Chapter 259: Episode 259

“I’ll teach you magic.”

Her eyes went wide.

“…You will?”

“Yeah.”

I scratched the side of my head.

“It’s nothing grand. Think of it as private tutoring after school. I’ll train you so you can at least defeat the monsters you attract and protect the people around you. How does that sound?”

She stopped crying and looked straight into my eyes.

“But I’m a wind-element mage…”

I gave a wry smile.

’Times change, but excuses never do.’ Back in my day, the excuse was ‘because I’m a non-combat type.’ Now, it’s ‘because I’m a wind mage.’

“Wind magic is plenty valuable. I told you, right? The spell I used to take down the monster at the museum was wind magic, too.”

“…What circle was it?”

“6th-circle.”

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and let out a little snort.

“Liar.”

“…Huh?”

“Even the world’s greatest mage, the Tower Master, can only use up to the 5th-circle. They say that even for him, casting a 5th-circle spell is a life-or-death gamble. Saying you used 6th-circle is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Na Daeyong tops out at the 5th-circle?”

I pressed a hand to my forehead and shook my head.

’These punks really slacked off the moment I was gone…’

“Sorry?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

Having stopped crying, she gave me a faint smile.

“Still, you did one-shot a rank-6 Golgorl, so your power is real. I’ll at least pretend to believe you.”

“Pretend, huh…”

I sighed and started sweeping up the broken glass with a dustpan. She helped beside me, silent for a moment as if deep in thought.

“I’ve decided.”

She clenched her small fist.

“Please. Teach me magic!”

“Oh? You’ve got some backbone after all.”

I held out my fist. She bumped hers against it and then blinked.

“Oh, I haven’t even asked yet. What’s your name?”

“Me?”

I thought for a second, then just blurted out the first three syllables that came to mind.

“Kim Chun-chu.”

“Pffft!”

She covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. ’I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.’

“Even your name sounds like an old man’s.”

“…Shut up.”

“So, when do I start paying you for the lessons?”

“Hey! What do you take me for—”

I trailed off, then abruptly changed my tune.

“Ahem. Let’s start with a twenty-dollar advance.”

“…What?”

“I spent all my cash on those black goat packs. I don’t have bus fare.”

She stared at me.

Her expression clearly said, ’Can I really trust this guy?’

* * *

At that same time, on the first floor of the Magic Tower.

“We’re sorry, Chief Alchemist.”

“We couldn’t find anything.”

Looking at the mages bowing their heads, Jin Bora felt her blood boil.

“What exactly do you people do here? Do you really think you deserve those fat salaries?”

Five years had passed since Yusin disappeared.

On the surface, Jin Bora seemed as bubbly and energetic as ever, but inside, she was rotting away.

When it came to anything related to Yusin, she reacted with extreme sensitivity.

Just then, the mages fawning over her turned toward the main entrance and bowed.

“Chewing out the staff again, Bora?”

A burly middle-aged man was walking in through the front doors of the Tower.

The world’s strongest mage and the second Tower Master to carry on Kim Yushin’s legacy.

Official Rank 2, Na Daeyong.

His status was so great that people joked he could make birds fall from the sky.

“This has nothing to do with you.”

Jin Bora sighed and turned her head away. Na Daeyong rolled his shoulder and pressed it with his palm.

“I’ve heard the gist of it. You’re saying the Master has disappeared.”

She gave a small nod.

“Got any guesses?”

“Well. The second floor of the Tower is a fortress. It’s practically impossible for an outsider to get in and smuggle the Master out. The only real possibility is… Samia. That traitor from Tanzania.”

Na Daeyong’s expression turned grave.

“What?”

“With the power of a 5th-floor Administrator, she could warp in here anytime and spirit the Master away. I can’t think of any other way.”

Jin Bora let out a short sigh.

“Why would hunter Samia do that?”

“She’s part of a faction hostile to the Tower. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do. By stealing the Master’s corpse, she could undermine our legitimacy…”

In the blink of an eye, Jin Bora lunged forward and seized Na Daeyong by the collar.

“I’m warning you.”

Her eyes were murderous.

“If you use the word ‘corpse’ one more time, I’ll gouge your eyes out.”

He fell silent.

A deadly tension crackled between them as they glared at each other.

“I apologize for my poor choice of words.”

Na Daeyong dipped his head slightly. With an exasperated sigh, Jin Bora released his collar and went back to her seat.

“Anyway, back to the point. The only way to remove the Master’s body is via warp. I’ll contact the Tanzanian Association to verify the facts.”

“And if they deny it?”

“Well, if they keep stonewalling us…”

Na Daeyong put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. Pale smoke drifted up.

“…then we’ll have to do whatever it takes.”

* * *

With the tutoring fee I got from Ha Yerin, I headed to the PC bang on the floor above the jjimjilbang.

I got a rough sense of what the world was like five years later. The heaviness of it all made me sigh.

’Everyone’s been torn apart and scattered.’

Jin Bora was still at the Magic Tower as the 1st-floor Administrator. Aside from Tower Master Na Daeyong, she was the highest authority in the Tower. Certified Rank 3.

Jeong Seojin was working as the CEO of Alchemia, having apparently stepped away from most of his duties as the 2nd-floor Administrator. He was now focused solely on running the company. Certified Rank 3.

Eunsol had split off from the Tower and founded an independent security company. Even without access to the 3rd-floor Golem Workshop, she had leveraged her genius to build a sizable firm. Naturally, her achievements in the hunter world were also remarkable. Certified Rank 2.

Samia had fulfilled her contract with Garam and returned to Tanzania. She was now the President of the Tanzanian Hunter Association and the Supreme Commander of the East African Front. Certified Rank 2.

’So the ones who left are Eunsol and Samia.’

I opened a notepad and started jotting things down. Everyone’s capabilities had skyrocketed to Rank 3 or higher, but Eunsol’s promotion to Rank 2 was a particularly huge leap.

It made sense, though. The firepower of the Iron Golems she used was something most hunters could only dream of.

’Sol must have grown up a lot by now, too.’

I shook off the flood of thoughts and moved on to check on the Fourth Floor Team.

Na Daeyong was the 4th-floor Administrator and the current Tower Master. He was regarded as one of the strongest mages in the world. Certified Rank 2.

Cha Doyeon was the Minister of Magic under the Korea Hunter Association. The Association was now split into three independent branches with their own authority: the main Association, the Enforcement Division, and the Magic Division. Certified Rank 3.

Kim Sarang was affiliated with “Crow,” a British management company, and was working as a global hunter and mercenary. Certified Rank 3.

Similarly, So Simhee had been scouted by “Guardian,” the number one guild in the United States, and was active as a global hunter. She was considered the strongest Metamorphosis user in the world. Certified Rank 2.

Jo Yonghee had founded an independent mage guild called “Amnyak.” It was a small, elite guild with a formidable reputation. Certified Rank 3.

The more I read about them, the more a piercing loneliness settled in my chest.

What were they all doing right now? I missed them so badly it hurt.

Demon or no demonkin, I wanted to run back to the Tower this instant.

I wanted to go back to those days when we all hung out in the 1st-floor lobby, drinking, gaming, and talking all day long. Those were the best moments of my life.

But what weighed heavily on my shoulders was responsibility. The First Tower Master had said that my death was the reason someone close to me had become a demonkin.

I couldn’t run from that responsibility. Whoever had become a demonkin, I was resolved to be the one to end their life with my own hands.

Next, I looked up my comrades who weren’t Tower members.

I searched for Hong Yeon’s name on a portal site.

“Wow.”

[Hong Yeon, President of the Korea Hunter Association.]

She had done it. Hong Yeon had succeeded her older sister and become the Association President.

[The New Hope of Korea.]

[Surpassing Her Sister, the Legend.]

[Certified Rank 1 Association President Hong Yeon Joins the First Raid Team for the Rank-10 Dungeon ‘Pitch-Black.’]

[The Nightmare of Demons, Hong Yeon. The Confirmed Number of Demons She Has Hunted in the Past Five Years Exceeds 30,000.]

[Top 5 Most Influential hunters in the World.]

[With the great hero Hong Yul on indefinite leave due to injuries, her younger sister Hong Yeon has perfectly filled the void, firmly establishing herself as Association President. Now a Certified Rank 1, she is writing a new legend not just in Korea, but across the globe.]

There was nothing to worry about when it came to Hong Yeon.

Her career was the very picture of a model student’s perfect record. It was just like her.

Next, I searched for Han Yoonjeong’s hunter name, “Menes.”

[Pharaoh Menes: From Guardian of Egypt to Ruler of the African Continent.]

[Leader of the World Guild. The Only Certified Rank 1 hunter.]

[East Africa, Power Base Built Around Samia, Declares Independence.]

Impressive. It seemed Han Yoonjeong had reached Certified Rank 1 as well.

’Ruler of Africa, huh? That’s a big title.’

In five years, the people I knew had become the leading actors on the world stage, guiding humanity forward.

I knew them from their non-combat days and their time at the Academy, and I had fought alongside them. Now, those same people stood at the very top of their respective fields.

On one hand, it felt surreal. On the other, it left me with a strange, unsettled feeling.

If I had spent those five years with them, how much would the world have changed? Could I have stood shoulder to shoulder with them as one of the main players on the world stage?

At the very least, the Tower wouldn’t have been torn apart, and no one would have become a demonkin.

’Damn it…’

I leaned back in my chair.

If I kept dwelling on negative thoughts, there would be no end to it. Time had passed, but I was still me, and I had come back stronger than before.

If I really put my mind to it, turning the world upside down wouldn’t be out of the question.

I would bring my comrades back together, reclaim my command and my power, and then stand proudly beside them to face the final calamity.

Of course, before that—

’One of these people has to die by my hand.’

Hong Yeon and Han Yoonjeong were also indispensable parts of my life.

They were both strong candidates for the demonkin. So was President Shin Nara, even though she wasn’t a player.

A part of me thought Hong Yeon, who had slaughtered so many demons, should be less suspicious, but the Sky Castle Lord was a stark reminder not to let my guard down. It was possible she had only recently become a demonkin.

As for Han Yoonjeong, I wasn’t sure. I had no idea what she thought about my death, but I had died in a battle she declined to join. If she felt any responsibility for that, she was also a prime suspect.

I carefully wrote down every bit of information I could remember about each of them in my notepad.

“…So which one of them is the demonkin?”

I couldn’t get a read on it at all.

There was a clear limit to what I could learn just by gathering information online.

I needed an ally.

’If only I could confirm that at least one of them definitely isn’t a demonkin.’

I decided to approach my comrades. First up—

[Jin Bora – Memoir]

I pulled up the contents of a post Jin Bora had once written on social media and later deleted.

’…Idiot.’

Now I understood what she had been thinking back then.

I needed to go see her.

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