Chapter 82
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: A Black Magic Prodigy
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After the zombie apocalypse began, no matter how openly I used magic, the people around me couldn't perceive what I was doing at all.
They just saw it as the zombies hit by my magic vanishing without any warning.
Why couldn't they see the magic?
The reason was simple.
They couldn't sense the demonic energy required to use my black magic.
If someone could sense demonic energy, there was no way they wouldn't recognize my black magic. Being able to sense demonic energy means black magic powered by it would be visible inevitably.
Yet everyone I'd met so far hadn't recognized its existence.
Before I realized this, I'd been cautious about using black magic openly so no one would find out I could wield it. But after showing it to various people and realizing most couldn't perceive it, I'd started unleashing it without restraint.
Why hold back on black magic when no one could even see what I was doing anyway? It'd be ridiculous.
The same went for the Guro Apartment incident. Since they couldn't sense demonic energy, they believed without question even when I swept away the zombie horde with black magic and conned them by claiming to be a messenger of the gods. It was only natural they'd react that way to a power beyond their comprehension.
That said, I didn't think this would last forever.
I figured someone capable of sensing demonic energy would eventually appear. With so many people in the world, surely at least one could detect it...
But I never imagined I'd stumble upon one here by chance.
For now, should I clean up the zombies outside?
Confirming whether this woman could truly sense demonic energy could wait.
I recalled the arrow I'd sent toward the woman, then unleashed all the ones I'd prepared beyond the barrier, piercing each zombie's head one by one.
Mid-tier magic could've handled it in a second, but the horde wasn't big enough to warrant that. I figured five Dark Arrows would suffice, and sure enough, less than three minutes later, the zombies in sight had all vanished.
After easily dispatching them, I turned toward the woman who had piqued my curiosity—only to find she was gone.
Wondering where she'd gone, I scanned the area and spotted her stealthily crawling toward the entrance. I'd only glanced before and hadn't noticed, but up close now, her condition looked dire.
Whether it was days without washing, her hair was matted with grease, and her clothes were beyond ragged—practically rags.
I was curious about what had happened to her, but more importantly, I needed to ask about the demonic energy. So I approached the woman, who was crawling along unaware of my presence, and called out.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?"
"Eek! P-please spare me! Please, I beg you!"
Caught fleeing, she immediately slammed her forehead to the ground, bowing low and pleading for her life.
"Did I say I was gonna eat you? Cut the nonsense and lift your head. I just wanna ask you something."
"Huh? Ask me something?"
Trembling at my words, she slowly raised her head.
Her disheveled hair parted, revealing the face she'd been hiding.
Seeing it, I understood why she'd kept her long hair covering her face as much as possible.
There was a severe scar running from her right forehead down toward her eye.
I had no idea what caused it, but for a woman, such a visible facial scar must have been mortifying. I could understand wanting to hide it with her hair so others wouldn't see.
Looking closer, beyond the forehead scar, there were smaller wounds on her face too. The forehead one was so striking it overshadowed them, but they still marred her features.
Spotting those facial injuries made other minor scratches and scars I'd overlooked stand out—scattered across her exposed skin. She clearly hadn't led an easy life.
I felt a pang of sympathy for her wounds, but that was none of my business. What mattered now was whether she'd truly reacted to my black magic.
"What do you see in my palm right now? Tell me exactly what you see."
I held out my right hand in front of her raised gaze and formed a simple character with demonic energy in my palm.
If she had really seen and reacted to my black magic, she'd be able to read it.
"Sh-should I read it...?"
"Yeah, read it."
"Uh... I don't know what it is exactly, but I see the word 'scratch'..."
Bingo!
If she couldn't see demonic energy, there's no way she'd guess this character. Reading it accurately meant she could truly perceive it.
"You can see this? Wow... This is an unexpected find."
"Y-yes? What's wrong... What..."
I grinned broadly, and terrified, she pressed her back against the wall to put as much distance between us as possible.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"M-my name? It's Lee Seoyoon..."
"Lee Seoyoon? Nice. You're one lucky girl right now, Lee Seoyoon. You just happened to get spotted by me today."
I pointed my thumb at myself, and she stared back in bewilderment.
"You said you saw what was in my hand earlier, right? That's a blessed power. Not just anyone can have it."
I didn't know how Lee Seoyoon could sense demonic energy—whether from becoming an Awakener or some bodily change—but the fact was she could, implying she had talent for black magic.
Typically, those with magical talent develop a natural sense for mana, and among them, black magic talents sense demonic energy even more acutely than mana.
That didn't mean other mages couldn't sense demonic energy at all. They just couldn't easily detect it unless black magic formed from it was actively manifesting—like when I casually emitted it to form that small character.
A large mass might be different, but reading demonic energy shaped into a tiny word on my palm? Impossible for anyone but another black magician.
Yet Lee Seoyoon had read "scratch" perfectly.
In other words, this woman had black magic talent.
"A b-blessed power...?"
"Yeah. Master it well, and you can do whatever you want. Zombies out there won't be scary anymore—they'll look like delicious prey."
Of course, reaching my level anytime soon was unlikely for her. I'd need to test her talent, but unless she was a genius, it'd take a lifetime to approach my realm.
There were ways to forcibly boost black magic ability, but those were only feasible for someone like me—not something I'd recommend to ordinary folk.
After all, at my age, I was the only one in that other world with supreme black magician prowess.
So even if Lee Seoyoon could use black magic, the odds of her sweeping zombies like me right away were near zero.
Still, with effort, she could probably pick up beginner spells quickly. It'd depend on how hard she worked.
"Follow me and do as I say, and I'll give you that kind of power. Seeing what was in my hand means you saw me blow the head off that Taker wrecking the building earlier, right?"
Lee Seoyoon, listening quietly, nodded.
"Obviously that was me. You saw the system notice—those Takers are ones even current Awakeners can't handle, but I killed it. I can't make you that strong... but compared to other Awakeners, you have the talent to surpass them by a wide margin. Just follow me, and I'll make sure you can wield that power."
With every word, her expression brightened a bit. Proof was how her body, which she'd kept distant out of fear moments ago, was inching closer.
"C-can I... really get strong?"
"That's what I'm telling you. Obey me well, and you could get stronger than anyone."
Lee Seoyoon looked ready to fall for it hook, line, and sinker.
I felt like some cult leader brainwashing the gullible, even as I said it. The difference? Cults deceive with lies; I was speaking pure facts.
"Th-then..."
As I waited for her answer, she spoke in a trembling voice.
"If I get strong... really strong... could I get revenge... too?"
Revenge. The word hit, and I couldn't hold back a beaming smile—lips stretching ear to ear.
"Revenge? Of course. You can do whatever you want. Just say the word."
She clearly had a backstory. Few choose revenge as motivation to grow strong.
Most might hesitate at this pitch, but Lee Seoyoon looked drawn in, like she'd found hope.
Stumbling on her was pure luck I hadn't anticipated.
Someone else who could use black magic besides me meant gathering demonic energy from places I couldn't reach—a huge win.
If I used her and helped fulfill that revenge she'd mentioned, it'd be perfect.
Was this like gaining a black magic disciple, something I never even considered back in that other world?