Chapter 046
< Forgotten Magic that Erases Existence >
46
Sangam-dong, Seoul, Valhalla Guild Tower.
A super-skyscraper covered with reinforced glass.
Old Man No entered the lobby of the building boasting its overwhelming majesty.
It was a distance that took about 40 minutes to drive from home, but there was no need for that.
There was a welfare where a dedicated commute driver assigned by Valhalla would pick him up.
It was one of the welfares for the guild's core talents.
Ding-
The place Old Man No headed to was the personal office located inside the R&D center.
The Seoul view came into one eye through the floor-to-ceiling glass window, and the interior boasted a dignified beauty finished with the highest-grade wood and leather.
On one side of the office, there was a state-of-the-art equipment analysis machine prepared out of respect for Old Man No’s long career.
“Hmm? What's this?”
And on the other side, even a spacious and cozy customized dog house.
[Hell-mung-i]
When they asked for the Hellhound's name, he mentioned what came to mind, and they seemed to have prepared this.
“Heh, heh!”
The Hellhound recognized its own place and entered the house very proudly.
“Haha, you like it too.”
It was an exceptional treatment never received even once during the 20 years of devotion to the Bureau.
When he first received Valhalla's recruitment offer, he thought it was a bit sudden.
‘Old Man No. No, Master! We are not interviewing you, Master. Please, Master, interview our Valhalla once.’
The young researcher who came for the interview, Im Eun-kyung was it.
She seemed greatly surprised by the incident where she almost met a disaster with a bear, as she showed extreme courtesy to both Old Man No and the Hellhound.
‘Please give me a chance to see my savior up close!’
To the point of even clinging like that.
Of course, the reason Old Man No accepted Valhalla's offer was not simply because of such courtesy.
Valhalla promised Old Man No an exceptional privilege called ‘Special Research Support for non-Awakeners’.
That they would turn equipment blueprints that were only in his head into reality while mobilizing all the guild's capital and personnel.
The lifelong resentment of not being able to protect his non-Awakener wife.
An opportunity was created to make safety equipment where even non-Awakeners could protect themselves, which could resolve that resentment.
And.
“······.”
[Chief Technical Director No Tae-seop]
He stroked the brilliant gold nameplate where his name was engraved.
They said it was a position newly created for Old Man No at Valhalla.
‘No Tae-seop······.’
It was a name that felt unfamiliar to hear after living as "Old Man No" for 20 years.
Looking at his name written on the heavy nameplate on the desk, he felt the weight.
In the Bureau, no one called him by his name properly.
The fact that Old Man No became more familiar than a name was also in that sense.
It was a sorrow a non-Awakener received, but Old Man No overcame that with his years and career.
‘Before I knew it, I became used to those years and lived while even forgetting my name······.’
Seeing it materialized like this and the name shining.
It even felt as if he had reclaimed his name.
“Director No.”
Just then, the office door opened and Yu Seo-jin entered.
“Is there any inconvenience?”
“Thanks to you. It's more than I deserve.”
“Thanks to the introduction of an outstanding person, we made contact quickly, but even if not, we would have contacted you somehow. Thank you once more for choosing Valhalla.”
Inside that polite greeting and courtesy was contained sincere respect and gratitude toward the living history of the hunter industry.
After Yu Seo-jin greeted politely and went back.
Old Man No quietly chewed over the words Yu Seo-jin said about being introduced by an outstanding person.
‘······Manager Jang.’
When he suddenly brought up the Valhalla recruitment story, he thought it was just a joke.
But, honestly, he was happy.
The mind to just retire and do nothing like this was, perhaps, non-existent from the start.
So this position was no different from that young friend having gifted him his entire remaining life.
Old Man No quietly vowed while looking out the window.
That he will surely repay this grace.
In whatever way.
* * *
Inside the quiet hospital room, So-ye was sitting before a small desk and focusing on the tablet screen.
Listening to online lectures instead of going to school was So-ye’s unique learning method.
“So-ye, are you studying?”
“Yes.”
The dedicated nurse came to check So-ye’s state.
Then, seeing the problem So-ye was solving, she widened her eyes.
“Oh my, our So-ye. You're already solving competition problems?”
“Ah, this is just······.”
“This is a problem that even 6th grade older brothers and sisters find difficult, amazing. Our So-ye is really smart.”
So-ye’s cheeks turned rosy at the nurse's praise.
Even though So-ye couldn't go to school, she had never not been an excellent student.
Despite her young age, she solved difficult math problems well and never forgot an English word once memorized.
Not only was she smart, but she was also always diligent.
“Hee-hee.”
Lately So-ye’s expression was brighter than ever.
Previously she felt like she did it out of boredom because studying was all she could do, but it was different lately.
Since her body didn't hurt, she could focus more deeply on studying.
As she focused, she came to know more, and as she knew more, studying became fun.
And a giant expectation of So-ye was also contained here.
‘I also······ want to study with friends.’
Previously, such a thought would just bring depression and frustration.
But now, just the imagination that she might be able to go to school made her heart beat and flutter.
The nurse stroked So-ye’s hair with a satisfied smile.
Then, as if she just remembered, she spoke to a colleague nurse.
“But Su-ssam, isn't it strange? I think around the hospital has been too quiet lately.”
“Right. The monster appearance alarm hasn't rung once.”
The hospital surroundings were also a place where low-rank monsters were often attracted because of the weak life force patients emitted and the mana waves of various medical equipment.
So alarms rang periodically and hunters often dispatched.
“Don't you think they've just completely vanished lately?”
“Mysterious, I wonder what the cause is?”
The two nurses tilted their heads and left the hospital room.
“······.”
Next to So-ye’s bed.
The old rabbit doll sitting quietly sparkled its black button eyes very faintly, only enough for no one to notice, and then it vanished.
* * *
A few days later, while I was leisurely looking after the herb garden, a loud notification rang on the terminal.
It was Hun-Tube (Hunter-Net).
[Congratulations! You have been selected for the best video of this month's Hun-Tube Award!]
[Special reward is being issued. Would you like to receive it now?]
Month's Award?
I tilted my head.
I recalled hearing about it faintly during my Bureau days.
A special reward issued in conjunction with the Tower system to the video creator who recorded the best hot topic of the month.
Trade impossible. Transfer impossible. Sale impossible.
It was said to be a perfectly self-attributed item where everything is impossible.
It was a thing like a random draw where no one knows what will come out.
[Receive].
As I pressed the button, light particles gathered in the air and a heavy box appeared in my hand.
-Hmyo?
Muryong approached with eyes full of curiosity and sniffed the box's smell.
As if checking for dangerous substances.
“How is it? Is it okay to open?”
-Hmyoot!
Only after Muryong nodded did I open the box.
“What's this, a mask?”
Inside the box, a pure white mask was contained.
It was a white mask that looked like it would appear in the Phantom of the Opera.
[This Month's Award Reward!]
[Name: Mask of Versatility]
[Rank: Unique]
[Description: Upon wearing, it perfectly hides the user's identity. Attack magic is embedded, and its power is amplified in proportion to the wearer's strength.]
[Special Ability: Upon wearing, you can change the mask design into the shape of a desired animal.]
Unique rank was a rank I was seeing for the first time.
Furthermore, it hides identity, which was a unique item.
‘It's not bad?’
I lifted the mask and tried wearing it on my face.
Then a design selection window popped up before my eyes.
I looked at the Gorani staring intently at me and smirked.
‘Hmm······ Gorani mask?’
In the moment I thought so, the mask began to change its shape matching my face.
The unique black eye lines of the Gorani were engraved over the pure white mask.
“Does it look a bit like you?”
“Kkiyot!”
And the unique part of this mask is that it even has attack magic.
With the thought of just seeing what it is, I decided to activate the first magic of the mask.
[Name: Meteor of Incomplete Annihilation]
[Description: A forgotten magic that drops a star from the sky to erase every existence on the ground. It makes the light of destruction that decomposes everything into elemental units fall at designated coordinates. Magic power varies in proportion to the wearer's 격 (standing). However, because it is now a forgotten ancient magic, proper manifestation is impossible without a perfect 'power'.]
Since it said the power is amplified in proportion to the wearer's strength, it would be a magic that varies depending on the person using it.
Besides, lately, I’ve been eating things from the garden as snacks and whenever I had time, I went to the valley with the Gorani and drank Stalactite Petroleum, so I couldn't even estimate how strong my Internal Energy (Naegong) had become.
I operated the [Heart Method] and synchronized the Internal Energy (Naegong) throughout my body with the mask.
And I activated the magic.
Swish-
I felt the Internal Energy (Naegong) that was turning through my flesh gathered and formed a giant something all at once.
As I threw my gaze, something was visible above the sky.
Above the clouds.
A high altitude estimated to be about the stratosphere.
In that far-off high altitude, the boundary between sky and space, a giant magic circle was being drawn.
I felt a power of destruction larger than a whole city and hotter than the sun.
In that instant.
“······Pwa-aeng.”
“?”
Hasuo "tuk-tuk" pulled my pant leg.
It was a fellow that had become noticeably active lately.
“What is it, did something happen?”
Anyway, I had no intention of actually using the magic, so I withdrew my focus and crouched down to match Hasuo at my feet.
“Pwa-aeng!”
Hasuo pulled me and took me to a spot in the herb garden.
“Ah.”
In that spot, the [Wish-imbued Fleeceflower Seed] I planted a few days ago was sprouting a small and tender sprout.
“Right, this is much more important.”
Lately, Hasuo was taking looking after this new seed as its own most important mission.
Every morning and evening it arranged the surrounding soil, and fetched stream water to water it carefully with extreme devotion.
Perhaps thanks to such effort by Hasuo, the sprout looked uniquely more healthy and full of life.
“Pwa-a-a-a-eng!”
Hasuo rubbed its body against my leg as if it were happy about the sprout blooming as if it were its own business.
“You did very well.”
I stroked Hasuo’s small head.
I looked down quietly at these small and lovely lives before my eyes.
To me right now, they were more precious than anything.
* * *
At the same time, Hunter Management Bureau Control Center.
“Ma-Manager! Just now! In the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do area······!”
A control center staff member shouted with a face pale as death.
“What's wrong, did a medium-sized Rift appear again?”
“No! The class is different! Just now, a wave equivalent to an S-Rank top-tier ranker's great magic was detected! As if······ as if right before a Meteor would fall!”
“What? Meteor?!”
Meteor.
The ultimate disaster magic said to be used by only two among current S-Rank mages, capable of erasing a city from the map.
It wasn't a magic that could be used normally.
With just one casting, an S-Rank hunter would have to consume most of the mana they possessed, and even with that, it was not enough so a secondary medium was also needed to manifest proper power.
For instance, forming a magic circle with high-purity mana stones.
The manager stared at the screen with a complexion pale with fright.
But already, there was nothing there.
“It vanished······ less than 1 second since it was detected, it vanished without a trace. By the way, this magic withered away before it was even completed? If this really is manifested properly······.”
The Bureau staff member who opened his mouth trailed off.
Proper manifestation of the magic?
Just the thought of it made his head feel dizzy.
Right now, the incomplete magic is already at this level of power, then just what kind of power would it be when perfectly implemented?
The staff and the manager stared at the screen with trembling eyes then turned to each other.
“······.”
“······.”
Although they didn't speak, both were feeling it.
That if the magic just detected were perfectly completed, its power could not be compared with any magic they had experienced.
In the true sense, it was something close to a transcendental great magic.
< Forgotten Magic that Erases Existence > END