“A daily life regained after a long time—precious!”
As An So-mi said, it took nearly a month for the public to quiet down, and while there was still much talk regarding black mages, things had calmed significantly.
“Have any requests come in?”
An So-mi asked while looking at Go Yu-jin, who checked a bundle of documents and nodded.
“There’s one subjugation completion scheduled for today, and two for tomorrow. Since I might have restrictions on external activities for now, I’m planning for An So-mi and me to handle the movement.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not something you should be sorry for, Seong-chan.”
I had done a good deed; wasn’t it the people cursing me who were the problem?
Moreover, there was only one official victim.
Since that one person was also a Cultist of Ruin, it could be considered that there was no actual damage, and public opinion boiled over that South Korea would never officially recognize the Cultists of Ruin as a formal religion, given the national damage they caused once again.
In a way, the Cultists of Ruin were a group being cursed even more than black mages.
“Since both An So-mi and I are now fairly proficient in mana operation, there won’t be any major problems. There are only Level 2 Gates at most.”
For a Level 2 Gate, considering the skills of those two, it was at a level where they could finish clearing it in about 2 to 3 hours.
As such, looking at them talking casually, I could feel that the results of over a month of training were quite outstanding.
‘An So-mi has become a 6th Circle Beginner… and Yu-jin has reached a level where she can handle mana up to the 5th Circle with certainty. It’s monumental progress.’
An So-mi needed study and proficiency work to become a Master, and if Go Yu-jin became able to freely use mana up to the 6th Circle class, she would be able to exert her strength as a 7th Circle user, her original skill level.
The stage where black magic becomes the most powerful is from 5th Circle Master.
This is because if one of them made up their mind to manifest their power, an ordinary small city could be transformed into a land of death.
The state strictly controlled black mages of the 5th Circle or higher and reacted sensitively to changes in their skills.
Thus, I had received notice that personnel would be attached to An So-mi for the time being, as she had moved up to the 6th Circle.
“A trivial Gate like that is enough for me alone, so let me do it all!”
An So-mi had gained a lot of confidence as her skills improved. Furthermore, there was no special reason why she was stepping forward like this.
‘It seems she’s short on money for the auction again.’
She seemed to have obtained a book with difficulty before.
The ancient artifact book that maximized curse efficiency was, in a way, a quite famous item—as much as the Necronomicon—and it had appeared at the auction house at a price less than 1/10th of its initial auction value, eventually falling into An So-mi’s hands for the sum of 1.1 billion.
After I personally inspected the book and determined there were no specific restrictions on the user, I concluded that unfortunate incidents had simply occurred to those who had used the item.
Since then, I could see her trying various operating methods to handle the book skillfully, and I was impressed by the fact that using the book allowed her to exert penetration power that could even break through curse defense magic corresponding to the 5th tier.
Anyway, it could be expected that unless the highly confident An So-mi made a mistake, she could overcome most situations.
Was it because Go Yu-jin also knew this fact?
“Then An So-mi, please take a bit of the trouble. We’ll be the emergency standby team and handle any urgent Gate requests that come in.”
“Thank you!”
Even though it was a Level 2 Gate, an incentive of about 200 to 300 million is given on average when the work was handled cleanly.
For that reason, An So-mi’s eyes sparkled.
After seeing off An So-mi, who left after receiving a call regarding the Gate subjugation situation, Go Yu-jin asked on the way back to the office.
“What did Association Chairperson Jeong Gil-sun say?”
It was Jeong Gil-sun who had visited the mansion in the morning.
“He said they eventually couldn’t find Wang Sun. He said there was no trace, as if he had evaporated somewhere. Li Chang is the same. Since he is such a secretive existence, they expressed concern about his activities.”
“I’m worried about So-mi.”
“It’ll be fine. Li Chang isn’t an existence that a 6th Circle Beginner can be handled by.”
“His specialty is a surprise attack. If he aims for a moment of carelessness… wouldn’t it be dangerous?”
“It might be dangerous, but there won’t be a threat to her life. As you know, An So-mi’s mana operation ability is at a level that wouldn’t be out of place if called outstanding, and practically speaking, it’s also quite ridiculous for a high black mage to be taken down by an ordinary Awakener.”
Go Yu-jin nodded reluctantly. Afterward, we spent time talking about facts reported by the Black Mage Association in detail, and when a few hours passed, Go Yu-jin received a report from An So-mi that the Gate disposal was complete.
She had a face of relief, and news was timely reported that the Chinese spies who had entered the country were being steadily cleaned up, confirming that we were moving quickly toward a period of stability.
Li Chang, who had sneaked into the secret place of the Magic Tower, was witnessing the countless experiments of the Magic Tower being conducted secretly with his own two eyes and was steadily leaving evidence.
‘I knew he was a crazy bastard, but he’s an outrageous madman.’
A mage’s act of treason was a part that emerged as a major problem even within China.
This was because mages were the kind of people who unhesitatingly committed unspeakable biological experiments on humans.
Rather, these experiments by mages were kept quiet by those in power in a double-edged sword-like atmosphere, to the point where black mages who just played with dead corpses felt cleaner.
However, in Korea, which was called a clean country regarding such matters, he could not believe the fact that a large-scale laboratory was secretly established in the basement of the Magic Tower, right in the center of the capital.
But the reason Li Chang came here was simple.
It was because he had sneaked in while pursuing Wang Sun, who had been subdued and moved secretly.
Li Chang’s purpose lay in the rescue of Wang Sun, but it also lay in inducing extreme chaos in Korea by informing everyone of this reality.
China was struggling to make Korea a vassal state somehow.
Currently, China had gone through the Great Cataclysm and had invaded and subjugated most of the surrounding countries, and it was in a state of displeasure that this one small country, in particular, was not going as they intended.
So they were conducting intelligence warfare in various ways and were in a state where they did not stop economic pressure as well as armed conflict.
Even the vicinity of the border of the former North Korea, which has now become Korea’s territory, was in a state where the relationship between the two countries was not good, to the point that local wars often broke out.
‘If I shake the Magic Tower, one of the axes of Korea’s power will collapse. Public sentiment will plummet, and much internal chaos will occur, clouding the political situation. At that time… if civilian intelligence agents start their activities, this land will be swept into terrible chaos.’
Furthermore, there was a point of wonder because Wang Sun, one of the reasons Li Chang sneaked in like this, had been caught too obediently.
This was because he possessed several national treasure-class artifacts, and since they were items used by implanting them inside the body, including the heart, he could carry out an emergency escape in a critical situation.
But seeing as he had not used them and had been moved after being subdued, he judged that there was some hidden intention.
Li Chang, who predicted that he might have already grasped the shady spots, searched through the basement of the Magic Tower thoroughly.
He proceeded to film circumstances of experiments being conducted on chimeras or humans through various resistance experiments, including chimera research.
Among them, the shocking part was the site of producing special chimeras that combined humans and metal. As Li Chang, who knew that China was also putting quite a bit of effort into chimera research, he could not help but be surprised by how advanced the stage of the experiments currently being conducted in Korea was.
‘Has the Magic Tower of Korea reached the realization stage for chimeras that only stayed at the research stage for our homeland?’
Although he could not confirm success, he could not help but be horrified as he captured the situation where experiments were proceeding properly and were being stabilized while contained in the culture medium.
‘This place must be eliminated. I must inform the world and neutralize Korea’s strategic weapon market. If not… I might have to face these things on the battlefield.’
Afterward, Li Chang focused on the work of searching for Wang Sun, and after searching secretly for a few days, he discovered a special laboratory most secretly hidden on the lowest floor and sneaked in there.
And after checking the individuals inside the five culture mediums, he could not help but frown fiercely, and Li Chang could not help but click his tongue at the situation where the experiment was in progress and the information on the experimental subjects.
‘Pi Jin-hyeok, I knew he was a madman, but I didn’t know he was this much of a traitor. He’s experimenting with them?’
There were several heroes who had been processed as missing in Korea, and among them, he was able to find an individual Li Chang knew.
And after confirming that the person he had been looking for so much was also sleeping in a state clearly different from other experimental subjects, as if they had only been put in the culture medium not long ago, he proceeded to take out his weapon.
‘Rescue the Commander-in-Chief and seize the information of this facility. The information war comes after that.’
He could not gauge how much the value of this laboratory would be, but he was certain. If he took this back to his homeland, he would become a hero, and in many ways, he would succeed in his revenge…
Aura formed on Li Chang’s sword. That monstrous power, which was incredibly strong, was swung according to Li Chang’s will and cut through the super-large flask.
Shring. Along with the clean sound, at the moment the special reinforced flask split wide open and the culture medium poured down, Wang Sun opened his eyes as if he had been waiting, and a loud alarm sound shook the entire laboratory.
Li Chang and Wang Sun met eyes, and it was at the moment he was about to pull Wang Sun out after cutting the remaining part of the flask to rescue him.
“Subject No. 5, subdue that man.”
With the voice that suddenly reached him, Wang Sun, who had popped out along with the shattered flask, extended a brutish hand toward Li Chang.
“Hup!!”
Li Chang hurriedly avoided the grasp and tried to create a large distance, but a situation where he was continuously chased by Wang Sun, who had started to gain explosive speed along with a roar, followed. Seeing this, Pi Jin-hyeok said with delight.
“By touching the brain, I annihilated the will itself, and after thoroughly manipulating the memory, interesting things happened.”
“How dare you! What have you done to the Commander-in-Chief!”
Li Chang wanted to tear Pi Jin-hyeok to death right now, but Pi Jin-hyeok spoke as if it were nothing.
“It’s one of the preparation processes for making a chimera. Isn’t touching the brain a very natural part?”
As the urgent Li Chang focused on shaking off Wang Sun with an expression of disbelief, a massive mana began to gush from Pi Jin-hyeok.
The patterns were engraved and a massive magic circle, which could be described as dazzling, was formed. Li Chang, thinking that rescuing Wang Sun was ultimately a failure, injected aura into the artifact next to his heart.
“Are you trying to run away?”
Li Chang flinched at Pi Jin-hyeok’s question, but Pi Jin-hyeok could not help but frown fiercely at the answer given with a grin.
“Running away? I am not afraid of death. I am only afraid of the fact that I cannot inform the world of what I know. Therefore, I have informed them.”
“…Of what?”
“All your ugliness will soon spread throughout the world. Fall, you maggot who devoured your master and fellow disciples and was dominated by ugly greed!”
Then, the artifact near his heart released a powerful mana and moved something.
At that, the urgent Pi Jin-hyeok subdued Li Chang and made Wang Sun dig out his chest, but in the end, looking at the broken jar-shaped artifact next to the heart, he had no choice but to grind his teeth.
“Those fuckers… even if they hold my ankle, they hold and twist it firmly.”
