Chapter 313
Chapter 313
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 314
Chapter Title: Ancient Murals and Full Moon Night
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Having let Kim Chang-hyun slip away, I walked along the road of the Floating Island, my mind caught up in various questions.
“……Kim Chang-hyun.”
I didn’t know the exact reason, but Kim Chang-hyun had been on the Floating Island.
And if I had to guess why he would come here, it was probably related to the Full Moon Night.
It was only natural—hidden within the Full Moon barrier were magical secrets and mysteries not yet revealed to the world.
“……Something inside the ruins?”
But even in the original story, what lay inside the ruins was never properly revealed.
All that was known was that some kind of ‘magical phenomenon’ existed within the barrier.
“Hmm……”
According to the information I’d heard from Yoo Ah-yeon, Kim Chang-hyun had been wandering the world searching for some kind of ritual.
Did that mean what he wanted was inside the ruins?
“Sigh. I don’t know~”
As always, no matter how much I reasoned alone, nothing came of it.
I’d probably need to wait until the Full Moon barrier was released to find any clues.
Yeah, let’s wait until the full moon rises.
Pushing Kim Chang-hyun out of my mind like that, I arrived at the promised meeting spot: the Floating Island Comprehensive Research Institute.
The building was five stories tall, with walls made of a special glass material.
Showing my VIP invitation to the staff guarding the entrance, I was able to enter easily.
“Hmm.”
The interior of the research institute looked much like the lobby of any ordinary company.
The difference was that strange magitech devices of unknown purpose were occasionally visible.
I couldn’t tell their exact uses, but they were probably cutting-edge Hanseong magitech machines, like air purifiers or mana sprayers.
By the way, where was Han Se-yeon?
We were supposed to meet in the first-floor lobby, but she wasn’t there yet.
“She’s someone who keeps appointments right on time……”
As I debated whether to contact her, by sheer coincidence, the words [Floating Island Relic Exhibition] caught my eye.
Since I had something on my mind related to the Floating Island ruins, I instinctively headed toward the exhibition.
Inside, stone tablets engraved with various rituals were displayed like in a museum.
But these rituals—they looked familiar.
“This is that stuff.”
The relics that the Hanseong family had revealed a year later, under the pretext of advancing magical and mystical research.
It seemed they were previewing them exclusively for VIP invitees.
I examined the rituals with gleaming eyes.
At the same time, Outsider’s Benefit activated, and the contents embedded within came into view.
Ancient magic related to time. And…… dimensions.
And beside it was a mural painted on the wall.
“……That one.”
Multiple stars.
A person drawn at their center.
It was a picture I’d seen before.
I’d seen the exact same one in the underwater ruins we visited with Lee Seo-jun during winter break: the Temple Tainted by Demons.
Back then, it hadn’t struck me much, but seeing it again here felt entirely different.
“The name of that painting is ‘God from Another World.’”
A voice came from beside me.
Turning my head, a middle-aged woman was standing next to me, gazing at the painting.
“It’s a picture found identically in several ruins, so that’s the name scholars gave it.”
Then the woman pointed to a spot on the stone tablet with her finger.
“To explain it simply, the stars around it represent limits humans can’t surpass: dimensions, constraints, laws, lifespan…… And the person in the center signifies an absolute being free from all constraints. It’s about how one day, such an absolute being will descend and solve all the world’s problems. Deus ex machina, you could say?”
“……Who are you?”
“Oh! I’m Yoon Min-jeong, a researcher at the Floating Island Institute.”
Yoon Min-jeong bowed her head lightly in greeting. Her soft voice and relaxed demeanor exuded composure.
“By the way, it seems you’ve seen this painting before? You were staring at it so intently.”
I nodded slightly.
“Yes, I saw it once in some ruins.”
“Oh…… As expected. Actually, earlier I saw someone else staring at this stone tablet just like you. They said they’d seen it a long time ago too.”
“……”
Someone popped into my head.
With a hunch, I asked.
“……Was that person a skinny guy wearing a hat, by any chance?”
Yoon Min-jeong looked startled at my question.
“Huh? Yes, how did you know?”
……As I thought.
It had to be Kim Chang-hyun.
He’d been here too.
“Did you talk to him?”
“Yes, when I tried to explain the painting, he said he already knew all about it.”
“I see.”
I looked back at the painting.
Even activating Outsider’s Benefit didn’t reveal any hidden secrets.
If it had caught Kim Chang-hyun’s interest, there had to be something concealed.
That was when it happened.
Bzzz.
My smartphone rang with a call notification.
Pulling it out of my pocket, I saw ‘Han Se-yeon’ on the screen.
Seeing that, Yoon Min-jeong gave a faint smile, said ‘Well then, I’ll be off,’ and disappeared somewhere.
I glanced around and answered the call.
“Hello?”
[Jin-woo, have you arrived by any chance?]
A somewhat cautious voice came through.
“Yes, I have. What about you, Se-yeon?”
[Um, I’m really sorry, but something urgent came up, so I don’t think I can meet you right now……]
Han Se-yeon’s dejected voice came from the receiver.
Since I had a VIP invitation allowing free movement, it didn’t matter if we didn’t go together.
Then, curiosity struck, and I asked.
“That’s fine. But what’s the urgent matter?”
[Well, um……]
Han Se-yeon trailed off.
[There’s suddenly a problem with the Full Moon barrier, they say.]
“The barrier?”
[Yes, apparently a faint shockwave leaked out from the barrier. It’s not something that usually happens, so they’re investigating the cause, but it’s probably not a big deal. The barrier is operating normally, they say.]
A shockwave leaking from the barrier wasn’t something to brush off.
It meant someone had tampered with the barrier.
At the same time, various suspicions flashed through my mind. Related to Kim Chang-hyun.
“Got it. Don’t worry about me and handle your work.”
[Okay, sorry…… Then see you at the banquet!]
Click.
The call ended with those words.
I let out a small sigh and put my smartphone back in my pocket.
Something felt off. Like events outside my predictions were about to unfold……
I turned my gaze back to the painting on the stone tablet.
Multiple stars and the person in the center.
I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination, but it seemed like it was trying to convey some message to me.
That was when a message appeared before my eyes.
[A minor change in the future has been detected.]
[Karma increases by 0.5.]
“Kim Sun-woo!”
Thirty minutes before the banquet started.
As I arrived at the hotel lobby, the special forces team’s meeting spot, Lee Seo-jun called out to me from afar, waving his hand vigorously.
Walking over, I saw seven special agents dressed up for the banquet.
Lee Seo-jun looked me up and down.
“You changed clothes?”
“Yeah, it’s a banquet. Couldn’t exactly go too casual.”
I lightly adjusted my shirt sleeve.
Lee Seo-jun nodded and pointed down the right path with his hand.
“Right. There’s a seafood place over there that’s insanely good. You gotta try the mana lobster.”
Mana lobster. Just the name sounded delicious.
When ‘mana’ was prefixed to seafood, nine times out of ten it was tasty.
“But won’t it close after Full Moon Night ends?”
“Maybe? Then wanna go tomorrow morning?”
I shook my head.
“If you’re Korean, mornings mean rice.”
As we exchanged such idle chit-chat,
Kim Deok-hyun spoke up.
“Looks like everyone’s here. Let’s move out.”
“Yes, sir.”
We boarded the prepared vehicles and headed off.
About twenty minutes later, we arrived at the massive hall hosting the Full Moon Night banquet.
“Wow. It’s huge.”
Stepping out of the car, Baek Ye-jin looked up at the building ahead and muttered in a trembling voice.
The banquet building was six stories tall, like a giant department store.
“It’s pretty flashy. They’re using the entire sixth floor?”
“It’s so big it might be inconvenient for the mission.”
After sharing our impressions, we entered the building.
Passing the entrance, a staff member in a sharp suit greeted us.
“Welcome to Full Moon Night. Please show your invitations.”
We handed over our invitations. Confirming they were official, the staff pulled out a square device.
“Now, I’ll check for any prohibited items.”
“Prohibited items?”
Jeong Hyeon-su made a baffled expression.
Then, as the square device passed over Jeong Hyeon-su’s body, a beep sounded.
It came from the bag on his back.
The staff narrowed his eyes.
“May I check?”
“Uh, that’s……”
Jeong Hyeon-su glanced at Kim Deok-hyun.
Eyes filled with anxiety.
Kim Deok-hyun met his gaze and nodded. Jeong Hyeon-su scratched his head and nodded as well.
“……Y-yeah. Go ahead.”
“Then I’ll check.”
The staff inspected Jeong Hyeon-su’s bag.
At first checking item by item, but realizing it was a subspace bag with no end, he dumped it out on the floor.
At once, all sorts of magitech poured out from the bag.
From swords to daggers, smoke bombs, bulletproof vests, bombs, and various other unidentified magitech……
Kim Deok-hyun put a hand to his forehead at the sight.
“Agh……”
The staff looked at them, then stepped back in panic.
“……Uh, requesting backup. We have a terrorist here……”
“W-wait a second!”
Jeong Hyeon-su hurriedly tried to explain.
“I’m a special forces agent!”
Jeong Hyeon-su pulled out his special forces badge.
The staff looked at the badge and stopped. Then he glanced at Kim Deok-hyun and the rest of us.
“Huh? Now that you mention it……”
He finally recognized Kim Deok-hyun, Lee Seo-jun, and the others.
“Sorry, but even special agents can’t bring weapons inside.”
“……What do we do?”
Jeong Hyeon-su asked Kim Deok-hyun.
“Well, if it’s prohibited, nothing we can do.”
Kim Deok-hyun responded as if he’d half-expected it.
“There’s a storage, right?”
“Yes, we have a storage magitech here.”
The staff pointed to a square box nearby.
It was a top-grade storage box made with subspace.
“Whew.”
With a resigned expression, Jeong Hyeon-su put his weapons into the subspace.
While doing so, he slyly grabbed his bag.
The staff blocked him.
“Everything in that bag is also prohibited.”
“Isn’t it okay as long as there’s no weapons?”
“We’ve been instructed that no magitech is allowed inside at all.”
“What the……”
Even Kim Deok-hyun hadn’t anticipated this and looked flustered.
Actually, I’d known this would happen.
After Han Se-jin suffered worldwide humiliation from the terrorist attack by Ja-un at last year’s Pioneer’s Night, it was only natural.
In the end, Jeong Hyeon-su had all his magitech confiscated.
The other agents too.
“Could you let this one slide? It’s just a simple stamina recovery ring……?”
“It’s a communication magitech. Why bring that? For when you get lost?”
“Ah, you’re too strict. At least let protective gear through.”
In the end, the other agents, armed to the teeth with magitech, were stripped bare in an instant.
Finally, it was my turn.
I stepped forward confidently to the staff.
The staff scanned my body thoroughly with the detector. He poked it against me here and there, but no sound came out.
“……What. Why doesn’t this guy have any reaction?”
“Right?”
Then, beep—a sound rang out. From my pocket.
I took the item out.
“It’s a communication magitech.”
“That’s a prohibited item. Please store it in the box.”
I nodded and placed the communication magitech in the storage subspace.
No further reactions after that.
With nothing coming out, the staff inspected my body even more meticulously, but it was the same.
Everyone gave me surprised looks.
“Kim Sun-woo…… You’ve been pure this whole time?”
“No items at all and still that level of skill? That’s shocking.”
They muttered with expressions of disbelief.
It was standard for most wizards to wear at least D- or E-rank low-grade items, so their reaction was natural.
Good thing I’d anticipated this and stashed all my magitech, including the Invisibility Cloak, in my subspace beforehand.
Was it hidden by my shirt sleeve?
Even though I’d removed my usual watch and bracelet, the agents hadn’t noticed I’d taken them off in advance.
“Nah, no way he’s pure. I saw him flying through the sky during the exam.”
Then one pointed at my feet.
“Scan his shoes too!”
Kim Deok-hyun glared sharply at the agent.
“Instead of helping a teammate……”
“Ahem……”
The agent shut his mouth, at a loss for words.
The staff scanned my feet too. But no sound.
“……What then. How’d he fly if he’s pure? Is that thing broken?”
The staff, sensing something off, tested it on another magitech.
Beep beep—
It rang normally, proving it worked.
“Good enough?”
At my words, the staff nodded.
“Yes, you’re clear. You can go in like this.”
I shrugged and entered first.
I’d have to pretend to go to the bathroom later and equip my magitech again.
As I walked further inside, I didn’t sense my teammates following.
Wondering what was up, I turned around.
My teammates were still standing there, looking at me with amazed eyes.