Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: The Price of Victory
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-seniorlive127 You guys know? Lee Si-woo won the evaluation tournament.
└ Post a pic of yourself, sis. I’m getting dizzy.
└ ♥♥♥♥♥
└ I love you, sis. Good luck in the tournament.
└ Are you idiots out of your minds? She said Lee Si-woo won. Don’t you know who Lee Si-woo is?
└ Who the hell is Lee Si-woo, you weeb.
└ Sis, bullshit. Even my dog knows that guy is a 2nd-Circle. How did he win?
└ Ffs, this girl is just farming followers with clickbait again.
-seniorlive127 ㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗ You trash are just spouting insults without even fact-checking. Look at the Battle Ranking app, you morons. Lee Si-woo is linked at 99th place.
└ Huh, what? It's real? I just checked and 99th place is really Lee Si-woo.
└ Is he nuts? Did Lee Si-woo really beat Ixion? Does that even make sense? He’s a 2nd-Circle.
└ And he’s a human mage. Isn't there some kind of corruption going on?
└ It has to be corruption. How could someone like Lee Si-woo win the tournament unless Racist pulled some strings?
└ You all know Isabelle and Lee Si-woo have that kind of relationship, right? Isabelle could’ve orchestrated it.
-seniorlive127 Nah, there was no corruption or manipulation with Lee Si-woo. I was there in person. That human is strong as hell. Ixion’s limbs were completely shattered, and he's currently clinging to life in the ICU. They say he still hasn't regained consciousness.
└ Holy shit, guys. A 2nd-Circle beat a Ranker. What happens now?
└ What happens is that a heaven-defying Ranker has emerged from our Magic Tower.
└ You empty-headed morons, do you still not get the situation? Lee Si-woo is unranked. UNRANKED!!!!
└ Huh? You’re right. So Ixion got beaten by a 2nd-Circle unranked mage. Wow, this is seriously fucked up.
└ Lmao, so many idiots here. Why are you all falling for such a blatant lie?
-seniorlive127 Believe it or not, that's your business, but you all better know one thing. Shit’s about to get real fucked up. Lee Si-woo is going to be a big shot from now on, and those human bastards are going to get cocky along with him.
-seniorlive127 You guys know, right? The atmosphere in the Magic Tower is getting weird. The tension between Isabelle’s line and Allen’s line is no joke. And our family and the Yahalong family are walking on eggshells around the main factions. On top of that, the movements from the other city Magic Towers are suspicious. So brace yourselves. If you space out in times like these, you could end up in the gutter.
***
Isabelle, who had met with Lee Si-woo to buy him a meal to celebrate his victory, narrowed her eyes.
“Hey, I’ve been thinking about this like crazy, you know? But I still can’t figure it out.”
“What do you mean?”
“How did you beat a Ranker?”
“How else? I beat him fair and square.”
“Don’t mess with me, punk. I’m being dead serious right now.”
“Well, it’s true that I won because I fought well. How else am I supposed to explain it? It’s not like I could pull any tricks with Judge Allen watching me with his eyes wide open.”
“Ha… This is driving me crazy. You bastard, do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”
“What have I done?”
“You threw a stone—no, a bomb—into a calm lake. Thanks to you, the lake’s ecosystem is shattered, and all sorts of mongrels are going to flock here.”
Lee Si-woo smirked and pushed his half-eaten pasta aside.
“Isabelle, is the ecosystem shattered really because of me? And not because of what happened in the mountain range?”
Stung by Lee Si-woo’s subtle question, Isabelle turned her head slightly and pouted.
“Ah, you’re one sharp bastard. Hey, can’t you just pretend you don’t know and let it slide for once?”
“We’re in the same boat, aren’t we? And we both serve the same Lord. So let’s just trust each other. I understand your position, but things are good between us right now. There’s no need to ruin it by testing the waters.”
When Lee Si-woo mentioned the Faceless Lord, Isabelle smacked her lips with a bitter taste and nodded.
“True, our situation is different from the other guys. We are the people of the Faceless Lord.”
Normally, with Isabelle’s temperament, she would never tolerate a mere human mage acting so boldly in front of her, no matter how skilled he was.
But Lee Si-woo was different from the other nobodies.
‘Other people will focus on the fact that Si-woo beat a Ranker. It’s like an unprecedented supernova has appeared. But that? It’s nothing compared to the death of the summoner, Elim. What’s truly terrifying about this bastard, Lee Si-woo… is the fact that he has the Faceless Lord backing him.’
Like the other mages, she was shocked and curious about how he had defeated Ixion, but she didn’t doubt Lee Si-woo’s abilities as they did.
If Lee Si-woo had been chosen by the Faceless Lord, he had to have something special about him.
‘Even though it pisses me off to admit it, this Lee Si-woo bastard was different from the start. Not only was he chosen early by the Faceless Lord, whom I was barely chosen by, but he has also served him the longest. That fact alone is proof of his competence. A great being like the Faceless Lord wouldn’t keep just anyone by his side.’
That’s why Isabelle was worried and burdened.
The more Lee Si-woo’s special nature became known, the more people would target him.
Seeing that Lee Si-woo seemed to have finished his meal, Isabelle spoke.
“Go see my father to receive your Advancement Pill. He was looking for you.”
***
Tower Master Kenyon offered a luxurious box containing three Advancement Pills and said,
“To beat a Ranker and even win the evaluation tournament? It seems I failed to recognize a great talent.”
“I was merely lucky.”
“I don’t believe in luck. I only look at results. Winning the selection tournament, consuming an Elemental Stone, getting on the Battle Ranking, and winning the evaluation tournament. Hmm, and this is just what I can list off the top of my head? Indeed, the reward seems insufficient.”
Kenyon took a card key from his pocket and placed it on the desk.
“Even though a private room is provided, a shared dormitory must be inconvenient in many ways. It’s also a place where all sorts of rabble can come and go. This is the card key to an apartment exclusive to 4th-Circle mages. Take it.”
“…I am not a 4th-Circle mage.”
“But you are a once-in-a-lifetime talent who defeated a 3rd-Circle Ranker at the 2nd-Circle. If you take three Advancement Pills, even as a Six-Root Mage, your chances of reaching the 3rd-Circle are high. Take it. No one will complain about this level of special treatment, and even if they do, they won’t dare say it to your face.”
Repeated favors and benefits.
Considering the achievements Lee Si-woo had made, it was a deserved reward in a way, yet he felt uncomfortable.
Perhaps it was because he had caught a glimpse of the strange fervor flickering in Kenyon’s eyes from the moment they met.
“Ah, more importantly, Si-woo, if you don’t mind, I’d like to hear a brief account of how you defeated the Ranker. Would that be possible?”
“Pardon? Um… regarding that, it would be much more efficient for you to receive a video report from Lord Allen.”
“According to Allen, the video was lost due to his own carelessness. That’s why I’m asking. I really want to know how you defeated a Ranker.”
Lee Si-woo’s eyes sank.
Calming his mind and delving deep into thought, Si-woo could roughly grasp the situation.
‘Allen didn’t report properly. Why? There’s no need to overthink it. He covets the Forbidden Art. Having seen a Ranker fall with his own two eyes, it’s impossible for him not to be greedy. And in the midst of that, he wouldn’t want to create a powerful competitor like Kenyon. Tsk, Allen… he has quite a devious side.’
Having organized his thoughts, Lee Si-woo spoke in a calm voice.
“It’s just as the rumors say. Ixion looked down on me, a 2nd-Circle mage, far too much, and he paid the price for his carelessness.”
“The process?”
“I poured Elemental Magic, enhanced by the Elemental Stone, using Triple Casting. There’s no tree that won’t fall after ten strikes.”
“Is that so? Fine, if you say so, then so be it. Hmm, if I were to be greedy, I’d want to keep you here and hear the process in detail, but you look very tired. You may go. Ah, and feel free to use the apartment without any burden.”
“Thank you.”
Just as Lee Si-woo offered his thanks and was about to leave the office, Kenyon threw a surprise question.
“Come to think of it, Si-woo. You were Autoreu’s disciple, weren’t you? So? Are you learning well from Autoreu?”
“…He’s quite fond of his drink, so I haven’t really learned much yet, but I’m looking forward to… perhaps learning something from him in the future.”
“If you’re really not happy, I could recommend another master. What do you think? Interested? It might have been different before, but now there must be more than a few masters who would want you as their disciple.”
He didn’t know the intention behind the offer, but one thing was certain: he had to answer carefully here.
According to what he heard from Autoreu, the Tower Master coveted the Forbidden Art.
And right now, he was clearly suspicious of him.
“If the Tower Master recommends someone, I would be nothing but delighted. I will gladly do so.”
Even as he spoke, Lee Si-woo’s mouth felt as dry as if he had chewed on sand.
From his perspective, having no intention of serving a master other than Autoreu, it would be troublesome if the Tower Master’s offer was genuine.
But he had no choice.
If he showed any sign of reluctance here, that in itself would lead to the worst possible outcome.
However, thankfully, the Tower Master had a change of heart.
“Hmm… still, it wouldn’t be right to break the Tower’s rules for an individual. My apologies, let’s pretend you didn’t hear that. I seem to have been nosy, as I have a lot on my mind these days.”
“Not at all. I’m grateful for your consideration alone. I will take my leave now.”
“You may go.”
Did that go over well?
The moment Lee Si-woo left Kenyon’s office and was about to feel relieved, Barathrum’s bell rang.
*Tiring*
[A Death-Ground Fortune has arrived. Would you like to read it?]
‘Death-Ground Fortune… Damn it, Kenyon! That bastard… he hasn’t let go of his suspicions about me.’
『A greedy king, a distrusted vassal. To live is to gain trust. To live is to face crisis. To live is to prove necessity. Heed this. Darkness approaches, and a vassal without a king shall be cast aside.』
Lee Si-woo frowned as he checked the Death-Ground Fortune.
‘This fortune is a bit strange. It predicts that I’ll be in danger because of the king’s greed and distrust, yet it also says that without a king, I’ll be cast aside. Is this… telling me to get rid of the king or not? Hmm… well, whatever. It’s not a problem that can be solved by worrying about it right now, so I’ll take my time to interpret the fortune later….’
A glint flashed in Lee Si-woo’s eyes.
It was a gaze filled with a desire just as intense as the one Kenyon had directed at him.
‘First, shall I pay a visit to Ixion’s hospital room?’
***
Ixion ran until his mouth was dry, and then he ran some more.
But no matter how much he ran, he couldn’t escape. He was always in the same place.
Ixion looked up.
A pitch-black sky without a single star.
A single, pale yellow full moon hanging high.
In this dark forest with no other light, that moon was the only thing to soothe his fear, yet Ixion averted his gaze with a suffocating expression.
If he kept staring, he was terrified he would be devoured by it.
‘How long do I have to have this dream?’
Ixion was aware that this was a dream.
But at the same time, he suspected it wasn’t just a simple dream.
He had no choice but to think so.
On the day of the tournament, during his battle with Lee Si-woo, his limbs had been broken, and he had lost consciousness.
But ever since then, his ego and mind had been trapped here.
As if held by some unknown hand.
“Damn it! What is this, Lee Si-woo! You… what the hell did you do to me! If you’re going to kill me, then kill me! If there’s something you want, then say it! Anything, just say anything!”
With that last scream, he opened his eyes as if by a miracle.
‘Ah…’
Lifting his heavy eyelids as if waking from a long sleep paralysis, the first thing Ixion saw was Lee Si-woo leaning against a wall in a corner of the unlit hospital room.
Taking a cloth from his pocket, Lee Si-woo carefully unwrapped it.
He took out a doll that looked exactly like Ixion from within the cloth and gently caressed its neck.
“You’ve experienced it once, so you should know well. What will happen if I break this doll’s neck.”
Ixion stared at Lee Si-woo with the eyes of a terrified rabbit.
Smirking at his pleading gaze, Lee Si-woo continued.
“If you don’t like that, there’s also the option of leaving you as you are. Then you’ll probably live in that dream forever. You’ll run endlessly through that forest, again and again. Praying that one day, my mercy might suddenly rear its head.”
Ixion begged in a dry voice.
“P-please, just not that… Lee Si-woo… tell me what you want. I-I’ll do anything I can… just say it….”
Lee Si-woo’s sinister, cat-like eyes curved into an arc.
“Do you want to live?”
“I want to live… I don’t want to die.”
[A consumable lifeform is nearby. Would you like to consume it?]
Lee Si-woo smiled brightly, revealing his pearly white teeth.
[Commencing consumption.]
Approaching Ixion’s side, Lee Si-woo whispered in his ear.
“You are mine now.”
A white portal swallowed Ixion whole.