Chapter 1
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People have a lot of misconceptions about black mages. When they hear you've awakened to black magic, they imagine something soul-hungry, blood-and-bone splattered, pure evil incarnate. But in reality, our job as black magic awakeners is to get thrown into sites no normal manpower can handle—specific locations, specific targets, or just the dirty work everyone else avoids—and clean up the battlefield.
"This site's pretty clean by comparison, huh?"
We'd taken a request from the Awakener Association and arrived on scene. I scanned the area, eyed the countless monster remains scattered across the ground, and unleashed my mana. Drawing on the blood spilling from the monster corpses, I awakened my black magic and traced a magic circle in my mind, following the countless patterns etched there from years of practice.
Seven years had passed since my awakening. Back then, I'd been utterly despairing. The public's image of black magic, gleaned from fantasy novels and such, painted it as the epitome of evil—the signature of disposable villains. Not knowing the real lives of those who'd awakened before me, I'd imagined a grim fate of persecution, misunderstandings, and a screaming death. But the truth? It was a profession in desperately high demand.
"Seong-chan, wrap that up and give me a hand over here!"
Just as my magic circle neared completion, a woman shouted my way. I turned, met her gaze, and replied that I'd be right there.
Go Yu-jin. Our company president. Twenty-seven years old. Stunning beauty, easygoing personality—she draws admiring glances from men left and right...
Right on cue, Go Yu-jin unleashed her black magic. The corpses and filth around her mashed together into a massive rag golem, which she smoothly mounted and climbed inside. I clicked my tongue watching her.
If she didn't have to show off like that, she'd be insanely popular...
Her specialty was Golem Meister. She could craft golems from anything, but the catch was she had to ride them personally to move them. An incredible ability, yet one that made her a pariah. Still, to another black mage like me, the mere fact she could mount a golem felt impressive.
Compared to that, I'm way too vanilla...
Awakenings fall into three broad categories. Specialized types like Go Yu-jin fixate on one power—offense or support subtypes. Offensive types pour everything into attack skills, which might seem specialized, but they're a bit different. Support types have a vast array of abilities, their effectiveness hinging on clever usage.
But there's a type that doesn't fit neatly: the All Meister.
Jack-of-all-trades in black magic—capable of everything. The downside? A chronic mana shortage. The penalty jacks up mana consumption across the board. Sure, it amps spell power, but the drain is so massive it's colloquially called "premature mana exhaustion."
Mine's decent compared to most... but still, it's a shame.
The completed magic circle flared with light. A rag golem formed and loomed over me. I pointed to the debris-collection truck parked nearby, and it lumbered over, loading itself up.
At least it wasn't flung into a blood-soaked battlefield. Those are no picnic.
Some people thrive on battlefield gore, basking in the admiration and complex emotions it stirs as proof of their strength. Me? I'm not that type. Which is why I found satisfaction in this line of work.
Go Yu-jin, meanwhile, dispelled her massive rag golem atop the truck and hopped out. Seeing her like that, I got why people shunned her.
"Doesn't it feel gross?"
"Even if it does, what can you do? This is my power."
Her work clothes were caked in monster filth and blood. She seemed annoyed but moved with practiced ease, like it was routine. Objectively, I had no complaints—in fact, it was eye candy. Her voluptuous figure, slick with gore, was alluringly outlined.
She's all looks...
But the show ended there. Though Go Yu-jin could use it, she never bothered with a certain spell. So I casually released some mana and cast Clean. Instantly, the grime sluiced off her body.
Was it the sensation? She shuddered head to toe, cheeks flushing, and shot me a look.
"Seriously, you know not to use that spell carelessly, right?"
I had no idea why. I just nodded vaguely and glanced at the remaining debris.
"One more go should finish it. I'll handle it. Let's wrap up quick and head back to rest."
"Sure thing!"
Requests for black mages usually numbered one or two a day—if that—with plenty of downtime. And most weren't combat; they were cleanup like this. So here we were, earning a living with easy post-battle work, far from the public's dark fantasies of black mages.
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