MARVEL-THE MULTIVERSE TRADER

MASS RELEASE CHAPTER → 4

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The spiraling staircase descended far deeper than Nova expected. Each step echoed hollowly in the confined shaft, the sound swallowed by the oppressive darkness below. A soft sphere of light floated beside him, casting long, flickering shadows across the worn stone walls. The air grew heavier with each descent, thick with dust, stagnant magic, and the ancient scent of undisturbed earth.

"Tch… place stinks of long-forgotten enchantments," Nova muttered, his sharp eyes darting between the walls and floor for signs of traps or ancient wards.

At the bottom of the staircase, a massive stone door loomed — ancient, weathered, and covered in faded carvings of warriors, monstrous beasts, and arcane seals. Even after centuries, it radiated a palpable power. The compass in his hand glowed brighter, its needle vibrating with almost frantic intensity.

Nova grinned. "Dear treasure, just wait… daddy's coming."

Then he caught himself and slapped his cheek lightly. "Ugh. Thank god no one's here. That'd be social death of the highest order."

The Ashbourne family hadn't just been artifact crafters; they'd been seasoned dungeon looters too. In fact, it was one of these very dungeons that an ancestor had plundered centuries ago, unearthing the ancient blueprints and esoteric knowledge that built the foundation of their artifact empire.

The old library hidden deep within the family estate had been packed with grimoires and spell scrolls designed for surviving deathtrap-laden ruins like this. Nova had consumed every scrap of that knowledge, and with his unique abilities, created his own tailored spells based on those ancient records.

Pressing his palm to the door, he felt the familiar tingle of dormant mechanisms.

Click.

A sharp whoosh sounded overhead — Nova instinctively ducked as a volley of rusted darts screamed through the air, embedding themselves in the stone wall behind him.

"Classic trap," he smirked, barely breaking stride.

With a flick of his hand, his grimoire snapped open in mid-air, pages riffling to a familiar section.

"Reality Script: Trap Disarm."

A wave of soft azure light swept through the corridor. Hidden mechanisms froze, pressure plates jammed, tripwires sagged inert, and the massive door groaned open with a reluctant rumble.

Technically, it wasn't a spell from the Ashbourne library. Rather, he'd read about the concept of such magic and — thanks to his reality-altering abilities — constructed it himself. Another original Reality Script added to his growing list.

Nova stepped through.

The walls were adorned with ancient carvings: grim depictions of mages locked in brutal combat against demonic abominations, relics and swords radiating light amidst the darkness. Time had cracked and faded the images, but the raw fury of those battles remained etched in every line.

A dense fog of ambient mana hung in the air, so thick it was nearly tangible. Nova shook his head and moved forward.

His floating light revealed a narrow, treacherous corridor riddled with deadly traps: raised floor tiles, pressure plates, and nearly invisible glinting threads strung taut across the path.

Nova snorted.

"Please. Child's play."

He weaved through the deathtraps with practiced ease, occasionally disabling them with quick flicks of his fingers or well-timed spells:

"Reality Script: Air Purge."

A sharp hiss of poisonous gas was blown harmlessly down the corridor.

"Reality Script: Weight Lock."

Sentinels — crude animated statues primed to lunge the moment he stepped into range — froze mid-motion and toppled like felled trees.

Further ahead, a ceiling plate shuddered ominously, preparing to collapse — a trap Asta and Noelle would famously trigger later. Nova halted and muttered,

"Reality Script: Structural Bind."

The ceiling groaned but held firm as the magic reinforced the stone above him.

Another step and he barely avoided a cunningly concealed spike pit. Thin, brittle tiles gave way beneath his foot, but a hasty spell caught him mid-drop.

"Reality Script: Firm Step."

An invisible platform formed under his boots, holding him steady.

He grinned. "Someone's going to die in here later. Glad it's not me."

He soon reached one of the dungeon's most infamous rooms — a massive chamber dominated by a narrow, crumbling bridge spanning a deep, seemingly bottomless chasm. He recalled from his memories that Asta and Noelle would cross this precarious bridge while under attack from Diamond Kingdom mages and a horde of bats.

Nova snorted.

"Yeah… not trusting that thing."

His grimoire shimmered.

"Reality Script: Platform Walk."

An invisible platform carried him smoothly across the chasm, even as spectral bats shrieked from the darkness below, hurtling toward him. Without missing a step, he cast:

"Reality Script: Binding Chains."

Chains of luminous light lashed out, seizing the bats mid-flight and dragging them screeching into the abyss.

Reaching the far side, Nova approached the dungeon's heart — the very chamber where, according to his memories, Asta would find the Demon Dweller Sword embedded in a stone pedestal, and Yuno would bond with Sylph, the wind spirit sealed inside a floating grimoire.

"There's my prize."

Wasting no time, he scanned the door ahead. A lingering ward crackled faintly — an ancient sealing sigil. Nova's grimoire hummed.

"Reality Script: Nullify Sigil."

The sigil fizzled out and the massive stone doors groaned open, revealing a long-forgotten vault bathed in an ethereal golden light. Coins, artifacts, and relics glittered in heaps, a hoard to make even goblins weep.

Nova's face lit up.

"There you are."

Without a trace of dignity, he sprinted forward and dove headfirst into the nearest gold pile, sending coins cascading around him. He laughed like a child as treasure spilled through his fingers, briefly forgetting the dungeon's dangers.

After thirty minutes of gleeful rolling like a deranged goblin on a festival morning.

"Alright, fun's over. Time to get serious."

Dusting himself off, he stood up and began separating the most valuable treasures.

A magic sword with an intense fire attribute—a weapon that could probably unleash flames with a swing.

A deep blue gem that pulsed with mana. Careful observation and a few experimental spells confirmed that it amplified magic power.

He found enchanted armor, potion vials still filled with shimmering liquid, and scrolls wrapped in glowing seals.

Then, something caught his attention.

Then something drew his attention — a sealed scroll containing Sylph, the wind spirit. He hesitated for a moment, then picked it up. The scroll flared to life, its magic scanning him.

Nova's brow furrowed as the scroll pulsed.

A second pulse.

Then rejection.

The scroll dimmed and went cold in his hands.

"…Did I just get denied?"

His eye twitched.

"Oh, you little bastard."

For a heartbeat, he considered burning it out of spite — only his rational mind stopped him.

"Tch. Fine. I'll trade you off with Yuno."

With a flick, he tossed it into his system inventory.

Moving to the wall according to his memories, Nova found a concealed opening mechanism. A light press, and the wall slid away, revealing a small hidden chamber.

Inside was exactly what he expected — a single, dust-covered pedestal holding a massive black sword.

Nova approached and hesitated, savoring the moment, before wrapping his hand around the hilt.

As nothing happened, he grinned.

"Guess it's mine, then."

With a smooth pull, he drew the Demon Dweller Sword free.The demon dweller sword, it possess the ability to absorb, store and release magic. Due to comming in contact with anti-magic, the magic absorbed will have anti-magic characteristics.

Unfortunately, only those without mana/magic can use this spell, otherwise it would be an ideal weapon for a witch/wizard.

As for why Nova can weird this weapon? Because he doesn't have mana/magic. All spells he performed are done by his reality altering energy.

Even his four leaf grimoire, his system altered it slightly so that he can use it without any magic, solely on his reality altering energy.

After playing for a bit with the sword, he put it in his system inventory.

Sorry Asta, he really like this sword. He will compensate you with another weapon or in any other way.