Shadows of Forbidden Magic
The expensive restaurant was worth every penny.
I got to taste gourmet food I'd never even dreamed of before possessing Prism Arts.
The lucky part was not running into anyone I knew.
To outsiders, I'd look like a suspicious guy carrying around a silver-haired kid.
But since no one we knew showed up, no problem.
This kind of extravagance was a one-time thing.
I wouldn't come back to a place like this again.
Vivian was picky about food, but she ate even better than usual.
No, it must be because she's been holding onto Thousand Changes for so long—her condition's improved.
My cooking couldn't have been that bad.
The meal was satisfying, but I couldn't shake the scene I'd seen when leaving the dorms.
Lee Ji-ah...
She was weighing on my mind.
That phone, the one that darkened her face every time it rang—it had to be the cause.
How could I check that phone?
There was a method that came to mind right away, but I hesitated.
I'd need some resolve.
Time dragged on aimlessly.
Morning lectures and afternoon ones ran their normal course.
Well, I wasn't sure about the afternoon lectures being normal.
The instructor would stroll in a bit after start time, scan the room with their eyes for attendance, sit at the podium, and just sit there for about two hours before leaving.
Could you call that normal?
Setting that aside, the academy schedule flowed smoothly otherwise.
The otherworld trio was unchanged too.
Lunch with Ji-ah and Latynia every day, then off to the Understanding Other Races classroom.
Two hours of chit-chat, after which Latynia and Ruphus headed to the library.
I'd tag along only when I was bored; otherwise, I skipped it.
Instead, I was trying to spend more time with Ji-ah.
But...
-Beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep.
"Ah, sorry. I just... need a sec."
"Yeah, sure. See you tomorrow."
The phone calls were getting more frequent.
Every time, Ji-ah would grab her phone and step out, not returning for a long while.
After afternoon lectures, it basically meant we wouldn't meet again that day.
But today, it bugged me too much.
Should I tail her?
I started shadowing Ji-ah.
She slipped into a secluded spot.
Peeking from around the corner without being spotted, I watched her get sucked into the shadows.
Into the shadows?
Shadow magic was strictly forbidden.
How could Ji-ah use shadow magic?
Come to think of it, during the basic magic lecture, she'd suddenly belched out thick black mana.
Normally, black mana meant demonic energy.
No evil vibe, but it could be from that lineage.
For today, I'd settle for this new keyword.
"What do you think, Vivian?"
"Dunno."
Vivian was perched on my lap as usual.
Her body had recovered a lot—she could talk fine and move on her own.
Yet she still spent most of her time just sitting in chairs.
She came running when called, so it wasn't that she couldn't move.
Why, though?
She could handle everyday conversation now.
Just get her going outside normally, and she'd be fine.
"That girl used shadow magic, right? And shadow magic's forbidden."
"Yeah."
Even more surprising: Vivian's knowledge of magic was encyclopedic—she knew everything.
Her own body crumbling from mana, yet she had this vast magical lore.
It didn't add up.
Human experimentation results...?
"Hard to narrow it down just from her using shadow magic, huh?"
"Yeah."
I thought so too.
With all those mods, pinpointing from shadow magic alone was impossible.
Plus, no telling which mods clashed and didn't apply.
Needed more info.
Still, somehow get that phone...
No, first narrow the field.
Checking the phone only to not ID the target would be pointless.
I'd been absently petting Vivian, and when I snapped to, her body had gone limp, her head lolling with my strokes.
My heart dropped—I scooped her up.
...She'd just fallen asleep.
Scared the hell out of me.
I carried Vivian to bed.
Since she was out, she should sleep more tonight.
Shadow magic was forbidden.
That alone shut down most channels I could consult.
Instructor Nephrian seemed trustworthy, but he was an elf.
Elves had generational beef with shadow-using other races.
If I consulted him, he'd hunt the user down and rip them apart.
Dean Han Myeong-sin was the most capable I knew, but her position as dean was the issue.
She wouldn't let a forbidden magic user slide.
In the end, no one I could talk to.
I had to handle it solo.
So my choice: scour the library.
Gathering max info on shadow magic would reveal lingering groups in this world.
After Understanding Other Races lectures, I holed up in the library daily.
Some days till closing time, hunting books.
After pouring in hours, I narrowed it to candidate groups.
Currently, three groups using shadow magic remained:
The Demon God Cult, aiming for the already-resurrected Demon God's domination.
Moon's Shadow, controlling half the Imanitus underworld.
Chepesh, vampires' front for covert ops.
Chepesh had the strongest forces.
Vampires didn't die, period.
In crisis, mist form escape; fatal wounds? Self-seal and revive later.
No critical weaknesses—utterly unbeatable.
The mod creator must've botched power balance.
But vampires stuck to Imanitus; rare in Korea. Low odds.
Moon's Shadow was everywhere on Imanitus.
Street thieves, punks—beat 'em, and 100/100 were Moon's Shadow.
Follow the chain up, leads to extermination targets, but no one's gone that far yet.
Cockroach-like pests; common in Korea, no red flags.
Demon God Cult's goals made no sense, but their power was real.
Cell-structured; hard to find the core.
Even stacked with cheats, eradication took ages—they'd shadow-escape or summon demons/devils. Untouchable.
But highest odds among the three.
Now, how to bait them out... Time to scatter some chum.
I headed to Prism's main building.
Hanging at the exhibition hall there meant high chance of bumping into Dean Han Myeong-sin.
She always answered my curiosities kindly.
Today, a little help from the dean.
As I browsed subjugated villain group displays, the dean approached.
"Here at the exhibition again today."
"Hello, Dean. I came with some questions again."
"Seeking knowledge in youth is admirable. I'll share what I know, as always."
"What do you think of the Demon God Cult?"
Her grandmotherly aura sharpened at my question.
A razor-edge killing intent poured out, like it'd slice everything.
This was Han Myeong-sin's true nature, hidden by her dean role.
"What did you say?"
"I wanted to know about the Demon God Cult."
Resisting the pressure, I spoke clearly—the intent vanished like mist.
A bit longer, and I'd have collapsed.
Legs still shaky.
"The Demon God Cult... Tricky. Any Demon God Cult issues nearby?"
"Yes. Just suspicion for now, but came to prepare just in case."
After long thought, the dean spoke.
"What do you think of the Demon God Cult?"
"Incomprehensible. Summoning a Demon God that's already here and subjugated...?"
"Easy to think so. But they're after something far more dangerous."
Not just mod-clash weirdos?
Time to upgrade my Demon God Cult threat level.
"The Demon God Cult seeks to dominate the Demon Gods already summoned to this world."
"That possible?"
"Impossible. That's why they're no pushovers."
The dean stepped forward, past subjugated villain displays.
"Awakeners pooled strength for societal stability. These records prove it."
At the end of the records, she turned, eyes gleaming fiercely.
"No Demon God Cult here? Proof they're the most dangerous active villains."
"Beyond a mere cadet's paygrade. If something happens, contact me. I'll help."
"Really? Thank you."
I'd secured personal contact with Dean Han Myeong-sin.
Different meaning from her prior business card.
Joker card in hand.
Final step left.
I steeled myself.
Time: pre-dawn, before sunrise.
I sat on the bench where Lee Ji-ah always waited first.
From now on, I'd do something scummy.
For Ji-ah's sake or not, it started from my curiosity. No changing that.
One last time—this final time—playing with Ji-ah's heart.
She might despise me later when all's revealed... But I'd bear that karma.
Wrong button from the start.
I'll swing it my way to the end.
I steadied my shaking heart.
Ji-ah approached from afar.
"Dojun-ssi? What brings you here so late?"
"I have something to say."