Chapter 102

I stood in the midst of silence.

It felt familiar.

As always, people were confused by my words.

When faced with something they don’t understand, people’s reactions fall into two extremes. The foolish ones worship the unknown, embracing change that way. Ironically, those who fight to the bitter end are always the ones who consider themselves wise.

Yes… like mages.

The air trembled uneasily. Everyone was watching each other cautiously.

The words Lanciel’s Cube and I had cast created significant ripples in the mages’ hearts. But faced with such unfamiliar concepts, they couldn’t identify what they were feeling.

Was it admiration?

Anger?

Bewilderment? Fear?

Unable to determine whether their feelings were positive or negative, they watched each other warily. The tension in their gazes was palpable.

A bowstring drawn to its limit will either release an arrow or break. One of the two.

The mood of the crowd would be determined by the slightest trigger.

Release or break? Accept or reject?

Into the silence where no one dared breathe, a voice dropped:

“These are unproven claims!”

Ah…

It was Oh Si-jin. With his black hair, black coat, and bright yellow scarf fluttering, he stepped forward. He glared at me with his narrowed forsythia-colored eyes.

Haaa…

Murmur, murmur.

People sighed. The Mage of Refinement. A figure more famous than most ordinary mages. His statement had the power to set the tone.

‘That damn bastard…’

I glared at the Mage of Refinement. This was unforgivable. This wasn’t just about having a different opinion, was it? How many lives did he think were at stake here? How many would die because of his stubborn pride…

Just then, the Mage of Refinement looked at me and smiled faintly.

…He smiled?

[#%@:@!!!]

As my blood boiled with excitement, Iron Blood responded. It happily sucked my blood. The burning blood cooled with dizziness. My anger settled even more heavily. Right. Drink your fill. Eat… and let’s get to work today. Adult or not, if I could knock him down and weaken his statement…

As strength gathered in my fist, the Mage of Refinement’s voice continued.

“However.”

The Mage of Refinement held up one finger.

“This is the only hypothesis we have. Yes, correct. Of course, as researchers, blindly believing in hypotheses is unacceptable. But… at the same time, we are warriors fighting for the world, and activists seeking to transform it. I believe that the worst sin we can commit as warriors and activists isn’t ‘doing something wrong.’ Rather, it’s ‘doing nothing at all.’ If this truly is extinction… what will you do? Is there anyone else who can prepare for it besides us?”

…Huh?

The Mage of Refinement spread his arms and bowed slightly. The crowd was puzzled by this greeting that carried special meaning.

“Ah, what?”

“Why the dueling salute…?”

The Mage of Refinement wore a biting smile.

“In the end, isn’t a mage’s essence that of a challenger, one who wagers against the world? Now! This is a duel to the death. I, the Mage of Refinement, stake everything I have on the Divine Mage’s prediction.”

…I could feel it. Magical powers filling heaven and earth were watching the Mage of Refinement intently.

If subsequent events followed my prediction, the Mage of Refinement would gain tremendous magical power. Perhaps enough to become a 6th Circle mage. Conversely, if my prediction was wrong and the water anomalies left no significant aftermath… the Mage of Refinement would lose an enormous amount of magical power. Perhaps enough to be demoted to 4th Circle. Enough that he might never aspire to beyond 5th Circle again.

But he showed not the slightest tension.

Tap!

His fingers snapped cheerfully. He looked around at the mages provocatively.

“Scared?”

That single word was the catalyst.

The mood was set.

[!!J#$K:@J!!#%]

Iron Blood writhed with excitement as it sucked my blood. Give it more blood, it demanded, and it would tear apart that arrogant, short mage right now. It would feast on his blood until it burst.

Thump! Thump! Bright red veins bulged on my forearm.

…Calm down for a moment.

[????]

I restrained it.

I injected ki to push it into my left palm and isolate it.

It resisted.

Thump!

I struck down the resisting creature with all the power of my 3-star ki cultivation.

Though my blood vessels felt like they would tear, I didn’t show it and continued to beat it down mercilessly. The tightly concentrated Iron Blood loosened and became mushy.

[@.&@???]

It felt wronged. But I had only one thing to say to it.

Iron Blood, get back in. It’s not your turn.

[???TK?#@$?]

* * *

-It’s a truly primitive mental entity.

Lanciel’s Cube flew to my ear and chattered.

[[email protected]#$%?]

-It has consciousness, but… I’m embarrassed to call it thought. Just a pitiful ego living on appetite, survival instinct, satisfaction, and anger. Sometimes it might seem to understand words… but those are just contextual reactions. It has no true capacity to comprehend language.

[#$%~~]

Iron Blood was merely fascinated by the telepathy being transmitted, not understanding what Lanciel’s Cube was saying.

Tsk tsk. Poor thing.

But the cube’s harsh words didn’t stop there.

-This may be presumptuous, but your manifestation is also too… primitive, Administrator. Only tatters of a divine body remain, and your actual foundation is nothing more than subphysical matter. It’s tragic. How did you end up like this? Did you lose your divine body to injury? If not for the authentication code, I wouldn’t have recognized you as an Administrator.

Ugh… what is it saying?

-Based on my assessment… you’re about on the level of a slightly advanced 6th-class supply item… I can’t imagine what circumstances forced you, Administrator, to take such a lowly flesh. Has the world truly ended? How did it end? Do you really not know? You must quickly find another administrator or the main network’s server…

Again repeating the same words, Lanciel’s Cube trembled.

“Alright. I’ll find it. I don’t know about other administrators, but that main network server thing… someday, if it exists, I’ll find it.”

Only after this reassurance did the cube stop trembling anxiously.

“By the way, what’s this 6th-class supply item you’re talking about?”

Previously, Arsenal #7’s ego had designated Yuria and Monggu as ’10th-class supply items.’ But now the cube was saying I was at the level of a 6th-class supply item. Despite undergoing level 5 physical enhancement and completely transforming after having my name inscribed in the Tower of Covenant, that’s all I was. Though I had advanced compared to 10th-class, overall it was still mediocre. Despite possessing 3rd Circle and 3-star Ki-blood magic that imitated gods, compared to actual gods, these were probably not even at the level of toys.

-In this context, it refers to beings with will, constructed subphysically through the Akashic Record. After the civil war broke out, they were designated as combat supplies. Specifically, among the big-eared species… Error. Data cannot be retrieved. Administrator! The main network cannot be found…! Administrator!!

The cube panicked again.

Damn it. I hadn’t even expected anything.

I firmly grasped the whining Lanciel’s Cube with both hands and whispered. The covenant I had made as a mage.

“Don’t worry. I am the Divine Mage, Baek Jun-woo. The one you’ve been searching for. The name that will sweep away the ashes of destruction and regenerate you. That’s me. So don’t worry.”

Lanciel’s Cube gradually became more stable.

-Re…generation, you said? I am the ego of the mobile forge. Through me, you can enter the workshop that exists in the subdimension at any time. If there’s something to regenerate, please use me whenever… I am the work…shop… regeneration, reinforcement, tools for the second creation… anything… I am…

I smiled bitterly and patted it.

“Yes. Yes. I understand.”

Somehow… I felt a sense of mission. Traces of the mythical era that no one remembers anymore. I’m the only one who can revive them… I need to become stronger.

Just then, Pan-Dalus asked for the same thing.

After the fervent general assembly ended, he said,

“You’ll need to tame the sun.”

I stupidly asked back.

“Pardon?”

Pan-Dalus threw open the window. Outside, the three suns of the Tower of Covenant’s 3rd floor—red, blue, and green—were shining brilliantly as its symbol.

The red sun ‘Ruby,’ the blue sun ‘Wolf,’ and the greenish sun ‘Bird.’

He said,

“If this plan succeeds, we’ll be able to easily expand our influence on the 3rd floor of the Tower of Covenant. I’d like your help too. Of course, it won’t be an easy task. What we’re about to do might turn the entire Tower of Covenant against us.”

He laughed heartily.

“You shouldn’t rest until you become at least stronger than this old man.”

Thus, before setting out to ‘tame the sun,’ I was given time to prepare. My mission was simple. Become stronger. Build the strength to prepare for the great cataclysm.

“Now, open the workshop door.”

At my command, Lanciel’s Cube flew up and emitted light. The neutral mana abundant in the surroundings created strange patterns around it.

-Verifying authentication code… Authentication code issued by Arsenal #7 detected. Ragnarok alert is in effect. Considering the emergency situation, temporary Level 1 Administrator qualification is granted. Opening the workshop door.

The cube, which had been emitting light, stretched out like a heated metal plate and formed a rectangular door. Light was swirling inside the door. When I touched it, it felt light, like touching smoke.

“So this… is the door to the subdimensional workshop…”

This was my first time entering it too.

“Phew…”

I took a deep breath and straightened my back.

‘Workshop’ and ‘regeneration.’

Perhaps the cube was right. Those two words seemed inseparable, like fate.

I felt a premonition of some destiny.

Ah…

But,

The moment I passed through the door, tears streamed down my face.

Am I crazy?

Just a moment ago, I was filled with positive anticipation… but my mood… why is it like this?

…!

…?

I heard voices from afar. Magical powers. Magical powers were gathered at the center of the workshop. It didn’t seem far away… but the sound wasn’t clear, as if blocked. The sad emotion I was feeling seemed to be coming from the magical powers there. And there…

“My God…”

A galaxy? No… a galaxy cluster?

The memory of an Earth human comes to mind. A spiral galaxy, a neuronal cluster-like Laniakea Supercluster. No matter how I looked at it, things shaped like that were clustered together, shining. Trembling. In the center of the workshop, just the size of a bonfire. Would the universe look like that if condensed into a fire?

As I unconsciously took a step forward,

-Stop! Isolating the ‘Primordial Fire’ for the Administrator’s safety.

The cube’s telepathy cut in sharply.