Identifying The Mastermind

I reached the point of calling out the souls one by one from the 12 Magic Stones and interrogating them.

And through this process, I was able to identify the final person behind them.

‘The Magic Tower Master… Was the current Master the one who ousted the previous one by force?’

It was a man named Pi Jin-hyeok.

He was a first-generation mage who gained great fame for uniquely achieving a generational shift by overpowering and pushing out Bak Hyeok, who was called the “Great Sage.”

But it seemed there was a reason for it.

‘Since he must have been decked out in ridiculous artifacts, even a first-generation Great Sage wouldn’t have been able to handle him…’

Pi Jin-hyeok’s current skill level was known to be an 8th Circle Beginner.

But the funny thing was that the ousted Bak Hyeok was an 8th Circle Master, and the fact that he lost surprised people; as people began to talk as if it was because he awakened as a “Great Sage” and was thus unversed in combat, it became a sort of answer, but most people who had reached that high level could tell that such talk was a fabrication.

Within the same 7th Circle, there was no great difficulty in overcoming the difference between a Master and a User.

This was because the ability levels showed a drastic difference depending on the magic management and the grade of artifacts possessed.

But to face an opponent one level higher?

If it were simply a low skill level of 3rd or 4th Circle, it wasn’t extremely difficult to deal with an opponent one level above.

However, the difference between an 8th Circle Beginner, classified as high-level, and an 8th Circle Master, evaluated as having surpassed human limits, was like heaven and earth.

As such, I had expected that the reason Bak Hyeok was pushed out as the Magic Tower Master was not simply a matter of skill.

Even then, there were many questions about him going into hiding instead of trying to silence the rumors after stepping down as the Magic Tower Master.

However, if the Cultists of Ruin were involved, I thought he might have been pressured in various forms or become a sacrifice.

‘By what method did they suppress him?’

And I also wondered what kind of enormous thing they might have obtained if they used such a person as a sacrifice.

But the humans I interrogated did not know the details, and since it was also a mere guess on my part, there was nothing more I could find out.

‘This is exhausting…’

My whole body was drenched in cold sweat.

I hadn’t expected to struggle this much.

The reason was simple. Because the rank of the souls I summoned was quite high, I had to experience quite a bit of fatigue and mana consumption during the interrogation.

But the reason I was able to finish with some relative ease was thanks to the two artifacts I obtained this time.

Actually, it would be more correct to say there were four in total.

I was able to wear a ring with one socket and 30% magic power amplification, and a bracelet with one socket and 40% mana amplification, and in those, I engraved the Sun Divine Stone and the Moon Orb, which I had been cherishing like sacred treasures.

The two effects I learned of afterward were items with abilities that wouldn’t be out of place if called ‘cheat-like.’

First, the Moon Orb’s mana amplification reached a staggering 50%.

Thanks to that, I could increase my possessed mana by up to 90% with a single artifact, so I came to possess an amount of mana that allowed me to use ultimate magic up to 9 times.

Moreover, the Sun Divine Stone’s magic power amplification was a whopping 100%, so the power of the magic I used was pulled up insanely; it felt like it matched well with the penalty I had, so I was in a situation where I gained even stronger power.

Because of that, the interrogation itself was not difficult, and thanks to that, I was able to remain whole even after sharing the emotions, memories, and senses of the 12 people while minimizing the damage I had to bear.

‘Besides, both the Orb and the Divine Stone seem to have other hidden options…’

I couldn’t grasp exactly what they were yet, but it was clear they were helpful items for now.

It was the moment my chronic problem was solved, but at any rate, since he was a confirmed strong enemy at present, I had to seriously consider how to face him.

‘It looks like Chu Myeong-hun and Pi Jin-hyeok, these two, will be obstacles for me in many ways.’

After finishing the work, I began to organize the documents I had written.

This was because I worked hard to turn the vast amount of information that poured out into documents. I planned to continue with separate additional interrogations afterward, but it remained to be seen if there would be more information to extract.

Knock, knock. I heard a knock, and when I turned my head, it was Go Yu-jin peeking her head in.

“Is the work finished?”

She seemed to have come because the mana was no longer fluctuating.

“Yes, I just finished. Is something the matter?”

“I came to tell you to eat. You haven’t eaten anything all day, have you?”

“Was that so?”

I didn’t particularly feel hunger, but because Go Yu-jin came inside and pulled my arm, I ended up following her out against my will.

But Go Yu-jin spoke subtly.

“You smell a bit like sweat. It must have been hard?”

“I suppose it’s because I handled such a large amount of mana… Is it bad?”

“It’s not bad, but just because.”

Go Yu-jin’s cheeks turned red after saying that. Feeling unnecessarily apologetic, I operated my mana and used the Clean spell to wash away the smell and impurities from my body.

Then, Go Yu-jin was startled.

“I decided not to use it on you, Yu-jin.”

“…Why?”

“You’re sensitive about it. I shouldn’t be a nuisance.”

She looked at me with an expression that seemed somewhat disappointed, but just then, An So-mi was waving at us in front of the dining area, and while moving toward her, Go Yu-jin spoke quietly so only I could hear.

“Actually… since it’s something you’re doing, Seong-chan, I don’t dislike it.”

After finishing her sentence, Go Yu-jin entered the dining area as if she were running away, and An So-mi looked back and forth between Go Yu-jin and me and let out a sigh.

Afterward, I also entered the dining area and looked at the prepared food, feeling an awkward sensation as I saw the amount of food becoming more lavish day by day.

‘It feels just like a home-cooked meal.’

There was nothing grand.

Light seasoned vegetables and the stews I enjoyed were all, but even that felt sufficient, and they were delicious dishes that allowed everyone to have a satisfying meal.

“Are you going to work tomorrow?”

An So-mi asked just in time.

“I’ve been going every day, haven’t I?”

“Really?”

An So-mi was puzzled, so when I told her which places I had worked at, she asked Go Yu-jin in surprise.

“Then who does the paperwork for those places?”

“You should do it, So-mi.”

“…Are you crazy? You should have told me! I thought we only did the places we went together! And I thought Seong-chan wasn’t going to the office…”

She rambled on about something, and it was to the point of wonder how communication could be so poor.

So, I lightly raised my hand and said.

“I have the materials organized, so I’ll hand those over to you separately.”

“I love you!”

It was a sudden confession of love, which made Go Yu-jin jump in surprise while An So-mi beamed. Then, An So-mi spoke with a pouty expression.

“I was just saying thank you. It doesn’t mean anything else. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

An So-mi showed an expression of disbelief after hearing my words, but since Go Yu-jin’s reaction was as if she had heard something quite serious, that felt fun again.

I showed a light smile, and we proceeded to exchange stories about our ordinary daily lives while eating the food.

‘A life lived together with others… This isn’t so bad either.’

I felt such a life was a luxury for me.

I lost all my family at the same time as the Great Cataclysm, and my acquaintances also had to pass away because of humans despite overcoming the monster front.

The emotions at that time were so stinging and terrible that they were beyond words. I had preferred a cold life to the extent of vowing never to form such relationships again.

But it seemed I had changed a little now.

‘A change…’

Gate cleaning was divided into three types.

Simply bringing out hunted monsters. This was considered the most fundamental Gate cleaning, and it was a task that brought enormous profits to related industries by bringing out massive byproducts.

The second was the method of collecting resources that grew naturally in the Gate while leaving the Gate Core alone.

In relation to this, the work of gathering medicinal herbs, flora, and minerals corresponding to new materials could be called the second cleaning task.

This involved many occupational groups and was usually managed as a national project since it was a matter directly linked to infrastructure industries.

The third was the method of breeding organisms that could be used for food and collecting a certain quantity.

Mainly fish-type monsters fell into this category, and it could be called a strategic cleaning focused on making food out of creatures like Horn Rabbits, Horn Big Bulls, or Wild Boars—literally cattle, pigs, and fish.

Most of the others fell into the first category, so cleaning where a raid site was tidied up after Awakeners finished hunting was what many, including black mages, performed.

In fact, black mages had the highest efficiency, and besides them, those who handled superpowers or physical Awakeners also performed cleaning duties in various forms.

Infrastructure industries had developed significantly, and although the world was facing rapid changes with countless new Gates appearing and being subjugated every day, daily life continued as days without much change.

“It’s busy today as well.”

The Gate we were in charge of today was Grade 4, and it was a task of cleaning a Gate with a considerable size equivalent to 16 times the size of a soccer field.

There were approximately 23 hours left until the Gate closure, and the estimated completion time was 20 hours.

However, if it were a case handled by an ordinary black mage, the work would surely be done according to the general time, but we were not ordinary black mages and had scheduled for about 7 hours at most.

“Truly, have you really overcome it?”

“Yes, I have!”

Hearing An So-mi’s confident words, I hesitated whether or not to hand over the artifact in my hand, but An So-mi, who snatched it up quickly, put the bracelet on her wrist and spoke confidently.

“Believe in me. I’m a woman who does what she says!”

Go Yu-jin also added a word to believe in her, as the two seemed to have put in quite an effort.

‘Was it after a month?’

The two had quite a tight schedule.

Furthermore, I know they paid quite a bit in reparations here and there because there were significant incidents. Even so, Go Yu-jin trusted An So-mi and was confidently saying that she had completely overcome it now.

“Trust is harder to build than one might think.”

“Don’t worry! I told you I’ll do well!”

The confident An So-mi moved her steps forward. If she went a bit further, the first prey of the Gate would be lying dead.

I was curious about what kind of reaction An So-mi would show to the foul smell and the situation drenched in blood created by that corpse.

It was then that I watched her while preparing Dispel in case of an emergency.

“Hmph! See? I told you it’s fine!”

She confidently moved her steps over the corpse and met my gaze with both hands placed firmly on her hips.

I could only click my tongue at the sight of her eyes sparkling as she looked at the bracelet with a face that looked like she had hit the jackpot.

‘It looks like greed has overcome instinct.’

At any rate, it was clear she had grown one step, and since it was a promise, I thought there was no helping it as I released mana and shouted.

“Let’s get to work. Let’s finish quickly and get out.”