Chapter 336
Chapter 336
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 337
Chapter Title: The Spirit Summoning Ritual
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“Hmm...”
I sat on the bed, mulling over the newly acquired [Authority].
Acquiring the ability had been great.
And I knew exactly what purpose it should serve.
[Dimension Travel] was a power that let me observe pasts or futures unknown to me.
If I used it, the mysteries surrounding Jin Cheonwoo or Kim Changhyeon would finally unravel.
Part of me wanted to activate the authority right then and there, but several issues held me back.
The biggest problem was that I couldn’t use the [Possibility Manipulation] ability, which cost 20 causality points, for the time being.
I had no idea what exactly that power entailed, but given its name, “Possibility Manipulation,” there was a high chance it was far stronger than it sounded.
In my current situation—where I had no clue when the next incident might erupt or when I might die—[Possibility Manipulation] was essentially my insurance policy.
And the other problem was...
I had no way to gather the mana required to fuel the authority.
“Tch.”
It stung to burn through the causality I’d painstakingly accumulated.
I wondered when I’d ever scrape together the 100 causality points needed to activate Deus Ex Machina.
“Sigh...”
I let out a sigh of regret and rose to my feet.
Glancing out the window, I took in the dark night sky.
It was about time to get moving.
I opened the door and stepped outside.
Shwaaaaa—
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a massive ship hurtled forward faster than any airplane.
It was a speed made possible by the mystic [Poseidon], which absorbed mana from the sea, and the [Mana Core], renowned for its infinite supply of mana.
“Wow~ This thing’s insanely fast.”
Leaning against the railing on the deck, a man marveled in awe.
At his waist hung an S-Rank spear, ‘Fangtian Huagun’.
“Baek Eun-seong.”
Just then, a voice called out the man—Baek Eun-seong—from behind.
Baek Eun-seong turned around with a boyish smile.
A woman with striking blonde hair fluttering in the wind approached.
“Bert.”
“Why are you so excited? You’d think we were off on a vacation.”
“I get to see ‘Him’ soon. It’s been 14 years—how could I not be thrilled?”
Baek Eun-seong spoke with a faint smile, his expression akin to that of a devout believer gazing upon their god.
Bert mirrored his faint smile at those words.
“Yeah... 14 years, huh...
It had been an excruciatingly long time.
How much time had they spent hiding, killing, seizing, and stealing for this very day?
Even if it wasn’t in His complete form, the thought of seeing Him again nearly brought tears to her eyes.
“...Still bums me out when I think about it.”
Baek Eun-seong asked at Bert’s mutter.
“What?”
“That you lost the [Chalice of Life]. If we’d had it, reconstructing His body would’ve been so much easier.”
Baek Eun-seong shut his mouth.
There was nothing to say—it had been an undeniable blunder on his part.
“Ugh, why bring that up again... How long are you gonna hold it over me...”
“I’m just bummed about it. We need to revive His body, and finding a mystic with Holy Grail-level power ain’t easy.”
Baek Eun-seong scratched his head and quickly changed the subject.
“Oh, right—wonder what that guy’s up to.”
“That guy?”
“The one who stole the [Chalice of Life].”
If his deductions were correct, the thief was the same punk who’d played a big role in capturing Teresa.
Plus, it was the same bastard who’d taken his left arm in Atlantis.
Judging from everything that had happened, the guy’s identity was a “servant of the Rune Clan.”
“No way he’s tracked us here too, right? That creep’s always sticking his nose in our business and screwing things up.”
Bert paused in thought at Baek Eun-seong’s irritated grumble.
“...Nah, come on. This is Aporia—not exactly some random spot. No way he’d come all the way here. And he’s not even with the Special Task Force, right?”
Baek Eun-seong pondered for a moment before chuckling wryly.
“Yeah, no way he’d chase us this far. He’s not a total stalker.”
Bert nodded and gazed toward the distant horizon.
An inexplicable unease began to creep in.
Proof that their destination was drawing near.
“We’re almost there. Let’s do a final check.”
Bert turned and headed below deck.
Descending the stairs, she entered a spacious hall where 14 people were inspecting their weapons.
Some were familiar faces she saw often, while others had vanished on “vacation” only to return.
Everyone here was a member of Jaun.
Bert scanned the room and spoke up.
“We’ll hit the barrier soon. Grab your mystics and get ready.”
Stepping outside the dorm, I immediately spotted a familiar face.
Lee Seojun sat on a bench, lost in thought with a bitter expression.
He noticed my presence and turned to me.
“What? You’re still not feeling well—shouldn’t you rest more?”
“Nah. I’m pretty much recovered.”
I swung both arms back and forth vigorously.
Lee Seojun stared at my face for a moment before nodding.
“Good to hear. Normally, mana backlash keeps you down for a day or two.”
“My vitality’s top-notch, though. I recover stamina fast.”
Lee Seojun, still seated on the bench, smirked.
“True enough.”
As he muttered that, Lee Seojun said to me,
“So, out here for some fresh air?”
“Uh... yeah, something like that?”
Truth was, I’d come out to converse with Jin Cheonwoo’s soul using spirit summoning, but I brushed it off vaguely.
Lee Seojun eyed me thoughtfully before speaking.
“Honestly, I was a bit shocked.”
“What about?”
“I figured you had some connection to Jin Cheonwoo, but I didn’t expect it to be that direct.”
From the look of it, he was talking about what happened underground.
I had nothing to say on that topic, so I didn’t respond.
“I never imagined he’d react more strongly to you than to me—his own blood kin...”
A hint of inexplicable bitterness laced Lee Seojun’s words.
Hearing that brought back the original story’s depiction of Lee Seojun’s inner turmoil.
Lee Seojun confronting Jin Cheonwoo’s soul.
And Jin Cheonwoo facing his blood kin, Lee Seojun.
Through [Emotion Insight], Lee Seojun senses Jin Cheonwoo’s feelings toward him.
It was a “cold indifference,” as if looking at a mere tool.
That realization hits Lee Seojun with a small shock and bitterness.
Even as the world’s worst criminal, he’d assumed some minimal familial affection remained.
Yet there, in front of everyone, Jin Cheonwoo sees me and shows emotional turmoil.
From Lee Seojun’s perspective, it must’ve been quite the blow.
“Kim Seonwoo.”
Lee Seojun’s call snapped me out of my reverie.
“I wasn’t gonna ask, but I have to now. What exactly is your relationship with Jin Cheonwoo? Why did he react like that when he saw you?”
I clamped my mouth shut.
I desperately wanted to tell him, but the constraints made my chest tighten with frustration.
It would’ve been better if my link to Jin Cheonwoo hadn’t come to light.
Above all, I feared it might shatter the trust we’d built.
“Kim Seonwoo.”
...Screw it.
“Lee Seojun.”
He fell silent at my call.
“I know you’ve got a ton of questions about me. Must be pretty confusing.”
Lee Seojun stared at me wordlessly.
“But as you saw, I’m under restrictions. And they’re strong—strong enough that even I don’t fully know what they are.”
“So, there’s nothing I can tell you.”
Lee Seojun bit his lip.
Disappointment flickered in his eyes, followed by a flash of anger.
I met his gaze and let out a soft breath.
Was this really the right choice?
Was I crossing an irreversible line?
But with my connection to Jin Cheonwoo exposed, I had no other options.
This had to be the best path.
With that in mind, I opened my mouth.
“I can’t tell you, but I can show you.”
Kim Seonwoo leaped from atop the wall, landing on the ground below.
Lee Seojun watched him, confirmed no one was around, and jumped down after.
Thud.
Upon landing lightly on the ground, Kim Seonwoo spoke.
“Like I said earlier, everything today stays secret.”
“What exactly are you gonna show me?”
“Everything you see today.”
“...”
With those cryptic words, Kim Seonwoo walked off somewhere.
Lee Seojun blinked, staring at his back, then followed.
His destination was a small forest some distance from Aporia.
Lee Seojun glanced around and asked,
“Is it cool to just waltz into a place like this?”
“No way it is. You’re an accomplice now.”
Lee Seojun felt a surge of bewilderment at Kim Seonwoo’s nonchalant reply.
“...Hmm. It should be around here somewhere.”
Kim Seonwoo scanned the surroundings as if searching for something.
Then his gaze locked onto a spot. At the end of it stood a small statue.
“Found it.”
Kim Seonwoo headed straight for the statue—a depiction of a goddess thrusting a sword into the ground.
Even at a glance, it radiated mystical power.
Kim Seonwoo gathered mana in his palm and infused it into the statue.
Complex ritual patterns hidden in the ground began to emerge. They were intricate enough to stump anyone at first glance, but Kim Seonwoo unraveled them step by step.
And moments later.
Clunk!
A staircase appeared before the statue.
Lee Seojun was speechless. Kim Seonwoo dusted off his hands and said,
“As you know, Aporia has this unique phenomenon that traps souls. The Association wanted to use it to seal Jin Cheonwoo’s soul.”
Lee Seojun listened quietly, puzzled by the sudden topic but deciding to hear him out.
“This statue acts as a conduit to artificially draw in external magical phenomena. That’s how they managed to seal Jin Cheonwoo’s soul.”
Lee Seojun watched Kim Seonwoo, a mix of curiosity stirring within.
He already knew Kim Seonwoo possessed an astonishing breadth of knowledge.
But if what he’d just said was true, this was top-secret info known only to Association executives.
“How the hell do you know that?”
“Well...”
Lee Seojun realized as Kim Seonwoo trailed off.
It’s because of the restrictions.
At the same time, he understood what Kim Seonwoo had meant by “I can’t tell you, but I can show you.”
Figure it out from my actions.
“I get it. No need to force the words out.”
Kim Seonwoo nodded.
Then he descended the staircase. Lee Seojun followed down the steps.
Pitch-black darkness enveloped them, nothing visible. Kim Seonwoo conjured a magical orb, illuminating a long passageway.
“This is...”
“A passage connected to the underground where Jin Cheonwoo’s soul is sealed.”
“Huh?”
“I told you—the statue’s power enabled the seal on Jin Cheonwoo’s soul.”
He added,
“When Jaun attacks, they’ll probably use this passage.”
It carried the nuance of someone who knew future events.
It sounded absurd, but Lee Seojun didn’t sense any falsehood in it.
Kim Seonwoo extended his hand into the air, ending there.
His expression hardened briefly, face darkening.
“Tch... This won’t work either, huh.”
“Kim Seonwoo?”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Kim Seonwoo reached into his bag and pulled out sheets inscribed with rituals.
There were so many—even a rough count hit around 20.
He spread them across the floor.
Lee Seojun didn’t know much about rituals, but he recognized these as trap formations.
Prepared in advance for Jaun’s assault?
It was so outrageous he couldn’t even speak.
“But why show me all this now—stuff you’ve hidden until today?”
Curiosity struck him suddenly.
Kim Seonwoo had concealed his true abilities and background up to now.
Sure, he’d revealed some power recently, but it was clear he preferred staying low-key.
He could’ve dodged this too, if he wanted.
Wooong.
Kim Seonwoo used mana to conceal the ritual sheets on the floor and said,
“Nothing big. Just want to prove I’m on your side.”
He checked his smart student handbook briefly, then shot to his feet.
“No time. Let’s move.”
“What’re we doing this time?”
At the question, Kim Seonwoo grinned.
“Spirit summoning to talk with Jin Cheonwoo.”