My Second Hobby Is Revenge (2)

Everyone looked at me with serious faces at the sight of the completely dead mage.

“Now, shall I repay my grudge?”

It was because I had killed a person for burning down my house. However, it was fine as long as I found evidence to prove my innocence from now on.

“Call of Spirit”

The moment mana was released, it transformed into high-level magic in an instant; the black mages paid more attention to this momentary transformation than to the fact that a person had died.

Somehow, when an Awakener awakens, one thing usually breaks, and I wondered if black mages became dull in areas like morality or ethics.

Seeing the soul being summoned and appearing before me, I immediately released mana and turned it into sharp thorns.

Then, using those, I pierced various parts of the soul and asked while watching the screaming soul.

“There must be a purpose for burning my house down. If you want to lessen the pain, you must confess everything you know.”

—Even if my soul falls into the eternal abyss, it is the will of God, and even if that will is not beneficial to me, it is eventually God’s arrangement; how could a mere creature, so noble and sublime, eternally… Aaaagh!!!—

Because he was spouting nonsense, I eventually refined the mana further to make it sharp and long, and I inserted needles that pierced the soul like large acupuncture needles.

Then, I began to adjust it to create light vibrations so that he wouldn’t get used to the stimulation; Jeong Do-bin, who was observing that scene and the contents of the soul’s rambling, asked me.

“That prayer, it’s the prayer of the Cultists of Ruin, isn’t it?”

“For now, yes. He essentially confessed to being a Cultist of Ruin, which means this wasn’t just arson, but retaliation based on a grudge. It was a contract killing.”

“He wouldn’t be someone who would die over something like that…?”

“Aren’t the Cultists of Ruin the worst of the worst who can be shot on sight upon discovery anyway?”

“To ordinary people, he was just a neighbor, a colleague, someone’s parent, and a father. If you kill such a person without any interrogation and then summon their soul to present evidence found after interrogation, people will just say it’s typical of a black mage. What on earth is the reason for doing this at the Association?”

“No one would be unaware that he was a Cultist of Ruin who used area-of-effect magic that could harm others. The Association might want to cut ties with me with that kind of statement, but it won’t be easy.”

“Sigh….”

Jeong Do-bin sighed deeply as if praying for the ground to swallow her up. But was it at that exact moment?

A familiar voice was heard.

“You rascal!! Not only do you come to my Association to cause a commotion, but now you even commit murder!!”

A powerful storm of mana whirled around, breaking all the magic barriers the black mages had deployed for defense.

That wasn’t all. Even the soul I had barely managed to summon was pulverized into dust and scattered.

‘Tsk, just by reciting the prayer, he’s a Cultist of Ruin, so there’s no problem, but I should have dug up the mastermind….’

Unpleasantness reared its head due to the interference at that moment, but one thing that suddenly came to mind made me stop my hand.

Furthermore, at a timing that could be considered perfect, Jeong Do-bin snapped her fingers and used escape magic, dispersing the massive mana that was pressing down on the area.

‘Is it the power of the Association building? She has reached a level where she can utilize it quite naturally….’

In fact, the Black Mage Association building was also well-maintained to the point of being included as a ‘Magic Tower.’

While I was looking at Jeong Do-bin while lost in thought for a moment, she snapped her head around and shouted toward the old man who appeared late.

“You must have seen everything from the top floor, so why are you making a fuss now?”

“I, when did I see it!”

“Don’t stutter. Maintain your dignity! How many times do I have to tell you that if you don’t show solemnity, you’ll never escape being treated like a neighborhood grandpa?!”

As the nagging began, the excitement from releasing mana became pointless; he looked at me blankly and asked.

“If you came here knowing a Cultist of Ruin fled here, I won’t leave you alone!”

“Doesn’t it look like the Cultist of Ruin snuck in here to induce this kind of situation? You said you watched it, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t see it!”

He was an old man who was the head of the Black Mage Association and was called one of the top three black mages in the country.

As an old man who was on the opposite side of Han Sang-gil, he was one of those stubborn people who firmly believed that I was part of Han Sang-gil’s faction.

In reality, I didn’t belong anywhere, but he was a person full of distrust who didn’t believe that.

He was also the biological grandfather of Jeong Do-bin, who was standing before me.

‘How did a grandfather and granddaughter both awaken as black mages…’

Technically, it could be seen as having a lineage, but since awakening isn’t something proven by such lineage, it could be considered a matter of luck, and unlike Jeong Gil-sun, who was first generation, Jeong Do-bin was a third-generation Awakener, one step behind.

“As you can see, the Cultists of Ruin hate me very much.”

“Of course they hate you since you kill them whenever you see them! Don’t you know how hard they work externally to establish themselves as an official religion?”

“What’s the point of that? They treat people as less than livestock, and the moment we recognize that, the direction of the country will have no path left except being thrown into a latrine. Perhaps…?”

Having received my sharp gaze, Jeong Gil-sun began to release mana once more, but Jeong Do-bin intervened and used the power of the tower-shaped Association building to disperse Jeong Gil-sun’s mana.

“Seriously, are we really doing this?”

Jeong Do-bin glared at me, so I spoke while looking at Jeong Gil-sun.

“I haven’t used a single ounce of power since a while ago. Thanks to that, I feel heavy and stifled in my chest from being hit by the mana storm. I’ll have to claim medical expenses. You know how much the medical bill is for a mana injury caused by a 7th Circle Master, right?”

“…Y-you damn brat! That’s because you’re causing trouble in my home, so this is self-defense!”

“You are misrepresenting a gracious situation where I prevented an accident from happening in advance. Do you think I was doing nothing?”

I then took a Magic Stone out of my pocket and showed it.

“It’s the evidence video. Wasn’t it you, Chairperson Jeong Gil-sun, who taught me that thorough preparation is necessary when dealing with the Cultists of Ruin?”

“Th-that guy?!”

“Enough!! Grandfather, stop, and you stop too, Mr. Geum Seong-chan! I will give you the treatment costs. No, I’ll treat you. So please stop…. Aren’t you ashamed?”

Since a renowned black mage had acted shamelessly and made a scene, it wouldn’t be strange at all to be embarrassed, but I spoke firmly after hearing Jeong Do-bin’s words.

“I’ll take it as treatment costs. I dislike having anyone touch my body.”

“…You’re trying to get the house price, aren’t you?”

“Isn’t it a bit of both?”

He had an expression that said he’d been played, and Jeong Gil-sun also sighed and spoke to me.

“Follow me. We need to talk more.”

Then, Jeong Gil-sun drew mana from the Association’s tower to form a gate leading to the top floor and walked straight into it.

So, I asked while looking toward Jeong Do-bin with a tilt of my chin.

“Is he trying to kill me to silence me?”

“…As if you’re someone who would let that happen?”

I shrugged my shoulders and then stepped forward to pass through the gate.

After confirming that I had arrived at the rooftop of the Association, I looked around and spoke.

“This place hasn’t changed. It’s full of rare and exotic flowers; how much do those things trade for?”

“It’s none of your business, is it?”

He examined the flowers as if they were trivial, and as he sat at the table, Jeong Gil-sun, sitting across from him, asked.

“Are you still living being bewitched by the Necronomicon?”

“Sometimes people call it being bewitched, but it’s a transaction based on necessity. Isn’t it a win-win?”

“The Necronomicon will eventually gnaw at you and finally swallow you whole. Ruin is…. not that far off.”

“Considering half the world is already ruined, will anything change if a little bit of my body is carved away?”

“Sigh, if only you weren’t so good with words….”

“What is your business?”

If he called me all the way here, there must be a clear reason. It certainly wouldn’t be to just have a chat; after waiting for a moment, Jeong Do-bin also came over and took a seat.

“The reason the Chairperson wanted to see you is twofold.”

“There are two reasons?”

While I tilted my head in curiosity, Jeong Gil-sun spoke as if venting his frustrations.

“It’s more accurate to say there are only two. One of them is regarding the Cultists of Ruin.”

“Didn’t you see me burn that fellow who entered the tower to a crisp?”

“Sigh, that fellow is not the problem. Are you trying to boast about burning to death a single vermin who wasn’t even an intermediary?”

“How do you know if he was an intermediary or if he knew even more?”

“That damn mage fellow was a scoundrel our Association had been keeping an eye on. He was a guy who often visited as a client manager from the Magic Tower.”

That meant he had roughly grasped the identity.

“So you also know the mastermind?”

“Do I only know?”

With a frustrated expression, Jeong Gil-sun opened his sub-space and pulled out a liquor bottle. But Jeong Do-bin snatched the bottle at just the right timing, and at that sight, he lightly smacked his lips and broke the mood by asking if he could just have one glass.

However, with the opposition that it was absolutely not allowed, he spoke to me with an even more wrinkled face.

“There is someone that the damn bastard Chu Myeong-hun is backing.”

It was the moment Chu Myeong-hun’s name flowed out again.

I didn’t show my surprise and calmly asked a question.

“Why would a hero be so desperate as to back the Cultists of Ruin?”

“It’s all because of money; as for power, having that much is enough, but isn’t it true that the more money you hold, the more you want to hold?”

“Are you saying a person who is a hero is doing such nonsense just for money?”

“How should I know? You’d have to cut open his intentions to see how black they’ve become.”

Just by the fact that he was telling me this, I felt like I knew who he was backing, and I asked just in case.

“Is it the Magic Tower?”

“So you’re not completely quick-witted, I see.”

My head throbbed.

The Magic Tower had an antagonistic relationship with me.

No, every mage except for the black mages was not very pleasant toward me.

‘This has become troublesome; the risk is too high to clash with them right now.’

Even so, I couldn’t just keep letting them hit me.

“What is the reason for telling me everything?”

At my question prompting them to get to the main point, Jeong Do-bin spoke instead of Jeong Gil-sun.

“I think he hopes you won’t get involved with them any further. Since the entire black magic community might end up in a war with the mages, caution is necessary.”

“That’s a ridiculous story. You can’t let the fear of maggots stop you from making soy sauce.”

“You, why is a guy not even in his thirties speaking like an old man?”

It was such a random question, and it seemed Jeong Do-bin was curious about it in the meantime.

“I naturally learned it while talking with Mr. Han Sang-gil. I often find myself startled by my own unconscious absorption.”

“Don’t bring up the story of that damn old geezer!”

“Ha, you were the one who asked the question, so why are you making a fuss?”

Just as emotions were about to surface again, Jeong Do-bin intervened and handed over a cheque.

“It’s the compensation. It’s an amount that can find you a house and cover treatment costs, so it’s not a request to keep enduring forever, but to have patience for the time being!”

I looked at the cheque shoved in front of me.

‘Are there ten zeros?’

It was a cheque for 10 billion won. Since such a huge sum was unexpected, a feeling of joy seemed to surge, but I had doubts.

“What is the reason for giving me such a large sum and telling me to wait for a while?”

“…I intend to absorb some of the business sites held by the Magic Tower. If the Magic Tower is broken before that…. Wouldn’t the loss be quite significant?”

I didn’t know how large the business sites he intended to seize were, but the fact that it was at a level where he could freely give 10 billion won piqued my curiosity.

However, I had to smack my lips at Jeong Gil-sun’s words, as he made it clear he had no intention of telling me more.

“Ah, since you said there were two things, please tell me the remaining business.”

“Are you really not going to join the Association?”

“If that’s the business, the answer is simple. I won’t.”

“You stingy brat.”