Weapon seller in the world of magic

Mark continued to ascend the spiral stairway with quiet, deliberate steps. No ornate doors this time. No beasts. No corpses. No chains.

Just a wide, empty chamber… and a single object.

A crystal, as tall as he was. Suspended slightly above the floor, glowing soft yellow, like sunlight caught in amber.

It pulsed with a quiet hum. Not threatening. Not welcoming either. Just… there. Waiting.

He frowned and stopped a few meters away. "Scan it."

[Analyzing…]

*Ding! Resonant Illusion Crystal (Environmental Anchor Node)

Function: Alters the interior environment based on the host's imagination. Illusions are full-sensory and physically simulated. Warning: Not a projection. Fully immersive.

Mark raised an eyebrow. "So, I can reshape this floor just by thinking about it?"

"Yes, Master," Ark confirmed. "It is possible due to a chaos fragment in the form of powder has been mixed during its creation. While it is not strong enough to alter reality itself, it can temporarily bring forth a false reality."

Mark stepped forward, palm outstretched in curiosity. Obviously, he wants to test its effects. His fingers met the warm surface of the crystal. It rippled with light the moment he touched it.

He closed his eyes just for a second.

A flash.

Then—

Wind.

Concrete.

Noise.

Mark opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of a familiar four-lane road. The buildings towered on both sides—mirrored glass, steel beams, blinking ads projected across the sky like banners from another era.

Cars honked in the distance. Air was thick with dust, ozone, and the subtle tinge of grilled food. The sky was overcast, gray clouds drifting lazily above.

"Huh? This…" It was… Earth.

No, his Earth from the past life. His city, where he lived for years.

Mark blinked slowly, stunned. The sidewalk to his left was chipped in the exact same way he remembered. The streetlight had that same stupid flicker.

He turned around and saw the pedestrian bridge with graffiti still scrawled across the side—"Life is cruel. Get stronger."

His jaw tightened. He mumbled, almost involuntarily, "It's nice to see home… even if it's just an illusion."

He stood there for a few long moments. Letting everything soak in. A single drop of tear escaped his eyes. He wiped it away.

Then, with a quiet sigh, he shut his eyes again and tapped the crystal once more. This time, he imagined something simpler. Calmer.

A sea.

The instant the thought formed, the world shifted…

Splash.

Water engulfed him from every direction. Pressure slammed into his chest. Salt stung his eyes.

He thrashed for a second, instincts kicking in. Swam upward, toward light. Broke the surface and gasped sharply.

"What the…?" he choked. "This isn't just illusion... It's physically simulated."

*Ding! Master, I have mentioned before, it is not an illusion, it is a temporary false reality.

Waves rolled beneath him. He could feel the cold. The drag. The weight of his soaked clothes. A gull cried overhead. Fish darted beneath his feet.

He shook his head, coughing. "Okay, okay… cancel."

The moment he willed it, the sea evaporated.

In a blink, he stood again in the quiet stone chamber. His robes dripping, hair clinging to his forehead. A faint wet trail pooled around his boots.

With a twitch of his fingers, he summoned ether energy, letting it spread across his clothes. The water hissed into steam and vanished.

He adjusted his collar.

"Note to self," he muttered dryly. "Never imagine a black hole. Or else, who knows what will happen."

Then, without another word, he turned around and exited the chamber.

The crystal hummed faintly behind him, returning to silence, waiting for the next dream.

Mark then ascended the fifth floor and paused.

It was a library.

Massive. Circular. No symmetry. But just utter chaos instead of neatly stacked books.

Scrolls were scattered across the floor. Ancient books were piled haphazardly in corners, some still glowing faintly with protective seals or forgotten enchantments.

He took a slow breath, looking around.

He walked down one narrow aisle, picked up a scroll sealed in black wax, and immediately put it back after seeing a warning glyph carved into the seal—"DO NOT OPEN IF MORTAL."

"Yeah, no thanks," Mark said and turned around. "Even if I'm not mortal, I don't have an interest in reading books now."

It's not that he wasn't truly interested in the books. It's just that he wasn't in the mood.

"Later," he told himself, stepping back toward the staircase. "When I have time to reorganize this junk and let Ark run a scan sweep."

*

The Sixth Floor welcomed him with blazing temperatures. It was like stepping into a volcano right before it erupts. The air was thick, humming, charged.

At the center of the chamber stood a giant furnace, over twenty meters tall. Made of a strange dark alloy laced with deep red veins, it looked alive, breathing in and out slowly, as though slumbering between heartbeats.

Floating near the entrance was a blue crystal, no larger than a child's fist. It emitted a slow, ethereal pulse that resonated in the bones, not the ears.

Mark raised a hand.

"Ark, scan it."

A soft whirr. Then—

[Fragment of the Orb of Creation – Detected]

Location: Contained within Furnace Core

"Creation Orb. That's tempting, actually," Mark said, narrowing his eyes.

Ark replied. "However, it is currently in a dormant state. At the moment, it only works if the recipe is correct and you provide the exact materials for the desired weapon/artifact, Master. To unlock the furnace's deeper functions, you need to override the existing Qi Spirit's will."

"What kind of functions?"

"Unknown. Preliminary data suggests it's more than a smelting device. It could be a cosmic synthesis engine. Possibly capable of combining matter and concepts, not just materials."

Mark took a slow step forward, standing just before the glowing crystal. He could feel it watching him. As if it were waiting for permission.

"How long until you can break it down?"

"Thirty-six hours. I require passive observation before attempting integration."

Mark nodded.

He reached out, brushing his fingers across the furnace's cold exterior. Sparks arced briefly over his skin.

"A forge that can shape reality itself…" he murmured. "If it works, we won't need Stardust refinement anymore," Ark added. "You could bypass every limitation of conventional forging."

Mark let the thought sit. "Hmm… Understood."

Leaving the furnace room, Mark climbed the final set of stairs.

There was no door this time—just a pale light spilling into the stairwell, dancing across the walls like moonlight on water.

He stepped onto the Seventh Floor and stopped.

At the center of the circular room stood a spatial portal. Not a gateway framed in stone or runes—just a vertical tear in reality itself. Shimmering. Fluid. Silent. A perfect oval of distorted space, like a mirror made from ripples.

No sound.

No aura.

Just presence.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Ark?"

[Analyzing...]

The response came quicker than usual, like the AI had anticipated the scan.

[Type: Interlinked Spatial Nexus]

[Function: One-way or Two-way Transmission Portal]

[Registered Coordinates: 1 active node]

[Destination: 29.3 light-years away — approximate match with imperial energy signature database: 97.6% confidence — Target: Feline Empire's Imperial Palace]

Mark blinked. He stared at the portal for a long, slow breath.

Then a grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "You're kidding me."

"No," Ark replied. "It is currently the only linked spatial coordinate stored in the pagoda's network. The palace node was likely left connected for rapid traversal."

Mark stepped forward, the swirling light casting sharp lines over his face. "I know, I wasn't exactly saying you are kidding… It's just a way of expressing surprise."

"Oh, I was mistaken. I apologize, Master."

"So let me get this straight," he said, a low chuckle rising in his chest. "The bastard White Lion King had a direct backdoor to the throne this entire time."

"Affirmative."

"And now it's mine." He clenched his fist, his eyes gleaming with cold anticipation. "Well then… I guess the Goddess of Luck really is on my side."