The Second Hobby is Revenge
The second hobby is revenge—ha—and as I gazed at the completely dead black mage, everyone stared back at me with grave expressions.
"Well then, shall we settle my grudge now?"
They'd killed a man for burning down a house. But all I needed was evidence proving my innocence from here on out.
"Call of Spirit"
The moment mana surged forth, it transformed in an instant into a high-circle spell, drawing the black mages' attention more to that flicker of change than to the man's death. Awakeners always had something break at the moment of awakening—perhaps for black mages, it was their sense of morality or ethics that dulled.
The soul was summoned and materialized before me. I immediately channeled mana into sharp thorns, then stabbed them into it everywhere. As the soul screamed, I questioned it.
"There must have been a reason you burned my house. If you want less pain, spill everything you know."
"Even if my soul plummets into the eternal abyss, it is the will of the divine. Even if that will brings me no benefit, it is ultimately the divine arrangement. How dare a mere insect question the exalted, noble, eternal... KRAAAAAHHH!!!"
Because it spewed nonsense, I refined my mana into something sharper and longer—a piercing needle, like the acupuncture probes they called "grand needles"—and thrust it straight through the soul. Then I added subtle vibrations to keep it from growing numb to the stimulation. As I observed this, Jeong Do-bin, confirming the soul's ramblings, asked me,
"That's a doomsday cult prayer, right?"
"For now, yes. It's as good as a confession from its own mouth. This turns simple arson into revenge over a grudge—a commissioned hit."
"He wouldn't be someone to die over something like that, though...?"
"Doomsday cultists are irredeemable scum who can be killed on sight, aren't they?"
"To ordinary folk, he's just a neighbor, a colleague, someone's parent or father. If you kill him without trial, summon his soul, interrogate it, and then shove the 'evidence' in their faces, all you'll hear is 'typical black mage.' Why does the Association even allow this?"
"No one would be unaware that a doomsday cultist used an area-of-effect spell that could harm civilians. The Association might want to distance itself from me with remarks like that, but it won't be easy."
"Hoo..."
Jeong Do-bin sighed deeply, as if praying for the earth to swallow her up. And right on cue—or perhaps perfectly timed—a familiar voice boomed.
"You bastard! You come to my Association causing trouble again, and now you've even committed murder?!"
A tremendous mana storm raged, shattering every magical barrier the black mages had erected for defense. And that wasn't all—the soul I'd painstakingly summoned scattered into dust.
Tch. The prayer alone proves it's a doomsday cultist, so no issue there, but I needed to dig for the backers...
Irritation rose from the untimely interruption, but one sudden realization stayed my hand. And perfectly timed once more, Jeong Do-bin snapped her fingers, casting an Escape spell that dispersed the overwhelming mana pressure blanketing the area.
The Association building's power? She's mastered it seamlessly...
The Black Mage Association headquarters was as meticulously fortified as a proper magic tower. Lost in thought as I regarded her, Jeong Do-bin whipped her head around and yelled at the belatedly arriving old man.
"You were watching from the top floor the whole time—why make a fuss now?"
"Wh-when did I say I watched?!"
"Don't stutter. Keep some dignity! I've told you a hundred times, if you don't act dignified, you'll just be treated like the neighborhood grandpa!"
His earlier excitement and mana outburst deflated at the nagging. He blinked dumbly at me, our eyes meeting, then demanded,
"If you knew a doomsday cultist fled here and still came, I won't let it slide!"
"Doesn't it seem like the cultist hid here to provoke exactly this? You were watching, weren't you?"
"I didn't watch!"
The old man was the Black Mage Association chairman and one of the nation's top three black mages: Jeong Gil-sun. He stood at odds with Han Sang-gil, one of those stubborn folks convinced I belonged to Han's faction. In truth, I aligned with no one, but he was too distrustful to believe it. And Jeong Do-bin's own grandfather, to boot.
How did both grandfather and granddaughter awaken as black mages...?
One could argue bloodline, but awakening wasn't proven by heredity—it was sheer luck. As a 1st-gen, Jeong Gil-sun outranked his 3rd-gen granddaughter by a generation.
"As you can see, doomsday cultists hate my guts."
"Of course they do—you kill every one you see! Do you have any idea how hard they've worked to position themselves as a legitimate religion externally?"
"So what? They're scum who treat people worse than livestock. Acknowledging them means dooming the nation to ruin. Unless...?"
Jeong Gil-sun bristled again, mana flaring, but Jeong Do-bin intervened, borrowing the magic tower's power to scatter it.
"Seriously, Grandpa?"
She glared at me, so I turned to him. "I've used no power since we started. Thanks to your mana storm, my chest feels stuffy and clogged. I'll have to bill you for treatment. You know how much it costs to heal mana damage from a 7th-circle master, right?"
"...You damn brat! You're the one causing chaos in my house—this was self-defense!"
"You disparaged the favor I did by preventing a disaster. Think I was just standing idle?"
I pulled a mana stone from my pocket.
"Evidence footage. Wasn't it you, Association Chairman Jeong Gil-sun, who taught me to prepare thoroughly against doomsday cultists?"
"That bastard?!"
"Enough!! Grandpa, stop! Mr. Geum Seong-chan, stop! We'll pay the treatment fee—no, we'll treat you ourselves. Just stop... Aren't you embarrassed?"
Prominent black mages making fools of themselves—it was mortifying, but nothing unusual. Still, at her words, I stated firmly,
"I'll take the treatment fee instead. I don't like strangers touching me."
"...You're after house money, aren't you?"
"Why not both?"
She looked defeated, and Jeong Gil-sun sighed before saying to me,
"Follow me. We need to talk more."
He drew on the Association tower's mana to form a gate to the top floor and stepped through. I nodded toward Jeong Do-bin.
"Planning to exterminate vermin?"
"...You're not the type to get killed."
I shrugged and crossed the gate. We arrived at the Association's rooftop terrace. Surveying the unchanged surroundings, I remarked,
"Hasn't changed a bit. Still full of rare herbs and flowers. How much do these go for?"
"None of your business."
I casually inspected the blooms before sitting at the table. Jeong Gil-sun sat across and asked,
"You still bewitched by that Necronomicon, boy?"
"Some call it bewitchment, but it's a necessary trade. Mutual aid, no?"
"The Necronomicon will gnaw at you and eventually devour you whole. Ruin... isn't far off."
"With the world half-ruined already, what's a little more wear on my body?"
"Hmph, if you could only speak sense..."
"What's the point of bringing me here?"
There had to be a reason. It wasn't for chit-chat. As I waited, Jeong Do-bin arrived, took a seat, and explained,
"The chairman wants to see you for two reasons."
"Two?"
I tilted my head curiously, and Jeong Gil-sun grumbled,
"Only two? Yeah, that's right. One's the doomsday cult issue."
"Didn't you see me burn the one who came into the tower?"
"Hoo, that pest isn't the problem. You think torching a worthless middleman makes you hot stuff?"
"How do you know he wasn't a middleman—or even higher?"
"We were watching that damn mage. He came here often as a trading partner manager."
So they'd already pegged his identity.
"You know his backers too?"
"What do you think?"
He looked exasperated, opening a sub-space to pull out a liquor bottle. Jeong Do-bin snatched it just in time. He smacked his lips, pleading for just one glass and lightening the mood, but her firm refusal wrinkled his face further as he told me,
"Choo Myeong-hun—that cursed bastard—is the one backing him."
Choo Myeong-hun's name surfaced again. Keeping calm, I asked,
"What's a hero like him lack that he'd shield doomsday cultists?"
"It's all money. Power? He has plenty. But money—the more you grab, the more you crave."
"A hero wasting time on trash for mere cash?"
"How should I know? Gotta crack him open to see how rotten he is inside."
Just sharing this implied who he was shielding. To confirm, I asked,
"The Magic Tower?"
"Not entirely clueless, eh."
My head throbbed. The Magic Tower and I were bitter enemies. Or rather, all non-black mages chafed against me.
Tricky. Clashing with them now carries too much risk.
But I couldn't just take their hits lying down.
"Why tell me all this?"
At my demand for the main point, Jeong Do-bin spoke for him.
"They hope you stay uninvolved. It could drag the entire black mage world into war with the mages. Be cautious."
"Ridiculous. You don't skip salting the guts fearing the maggots."
"You, not even thirty, and you talk like some ancient geezer?"
The abrupt question caught me off-guard; even Jeong Do-bin looked curious.
"Chatting with Mr. Han Sang-gil rubs off naturally. My absorption surprises even me."
"Don't mention that damn old fart!"
"Ha, you ask, then flip out?"
As emotions flared again, Jeong Do-bin intervened, handing me a check.
"Payment. Enough for a house and treatment. Not asking endless patience—just hold off for a bit!"
I eyed the check shoved in my face.
Ten zeros? 10 billion won.
The windfall sparked joy, but suspicion lingered.
"Why shove this much at me to wait?"
"...Planning to absorb some of the Tower's businesses. If the Tower crumbles first... the losses would be immense."
How big a chunk were they eyeing to throw around 10 billion? Curiosity piqued, but Jeong Gil-sun shut it down.
I smacked my lips. "You said two reasons. What's the other?"
"You really won't join the Association?"
"If that's it, simple: no."
"Sneaky bastard."