Magic Stone Mine Request (3)

To secure evidence, I extracted Magic Stones buried throughout the mine and began storing images in them.

I included most of the information, starting with detailed records of the confessions and the process; after obtaining and organizing confessions from all four, I detained them in a subdued state.

An So-mi volunteered to be the guard, and since she was a 2nd generation Awakener and a 5th Circle Master by circle standards, there were no potential issues.

There were a total of two requests given to us—sealing the core and measuring the mine’s depth—so Go Yu-jin and I inevitably had to move on.

“Are you worried about An So-mi?”

“I know she will do well, but I’m still anxious. If there are no results, they might send additional personnel, and if So-mi eventually sees blood… this mine might collapse.”

I thought she spoke of such a terrible thing too easily, but she wasn’t wrong.

This was because even I had to acknowledge An So-mi’s skills, which were concentrated in destruction magic.

Individuals active on the battlefield were each given a moniker; just as Go Yu-jin made a name for herself as the Golem Meister, An So-mi was given the relatively literary moniker, ‘Melody of Destruction’.

The reason was quite interesting; it was said to be given because the sound of explosions when she performed destruction magic was like playing music, but I knew it was actually given because she operated destruction magic incessantly as if performing a piece.

Her mana capacity itself was great, but because her mana efficiency was very high, she could operate destruction magic for long periods; furthermore, because she could operate magic by grinding down her own life force—a characteristic of black mages—a rampaging An So-mi used to use destruction magic until she was half-dead.

Since she said Go Yu-jin’s role was to talk her out of it and somehow keep her alive, it was natural to be anxious.

“If you are worried, you may go back. It is enough for me to handle this alone.”

“Do you know how deep it is? If a fork in the road appears, it’ll be hard to handle alone, you know?”

“I don’t need to do it alone. Can’t I just use familiars?”

“It’s truly fascinating. How can you use all black magic so naturally?”

“Thanks to that, I was given a penalty of double mana consumption. It can’t be called entirely good.”

“But the power is as strong as the mana you put in, isn’t it?”

It could be called a kind of forced enhancement, but from the perspective of a mage who should be called the ruler of the battlefield, it was the worst disadvantage in terms of the large amount of useless mana consumption.

‘I was deployed many times to turn the tide of war, but it was only for those moments…’

Because of chronic mana issues, I couldn’t be deployed for long periods, and because of my strategic value, additional personnel were stationed with the purpose of protecting me, which led to me receiving glares from many people.

The point was that if the personnel to protect me hadn’t been deployed, I would have just overexerted myself alone and finished the job, but instead, I had to be constantly anxious while carrying that burden.

But the part to note was that although I was deployed to the battlefield like that and fired a single shot powerful enough to reverse the tide of war, it was actually rare for me to overexert myself to the point of exhaustion.

In the end, because unnecessary personnel continued to be generated, the looks I received were simply not pleasant.

At the end of the war, I operated alone while refusing all personnel, but even then, rather than there being problems, when I was active here and there by myself, they instead rejected and hated me, saying I was stealing their military merits.

At any rate, the current situation was that I had been living leisurely for quite a long time after the long war ended.

In the memories of many, Geum Seong-chan had become fixed as someone who was active a long time ago.

Regardless, for now, the penalty had ceased to be a penalty.

‘Because I don’t need to operate mana excessively like I did on the battlefield.’

“How many familiars can you operate?”

“Doesn’t everyone usually handle about three?”

“…I can only do two. And the average is also two, you know?”

“…Why?”

We looked at each other in bewilderment, and Go Yu-jin asked.

“How many are you capable of?”

“About seven is possible. I have enough calculation for that much.”

“Monster. Are you even human?”

“…It is true that it’s difficult and I operate quite a few, but isn’t calling me a monster too much?”

“I think you know yourself too little.”

I wondered how many people knew me better than I did, but thinking that there might be a factual error as Go Yu-jin said, I began to ask about the common knowledge I knew.

“You say the average is two familiars, so how many does the person who operates the most familiars currently handle?”

“Five. That’s the highest I know of.”

Summoned beasts and familiars were strictly different.

A summoned beast, literally, manifests magic by emitting mana in a specific pattern, and through the power of that magic, it calls forth a being that meets certain conditions and injects ‘commands’.

But a familiar is a bit different.

It is a being that can empathize and understand, and make judgments based on commands. Furthermore, there are cases where a ‘soul body’ is injected into a specific being or object to call it forth.

This was the method I primarily utilized.

The familiars I handled were all in ‘soul’ form, and I operated them to make them dwell within specific targets.

Although it feels similar to a simple summoned beast, familiars are strictly different in that they can be given the authority to judge and decide for themselves.

Moreover, because it is a part that is only possible when the mind and soul are connected, one cannot help but find it difficult to open multiple paths within one’s own soul.

“Seven… I can’t even imagine it. But why don’t you formally report it to the Association?”

“I didn’t know. I thought everyone did at least that much.”

“I see…”

Go Yu-jin stared at me as if looking at a frustrating creature.

After that, I also asked about multiple magic calculations, and I couldn’t help but be horrified by her answer.

“You mean Triple Casting is impossible?”

“…The person who does it is the strange one. How can someone do multiple spells at once, and three types at that?”

There were people who did it. But it was not common.

‘I wonder what kind of expression she would make if she knew Penta Casting was possible?’

To be precise, it is to calculate one spell and simultaneously perform other spells that start with related patterns in an expanded form.

Commonly, if you can think of 1+1 and 1+1 together, you can think of 1+1, 1+1, and 1+1.

Then, here, one ends at 1+1, and the second spell adds a new formula to 1+1. Then, when doing 1+1+1, the third one can also do 1+1+1 together.

In the same way, there are quite a few spells that require similar pattern calculations.

It is about actively utilizing that to calculate them together.

‘It is a bit strange that this is considered impossible.’

It seemed to be because they didn’t know the method well, or because they lacked the amount of practice to derive the answer immediately.

At any rate, we continued to talk about common knowledge, and when we had descended quite deep into the mine, we reached a fork in the road.

“I feel like the monsters are getting stronger as we go; what will you do?”

“No matter how strong the ones appearing here are, they’re still just monsters.”

I told the confident Go Yu-jin that we would see about that later, and after that, we split up and began to descend the mine.

In the meantime, I drew a detailed map of the mine, and judging by the depth and shape, I decided we would likely have to descend for another day or two, so I inevitably settled on increasing our speed a bit more.

An So-mi was bored.

By replenishing mana at regular intervals, she ensured that the four people’s magic did not break, and while she sometimes changed patterns to prevent them from potentially dispelling the magic, she freed one person’s mouth and began a conversation.

“Tanox is a dark guild that primarily operates overseas; why did you accept the government’s work?”

“…It’s not like we accepted the request comfortably. We had no choice but to take it because it would have been troublesome if we didn’t cooperate… It’s not like we wanted to take it.”

She tilted her head at the unexpected answer and asked.

“Did they catch you on some weakness?”

“…”

Seeing the man who didn’t answer right away and instead pondered, An So-mi continued talking.

“We aren’t that close with the government anyway. There isn’t a person who doesn’t know how far the status of black mages has fallen into the gutter, right?”

“Information loses value the more people know it, but the problem is that the person corresponding to that information hates it when many people know it and will try to hide it by any means necessary. Even for you all, it will be dangerous.”

“I’m curious. Just who are the people who will make us dangerous…”

An So-mi was serious.

This was a company founded by a 1st generation black mage and a 2nd generation black mage.

Furthermore, it was a company where one nonsensical individual had joined as an employee, so she was curious just what kind of person would designate such a company as an enemy.

“The request you received was to destroy the core and close the mine, requested by the Vice Minister of Industry, and the point is that he has strong power to the extent that he can apply external pressure… but there are a few strange parts.”

“What is it you want to ask?”

“The reason why a group like yours is at the beck and call of a mere Vice Minister of Industry.”

The man flinched and looked for a reaction. And An So-mi, certain that she had pinpointed this part accurately, continued.

“The mastermind behind that Vice Minister is the problem. It seems higher-ups are involved; who is it?”

“If I speak… I will surely be killed.”

“Don’t worry. Before you die… they will be cut down at our hands first.”

The man swallowed hard, but just then, one of the paralyzed individuals rolled his eyes fiercely.

She turned her gaze to ask why, but the problem was the direction his gaze was pointing.

Flinching at the fact that something was there, An So-mi hurriedly deployed a Dark Barrier, and in that fleeting moment, a dagger was seen hitting the barrier and bouncing off to lodge in the wall.

“Tsk, things are going to get complicated because of one stupid fellow.”

“I’ll admit I let my guard down, but this is surprising. You’re strong.”

At An So-mi’s words, the person who made the surprise attack scratched his head and spoke.

“If you let that fellow go, I’ll withdraw for now. There’s no profit in us seeing each other’s blood anyway.”

“You’re planning to bring more people to make up for failing the request, aren’t you?”

“That might happen, but if I had known you all were involved, I wouldn’t have accepted the request.”

“It seems you know us well?”

“Just as your side staked everything on this job, we also had to keep pace, but I didn’t know they would request it with restricted information; so, I figured if I’m going to pull out, now is the time.”

She could understand what he meant. And judging by the presence of the four people behind him who were in confusion, she could tell the being in front of her was a fairly high-ranking official.

‘I couldn’t feel his presence until he came close. Furthermore… if I hadn’t been quick-witted, I might have been quite hurt.’

Her instinct was warning her. A warning that she would have to see blood to face the man in front of her. The aftermath might lead to the mine’s closure as they intended.

By An So-mi’s hand, so she let out a sigh and made a proposal.

“Take them. Instead… just tell me who is behind the Vice Minister of Industry. That’s the price for releasing them.”

“Tsk, don’t be so difficult; it’ll be troublesome if we get any deeper, right?”

He was saying he couldn’t tell her. So, the moment she was about to display her strength by emitting mana to prevent the hostages from being handed over, the man smirked and spoke.

“It’s Representative Chu Myeong-hun. Try it, if you can handle it.”

At the unexpected name, An So-mi also couldn’t help but freeze.