The pace was enormous, a sprawling byrinth of broken stone and shadows. I’d been wandering its halls for twenty minutes, and the oppressive silence had grated on my nerves. When I finally entered my first enemy, my stomach sank.

  They were still made of stone, but their armor was more refined—sharp edges, polished surfaces, and an air of intimidation that screamed, don’t mess with me.

  So I didn’t. I avoided them.

  Here I am, the one who should crush all enemies in my path. Instead, I’m… c in a er. The bitter thought twisted in my mind, but I shoved it aside. Survival was more important than pride.

  As I crept further, I learhe guards weren’t just scattered aimlessly. Their positions were deliberate, f a deliberate defehis wasn’t just a pace—it was a fortress—and if I waress, I’d have to fight.

  The royal yout offered straightforward choices. Four natural choke points divided the pace.

  Royal Bedrooms Wing, Staff Wing, Throne Room Wing and Treasury Wing.

  My gaze lingered oreasury wing.

  If I was going to risk a fight, there better be a payoff. The bedrooms and staff areas were uo have anything useful that would ge the fate of the battle with Irwen, and the throne room robably a death trap with a boss. That left the treasury.

  But first, re.

  Peeking cautiously around the er of a long hall, I spotted them: two guards fnking the entrao the treasury and—of course—a captain standiween them.

  [Pace Guard Of Stone Lv.13]Type: 3-rare | HP: 230/230[Captain Of Guards Lv.15]Type: 3-rare | HP: 300/300I swallowed hard, my grip tightening on my whip and shield. The Captain’s bulk was undeniable, its armor ented with ruhat seemed to reflect light. Even the regur guards looked tougher than the ones outside.

  Great. Just great.

  There was aln F: turn around and f like flee.

  But running wasn’t an option—not this time. I came here for things only the treasury could offer. Sure, the treasury leasant bonus, but there was the ring I needed, and it robably locked ih Captain Granite and his merry band of stone brutes.

  Hunkering down behind a cracked pilr, I studied the hallway again. The guards were positioned perfectly, every angle covered, and the Captain was gng around every so often.

  Charging in?

  Suicidal.

  Sneaking past?

  Impossible.

  Think, Charlie, think. I tapped my shield bracer with my fingers, my mind rag. These weren’t gods—they were stone puppets, programmed by magi a game. And all programs?

  They had exploits.

  The gears in my head clicked into pce. Programs follow rules. Battle formations? Also rules. Rules had weaknesses. My gaze darted to the edge of the hallway, where their patrol zone probably ended. A slow, mischievous grin tugged at my lips.

  “If this works,” I muttered to myself, “I’m going to mock Irwen that our aors were sloppy.”

  The pn was simple. Well, not simple, exactly. It involved a few old wooden barrels I found nearby and enough rubble to make a respectable rubble-trap. Thankfully, the pace had plenty of both. The hardest part was hauling everything into pce—overhead beams for leverage, spread rubble for distribution—and doing it without colpsing from sheer exhaustion.

  My low stamina was really irritating me.

  Ohe setup was plete, I crouched behind the pilr, catg my breath. Every muscle burned, but the trap was ready. It took a while, but I calmed down, ate a snack, drank water, and now came the fun part. I turned on the camera.

  Taking a deep breath, I stepped out into the hallway. The moment I eheir line of sight, the guards’ runes fred brighter, casting a purple glow across the stone walls. The Captain’s head swiveled toward me with a meical precision, its unblinking gaze log onto my presence.

  “Hey, Captain!” I shouted, waving my whip over my head like an idiot. “You’re looking real strong today—did you switch to granite protein shakes?”

  The Captain responded first, his runes pulsing with iy as he charged forward, his massive frame leading the way. The two guards fnked him, their synized movements grinding against the floor like clockwork.

  Perfect.

  I turned on my heel and bolted, rag over the cold stone floor as the sound of scraping stone spread louder behihey were gaining on me.

  Fihat art of the pn anyway.

  My delicate heels cpped against the uneven surface as I led them toward the edge of their patrol zone, careful to stay just within their range. Gng back, I saw their glowing eyes locked oheir persistent pace as unnerving as their precision.

  As I he trap, I veered sharply to the left, dug into a side alcove. My fingers moved instinctively, trag runes in the air as I began ting my spell. The guards and captain barreled past me, then skidded to a halt as though hitting an invisible wall. Their runes dimmed slightly, and they turned in eerie unison to retreat.

  K.

  “Too easy,” I muttered, stepping bato the hallway and giving them a taunting wave. Their spears raised as I unleashed my spell. “ Lightning!”

  [Hit! Target lost 6HP (16 - 10 resisted)][Critical hit! Target lost 24HP (12x2)][Critical hit! Target lost 18HP (9x2)][Critical hit! Target lost 12HP (6x2)][Critical hit! Target lost 6HP (3x2)]The blinding arc of electricity jumped from oo the other, the guards jerking as the energy coursed through their runes. As they stood momentarily paralyzed, I kicked the wooden barrel, propping up my trap.

  And then?

  Chaos. Rubble smmed down, scattering across the guards’ stone bodies with deafening crashes. One guard stumbled, cracks spreading simir to my lightning through its torso. The Captain, of course, barely flinched.

  Figures.

  The Captain lunged, his massive stone-hand grazing my arm as I twisted away.

  “Oh no, you don’t!” I yelped, darting past a falling k of the ceiling just in time. I darted toward the treasury wing, weaving through the dust-filled air as ks of rubble tumbled arouhe door stood out ahead, an iron-bound relic of the past that was my ticket to survival. I reached it, my heart on fire again.

  And froze.

  The door was locked.

  “You have to be kidding me!” I shouted, frustration trig over. Without thinking, I started casting. “Ice Dance!”

  Frost spread from my feet, creeping up the door and across its wooden surface. I raised my whip, ready to deliver the blow that would shatter it.

  I struck the door ono budge. Twice—still nothing. Ohird hit, with frustration boiling over, the ice-covered hinges finally gave in, and the door crashed open with an echo that made me wince.

  Thank Ice-blood-god they’re only puppets.

  No time to celebrate. I bolted inside, quickly dragging the frozen door upright again. Luckily, there was a bench vely positioned o the doorway, so I shoved it into pce as a makeshift barricade. That’ll slow them down for a few minutes—if they follow i all.

  But as I turo take in my surroundings, my heart sank. What I thought was the treasury wing was… another hallway.

  Of course it is, Charlie. It was only a chokepoint, you dumbass.

  I stopped the rec and sidered deleting the clip.

  We’ll see.

  Muttering curses under my breath, I pressed on, ign any side doors. The minutes dragged by as I walked, each step feeling heavier tha. Dust floated in the dim light, disturbed only by my movement.

  After a while, I came to a new set of doors. These were grander, more ornate, with intricate carvings of vines and mythical beasts—killed all of them, by the way, even the spragons—zigzagging across their surface. They gleamed faintly, despite the yers of dust and time.

  With a weary sigh, I prepared for another dht. My whip was already in hand when I hesitated, deg to try the handle first.

  It turned easily.

  “Oh,” I blinked, caught off guard. “Let’s… go then.”

  Pushing the doors open, I stepped inside.

  The room before me was massive, its vaulted ceiling disappearing into shadow. What light there was came from thin beams spilling through cracks in the high walls, illuminating this... ste room?

  Well, treasure rooms ste things, I guess.

  Rows of t shelves stretched into the dim expanse, some leaning precariously, others splintered and broken by the invading army. Cobwebs draped every er, their silken threads glittering faintly in the sparse light.

  Looks… pilged.

  Rusting suits of armor leaned precariously against the walls. Looted crates y overturheir tarnished metal bands curling like dead leaves. A cracked vase stood atop a pedestal, its painted figures faded but hinting at being very expensive one day.

  The air smelled of decay and time, dry and heavy, with a faiallig.

  Pieces of part and old scrolls littered the floor, their edges brittle and crumbling under my heels as I walked forward. “Well,” I muttered, gripping my whip tighter as I stepped forward. “This better be worth it.”

  The main treasure room was almost barren, its flory reduced to a pitiful shadow of itself. I scooped up a measly two thousand gold into my iory—hardly the treasure hoard one would expect from a pce like this.

  Pathetic.

  With a sigh, I turned my attention to the royal se.

  At the ter of the room stood what used to be a graal, now reduced to little more than crumbled rubble. It was clear this had once protected the jewels—the most precious treasure of any kingdom.

  Of course, they were gone.

  Fnking the ruined pedestal were a series of shelves, once protected by gss and powerful entments. Now, both the gss and the spells were long shattered, their remnants scattered like glittering shards across the floor.

  I moved toward the shelves, the ch of broken gss under my heels eg faintly in the cavernous space. At the far end, I noticed an untouched se, shielded by a yer of soot and scorched marks that surrou.

  Inside were clothes—royal garments, ly arrahey looked expe strangely pin, each outfit in its own partment. One closet for every member of the royal family, their distinct styles clear even in the faded embroidery and dulled fabrics.

  Curiosity tugged at me as I reached the searked for the princess. The gss c the partment was still intact. I reached out hesitantly and brushed my fiips against it.

  The moment I made tact, a brilliant fsh of light erupted from the gss, and the se within shifted before my eyes.

  Oh.

  “Wish magic,” I murmured, a grin slowly spreading ay face. My fingers hovered over the gss, hesitant. Locked behind the fractured remnants of entment, shimmering like it had been waiting just for me, it ged—for me.

  I eechless. Me. Speechless. That was saying something. I’d never experienced ‘wish magic’ before, and now I finally uood why people got all teary-eyed about it.

  This… this was how it felt.

  It ged for you. By you.

  Ice-blue silk was ging to the mannequin in the dim torchlight, crafted to capture every gaze.

  The bodice curved with impossible grace—delicate, embroidered, dang just on the line of sdalous. Silver threads swirled across the fabric like frost creeping across a windowpane on a cold evening.

  The skirt fred out in sharp, yered ruffles, short enough to move but still elegant, as if the designer had known my o sprint into battle without sacrifig style.

  Wish magic made me the designer.

  The cape cascaded like liquid snow, wide aless, its edges adorned with frost-like silver embroidery that glinted in the faint light. Dramatic sleeves fred out, long and wing-like, dripping with impractical beauty.

  Over-the-top? Absolutely. But that recisely the point.

  In this set, I wasn’t just anyone. I wasn’t just a pyer. I was the princess.

  The details called to me, pulling at memories of Katherihigh-high stogs in a dark trast to the icy brilliaheir edges adorned with tiny diamond-shaped silver patterns just above the knees.

  And the heels. Onething I’d hate. Now?

  Sharp, impractical, and unapologetically perfect.

  This wasn’t clothi to blend in. This was a statement. Ay. A promise.

  This was a decration.

  Princess. Your ruler.

  My pulse quied, breath catg as desire crystallized into absolute certainty.

  I want it.

  I .

  I’m taking it.

  “Damn wish magic!” I muttered, shaking my head as if to clear the storm of emotions swirling inside. But the pull was to. Before I could sed-guess myself, my fingers brushed the gss.

  It vanished.

  I lunged frabbing the set before it could also vanish.

  [Royal Corset of Ice][Gossamer Ruffle Skirt][Embroidered Frostcape][Gcial Tread Heels][Diamondweave Stogs]The names floated before me, glowing faintly as I slipped the clothes on.

  And… nothing. Just me, standing there, feeling a little overdressed for a treasure room.

  “Of course,” I groaned, rolling my eyes. “Now I need my stupid mage to identify it…”

  I turned back toward the closet, frustration stirring, when something caught my eye. Tucked just behind the y mannequin, there was something else. Small. Glinting faintly in the dim light.

  A ring.

  Not just any ring—the ring?

  Reag for it, my firembled slightly as I picked it up and identified it. My breath hitched, and I froze on the spot as the glowing description scrolled before my eyes:

  [Eternal E Ring]Quality: 7-legendaryEffect: Three times a day, allows the wearer to be wherever their heart desiresThree times a day? This thing wasn’t just OP—it was ridiculous. Cheat code ridiculous. Ban ridiculous. But… nothing came without a priot in Rimelion.

  “And… Wasn’t this ring only a marvel, and teleport once a quarter?” I whispered, the words barely audible.

  Doesn’t matter. Without hesitation, I yahe ring and slid it onto my finger.

  The moment I did, a deep, resonant voice echoed from behiartli of my thoughts.

  “Yes, princess,” a deep voice resonated, its ess ced with quiet authority. “The realm trembles uhe strain of a powerful spell. Dimensions fracture, threads unravel.”

  The voice fell silent, leaving me blinking in the dim light, but there was nobody in sight. My pulse quied, the weight of the words settling.

  Then it tinued, unhurried yet pointed. “Only those with the soul of a true princess may wield it. Pretenders… shall pay the price.”

  Wait.

  I froze, my gaze snapping at the faint glow of the ring on my finger.

  “Oh.”