Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: The Price of a Wish
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“Hurry up. You’re driving me crazy.”
At the low, rumbling voice of the muscular, bull-headed beastman—a Minotaur—about thirty men flinched and quickened their pace.
Clank, clank.
The unpleasant metallic sound of rusted iron clashing echoed through the silence.
Like a procession of mutes, not a single one of them spoke as they walked, their faces no different from animals being led to a slaughterhouse.
But among them was one man.
A man constantly scanning his surroundings with dark eyes, his expression entirely different from the others.
While the others hung their heads with dark, dead expressions, this man was filled with the tension of a soldier just before heading into battle.
‘What is this? This anxiety and unease….’
It had been about thirty minutes since he entered the Magic Tower through the back gate.
Following the Minotaur's directions, Lee Si-woo had entered the tower's basement and was now descending an endless spiral staircase.
But something was strange.
From the moment he stepped into the basement, Si-woo felt an extreme anxiety he hadn't experienced in a long time.
‘Strange. The closer I get to the bottom… the more I feel a foreboding sense, like my heart is being squeezed tight.’
At first, he wondered if the others felt it too, but they didn't.
The others might have been resigned and despairing, but they showed no signs of the same extreme anxiety as Si-woo.
‘Should I run… right now?’
Si-woo was startled by the thought that had unknowingly popped into his head.
He realized he was being consumed by a fear he hadn't felt even against a strong opponent like Yuryung.
‘There's… something down here.’
Faint lights, like lamps in an abandoned mine.
A line of lights like a row of dying fireflies.
And in the center of the spiral staircase, where the light couldn't reach, was a black hole.
Was it because the darkness seemed to be licking its chops with its maw wide open?
Si-woo couldn't bring himself to take another step.
The Minotaur, displeased by his hesitation, smacked Si-woo on the back with his palm.
“What are you doing? I said walk faster! We still have over an hour to the workshop, and stragglers like you will just slow us down! You bastard, if you keep falling behind, I might just push you off. Got it?”
At the Minotaur's threat, Si-woo bowed his head and said.
“I'm sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment….”
“Watch… huh?”
The Minotaur, who had been pointing and about to curse at Si-woo, sensed something strange and looked around.
He fell on his butt, startled as if he'd seen a ghost.
Though they had been walking down the stairs—he had even been scolding Si-woo just a moment ago—they had somehow arrived at the door to the ruins at the very bottom of the tower's basement.
“Wh-when did we get here? We should have had to go down for at least another hour….”
The Minotaur wasn't the only one who was surprised.
The gatekeeper mage guarding the ruins was just as shocked by their sudden appearance.
“What the! When did you guys get here? Damn it, there was no one here just a moment ago…?”
In response to the mage's question, the Minotaur frantically shook his head and blurted out.
“I-I don't know. I was just leading these humans down the stairs, and suddenly….”
Just then, the door to the ruins behind the gatekeeper began to slowly open.
Creeak.
As the jade-colored door, like a massive castle gate, opened on its own, the gatekeeper mage deployed his mana shield to its limit and quickly retreated.
It was a nimble reaction, as if from someone with experience.
The gatekeeper mage swallowed dryly and stared beyond the ruin's door.
He was a 2nd Circle human mage who, despite being humiliated by Isabelle not long ago, had volunteered to continue his post as gatekeeper to solidify his position within the tower.
Why? At that moment, an urban legend-like rumor circulating within the tower came to mind.
-There's a reason they prefer and give special treatment to human mages for the ruins gatekeeper position.
-My human mage friend who became a gatekeeper after being promised vast training resources never came back.
-I don't know why, but they say they only use human laborers for the ruin's research. But one thing's for sure: no human who has entered the ruins has ever returned.
‘No, those are all just baseless rumors. This is just... just a coincidence…’
Shhhhh.
A portal like a black cavern appeared in the darkness beyond the ruin's door.
Seeing the black portal, Si-woo's eyes twitched.
The black hand that had brought him here.
He recognized this as the portal that had birthed it.
However, Si-woo soon realized this portal was different from the one he knew.
‘Yellow… eyes?’
Yellow eyes, like a full moon, gazed intently this way.
Si-woo shivered with a chill like making eye contact with an intruder through a keyhole he'd curiously peeked into.
And he realized.
*That* was the reason for the anxiety that had been tickling his spine since he'd set foot here.
-Why are you special to him?
A voice.
A voice like thunder that shattered the heartstrings, a typhoon that shook intellect and reason to their core.
At last, Si-woo understood why people like Harman in Barathrum feared him.
This was different from fear or dread.
It was simply… natural.
As if it were a matter of course that one must listen and obey upon hearing that voice.
-And why do I feel favor toward you, whom I see for the first time?
Si-woo let out a dry cough.
But no saliva came out.
The moisture in his body had dried up so completely it felt as though a drought had struck his veins.
Thirst welled up, and hunger surged.
The yellow eyes studied Si-woo.
Their gaze swept through his inside and out.
Seemingly satisfied upon discovering Si-woo's six magic roots, the full moon-like yellow eyes became half-moons.
-I like you. I shall give you a gift.
And Si-woo remembered.
The mana technique for handling six magic roots.
Hexagram.
It was very strange.
It wasn't so much that the knowledge was injected, but more like he was rediscovering something he had forgotten long ago.
-Normally, I would have to take your most precious thing as payment, but I will let it slide. I have already arranged to receive him.
‘Him? Who is he talking about?’
-With this, you and I are connected by a thread. Now you can borrow what is mine, and I have a reason to possess you. But... this is strange. Even though we are connected, a part of you feels opaque, as if shrouded in a thick fog.
As if finding Si-woo's existence peculiar, the yellow eyes blinked.
-This is very interesting, and yet, unpleasant. But it should be fine. After 'three times,' you will be mine anyway. Ah, I correct myself. It has just become 'two times.' With this, you and I have grown one step closer….
The yellow eyes, after spouting incomprehensible words from start to finish, slowly faded beyond the black portal.
Leaving one last, inexplicably chilling remark, the yellow eyes vanished along with the black portal.
-I will eagerly await the day we meet again.
*Cough.*
After the yellow eyes left, Si-woo coughed up a clump of dark red blood.
Nauseated by the rotten smell of the blood clot that came from his own body, Si-woo retched repeatedly.
“Haa… haa……”
He wiped away the tears streaming helplessly from his eyes with the back of his hand.
But what he thought were tears was blood.
‘...What was it that I met? And who is the 'he' it mentioned, and what is this 'thread'?’
Si-woo stood up, letting the cool air soothe his sweat-drenched back.
He casually glanced down at the unusually sticky floor, which felt like he had stepped in mud, and his body froze.
What he had stepped on was not mud, but an unidentifiable dark red liquid formed from what was once people, or living things, that had melted.
“Haha… hahaha….”
No one.
No one except for him had survived.
The gatekeeper, the Minotaur, and the thirty-some humans who came with them.
They had all melted away like candle wax before the sun, their lives ended.
Clenching his teeth so hard his gums bled, Si-woo steadied his staggering body and forced himself to walk.
He had to get out of this place as quickly as possible.
To avoid having to explain to someone the events of this place, which even he didn't understand.
* * *
Isabelle stared blankly out the window.
A gloomy sky.
A downpour of rain.
It was the kind of weather that made one crave a drink, a day that made one feel inexplicably melancholic.
‘Should I contact Si-woo?’
Isabelle was debating whether to tell Si-woo that Elim was up to something.
If she told him, she feared potential repercussions; if she didn't, she felt an uncharacteristic pang of guilt.
‘Ah, damn it. Shit, why did that bastard Elim have to show up now and cause this mess. Just when things were going so well... Crap, it's a waste to throw Si-woo away here… he's still so useful….’
Just then, someone burst through Isabelle's door.
It was Kenyon, his face pale as if from a great shock.
Noticing the unannounced visitor was her father, Isabelle spoke with a sullen expression.
“Hey, why'd you come in without knocking? So rude.”
“You, tell me the truth.”
“Ugh~ what is it? What's the problem now?”
“Si-woo, who the hell is behind him?”
“Huh? What are you talking about? Barging in here out of nowhere and asking who's behind Si-woo?”
“Elim is dead.”
For a moment, Isabelle was speechless.
A dozen thoughts tangled in her mind.
A moment later, Isabelle finally managed to speak.
“Wait a minute. What did you say? Who's dead?”
Kenyon strode over, picked up the teacup in front of Isabelle, and downed it in one gulp.
Only then, as if a weight had been lifted from his chest, Kenyon exhaled and spoke.
“You. Do you know what happens when a Summoner dies?”
“…The wrath of a god. The enraged god carries out an 'execution'.”
“Correct. The Summoners, known as the Knights of the Gods, move as a group to punish the one who killed a Summoner. So you must know what a great disaster and a terrifying thing a Summoner's death is.”
“Of course I know. How could I not? It's the very reason why Granada, which originally had four Magic Towers, is now down to three.”
In the past, a Magic Tower killed a Summoner and incurred a god's wrath, facing execution.
As a result, only three Magic Towers remained in Granada.
Therefore, in a sense, Summoners were Untouchable.
A sacred ground that could not be touched.
They were that in and of themselves.
“Do you know what I saw? I just came from the scene left behind by the headless bodies of the selectors and Elim's headless corpse. It was horrific. At first, I thought… it was some kind of cult ritual. But do you know what's even stranger? The fact that even though a Summoner was killed, no one is making a move. Not his fellow Summoners, not even his god.”
Isabelle couldn't control her trembling heart.
She felt she knew why Elim had died.
‘He touched the Faceless Lord's person.’
The wrath of a god is directed only at mortals, not at other gods.
Therefore, if a god killed the Summoner, neither the god nor the other Summoners would act.
Because a god does not rage against another god.
‘My god… I've really connected with someone incredible. To just kill off a Summoner for trying to mess with someone like Si-woo? The Faceless Lord… is truly amazing! The best! This is absolutely thrilling!’
Isabelle felt more excitement than fear.
She was thrilled to have formed a connection with a being so immense that they could kill a Summoner backed by a god without a second thought.
Because of this, her flushed face and trembling lips actually seemed natural.
To anyone watching, she looked like someone bewildered by unexpected bad news.
Kenyon studied Isabelle's face, then clicked his tongue.
“Well, I suppose there's no way you would know. Or maybe this has nothing to do with Si-woo at all. Yes, that's more plausible. It's a coincidence that Elim died right after scheming against Si-woo… but still, thinking a Summoner died over a single 1st Circle mage would be a groundless fear.”
“That's right. As far as I know, there's no one behind Si-woo but me.”
Kenyon looked disapprovingly at Isabelle, who was openly declaring herself Si-woo's backer.
“Tsk, you have too much time on your hands. You should be taking care of yourself. Why are you looking after some human?”
“Hmph, that's my business. Besides, why did you suddenly barge in and pick a fight? Shit, the weather was gloomy and I was just getting into the mood.”
“…You should really start speaking more politely. You've been gaining quite a bit of influence lately. If you're going to be in a position to lead people, you need to fix that flippant way of speaking.”
“Whether I fix it or not is none of your business. Anyway, I get it, so please leave. Elim's death is surprising… but from my perspective, it's actually a good thing. Si-woo was too valuable a card to just throw away.”
Kenyon stared at Isabelle, a faint suspicion lingering in his eyes.
For some reason, he had a feeling this little troublemaker knew something.
‘I'd better keep a close eye on Si-woo and Isabelle. No matter how I think about it… something seems fishy.’
* * *
Thump, thump, thump.
A white-haired man, his hair like fallen snow, was juggling a ball with the tips of his feet.
Standing beside the white-haired man, the white, misty specter, Umbra, spoke.
“My apologies. I should have stepped in.”
The white-haired man, Jin, shook his head with a nonchalant expression.
“Step in with what? No matter how skilled you are, you can't just kill a Summoner. If you mess up and incur a god's wrath, a useful tool like you might have to be discarded.”
Even though Jin treated him like an object, Umbra replied politely without a hint of displeasure.
“Thank you for your consideration. But, Lord Jin, may I ask a presumptuous question?”
“A presumptuous question? Well, I can probably guess what it is... go ahead. I'm curious.”
“How did you deal with the Summoner, Elim? As far as I know... you no longer have any influence to borrow the family's power. Besides, even for the Graves family, killing a Summoner so easily in this distant land is an extremely... difficult task, is it not?”
At the rather predictable question, Jin let out a low laugh.
“It's not hard. You just have to summon a genie from a lamp.”
“A genie... from a lamp? You mean the being from the fairy tale?”
“That's right. I have a really amazing and cool friend who grants three wishes. Well, thanks to this, I'm down to two now, but it couldn't be helped. I couldn't let my brother get a headache over some nobody.”
As Jin rambled on with his strange monologue, Umbra tilted his head and remained silent.
He sometimes couldn't understand Jin.
It wasn't just today; it had been the same back with the Graves family.
It was a vague feeling, but even within the family, Jin had a strong sense of being a loner.
Yes, like a single drop of oil that had fallen alone into clear water.
Thump, thump, thump.
*Thud, roll, roll.*
The ball, which had seemed like it would bounce on the tips of Jin's feet forever, fell and rolled across the floor.
A broken horn on its forehead, eyes and tongue gouged out.
What he had thought was a ball was Elim's head.
Jin stared blankly at the empty eye sockets of Elim's head rolling at his feet and muttered.
“How nice would it be if my genie of the lamp also left after granting all the wishes, just like in the fairy tale? But that won't happen. Unlike in fairy tales, in reality, you have to pay a fitting price to have your wishes granted.”