Variable Upon Variable

When the government was holding the meeting under its own initiative, I also moved.

To be precise, I went to the secret laboratory of the Magic Tower managed by the government.

Unless it was operated from the inside, one could not enter, and conversely, because it was a one-way movement method, the time during which one could come and go was fixed depending on the state of the magic circle.

But that had only been the situation when my realm was low, and since I had already confirmed the fact that it could serve as both an exit and an entrance, it was not magic at a level I could not enter.

I lightly modified the magic circle, instantly transformed it into a two-way movement magic circle, and drew a little more mana from the Magic Tower to change it so that the magic circle would remain open at all times.

Its mana cost would be consumed by more than an additional 10%, but since it was a Magic Tower that would always have spare mana, it was not something that would become a problem. To be precise, however, it seemed right to say, “That is none of my business.”

“…I’m surprised something like this is possible.”

A mage who was an employee of the National Magic Research Institute and had been waiting at the entrance looked at me in astonishment.

At that, I headed inside the laboratory as though it was no big deal, and as I looked around the interior space I had visited for the first time in a while, I could not help but click my tongue.

“The experiments are in full swing, I see?”

“Since Chimera research is being carried out as a national project, after all, except for human experimentation, we are currently conducting experiments combining almost every kind of living creature.”

“You must have conducted Chimera research even during the war, correct?”

“We had to spur it on even more. After all, if the war situation became difficult, we would have had to deploy Chimeras urgently.”

I could roughly understand the circumstances. I then emitted mana into the interior, and it instantly spread throughout the entire facility as I began quickly scanning the general situation.

And after confirming some of the test subjects, I clicked my tongue.

“Are you truly certain there is no human experimentation?”

“There is no way there is.”

After answering that I understood in response to the mage’s firm reply, I moved my feet and headed toward the door of the newly hidden laboratory, which was the purpose of my coming here.

“You said it was at the very innermost area?”

“That is correct. But were you unable to confirm it back then?”

“The answer should have been obvious just from the traces of destruction, no?”

“It is true that we struggled to restore something that had been seriously damaged. And we could not help but be surprised.”

The person currently guiding me was the deputy director.

They had said the current director was at the innermost area, so perhaps the one who had slightly resisted when I emitted mana earlier had been the director.

A little later, I was able to arrive at the intended location, and the mages who had been looking at one place with troubled expressions looked at me.

Then they made expressions as though their pride had been hurt. Perhaps they were uncomfortable because if I accomplished what they had failed to do, their pride would inevitably be crumpled even further.

Moreover, asking me for help might, in a sense, have been a result that smashed their pride to pieces.

However, I had already discovered and revealed the matter of the undisclosed laboratory. Perhaps they judged that if it were me, I might be able to break through this new place as well.

‘They restored it with astonishing precision, as though they were people who had known this place’s use from the start….’

Thinking about it, the fact that the National Magic Research Institute had not been aware of these kinds of experiments being carried out was also strange.

That was because groups that handled mighty power like a Magic Tower were frequently monitored by the government.

Unless there were connections, no matter how secret it was, there was no way this countless number of experiments could have been carried out. Therefore, I thought that meant there were dirty corners in the National Magic Research Institute as well, and I gauged what part I had missed.

“Welcome.”

An old man greeted me warmly, a person whose face I knew well.

‘They said Hwangbo Jung-hyeok was a man who hid cruelty behind a benevolent smile….’

Like Bak Hyeok, he was a person rumored domestically to be quite an incredible mage. Because of that, he was someone who clashed often with Han Sang-gil and kept his guard up against him.

‘It is a little strange that even a person like him cannot find the method for breaking the circle…. But reading patterns is a matter of penetration power, so perhaps it is only natural.’

Pi Jin-hyeok seemed to have never assumed that a black mage would enter this facility in the first place.

So only high-level magic patterns were used, and it was full of defenses against white magic. Even now, they were blocked by that barrier and unable to enter.

“It would not suit this situation to say I am glad to meet you, so I will ask. Is this the place?”

Hwangbo Jung-hyeok slightly furrowed his brow, but soon relaxed his expression and nodded.

“That is correct. We felt a secretive and special mana pattern from this place and examined it, and we were able to conclude that there was a hidden space inside.”

I stretched out my hand. And just then, as I was grasping the traces…

‘…It had already been opened. Someone opened it before.’

If there was someone with the possibility, I judged it would be one of the mages here right now.

“It is certainly a setting where one must break through the pattern to enter the interior. But in a situation where there are four 8th Circle mages, it is strange that you cannot break through this.”

“Hoho, it was full of defensive patterns against white magic. It felt as though it had been defended with internal enemies in mind.”

I looked at the mage who spoke just then.

“Who are you?”

“I am Kim Jin-pyo, the Senior Elder of the current Seoul Magic Tower.”

After remembering the name, I began pouring in mana. While doing so, I began examining the pattern engravings and quickly releasing them one by one, and everyone became astonished.

After less than a minute, when I opened the door, I looked at everyone in surprise, slightly blocked the entrance, and asked.

“By the way, did the three of you know that the defensive patterns of this hidden space were mainly centered on ‘white magic’?”

At that moment, their gazes turned toward Kim Jin-pyo.

“Former Tower Master Pi Jin-hyeok was extremely wary of white mages, and since most of the people experimenting inside were white mages, I merely said it because it seemed efficient to defend against them.”

But the excuse itself was poor.

“Well, that could be the case. For now, I’m curious about the inside, so shall we go take a look?”

I was curious as well.

There had been a secrecy that I could not grasp with my skill back then.

It was a secrecy I would never have found if I had not examined it while restoring the final place.

Just how many secrets was it hiding? I had become very curious about that, and then, when we entered the interior…

‘The space is not that large. It would be right to see it as a space for daily living.’

It was a small space of roughly fifty pyeong, and what was inside was only at the level of furniture and utensils needed for daily life.

Judging by the fact that there were at least several magic tools, could it have been the space where Pi Jin-hyeok lived?

Just as I was thinking that, it happened.

Kim Jin-pyo was heading somewhere, and when everyone else was preoccupied with examining the interior, I watched Kim Jin-pyo move with certainty and thought that perhaps we had not found all the “Cultists of Ruin” back then.

‘The people whose causes of death were clearly revealed at the time were Pi Jin-hyeok and Bak U-seok. But they said Bak U-seok took his own life.’

But no matter how I thought about it, there were many strange parts.

They said a list of Cultists of Ruin had been discovered, but all that was revealed was that they had operated under code names. It meant that one could not clearly diagnose who was a Cultist of Ruin.

So although there had been many unsettling parts at the time, I had no choice but to let it pass.

‘What is he trying to take?’

I observed Kim Jin-pyo, looked toward the desk he was moving straight toward, and moved my feet with him, following behind him.

At that moment, Kim Jin-pyo picked something up.

“What is it?”

Kim Jin-pyo flinched and slightly turned his head to ask me.

“It appears to be a room someone used personally. What do you think?”

“I think so as well.”

Kim Jin-pyo quietly hid his hand toward his body. I chuckled at that obvious action and asked.

“Put down the item you picked up. I don’t know what purpose you have, but at the very least, I judge that you should not just take items from this place.”

“What are you saying I picked up?”

I pointed to his hand and spoke.

“Show it.”

Only then did the other mages who had been looking around the interior also begin taking interest in this side, and as they too approached and sent their gazes, Kim Jin-pyo let out a sigh and spoke.

“What grudge do you have against our Magic Tower that you are trying to slander me?”

“I have plenty of grudges, but I did not slander you. So, your hand.”

I began emitting mana all at once.

It was powerful mana that overwhelmed everyone in this place, and it instantly seized the cramped interior, creating mana pressure and beginning to press all four people down. Everyone began pouring cold sweat as they endured it.

Kim Jin-pyo also clenched his teeth, resisted, and shouted.

“Are you trying to persecute us! Thirty percent of this country’s magical power is here, so you want to eliminate us, don’t you?!”

There were two Beginners who had recently reached the 8th Circle, one existing Beginner, and one User.

“You are severely delusional. If I intended to do that, I would have started by overthrowing the government. So this is a problem that will be easily solved if you show your hand, and I am becoming curious why you keep hiding it.”

“Hurry, show your hand. Hurry!”

“This will cause a disaster!”

Those were the urgent shouts of the other mages. However, Kim Jin-pyo only rolled his eyes and did not show his hand, and at that moment, I thought it could not be helped and began concentrating my mana on Kim Jin-pyo.

Then Kim Jin-pyo trembled all over, veins bulging as he tried to resist, but that was all there was to it.

“Kuaak… D-damn it. A-all right, I understand, so! The m-mana pressure…!”

It could not help but be an extremely humiliating situation.

Just the fact that an 8th Circle Beginner was pressured by another mage and forced to kneel was humiliation enough.

And as he held out his hand, it happened.

In the hand he raised, there was something that had turned into powder, and seeing it, Kim Jin-pyo curled up the corners of his mouth with a bitter smile and spoke.

“I-I don’t know what it is either. It became like this when I picked it up….”

No one believed Kim Jin-pyo’s words, but there was no justification to interrogate him over it.

It was a hidden space where it would not be strange no matter what was inside or what happened.

Therefore, it was possible that perhaps the room’s owner had set it up so that a particular item would be lost if touched as a defensive mechanism.

To speak only of the conclusion, it meant they could no longer ask Kim Jin-pyo about the truth.

‘Interesting. There is a high possibility that Kim Jin-pyo is a Cultist of Ruin.’

I said I understood and retrieved my mana, and when the mana instantly vanished as if washed away, the four people were astonished.

After that, I lightly looked around the interior, but upon realizing that there was nothing particularly special, I understood that someone who had entered ahead of us had already taken everything.

And the situation suggested that there was a very high possibility that someone was Kim Jin-pyo. However, for now, I had no choice but to withdraw.

But at that moment, something entered my eyes.

‘…A faint mana?’

It was a subtle flow of mana that even I could not properly confirm. So I moved my feet and looked up at the ceiling in the exact center of the interior.

“…What is the matter?”

Hwangbo Jung-hyeok asked cautiously, and I pointed to one place and spoke.

“There seems to be surveillance equipment. It appears to be recording the interior.”

It was then.

Kim Jin-pyo was cautiously trying to head outside, and I emitted mana toward him again and spoke.

“Where are you going?”

“Kuhh…. The meeting time is soon….”

“You do not seem to think that is a poor excuse.”

“Damn it…. You black mage trash…!”

Kim Jin-pyo emitted mana as though revealing his true colors, used Blink, and swiftly fled outside. I looked at the three people who had been left behind in confusion and spoke.

“Please recover that. It seems I have a prior engagement with that man.”

The three people nodded with expressions stained by bewilderment.