Chapter 27

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 27

Chapter Title: Open Your Eyes

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A modern conference room exuding a sleek, contemporary vibe.

In a gathering of the Pollution Investigation Bureau's sponsors alongside officials from the Ministry of National Defense and the government...

Bureau Chief Park In-ho wrapped up his presentation.

"That concludes the reasons why we need to expand the functions of the current Special Task Force and reorganize it around agents with powerful Patron Constellations."

However, there were no rounds of applause or words of praise.

Instead, the elderly men wore sullen expressions as they repeatedly scrutinized Park In-ho's materials before speaking in gruff tones.

"Bureau Chief."

"Yes."

"Don't take this the wrong way. It might just be me talking nonsense, but isn't the Investigation Bureau's Special Task Force already the strongest unit in the country?"

"That's correct."

"I hear its mission success rate has been over 90% so far. So what's the reason for needing a reorganization? Especially one that pours in hundreds of billions in taxpayer money."

Despite the sharp edge in their words, Park In-ho refrained from countering that the bulk of the Special Task Force's success rate came from early Great Cataclysm missions when Constellations first appeared.

Or that it had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dropped far below that lately.

Or mentioning the mortality rate during operations for what was supposedly the nation's strongest unit.

After all, those weren't the answers they wanted.

No matter how they dressed it up with talk of taxpayer money, these old foxes were simply reluctant to share the meat they were hoarding.

They feared the new tiger called the Investigation Bureau growing too large, even if it was more than they could ever devour in a lifetime.

So Park In-ho simply advanced the slides. He'd anticipated this backlash and prepared alternative materials.

"This is the Special Task Force's record from the recent subway station terrorist attack."

"Oh ho."

Exclamations of admiration erupted here and there.

The honeycomb of dead chimeras and the tallied extermination numbers beside them were plenty intriguing.

But this slide wasn't shown to elicit such reactions.

"And this is the record of the civilian collaborators."

What appeared next was a number several times higher than the Special Task Force's.

The admiring elders' faces stiffened. Expressions demanding explanation.

He obliged.

"The Special Task Force is a powerful unit. It has been, up until now. But it can't remain that way forever."

It had been years since ability users surpassing firearms in firepower began appearing.

These days, there were no shortage of lone heroes straight out of movies who could smash several tanks single-handedly.

Yet most members of the current Investigation Bureau Special Task Force were ordinary combatants. Agents with combat-specialized Patron Constellations made up barely under 5%.

"Of course, this isn't to disparage our regular combatants. Our Special Task Force members hold their own against any unit worldwide."

"...Then why these results?"

"Because it's not enough. Especially when dealing with powerful Pollution. What we need aren't just excellent groups, but standout elites. Just look at overseas cases..."

"Tch."

Someone clicked their tongue.

Bringing up foreign examples was something most people in the room hated hearing.

These were the very ones who'd capped bounties at 500 million won for fugitives worth tens or hundreds of billions, claiming "that's overseas circumstances; Korea's different."

But Park In-ho pressed on regardless.

"...Sending ordinary combatants into powerful Pollution zones is seen as near-suicide. The ones who resolved this terrorist attack weren't even the Special Task Force."

"Not the Special Task Force? Then who?"

"We don't know."

"What?"

"It's true. The one who resolved this incident was some unknown mage."

"What does that—"

The slide advanced once more.

The monitor displayed the subway station, collapsed as if several tons of TNT had detonated.

Chimera corpses littered the area, swept away by something.

Below it noted the altar's destruction and the confirmed disappearance of the target: Poison King.

And crucially, the entire area glowed with an unmistakably unnatural red light.

Unmistakable traces of magic.

"According to the investigation team's report, it's presumed to be the result of a single spell."

"Is that for real? One person caused that massive destruction? Without heavy machinery?"

"Yes. And that mage vanished afterward without a trace."

Only then did the faces of everyone present darken.

Had they realized their deeply dug burrows weren't complete safe havens?

Park In-ho continued, hoping that was the case.

"To be frank, we didn't suppress this Pollution. A powerful Pollution was simply devoured by an even stronger one. Do you still think the Special Task Force doesn't need reorganization in this situation?"

"...Ahem."

Yet even so, no easy answer came.

For old foxes, setting down their meat was harder than anything in the world.

Bang!

It was then.

The conference room door burst open roughly, and someone strode in.

A man in his mid-thirties, blood-soaked shirt, carrying a sword that looked out of place in modern times.

He plunked a head down on the conference table.

It was the head of the recently captured A-rank fugitive.

"Heup."

"What the hell is this...!"

Confused mutterings rose from all around.

Anyone would react the same seeing a severed head in the middle of a meeting.

But the man paid no mind.

"Ah, sorry about that. Gotta report stuff like this straight to the Chief."

He lit a cigarette and surveyed the room.

"So, what were you all discussing? Bro."

"Call me Chief. And no smoking indoors."

"Cut me some slack today. Over twenty of my guys died catching this one. Gotta have this or I can't keep going."

Thick cigarette smoke filled the conference room.

The man, glancing around, spoke loudly enough for all to hear.

"If my team had just a few more guys like me, those kids wouldn't have had to die."

"..."

"Ah, not blaming you all or anything. Just saying."

It was blatantly sarcastic, yet no one spoke up.

After all, their Patron Constellations promised at best longevity and wealth.

No matter how much they were called "Assemblyman" outside, they couldn't open their mouths before a true superhuman like a veteran agent.

The superhuman's unique pressure crushed the room.

The man knew this too.

He stood only after finishing his cigarette.

"Well, enjoy the rest of your meeting. This field grunt's heading out."

But even after the man left, the incident lingered in their minds.

Everyone in the room knew.

What just happened was an act of force.

The Investigation Bureau was signaling that the era was changing.

It wasn't a time when simply living long and hoarding wealth let you strut around with puffed-up shoulders.

Did they all grasp the meaning?

An hour later, the Special Task Force reorganization and additional budget were approved.

.

.

.

The man from earlier returned to Park In-ho, now alone in the conference room.

He spoke with a dissatisfied expression.

"Bro, did we really need to put on that show?"

"Only way those old geezers would react. Tough request, but you did great."

"Great my ass. We used our dead kids for it."

"...Sorry about that. But it wasn't all empty talk."

Park In-ho handed the man a file.

Content not disclosed to the others in the meeting.

"What's this?"

"Read it."

The man's face twisted sharply upon checking the file.

It contained additional details on that mage.

Testimony from the Baekun Group leader that the mage slew five chimeras with a single incantation.

Investigation results showing chimeras alive and well near the collapsed altar.

And most damning: memories of those who saw the mage and all nearby CCTV footage corrupted—bordering on memory manipulation.

"What the hell is this? You call this bullshit?"

"That's why we're dealing with this crap."

"Can't believe it. Never even heard of stuff like this overseas."

Park In-ho gave a wry smile as he looked at the man.

Never seen it before?

Not quite true.

He himself had received similar reports.

Unlike Park In-ho, though, the recipient hadn't consistently taken memory preservatives and had forgotten.

'Happiness Apartment.'

Something similar happened during the investigation of the Pollution outbreak there.

Now, even the reporting agent and recipients had all forgotten.

Except Park In-ho. Memories of a mage-like entity remained vivid in his mind.

But he didn't bring it up.

No point; they'd forget soon enough anyway.

And even if this mage was the same entity, there was still no way to act on it yet.

So for now, do what could be done.

He handed the man another document.

"Details at your desk. Seong-cheol, pick out a few usable candidates from this list for now."

"Ah, yes."

Sometime later.

The Investigation Bureau established a new Special Task Force composed of superhumans.

* * *

I stopped at an appropriate spot and checked my surroundings.

Confirming no one was around for any contingencies, I opened the grimoire.

Shiver.

A faint tremor hit immediately.

As if anticipating what was to come.

And honestly, I felt the same.

With a quiet smile, I whispered to the tome.

"Tome, it's just us two here now."

Rumble.

"So, all that pent-up stuff you've been holding... let's use it all up today?"

No bullshit—this was dialogue meant for magic.

Flip flip flip!

The pages turned on their own, as if responding.

For a moment, I hallucinated the tome's eyes rolling back in ecstasy.

Pure fantasy, of course, but it seemed the tome had indeed suffered magical frustration.

A never-before-seen page unfurled.

This time, I skipped the illustrations.

With it this eager, I'd grant whatever it wanted. I'd planned to check all possible spells anyway.

"They too were but dust in the primordial age!"

The chanting began with today's recommended spell.

Pop! Pop!

Nearby trees swelled unnaturally and exploded.

"The path to the outside opens not from one side alone!"

Sluuurp!

Branches, pebbles, and stones around me got sucked into the void and vanished.

"Yet when clumped things revert to their original forms!"

Sizzle...

A tree split into water and ash, scattering in the wind.

"Gathering like things is surely a way to grow in size!"

Crack!

Trees in the area merged into a massive spherical form.

Even by its thickness, you could tell—but the tome's spells numbered dozens in type alone.

I organized them mentally while reveling in this mad magic party.

First, destruction spells were the most numerous, followed by transmutation, then summoning.

"...Thus, a small stone tossed from outside spells doom for the frog within!"

Especially toward the later pages, there was even an illustration of a giant meteor hurtling toward Earth.

...Fuck, a meteor?

This is bad...

Plop.

But contrary to my fears, the result was just a tiny pebble dropping before my nose.

For an instant, I saw the tome grinning mischievously like a brat.

My face heated up.

"Y-You grimoire! How dare you toy with me! I thought you were a good tome!"

I said that, but inwardly sighed in relief.

A real meteor would've killed me, mystery or no.

It would've been a mass murder ending dwarfing Yeo Su-jin's.

Smack!

So I smacked the tome's cover once, forgiving the prank.

And a bit more time passed.

The chanting finally reached its end.

"The strongest one! Let's try the thing you've wanted most so far! Show me your true form!"

This time, even I tensed a little.

Up to now, many spells felt dialed back in power by the tome.

'An unexpected bonus.'

The tome was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like a red button, but not crudely firing full-power spells indiscriminately.

As an ego item, it could wield all magic appropriately within ranges safe from harming me.

I could've handled it fine without coming here today.

But it wasn't perfect.

Toward the end, power control showed limits.

My surroundings were already a total mess.

'But!'

I couldn't stop here.

When a man draws a sword—no, a book—he reads it to the end.

Accepting my resolve, the tome revealed the final spell.

The ultimate spell: Bao Zakelga!

Or not.

I chanted a spell over twenty lines long.

At this point, it was more book reading than incantation.

The result?

"...This is the way to embark on a journey beyond the world."

Kwaaaang!

Thunder roared suddenly.

Whiiiish—!

Strong wind rushed from above.

"?!"

I couldn't tell exactly what happened.

Aside from windblown foliage and dust, everything seemed fine.

But.

Thud.

The tome in my hands tipped forward.

I hadn't dropped it.

As if it couldn't go further,

the tome leaned against me of its own accord.

"This is it, huh..."

I lay back in the nearby brush too.

Whether due to my uniqueness or the tome's adjustment, I didn't know.

Couldn't confirm what spell it was, but a strange sense of fulfillment filled my chest.

I see.

Did I just finish reading the tome cover to cover?

Now I truly felt like I'd gone from human Kang Han-sik to mage Kang Han-sik.

And I realized one thing. I'd been mistaken all along.

I became a mage not when I met the tome, but now, upon completing it.

For some reason, my chest swelled with emotion. A sense of accomplishment.

Now I could confidently claim the title of Purifier anywhere.

Of course, I hadn't truly seen the tome's end today.

Many spells required the caster's mana, or materials beyond mere incantation.

But we'd both satisfied ourselves with the reading. Even Key-Key said half was their limit.

Lying there staring at the sky, my face suddenly flushed.

'Fuck.'

I'd gone wild in excitement,

but on second thought, I should hold back some.

Public eyes be damned, but my mindset was skewing too much this way.

The tome was a great partner, but I didn't live ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to read it.

"So, stuff like today—once a month max."

Rumble.

"No. Too often, and it's a nuisance to others."

With the tome's magic relief set to once monthly,

I rose.

Tasks done; time to head back.

Beyond confirming spells, I had plenty more: learn industry basics from Yeo Su-jin, play with Meow, prepare dinner for the apartment residents.

So as I moved to leave—

Rustle.

The brush shook as something approached.

What is it?

A roe deer or stag maybe...

Grrrrr...

...No.

A tiger.

"Wha-wha-what?!"

I scrambled up urgently.

What the fuck!

A tiger out of nowhere?!

Maybe a hallucination? I blinked repeatedly, but it was real.

I hurriedly opened the grimoire!

But I couldn't read it properly.

The text was half-melted from exertion!

It seemed to faintly writhe, trying to reform, but hadn't recovered from exhaustion yet.

I see. Once the tome enters this state, it needs recovery time.

"New info's nice and all!"

But what do I do!

Who's gonna cast magic now!

Did I exhaust myself alone?

You chanted like crazy, master.

I swear I heard that.

Of course, the tome wouldn't say it, so hallucination.

Then.

"...So it's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you, the vermin invading Lord Mountain Lord's territory."

A fury-laced voice came from above.

"A wicked mage of the darkest arts!"

...Pardon?