The Legend of Lingpeng

Arcane City Magical Library.

The towering shelves of the Grand Archive of the Arcane Library stretched endlessly around Lucy Lingpeng. She was a long, raven-haired woman, dressed in a high-collared black cloak, a long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of brown leather belts. A black sheath held her sword at her side, complemented by brown boots and a bolster.

This place was a paradise for someone like her—a lover of books. The air was thick with the scent of old, luxurious parchments and the faint hum of magic. The library was bright, lit by magical beads scattered about and sunlight filtering through the cathedral-like tinted windows.

Lucy glanced at the grand magical clock hanging high on the wall. It was almost two in the afternoon—twenty minutes until her group project meeting.

"Group project, huh? What a hassle," Lucy muttered with a frown.

The course? Introduction to Thaumaturgy. It was a required subject for her magical studies major. Instead of a final exam, the professor had assigned a group project. The topic? Lucy clicked her tongue.

"The Grandmasters of Magic and the History of Arcanum."

To her, this group project was the perfect example of why collective spellcasting often failed throughout history. Professors seemed to be the only ones who didn’t realize how pointless it all was.

As Lucy waited for her group members, too bored to stay still, she wandered through the aisles, letting her fingers trail over the spines of books. One in particular caught her eye. It had a bizarre pattern that stood out from the rest.

Unlike the others, this book's cover seemed to both gloom and shine at the same time, as if it held secrets it wanted to keep while begging to be opened.

Though Lucy had frequented this library since her younger days, she had never seen this book before. Something about it pulled at her, compelling her to investigate. Curiosity getting the better of her, she reached for it and pulled it from the shelf.

As soon as her fingers touched the strange cover and opened it, a small, blinding orb shot up from the shimmering blank pages, casting an eerie glow. Lucy’s heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, a sharp, searing pain shot through her head, like a bolt of lightning. Her nerves screamed in agony.

A migraine like she’d never experienced before…

The Great Wizard.

The title, now engraved on the book’s cover, burned itself into her mind. The pain was unbearable, but images began to flood her vision. She saw a colorless world and a figure standing before her. He had long white hair, and a flowing beard, and wore an oversized robe with a fur-lined mantle. In his hand, he wielded a long staff, radiating power.

This was no ordinary old man. This was The Great Wizard—a legend of the Elvaris State, his name etched into history for centuries. Statues and portraits of him adorned the very walls of the library.

Elvaris… Lucy recalled, had undergone two major upheavals.

The first upheaval occurred when a massive otherworldly structure known as the “Tower” appeared, towering over the landscape. Both wizards and adapters experienced a second awakening. The tower had appeared suddenly, without warning, thirty years ago, throwing the world into chaos and anxiety.

“They said the Tower was the result of an uncleared Labyrinth or dense magicules in the air,” Lucy thought, her mind still clouded by the pain.

But that wasn’t the case at all. The initial speculations were wrong. New Labyrinths began to form rapidly, magicules regenerated at an alarming rate, and strange monsters emerged—creatures immune to revolutionary magical attacks unless dealt with by those who had undergone a second awakening.

Only those with a second awakening could defeat these creatures quickly. As a result, wizards and adapters sought to awaken again, hoping to gain power, fame, wealth, and honor.

"And that’s when the Great Wizard emerged."

He had undergone a second awakening like no one before him. The Great Wizard led the charge in every labyrinth, whether old, newly formed, or still emerging, unraveling magical constructs and saving countless lives. His influence wasn’t limited to Elvaris. The Great Wizard traveled across the world, conquering high-level labyrinths and clearing floors of the Towers.

His achievements laid the foundation for modern society. He founded the Arcanum, a guild and academy that trained aspiring adapters and wizards. The rise of numerous guilds followed, all built on the Great Wizard’s legacy and exploits.

Just as Elvaris began to recover from the first upheaval, another crisis struck. The Sword Empire, Lysims, and the northern, eastern, and western states—particularly Nithium—invaded Elvaris.

The Monsterized Knight of Nithium, Alberto, led armies of monsters in the attack. In response, the Residents of the Tower—previously unseen system administrators—joined the fight. But it wasn’t the administrators, renowned wizards, or adapters who ended the war.

It was the Great Wizard.

With immense power, he unleashed Disintegration and Heaven’s Wrath, obliterating the Monsterized Knight and ending the invasion.

As these memories rushed into Lucy’s mind, the migraine vanished, leaving her in peace. She glanced at the wall clock again.

"Speaking of which, it’s almost time," she muttered.

“Hey, we’re here, Lucy!” one of her group members called out, pulling her back to reality.

“Ugh, you’re so early,” another groaned.

The group members gathered around Lucy.

“Right on time, actually,” she said, crossing her arms.

“If we were late or didn’t show up, you’d just take our names off the project,” one of the girls teased, her voice half-joking, half-nervous.

“You did that to Arlen last semester,” another pointed out.

“And to Beka!” the girl pouted. “She cried her eyes out. Didn’t think you’d actually do it!”

Their chatter filled the air, but Lucy wasn’t paying them much attention. They weren’t wrong—last year, she had removed two students' names from a project after they ghosted her. Some thought she’d go easy on fellow girls, but Lucy wasn’t one to tolerate freeloaders.

Not on her watch.

“Anyway, Lucy, you’re famous for being strict.”

“If we were just two minutes late, you’d leave us behind.”

“And then our names would be gone too. Ugh.”

‘Excuse me, I can hear you, you know?’ Lucy thought, shooting them a look. 

They fell silent.

They continued toward the section of the monumental library where books on past battles and heroes were kept. Even on a weekday, the library was crowded—especially this section, likely because it housed the most fascinating achievements of the Great Wizard.

The Great Wizard, born in Elvaris, had once been a weak mage with low magicule abilities, capable only of casting minor spells. He was often ridiculed. That was, until his second awakening—a moment that propelled him to fame, honor, and glory. His legacy hadn’t faded, even now.

Lucy had been here countless times as a child, visiting with her parents, who were fans of the Great Wizard. She knew the layout by heart.

“But today’s special,” Lucy said, pulling out the slip she had prepared earlier, ready to gather material for her report.

“The Great Wizard’s Special Exhibit—The Magical Tome that Bound the Monsterized Knight, Alberto.”

This legendary grimoire had been used by the Great Wizard to defeat Alberto, the Monsterized Knight. It was being displayed for only the second time in twenty years.

“This should be more than enough material,” Lucy nodded to herself as she headed toward the special collection area.

The line was long, but after waiting, she finally saw the Tome. It was encased in protective glass, yet even from a distance, Lucy could feel its power. The sheer authority and magicules it radiated were palpable.

“Wow…” A gasp escaped her as sparkles danced in her crimson eyes.

The intricate designs on the cover, the magicules—it was mesmerizing. Even Lucy, who was well-versed in grimoires, tomes, and magical books, could tell this was a masterpiece. Even the book that once gave her a migraine paled in comparison.

Suddenly, the Tome, which had been securely mounted, flipped open on its own.

“What?”

Before Lucy could react, glowing inscriptions appeared on the shimmering white pages. They floated above the glass, and tendrils of light shot toward her like comets.

Wait, did she just get hit by rays of light?

Her body felt like it was being scorched. The heat was unbearable. Her chest and heart burned, and her vision blurred.

“What the hell is this?”

Before she could utter another word, Lucy lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes, the world had lost its color. Panic surged through her, and a short scream escaped her lips. Her body felt seared, especially the spot starting from her heart. She looked down and saw the source of the pain—a long, glowing magic missile embedded in her chest.

Not just one. There were countless missiles, some the size of pinpricks, others as large as an adult’s arm. She could feel the cold, foreign objects lodged inside her.

Looking up, she saw complicated, overlapping magic circles above her, ready to unleash another attack.

Why was this happening? Lucy had lived a normal life. Why was she being targeted?

The magic circles looked just like the ones in the book that had given her a migraine.

“What the… I really did get hit by magic missiles?”

The pain was unbearable. Tears welled up in her eyes as the missiles seemed to twist inside her. She looked up, disbelieving, at the one responsible for driving them into her body. Another wave of complicated, devastating magic was aimed at her.

Everyone knew who he was.

It was the Great Wizard.

“Why the hell is he here?” Lucy’s mind began to go blank.

“Well done, Great Wizard. I, Alberto Ghornthail Mesmo, the Warlord of Monsters, did not expect to find such a powerful wizard in this far-flung continent.”

What? Her lips moved on their own. Even though it was her body, it felt like someone else was controlling it.

Wait a minute. Did she just say, ‘Alberto Ghornthail Mesmo, the Warlord of Monsters’?

That name wasn’t something she could just brush off. It was as famous as the Great Wizard's. Alberto was a terrifying figure, more commonly known as the Monsterized Knight.

And now, she had spoken his name.

“Hold on. Why... why am I the Monsterized Knight?”

Was this a dream? Did she pass out after seeing the Tome and was now imagining herself as the Monsterized Knight?

If she was dreaming, why couldn’t she have been the Great Wizard, vanquishing the Monsterized Knight? Why did she have to be the one getting skewered like a piece of meat?

But no matter what she wanted, her lips kept moving on their own.

“Great Wizard, though this is but an avatar of mine, your prowess in defeating me deserves praise. Utilizing basic magic spells with high proficiency... you truly deserve my respect.”

There was no response. The Great Wizard didn’t acknowledge her words. Instead, he unleashed another barrage of magic. Disastrous-level spells poured down on her like a heavy storm, his expression grim.

“Aaaaargh!”

The pain was unbearable. Lucy tried to scream, but no sound came out.

She was feeling all the pain of dying, yet she wasn’t dying. Her body seemed to regenerate with every attack. She couldn’t speak or move. Frustration built inside her, and she bit down hard, tasting blood.

“Muhahaha, you refuse to speak to me? Fear not, we shall meet again,” the words slipped from her mouth again, but they weren’t her own.

Lucy’s body went limp. She couldn’t move a finger as the relentless magic attacks continued.

As the shadow of death crept closer, a sudden light pierced her mind.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

Her eyes burned, not just from the brightness, but from the pain. It felt like her optic nerves were being stabbed by daggers. Unknown knowledge, memories, and experiences flooded her brain, overwhelming her.

She writhed in agony for what felt like an eternity. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the pain vanished.

She slowly opened her eyes.

“…Lucy.”

Her head throbbed, buzzing like it had been struck by a metal bat.

“Lucy!”

“Stop shouting. I can hear you fuck,” she grumbled, her voice weaker than she intended. Her vision cleared, revealing a strange ceiling. Beside her were the students she had been working with on the group project.

“Lucy, why did you suddenly pass out?”

“And you were mumbling something about the Warlord of Monsters.”

“Did this big sister of ours faint and dream she was the Monsterized Knight or something?” one of them joked.

Wait… did she faint? A wave of confusion gripped her. Lucy blinked, trying to grasp what had just happened.

“Emma, wasn’t I… pierced by missiles?”

“Lucy, what are you talking about? Did you hit your head? You were just staring at the book, and then you collapsed.”

Lucy stared at Emma, speechless. The chill she felt when the book shot comets of light toward her—and the missiles. The sensation of something foreign ripping through her body. It had all felt so real.

“So… it was just an illusion?” Lucy muttered to herself, still trying to make sense of it.

Then, like a wave breaking over her mind, the knowledge resurfaced. It was clear and undeniable.

Reincarnation.

When an individual is reborn with memories and experiences from a previous life. A classic trope from fairy tales. But why was she thinking about it now? Because the damned cliché had just happened to her.

Lucy Linpeng. Twenty-three years old. An aspiring magic swordmaster—or rather, an Adapter—at Arcane Academy, one of the most prestigious magical institutes in Elvaris. Popular in her department. Normal, right?

But another name pushed its way into her mind, sending chills down her spine.

Alberto Ghornthail Mesmo. The Monsterized Knight. One of the four lords who ruled the monsters in Nithium.

The moment she saw the Great Wizard’s tome, it all came flooding back. She was the reincarnation of the Monsterized Knight.

You’ve got to be kidding me, Lucy thought, internally groaning.

Alberto Ghornthail Mesmo. The Monsterized Knight who descended upon Elvaris forty years ago. That was who she had been in her past life—before becoming human. The Great Wizard had sealed her away. Sealed Alberto away. But now, those memories, that life… had awakened inside her.

Lucy glanced at her group members. They were still watching her, concern written across their faces.

“I’m fine, stop staring at me like that,” Lucy said, waving them off. “It must’ve been a reaction to the magicules in the tome.”

They didn’t seem entirely convinced, but they let it go. Lucy stood up, brushing the dust from her cloak as she straightened herself.

This wasn’t just a dream. The memories, the pain, the knowledge—it was all too vivid. And the power she felt, stronger than before, was proof. The power of Alberto was inside her now, lying dormant. But what was she supposed to do with it?

Return to Nithium and reclaim my throne? Or should she live out this life as Lucy Linpeng, a student at Arcane Academy, and pretend nothing had happened?

“Lucy?”

Emma’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Are you sure you’re okay? We can postpone the meeting if you need to rest.”

Lucy hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, pushing her bangs away from her face. “No, let’s get this done. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can move on.”

As they walked back to the project room, Lucy couldn’t shake the feeling that her life had just taken a drastic turn. She had been Lucy Linpeng her entire life. But now, with the memories of Alberto swirling inside her...

Who am I, really?

The Great Wizard had defeated her once. Now, his tome had awakened her again. What did it mean? Was this reincarnation planned? A twist of fate? Or just a terrible error?

Questions churned in her mind, but one thing was clear: she couldn’t ignore what had happened. The power of the Monsterized Knight wasn’t something to take lightly. If it had awakened inside her, there had to be a reason.

As the group entered the bright project room and sat down to work, Lucy steeled herself. She needed answers. She had to understand why she, Lucy Linpeng, had been given the memories and powers of Alberto Ghornthail Mesmo.

And most importantly, she had to decide what to do with them.