Steeling My Heart (3)

Korea’s military strength threw the entire world into an uproar.

The revelation that there were as many as nine 7th Circle black mages, and that an 8th Circle black mage also existed, left them horrified.

On top of that, the fact that there were also four 8th Circle white mages, and that there were over a hundred Awakeners of the same rank as the mages listed, left them in such confusion that they could not possibly understand how this small country could possess such power.

Moreover, the two neighboring countries remained consistently silent in the face of Korea’s strength, which far exceeded expectations, and as signs emerged that the situation would continue in a state of temporary ceasefire rather than a formal end to the war, the world began to watch the Korean government’s response closely.

“If they sincerely acknowledge that they lacked sufficient justification for the war and compensate us for the damage caused by the war, then we propose ending the war on reasonable terms.”

The Korean government’s proposal could, in a way, be called only natural.

Even if the war were prolonged, in the end, only a very small number of people would be able to profit from it.

Under such circumstances, there was no need to keep it going, and if the tense situation continued for too long, the nation’s foundation would inevitably recede that much more, so for countries already entering a period of recovery, it would amount to making the worst possible move.

That was why they wanted, somehow, for it to lead to the end of the war.

However, from the perspective of the two countries, war reparations would inevitably be no small burden. Thus, they would try to maintain a situation that was neither one thing nor the other, and could at any time provoke tensions in order to preserve the status quo.

That was why Kim Dae-san added a firm declaration.

“Our government will actively utilize the research that former Magic Tower Master Pi Jin-hyeok had been conducting, and, led by national research institutions, will carry out large-scale Chimera improvement work. Using this, we will focus on the development of weapons that minimize military and civilian losses alike, and will first induce technological advancement in forms optimized for Gate operations.”

When he further added that they would even receive the assistance of an 8th Circle black mage in the research process in order to make the Chimera research more definitive, China and Japan became inflamed.

No matter how one thought about it, it was clearly an announcement aimed at them.

In reality, if the Chimera were at a level capable of operating inside Gates, then they could be sufficiently mobilized for war as well, and due to the nature of Chimeras, they could be used extensively as expendable assets even in dangerous operations, which meant the breadth of strategy would soar drastically.

Moreover, when comparing the Chimera’s combat power based on the disclosed footage and such, it had also been confirmed that they could display power at or above master class, so they could not help but be tense.

In response, China and Japan continued to stir up critical public opinion regarding Korea’s announcement and tried to draw out opposition from the world, but Korea went one step further and created an atmosphere in which everyone actively supported the alternative that the relevant Chimeras could be made difficult to secure technologically and turned into export goods.

That left only China and Japan with the fire at their feet.

“I never agreed to that, though.”

A month had passed since the state of ceasefire began.

For a while, it had felt burdensome even to work properly because of the countless reporters visiting the company as public opinion boiled over.

At least recently, after threatening some rude reporters, no one more discourteous than a certain level had shown up anymore, but that did not change the fact that they were still annoying.

“It is not as though they said they would make you participate in the research directly.”

As An So-mi said, the government had played word games. Even so, that left enough room to create tremendous pressure on hostile countries, and the involvement of a black mage optimized, in a sense, for Chimera research—especially one who had reached a realm beyond master class—could make it seem like a signal that the government would take the lead in technological development in exactly the form it wanted.

So if it was Kim Dae-san, who was strong in the battle of public opinion, it felt only natural in a way that he would actively make use of such aspects and seek profit.

“Even so, I wish they had at least asked for my consent.”

“Then how about just contacting him directly?”

“There is no need for me to go out of my way to sound regretful. Later, I will collect all of this as debt.”

Upon hearing my words, An So-mi said that Kim Dae-san was pitiful.

Just then, Go Yu-jin returned to the office.

“The morning work wrapped up well, and I think So-mi can handle the afternoon workload.”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“At this point, there is basically nothing, right?”

I felt needlessly sorry. It felt like I had become a freeloader getting paid for nothing, so I wondered whether I should do something, but at that moment someone came to the office, and upon seeing Go Yu-jin, said,

“Are you not hiring employees?!”

Everyone’s gaze turned, and there was no choice but to be flustered as we looked at the person who had appeared in the office.

“…You are Baek Da-gyeong, right?”

“Yes, are you not hiring employees?”

It was we who were flustered by the repeated question.

Why would someone of Baek Da-gyeong’s caliber be talking about getting a job in a place like this?

As I recalled, she ran a private guild and was fairly well recognized in Busan.

She had also performed on a grand scale in the last war and had been treated like a hero.

“We are hiring employees, but we are not in a position to hire a master. We do not even have that much work to begin with.”

“There are already two masters here, so would adding one more really make a difference?”

Then Baek Da-gyeong met my eyes and said with her eyes shining,

“I am a fan! I fell for you!”

Baek Da-gyeong was showing a colorful range of sides.

An So-mi smiled with a dumbfounded expression, and Go Yu-jin looked troubled.

Thinking that I was the only one who could resolve this, I spoke to Baek Da-gyeong.

“We are not hiring. If you really want to work, go find the government.”

“It reeks there, so I hate it. The stench of rot is overwhelming, is it not?”

“I agree.”

Everyone was dumbfounded, but Baek Da-gyeong said to me,

“I heard that Master Geum Seong-chan is preparing a facility for black mages. Will not this company eventually be replaced by that?”

“It will not.”

“Ah, then I will come again next time! I am a fan!”

And with that, Baek Da-gyeong dashed out of the office.

“…That person is odd.”

Just as An So-mi said, she really was an odd person.

In truth, just as Baek Da-gyeong had said, I was currently buying up a university site that was not being used and building a black mage training facility there.

A massive amount of money had been spent, and I had obtained the cooperation of Han Sang-gil and two other idle old men for that work.

Using three 7th Circle black mages and around a dozen 6th Circle black mages who followed them as professors, I was preparing a facility for training the younger generation.

The news had probably caused quite a stir, and in fact a notice had been posted to additionally recruit interested personnel as professors, so it seemed she had seen that and come here.

“But will the government really provide as much funding as it wants?”

At first, the discussion had been to provide the Black Mage Association and the Black Tower with an enormous sum amounting to 100 trillion won, but because the two groups stubbornly rejected the offer, they sought another way to make use of it, and in the end the plan took shape as establishing an educational facility.

And alongside the announcement that much of the support funding would be donated to postwar recovery, they had already publicized the necessity of professionally fostering black mages and promoted it to the people.

Moreover, there were even more black mages below 3rd Circle than I had expected, and in addition to the eight thousand black mages registered with the Association, there were around three thousand more.

After determining that they had been living day by day, barely making a living while relying on guilds under the restriction of being unable to enter Gates easily, I could no longer simply ignore and watch them continue being oppressed.

I had prepared the establishment swiftly and decisively, and the plan to operate the facility under Han Sang-gil, who had the greatest prestige, was already nearing its final stage.

In addition, I was pressuring them so that a certain number of Gates would be assigned to black mages without fail as well, allowing them to actively explore Gates.

“They will have to provide it. That is why they made such an announcement so fearlessly, trying to use me in every possible way.”

It was Kim Dae-san, who had thoroughly suppressed and oppressed us. There was no knowing what he might be thinking again, but one thing was certain.

It would not be easy anymore.

It had certainly become possible to unite, and it had been a short war that properly demonstrated the power of black mages.

So because of this incident, the value of black mages in Kim Dae-san’s mind must have changed. The people, too, had learned that black mages could become a sturdy shield and sword, so from now on our rights would no longer be mercilessly trampled.

After that, the response of China and Japan was, in the end, a ‘ceasefire agreement.’

No reparations whatsoever were paid, and with ample room left to start a war again at any time, the ceasefire was reached by deploying massive forces along the border.

The entire nation was enraged by this fact, but as there was no position from which to start another war, they had no choice but to remain silent for the time being, and as the government had announced, they actively supported the swift progress and commercialization of Chimera research, causing Kim Dae-san’s approval rating to soar rapidly.

Encouraged by that, the appearance of various attempts being carried out stimulated many countries, but in the end, without leading to anything beyond the ceasefire, time passed in a vague blur.

Time passed after a ceasefire agreement was concluded on the 89th day after the outbreak of the war.

“Has it not been rather strange lately?”

“What has?”

Jang Tae-jun, the vice guild master of the Noblesse Guild, tilted his head at the guild member’s question, and the latter showed him the news as he spoke.

“I mean that abnormal signs have started appearing.”

“Gate mutations?”

“Yes, we had never seen anything like this until now, had we?”

“How would I know? We do not even know by what principle Gates themselves occur….”

That was not wrong. Even so, there was no helping the unease.

The reason was simple.

When a person entered a Gate, the Gate’s color changed and caused a mutation.

Up to the present, two colors had been identified.

It changed into red and yellow, and in the case of red, the monsters inside became drastically stronger, and as if a Gate Break had occurred, the monsters came pouring out of the Gate.

Up until now, living monsters had absolutely never been able to cross beyond the Gate and come out into the outside world unless it was a Break phenomenon.

But Gates that had mutated into red were, in effect, phenomena comparable to a Break having occurred and required an emergency response.

And in the case of the yellow Gate mutations that had appeared recently, almost nothing was known, to the point that people were saying an investigation would need to be carried out. Looking at the guild member reading that article, Jang Tae-jun spoke.

“The probability is one in several hundred thousand. It has not occurred domestically, and only two have appeared in Europe, so why are you so uneasy?”

Some were even saying that the Gate Break phenomenon itself might have entered a new phase, and rumors were even circulating that the byproducts coming out of those altered Gates were more valuable, so many people were in the mood of hoping that they themselves would hit that kind of ‘lottery.’

“There are even people saying another Great Cataclysm might occur.”

“The Great Cataclysm, huh. It would be more accurate to say that was a disaster caused by a lack of Awakeners who could respond in the early stages. There is no way we would suffer like that now. Do you realize how overflowing the world is with Awakeners these days?”

As Jang Tae-jun said, it was certainly a matter of response, but the world was not so lenient.

When the field of vision of the two men gradually began turning red and they turned their heads in puzzlement, it was because the Gate, which should originally have been rippling with blue light, was becoming dyed an intense crimson.

“L-lottery!!”

It was the guild member’s shout, but whether a true jackpot had really hit was something that remained to be seen.