow.

Remarkable.

Apophis took in the comforting scent of old books and oak with his tongue and nostrils. He had resided discreetly within several noble homes with large libraries, but this was far more splendid.

His purple eyes narrowed as he took in the book titles. Their topics ranged from the curious to downright alarming.

As expected of the Arankagul family.

Over the many years living in this realm, Apophis had heard many tales and gossip about the infamous family.

Reaching the top of the second floor, Luca settled into an armchair and picked up the polished paperweight on the nearby table.

"Stay close," he warned Apophis.

However, before Apophis could reply, Luca leaned back in the armchair, and the chair jerked backward, propelling them through the bookshelf. The wall of books parted like a curtain, revealing the hidden passageway concealed within the depths of the grand library. The cold draft from the secret corridor brushed against Apophis' scales as the library disappeared behind.

~Such a fun setup. Apophis hissed in delight at what he had initially worried would be a bit of whiplash for him.

"It's certainly interesting," Luca replied with a smile as he stood up.

Apophis slithered over the boy's shoulders, taking in the small room. His eyes focused on the heavy-duty metal door at the far end, the only thing of note in the otherwise sparse space.

Luca headed through that door and down a long, winding staircase illuminated by the soft glow of green and yellow light stones embedded in the walls. They flickered faintly, casting eerie shadows.

As they descended, Apophis tasted the deepening chill in the air. There was also an unmistakable scent of chaos magic, and he could feel its tingle on his tongue.

~Say, what's with your poor stamina? Apophis hissed after Luca's second break to catch his breath.

[[ My Strength stat is at 4 when I start each Round. There is not much I can do at this point. Yet, at least. ]]

Luca responded, leaning against one of the walls to rest and relying on illusion magic instead of speaking.

~Hahhhh… it would be wise to find a workaround to this dilemma sooner than later. Apophis advised.

It didn't sit well with him that this child was so weak. He didn't expect Luca to be strong enough to kill a boar with his bare hands or win in a race, but as it stood, the boy was about as weak as a fly and as slow as a turtle.

Apophis slithered across Luca's shoulders, noting his thin neck.

I could coil around it and snap it in half before he could do anything, Apophis thought to himself.

There was no malice in this line of thought—it was merely a cold observation of fact.

Apophis had no plans of killing Luca. Even if he wished to, his contract prevented him from killing him until the terms were filled. Besides, even if he could, Luca would die and be reborn in the next Round, with all—or rather most—of his memories intact, while Apophis would be stuck in a cage of that evil experimenting woman.

The trouble is that other opportunistic individuals with evil intentions could harm him and threaten the opportunity Luca Frey's existence has presented me with.

At the bottom of the steps, Luca paused and peered out behind the wall. Curious, Apophis moved his head around the bend as well. There was no one, however, in the room.

~Such caution. Apophis hissed in amusement. Is this not your grandmother's villa?

[[ True, but I doubt my family would appreciate me sneaking around here. ]]

Luca replied with an illusion text box.

[[ There was a procession of strange people I had seen in the previous Round carrying a suspicious box. Mages, I believe. But per the System, that was 27 minutes ago if we're to go off the timeline of the last Round. ]]

The boy walked inside and kneeled near a spot on the floor.

[[ Then again, the timing of events may have shifted. ]]

Apophis felt his scales tingle. And his eyes narrowed in on a tiny odd-ly colored smudge.

~Something chaotic has occurred here. Apophis hissed, gazing down at the floor.

Luca nodded.

[[ A mage died here. Or at least I saw her die in the previous Round. Her body seemingly dissolved in my arms, leaving behind a strange puddle on the floor. ]]

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

His finger wandered and pointed at the small smudge.

[[ I suppose that's all that's left of her. ]]

~Such is the fate of those who handle chaotic artifacts beyond their control, Apophis hissed, coiling tighter around Luca's arm. Did you know her?

Luca shook his head.

[[ No. She was a stranger. Aside from knowing that she was doing some sort of work for my grandmother, I did not know her. ]]

A frown crossed Luca's face.

[[ It's a shame, though. Mages are rare. Perhaps in the next loop, I'll try to save her. Not that I'm certain yet how. ]]

~Hahhh, indeed. The death of a mage within your family's control is the loss of a valuable resource, Apophis mused. Letting her die would be like watching a phoenix-eye gemstone sink into the mud and deciding it's too much effort to retrieve it.

However, Apophis sensed that at least one person in Luca's circle would not appreciate him including yet another individual on his to-save list.

Apophis felt the familiar scent evaporate, and his head twisted toward one of the two large metal gates secured with black mana stones. His gaze was on the left door.

~Hah, that presence has suddenly disappeared. How curious. He hissed into Luca's mind.

[[ The chaotic energy you felt while in my room? ]]

Luca stood back up from the floor.

~Yessss… I still feel a more subtle, chaotic energy from the left door. But the energy I found so interesting is gone.

[[ Why would that be? ]]

Luca posed the same question that Apophis already had in mind.

~Who knows, Apophis replied. He had his theories but wasn't sure which might be correct. The only way to learn is to take a look ourselves.

The boy walked toward the right door, carefully opened it, and entered. Apophis noted the smell of old wood and incense as they walked inside, and a faint hum filled his ears. There was also an undeniable presence of chaotic energy again.

He noted the runes on the doors they walked through

Those must be keeping the energy from flowing out.

Luca pulled out a small rock from his pocket and placed it on the floor to keep the door ajar.

[[ Can’t be too careful. ]]

While Luca did this, Apophis took in the hallway. It was without anything notable—just boring stone walls.

However, when Luca rounded the corner, a long hallway appeared, lined with ancient artifacts propped up on ornate pedestals along each side.

~AHHHHHH… Apophis hissed in awe, his greedy purple eyes lighting up. So many treasures...

Never in his life had he seen so many artifacts of chaos in one place.

Apophis' thoughts raced as he took in each item, one by one, marveling at the chaotic energy radiating from them. I knew the Arankagul family operated from the shadows, but... this far surpasses anything I could have imagined them to be involved in. Had I known they were collectors of such wonders, I would have made my home here instead of residing with those useless nobles.

Each artifact had at least one protective mana circle, but some had so many as three, indicating how dangerous they were.

However, the imposing door at the end of the extended hallway held the greatest attention for him.

The scent of powerful chaos was easy to miss, just a flicker of itself, but the humm was undeniable.

They've locked it up behind protective circles. I understand why the scent seemed to disappear.

Apophis closed his eyes and focused on the sound, deciphering the wavelengths.

Twenty protective circles? No. There's more. His thoughts quickened as he counted. What sort of monstrous artifact requires so many? No wonder it killed a mage despite being enclosed in a box that must have had some level of protection to it already.

His tongue flickered out, tasting the air riddled with chaotic energy, which posed no immediate threat unless someone foolishly breached the protective barriers.

"Oh." Luca's voice sounded, bringing Apophis' attention to the boy.

~AHHHHH! What are you doing, child? Put that thing back immediately! Apophis screamed into Luca's mind, forgetting all pretense of formality and respect.

To his horror, the young man had picked up one of the Chaos Artifacts—a seemingly unimpressive, cracked steel ring. Two mana circles had protected it, but now it sat casually in Luca's hand.

"Don't scream into my mind," Luca replied, massaging his head. His voice sounded annoyed and far too relaxed, given that his life was about to be cut short in a very unpleasant manner.

~Master, please, put it down! Apophis begged, returning to a tone of respect and calm urgency. It'll destroy you, just like that mage you saw die.

Apophis analyzed Luca intently to comprehend just how bad the damage was already and whether the boy was still salvageable—which he must have been, given that Apophis' promise tattoo hadn't activated and killed him. After all, one of the conditions was that Luca was not to die by Chaos Magic.

I ought not to have let my amazement distract me. Apophis berated himself. I knew he was a foolish child, yet I let myself get distracted. And now I may have sacrificed my meal ticket to get out of this forsaken realm.

"But I'm fine," Luca replied, still not putting the ring down.

Strangely, Apophis could sense no physical or spiritual damage—Something that made no sense.

~Master, that is a Chaos Artifact. Your mind might be strong enough to withstand the effects, but you need the Chaos rune to handle that artifact safely. Apophis explained.

Luca's face broke into a grin. "You're telling me this ring is a Chaos Artifact?"

He laughed, pointing to the ring, much to Apophis' growing unease.

"Huh, I just checked with the System, and you're right," Luca said, scratching his head. "Strange."

Yet, despite the confirmation, the stupid boy still didn't let go of the artifact.

~Then please, Master, put it down before harm befalls you! Apophis pleaded.

Then, another thought came to him that could explain why Luca was unaffected. ~Master, is it possible you've already had a Chaos Rune inscribed in a past Round? Maybe you've forgotten. You did say your memory is poor.

Luca shrugged, though his eyes glazed as he checked with the System.

"The System says I've never had a Chaos Rune done," Luca said, casually inspecting the ring. "But, funny thing—I found this as a kid. I even carved my name into it."

~Hahhh, Master, please, you must be mistaken. Apophis hissed, dejected. There was no rhyme or reason with Luca.

"No, really. See?" Luca moved the ring closer to Apophis.

Apophis would have laughed in any other case, except he was in contract with this foolish child and was responsible for protecting him against Chaos Magic. He felt like shedding tears.

There was the possibility that Luca had a Chaos rune tattoo done before the Game started and before he became familiar with the System, explaining why the System didn't remember Luca ever getting one done. However, more was needed to explain the second part. Chaos artifacts typically didn't look like much, but breaking them, or even damaging them, was impossible.

Apophis was about to explain this to the foolish child who was beyond any hope when his eyes fell upon the messily inscribed letters that spelled 'Luca.'

He went still, frozen on Luca's shoulder, as his mind struggled to process this bizarre revelation.

"That's why I was confused that it was here. Last I saw it, I had shown it to Mother," Luca continued nonchalantly. "Then it was taken into storage, and I didn't see it again."

Apophis stared at Luca in stunned silence as the boy continued his casual explanation.

"Imagine my surprise when I saw it again!" Luca beamed. "And to think it's been a Chaos Artifact all along. No wonder Mother had it stored away. So, is it a decent level? Or do I still need to find another divine artifact? The System blocked out that information, so I hoped you'd tell me."

A monster, Apophis thought, staring at Luca in awe and horror. I've contracted myself to a true monster.