Chapter 5

“What the…? That felt a little too easy….”

Yoo Se-byeol tilted her head as she flicked bone dust off her sword.

The Elder Lich, unable to cast magic, had been skewered straight through the heart by her charge. It crumbled into nothing.

Three soul restorations?

What, was some big-shot Elder Lich in the Demon Realm casting it for him or something?

After I drilled two clean holes through its skull with Singularity, the thing cooled off nicely. All that was left was its robe and grimoire.

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt, right?”

“Yes, I’m fine. More importantly, congratulations. We can finally get out now.”

“Still feels a little off… Don’t liches usually revive or something?”

“It first appeared in a low-grade Gate, didn’t it? Probably didn’t have the mana left for that kind of trick.”

The grimoire, no doubt filled with Black Magic, would be sent to the Magic Tower. So the only salvageable loot was the robe. And honestly, I liked it.

It was in good condition, dark and plain enough to wear anywhere—and since the lich had been tall, it would be perfect to hide my tentacles beneath.

Of course, as a government-employed officer, she couldn’t just hand out spoils for personal use. But hey, before the Gates, didn’t the world have a thing called “welfare”?

Seeing me barefoot with only rags thrown over my body, even a hard-nosed Deputy Commander of the Special Unit would probably feel some sympathy.

I hurried to support the staggering Yoo Se-byeol, singing her praises along the way.

“You didn’t even attack much in that last minute… was it you, Hayan? Did you block for me?”

“Ahem, as if. They say a master swordsman experiences one second as if it were a full minute. You must’ve been concentrating that deeply. Your final strike was so dazzling that even I couldn’t see it.”

“R-really…?”

This was how socializing worked.

Sure, I hadn’t interacted with people for ages, but living under an Outer God had taught me plenty about bowing to those above me.

Archduke’s vessel or not, she was still a Deputy Commander of the Ability Management Bureau’s Special Unit.

Scratch where it itched. Press where it felt hollow.

Not too much, not too little—just the right amount of flattery. That was common sense for someone lower in rank.

Age differences didn’t matter.

And the fact that we’d actually won thanks to my Singularity? That inconvenient detail was something my brain neatly snipped out.

“Honestly, I knew you were extraordinary from the moment we met. You didn’t even flinch when you saw me looking like a beggar. You let me join the party, and you protected us until the very end.”

“D-don’t say such embarrassing stuff! That was only because the situation was urgent….”

“No, if I’d had proper gear, I wouldn’t have troubled you at all. Black Tower graduates can’t exactly land real jobs, you see.”

“Th-that’s not something you should apologize for… Oh, right! That robe dropped as loot. Normally it would be auctioned off through the Bureau, but I can talk to the higher-ups about lending it to you.”

“For a worthless mage like me? Wouldn’t that be too much trouble, Deputy Commander?”

“I-it’s fine! As long as a few conditions are met, it should be possible to rent it out. Yes, with a few conditions…”

Too easy.

Sure, she was tired after a life-or-death battle, but to be this genuinely happy?

It was like watching someone who had never once been praised in her life, completely flustered and unsure of how to handle it.

And so, until we finished tending to the wounded and made our way to the exit, I kept showering her with gentle flattery.

After so many trials, I was finally back in my homeland after fifteen years.

When I stepped out into the bright sunlight again, my whole body felt as if its muscles were melting in blissful relief.

The sight of city streets lined with buildings and cars looked beautiful, and even the smog-filled air felt refreshing.

Yeah. Earth really was the best.

“We—we made it out! The Gate opened!”

“No way… Did Division 3 actually clear the boss on their own?”

“Deputy Commander Yoo Se-byeol! Are you all right?!”

“Move the wounded first! Anyone still conscious, get their statements!”

Even the chaotic noise from the crowd around the Gate sounded like a symphony to my ears.
Except for one voice.

“Ah, Se-byeol! This old man knew you’d come back alive—!”

“Eek?! G-grandpa! What’s going on here? I told you not to come when I’m on duty…!”

“How could I stay away when these useless brats were just twiddling their thumbs in front of the Gate!”

“Enough, let go of me! Ugh, when did you even come down from the mountain again?”

An old man rushed through the Awakened, dropping his sword as he ran.

When he crossed the cracked asphalt and I got a proper look at his face, I froze.

Yoo Chae-seon—the Sword Immortal. Founder of the guild The Old Gods’ Wound and one of Korea’s Seven Immortals, the strongest Awakened in the country.

So the “grandfather” who had given her that ominous scabbard was actually one of the most powerful beings alive?

Then why was Yoo Se-byeol in the Special Unit instead of her grandfather’s guild?

As I puzzled over it, a man in sunglasses approached me.

“Excuse me. Park Mu-cheol, Deputy Commander of Division 2, Ability Management Bureau.”

“Ah… I’m Hayan.”

“I’ve already heard from the members who debriefed. You were inside the Gate ahead of them?”

“Uh… yes. But it was a coincidence we met, and the Gate changing had nothing to do with me. And I definitely didn’t feed anything strange to the Special Unit members.”

I started blurting confessions like a thief caught red-handed, but Park Mu-cheol only shook his head.

Instead, he handed me a business card.

In bold letters across the center: Deputy Commander, Special Unit Division 2, Ability Management Bureau.

“They say you helped with the clear. That wrong?”

“No? Oh, yes. That’s true.”

“We need to investigate what happened inside the Gate. Please stop by the Bureau and cooperate.”

“Of course.”

I hadn’t expected such polite treatment.

And since I was already promised the robe, I’d have to register as an Awakened anyway—so visiting the Bureau was inevitable.

It had been ages since I last felt the texture of paper. I ran my fingers across the card until noise from the side drew my attention.

“They really managed to clear an irregular Gate with so few people?”

“Division 3 keeps functioning even without its commander, huh.”

“As expected of the Sword Immortal’s granddaughter.”

“Don’t be stupid—it’s the Special Unit that’s amazing.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be great if she joined our guild? Maybe we should make an offer.”

“Keep dreaming. She left The Old Gods’ Wound for the Special Unit. You think any other guild would measure up?”

Tch. Hyenas.

I clicked my tongue at the scouts and staff from various guilds buzzing around Yoo Se-byeol.

Always the same—the ones who show up late, hoping to pick at scraps.

And with an irregular Gate and even the Sword Immortal himself appearing, no wonder the place was swarming.

“Deputy Commander Park, it’s been a while. The raid’s over?”

“Yes. We’re shutting down the Gate now, so please stay back.”

“Oh, come on. We’ve got investigators from our guild here. Let us take a look inside. Who knows, there might be mana stones lying around.”

“Or maybe some of the members awakened new powers or advanced their realms while inside?”

With the site already chaotic and filled with injured, the guild scouts poking their noses in only made Park Mu-cheol’s face grow harder.

Before sparks flew my way, I figured I’d better slip out.

I tucked the business card safely into my pocket—only for a voice to ripple through the crowd, silencing everything around the Gate.

Clear, resonant, laced with powerful magic.

“Oh~ this is quite the rare phenomenon. Two Archdukes’ mana are colliding in unstable fusion.”

A blond mage in a blue robe spoke as he stared into the Gate.

“A Gate that was only second-grade suddenly became special-grade, and even a vassal appeared! Could it be that Naberius’s subordinate made contact with another unknown Archduke? If true, the power balance of the Demon Realm itself may be shifting.”

Words spilled from him nonstop, like every observation that entered his eyes had to leave his mouth. Only when a Bureau staff member called out did he finally turn his head.

“Esma! You’re here!”

“Unquenchable flame and an army of the dead… If the raid had failed and they’d gotten out, you might have had to abandon the capital itself.”

“W-wait, is that really true?”

“Though it looks like the situation’s settled, yes. Still, even just confirming the existence of such a Gate is a major discovery. If possible, I’d like to conduct research before it’s completely sealed.”

After saying that, Esma looked around, then approached Yoo Se-byeol.

“Congratulations, Awakened Yoo Se-byeol.”

“Thank you.”

“Perhaps you’ve ascended to an even higher level of mastery?”

By international law, once a Gate’s threat was removed, ownership went to the party that defeated the boss.

The Special Unit would have to negotiate with the Bureau for access, but leaving a favorable impression beforehand could only help.

For a high mage of the proud Blue Tower to show such respect to a government officer was rare indeed.

But not every act of goodwill led to good results.

“I wouldn’t go that far. I didn’t defeat the Elder Lich on my own.”

“Hm…”

Esma’s gaze drifted over the wounded soldiers without much interest.

Their condition alone proved they hadn’t properly resisted the Elder Lich’s magic.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Recognizing your subordinates’ efforts is admirable, but ultimately it only lowers your own worth. Forgive me if that offends.”

“I only spoke the truth. They’re all excellent Awakened.”

“Hmm. But the only ones who can stand as pillars of the world are those who transcend realms—like you, or your grandfather. Not the others.”

At the edge of his vision, he caught sight of me in rags, trying to quietly slip back.

Maybe Yoo Se-byeol didn’t like the disdain in his eyes, because her voice rose in strength.

“Is that so? If Hayan hadn’t stopped the Elder Lich’s magic, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat it alone.”

“What did you say? He stopped the Elder Lich’s magic?”

Esma actually checked his magic tools, as if his translator had malfunctioned.

But Yoo Se-byeol’s next words made his expression harden by the second—and I realized something had gone terribly wrong.

“A black thunderbolt was about to fall from the sky, but he blocked it. Without that, we never would’ve made it out alive.”

“Black thunderbolt… the sixth-rank Black Magic, Thundering Lament? Are you saying there’s a mage in Korea who could dispel that?”

“And that’s not all! After that, he kept the lich restrained for a whole minute. So don’t you dare say I caught the boss alone—mmph!”

“N-no! It wasn’t a minute! Not even a full second! Deputy Commander Yoo must have eaten something strange in the labyrinth and is talking nonsense!”

“Hayan? Are you saying my senses are wrong? It was at least ten seconds, minimum! There’s no way—oh.”

Too late. I shoved through the crowd and clapped a hand over her mouth, but the damage was done.

Guild officials had already begun circling closer.

“Who is that mage?”

“Don’t know, but Division 3 said he’s an unaffiliated Awakened.”

“Wait—that’s Park Mu-cheol’s business card in his hand, isn’t it?”

“Division 2 doesn’t hand those out to just anyone… Could he really be…?”

Even if Yoo Se-byeol had exaggerated, it didn’t matter.

Binding the vassal of an Archduke—Naberius’s servant, no less, a master of Black Magic—for even ten seconds meant immense potential.

And Esma’s reaction had practically served as certification from the Blue Tower.

“Is what Deputy Commander Yoo just said true?!”

“Are you planning to join the Bureau?”

“Excuse me, if you’re still unaffiliated, would you consider our guild? We’ll offer top-class benefits!”

“Back off! We made contact first!”

And just like that, I became the hyenas’ prey.