After spending quite some time in this world, and as a Tier 7 mage, it was only natural for Derek to have learned some hidden truths.

On the surface, Tier 7 mages were already the peak combat power of a kingdom.

In reality, the Church was where the true powerhouses gathered.

There were not only Tier 8 mages, but even Tier 9 existed.

However, the Church never interfered with kingdom affairs or human wars. They only acted when facing the Demon King’s army and the demon race.

If someone wanted to learn magic beyond Tier 7, the Church was unavoidable.

Without access to it, reaching higher tiers was nearly impossible.

As players, no one actually cared about saving the world.

Only a fool would.

What they wanted was efficiency, power, and progression.

Instead of stopping the Demon King’s army, they actually preferred it to invade sooner.

That would force the Church to act.

And that might open the door to higher tier magic.

The group stopped twenty kilometers outside the capital.

The crown prince raised his hand.

"According to the mages’ prediction, the Thunderstorm Dragon will pass through here in three hours and head straight for the capital. We must defeat it here."

He looked at Derek and Guy.

"You two are among the few Tier 7 mages. We’ll rely on you in this battle."

"Leave it to us, Your Highness."

"We’ll do our best."

The mages began preparing spells in advance to reduce casting time.

The royal knights stacked buffs on themselves.

Derek and Guy did the same.

They were technically mages, but preferred close combat.

Once fully buffed, they were basically humanoid dragons.

However, less than an hour passed before thunder roared in the distance. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Lightning flickered across the sky.

A dragon’s roar echoed.

The prince’s expression changed.

"The prediction was off. It’s faster than expected. Prepare for battle!"

"Yes!"

"Understood!"

The prepared magic arrays lit up.

They could not cast Tier 8 magic, but by stacking enhanced Tier 7 spells, they could reach comparable power.

Boom!

Before the dragon even arrived, it was bombarded from afar.

A furious roar followed.

They had its attention.

Derek and Guy exchanged a glance.

"Let’s go."

"Yeah."

The battlefield erupted.

Thunder, roars, and layers of magic filled the sky.

The fight lasted over an hour.

But victory never came.

Even with the royal knights, the mage corps, and two major guilds working together, they were losing.

Boom!

A single dragon roar made the gap clear.

Derek and Guy were blasted to the ground like meteors.

Both badly injured.

Derek quickly healed himself.

"As expected of a Tier 8 creature. This thing is insane."

Thunderclouds gathered overhead.

Lightning surged.

The dragon roared again.

The final attack was about to fall.

Guy sighed.

"Guess this is it."

At that moment

A roar echoed.

A sword pierced through the clouds.

The sky split open.

The lightning vanished.

The Thunderstorm Dragon was pierced through the heart.

A massive hole tore through its body.

The prince was stunned.

"What just happened?"

The dragon’s corpse fell, shaking the ground.

Dust filled the air.

Derek’s pupils shrank.

"One hit...?"

When the dust settled, a figure appeared.

Armored.

The dragon’s body was absorbed into Infinite Arsenal.

Massive wings spread behind him, blocking the sunlight.

His figure was hard to see clearly.

He spoke.

"The capital is that way, right?"

Derek nodded instinctively.

"Yes."

"Thanks."

Boom!

The figure vanished instantly.

A gust of wind nearly knocked everyone over.

Derek turned to Guy.

"Anything?"

Guy inhaled sharply.

"No mana signature. No readable level. But his gear is at least Tier 8."

After what they just saw, he suspected something even more terrifying.

A Tier 9 mage.

And likely a player.

Guy muttered.

"This is ridiculous..."

...

[Forge initiated]

[Forge complete]

The Thunderstorm Dragon became another Divine Tier item.

[Book of the World]

[Type: Item Book]

[Trait: Writing]

[Skill: Single use Divine Tier Magic Rewrite. Alters history, cognition, and memory across the nine worlds. Cannot affect the divine or underworld]

Powerful.

Extremely powerful.

But not urgently needed.

Still, worth keeping.

Soon, Caelum arrived at the capital.

Bustling and lively.

Far beyond the frontier town.

"Now this feels like a real city."

After a short walk, he headed for the dungeon.

Following the crowd, he reached ancient ruins.

At the center was the entrance.

The dungeon had ten floors.

Each floor matched a magic tier.

Floor one had Tier 1 creatures.

Floor two had Tier 2.

And so on.

Floor ten contained Tier 10 monsters.

As tiers increased, numbers dropped.

But each floor still held massive populations.

For years, adventurers had been clearing it.

Yet the monsters never decreased.

Perfect.

Dungeon Floor 1

Despite being underground, the sky was blue.

Clouds drifted.

The sun shone brightly.

It felt like the outside world.

Caelum did not hesitate.

Space rippled.

Infinite Arsenal opened.

Thousands of weapons fired.

"Let’s begin."

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The ground trembled.

Countless Tier 1 monsters were obliterated instantly.

Bodies shattered everywhere.

He collected everything.

[Forge initiated]

[Forge complete]

Materials turned into weapons.

Tier 6 weapons surged in number.

2 million

4 million

6 million

8 million

10 million

Soon, the count was heading toward one hundred million.

No sign of stopping.

A nearby player team approached, drawn by the noise.

They froze at the sight.

Caelum hovered in the air, casually bombarding everything.

Tier 4 gear used like disposable ammo.

One player swallowed hard.

"Are those... Tier 4 items?"

"Yeah..."

"This is insane..."

They felt physical pain watching it.

One of them raised his bow quietly.

"That guy’s loaded. Wanna try?"

"He looks dangerous..."

"High risk, high reward."

"...Fine."

They aimed.

Caelum glanced at them.

The next moment, they were included in the attack range.

Weapons rained down.

They were instantly wiped out.

A small bit of entertainment.

Caelum continued farming.

Days passed.

After a week, he finally stopped.

Then headed to the second floor.