The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Aster’s Academy Weapon Replicator Episode 15
Chapter 3: Manipulating Fate (6)
“Is this it……?”
Aster and his companions stopped before them, staring ahead. Before them stood an enormous stone statue.
The statue looked neither quite female nor quite male. It seemed to be smiling and yet grieving all at once.
Light emanated from the statue’s eyes, and a voice rang out as though it were pouring forth from within.
[Adventurers, well done.]
The tone was unrelentingly flat.
[Name the god you believe in. I am the custodian of truth, the architect of worlds. I grant you the honor of meeting your god.]
“This is the Sanctuary.”
Quinie spoke.
The interior of the Dungeon had become suffused with light that bore the color of the Sanctuary.
“You need to go forward, Aster. You’re the only one here who possesses Divine Power.”
Aster nodded and stepped ahead.
[Name the god you believe in.]
Beneath the statue’s aloof gaze, Aster spoke softly.
“Baldur.”
The moment Aster answered, the statue’s light blazed brighter. It grew so dazzling that Aster shielded his eyes with his hand—and then the light swallowed itself entirely, and a form resembling a human took shape.
The form was immensely vast, its body transparent like a specter, revealing what lay beyond. Yet it radiated a holiness that no mere ghost could ever compare to.
Baldur, god of light, justice, and purity.
With hair white as snow and a face as though carved from perfect beauty itself, he slowly opened his eyes.
Baldur descended as though settling into the statue, and regarded Aster.
[Aster Evans.]
Aster was startled.
He had not expected Baldur to speak his name first.
“It is an honor to meet you, Baldur.”
[Indeed. And for me as well. To encounter humanity’s hope itself……]
“Humanity’s hope?”
[Yes. Surely you’ve sensed it, even if dimly? Your talent and your strength. The burden you must carry.]
Aster swallowed without meaning to.
Divine Power infused with Baldur’s blessing, his own innate talent, and the trust of those around him.
During his time at Constel, Aster had come to feel what role he must play.
But hearing such words—humanity’s hope and all the rest—spoken directly to him was altogether different. Especially from a god.
[This Sanctuary’s power will not permit us to speak for long. Aster Evans, what do you desire?]
At Baldur’s question, Aster thought for a moment. Yet from the beginning, his answer had been clear.
“I seek strength. Strength enough to protect everyone. Strength to drive back the Demons.”
Baldur inclined his head without emotion at Aster’s words.
[That is true to your nature, Aster.]
Then streams of light flowed forth from Baldur. They gathered slowly around Aster, and he felt his Divine Power surge to heights incomparable to what it had been before.
[Aster Evans.]
Even as Aster sensed the power settling within him, Baldur spoke.
[Aster, be wary of Frondie de Roach.]
“Yes, but what—”
Before Aster could finish his question.
Baldur’s form slowly dissolved into streams of light from the statue.
Aster turned to look back at Quinie and Jane. They both appeared equally bewildered.
“……Huh?”
Jane looked around, sensing something amiss.
Something had gone wrong.
Nothing had changed.
“We haven’t cleared the Dungeon……?”
They had reached the Sanctuary, the Dungeon’s destination, and met a god.
Yet the Dungeon remained unresolved.
Only by returning to its original cavern would Frondie and Siebel be safe.
“Wh-what do we do? Professor?”
“Let’s head for the exit first. Reaching the Sanctuary should mean the exit is near. We’ll leave the Dungeon and contact Constel and the surrounding institutions right away.”
“Yes!”
The three of them moved swiftly onward.
* * *
My strength drained away, and I slumped down. This Mana Depletion—I still can’t seem to adjust to it.
I’m on my knees, palms pressed to the ground, and I’m still trembling. My whole body convulses.
“……Not yet. It’s not over.”
I grit my teeth and push myself up.
Siebel lies collapsed in the distance.
I wish the poison clinging to Siebel would vanish the moment Slebs dies—but the world doesn’t work like a game.
Even now, the toxin seeps steadily through her body.
As for Slebs’ Eerie Dagger, I’ve stored it in the Workshop.
One weapon that skyrockets a monster’s threat level—it’ll be worth using.
I head toward Siebel. Now I have to carry her out of here.
By now, Aster and the others should have reached the Sanctuary. They’re probably confused that the Dungeon hasn’t cleared.
This Dungeon is one of the unsolved ones in Aetius.
Even if Aster meets a god in the Sanctuary, the Dungeon remains unchanged.
Gamers have tried countless methods, but the Dungeon has never been cleared.
So I can’t hope for this Dungeon to transform into an ordinary cave.
I’ll just have to leave quietly.
“Phew.”
I breathe out deeply and hoist Siebel onto my back.
……She’s damned heavy.
If this were Frondie’s body in normal circumstances, it’d be nothing—but Siebel’s paralyzed frame hangs completely limp, and I’m in a state of Mana Depletion.
Is this what it feels like trying to carry something with a body wracked by exhaustion and dehydration?
Let’s go.
I try to mutter something, but the words won’t come out.
* * *
Siebel’s eyes open slowly.
As if floating in a gentle wave. But soon she realizes someone is carrying her on his back.
‘……Frondie.’
Siebel tries to call his name, but no sound comes. There’s no strength in her entire body. She can’t move a single finger.
Still paralyzed.
‘……Is being able to open my eyes fortunate?’
There is no physical pain.
Since Siebel doesn’t know how severe the poison coursing through her is, she’s able to remain calm.
From what she can see, they’re still inside the Dungeon.
“……Gasp…… Gasp…….”
Frondie’s voice, strained and weary.
‘He looks like he’s suffering.’
Frondie’s back is broader than she’d expected.
Solid muscle and bone structure.
He always seemed so powerless and languid. But he’s a man, alright.
“……So heavy.”
Bastard.
“Ugh, a rock in my shoe.”
Frondie’s body lurches sharply to one side before he regains his balance.
Seeing how much he’s struggling, Siebel decides to think only pleasant thoughts.
How long has he been walking?
Frondie stops.
She wonders if it’s because of the exhaustion, but then she sees the Dungeon growing brighter.
This isn’t light from outside. It’s Divine Power, given physical form.
‘……This is the Sanctuary.’
Siebel senses it instinctively.
She’s heard it before—that some Dungeons have a Sanctuary at their final destination.
A precious place where one faces the god they believe in and can amplify their divine power.
‘This must be the destination.’
The stone statue speaks.
[Adventurer, you have labored well. Speak the name of the god you believe in. I am the Keeper of Truth, and the Conductor of Worlds. I grant you the glory of facing the divine.]
‘Frondie won’t have Divine Power.’
But if this is truly a Sanctuary, speaking any god’s name will create an opportunity to meet them. And if fortune smiles, he might even receive Divine Power.
‘What god will Frondie speak?’
Curious for reasons she can’t quite name, Siebel perks up her ears.
“I am.”
Frondie opens his mouth.
“I don’t believe in God.”
‘What?’
Siebel’s ears refused to believe what she’d heard.
The stone statue simply asked.
[What is your reason?]
The statue was called the Keeper of Truth because it could discern which god a human believed in.
For that reason, invoking another god’s name before the statue was meaningless.
From the moment the statue beheld Frondie, it already knew he believed in no god whatsoever.
‘You don’t believe in God?’
For Siebel, it was a statement of profound shock.
Most people in this world never received Divine Power.
But that was entirely different from not believing in God. God existed plainly before their eyes—how could one claim not to believe?
‘Then what you said at the Mistilein incident—’
-I have never feared such things.
That wasn’t mere bravado or posturing. He truly didn’t believe in God?
“Because I believe in humanity.”
‘…!’
Those words settled deep within Siebel’s heart.
Each phrase Frondie spoke layered upon the last.
“I believe in human will. I believe in the days they’ve built with all their strength. There is no place for a god to intrude.”
Words so dangerous that if anyone from the Church heard them, they would surely brand him a heretic.
Yet to Siebel, his words were like a great wind—stripping away, one by one, the destinies that ensnared her.
“All that is today becomes tomorrow. This simple truth—I believe in it.”
Frondie’s words cut through Siebel’s heart like a blade.
Had it been so with her?
Had she believed in the same?
For no reason she could name, shame flooded through her.
“I don’t believe in God.”
Siebel, beloved of Destiny.
That love was like a cradle—so comfortable, so soothing.
Yet it seemed to draw her swiftly toward the grave.
“Because I don’t believe in Fate.”
That final word remained in her heart as an eternal resonance.
* * *
Throughout the exchange, my mood had been far from good.
Part of it was the Mana Depletion. Part of it was carrying Siebel on my back.
But mainly, this entire dialogue felt like a waste of time.
The Sanctuary—a place that granted those blessed with Divine Power an opportunity to encounter God.
It meant nothing to me. It would only be useful for Aster.
[Is there no falsehood in those words—that you don’t believe in God?]
What was the point of asking again and again? It already knew perfectly well I had no Divine Power.
Having no Divine Power and believing in God are separate things. Does it seem strange to not believe in God in a world where God obviously exists?
“I don’t believe.”
[──I see.]
Then the statue suddenly blazed with light. The statue, whose eyes alone had glowed, was swiftly engulfed in radiance.
It was a sight even I had never witnessed.
“What—what is this?”
And that light gathered before my eyes, revealing an image. The image bore the form of a magic circle, though I couldn’t identify its true nature.
My eyes naturally imprinted the shape of that magic circle into my Workshop.
Crack. Then all the light faded, and the statue began to split. What became massive fractures.
Enormous fragments fell to the ground.
“…?”
What is this? Did I make a mistake somehow?
The moment I thought that, the air of the Dungeon changed.
The bizarrely twisted stone patterns and trees reclaimed their original forms. The walls and floors returned to how they should be.
The Dungeon had become an ordinary cave.
In other words—
We’d cleared the Dungeon.
“Huh?”
In all my time playing games, a result like this had never happened—and never should have.
I stared blankly at the shattered remains of the stone statue for a moment.
‘Let’s get out of here.’
I quickened my pace.
Siebel didn’t have much time.
* * *
Not long after leaving the dungeon, I met up with Aster and the others.
I left Siebel in Jane’s care. As a teacher, she’d be far more capable than I was.
Once I explained the full story to Jane and Quinie, they both relaxed.
I told them that Siebel had handled almost all of the monsters herself.
After I arrived at the Dormitory.
[Jane: Siebel has been admitted to the Hospital. She should be fine in a day or so.]
A message came through on my Sage Phone.
Quinie and Jane seized the moment and asked for my messenger address.
They had a reasonable pretext—to prevent dangerous situations like this from happening again.
Of course, I had no reason to refuse.
[Quinie: If you experience any abnormalities in your body, please tell us immediately.]
[Aster: Thank you. Siebel’s alive because of you. Rest up for now.]
“They’re kind people.”
But I couldn’t rest.
I sat down at my desk right away. First, I checked my Smart Watch.
[Dungeon Clear Reward]
– You have successfully cleared the Dungeon, Sanctuary of Truth.
– You have acquired the Magic Circle ‘Menosorpho’.
The magic circle that had unfolded before my eyes right after the Sanctuary crumbled—that must be Menosorpho.
But I had no idea how to use it. Since I lacked knowledge about magic circles myself, all I knew was the name.
“I’ll have to activate it directly and figure it out that way.”
I’d experiment with it later when I had time. Maybe then I’d understand something.
“Next is this.”
I reached for the frame containing the viscoelastic metal, Heuk Cheon.
Jikjo, Heuk Cheon.
Grade – Rare
Slebs’ Eerie Dagger
[Slebs’ Eerie Dagger]
•Grade: Rare
•Description: A dagger wielded by Slebs. Slebs’ powerful Original Thought crystallized into toxin. The poison that works on the blade is a magical property, so it cannot be erased or removed.
Ability Details>
– Poison (Paralysis): Poisons the target struck. The poisoned target rapidly becomes paralyzed, and dies within 24 hours if not cured.
……As expected, it carries toxin.
This property synergizes well with Jikjo.
If I added ‘poison’ to my Jikjo—which appears and disappears in an instant—I could deliver a lethal strike against any opponent.
“……But.”
It’s far too dangerous.
I won’t use it on people.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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