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Chapter 200

“I’m looking forward to your next visit, guest.”

With a smile, Jiz’s body twisted and vanished. Yeon-woo stood in front of the dormitory, enveloped in a strange aftertaste. It wasn’t even afternoon yet, but already he felt an urge to go inside and rest.

However, he couldn’t afford to relax just yet. There were classes to attend, preparations for the western forest raid, and inquiries to make about the gate pass he received from Leviathan.

As a final jest, Leviathan had handed over the pass but hadn’t disclosed exactly where the gate was. Perhaps that was part of the restrictions too.

Regardless, it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure it out. He had been given sufficient clues, and if he asked Riley, she would probably find it in no time. A little bit of multitasking.

‘Are you busy, Riley?’

[What can I do for you, Yeon-woo?]

‘Could you find the most recently discovered gate on the Golden Desire side?’

[Understood. Are there any other conditions?]

‘No, just a list will suffice. And have you talked to Sebek’s priest yet?’

[Funny you should mention it; he said he would come over if needed. I wonder if the time frame will change depending on the donation amount.]

At Riley’s calm response, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but smile wryly. After all, Egyptian gods weren’t exactly popular. If you donated enough, they’d be eager to pop right over.

‘…Should I invest a bit?’

[I don’t think it would hurt. Whatever you want to discuss, you’d likely receive a more thoughtful response.]

‘That makes sense. A hundred million should suffice as a sign of goodwill, right?’

[That should be fine. The Sebek temple doesn’t seem to have a lot of money.]

Receiving an image from Riley, Yeon-woo pictured a run-down stone temple in his mind.

How unfortunate. It’s not surprising that Egyptian gods don’t have a huge following.

With the temple’s account details received from Riley, Yeon-woo nonchalantly donated a hefty amount in the hundreds of millions.

Not long ago, he had to tremble at a million won, and now he found himself moved by how he managed to become so wealthy.

[But why are you summoning Sebek’s priest? It seems there’s a significant reason behind it.]

‘You know about the Seven Demon Kings, right, Riley?’

[Yes. They were mentioned endlessly throughout my studies.]

‘I had a conversation with Sebek previously, and it seems he knows something about Toyo’s Demon King. I thought I might find some clues from him.’

[Oh… So you’re really gearing up to fight the Demon Kings?]

‘Hahaha….’

Yeon-woo could only manage an awkward laugh. While he said that, the reality was he didn’t quite feel ready to use the term ‘fight’ when it came to the Demon Kings.

However, if there was any Demon King that absolutely had to be dealt with first, it was definitely Toyo’s Demon King.

The Lord Necromancer, known by various titles like “High Priest,” had an unparalleled desire for the death of humanity.

Naturally, as a necromancer, he thrived on death.

For him, human death was proof that his power was growing stronger, and having taken a life to boost his strength, the next step was simply to take more lives to fuel that power again.

‘Since Sebek seems knowledgeable about Saturdays, it’d be great if we could glean some clues. After all, I have a good grasp on the activities of the Cult of Oblivion.’

The reason Yeon-woo cautiously watched out for Monday’s schemes while being a bit more lenient about whatever Saturday planned was right there.

Monday didn’t consider the Cult of Gloom to be a subordinate. Hence, he didn’t assign anything to Gloom.

But Saturday was different. Saturday actively utilized the Cult of Oblivion. In fact, they tended to try to resolve all matters through the Cult of Oblivion.

In other words, simply blocking any incidents related to the Cult of Oblivion that Yeon-woo was aware of would entirely curb Saturday’s schemes. Just like he had saved Baek In-hwa.

Now that he thought about it, it wouldn’t be strange if some sort of retaliation came his way regarding saving Baek In-hwa, but maybe the attention was drawn towards the Ice Palace instead?

*

“Lord of the Palace. All warriors have returned. Three severely injured and eleven lightly injured were sent to the medics in advance.”

“…I see. Good work.”

Amidst the swirling snow, the man known as the Lord of the Palace responded coldly. A man kneeling before him stood up slowly. The Lord spoke slowly to him.

“How did it go?”

“Numbers have increased, but there are no immediate issues. It seems they are being pushed into a war of attrition. Everyone is trying to ensure nearby residents aren’t affected.”

“I see.”

“However, it seems their patience is wearing thin. Overall, the quality of the immortals is on the rise. We’re mindful to avoid any deaths in accordance with combat regulations, but it won’t be long before we reach our limits…”

“…In three days, grant all warriors a break.”

“Are you going to take action?”

The Lord did not answer that question. The man didn’t press for a response either. With the Lord preparing to step out, there was no reason or authority for anyone to stop him.

Having been in continuous skirmishes with the immortals for almost a month, it was clear that the morale of the warriors had suffered.

“Alright. I’m going to pull in the next Necromancer soon.”

Flapping his pristine white cloak, Baek Joo-han stepped out of the Ice Palace. He had been saving his strength, worried that the Demon King might show up directly, but the forces he faced now hardly measured up to a true Demon King’s.

So once again, it seemed he was faced not with the Demon King himself but with one of his subordinate necromancers.

‘It seems all the prodding to avoid affecting the Academy paid off.’

A smirk crept across Baek Joo-han’s face. He had saved his daughter, thus, to draw attention away from that boy, he performed all kinds of provocations. Since Saturday had a petty personality, he would find it hard to resist such taunts.

Stepping just outside the threshold of the Ice Palace, the Lord of the Palace thought this while swirling his hidden arm through the air. A thin, sparkling glove glimmered on his hand.

The snowstorm that had been swirling around him seemed to yield in fear.

“There’s no need to drag this out.”

Baek Joo-han clenched his fist. The snowflakes gathering in the air, summoned forth by the storm, instantly took the shape of a massive hand and flew toward a certain spot beyond the snow.

Boom!!

The gigantic snow hand struck. The dome of snow exploded as if a missile had just been deployed.

*

Caw, caw, caw….

An old man humbly hammers the iron. His approach to ironworking is less that of a blacksmith and more akin to that of a seeker. Steadily and fiercely, he hammers away with the tool in hand.

The work was nearing its end. The form was mostly complete, with only sanding, decoration, and attaching the handle left.

The clanging of the iron gradually faded. It was a sign that the job was coming to a close. The old man slowly rose from his seat.

Even with his white hair, the muscles on his body were formidable. His slightly short stature, bushy beard, and frowning face combined to create an inexplicable aura of pressure.

As the old man straightened his back, a crack sounded from his bones. Then, he muttered, somewhat dissatisfied.

“How dare they make me create something like this?”

While he voiced his complaints, a peculiar sense of satisfaction gleamed in the old man’s eyes. Though it was still just a hunk of metal without a handle, its structure was straightforward. It was a long sword.

Aside from the handle being a bit longer than usual, there was nothing special about it.

Yet the old man’s indignation arose because this wasn’t a pure sword. Although the form may differ, a similar concept already existed in the world.

“They’re quite arrogant, aren’t they…!!”

Though it was a request that came through a friend, the old man had never approached sword-making with anything less than sincerity. Whether the materials were low-quality or premium as one might find with a first iron, it made no difference to him.

The request was to gauge what level the person was at, hoping not to rely solely on the weapon.

However, this was nothing short of a challenge. The original sword, Arkime, a symbol recognized even by the proudest of the elf clans. Arkime served as spear, sword, and arrow, but this sword simply needed to function in both spear and sword aspects.

In many regards, it was an offensive request, but having decided to go through with it, the old man would not back down. At the very least, it had to stand on equal footing with Arkime or surpass it. If it didn’t reach even that level, the old man wouldn’t be satisfied.

“I shall do it, without question. In the name of the Dwarven swordmaster!!”

The blade master of the Ten Blades, blacksmith Pilar. The old man’s pride began to ignite fiercely, just like a heated furnace.

*

Boom! The thrown stone easily exploded.

“…This is what happens when we inscribe a spell. Shall we try it on the stone placed before us?”

““Yes~””

The cheerful replies of the students filled the air as the class progressed. It was a lesson on making magic tools. While they had begun creating magic tools somewhat earnestly in the second semester, they hadn’t produced anything significantly remarkable just yet.

That didn’t mean Yeon-woo could create anything special either. With zero knowledge, he had to start from the very basics.

For instance, what they were currently making was a rune stone. As long as it was a solid natural object that could inscribe spells, it could be utilized within gates.

How he had yearned for rune stones back in his previous life whenever the special bombs ran low in the gates! Lacking any mana, Yeon-woo had been unable to inscribe spells, leading him to shed tears of frustration and give up, but now things were different.

“The usefulness of a rune stone varies dramatically based on how much mana you imbue it with compared to the precision of the spell being inscribed. From situations where it simply creates a small popping sound, like we just saw, to bomb-level explosions. However, there’s something you must be cautious about, right? What might that be?”

The professor’s question was met with silence from the students. With a soft sigh, the older professor slowly raised his hand.

“Well, it’s August, so…. You there, Choi Yeon-woo. Would you like to answer?”

“The durability of the material needs to be considered. If it blows up while inscribing a spell, it’ll be a disaster.”

“Correct! For example, if it’s an ordinary stone, it’ll shatter with just a bit of mana. Therefore, carefully selecting a material that fits the method is extremely important, don’t you think?”

The professor smiled brightly and continued with the lesson. Slumping down into his chair, Yeon-woo let out a muted sigh.

Most classes had this same feeling regarding Yeon-woo. He felt like a vending machine that dispensed answers when asked. A go-to choice when the professor needed someone to call on at random.

In any case, as long as Yeon-woo’s image didn’t suffer, he didn’t worry too much. It was, after all, a rare peaceful moment.

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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