[Mage King (2)]
"Wow.... I didn't know there was a place like this in the library."
"..."
Ignoring Jung Ha-yang's exclamation of admiration.
Hwang Jin-hee silently examined the room.
They've done well to create such a place without others knowing.
She clicked her tongue inwardly.
She knew the <Mage King> had hidden his will somewhere in the library.
But she didn't expect him to go so far as to create a secret space in the library.
Moreover, the room was quite elaborately decorated.
"It looks just like someone's study, doesn't it?"
Jung Ha-yang's words were correct.
A room reminiscent of a personal study.
The walls of the small room were covered with bookshelves.
There was a desk in the center of the room.
Furthermore, a portrait of someone was hanging on the wall directly in line with the desk.
It was obvious who it was.
"I guess the person in that portrait is the owner of this room? Who is it.... I don't think I've seen them before...."
"It's the <Necromancer>."
"What? The <Necromancer>? Is it someone you know, Instructor?"
"I've had a few encounters with him in the past. Rather than a comrade..., he was just someone I knew professionally."
An old man with white hair sitting in a chair with unique armrests.
The old man in the portrait was looking down at them with a face full of confidence.
Hwang Jin-hee calmly looked up at the old man hanging above her head and answered Ha-yang's question.
"It's natural that you wouldn't know, Ha-yang. The <Necromancer> closed his eyes a very long time ago."
"Ah.... I see...."
Despite having the alias of <Mage King>.
Hwang Jin-hee stubbornly referred to him as the <Necromancer>.
That's how much she disliked him.
Meanwhile, Jung Ha-yang's face clouded over upon hearing that the old man in the portrait had already passed away.
She belatedly composed herself and put her hands together in prayer in front of the portrait.
Regardless, Hwang Jin-hee turned her gaze below the portrait.
"He really had no taste."
A pedestal tightly attached to the wall.
The black pedestal, which looked just like an altar for a memorial tablet, turned out to be a coffin when examined up close.
A coffin that people enter when they die.
Realizing this, Hwang Jin-hee sneered.
It was truly befitting of the <Mage King>'s taste.
"Instructor? That's...."
"There's something written here. Let's see, what did this guy write...."
"To the future generations who wish to walk the path of magic. I leave my will here for you. Future generations, reach the extreme of magic. And thereby embody the legend? Instructor, what does this mean...."
"There's no need to understand such writing. It's just the senile words of an old man who couldn't let go of his childish sentiments even in old age."
Dust had accumulated on top of the coffin.
Hwang Jin-hee wiped the dust off with her hand and read the engraved writing on the surface.
By now, Ha-yang had also approached her side and was reading the writing.
What a pity.
The first person to discover your will is not someone who wants to walk the path of magic, but me.
Insignificant writing.
Hwang Jin-hee snorted.
Then she decided to open the coffin.
"Um..., Instructor. If we open the coffin, what if there's a person inside...."
"That won't happen. Don't worry."
Jung Ha-yang seemed anxious.
In case there might be a corpse in the coffin.
But Hwang Jin-hee knew there wouldn't be a corpse in the coffin.
Because─.
─Ban Ik-hyun, that guy, disappeared from the world without a trace.
It was a very long time ago.
<Mage King> Ban Ik-hyun ultimately couldn't bear his own legend during battle and vanished on the spot.
She, Hwang Jin-hee, was the one who witnessed his death.
That's why she opened the coffin and checked inside.
"..."
"...Instructor? There's nothing strange inside, is there? Is it okay to open my eyes now?"
"Yes, open them. And take a look."
"Wow.... This is...."
The coffin was filled with treasures.
Treasures that the <Mage King> had collected during his lifetime.
Ha-yang, who had been covering her face with her hands, opened her eyes and checked inside the coffin, then let out an exclamation of admiration.
He really collected a lot.
On the other hand, Hwang Jin-hee let out a small laugh, finding it absurd.
Nevertheless, she opened her eyes like a hawk and carefully examined the items in the coffin.
She put her hand into the coffin and stirred it around, thoroughly searching to the bottom.
Meanwhile, Jung Ha-yang stood beside her, quietly watching her actions.
To think these things were here.
Eventually, Hwang Jin-hee discovered artifacts that the <Mage King> had used in the past inside the coffin.
Among them, she took out a few artifacts from the coffin.
"Instructor, those are...."
"I'll keep these. These items shouldn't come out into the world. I hope you can understand."
"What? Why do you need my understanding.... The items here aren't mine, are they?"
A staff with a crystal skull attached.
A book of magic wrapped in chains.
A ring with a thick jewel embedded in it.
In addition to these, she pulled out several other items and asked for Ha-yang's understanding.
Then she said to her.
"You can have the rest, Ha-yang."
"What!? What are you saying? Why should I...."
"It's only natural since you, not I, discovered this room. Since the owner has long since passed away, it's like an ownerless lair, so the first person to find it becomes the owner. Moreover, the owner of this room made this intending to give it to whoever found it first, so you should take it."
"..."
Hwang Jin-hee turned her gaze away from the coffin.
She had already selected the artifacts that looked dangerous, though she would have to examine them in detail later.
She stood up, leaving Ha-yang at a loss for words.
Just in case she had missed anything, she carefully examined the books in the study as well.
"Instructor, even so, this is a bit.... Since it was discovered in the academy, wouldn't it be better to leave the disposal to the academy?"
"I was thinking of handing over all the books remaining here to the academy if you took the items there.... Well, if you really think so, you can hand over all those treasures too. Of course, I'll definitely keep these."
"..."
"There's no need for modesty or humility. Any player with a proper mind wouldn't say anything to you."
"...Can I really take all of this?"
"Yes, take it all. If anyone tries to find fault with you for it, I'll crush them for you then."
"Don't you need anything else, Instructor?"
"I might take another look later, but for now I'm satisfied with this."
Jung Ha-yang's hesitation was long.
Hwang Jin-hee kindly persuaded her, making her take all the treasures.
"─Then if it won't cause any problems, I'll take them as you said."
"Yes, that's how it should be."
In the end, Jung Ha-yang accepted her offer, albeit with some burden.
☆
─What's going on here?
Eun-ha was dumbfounded.
He had been nervous when Jung Ha-yang suddenly called him in the middle of the night.
Eun-ha, who landed on the balcony and found her room, blinked his eyes repeatedly.
"Am I dreaming...?"
"Papa?"
"I thought I was dreaming at first too. But this isn't a dream. Should I pinch you?"
"...No, it's okay. I can tell it's not a dream."
When Eun-ha entered Jung Ha-yang's room.
She was waiting for him with a grinning face.
And at her feet, sitting on the bed, was a black coffin.
Then she exclaimed "Ta-da!" and opened the coffin lid─.
"─You found this in the library?"
"Yes, there was a secret space in the basement of the library. You know what? Instructor Hwang Jin-hee, who was with me then, told me to take all of these."
"Wow...."
Eun-ha couldn't help but admire.
He could barely hear Ha-yang's explanation.
He was so captivated by the brilliant light emanating from inside the coffin.
What a windfall is this? Ha-yang really has good luck.
To think she discovered someone's legacy while looking for books in the library.
Eun-ha clicked his tongue while looking at the treasures inside the coffin.
He was simply envious of Jung Ha-yang.
While some have to rely on memories from before the regression to find opportunities.
Others find opportunities while looking for books.
But according to Ha-yang─.
"─What are you going to do with these?"
"Huh? Why are you asking me?"
"Well, I'm not sure what to do with things like this. You handle it somehow, Eun-ha. You know better, don't you?"
"Are you saying you're entrusting this to me now?"
"Yes! I thought if I entrusted it to you, you'd use it well for the party.... It's awkward to call these things mine anyway, so wouldn't it be better to use them for the party instead?"
"Ha-yang..., you're really an angel."
Jung Ha-yang suddenly handed over all these treasures to Eun-ha.
Truly, there's no one like girlfriend.
Eun-ha felt like he wanted to hug her right away and shower her with praise.
He was so moved that he couldn't control his emotions.
But how did this happen when it didn't in the previous life?
As he gradually calmed down.
Eun-ha thought while stroking the writing engraved on the surface of the coffin lid.
This didn't happen in the previous life.
Did Ha-yang change the future?
Even so, it was somehow strange.
How could he not have known until the day he died in his previous life that there was an opportunity hidden in the academy library?
<Necromancer>....
It's an alias I've never heard before.
Meanwhile, Eun-ha stroked his chin at Ha-yang's words.
It's possible he might not know a player from <Sword Empress> Hwang Jin-hee's generation.
But to create such a secret space in the academy library, he must have been a named player at the time.
Yet how come it hasn't been known until now?
"─Oh?"
"Eun-ha, what's wrong?"
"Why is this here...."
"Beep beep beep?"
At that moment.
Eun-ha's gaze, lost in thought, suddenly fixed on a certain object.
He immediately grabbed it with his hand.
It was a ring with an impressive green jewel.
When he held the jewel up to the light, there was some kind of picture engraved inside.
"..."
A picture in the shape of a mouse.
There was no doubt.
This is─.
─Why is Bebe's ring coming out of this coffin?
The Midnight Whisper, which was known as <Madam> Bebe's symbol.
He checked the ring several times.
The result didn't change.
Eun-ha's gaze didn't leave the ring.
Why is this here?
An artifact used by <Madam> Bebe before the regression came out of the coffin.
Eun-ha tried to grasp the situation.
Then he put his body into the coffin, ignoring Ha-yang's surprised voice, and rummaged through the items.
This too, and this....
These are artifacts used by <Madam> Bebe.
There are also ones used by Jo Ara.
And ones used by Yoon I-byeol....
What's going on here?
Then Eun-ha took out several artifacts from the coffin.
A lamp with a long spout.
A crystal ball the size of a child's head.
A monocle with an extraordinary aura.
A pocket watch with stopped hands.
All of them were artifacts he was familiar with.
They were artifacts possessed by On Tae-yang's party members in his previous life.
It's not that it wasn't discovered.
Someone must have discovered the secret space in the library in the previous life too.
They just didn't make it public....
Eun-ha was lost in thought.
When he made a stern expression, Jung Ha-yang closed her mouth to avoid disturbing him.
It's not that uncommon for people to discover dungeons and not report them, so even if this is the case....
Who discovered it in the previous life?
Eun-ha racked his memories.
In the previous life, On Tae-yang's party members seemed to have used the artifacts on the day Seoul was invaded by monsters.
Originally─.
─Bebe had the Midnight Whisper from when she was at the academy.
Having thought that far, Eun-ha soon realized who had discovered the secret space in the library in his previous life.
<Madam> Bebe.
Though he didn't know how she discovered it.
She must have somehow discovered it and then distributed the artifacts to On Tae-yang's party members afterwards.
It's fortunate, if anything.
It was something I would have missed, but to find out like this....
In other words, this was <Madam> Bebe's opportunity.
Eun-ha, who had unintentionally obtained Bebe's opportunity thanks to Jung Ha-yang, soon gave a bitter smile.
However─.
─How did Bebe find it?
From what Ha-yang said, it was quite deep in the library. She said you even had to solve a trap to enter the secret space....
Eun-ha couldn't shake off his doubts.
The secret space in the library that Bebe couldn't reach with her skills at this time.
How on earth did she reach it in the previous life?
...Let's think about it later.
It was a question without an answer.
Eun-ha decided to shake off the question for now and turned his head to Jung Ha-yang.
Their eyes met.
"Are you done thinking?"
"Yeah. Sorry, were you bored?"
"No. I was just watching you and didn't even notice the time passing."
"You're lying."
"Tch, it's true though."
Jung Ha-yang, sitting on the bed, swings her legs back and forth.
The two looked at each other and smiled, exchanging emotions.
Then Eun-ha─.
"─Here. This is yours."
"Huh? You're giving this to me?"
"You're the one who discovered this, so you should keep something. Did you think you wouldn't get anything from me?"
"...Thank you, I'll use it well."
Eun-ha placed the lamp and crystal ball among the artifacts on the floor at her feet.
She visibly liked them.
These will be helpful for Ha-yang.
Since Ha-yang is the one who discovered these, I should give her a lot.
The lamp that Bebe used in the previous life was called the Goblin Lamp.
It was an artifact that filled the surroundings with smoke leaking from the lamp's spout, causing people in the smoke to lose their sense of direction.
The fog also became a barrier that turned away people's footsteps from the outside by concealing the surroundings.
And the other one was the crystal ball used by <Butterfly Lady> Yoon I-byeol in the previous life, the Witch's Model Garden.
It was a map that showed the structure of the area within a certain radius centered on the position of the crystal ball, and the locations of beings with mana in three dimensions.
He gifted her artifacts that would suit her as she aspired to be a navigator.
"And in the case of this artifact, if you register a being with specific mana, you can easily find them as long as they're within the artifact's range."
"Really?"
Eun-ha demonstrated using the Witch's Model Garden himself.
When he infused mana into the crystal ball, it sparkled and displayed a three-dimensional map above their heads.
Not only did it roughly show the structure of the girls' dormitory, but it also showed the presence of students
Not only was the structure of the girls' dormitory roughly displayed, but the presence of students staying in the dormitory rooms was also shown.
He puffed up with pride as he explained the Witch's Model Garden.
Then─.
"─So with just this, you can find Eun-ha's location anytime as long as you're close to the crystal ball?"
"Huh? Uh..., that's right. But why are you asking that?"
"Oh, you know why." "..."
"Why are you silent?"
He had dug his own grave.
Eun-ha, who had lost the Witch's Model Garden to Ha-yang, couldn't open his mouth.
She was grinning.
And then pressuring him with a smile.
"Okay. I get it. You can do it if you want."
"Ah! I can adjust the range that appears in the crystal ball to some extent. If I do this, your dormitory comes into range too!"
"..."
"Now I can monitor what you're doing from my room."
"Monitor...? Why do you want to monitor me?"
"Hm? Oh, I misspoke. I just want to see what you're doing whenever I think of you."
"..."
If that's not monitoring, then what is it?
Eun-ha wanted to ask but couldn't and kept his mouth shut.
Ah, I feel like I shouldn't have given it to her....
If I had known this would happen, I should have thought it through before giving it.
Eun-ha regretted it belatedly.
At the same time, he resolved.
I'll sell the gold and silver or hand them over to Hae-su hyung to use as materials....
I should share the elixirs with the kids. I'll think about the rest of the artifacts and distribute them to the kids.
The monocle is the Eye of the Mountain God.
The pocket watch is Memento Magia.
And the Midnight Whisper.
Eun-ha decided to think about who would become the owners of the three artifacts.
☆
He said.
To transfer to the academy and monitor <Quick-witted> Noh Eun-ha.
Why do I have to do this because of one little brat....
So she, who had been living in the shadows, transferred to the 3rd year of high school academy while perfectly disguising her identity.
And she tried to flatter Noh Eun-ha, never leaving his side and monitoring his every move, but─.
─What's this? Am I not attractive?
No way. There's no way I'm not attractive....
She, who had pretended to have a chance encounter to get acquainted with Noh Eun-ha, was unable to make any further progress.
Because he kept avoiding her every time.
She was simply bewildered.
"I thought he was greedy for women to the point of two-timing.... Is that not the case...?"
Her beauty tactics didn't work at all.
Even though she deliberately shortened her school uniform skirt excessively to attract the male students' attention, it didn't work on Noh Eun-ha at all.
So she wanted to ask if he perhaps liked men instead.
Of course, since he was two-timing, that possibility was very slim.
"Sigh.... Let's not be hasty. I just need to slowly get in within a year. And I can't just monitor that Noh Eun-ha guy. I'm so busy."
Only two weeks had passed since the semester started.
While deciding not to be hasty, she recalled the other tasks she had to do.
The Noh Eun-ha squad is one thing....
Was it On Tae-yang?
Didn't he say to monitor that guy too?
He had said.
While transferring to the academy this time, to also assess the skills of the academy's promising students.
Besides this, what she had to do was─.
"─The lowest floor of the library, was it? There must be treasure there. Ah, this is the one thing I like! I wonder what's inside?"
Inherit the will of the <Mage King>.
He had told an anecdote about the <Mage King>.
And then told her to inherit the will left behind by the <Mage King> in the past.
A hero who disappeared from history because of magic that toyed with the dead....
Surely there must be magic that can control the dead in that person's tomb. I can't miss out on something like that.
It's the legacy of a living legend.
That morning too, after being ignored by Noh Eun-ha, she decided to deal with the task she had been putting off to change her mood.
So she came down to the lowest floor of the library and headed towards the <Mage King>'s study, but.
"─How did this happen.... No, why are those people there!?"
Bebe couldn't help but be surprised.
The academy instructors were gathered there, pulling out books.
"Th-that's mine...!!"
Bebe cried out.
[Chapter 155]
[Mage King (3)]
Word spread that a secret space had been discovered in the academy library.
Moreover, as the instructors found books in the secret space that were thought to have been lost until now.
The topic that became a point of interest among students also spread to the player industry and was reported to the Mana Management Organization.
"They say it's darkest under the lamp.... How could something like this have been in the library?"
"If <Sword Empress> hadn't discovered it, we might never have known. Look at the blueprints. Now I see, someone intentionally erased the space here."
"By the way, to think that ancient books thought to be lost were here.... The taste seems a bit biased, but it'll be worth researching."
The people dispatched from the Mana Management Organization thoroughly investigated the secret space.
On the other hand, they also asked <Sword Empress> Hwang Jin-hee, who first discovered the secret space.
When, how, and why she happened to discover the secret space.
Many people, including them, were paying attention to her answer.
Of course, what they were really curious about was something else.
""""So what did you get? You must have gotten something....""""
There was no way only books came out of the secret space.
Artifacts or something valuable must have come out.
They tried to find out what she surely had, from Hwang Jin-hee, the first discoverer.
But they couldn't press her.
Of course, legally, items found in the secret space belong to the academy, and thus to the Mana Management Organization.
But by custom in the player industry, the first person to find it becomes the owner.
So the Mana Management Organization, which exists for players, couldn't violate custom and force her.
Above all─.
"─I think we can get up now."
"Yes, yes! Thank you so much for cooperating sincerely with the investigation! And if possible, could I ask for your autograph? I'm a fan of <Sword Empress>...."
<Sword Empress> Hwang Jin-hee.
The person who first discovered the secret space was a living legend.
Although Hwang Jin-hee's status was merely an academy instructor.
The position she held was something no one dared to question.
As a result, people had to treat Hwang Jin-hee with respect─.
"─I can't say I took that guy's legacy."
She used that.
If the <Mage King>'s legacy became known, greedy people might try to covet it.
She didn't care about herself.
But she was very worried about Jung Ha-yang, who wasn't even a player yet.
So she said she discovered the secret space alone and asked Ha-yang to keep quiet.
"There's no way nothing came out, right?"
"<Sword Empress> must have it. Now that she's living like an obsolete relic, can't she just hand it over to the younger generation?"
"I acknowledge <Sword Empress>'s achievements, but isn't this a bit selfish?"
"How good must it be for her to keep quiet like this...."
No matter what people said.
<Sword Empress> kept silent.
Thanks to this, people misinterpreted Hwang Jin-hee's silence in their own way.
But as a result, as Hwang Jin-hee had originally hoped, people made no mention of Jung Ha-yang.
However─.
"─I smell something. Something smells fishy. Eun-ha and Ha-yang are hiding something from us right now."
"How did you know I farted? Well, you're an Ain too, Seo-na...."
"Ugh.... No wonder it smells bad. Eun-woo, open the window over there."
The sharp eyes of some friends who hung out with Noh Eun-ha couldn't be avoided.
The timing when <Sword Empress> discovered the secret space.
Coincidentally, around that time, Noh Eun-ha and Jung Ha-yang had shared elixirs with their friends, saying they accidentally found them.
Fools like Jin Pa-rang just received and ate the elixirs, saying it was an unexpected windfall.
But friends with good intuition like Jin Seo-na tried to find a connection between the two events.
Moreover, Jin Seo-na even discovered an artifact that looked like a lamp in Jung Ha-yang's room.
"It definitely wasn't just Instructor Hwang Jin-hee who discovered it. Ha-yang must have been there too. Judging by how Eun-ha and Ha-yang gifted us elixirs, they must have gotten their hands on that many elixirs...."
"As people are saying, artifacts must have come out of there too, right? Then those must be with Ha-yang and Eun-ha...."
Jin Seo-na and Cha Eun-woo's speculation.
Starting with them, Eun-ha's friends deduced among themselves.
Eventually, their prediction reached the point that Noh Eun-ha might distribute the things found in the secret space to strengthen the party's power.
""""....""""
There must be something.
From that day on, friends paid close attention to Eun-ha with their eyes wide open.
Thinking that if their thoughts were really correct, Noh Eun-ha would soon call the people who would become owners of the artifacts.
And as if affirming their prediction.
Not long after, Eun-ha suddenly called a few friends.
"─Soo-bin and Ara, let's meet later tonight."
""""....""""
Envy filled the eyes of friends who weren't called.
But there was no jealousy.
Meanwhile─.
"─So who created the secret space?"
"I don't know. I just heard it was a famous caster from long ago."
<Mage King> Ban Ik-hyun.
Whether the Mana Management Organization had intervened or not, the alias of the hero who once saved the world while simultaneously bringing the shadow of death to it was not mentioned.
☆
After receiving the <Mage King>'s legacy from Jung Ha-yang.
Eun-ha distributed elixirs evenly to his friends according to their internal mana.
Then, before distributing artifacts suitable for his friends' characteristics, he first tried to understand the functions of the artifacts.
Although he knew the functions of the artifacts, experiencing them firsthand was different.
"It's a shame...."
The Midnight Whisper was useful, but he didn't need it himself.
Memento Magia was also an artifact that Eun-ha wouldn't use much.
At least the Eye of the Mountain God was somewhat useful.
If I had this, I would have awakened Ubo faster....
An artifact that allows you to look into the flow and state of mana through the lens.
The world Eun-ha saw wearing the monocle was similar to the world he saw when he had just awakened Ubo.
In other words, it was an artifact that could interpret the complexly intertwined mana without much effort.
It wasn't really necessary for Eun-ha who had already learned Ubo.
Since these are all unnecessary for me, it's better to give them to kids who need them more than I do.
The problem is who to give these to....
Eun-ha, who took off the monocle, pondered.
While the discovery of the secret space in the academy library was becoming a hot topic around him.
Eun-ha was just lost in thought, not paying attention to his surroundings.
Finally─.
"─I should give the Midnight Whisper after thinking more, and give the rest to those kids."
Eun-ha ended his contemplation.
Late at night, he called Bae Soo-bin and Jo Ara to his room.
It could be said that it was the result of doing his best not to attract people's attention.
Of course, they didn't seem to be in a very good mood.
"─I never thought I'd end up sneaking into the boys' dormitory. I thought I was going to get caught by the dorm supervisor. What is this because of you! What if we had been caught?"
"I'm so busy preparing for midterms, why are you calling people? I'll kill you if it's not really important."
Jo Ara came 10 minutes early.
Bae Soo-bin came right on time.
Eun-ha looked indifferently at the two people who expressed their dissatisfaction as soon as they entered.
"Why do I suddenly not want to give it...."
""...!!""
Their mood dropped instantly.
As Eun-ha sighed softly and muttered quietly like that.
As if they had heard it─.
"─Ahem, I was just saying.... If we get caught, I'll take the demerits alone."
"It's not like my grades will drop just because I don't study for one day...."
"...Why are you like this?"
"Beep beep?"
With a clattering sound.
Jo Ara and Bae Soo-bin quietly sat down, avoiding the topic.
Eun-ha tilted his head, looking at the two people sitting across the table.
The two seemed tense.
Yet their eyes looking at Eun-ha were sparkling.
"The reason I called you here is to give you...."
"No. How could I receive such a thing? I'll just accept your feelings."
"...Forget it. I don't want to owe you a debt even if I die."
"I haven't even finished speaking yet...."
""Ah....""
Even though Eun-ha hadn't finished his sentence.
Jo Ara and Bae Soo-bin interrupted and strongly declined.
Eun-ha could only open his eyes wide and click his tongue.
The two seemed to have belatedly realized their mistake.
Confusion filled their faces.
It seems they've guessed that I'm going to give them something.
Well, I guess it's understandable. They must have found it suspicious since I suddenly handed out elixirs to the kids.
And then they might have connected it to the hidden space discovered in the academy library....
Eun-ha could roughly understand the situation.
His friends had guessed that he would distribute artifacts to strengthen the party.
They must have tried to strongly decline, saying they couldn't accept the artifacts, in order to move Eun-ha.
Knowing that─.
─Who's going to do as you wish?
Eun-ha decided to turn the tables.
No, he decided to be mischievous.
"Really? Then I guess I'll have to give these to other kids."
""...!!""
"Actually, Ha-yang discovered artifacts hidden in the library's secret space, and I was going to give them to people I thought were suitable for handling artifacts...."
""....""
"Since you said you don't want them, I guess I'll ask other kids...."
"Wow! If you're giving them, of course we should gratefully accept! Right, Soo-bin?"
"Yeah, that's right. Come to think of it, freedom doesn't seem all that great. I'll just live owing you a debt."
"You should have been like this from the start."
"Ugh. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Evil employer. Runaway bastard."
When Eun-ha deliberately played a trick.
The two people, startled, hurriedly reacted.
To this, Eun-ha smirked.
Only then did they realize they had fallen into his trap.
They narrowed their eyes sharply.
But that didn't work on him at all.
"I've been thinking about it, and I think these will suit you guys."
""....""
Eun-ha placed the Eye of the Mountain God and Memento Magia on the table.
Immediately, the two leaned forward and looked closely at the artifacts.
"Are you really giving these to us?"
Jo Ara, who raised her head soon after.
She asked, representing them.
Eun-ha nodded.
Then Jo Ara playfully─.
"─What if we take these but don't join your party? Is it okay to just give them like this?"
"I don't think you won't join. Right?"
"Wow, narcissism.... But that means you trust us that much, right? Sigh, if that's the case, you should say so. You're surprisingly shy about these things, aren't you?"
"What are you saying?"
Jo Ara giggled while mentioning something that would never happen.
Eun-ha answered her without a moment's hesitation.
At his answer, which was no different from saying he trusted them completely.
Her expression brightened.
Bae Soo-bin beside her too.
These guys are my people.
So I can trust them.
After deciding not to bring On Tae-yang into the party.
And letting Yoon I-byeol go.
Eun-ha decided to focus on his existing friends.
While raising their unity, he made his trust relationship with them even stronger.
Sharing elixirs with his friends and giving them artifacts could also be seen as a way to gain their trust.
And Eun-ha's method succeeded.
"This will suit you, Ara. You take it."
"Thanks. I'll use it well. But how do you use this?"
After On Tae-yang's mother passed away.
Jo Ara declared she was cutting ties with On Tae-yang and started hanging out with Eun-ha and his friends.
Now she was even in the group chat room with the friends.
Above all, she had even told Eun-ha directly that she would join the party he would create.
So Eun-ha decided to hand over Memento Magia to her, who was favorable towards him.
It's a useful artifact, but it's not very useful for me with my low internal mana.
Memento Magia was an artifact that doubled the computational ability of the person deploying magic for a certain period of time.
In short, it was fine to think that the brain controlling magic increased by one more.
Originally, Memento Magia was also an artifact used by Ara in her previous life.
Jo Ara's gift was <Quadruple>.
She had the characteristic of increasing the efficiency of her internal mana up to 4 times.
When she pulled out one stream of mana, the stream split into four strands.
As a result, the magic she deployed was all long-lasting and highly effective.
And by Jo Ara using Memento Magia─.
─She created a new concept of magic by using 4 magics simultaneously.
In her previous life, she used her gift to divide one strand of mana into four, using two of them as mediums to simultaneously demonstrate two magics.
She was also skilled in double casting.
But after obtaining Memento Magia.
With her computational processing ability doubled, she could use all four divided strands of mana simultaneously.
In other words, she became a caster who could deploy the most magic using the least mana.
Thus, people called her─.
─<Quartet>, saying she created higher-dimensional magic by appropriately harmonizing four magics.
<Quartet> Jo Ara.
Knowing her abilities, Eun-ha thought from the beginning that Jo Ara was the only owner for Memento Magia.
He turned his head to Jo Ara, who was happily examining the pocket watch, and turned his gaze to Bae Soo-bin.
"I'll give this to you, Soo-bin."
"What does this do?"
"It's called the Eye of the Mountain God.... Um... Wouldn't it be easier to try it yourself?"
The artifact he handed to Bae Soo-bin was the Eye of the Mountain God.
Eun-ha chose her after much deliberation on who to give it to.
An artifact like the Eye of the Mountain God isn't necessarily good.
If you rely too much on an artifact that examines mana flow, you might end up unable to see mana flow without the artifact.
The Eye of the Mountain God was certainly useful.
Whoever received it would experience a dramatic increase in their sense of handling mana.
But Eun-ha was wary of the situation where one might rely on the artifact and ultimately lose their own potential.
So he had to be careful in choosing someone suitable for the Eye of the Mountain God.
─Soo-bin should be fine.
And looking at Bae Soo-bin's previous life and the appearance she showed in this life, there was no one more suitable than her.
Bae Soo-bin never neglected training herself.
Burning with academic enthusiasm, she explored magic and created magic that suited her.
So even if she got the Eye of the Mountain God, Bae Soo-bin wouldn't stop learning.
"...This is pretty good. It shows even parts I couldn't see no matter how much effort I put in."
"You know not to rely too much on the artifact, right?"
"I should only use this when I can't see with my own power. But the monocle is uncomfortable.... Is there no way to change this?"
"The core of that artifact is the lens, so how about taking out just the lens and putting it in the glasses you're wearing?"
"Hmm, that would be better."
After checking the Eye of the Mountain God.
Bae Soo-bin seemed satisfied.
She was so happy that she even sincerely thanked Eun-ha.
"I'll use this well! Thanks for the gift!"
"I'll be going now. I thought of something I want to try experimenting with using this...."
"Okay, both of you be careful on your way back."
Afterwards, the two were busy confirming the effects of the artifacts for a while.
Eun-ha sighed after sending off the two people who had occupied his room.
Now there was only one thing left in his possession.
"Who should I give this to...."
The Midnight Whisper.
He took out the ring box from the drawer and fell into deep contemplation.
How much time had passed?
Eventually, he─.
"─I should make a call."
He decided to do as his heart told him.
Eun-ha immediately picked up his smartphone.
☆
Third year of high school academy.
In one year, they would become players.
As a result, the 031, 31st batch students often thought about what they should do after graduating from the academy.
Kim Min-ji was the same.
I need to prepare in advance.
That way I won't suffer.
Every year during the first semester final evaluation period.
Third year high school academy students go out for internships at various clans as a way to experience player life in advance.
There, students form close relationships with the clans they're dispatched to, and sometimes receive promises for the future.
Kim Min-ji was aiming for that.
Even if I can't get good treatment, it should still be possible to enter an S-rank clan.
The problem is which clan I should be dispatched to in order to secure admission....
So Kim Min-ji carefully selected the clans she would intern at from early on.
Then she took classes that matched the talent profile those clans were looking for, or sought out related activities.
Sigh....
Other kids probably wouldn't have to work this hard....
It can't be helped. That's their luck, and this is my luck. I can't blame what I don't have, right?
6 years.
That was the time Kim Min-ji had spent at the academy.
Now she no longer compared herself to others.
She came to accept reality as it was and see herself objectively.
Thus, she trained herself and, although her talent had been blocked early on, she continuously honed her skills.
Nevertheless, Kim Min-ji was unable to close the widening gap with her friends.
But she decided not to mind too much.
She was no longer young enough to be jealous.
Rather, she was now able to even mock them.
The kids' good life is over now.
Next year they'll be under Noh Eun-ha, working themselves to death....
Mourning for her friends.
Kim Min-ji decided to continue what she was doing.
But just as Kim Min-ji was lowering her head to the table.
─Buzz buzz
Her phone rang.
It was Noh Eun-ha.
What's up with him?
A call from her childhood friend.
However, Kim Min-ji hadn't really talked on the phone with Noh Eun-ha much.
She couldn't help but be puzzled.
She tilted her head and answered the phone.
"What, what is it? What's going on? Just tell me briefly and hang up quickly. I'm studying right now."
[─I have something to talk about.]
"Okay, you fought with Ha-yang again? I don't know what you fought about, but it's just your fault."
[...No. It's not. We didn't fight.]
"Then why did you call? I can't think of any other reason why you'd call me.... Ah, are you asking me to take care of someone again...."
[No. It's not that.]
"Then what is it?"
[I have something to talk about, so come out.]
"You're not asking to fight, are you?"
[No.... It's not that....]
"Wait outside. I'll come right after I finish this. But where are we meeting?"
[Come to my room.]
"Noh Eun-ha's personality.... Hey, do I look like someone you can order around? Why should I go? You should come. You come to my room."
[Sigh..., okay.]
"That's right, bring some ice cream when you come. You know you're paying since I'm listening to your worries, right?"
[...]
A few days ago, Kim Min-ji had also received elixir from Eun-ha.
Of course, she had speculated that Eun-ha might distribute artifacts to friends who would join the party.
But since she thought it had nothing to do with her anyway.
Kim Min-ji just sent Noh Eun-ha on an errand.
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