The Boundary of Dreams (18)
The black mage clicked his tongue and spat out a curse, his face twisted with bitter disappointment. "How the hell did you figure it out? I drained every last drop of demonic energy from him. It shouldn't have shown up on any filter."
"I was just poking around on a hunch. If you'd played along, I probably never would've known."
"Son of a bitch..."
The black mage moved with surprising agility, vaulting over the barricade to put distance between them before any follow-up attack could land. Lee Hyun studied him carefully. The thick, poisonous demonic energy radiating in all directions made it clear this was no ordinary foe—at least red-list bounty level. Within the rebel forces, he was likely a high-ranking officer. An opponent like this couldn't be handled with just the first stage of the Predictive Eye.
"W-what is this... Then the real director was...?"
Yeon Minha's face filled with shock at the man's sudden change in attitude. The day before, she had confirmed that the person named Director Cheon Hwa-seong was properly registered in the database. That left only two possibilities: either the real man had been killed and replaced, or the position had been impersonated by someone who never existed in the first place.
"I killed him. He put up quite a fight, so it took some effort to deal with him. But he's long since been digested inside a demonic beast's stomach."
When the man flashed a twisted smile from behind his glasses, Yeon Minha ground her teeth audibly and glared at him with pure hatred.
"You son of a bitch... How dare you deceive me?"
"Haha, for a young lady of one of the Five Families, you certainly have a foul mouth, don't you?"
He snapped his thumb and middle finger together with a sharp click. A sound far louder than the motion should have produced echoed through the air in all directions.
"I was planning to drag you somewhere easier to handle, but... oh well. It doesn't matter anymore."
As if the sound had been a signal, enemies clad entirely in pitch-black garments began gathering around him. It was a grotesque scene, like stumbling into a demon's ritual chamber.
"W-what is this..."
"All of them are black mages...?"
The students' faces were painted with utter despair. The ones surrounding them were genuine black mages who had successfully transformed their bodies to near-demon levels. Each one was on an entirely different plane from the disposable bait they'd faced earlier.
—Puhuhu... The little mages from the Cradle... It's been so long since I've tasted something this sweet...!
—Look at those terrified faces... How amusing. How very amusing! Hehe...
Obscene laughter and flicking tongues filled the air. Interspersed were the low growls of the demonic beasts they commanded and the sickening scrape of claws being sharpened.
"...So it wasn't a retreat after all."
"Puhuhu, retreat my ass..."
The black mage who had posed as Director Cheon smirked widely at Lee Hyun's murmur.
"Instead of pointless fighting, we chose to seep in like poison. The times have changed, haven't they? It was long. Such a very long wait..."
"Did you kill the Governor as well?"
"That's right. The old man was surprisingly careless. Well, after three years of hard work, how could he have suspected anything?"
At Yeon Minha's question, the man shrugged his shoulders with exaggerated confidence. The group shrank back even further at his arrogance. The Governor who should have been leading them was already dead. The stench of blood and endless screams still echoed throughout the city. Just counting the enemies surrounding them, there were well over two hundred. It was enough to form an entire legion, and most weren't failed rejects or mutants—they were vicious, dangerous, real black mages.
The director who had guided them so closely had been a rebel spy planted long ago. The city's walls could no longer protect them. The bread city of Jinling had already fallen.
No matter how talented the students of the Cradle were, fighting in this situation would only lead to meaningless death. Half of them were already injured, and even fewer burned with the will to fight. The rest simply trembled like leaves in the wind, facing their inevitable demise.
Lee Hyun's mind raced. He whispered quietly to Yeon Minha—loud enough for only her to hear—as she glared at their enemies with murderous intent.
"Senior. We should retreat."
Yeon Minha shook her head slightly at his words.
"...There's no way. You saw it too... There's no method to break through them in this situation... We might as well die with honor..."
"I'll hold them off."
"What...?"
Yeon Minha looked at him as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
"Take the others and head to the northern gate, then make for the gateway city. Those cities are directly managed by the central government, so spies shouldn't have infiltrated them yet. Report the situation there and request reinforcements."
"...What nonsense are you saying? No matter how skilled you are, it's impossible for you to hold them off alone. Even if Lady Hae Wolhwa came..."
"I know. But someone has to stay behind and delay them. We can't all die here, can we?"
"But..."
"And in this situation, I'm the only one who can stay, aren't I? Hurry. If the encirclement tightens any further, it'll become even harder."
"Still..."
"Senior. That's an order."
"...Ugh."
At Lee Hyun's firm tone, the hesitating Yeon Minha reflexively flinched and stared at him.
"Go quickly. Who knows? If I kill all of them, maybe you'll even get that Golden Star Martial Achievement Medal you mentioned."
"What...?"
Yeon Minha's eyes widened into perfect circles. Even Lee Hyun was slightly surprised at himself. It was the first joke he'd ever thrown at her.
Yeon Minha stood frozen for a moment. Then, as if steeling her resolve, she bit her lower lip hard, spun around, and began issuing orders to the students.
"...Understood. Suhee, take care of the injured. Leave all the luggage. Grab only the intruder suits and weapons and head out the back door. Quickly."
"What? But...!"
"I said move!"
At the flustered second-year girl's protest, Yeon Minha shouted sharply.
The sounds of everyone leaving filled the air. Finally, the last person remaining spoke from behind Lee Hyun.
"...You. After treating me like that, if you dare die in a place like this, I won't forgive you. Never..."
It was a venomous tone, spoken through gritted teeth. For some reason, Lee Hyun found that familiar spitefulness strangely comforting.
"...I'll catch up soon."
Then came the sound of hurried footsteps fading down the corridor.
"Idiot. Must've read some fairy tale about heroic last stands and got too inspired."
Lee Hyun stepped forward, sharpening his blade and settling into a stance. The man with the glasses stepped out as well, mocking him openly.
"Little boy. Even if you were Hae Wolhwa herself, overcoming this difference in numbers is impossible. Doesn't the Cradle teach that? Or did your poor brain forget it?"
At the man's words, relaxed sneers and laughter grew even louder from all around. They didn't seem to have any intention of chasing the ones who had left. They were clearly planning to finish him off quickly and then enjoy a hunt, like driving rabbits into a corner.
Moreover, despite being a black mage, what he said was true. To face a proper black mage on equal footing, you needed at least three mages with similar Lubin Values working together. This was something Professor Shin Jae-yu, who taught magic combat theory, repeated until her mouth went dry in every class. The demonic energy they wielded granted terrifying destructive power at the cost of instability. One-against-many battles weren't exactly his specialty.
The Predictive Eye was an authority specialized for one-on-one combat against powerful opponents. On top of that, he had a time limit caused by the strain on his body.
"...No."
Yet he still didn't lower the arm holding his blade. He drew up additional magical formulas, opening more pathways for the Predictive Eye and spreading them throughout his body. Then he took out two stimulant pills and two accelerants and swallowed them all at once. His head spun wildly, his heart pounded dozens of times per second, tearing through his veins. He would have to endure the side effects later, but for now, they would temporarily reshape his body to better suit magical combat.
He raised his blade, aiming its edge at the man's chest. The mockery and laughter only grew louder, but he paid them no mind.
"Two hundred or so... That's doable."
"Haa... Haa..."
Lee Hyun breathed heavily beneath his mask. At his feet stretched a vast pool of sticky, metallic-smelling blood. He lifted his head and looked around.
Countless severed heads and limbs rolled across the floor. The corpses of humans and demonic beasts were so thoroughly mixed that it was impossible to tell them apart. In the rubble directly before him, a man lay coughing up blood from his mouth. He was the only living being in the area besides Lee Hyun.
With his lower body and right arm completely gone, it was a miracle he was still breathing. Lee Hyun walked toward him. With every step, the pool of blood splashed and sprayed in all directions. As the distance closed, terror flooded the red eyes behind the man's glasses.
"This is... *cough*... impossible..."
"I told you... Haa... Two hundred or so was doable."
"You monster... *cough*... *cough*!"
Lee Hyun pressed the blood-soaked edge of his blade against the black mage's throat.
"That power... Just what... *cough*! I've never even heard of magic like that..."
"Neither have I. Even if you asked, I couldn't explain it."
Since the man had witnessed his Authority, Lee Hyun had never intended to let him live. Before killing him, he figured he might as well exchange a few words and try to extract any useful information.