The Essence of Space Magic: The Nameless Visitor

Leaving behind the cold metallic stench of the Anonymous Visitor Research Institute and the acrid tang of blood, the path back to the dormitory felt both distant and treacherous. After barely reassuring Seol-ha and Jin-ah and sending them to their rooms, my fingertips trembled faintly as I locked my door. The room was oppressively silent. Yet in my ears, the shrill alarm from the server room still echoed, mingled with Kwon Cheol-jung's mocking sneer that had dismissed my parents' deaths like scraps of trash.

I collapsed onto the bed like a puppet with cut strings and pulled two items from my pocket. The Ancient Tome my parents had protected with their lives. And the Essence of Space Magic: Crystallized Ether. The purple crystal gleamed iridescently, pulsing with an eerie throb like the heart of some living abomination.

Was this the final ace my parents had hidden? If I could fully absorb this essence, I'd gain the power to shatter the mighty walls of the Seongjin Group and claim Lee Kang-jin's head.

Suddenly, the cold leather texture of the Ancient Tome against my palm sent a chill through my chest. Come to think of it... Iris's voice hasn't been there since the academy finals ended.

She had stayed by my side until the brutal end of that fierce battle, nagging relentlessly. Sometimes like a little sister, other times a strict mentor, she had been my guide, steadying my resolve. But before the thrill of victory could even fade, Iris had fallen into a miraculous silence. No answer to my calls, not even a page would turn in that endless quiet. Throughout that void, anxiety gnawed at me. What if something had happened to her?

"Iris...? Iris. If you can hear me, say something."

But the book remained utterly mute.

What the hell is going on? Anyway, bringing this essence near the book is making mana leak out. Should I give it a shot?

Without hesitation, I pressed the purple crystal against the emblem on the Ancient Tome.

The crimson warnings stained my vision, giving me a moment's pause. But with my parents' deaths and my burning need to grow stronger, there was no room for hesitation.

"If it's for my future, I have to risk it once."

I concentrated all my mana into my right hand and crushed the crystal against the emblem.

Crack—!

As it shattered, mana of unimaginable density poured out like a waterfall. Pain surged through me, as if boiling mercury coursed through every vein. My 100.1% threshold evaporated in an instant. Just as my body was about to be engulfed and incinerated in purple flames, the pages of the Ancient Tome began flipping wildly, as if caught in a storm.

A blinding purple flash filled the cramped dormitory room, impossible to look away from. As the light faded, a woman's silhouette sharpened amid the rising fog of mana.

I gasped for breath, staring at the figure. And felt my own breath catch in shock.

Long purple hair cascading like molten galaxies, a deep purple dress clinging perilously to voluptuous curves, legs stretched like a model's. The tiny, cute loli Iris I remembered was gone. In her place stood a mature, overwhelmingly intimidating peerless beauty, gazing down at me.

"...Iris? Is that you? You look like a completely different person..."

At my trembling voice, she tilted her head slightly. But her response was ice-cold.

"Ah, you're that brat who woke me from my sleep? Do Jae-hyun, was it?"

My heart plummeted. Her eyes held none of the old playfulness or the warmth of her rushing in with "Oppa!"

"You... don't really remember me? It's me, Do Jae-hyun. You used to nag me all the time, even imprinted magic formulas for me."

"...Oppa? Hmm. Being trapped in this tedious paper prison, I discarded too much. Memories... power..."

Iris gazed wistfully out the window before turning back with a sly smile.

"Before the seal, I stored my memories and power in the ether. Looks like I recovered them nicely?"

She approached slowly from the window.

"I don't know what kind of bratty kid the 'Iris' you knew was, but right now, I'm just your 'administrator' to aid your revenge."

She extended a delicate hand and lightly lifted my chin. Her materialized fingers were ice-cold, the sensation so vividly real it felt surreal.

"Disappointed? But Do Jae-hyun, what you need now isn't a sweet little sister—it's the power to rip space apart. Right?"

Her purple eyes flashed sharply, as if piercing the darkest desires within me.

"Let's make a contract. As you unseal me piece by piece, I'll lend you the authority of space. If you want vengeance for your parents' wrongful deaths... take my hand."

I clenched my fist. Voice changed, form matured—it didn't matter. As Iris said, I needed power now. For the moment, I'd bury the old Iris in my heart.

"Fine. Contract made. But promise me this: make it so I can tear Lee Kang-jin apart with my own hands."

"There, contract complete. Master?"

Iris perched naturally on the edge of my bed, crossing her legs while maintaining her physical form. The cynical title of "Master" instead of "Oppa" stabbed at my chest, but I gripped the Ancient Tome in my hand. First, I needed to adapt to this power.

*

The next dawn, I stood on the dormitory balcony clutching the pendant Professor Lee Si-an had given me. The master of my parents and grandmaster of spatial magic theory—this was their final legacy to me.

"Iris, this pendant... it's not just some trinket, is it?"

From the bed, where she lounged reading the book, Iris replied without lifting her head.

"The mana weave inside is exquisitely crafted. Likely the key to the 'Chamber of Truth' your parents hid until the end. But Master, you're not the only one after that key."

No sooner had she spoken than the air outside the window warped grotesquely.

Whoosh—!

A razor-sharp killing intent grazed my nape. I twisted space instantly, retreating. In that spot, a jet-black sword beam slashed past.

"Oh, not bad reaction speed. No wonder that old coot Lee Si-an made a fuss."

A man lounged casually on the balcony railing. Clad in a worn coat, deep scars around his eyes. A massive black greatsword hung mysteriously on his back.

"Who the hell are you?"

The man swigged from his bottle and grinned.

"Haven't used my name in ages. Folks call ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me Kang Geom. The Ten Emperors and Association call me 'Nameless' and shudder."

Kang Geom. The legendary wanderer said to rival or surpass the Ten Emperors, unofficially.

Why had he appeared now?

"Lee Si-an asked me. I owe your parents a debt. Came to check if their 'Spatial Key' works... and damn, you've awakened a monstrous spirit."

Kang Geom eyed the materialized, mana-radiating Iris with interest.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to steal it like Seongjin's dogs. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Instead, before your overflowing mana makes you self-destruct, I'll teach you how to 'see the seams of space.'"

Kang Geom hopped lightly from the railing into the center of my room. Each step wafted stale cigarette smoke and harsh booze from his coat, but the chill aura cloaking him was far more pungent.

"Heard you handle space... big talk. But right now, you're a balloon about to burst."

He tilted his head, pointing at my heart.

"You bloated your mana tank with that essence, but the outlet's clogged. Swing wild, and your arm flies off before the enemy does."

His words cut like a dagger—precisely true. Mana roiled inside me, ready to rupture my veins.

Iris chimed in lazily from the bedhead.

"Kang Geom's right, Master. Your circuits are a dam on the brink with flood-level mana poured in. Even with my computations, physical overload is inevitable."

I clenched my fists. "...What do I do?"

"Simple. Don't try to 'control' space. That's for gods."

Kang Geom didn't draw his greatsword. He just pinched two fingers and lightly traced the air.

Shhhk—!

A bizarre noise, like a razor slicing silk. A black rift cracked open in empty space, then shattered like mirror shards.

"Space isn't a solid wall. It's a stack of countless thin sheets of paper. Find the tiny 'seams' between them."

He swiped once, restoring space.

"Then spread your mana thin and sharp, wedge it in. That's how you 'Space Cut.'"

Easy words. But my eyes saw only empty air.

"Try it. Fail, and you die here before revenge even starts."

Kang Geom's eyes turned predatory. Pure killing intent. No joke—if I didn't get it, he'd cut me down.

I inhaled, extending my right hand. Drew purple mana from my heart's circle. But it rampaged, clumping wildly at my fingertips.

Hummm—!

Veins bulged like they'd burst from excess mana. Still, nothing visible.

"No... I can't see the seams."

Then, cold energy rose from my shadow, overlaying my vision. Iris.

The world inverted. Over grayscale vision, intricate purple lines wove like a vast net—the framework holding reality, the 'seams' Kang Geom described.

[See it? Next to the dark afterimage Kang Geom left—a faint twisted line. Inject mana there. Gently, like brushstrokes.]

Following Iris's guidance, I suppressed the surging mana. Wrung the waterfall force into a razor-thin thread. Agony burned my fingertips, but I pressed on.

And when my fingertip's purple mana touched the air's 'seam'—

Schlick—!

No physical resistance—just a chillingly smooth sensation flowing up my palm.

The steel desk against the dormitory wall split silently in two. The cut gleamed like polished gemstone.

The top half fell, defying gravity with a heavy thud.

Thud—!

"...Got it."

I exhaled raggedly, staring at my hand. That eerie thrill, like snipping reality with scissors, lingered.

"Hmph, not bad. Hitting the seam on first try."

Kang Geom swigged his bottle, grinning with apparent satisfaction.

"That's the foundation of Space Cut. Not how much mana you pour, but how precisely you pierce the seams. Don't forget that sensation."

Iris approached, lifting my chin again. Her purple eyes held strange satisfaction—and an inscrutable thirst.

"Master, you're somewhat usable now. But this is just the start. As seals unlock, what you'll cut won't be just space."

She whispered coldly in my ear, then dissolved into purple mist, slipping back into my shadow.

Staring at the bisected desk on the floor, I reaffirmed my vow. With this power, I could slice Lee Kang-jin's neck just as cleanly.

Kang Geom resheathed his black greatsword and approached slowly. He pulled a bloodstained badge from his pocket—Seongjin Group's elite security badge.

"Tomorrow night, a secret auction under Seongjin management. Word is, your parents' hidden log is up for bid. Don't wanna die solo? Come with me, raise some hell?"

A chance to strike straight at Lee Kang-jin's heart. I met Kang Geom's gaze squarely.

"No reason to refuse."

With Iris's cold laugh from the shadows, my eyes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blazed deep purple.

Kang Geom leaped from the balcony.

"Stabilize your mana before the auction tomorrow."

And he vanished from sight.

Clutching the pendant, I stared into the darkened cityscape. My parents' master Lee Si-an, and new ally Kang Geom. Pieces were falling into place on the chessboard of vengeance.

Time to go rip out the heart of Seongjin Group.

The hunt begins.