Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: The Savior's Identity
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No. 44 let out a sigh of relief as he watched Yoana, who was suspended in mid-air with a knife embedded in Lee Si-woo’s abdomen.
Judging by Si-woo’s condition, though he was seriously injured, he wasn’t yet at death's door.
‘It’s a good thing I had the Wind Peacock with its summoning and return abilities stationed here. Otherwise, this would have been a disaster.’
In fact, No. 44 had been on the verge of tearing through the barrier and entering the mountain range himself if necessary.
He had been out of contact with Lee Si-woo for too long.
But just in time, the Wind Peacock sent a summoning signal, and he was able to arrive on the scene immediately by borrowing its power.
It was an incredible stroke of luck.
Had he been even a little late, it would have become an eternal regret.
“Five.”
As he began the five-second countdown he had declared, Yoana warned him in a calm tone.
“No. 44… So, someone important has arrived.”
“Four.”
“However, if you kill me, you won’t get away unscathed. The Spider Matriarch is here.”
Though she was trying her best to feign composure, Yoana was, in fact, incredibly flustered.
Among the members of Dawn, the lower the number on their mask, the higher their rank and skill.
And he was No. 44?
That meant he was at least a 5th Circle mage.
No, there was a high probability he was a master who had reached the 6th Circle.
Even though she was an Ancient, one of the Four Great Royal Species, in her current 2nd Circle mechanical body, the difference in their levels was so vast she could be slaughtered in the blink of an eye.
“I know. That’s why I don’t plan on dragging this out.”
Startled by the voice that suddenly came from behind, Yoana turned her head to see that No. 44 had already stopped counting and was positioned behind her.
No. 44’s hand descended upon her mechanical helmet.
Guessing how he had managed to get behind her in an instant, Yoana muttered.
“Blink? This distance…?”
The 1st Circle spatial magic, Blink, was an overpowered spell for its Circle, but it had the drawback of a short teleportation distance.
Yet No. 44 had just covered a distance of at least ten meters in a single leap.
It was a phenomenon that defied common sense.
As if he had no intention of satisfying her curiosity, No. 44 spoke in a cold voice.
“I was going to kill you in one blow, but hearing about the Spider Matriarch has changed my mind. If you die, she’ll appear here immediately… and that would be very troublesome for me.”
Mana flowed from No. 44’s hand, through Yoana’s forehead, and into her entire body.
Yoana let out a silent scream at the disgusting sensation, as if her blood vessels were being filled with thick, muddy sludge.
She could vividly feel No. 44’s mana violently churning through the Ancient’s mana circuits.
At his level, there was no need to use spells against a 2nd Circle mage.
He could simply crush and overwhelm his opponent with sheer mana, just as he was doing now.
*Pshhhk.*
Yoana’s body trembled like a malfunctioning robot as gray smoke billowed from all her joints.
With her mana circuits—the magical muscles of an Ancient—completely burned out, she had been reduced to little more than scrap.
After effortlessly incapacitating her, No. 44 twisted his right hand, which was fitted with the Dimension Knife, and pulled it out.
“A Dimension Weapon. A dangerous and precious item. So much so that you could never get your hands on one unless you had the good fortune of encountering a 2nd Circle Ancient. Thank you. I’ll be taking this.”
In truth, low-Circle Ancients were beings practically out of a fantasy.
Due to their nature of periodically changing bodies, they would never venture outside during their period of weakness in a new vessel, when they were as vulnerable as newly hatched chicks.
So, this was an instance where No. 44 could praise himself for his incredible luck.
If an Ancient had appeared before him in a high-Circle body, he couldn’t have guaranteed victory, even as a member of Dawn, nor would he have been able to acquire a masterpiece like the Dimension Weapon.
“N-No…”
“What do you mean, no? You should be grateful I’m letting you live.”
As if his business with her was done, No. 44 kicked Yoana in the stomach.
She fell through the air like a puppet with its strings cut, tumbling wretchedly onto the ground.
No. 44 checked on Lee Si-woo, who was barely staying afloat in the air, supported by wings of wind.
“Hmm, the wound isn’t fatal, but it’s not light either. Let’s go.”
Lee Si-woo stared blankly at No. 44, who was pressing mana into his abdomen, performing first aid like staunching the bleeding in an instant.
“May I ask for a favor?”
“A favor? What is it?”
“I would like you to kill Yoana.”
“…That will be difficult. Behind that Ancient is the powerful being known as the Spider Matriarch, and she will teleport here the moment that Ancient dies.”
“Just as you appeared when I was in danger?”
“Yes. And if that happens, I’ll be hard-pressed to save myself, let alone look after you. No… I would surely die as well. That’s the kind of being the Matriarch is.”
Lee Si-woo bit his lower lip hard.
Yoana had seen him wield the power of Barathrum and believed it to be the power of the Faceless God.
If he let her go now, that secret would leak to the organization called Black Night.
He couldn't even begin to fathom how fatally the consequences would affect him. Lee Si-woo absolutely could not let Yoana live.
‘If possible, I’d like to devour that Ancient… but using the power of Barathrum in front of this man would be a self-defeating move…’
Lee Si-woo cautiously asked No. 44.
“In that case, what about erasing the Ancient’s memories? Would that be possible?”
“Her memories? Hmm… It seems she saw something she shouldn’t have.”
As No. 44 spoke in a suggestive tone, Lee Si-woo, worried that he might grow curious about his secret, preempted him.
“She knows I took the Elemental Stone.”
“The Elemental Stone… So, you were the one who took it after all. Hmm… I suppose it’s unthinkable that Black Night would let a small fry who took their coveted treasure live. Tsk, my thinking was too simple.”
Having said that, No. 44 let out a deep sigh.
Initially, despite his threats, he had no real intention of killing the Ancient.
After all, the Ancients were once members of Dawn.
As such, even though they were now subordinate to Black Night, they had an unspoken agreement to go easy on each other.
If one side held back, pretending not to, the other would play along, also feigning ignorance.
It was like seeing a divorced ex-wife, a relationship akin to love-hate.
No. 44 muttered.
“It can’t be helped.”
No. 44 pointed his index finger at Yoana, and a thread of mana shot out from his fingertip.
Feeling the mana thread pierce her head and tightly bind her main chip, Yoana screamed.
“No! Don’t do it!”
Having spent so much time together, how could they not know each other’s weaknesses?
Realizing that No. 44 intended to destroy her memory chip, Yoana struggled desperately, but with her mana circuits burned out, there was nothing she could do.
*Crackle.*
With the sound of circuits burning, the red eye flashing in the center of Yoana’s mechanical helmet lost its light.
As she dropped her head like a powered-down robot, No. 44 spoke.
“Her memory chip is damaged, so she’s become an imbecile. Is that sufficient?”
It wasn’t entirely satisfying since he couldn’t kill her, but what could he do?
He was in no position to make demands when he was the one being helped.
Lee Si-woo bowed his head deeply.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“If that’s all, let’s be on our way.”
“Um… I’m sorry to keep asking for favors, but I left a colleague behind on my way here. Would it be possible to bring him along?”
“This isn’t the time to be leisurely, but if it’s a colleague, I suppose it can’t be helped. Alright, let’s take him with us.”
No. 44 wrapped an arm around Lee Si-woo’s side and whistled.
The Wind Peacock flew over in a flurry and landed on his shoulder. Immediately, No. 44 shot out of the cavern with the speed of a light beam.
And then, about thirty minutes later?
A woman in a golden spider mask appeared out of thin air in the empty cavern.
She looked down at Yoana in silence for a moment before letting out a soft snort and lifting her foot.
*Crunch.*
Crushing Yoana’s head as if it were a cracker on the ground, she left the cavern with her hands clasped behind her back.
Her gait was as leisurely as someone out for a stroll.
***
On the peak of a nameless mountain near the Niam Mountains.
Three figures appeared amidst an auspicious wind of light among the gathered members of Dawn, all wearing faceless masks.
It was No. 44, carrying the unconscious Yahalong over his shoulder like a sack of luggage and holding Lee Si-woo by his side.
Upon No. 44’s arrival, the other members greeted him politely.
“Welcome, No. 44.”
“Yes, sorry to have kept you waiting. Ah, and No. 67. Thanks to your peacock, I was able to come and go with ease. Things would have been quite complicated otherwise.”
“I’m glad I could be of help.”
“More importantly, what of the other magic towers’ movements?”
“The moment the barrier fell, they all poured into the Niam Mountains. It was absolute chaos. So, speaking of which… what happened to the Elemental Stone?”
No. 44 set down Lee Si-woo, who had been tucked under his arm, and said.
“This one has ingested it.”
At No. 44’s words, the members of Dawn let out a collective gasp.
Perhaps because things had unfolded just as No. 44 had boasted before, No. 67 asked with an even more deferential attitude.
“He has obtained the Elemental Stone? He will surely become a great pillar of Dawn in the future.”
“Who knows? It’s not yet certain whether he’ll become a pillar of Dawn or not.”
“…Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
The other members remained silent at No. 44’s words.
Lee Si-woo couldn't see their eyes behind the faceless masks, but he could guess their expressions without looking.
With a nuance full of reproach or censure, No. 67 spoke.
“No. 44, four members of Dawn were deployed this time. Furthermore, the Spider Matriarch appeared, creating an immense risk of being discovered. And yet… you say you undertook this venture for an outsider who might not even become a pillar of Dawn?”
“I will try to persuade him. But it is not something I can force.”
“No. 44, you are that young man’s savior. He owes you his life.”
“If saving a life gave one the right to control it, who in this world would not be a member of Dawn?”
“No. 44!”
“Enough. That’s enough. I was the one who risked my life, and I was the one who saved this child. Therefore, it’s not for you to argue about.”
“I risked losing my spirit to help you, No. 44.”
“I will reward you handsomely for that separately.”
When it became clear that reasoning with him was impossible, No. 67 said in a cold voice.
“…I will report this to the higher-ups.”
“Do as you wish. However, know this. The sun does not rise in the sky expecting a reward, nor does it bestow its warmth hoping for reciprocation. If we were to save someone with a purpose in mind… could we truly call ourselves Dawn?”
“Goodwill without reward is only taken advantage of; it changes nothing.”
“Goodwill with a reward is called a transaction. It is not called goodwill.”
No. 67 spoke through gritted teeth, his voice heavy with suppressed anger.
“I respect you, No. 44. That’s why I have always strived to emulate you… but at times like this, you are so frustrating. Why don’t you understand? That you are being played by a ridiculous fantasy!”
“It’s a harsh world. So, doesn’t someone have to dream?”
Feeling as if he were talking to a brick wall, the conversation growing more frustrating by the second, No. 67 ground his teeth and said.
“…Enough. In any case, I will report this matter to the higher-ups, so be aware of that. And you.”
As No. 67 fixed his gaze on him and called out in an icy voice, Lee Si-woo bowed his head respectfully and replied.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
“Do not forget. It was my spirit that saved you. Without the Wind Peacock’s summoning ability, No. 44 could not have reached you, nor could he have returned here without its return ability. So, do not forget. You owe us a debt.”
“…I will not forget.”
As Lee Si-woo quietly acknowledged it, No. 67 nodded and said.
“At least the lad has a conscience. Now, let’s all be on our way. I trust No. 44 will handle the cleanup.”
As the members of Dawn scattered and departed, only the unconscious Yahalong, Lee Si-woo, and No. 44 remained.
Just as the short silence was becoming awkward, No. 44 removed his mask and spoke.
“Are your wounds alright?”
Lee Si-woo’s eyes wavered, never having imagined he would remove his mask.
With the mask off, No. 44’s true face was revealed.
Long, flowing white hair and a messy beard that reached his abdomen.
Pointed ears, a symbol of elves, and fine wrinkles.
The identity of No. 44 was none other than Lee Si-woo’s master, the man known as the washed-up elder at the Senior Magic Tower.
The half-elf, Autoreu.
‘I had my suspicions that it might be him, but…’
He had inwardly guessed that the only person with enough secrets to come and save him would be Autoreu, but he couldn't be certain.
No matter how he thought about it, he and Autoreu had not yet built the kind of bond where one would risk their life for the other.
Moreover, for him to reveal his secrets and identity so openly?
It was truly unexpected.
“Mas… ter.”
Autoreu patted Lee Si-woo on the shoulder and said.
“You must have many questions. Let’s go, we can talk on the way. Ah, right. I need to take care of this fellow too.”
Autoreu, slinging the unconscious Yahalong over his shoulder again, continued.
“Let’s head back now. To the magic tower.”
***
Streaking across the sky on a flight-type artifact, No. 67 was still seething.
He liked No. 44, but he couldn’t help but get infuriated whenever he displayed his frustrating side.
Why had Dawn failed in the past?
Wasn’t it because they got caught up in such pointless idealism, acting foolishly like a tree that gives everything away?
And yet, he was still spouting such irritating nonsense, entangled in those old-fashioned ideals?
It was so frustrating he was about to burst with anger.
‘I must insist to the higher-ups that No. 44 be disciplined. And that boy, he obtained the Elemental Stone thanks to us, so he must join Dawn. Hmph, we gave him his life, so demanding his loyalty is hardly an unreasonable request, is it?’
As No. 67 steeled his resolve, a soft, gentle voice echoed in his ear.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
A shiver ran down No. 67’s arm at the sticky voice, like a spider’s web clinging to his hand, and he turned his head.
There, a woman in a golden spider mask was flying leisurely with her hands clasped behind her back.
Recognizing her, No. 67 cried out in a sharp voice.
“The S-Spider Matriarch!”
“Did you think I couldn’t follow you just because you used a Wind Peacock? But what to do? The mana scent of a spirit is so strong that I couldn’t lose it even if I wanted to.”
The Spider Matriarch drew close to No. 67 and spoke affectionately, as if whispering to a lover.
“No. 67, a two-digit number. At this level, you can’t be called core, but it’s hard to call you a mere pawn either. Hoho… This one might be quite useful.”
Behind the mask, No. 67’s face was painted with terror.