Chapter 421: 10. The Final Story (2/9)
Chapter 421: 10. The Final Story (2/9)
It was a dark dawn, the cold air having settled in. Waking suddenly, Hangyul swallowed hard. He was terribly thirsty, perhaps from the salty food he’d had for dinner.
“What time is it…?”
Hangyul glanced at the window and shook his head. The fogginess in his mind cleared, if only slightly.
A moment later, he rustled out of bed and quietly opened his door. He complained, his lips trembling from the chill that assaulted his entire body. It was so unfair that he had to walk across the garden in this weather just for a glass of water.
“Ugh… Cold, cold, cold.”
As expected, the garden was freezing. Hangyul hunched his shoulders and crossed the garden against the mercilessly blowing wind. As soon as he finally reached the main building, he let out a huge breath he’d been holding. It felt like some of the coldness that had filled him was finally escaping.
As expected for this time of night, the first floor was deserted. Only an eerie darkness remained, lingering around the empty counter and lobby.
Hangyul looked around the first floor for a long while, then turned with a lonely expression and walked down the silent corridor. He slowly opened the door to the dining hall and took a step inside.
Clang.
The sound of something hitting hard shattered the surrounding silence. Hangyul, who had just been about to enter, looked up with the wide eyes of a startled rabbit. At the same time, he let out a low groan. In the dining hall he had thought was empty, a figure was sitting slumped at a table.
Clang.
The sound rang out again. Hangyul enhanced his vision with magic power and focused on the figure whose back was turned to him. He immediately identified the person and the source of the sound. The figure was Ahn Hyun.
Ahn Hyun was sitting alone at the table, tilting a bottle he held in his hand. Hangyul gently furrowed his brow and covered his nose. The reek of alcohol vibrated through the air, pungently stinging his nostrils.
Ahn Hyun didn’t seem to have noticed him yet. He soon tossed the bottle to one side, then immediately picked up a new one and brought it to his lips, mumbling something unintelligible and occasionally letting out deep sighs.
Hangyul instinctively froze. He stood where he was and watched Ahn Hyun quietly.
How much time had passed? Just as the number of bottles piling up on one side of the table began to grow, and just as Hangyul had completely forgotten his goal of getting a drink of water, Ahn Hyun’s repetitive cycle of drinking and sighing changed for the first time. He suddenly picked up the spear he had carefully placed beside him and began to stare at it intently.
The spear, a deep jet-black from tip to butt, seemed at first to be buried in the darkness. But the eerie light flowing from its tip fiercely proclaimed its existence, refusing to assimilate with the shadows.
Hangyul suddenly swallowed. Ahn Hyun, staring intently at the spear. The sight felt strangely different from the Ahn Hyun he was used to seeing.
Just then, a piercing blue energy surged from the tip of the spear. At the same time, Ahn Hyun closed his eyes and shot to his feet. Hangyul took a short breath and wondered. What is he trying to do in the dead of night, in the dining hall of all places? His face is too serious to think he’s just messing around.
Soon, Ahn Hyun aimed his spear diagonally into the empty air and slowly bent his knees. Though he staggered a bit, it was clear he was taking some kind of stance.
The moment he saw the stance, Hangyul recalled a memory. The stance Ahn Hyun had just taken was the one he’d used during his test with Cha Sorim not long ago… the initial stance he’d taken before his form had collapsed.
Hangyul hesitated. After the test, Ahn Hyun had been in a daze for a while. It was so bad that even Lee Yoojung had gone over to comfort him. Though he had soon snapped out of it and smiled, saying he was fine, Hangyul had felt that his smile was somehow forced.
The blue light coiling around the spear’s tip grew sharper. A strong urge to stop him rose in his mind, but Hangyul couldn’t move a single step. He doubted he could actually stop him, and the atmosphere surrounding Ahn Hyun was just too serious.
Should I stop him or not? Should I keep watching or leave? Or should I tell Soohyun-hyung-nim?
While Hangyul was wavering, unable to decide on anything, Ahn Hyun’s eyes flashed open, spewing forth a blue flame.
And in that instant.
BOOM!
A brilliant light flashed from the spear and Ahn Hyun’s entire body, and a violent explosion ripped through the air.
“Keuk!”
A single scream followed. It all happened so fast that Hangyul couldn’t tell what had occurred. But he knew one thing instinctively. Something had gone wrong.
The words Hangyul had been holding back burst out reflexively.
“Hyung!”
But no answer came. As the explosive light faded and the billowing smoke thinned, the situation slowly, slowly came into view.
The first thing he saw was the table, shattered to pieces by the blast’s aftermath. Next to it, the black spear, heated to a glow, was giving off a white haze.
Hangyul reflexively looked for Ahn Hyun. He wasn’t near the table, so he quickly raised his head and scanned the entire dining hall.
“Ugh… ugh…”
A moment later, a faint groan came from somewhere, and Hangyul’s gaze snapped toward it. He found Ahn Hyun, who had crashed into the kitchen counter and collapsed.
“Hyung! Are you okay? Are you alright?”
He called out loudly, but still, no answer came. In that moment, he forgot all about his thirst and his many complicated thoughts.
“Hyung!”
Without another thought, Hangyul rushed forward.
*
Morning came. My head felt a little fuzzy, perhaps from all the thinking I’d done during the night.
I opened the window, intending to get a little fresh air before starting the day in earnest. I stared out at the garden as a cool breeze blew in. A cup of hot tea made by Ko Yeonju would have been the icing on the cake. Aside from that one thing, it was a decent morning. Soothing my disappointment, I stretched with all my might.
I was suddenly reminded of the conversation I’d had with Seon Yul a few days ago. The ancient magic city, Magia. I hadn’t confirmed the details yet, but her idea was quite tempting.
Rebuilding Magia. That phrase wasn’t limited to the simple meaning of adding another city to the Northern Continent. Externally, it could raise the currently stagnant level of magic in the Northern Continent by several stages. Internally, we could gain a strategic weapon whose purpose was defense.
Come to think of it, Seon Yul’s words made a lot of sense. The answer was in Mavolo’s records.
After imprisoning the hero Lloyd and the elf queen Margarita, he single-handedly annihilated the army of the saintess Grazia, who came to retrieve them.
There were also the countless magic circles that had appeared within the city when I fought him. The magic circles that had assaulted me from both sides back then had emanated energies equivalent to eternal snow and the scorching heat of hellfire. Of course, they were mere imitations, but even that was an incredible feat.
It makes me curious what kind of magic circles are buried there.
If things worked out as Seon Yul said, it would be a considerable help to my future plans. We would possess the best defensive city in the Hall Plain, one with endless potential for use. It might even be a chance to elevate Vivian’s status.
However, it was all just a thought for now. Imagining a rosy future already was just counting my chickens before they hatched. Rebuilding a city was not as easy as it sounded. If I could simply plant the ‘Ordo of Order’ and declare, “Rebuilding complete,” I wouldn’t have even hesitated.
We have to clear a path… restore the ruined buildings… and we need the cooperation of the users.
It was then. In the middle of my thoughts, I slightly turned my head to look at the door. I could feel a presence lingering outside. I knew who it was without looking. I waited for a moment, and as the presence began to move away again, I sank back into my thoughts.
Reconstruction would cost an astronomical amount of money and require immense effort. It was a plan too daunting for the Mercenary Clan, which still had fewer than twenty members, to handle alone. Seon Yul knew that fact well.
‘If you look at history, no clan has ever pioneered a city on its own. All the clans, all the users, worked together to expand the cities and make them livable.’
Seon Yul had presented two conditions upon finishing her words. First, if the city were to be rebuilt, we must allow users to move in freely. Second, when distributing shares of the city, the Tower of Magic should be second only to the Mercenary Clan.
Of course, she had promised cooperation commensurate with those demands, but in truth, her conditions were so obvious they were barely worth calling conditions at all.
The more we revitalized the city, the more diverse economic effects we could create, and the resulting profits would belong entirely to the Mercenary Clan. The distribution wasn’t a big problem either. As long as we took more than 50.1%, it would be fine, and in fact, since the ‘Ordo of Order’ was the key, the distribution itself was meaningless.
The ancient magic city, Magia. The greatest magic city, built during the peak golden age of magic in the ancient Hall Plain.
I couldn’t deny it was a mouth-watering plan, but the bigger the prize, the more careful I had to be. The moment it all went south, it would mean we had wasted money, time, and effort.
Let’s not get ahead of myself. I just need to quietly wait for the next report and confirm things.
I let out a sigh and closed the window. I decided to take my time thinking about it. It wasn’t a plan that could be achieved in a short time anyway. Seon Yul had agreed on this point and had promised to conduct a more detailed investigation over several months and keep me updated on the progress.
I sat down and tapped my fingers on the table. Then, as the presence returned and stood before the door again, I spoke softly.
“How long are you going to wait to come in?”
I felt the presence flinch.
“Stop making me wait and just come in already, User Ahn Hyun.”
About five seconds passed. Then the door opened cautiously, and Ahn Hyun, with an awkward expression, sheepishly stepped inside. The moment our eyes met, he even let out a “Hehe.”
“Come and sit.”
I gestured to the sofa in front of me, and Ahn Hyun quickly scurried over and sat down. He kept anxiously glancing at me, as if he was afraid a harsh scolding was about to come down.
“So. Are you feeling better?”
“Ah, yes. I’m fine now. I heard Hyung-nim rushed over and treated me right away. Thank you.”
“It was a close call. Your circuits were twisted, and your magic power was running rampant. You should thank Hangyul for letting me know immediately.”
“Yes, Hyung-nim. And I’m sorry. This is entirely my fault.”
Well, of course it’s your fault. The thought was true, but seeing Ahn Hyun already bowing his head, I just shook my own.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re okay. Shall we talk now? Hangyul gave me a relatively detailed account of the situation. He said you were enjoying a drink when you suddenly picked up your spear and took a stance. Were you in the middle of image training?”
“Well…”
“Why did you do it?”
“Haha. It was just… actually, it was just a drunken antic. I have some pretty bad drunken habits. I think I probably did it without thinking.”
Ahn Hyun answered with another “hehe.” But from his clumsy smile, I could tell it wasn’t the truth.
“…Really?”
“Yes, Hyung-nim. It’s really embarrassing to tell you the truth. Hahaha.”
I stared at Ahn Hyun intently. I tapped the table a few more times, then finally nodded.
“Alright. I get it. Just be careful next time. You can go now.”
“Yes… Huh?”
Ahn Hyun’s eyes went wide as he asked again. He seemed quite surprised that I was letting it go so easily. I took a cigarette from my pocket and continued calmly.
“Oh, right. You know there’s a meeting this morning, right? Make sure you’re not late.”
“…I understand.”
Ahn Hyun stared at me blankly, then awkwardly rose to his feet. He bowed once, then straightened up. I watched him quietly. For some reason, Ahn Hyun’s eyes, as he looked at me, seemed both relieved and lonely.
I put the cigarette I’d taken out to my lips. Then I raised a flint with my fingers and quietly lit it. I’d tried lighting it with Eternal Flame once, but she’d been so disgusted…
— Good thing you remembered. You just try that one more time. I really won’t let it slide then.
…I was restraining myself.
I slowly raised my head. Ahn Hyun had already turned and was walking slowly toward the door.
Just as he was about to step outside, I stopped tapping my fingers on the table. And I spoke quietly.
“Hyun-ah.”
Ahn Hyun’s steps halted. Before he could turn his head, I continued speaking quietly.
And in that moment.
“Were you that resentful?”
His head, which had been turning, stopped midway.
“…Excuse me?”
“I asked if you were that resentful.”
Ahn Hyun’s voice trembled as he replied.
After exhaling a puff of smoke, I spoke gently.
“When swordsmanship reaches its highest level, there is a state where the person becomes the sword and the sword becomes the person. That state is called Sword-Human Unity. Of course, the spear is no exception. In a spearman’s Player Status, it would probably be expressed as Spear-Human Unity.”
“I, I see…”
“Users reached Unity around Year 4 on average. But that was just an average. Some Users reached it faster, while others never reached it at all… Anyway, what you did yesterday was probably a foundational step toward achieving Spear-Human Unity.”
“W-wait a minute, Hyung-nim. You’re saying Users can reach Unity… N-no. You’re saying it’s expressed in the Player Status?”
“That’s right. Spear-Human Unity is not an Ability, but a special or potential ability.”
“!”
At the finally revealed truth, Ahn Hyun turned his body fully to face me. His once-calm eyes were trembling uncontrollably, likely from surprise in more ways than one.
In truth, I knew why Ahn Hyun had done it. He must have realized a lot about himself after his duel with Cha Sorim. As a result, Ahn Hyun wanted to get stronger in a short amount of time and ultimately chose to learn an Ability. The problem was that what he was trying to learn wasn’t an Ability, but an ‘ability.’
“You… knew?”
“To some extent.”
Of course, I knew. Because what you’re doing is exactly the same as what I did back in my early years. I smiled faintly as I recalled my first playthrough.
“Then why didn’t you say anything…?”
“Because while your actions were wrong, I didn’t think your intention itself was bad.”
The cigarette had already burned down to the end. Crushing the filter into the ashtray, I spoke softly.
“Ahn Hyun. You know we’re going on another expedition soon, right?”
“Yes…”
“The members have already been decided. Three existing members, seven new members. I plan to announce you and Cha Sorim among them, and I intend to place you at the vanguard.”
“…The vanguard?”
That was right. In the meeting held after my encounter with Seon Yul, I had changed my mind and announced preparations for an expedition. I felt it was still too early to talk about the ancient magic city of Magia.
I nodded my head.
“I won’t say much.”
Then I spoke calmly.
“User Ahn Hyun is still only a Year 1 User. Yes. As I’ve said time and time again, now is the time to focus on your Player Status. Abilities are still too early for you.”
“But…”
“So… on this expedition, I want you to watch and feel. And learn for yourself. That is what you need to do right now.”
“What I need to do…”
Watching Ahn Hyun, who was now just blinking, I continued softly.
“I understand how you feel. The farther away the destination, the more you want to get there quickly. However. I know you’re resentful, but don’t be hasty. And don’t hesitate, don’t give up.”
“Don’t be hasty. Don’t give up.”
Ahn Hyun repeated my words like a parrot. He looked as if he were possessed by something.
Watching Ahn Hyun slowly raise his head, I spoke quietly.
“Yes. You can become strong. So until you reach your destination, all you have to do is push forward, calmly.”