Chapter 86

Lanciel City.

The city never fully sleeps.

Late workers cross paths with early risers, and tough-hearted souls who insist on staying up all night to prove their camaraderie wander the alleys.

Behind the towering city walls, between the soaring buildings,

People commute on mana bicycles.

Even at night, store signs glowed softly with magic.

A man in a black hood gazed down at Lanciel City from a high path connecting buildings.

“Ah, the magnificence of lightweight magic.”

He said, sarcastically and dramatically.

He continued praising magical technology without pause.

After extolling compression magic that increased durability, marveling at combination magic that turned useless dirt into superior building materials, and professing his love for levitation magic supporting the “high paths” rising alongside buildings,

A voice finally responded.

“Yes. Sin is always sweet.”

Another man wore a navy hood.

“Brother.”

The moment their eyes met, the black hood extended his fist toward the navy hood.

“Good to see you, brother.”

The navy hood extended his fist in return, bumping it against the other’s.

Smiles spread automatically between them.

“Any trouble on your way here?”

The black hood asked as he removed his hood, and the navy hood followed suit.

“Don’t even mention it. There are quite a few hooded people in this city.”

“Pfft. Don’t tell me you got confused?”

“No, not me—they did. Once, some guy suddenly put his arm around my shoulders, and I thought, ‘Is he a brother?’ but he was a mage. A lecherous one. He’d concealed his magical power with Hide Magicforce. I only realized after he made contact.”

The navy hood showed his gloved hand. The black hood expressed sympathy.

“Right. It’s like they can smell something… I’ve been noticing many mages hiding their identities lately.”

“Should we hurry?”

“We should. I’ve already confirmed the guard routes and schedules. Other brothers are arriving one after another. We’ll move soon.”

“Looking forward to it.”

The navy hood’s cheeks flushed with the tension of upcoming battle. The black hood observed him quietly before asking.

“Have you experienced war with mages, brother?”

“I have. Once. A localized conflict. But… this war feels different. I sense it will be the beginning of… an enormous war.”

Their eyes met. Simultaneously, they turned to look down at Lanciel City.

“A full-scale war… to pronounce judgment upon these abominable mages who hasten the world’s destruction.”

His voice seethed with a long-harbored dream.

+ – + – +

Lytol couldn’t fathom what Baek Jun-woo was thinking.

The demon’s relic site was far too dangerous compared to what could be gained.

All mages were eager to explore ancient relic sites. But when it came to a ‘demon’s relic site,’ they’d wave their hands in refusal before you could even finish speaking.

The Academy’s occasional attempts to conquer demon’s relic sites were sacrifices made to save humanity from calamity threats, not for any other agenda.

‘This is common sense!’

Yet Baek Jun-woo was pushing for reckless exploration as if under some spell. What was he trying to gain…? It made no sense.

‘Is it just youthful recklessness? Dying like this would be such a pointless death.’

The ambition of a boy who’d just turned fifteen. There seemed to be no other explanation.

‘But we really might die pointlessly.’

He’d hoped it wouldn’t be true, but it was. Baek Jun-woo had approached to within half a day’s journey of the demon’s relic site and committed the outrage of setting up camp there.

Doesn’t this white-haired kid realize? Can’t he see what’s happening ahead?

As Lytol clutched his head,

“I wonder… is direct confrontation really the only way to deal with calamities?”

Baek Jun-woo made another nonsensical comment.

‘I don’t know! What is this! Is that important right now?’

Lytol wanted to cry. What are you talking about? Look ahead! Look ahead!

Puuruk-

Like a giant’s tongue movement, the air undulated. It pushed against his chest with a thump!

No, not air. It was magical power. Magical power so densely concentrated that it had physical force. To Lytol’s eyes, the turbulent storm of magical power was clearly visible.

And within it… an absurd calamity was being born.

No… it seemed to have been born already.

In the distance, it appeared tiny as a millet seed. But even from this far away, he could feel the magical power surrounding it, and its tremor was palpable.

Due to the excessively concentrated magical power, the iron-eating beasts roaming the area malfunctioned. They spun in circles, their eyes glowing, then ran toward the swirling magical power as if entranced.

Crash!

After struggling through the swirling magical power, they reached their limit and were crushed, scattering into pieces. They crashed into the ground. The area ahead of Baek Jun-woo Research Nomad’s camp had formed a silver hill of iron-eating beast corpses.

Looking at that gruesome landscape, Lytol sensed it.

‘We’re going to die.’

His teeth chattered involuntarily.

He needed to retreat immediately and call his master. Who could have imagined such a calamity would be born on the 3rd floor!

‘That’s definitely A-grade or higher!’

Yet Baek Jun-woo was still making irrelevant comments.

“I’ve always wondered… maybe now I’ll finally understand.”

“W-what? Understand what?”

“The principle behind how new magic is created.”

Lytol’s eyebrows contorted horribly. What was this about?

‘This won’t do. Leader or not, we need to turn back.’

As Lytol resolutely opened his mouth, Baek Jun-woo stepped beyond the camp.

“Where are you going?”

“To check it out.”

“Are you insane?”

Baek Jun-woo didn’t answer.

Crash!

Even now, iron-eating beasts were being shattered ahead, yet he walked calmly toward that chaos.

Lytol desperately kept pace beside Baek Jun-woo.

“Damn it! You think I’m doing this because I like you as my leader? We made a covenant! ‘We will use all our skills for the survival and benefit of the nomad!’ I can’t just watch you die! Let’s go back!”

Baek Jun-woo remained silent.

Clang! Ting!

A piece of shattered metal grazed Lytol’s ear, carried by the swirling magical power. Lytol grew desperate.

“Do you think it’s just this magical storm? What about what’s beyond? Look! That thing standing behind it all! It’s at least an A-grade Night Calamity! No matter how strong you are, this is impossible!”

Baek Jun-woo finally turned to Lytol. With a faint smile, he made another strange comment.

“Do you know what a magical power singularity is? How do calamities identify humans?”

“For crying out loud!”

Lytol cursed. That damned Baek Jun-woo magical theory! Does it have to come up even in this situation?

Kiiiing!

Piiiing!

The sound of swirling magical power grew increasingly chilling. With his lower physical abilities, Lytol struggled to move forward even with a shield. Head bowed low, straining to advance, Lytol tried one last time to persuade Baek Jun-woo.

But his foot caught on something. The remnants of a horribly shattered iron-eating beast. Looking up, he saw the silver hill stretching like a band to the left and right. Beyond this point, no more iron-eating beasts remained. This was where their metal bodies could no longer withstand the pressure and shattered. Lytol stopped at this boundary.

‘If I go any further, I’ll be in danger too.’

It wasn’t just the magical storm—the unidentified Night Calamity ahead would notice him.

Lytol glared at Baek Jun-woo with anger. How could someone be so irresponsible? Even for a youth!

“I’m going back!”

Lytol shouted. Baek Jun-woo merely waved his hand behind his back.

“Damn it! To hell with this!”

Piiing-!

Boom! Bam!

The magical power raged increasingly like a giant striking down, seemingly ordering him to turn back.

Through his shield, Lytol took one last look at Baek Jun-woo’s receding back.

Baek Jun-woo was struggling to climb over the silver hill of crushed iron-eating beasts, the metal creaking under his feet…

‘Huh?’

Lytol opened his eyes wide. He rubbed them again.

Baek Jun-woo appeared perfectly calm.

The magical storm that shattered iron-eating beasts and pushed against Lytol’s shield was obediently making way for Baek Jun-woo. Like curtains parting, the fierce magical power cleared a path, and Baek Jun-woo walked through it like a king.

‘What… kind of magic is this…?’

Lytol, forgetting even his intention to retreat, stood frozen in place, staring blankly as Baek Jun-woo receded into the distance.

+ – + – +

“Isn’t this fun?”

[#$%<<<!]

The Iron Blood residing in my left hand was enjoying itself too.

The magical power that had been rushing to destroy everything split like reeds when it came near me, creating a path. I walked majestically through this corridor.

“A magical power singularity is just a bunch of magical powers gathering to mimic the past in their own way. How could they possibly distinguish friend from foe in that chaos?”

A change in perspective.

It’s not always necessary to eliminate a calamity blocking your path, is it?

If the goal is simply to pass through, you could also disguise yourself as a calamity.

My first plan was working perfectly.

Whiuuung!

I selectively channeled black and red magical power through my Ki-blood.

I accelerated it gradually. The accelerated magical power flowed along my Ki-blood channels through my chest and arms, undulating outside my body.

Eventually, it swirled violently, entering and exiting my body. The appearance was identical to the magical powers forming the singularity.

[Woong-]

[Woosh-]

Though messy, I roughly imitated the muttering sounds of the singularity’s magical power with my Circle.

The result was successful.

The swirling magical power noticed me.

Some lingered momentarily, thinking, ‘Hmm? Something’s strange about that one,’ but most simply passed me by.

They thought I was one of them.

Even those who suspected me eventually drifted away, swept up in the flow.

[>>>#$~!]

Excited by this success, the Iron Blood also spewed magical power wildly. Fortunately, the magical power contained in Iron Blood was also dark red, so it didn’t create much dissonance.

We were able to advance all the way without any hindrance.

And finally, at the center where all magical power converged and swirled,

I faced ‘it.’

The unidentified Night Calamity.

The one Lytol had assessed as A-grade or higher.

Fortunately, it hadn’t recognized my presence yet.

“Ha… this is truly…”

When I first saw it, what I felt was ‘pain.’

Not that I was in pain… but ‘it’ was in excruciating agony.

“Gyaaaarr…”

[#%#lglglg…!!!]

“Hek… hek… keerk…”

“Grrrr!”

‘It’ was a tower, possibly five stories tall.

Horse, human, bird, harpy, orc, ogre… these were the faces I could recognize.

Beyond that, there were monsters and beings I’d never seen before, all mashed together like clay kneaded into a single mass.

“…Did it escape from the demon’s relic site?”

When we passed by the demon’s relic site while being chased by the lich, I had seen strange creatures preserved in what looked like classrooms.

Perhaps those had merged to form this horrific shape.

Around it, magical power raged wildly.

<A stronger sacrifice!>

<A new record in the Akashic Record…!>

<True lightning to judge the arrogant ones…!>

Wooong! Woong!

Amidst the chaotic noise, the highly concentrated magical power singularity moved in and out of the kneaded monster, rumbling as it prepared lightning.

I licked my lips. They were dry and rough.

“I didn’t anticipate this scenario…”

Yes, I had expected to pass through the magical storm to get here quite easily. That’s why I had conserved my [Simulation].

I had planned to use [Simulation] on this unidentified monster that appeared truly formidable. I thought that just as I easily passed through the magical storm, there must be an easy way to deal with this monster too.

But…

“I never expected simulation would be impossible.”

Facing the terrifying hybrid that growled before me, I bit my lip.