Chapter 41
· This won’t do.
Mage Enoch had been driven to the edge of a cliff.
A failure. It was a loathsome title, but now he hardly even had the chance to hear it anymore. To run into a wall at the mere Fourth Circle…
Not only were his magical achievements lacking, his research record and reputation were poor as well. At this rate, he would end up as nothing more than the hanger-on spellcaster he had once mocked.
It’s time to seek a new opportunity.
To break free from a predetermined fate, he needed a variation. In that sense, the Abyssal Realm research project being promoted by the Order Alliance was a great opportunity.
A public notice was posted seeking volunteers to conduct field research in the Abyssal Realm. But most mages showed little interest in it.
Naturally.
Leaving a safe and prosperous city for a land teeming with monsters seemed like madness.
As a result, there were not many applicants willing to head to the Abyssal Realm. Enoch, along with a few other underachievers, departed for the frontier city.
And the Abyssal Realm he finally encountered was…
“…Fantastic.”
The moment he stepped into the Abyssal Realm, Enoch shuddered with exhilaration. Everywhere he looked, countless subjects for research caught his eye. A bizarre world that changed and evolved every moment.
What kind of achievements could he accomplish here? His heart pounded wildly with excitement.
Everyone will look at me differently.
The dream-filled mage began his research.
……But it did not take long for him to face reality.
Whenever something valuable and rare was discovered in the Abyssal Realm, it was preserved in solution and sent off to the Mage Tower. Enoch’s role amounted to nothing more than that of a middle manager supervising the process.
Opportunity after opportunity slipped away before his eyes. Unable to bear the frustration, he went to see his superior.
“Why are all these items being sent to the Mage Tower? If you leave them to me, I can make proper use of them!”
The hot-blooded young man pleaded. The priest of the Order Alliance answered calmly.
“Enoch, unfortunately, this city does not have a laboratory. Without alchemical equipment, it is difficult to conduct research here.”
“That’s why I keep asking for support! When we first came here, you said that if the opportunity arose, you would secure the equipment for us!”
Enoch raised his voice in agitation. The priest forced a kindly smile.
“It has proven more difficult than expected. We lack sufficient funds. Still, considering your position, Enoch, I will submit another report on your behalf.”
“You say that every time! I’ve already waited more than three years. Just how much longer—!”
“…Ha.”
The priest let out a sigh. His attitude turned noticeably cynical.
“Listen, Enoch. If one must choose between you and the Mage Tower, it is only right to choose the latter.”
“…….”
Enoch was struck speechless. In a fit of irritation, the priest continued what he had long wanted to say.
“You do not entrust promising work to someone who is not promising. To demand it outright is shameless. Please, grow up.”
After saying that, the priest took a sip of tea. Perhaps feeling he had gone too far, he added a few words of consolation.
“I will report this to the higher-ups and have your salary increased at least. You could save up money and return to the Wall, could you not?”
“…Yes.”
Enoch stepped outside.
It felt as though he had been slapped across the face. Anger, sorrow, and emptiness twisted together inside his chest.
……There was only one way to soothe it.
“A bottle of mugwort distilled liquor, please.”
Entering a tavern, Enoch ordered a bottle of his favorite drink. He drank without even ordering any food, reminiscing about the foolish moments of his past.
The day his older brother inherited the family.
Enoch gathered every last coin of the inheritance left to him and used it to enter the Mage Tower. He had been thirteen at the time.
He had sworn to succeed spectacularly and return to his family in triumph. Driven by that youthful bravado, he studied magic relentlessly. He never once embraced a woman, nor did he indulge in luxury.
But he had no talent.
…That was all.
“Heh heh heh.”
Enoch laughed like a madman and drank straight from the bottle. He emptied it in an instant and ordered another of the same.
Just as he uncorked it and began to pour it into his glass—
“Is that liquor good?”
A voice suddenly called out.
Enoch turned his head as if caught doing something in secret. What he saw was a female mercenary looking at him with curious eyes.
She had dark chestnut hair and matching eyes. Unlike a typical mercenary, her skin was smooth and pale. The playful smile at the corner of her lips somehow made his head spin.
“…Is there something on my face?”
She tilted her head slightly as she asked. Flustered, Enoch stammered.
“Ah, uh… no.”
“That’s a relief.”
She smiled and gestured lightly.
“May I have a glass?”
And so, their connection began.
***
The female mercenary’s name was Daisy. Enoch thought the name suited her well.
“Wow… you’re a mage from the Mage Tower?! That’s amazing!”
As they talked, Daisy gasped in admiration at the mention of the Mage Tower. Enoch gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“I’m just a dropout.”
“Just learning magic is impressive! I wanted to enter the Mage Tower when I was little too… Could you tell me more about it?”
“There’s nothing difficult about that.”
Daisy loved stories about the Mage Tower. Whenever Enoch drank with her, he used tales of the Tower as his drinking fare. Each time, Daisy’s eyes would sparkle like a child’s.
Ironically, those moments were the most rewarding he had experienced since entering the Mage Tower. It almost felt as though he had learned magic just to meet Daisy…
“…Is it really alright to say this much?”
Enoch suddenly grew worried. Daisy’s questions, knowingly or not, brushed against numerous secrets—the structure of the Tower, the identities of high-ranking mages, the locations of various laboratories…
It was somewhat concerning to speak of such things, but the moment he saw Daisy’s smile, that worry melted away like snow.
It shouldn’t matter anyway.
Conversations with Daisy were like the driving force of his life. In the end, Enoch confessed everything.
Then one day…
“Um… would you like to go for a walk tonight?”
Daisy spoke shyly. A blush lingered over her delicate face. Seeing it, Enoch swallowed unconsciously.
“At this hour… where are we going?”
“There’s a place where the full moon looks beautiful.”
Led by Daisy’s hand, Enoch stepped outside the frontier city.
“Isn’t it dangerous to go out at night?”
“Trust my skills for once.”
Daisy smiled and lightly tapped the sword at her waist. Seeing that, Enoch stopped voicing his concerns. Daisy was a capable mercenary, and he himself was a mage who had mastered a fair number of spells.
In truth, he simply didn’t want to sound like a coward by whining.
The two climbed up a hill.
“Here, have a cheerful drink.”
Daisy took out a bottle of mugwort distilled liquor from her pack. The pale green alcohol filled their glasses. After clinking glasses with her, Enoch tossed the drink back.
“…Ghk?!”
Suddenly, Enoch’s body stiffened. The mage collapsed face-first onto the dirt.
Seeing this, the witch’s lips curled upward.
“I’m tired of playing house. Still… since it’s come to this, I suppose I should confirm it.”
The witch rummaged through her clothes and pulled something out—a black potion with an ominous hue. Tiny parasite-like creatures swam inside it in swarms.
Drip.
The black potion fell onto Enoch’s eye. Thick and viscous like ink, it spread over his pupil until all he could see was pitch-black darkness.
In that darkness, small larvae swam in clusters. After settling in various places, they suddenly curled up like pill bugs.
Shhh—
The tightly coiled larvae began to emit a blazing white light. Faint glimmers shining within the dense darkness.
The sight resembled…
“…The night sky?”
The moment that thought crossed his mind—
Boom!
A crimson light burst from the center of the night sky. From the explosion poured a swarm of red stars. Flowing like the Milky Way, the tiny stars gathered in one place and formed a peculiar shape.
A rose nebula.
The cluster of red stars flashed brilliantly. The distant reality returned. Enoch’s eyes snapped open.
“Ghk—cough!!”
He coughed like someone who had just been pulled from the water. What he saw next was… the witch staring down at him with startled eyes.
“…What did you just see?”
The witch asked.
Enoch tried to answer, but no sound came out. The poison he had drunk still left his body paralyzed.
“What did you see? Speak!”
The impatient witch swung her hand and struck his face. She slapped him and punched him until his lip split open. His face felt as though it were on fire.
As the beating continued, Enoch’s temper flared as well. He couldn’t endure it without at least hurling a curse. Gathering every ounce of strength, he forced out his voice.
“…Ro—rose… you bitch.”
At that answer, the witch became Daisy once more.
Smack.
Daisy lowered her head and kissed Enoch. Her tongue forced its way between his lips, their tongues tangling wildly like snakes. Perhaps because he had been beaten so much, there was the metallic taste of blood.
After the intense kiss…
Daisy lifted her head. Her bloodstained lips looked lush, as though painted with red lipstick.
“Enoch. You have received the baptism of an Outer God.”
Rustle—
Whispering so, Daisy undressed. Beneath the full moon, her pale form seemed to glow. A beauty any man might dream of. She climbed atop Enoch’s body.
“Enoch, you are extraordinary.”
“Enoch, the new gatekeeper of the night…”
“You will become a general who leads the army of God.”
Daisy whispered without pause. Listening, Enoch muttered as if entranced.
“…I am extraordinary.”
It felt as though his long-held dream had finally come true.
***
His eyes opened.
Woojin, awakened from sleep, stared quietly at the ceiling. He needed to organize his thoughts about what he had seen, heard, and experienced in the dream.
But it was not easy.
“…Ugh, my head.”
Perhaps it was the aftereffects of the lightning strike; a dull headache kept stabbing at his mind. He felt like he needed to step outside and breathe some fresh air.
After quenching his thirst with water from the kettle, Woojin went outside.
Where should I go?
He walked without a clear destination, his path aimless.
Wandering around like an idler, Woojin naturally drew many eyes. Before long, a man approached him.
Commander Albert spoke first.
“You’re awake, Jin. Is your condition all right?”
“It’s not bad. It feels like I slept for quite a long time… how much time has passed?”
“Including today, three days. You were asleep so long that everyone was worried.”
Longer than he had expected. Since he had fallen asleep in a comfortable and safe place, he must have rested deeply without waking.
That’s why my condition has improved so much.
Though he still had a slight headache and lingering fatigue, the side effects were far milder than anticipated. Perhaps after resting a day or two more, his body would nearly recover.
Having roughly assessed his condition, he spoke.
“I will give a detailed report in two days. My thoughts are still somewhat tangled.”
“Take your time. Thanks to the purification of the rift core in the spider cave, we have some breathing room.”
Albert responded kindly. At the mention of the spider, something came to Woojin’s mind.
“What happened to the corpse of the spider monster I brought from the cave?”
“We kept it stored, intending to dispose of it after you woke up. It should be in that warehouse over there… since you asked, let’s check on it.”
Albert led Woojin to the supply warehouse. After entering and looking around, Woojin soon noticed a long shelf.
Large glass jars were lined up on it. Approaching them, he examined the contents one by one.
An arm. A leg. The torso. Internal organs… and the head. The spider’s body had been dismembered and preserved in a transparent solution.
“To prevent decay, we placed them in a preservation fluid. The mages of the Mage Tower want to use the spider’s corpse for research. What would you like to do?”
Albert asked from beside him. Woojin stared silently at the spider monster.
The monster’s head floating inside the glass jar. Perhaps it was his imagination… but the corners of its mouth seemed to curl into a faint smile.
“…Do as they wish.”
Mage Enoch returns to the Mage Tower.