The Shining Lord in the Labyrinth
Deep in the darkness, a being was born.
At the heart of the labyrinth lay a nest. It was filled with enormous eggs, each cradling a small boy. All of them were reserves. When the first one to hatch died, the next would inherit its knowledge and power upon birth. And so, they grew ever stronger.
* * *
The ring Cheon Ji-hoo had given Cheon Ji-yoon was infused with several spells. Even typical artifacts only held one or two abilities at most, but this ring, meticulously crafted by his hand, bore no fewer than four.
If the core's mana was rated at 100%, then Muscle Enhancement and Speed Enhancement—which boosted physical abilities—each took 30%, with the remaining 40% split evenly between the other two spells.
Those other two were Cheon Ji-hoo's little pranks. Siblings were meant to tease and play with each other, weren't they? That was his thinking behind them. He had engraved Wings of Light and Sword of Light, flashy variants of simple light magic meant for dramatic effect.
They were spells mages rarely bothered with. Wings of Light formed protective wings from mana-made light, while Sword of Light forged a blade from solidified radiance. Unless you were a spellsword who trained in both sword and sorcery, they were niche at best.
What... what is this?
Cheon Ji-yoon faltered for a moment as resplendent wings of light unfurled from her back. Anyone would panic at wings bursting forth in a blaze of glory. And then a sword of pure light materialized in her hand, slicing through the communal darkness in one stroke. The sheer brilliance drew every eye in an instant.
...Oppa.
She steadied herself, picturing Cheon Ji-hoo's face. Yeah, he must've seen this coming. That's why he added these spells.
Cheon Ji-yoon shouted at the top of her lungs. "Everyone, this is our chance to escape! Come with me!"
* * *
Seems like she handled it well.
Cheon Ji-hoo was clearing out the monsters and traps between the safe zone and the exit. He demolished any passages that might let more beasts in from elsewhere, reduced the undead to ash with holy magic, and carved a straight path forward.
The distance from the safe zone to the exit wasn't far—about 2 km, a 30- or 40-minute walk at most. With the route secured, he turned back inward. He'd made the way safe coming in, but if that thing inside changed its mind and lunged out, the gathered people would be in danger.
Using short-range Teleport, he closed the distance swiftly and spotted Cheon Ji-yoon up ahead, leading the crowd. Wings of light adorned her back, a gleaming sword in her grip—she looked every bit the angel from myth.
His desired spectacle achieved, Cheon Ji-hoo approached with a grin and fell in beside her. "Well done."
"...Oppa, how do I turn this off?"
"It'll last until the artifact's mana runs dry."
"Honestly, it's kinda embarrassing..."
Seeing her blush made him think he'd crafted it perfectly. The people trailing behind eyed the enigmatic man with the white hair and black hat who drew near the angel-like girl, curiosity plain on their faces—but none dared speak. His otherworldly aura screamed he was no ordinary soul.
"Get used to it. You'll deal with stuff like this eventually anyway."
She shook her head. "I hate this kind of embarrassment..."
In any case, the two led the eighty-odd survivors out without incident. Cheers erupted as the exit came into view beyond her glowing wings. Legs ached from the trek, but the joy of emerging unscathed overwhelmed it.
Cheon Ji-yoon and Cheon Ji-hoo sent the people out first. They thanked her profusely as they stepped through. She scratched her neck with an awkward smile. "I didn't really do anything..."
"Leading them out was plenty."
"...Hehe, thanks, oppa. You even put up with my whims."
"I'd grant anything you wish. World conquest sound good?"
"Such a joker."
It wasn't much of a joke. Conquering a single nation? Brainwash the head of state, done. The side effect of a nation in heat from their leader's rut might pity the citizens, though.
Soon everyone was out, and the siblings followed the last straggler toward the rift. But then, the open rift began to close. Its entrance narrowed rapidly, trying to bar their escape.
"Hm."
How amusing. Cheon Ji-yoon grabbed his arm in panic, but he simply extended a hand. With a flick of mana control, he halted the contraction. Then, casually dispelling her artifact's effects, he strolled out.
As if this could block his path.
Outside lay the bustling streets of Hunter Way once more. The survivors were handed to the soldiers who arrived post-rift confirmation, reunited with families. The last two out got the same treatment—especially since he'd turned off the artifact, passing them as ordinary escapees.
It would be later that Cheon Ji-yoon earned her nickname, "Angel of Light Wings."
* * *
After a brief debrief, they made it home unscathed. The other escapees mentioned her, but since she wasn't awakened, no one grilled her.
Cheon Ji-yoon flopped onto the sofa the moment they arrived. Cheon Ji-hoo pulled a bear plush from his subspace and tossed it to her.
She hugged it tight, mumbling, "...I'm beat."
"What kind of future hunter whines over this?"
"That was an A-rank rift, wasn't it?! I haven't even awakened yet! And what were those wings and sword? Wings sprouting from my back outta nowhere! A lightsaber popping up next!"
"Like it?"
"I thought I'd die of shame."
For real. Awakening as a hunter brought flashy powers, sure—but this was overkill. And despite appearances, Cheon Ji-yoon was actually quite shy. Flapping wings and brandishing a glowing sword in front of everyone? Her face had burned beet red, ready to explode.
Cheon Ji-hoo chuckled softly and drew a core from his subspace for the barrier he'd skipped that morning. But he couldn't start right away—his pocketed phone buzzed incessantly.
Unknown number. He hung up; it rang again. Three times like that.
"Persistent creep."
"What's with all the calls?"
"Dunno."
Expecting another, he picked up to say leave him alone—only for a long sigh and Hong Ji-hwa's voice to emerge.
-Hoo... Is that Cheon Ji-hoo?
"Yes. What is it?"
-Why didn't you answer?
"Unknown number."
-...Understood. And by any chance, do you know about the rift in the shopping district today?
"Know it well. Went in and out."
-As I thought. Spotted a familiar face on nearby CCTV. So, you didn't clear it, right?
"Just rescued the people."
-That explains why it closed once then reopened. Oh, and could I ask for info on the rift?
Cheon Ji-hoo pondered. Hand it over just like that? No, too wasteful. Better yet...
"Forget that—give me the rift."
-The rift?
"It's on a main street anyway. Needs closing, doesn't it?"
-True. We'd assemble a raid team within a week...
"Spend that budget on me instead. Way better value."
No red tape needed. Just wire the funds for a clean raid.
Hong Ji-hwa went quiet, mulling it over, then agreed.
-Got it. I'll pass it to the Hunter Association and coordinate the schedule...
"Tomorrow at dawn. I'll go then."
-I'll relay that. Message you once it's set.
Call ended. He pocketed the phone and stowed the core. He'd planned to raid it anyway—now he'd get paid. Might as well sweep it clean.
Clearing the rift itself was easy. Like bulldozing an ant nest with magic. But with people caught up earlier, he couldn't.
...Wait there.
Whatever lurked in that labyrinth—he'd dissect its secrets, then erase it utterly.
He sat, breathing slow and deep. Cheon Ji-yoon watched, then quietly retreated to her room, bear in arms.
Breathe in. Long and slow. Ambient mana flooded into him, filling his depleted reservoirs. His body, altered by mana veins, was one vast storage. He could stockpile it anywhere within, draw it freely.
Otherworld mages touched mana via circles—steady flows around the heart—posing spells as questions through formulas.
He was different. No questions. He forced the answers he demanded.
That set him apart, earning him the title Archmage of Dawn and Descent.
"Hoo..."
Exhaling long, he spread mana through his body, observing circuits shattered by dimensional crossing. Traversing dimensions was no joke. How many times had his flesh torn? If not for his near-spirit physique, he'd have been shredded to death.
Full repair will take time.
Short-term recovery looked tough. His body was a web of exquisite circuits. Damaged piecemeal in transit, they'd need gradual, meticulous fixes.
Been patching since I returned, but...
Mages were fragile creatures—unable to unleash full power, they died frustrated. Even today's rift proved it. With his otherworld mana reserves, overusing Wide-Area Detection, Barrier, and Guiding Silver Bells wouldn't have fazed him.
Minus Barrier, those were high-cost spells. Wide-Area Detection demanded insane mental computation; Guiding Silver Bells too. The latter, a witch's rite, required sacrifices. He shaped hypnotic waves into bell chimes, formed light orbs, plotted every coordinate along their paths—fueling it all by sacrificing mana as offerings.
Folks thought only destructive spells guzzled mana and complexity. Wrong. Brute-force blasts were simple, low-compute. These precise arts were far harder.
Feats only Cheon Ji-hoo could pull off. Magic wasn't "cast and done" like in novels. Real magic demanded post-cast tweaks, sometimes sacrifices. A negotiation with reality via mana as medium.
He preferred threats to drag results out.
Anyway.
"Hooo..."
Eyes shut, he exhaled deeper. Long, longer. Emptied his lungs, refilled with mana. Probed every inch, mending what he could. Reinforced rift-torn spots with mana layers. Building circuits was like laying foundations—solid base for the fantastical edifice of magic.
"Dawn and Descent rest in my hands..."
He murmured low. Mana surged around him; living room furniture lifted, then settled. Hours passed like this. Eyes opening, night had fallen. Phone buzzed—Hong Ji-hwa's message.
-Preparations complete. From now on, it is the hour of Dawn.