The Echo of a Forgotten Memory
As Ilyang’s mental projection pushed through the hazy fog, a small pond appeared before him.
And upon the calm, mirror-like surface of the water, a face appeared—one that now felt somewhat unfamiliar.
A young man with curly blonde hair and a youthful face came into view.
"Master, you are indulging in such useless endeavors again. What are you trying to achieve by building a secret dungeon here in the desert? There is absolutely no profit in making one."
"But it's fun."
"..."
The great Archmage and seeker of worldly truths.
Fabius Trevalier.
And his chief disciple and successor, Rian.
Rian dry-washed his face with both hands, staring at his master with a look of sheer exhaustion.
"Just what kind of dungeon are you building that requires such an astronomical budget? It is practically on par with constructing a brand-new Magic Tower."
"I am thinking of establishing a natural ecosystem inside the dungeon. A monster food chain, if you will. When humans trespass, they will act as a trigger to stimulate the dungeon's core. When a monster inside dies, its energy will be absorbed back into the core. By introducing unpredictable variables, the dungeon will constantly evolve on its own. You could call it a growth-type dungeon—something completely unprecedented."
Seeing Trevalier’s face, which practically screamed, 'Isn't it awesome?', Rian let out a heavy sigh.
"If that is your goal, why not simply build another Magic Tower? The Emperor of the Southern Continent has been practically begging for one of your towers anyway. Why not build it there? It would expand our influence, which is beneficial for everyone."
"Why on earth should I build a Magic Tower for the benefit of that arrogant southern country bumpkin of an emperor?"
"Because that country bumpkin emperor pays an astronomical sum. Instead of draining our funds, we would be earning them. Isn't that a novel concept? With the gold the Southern Emperor is offering, we could buy out the entire Chloe Bakery you adore so much. Your devoted disciple is more than willing to step forward and negotiate the acquisition."
"No."
Despite his master’s firm refusal, Rian did not look particularly disappointed. He had not expected much to begin with.
He was simply curious.
"What do you even plan to achieve by growing a dungeon?"
"Think about it. If we just leave it to its own devices, the dungeon will eventually produce high-tier monsters on its own. Isn't that marvelous? It makes sourcing materials incredibly convenient, not to mention we can use it to train those weaklings at the Magic Tower or those brainless mercenaries, and we can harvest mana stones..."
"That sounds like it could pose a severe ethical dilemma. From what you have described, it sounds as though the dungeon grows by devouring humans. Is that not the case?"
"Humans are merely a stimulant. The core of the dungeon absorbs the surrounding mana..."
Mid-explanation, Trevalier coughed awkwardly a few times under his disciple's accusing gaze.
However, he quickly recovered his usual shameless, confident expression and spoke proudly.
"Well, we can simply compensate them! We will provide rewards for every floor they clear. I have put aside some artifacts I crafted in my spare time to place inside. Wouldn't that suffice as compensation? Besides, if those incompetent fools go in and perish, they die of their own greed."
Rian stared at his childish master with a look that asked, 'Have you truly lost your humanity?' before speaking.
"Then are you not the one tempting them to be greedy in the first place?"
"Ahem! Those without ability simply shouldn't covet treasures!"
"These are artifacts bearing your name, Master. Is there a single soul across the Seven Continents who wouldn't covet them?"
"Haha, I suppose I am rather magnificent."
"Which is exactly why you should sell those magnificent creations to the outside world. We can use the proceeds for our Magic Tower's research budget. If you tell the Southern Emperor you made it, he would gladly collect even a useless glass bottle. In fact, I have already sold a few."
"How dare you! Selling my carefully crafted collection to such a country bumpkin! Are you attempting to insult my soul? The soul of the great Archmage Trevalier?"
"...Fine. Go ahead and build your dungeon here. We will manage somehow if we squeeze next year's Magic Tower budget."
"Oh! I knew my disciple would understand my grand vision! Truly the true successor of our Magic Tower! The real mastermind behind the scenes!"
While Trevalier was babbling emotionally at his cynical disciple, Rian curled up one corner of his mouth.
"In exchange, the moment the dungeon is complete, your disciple will be the very first to enter and clear the entire thing. That should resolve any issues, yes? I should start scouting for a wealthy fool to purchase your numbered artifacts at an exorbitant price. Just the thought of becoming rich is giving me shivers."
"I-I will layer it with security wards and level-restriction spells. Even the Dragon Lord's grandfather wouldn't be able to breach it!"
"That sounds highly intriguing as well. It will be quite entertaining to see how long it takes me to break through. Ah! If I publish this information in the news and offer real-time broadcasting rights, it might sell for a fortune. Your disciple will endeavor to sell it as expensively as possible."
Trevalier rolled his eyes, deep in thought, before closing them tightly and opening them again.
"No! You absolutely cannot enter. Absolutely not! Why is an adult trying to play in a children's playground anyway?"
"Because it makes money! Astronomical amounts of money! Budget! More budget!"
"Miser! Money-grubber!"
"What a delightful compliment. Your humble disciple is pleased that you are finally in the mood to come to the negotiating table."
"Devil..."
"High praise indeed. Please, keep it coming."
Ilyang stared quietly at the surface of the pond and let out a soft chuckle.
His disciple and successor of the Magic Tower.
Rian.
Back then, that fellow was already a 7th-circle Archmage.
I hope he's doing well.
The world within the water was a realm forged from Ilyang's ancient memories. It was, in essence, a deep subconscious world.
Still, it's a bit of a shame.
To reach the 4th circle, one had to face their greatest trauma—their inner demon—within their mental world.
But Ilyang had overcome that stage long ago.
He had been secretly looking forward to what might appear this time, but no trauma had manifested at all.
I even prepared a spiritual guide just in case.
This was precisely why a contract with a spirit was necessary.
When facing one's greatest inner demon in the mental world, in the worst-case scenario, one could be completely devoured by it.
Spirits, being pure mental entities, could intervene in the mental world and guide the contractor along the correct path, making them an indispensable asset.
"Are you doing well, Rian?"
Ilyang smiled softly as he watched Rian being shaken back and forth like a paper doll by his past self.
But then, at that very moment.
Rian's eyes suddenly looked up into the empty air.
"...What?"
Staring at the water, Ilyang felt a sudden jolt, as if he had just made direct eye contact with his chief disciple.
At first, he thought it was merely an illusion.
But Rian's eyes were precisely following his gaze.
"This isn't an illusion?"
As if hearing his murmur, Rian smiled.
Was this a memory error? Or did this scene actually happen in the past?
Could this be my real trauma?
Just as admiration began to dawn on Ilyang's face, Rian mouthed something toward the empty air.
And it was a sentence Ilyang knew all too well.
"...!"
A sentence he had never revealed to anyone.
Something he had not even told his disciple, Rian.
How did this fellow know?
"Ha! If this is my trauma... this is insanely interesting."
The moment he uttered those words, the fog over the water thickened rapidly, and a brilliant light burst out.
Flash—!
"Huh? No. Wait! Just a moment!"
Ilyang reached out toward the water in a hurry, but his vision was already consumed by the light.
Immediately, a new scene appeared before his eyes.
"Damn it."
Ilyang grumbled quietly, looking at the red fox staring down at him.
"Yeah."
He had intended to face his trauma, but now he had to doubt his past memories.
Why did Rian utter the words the Demon King said?
Was it a simple memory error? Or was there really something more?
Just then, soft fur brushed against his chin.
The red fox looked somewhat dejected.
Ilyang looked at Geum-ok and chuckled.
"No, you were a big help."
By gaining access to his mental world, his mental strength had dramatically increased.
Along with that, the grade of his soul had risen.
And it was not just his soul's grade.
Spirit, Mana, and Physical Body complement each other.
With his mental strength rising, his mana capacity had increased accordingly.
His physical capabilities, especially his mana circuits, had grown rapidly.
The spirit had temporarily dwelled in his body, greatly expanding his mana circuits.
Thanks to this, he could now cast low-circle magic with almost no burden.
Though it's still far from what it used to be.
In truth, when Ilyang crossed over to this world, without him even realizing it, a significant portion of his soul's grade had been torn away as he collided with the dimensional wall.
At least I've recovered a tiny fraction of what I lost.
He could clearly feel the gaps in his memory now.
He had not even realized this before, but after breaking through the 4th-circle barrier and inspecting his inner mental world, he could faintly see how his soul had been torn and shredded here and there.
Sigh... to think I didn't even know I was in this state until now.
Indeed, the 4th circle had a massive impact on the soul.
It was a relief he realized it now. Of course, he had no intention of stopping here.
Geum-ok, the red fox, wagged her four tails and smiled.
Ilyang stretched in the underground training ground and stood up.
"I'll have to quietly build up my foundation for a while."
He really needed to build the Magic Tower as soon as possible.
Once the Magic Tower was complete, reaching the 6th circle would be a breeze.
He planned to gather resources, raise his realm, and then investigate what that memory meant.
Ugh, did that bastard Demon King pull some kind of trick?
The scene he saw in his mental world lingered uncomfortably in his mind, but he shook off the feeling, cradled Geum-ok in his arms, and left the underground training ground of the Flood Dragon Fort.
He walked toward the construction site in the distance.
Thud— crash— thud!
The excavation work was in full swing.
Ilyang looked at the ground, which had been dug down nearly ten meters.
He approached Gong Jeol-gang, who was sitting cross-legged on a wooden platform on one side of the site.
Gong Jeol-gang quickly stood up and bowed respectfully.
Beside him, Manager Seo, who was writing something on a bamboo scroll, also hurried to his feet and bowed.
"You have arrived, Master."
"Yes. Good work. You too, Manager Seo."
Ilyang gestured for them to sit and took a relaxed seat beside them.
"The bandits look rather miserable."
"We are providing them with the bare minimum of meals."
"Just meals, I assume."
"That is more than enough for them, Master."
Gong Jeol-gang basically did not view the bandits as human. He saw them as useful materials or consumables.
Well, he's not entirely wrong.
If they were ordinary commoners, they would not be treated this harshly.
But these were bandits who had tasted blood. And there were over two thousand of them.
They were constantly looking for any opportunity to escape.
Just then.
"Chief. We have a guest."
Sun Hong-dan, the son of the former Flood Dragon Fort Chief, ran over and reported in a stiff, disciplined posture. He had been given the task of guarding the docks due to his cooperative attitude.
Ilyang turned his head. "A guest?"
Sun Hong-dan quickly continued his report while maintaining his attention posture.
"Yes. Blood Wind Spear, who accompanied you on the escort mission a while ago, has arrived with other guests."
"Ah! That guy."
He said he would go find his master and return. It seemed he really did.
"Then I should go meet them."
Nodding, Ilyang immediately stood up to greet them at the docks.