Chapter 141
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 141
The mad procedure came to an end.
Seung-woo's chest pounded wildly as he gasped for breath.
At the same time, the madness that had filled the sewers until moments ago began to fade.
Rising in its place was a murderous intent so sharp it cut like a blade.
Not only that, but the aura and temperament emanating from him had completely transformed.
True to his word, he had shed the mask of the madman.
What lay beneath was the most fundamental mask.
His true face would never be revealed.
Having carved new circuits into his body and created a means to support his heart, Seung-woo had no time to wipe away the sweat streaming down his skin before he began pulling equipment and weapons from the ring.
Bam!
"Oops, did I throw it too hard? Hope I didn't damage her brain."
As he retrieved items from the space within the ring, the body of "Andrealphus"little more than a corpsegot in his way, so he tossed it to the floor for a moment. Her head smacked hard against the ground in the process.
Not that speaking to her, who had already lost her reason, would yield any response.
Click!
He strapped a belt around his body and sheathed a sword over it.
The divine sword "Heavenly Troop Cloud Sword," which he'd brought just in case, still had a tiny serpent-shaped glaring at Baek Seung-woo.
Aren't you scared of Orochi?
"Not in the slightest. I've never once lived with such a feeble will that a lowly creature like this could shake menot since I was five."
Your speech pattern changed again, huh.
"Didn't you tell me to discard the previous mask? I merely obliged."
I'm not just talking about your speech. I mean everything that shapes the impression you give as a person.
His tone, pitch, atmosphereeverything had turned stark and cold.
Before, even his stiff speech had a gentle edge to it.
Now, Seung-woo came across as overbearing and authoritarian.
Hmm, it does feel different... but could you explain exactly what's changed?
"...You're a nuisance."
The irritation wasn't just in his words; it showed plainly on his face.
Yet he had no intention of refusing to answer, so Seung-woo opened his mouth readily.
"It's not so much a change as a discard. This is the personality I set as my baseline."
So, you layer on top of it depending on the situation or need?
"Precisely. The mask I'm wearing now is the raw foundation. I've wiped away the old personality, leaving it in a state where I can overlay whatever I desire."
By your metaphor, wouldn't 'bleaching' be more accurate than 'discarding'?
It was pure curiosity.
The mask represented Baek Seung-woo's personality.
Since personality forms over a lifetime of experiences, bleaching it to repaint seemed more fitting than simply throwing it away.
"A pointless question. But I can answer it. As you say, for your average psychopath or dissociative identity patient, bleaching would be apt."
In ordinary cases, Tamamo was right.
But Seung-woo's was different.
"My mental issues were acquired. To endure the harsh storms of the world, my heart grew too blunt and fragile. That led me to don masks, and now I can't even remember what my true personality was."
If he'd faced innate difficulties in forming personality and ego, there'd be no clear standard, making 'wearing a mask' inaccurate for someone like him.
A mask's purpose is to conceal the true face.
It's entirely different for someone who can alter their true face at will.
"This mask is merely the foundational form I set to match my social status and authority. It's far from my original personality. For someone like me, who's lost all sense of self-identity, masks have no purpose beyond being discarded."
He could become any personality he wanted.
But there would be no 'Baek Seung-woo' in it.
Thus, for him, a maskor personalitywas just an object to throw away and remake.
That was why discarding was the more fitting term than bleaching.
What a tragic life you've led.
"Didn't you see that dream yourself?"
Yeah, I did. But parts were strangely cut off or blackened out, so some scenes weren't clear.
The mind-broken demon, "Andrealphus," could only project her past through the medium of dreams. No further interference was possible.
Because of that, the visions in the dream sometimes skipped sections or ended abruptly without resolution.
Life doesn't have the neat divisions of midpoints and endings like novels or movies.
That much was forgivable.
But Seung-woo's past felt like something more was deliberately hidden.
"Is that so? From my perspective, it played out in first person, so I'm not sure."
Liar.
"What's the lie?"
Do you think I saw it from the same viewpoint as that horned woman? Heh, already forgotten what kind of ghost I am?
A spirit bound to the ring.
And
A ghost that stalks its contractor's back, following dutifully in their shadow.
"...Shadow Spirit. Right, I momentarily forgot that you and I don't share the same line of sight."
Heh, glad you caught on eventually.
Tamamo's elegant, ladylike laughhand daintily covering her mouthwas beautiful at a glance.
But to Seung-woo, whose heart was barren of romantic feelings, it looked like exaggerated mockery. And it was.
You realized it was a dream the moment you started dreaming it, didn't you?
"..."
That's why you skipped over scenes you didn't want to show or see. Pretty clever of you to notice it was a dream.
"I realized it the instant I felt pleasure or pain. Nothing creates more dissonance than feeling emotions I've long discarded."
To Seung-woo, trivial emotions weren't important.
He had sorted out everything except the masks needed to feign them long ago.
But sorting emotions didn't mean he couldn't feel them, so he'd controlled every emotion he'd experienced throughout his life.
At least since age twenty.
Then suddenly, control slipped.
Something he'd reined in without fail for years broke free, letting him quickly realize the whole thing was a dream.
That allowed him to skip or hide nightmare segments at will.
The dream's trigger was "Andrealphus."
But since it reflected his past, he could manipulate it as his own.
I won't pry into what you wanted to hide. I'm not so thoughtless as to dig that deep.
"..."
*You?*
He desperately wanted to retort, but held back.
He knew prodding her would just lead to hassle, so he kept it to himself.
Heh... Don't even think it.
"...Damn it."
With their hearts linked by a red thread, hiding thoughts was nearly impossible.
Seung-woo could read bits of her mind and feelings, and Tamamo could read his.
Yet he was the one who'd proposed the contract, but she was the one exploiting it best.
Hmm~ You're really planning to go up there?
"Up from the sewers? Of course."
Having remade his body into something more suited for combat, Seung-woo.
He was heading to the battlefield after succeeding at an insane feat no one in human history had attempted.
Like a bird driven by homing instinct.
All she could feel from his resolve to step into a hell resembling the world he'd known was admiration.
You might die.
"Maybe, but I've fought for ages without dying yet."
Is there value in going up to fight?
"Value in fighting? You mean justification? After seeing the beast crammed in my ring space, you're not seriously talking about justification. They crossed the line first."
That's not the surface-level reason I meant.
"Then what?"
Snap. He pointed upward with a finger.
The sewers shook from the fierce battle above, dust settling in its wake.
You know what kind of hell is unfolding up there, right? I can sense it with my senses alone, so no way you don't know.
"Yeah, I can picture it."
No need to dye his eyes purple.
No need to peer into a black-and-white world.
No need for divine sight to survey all things.
His five senses provided more than enough data to visualize it.
"It's a one-sided massacre. Citizens are turning on each other, students are fighting back, but the guards and knights seem to have abandoned public order."
Do you know how many have died?
"8,166. Seven more just died while I said that. Ah, a big building collapsedforty-five more gone."
That's the casualty count. Any idea why the knights aren't intervening?
"Who knows... They're probably guarding mansions far from the sewers, so I can't hear them, but circumstances suggest the viscount's abandoned or sacrificing the citizens. The knights, foolishly loyal, stick to their lord despite knowing it's wrong."
That's horrific.
"Yeah, horrific."
Tamamo tried to deter him with the death toll.
But thousands of casualties were a cute number to him.
He'd slain enough lives to build mountains, etched his name on the graves of hundreds of millions. That figure meant nothing.
So, you're still going?
"I don't see how that question relates to what you just asked."
Liar. You know exactly. You won't answer until I ask outright, right?
Fine, great.
Then I'll be direct.
Your body just went through that procedure. Even though it succeeded, your lifespan shortened drastically. Abusing an unstable body could shorten it even more.
"I know."
Then why go?
"Because that's the reason I exist."
To avoid being swayed by personal attachments.
To avoid shedding bloody tears or despair, he'd controlled his emotions and adopted an ironclad mindset befitting a national leader.
Even so, he'd loved, and he was still trying to keep a promise with the woman he held in his heart.
"Live for the people."
His master's dying words, who'd devoted her life to humanity.
And words from his teacher that profoundly shaped his life.
"No matter what, don't die."
He'd sworn it, hanging the rosary she'd given him around his neck, vowing to keep it.
The promise with the Virgin meant he couldn't abandon himself, even to save others.
But these two promises clashed, trapping Seung-woo in endless agony where he couldn't end his life even if he wanted to.
Breaking his resolve to die was heavier than honoring their promises. An unbreakable oath.
However, there was one loophole.
Just one way to prioritize people without abandoning himself, entering peaceful rest.
"Save the world and die gloriously in battle. That's my goal in life, the very reason Baek Seung-woo exists."
Eliminate threats to humanity, perish with a worthy foe.
He couldn't choose suicide while ignoring their promises.
This was the only path left to eternal rest.
Thus, knowing the place he headed was hell, Seung-woo went willingly. Before coming here, he'd ended wars before finding such a foe.
He prayed to meet a worthy adversary on this land.
Step by step.
Seung-woo headed for the sewer exit.
Ding!
And to that mindset,
[Dramatic shift in the battlefield situation. Detecting presence of an outsider who must not intrude.]
[Assigning new quest.]
The Status Window responded.
Whether it was encouragement or malice, only the system knew.