The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 66: Infinite Labyrinth (Part 1) (Part 1)

A barrier is a space created through magic.

And what is Magic?

A supernatural phenomenon that cannot occur under normal circumstances, or a power that manipulates or influences reality through such forces—

…is not what it is.

Most people think of magic as a “supernatural phenomenon.”
I, too, used to think that way at first.

But it’s absolutely not true.
According to the Archmage, one of the heroes of the Allied Forces:

“Magic is actually a completely natural phenomenon.”

It’s nothing more than artificially reproducing the principles behind natural phenomena by interpreting them.

In that sense, magology could be described as a “science of interpretation.”
And what magology seeks to interpret are the laws and principles that govern this world.

Thus, what we call magic is a natural phenomenon created by interpreting the world’s laws and principles.

The essential ingredient for that is Mana Force—energy refined to make mana usable.

“Mana Force is a type of energy that functions as a ‘raw material.’”

To light a fire, you need fuel—like firewood.

Mana Force plays the role of that firewood.
Though it isn’t limited to just firewood; it can become anything.

“A mage manipulates Mana Force to generate various energies like heat, light, electricity, or sound.”

A ball of flame floating in the air: Fireball.
A sudden burst of blinding light: Light Boom.
Chains of crackling lightning: Chain Lightning.
Soundwaves that tear eardrums apart: Shock Wave.

Behind such magical spells is firewood of different forms—
In other words, Mana Force at work.

So although magic may look unbelievable at first glance, it’s actually a perfectly natural phenomenon grounded in this world’s principles.

“Just like burning wood produces thermal energy.”

Thus, mages cannot use magic that violates the laws of nature.

Resurrecting the dead.
Rewinding time to the past.

“You can’t reverse entropy.”

That’s why, from a mage’s perspective, it’s actually Aura that qualifies as true magic.

The power to drag things born purely from imagination into reality.
Aura is a power that shouldn’t exist to begin with.
And yet, it appears suddenly, absurdly, impossibly.

It blatantly disregards even the laws of the world—
So if that’s not magic, then what is?

But most people think the opposite.
They see magic as supernatural, and Aura as natural.

“Even though that’s not how it works.”

From this perspective—

Avarus is a mage.
He cannot wield the supernatural force known as Aura.

Because with his great intellect, he understood that Aura should not exist in the first place.

Therefore, this barrier must be magical—a natural phenomenon.

It simply uses the power of the Monarch of the Abyss and Mana Force as its raw material.
That’s why it appears to be supernatural.

So when the third rule appeared in the Rulebook—
“There is no exit here”—

I realized that all the rules in the Rulebook were either fake or deceptive.

One of the absolute laws of magic—especially in alchemy—is [Equivalent Exchange].
To gain something, you must offer something of equal value.

To make fire, you need firewood.
If there’s an entrance, there must be an exit.

Even if that exit is unreachable or absurdly difficult to access.

So the rule claiming there’s no exit?
A deception.

Most of all, using [Find Weakness][U], I identified the barrier’s weak point—
It pointed straight to the Rulebook.

Which meant the method to break the barrier lay within the Rulebook.

With that suspicion in mind, I took a closer look at the rules.

And found something strange.

In the Rulebook, certain words had subtly different fonts.
You could say the handwriting was off.

There is no exit here.
: If something appears to be an exit, do not stop. Ignore it entirely.

In Rule 3, the word “stop” stood out.

At first, I thought it was just for emphasis.

But after checking Rules 1 and 2, I noticed there were other words written in slightly different, blood-stained fonts.

Extracting only those differently written words:

Light. Secure. You are. Trapped. Directional sense. Distortion.
2. Structure. Move. Returns to original spot.
3. Stop.

A message was forming.

So I stopped moving and stood still.

Then, strange patterns emerged in the air—
And in the newly revealed rules, certain words also had subtle font differences.

Strange Pattern.
5. Chant. That. Moment.
7. Rulebook. If damaged.
8. Rule Six. Discover.
9. Hope.
10. Exists.

When I combined all the highlighted words—

Secure the light, and realize you are trapped.
Afterward, as your sense of direction distorts and the structure shifts,
Stay still.
Chant the strange pattern.
At that moment, damage the Rulebook.
Then you will discover Rule Six.

“I found it.”

I sharpened [Dragon’s Claw][A] and tore the Rulebook apart.
But since the Rulebook was entangled with my hand, I had to tear it off along with my hand.

◆ Temporarily blocking sensory nerves!
◆ Using skill [Regeneration][B+] to regenerate the damaged limb!

I restored my severed hand using [Regeneration][B+].
Since [Predation][S+] was functioning properly in this place, it wasn’t a major issue.

The Rulebook—ripped apart along with my hand—lay strewn across the floor.

Screeeeeeeeech!!!

The Rulebook let out a horrifying, ear-piercing scream like a living creature, convulsing wildly.

Blackish-red blood gushed out of the torn book, mixing with my own.

And then—
It etched a new rule onto the floor.

Hope exists.
: This place is called the [Infinite Labyrinth]. The Infinite Labyrinth is a distorted dimension tied to the consciousness of the [Administrator], and a fused entity with the [Administrator]. Within the Labyrinth, [Absolute Rules] exist, and they take precedence over any other laws.

==[Absolute Rules]==

The [Administrator] cannot arbitrarily set or alter the Absolute Rules.
The Infinite Labyrinth cannot exist without the [Administrator].
The Infinite Labyrinth has infinite [Stamina] and [Mana], as well as infinite space and time.
The Absolute Rules must be uncovered directly by the [Administrator].
If even one Absolute Rule is broken, the Infinite Labyrinth will be destroyed.

The hidden Rule 6.

As it revealed itself, ominous symbols and shapes appeared across the Rulebook.

Eyes and mouths were etched between the wrinkled, web-like creases—
They twisted in agony as if screaming in pain—

<NeNoOoOoOoOoOom!!!>

A voice shrieked at me, more scream than speech.

The Rulebook—no, Avarus—screamed in disbelief.

So it really was the Monarch of the Abyss.

But—

“Sending a fake won’t cut it.”

It wasn’t the real Monarch of the Abyss.

Just a magical illusion crafted in his image.
It wasn’t nearly enough to shatter my mind.

In fact, even if they had sent the real one—

◆ Player’s Will [EX] resists the indescribable fear of the unknown! ◆

Ian’s ability, Player’s Will [EX].
As long as I have that, my mind will never collapse.

<Y-You… How do you…? No, even so, that’s His authority! How dare you—!>

“That’s none of your business.”

With that, I now had a way to escape the barrier.

By using the [Absolute Rules].

Absolute Rule #2: The Infinite Labyrinth must always have an [Administrator].
Absolute Rule #5: If even a single Absolute Rule is broken, the Infinite Labyrinth collapses.