Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Urban Life (2)
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Gehenna's summers resembled the Mediterranean climate.
As a back world pieced together from various regions, not everywhere was like that, but at least Lenormand Town—where Siwoo spent most of his time—was.
This meant long stretches of hot, dry "dry seasons" with ample sunshine in summer.
So he'd forgotten.
About how Korea's summers were brutally hot, boasting horrific humidity like being trapped in a fish tank.
And how that lingered even after sunset, dragging into sweltering tropical nights.
"One Africa loose please."
"That's 4,500 won."
Siwoo bought his usual cigarettes and lit one up in the alley in front of the convenience store.
The heat rising from the sun-baked asphalt scorched his back like a blast furnace.
Even the glowing tip of the cigarette in his fingers felt scalding.
"Hot."
It was hot.
Insanely hot.
If it wouldn't let him shit or piss, couldn't it at least stop the sweating?
Grumbling to himself, Siwoo stubbed out the cigarette in his case and headed back to the cool sanctuary of his air-conditioned home.
"Hoo..."
The aggressively low temperature chased away the heat in a rush, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
Yet even this blessing of science, which warded off the tropical night, couldn't truly solve Siwoo's underlying worries.
It had been three full months since his return to Korea.
He'd tackled all the things he couldn't do before, while diligently immersing himself in magical research without slacking off.
At first, it was pure joy.
Sorting through his Self-Generating Magic, which had skyrocketed during his unconscious period; formalizing the parts he'd grasped only intuitively into magical formulas—it all brought a deep sense of fulfillment.
And the daily leaps in his magical prowess were just icing on the cake.
But the last month? Well...
It just wasn't fun anymore.
Trinity Academy in Gehenna was a treasure trove of knowledge.
You could head to the library and devour book after book brimming with inspiration and arcane lore.
If the twins or Amelia hit a snag, advice was just a question away.
But this was the modern world.
Magical texts? Nothing but meaningless occult books or setting collections floating around.
No one to offer guidance.
Any discipline demands foundational knowledge for progress.
Likewise, while Siwoo was building his own magical system, it wasn't creating something from nothing.
Without that base, he'd just wander the edges of issues like fumbling through a foggy maze without a lantern—missing the core entirely.
Ironically, his exceptional magical intuition made it clear: this wasn't something he could solve alone.
After that, Siwoo set magical research aside for a bit.
Instead, he dove into more indulgent pursuits—wasteful spending and killing time.
In the dim room, he cracked open a beer and sprawled on the sofa to finish the movie he'd been watching.
The living room was piled with unopened packages from online orders.
"........."
The movie's plot washed over his brain.
Siwoo began pondering how to break out of his current rut.
Stepping back from research to refresh was fine.
But would lounging like this really spark new ideas?
Twenty-five formulas and arrays he couldn't make sense of.
Was advancing magical research possible without them?
But it all circled back to the same dead-end wall, so Siwoo let out a long sigh.
Connections severed.
Turning ghostly.
Cut off from the world.
He was starting to feel the weight of that meaning more with each passing day.
Thankfully, the phone opened under a forged ID was still fine.
But the massive points piled up in delivery apps vanished after about a week.
He ordered a computer to cool off with some gaming, tried the latest titles—offline worked, but online accounts disappeared soon after.
He didn't know the exact cutoff, but confirming his erased presence each time left a hollow ache.
No one to talk to.
No chance for deep bonds.
Even if good memories piled up, they'd be gone in a week at most—what was the point?
Yeah, he'd have to become an "exile" existing in the present to build real relationships.
Of course, no guarantee those exiles would be friendly toward him.
"Hilarious."
No matter the "lifespan toll," wasn't this overkill?
Siwoo gave a wry smile and cranked up the speaker volume.
The blaring punk rock drowned out the house's silence a bit.
"Delivery food's getting old too..."
What to say— at first, everything tasted amazing, devouring whatever caught his eye.
But restaurant food all shared that generic flavor profile.
Eventually, five meals a day dwindled to three, ordered only from proven spots.
One truth he'd learned along the way:
Hanwoo beef, shellfish, and tuna—delicious no matter how much or how often.
Bobbing his head to the pounding beats and drums, savoring modern indulgence, a noise pierced Siwoo's ears.
-Bang bang bang bang!
-...Hey...! Op...en...!
Siwoo killed the speakers.
With the noise gone, the voice came clearer.
A woman's voice and pounding on the door like it might break.
Since he hadn't reacted for a while, both carried real emotion.
-Bang bang bang bang!
"Hey! Open the door!"
What? Noise complaint?
Siwoo had his music box.
It not only blocked mana leakage during spells but muffled his presence just by carrying it.
"Ah."
Then he realized.
The music box, which needed winding once every 24 hours, was fully unwound.
Basically, the Stigma suppressed stored mana emission and concealment anyway, so no need outside outings or spellcasting.
That complacency made him forget to wind it, inadvertently causing a noise nuisance.
Still, Siwoo didn't drop his guard.
"Manifest."
He conjured particles of dark shadow.
Reforged them into a long spear.
No guarantee a midnight intruder was just a neighbor.
No proof the woman banging outside wasn't an exile, right?
Even Yebin proved not all exiles were evil.
"Exile decrees" implicated later witches too, so plenty of innocent ones lived outside... still.
"Better safe than sorry."
Siwoo cautiously cracked the door.
The woman who'd been hammering away, teeth gritted, unleashed a machine-gun barrage of complaints the moment it opened.
"Hey, do you know what time it is? I'm dying cramming for exams all night, can't concentrate..."
Her bobbed hair swayed; tracksuit pants under an oversized hoodie—like she'd thrown on whatever from home.
Her furrowed brow halted mid-rant as she spotted Siwoo's face.
Good— this safehouse hadn't been compromised by exiles.
Bit rude to say, but witches were inherently stunning.
Even that wicked Ea was undeniably beautiful.
This neighbor girl was pretty enough, but didn't pass for witch.
After all his time observing them.
Pretty sure.
Siwoo relaxed, dispersing the shadow spear.
"Sorry. Didn't realize sound was leaking out. I'll be careful from now on."
The woman stared at his face for a long moment, blinked a few times, then spoke.
"Could happen... Just be mindful going forward."
"Got it."
Conversation seemed done, but her awkward lingering made closing the door tricky.
"When'd you move in?"
Out of nowhere?
Siwoo answered anyway, puzzled.
"About a month ago, I think."
"Ah, gotcha. Had no idea. Weird. I live next door, #4. Same floor."
She muttered to herself, then suddenly shared her address.
What was this? Siwoo blinked in confusion as she lobbed another random question.
"Is that a fashion accessory? Looks cool."
"Oh, this? Yeah."
She pointed straight at his eyepatch.
Apparently, her hesitation melted thanks to this stylish eyepatch.
Not some cheap hospital gauze, but sleek black leather—definitely eye-catching.
"Anyway... thanks for keeping it down."
"No, my bad for being careless."
Now he really tried to close the door, but she hurriedly chimed in again.
"You go to college around here?"
"Nah, just unemployed."
"Ah... I seeee... Well, say hi if we bump into each other in the elevator sometime."
"Sure."
"Yep, then... Take care."
"Yeah, you too."
After nearly ripping the door off in anger, she bowed politely on her way out like a lamb.
"What the?"
Seen it all now.
Siwoo shut the door, wound the music box, and blasted the music again.
He mulled over the encounter.
Say hi in the elevator, huh...
Even this mishap would be forgotten in days—vaguer than "let's grab food sometime."
"Wonder what the twins are up to."
His closest ties: Odile and Odette, apprentice witches of House Gemernai.
Gehenna witches rarely sent apprentices to the modern world, so they were probably grinding studies to meet him.
That took about five years—meaning 4 years and 9 months more of this life.
"Hm... Maybe take a trip?"
Tucked in the fake passport Albireo left was a business card.
VIP direct contact for Gemernai-owned airline.
One call rented a private jet; they'd book nearby hotels to match his schedule too.
Living young and rich on someone else's dime.
Utter luxury compared to his slave days—yet why the lump in his chest?
A world tour, once a fantasy, didn't sound bad.
Staring at the card, Siwoo muttered.
"How loaded are they, anyway?"
Cards, airlines.
That was just the perks he'd gotten—but not all.
A quick parent company search revealed stakes in finance, insurance, steel, natural resources, oil;
Even diversification into aerospace, automation, specialty chemicals—a mega-corp.
Market cap 505 trillion, world rank 12th—mind-blowing.
Thought they were just Gehenna rich; turns out modern-world billionaire tier.
Not wholly Gemernai-owned, sure, but still dizzying.
"Anyway..."
Life no longer demanded diligent striving.
Even hardcore math research (which wasn't panning out anyway) wouldn't make him famous; no money woes forcing jobs.
At best, finish magic research—which had stalled lately.
Now just suckling House Gemernai's warm teat.
What to call this?
Not hating it, but... ennui?
"Complicated head? Time to eat."
Siwoo shook his head.
Good food would melt the worries away.
That day, he hit the nearby sashimi spot and had them slice up a whole live fish.