Memory (5)

While playing RPG games, it's quite common to do some preparatory work before a boss battle.

The most representative examples are 'doping' and 'buffs.' These are essential preparations to defeat a challenging boss monster.

In some games, it takes dozens of people to apply buffs and prepare the finest dishes and potions for a single player going on a solo raid, making the preparation process quite long. Fortunately, in the Aether World, that process was much shorter.

In Aether World Online, doping was as simple as drinking a basic potion or eating a meal to improve one's condition. 

This was quite different from other RPGs, where you could pre-cast buffs and head into battle fully prepared.

The only thing mages had to prepare before entering combat was 'cast magic,' and they only needed to focus on their magic.

The character Baek Yu-Seol was no different. While playing the game, Baek Yu-Seol had never once done any kind of preparation.

"Ugh..."

However, now, Baek Yu-Seol found that preparation was absolutely necessary. 

Baek Yu-Seol, who would once confidently rise with just a sword in hand, unafraid of facing dragons or the strongest mages, was now in a helpless position where he couldn't do anything without meditating before a fight.

First, [Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique]. 

This technique, which drastically increased mana circulation within the body to explosively boost attack power, required at least 10 seconds of meditation to strengthen the magic leak constraint. 

Additionally, to use [Mentalist], at least one minute of meditation was needed.

In fact, one minute was a considerable reduction, thanks to his all-day training as soon as he returned to Stella. 

Initially, it had taken him nearly ten minutes to activate this skill.

It was an interesting thing. 

In the life-or-death situation when facing Chelven, [Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique] and [Mentalist] were activated simultaneously without any preparation, so why couldn't he do it now?

Even when recalling that moment and trying to recreate it, it just wasn't working. 

Was there really such a significant difference between training and real combat? 

Or maybe it was the fault of that short-haired protagonist watching intently nearby.

That appeared more likely. 

Flame was the culprit. 

Otherwise, there was no reason his concentration would differ this much.

She was calmly kneeling about thirty steps away and staring intently at him without looking away. She made even someone like Baek Yu-Seol, who usually didn't care about others' gazes, quite uncomfortable.

"... Hey."

Having failed to concentrate, Baek Yu-Seol finally spoke up, causing Flame to widen her eyes.

"Oh, huh? Am I bothering you?"

Baek Yu-Seol was about to say yes, but seeing her look flustered and guilty made him hesitate.

"Not really, but..."

"Should I move further away?"

"Yeah."

She then actually moved twenty more steps away and knelt again. 

The same situation repeated. 

Her gaze was still burdensome, making the transition to his Mentalist state very difficult.

"Um… Can I talk to you?"

"You already are. What is it?"

"Well. Maybe you should take a break."

"Why take a break when I haven't done much?"

"Do you know what time it is?"

"...Huh?"

After waking up in the hospital, he had rushed to the training ground to practice Mentalist, reported his return to Lee Han-wol afterward, and returned to the dorm to sleep. 

Then, he had woken up early the next morning to go straight to the training ground and had been practicing Mentalist for hours.

"Is it lunchtime?"

"No. You need to go back to the dorm."

"What? Why?"

"If you don't return by ten, the dorm supervisor will go crazy."

"... It's already ten, and I have to go back?"

Flame pointed to the clock in the corner of the training room with her finger. 

9:48 p.m. 

Twelve minutes left until the dorm supervisor's tantrum. 

"Huh...?"

What's going on? 

It felt like he had only just begun his Mentalist training, but a lot of time had passed. 

"You haven't even eaten. What are you going to do if you actually collapse?"

"No way... Has that much time really passed already?"

"You didn't know?"

"Not at all."

Baek Yu-Seol stared at the clock with a bewildered expression, then suddenly turned to look at Flame.

He thought she had been there right before he started his training. Whenever he entered Mentalist mode, he would completely forget about her presence, but whenever his meditation ended, her presence always seemed to be there... 

"So, you've been there the whole time?"

"Yes. Because of what I said earlier. You know, about participating in the League of Spirit?"

"Right..."

"... Couldn't you have asked me tomorrow? Did you really need to spend the entire golden weekend wasting time like this?"

He asked, genuinely perplexed and exasperated, but Flame responded without any change in expression.

"Well, I didn't think it was a waste of time."

"... Really?"

"Yeah. Who knows how much longer I'll be able to watch you like this? You've been really reckless lately."

"What have I...?"

"Ahhh! Anyway, I really have to go back now. I don't want to stay here and get scolded by the dorm supervisor."

With that, Flame got up, stretched her body, shivering a bit, and left the training room by herself. 

Baek Yu-Seol watched her leave for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.

"League of Spirit..."

He had recently heard about the situation. 

After being forcibly included due to Crown Prince Skalven, she had no choice but to participate. She was now recruiting members for her team.

She managed to somehow persuade Eisel and Ma Yu-Seong, bringing the current number to three. If Baek Yu-Seol joined, they would have four. 

The minimum team size requirement for the League of Spirit was five. It was no wonder she was struggling with the lack of members, and that was why Flame spent all day on a dull Sunday in this place, trying to recruit at least one more person.

"I guess I have no choice."

Baek Yu-Seol had been trying to avoid getting involved in the League of Spirit as much as possible.

He had several reasons for disliking it.

First, when you gather five people, there's always one who's trash. 

Like a famous line from a comic character, he had grown sick of team games and preferred one-on-one matches. 

Second, that piece of trash was often Baek Yu-Seol himself.

Baek Yu-Seol's personal skills were certainly top-notch and he maintained a high rank in one-on-one matches. 

However, it was a different story in team games.

A lack of communication with teammates. 

Because he had a habit of playing alone, he often acted independently instead of participating in battles. While this allowed him to carry the game a few times, he often ended up trolling more frequently. 

For Baek Yu-Seol, who was more accustomed to solo activities than teamwork, team games were like poison.

But this time might be different.

Baek Yu-Seol still lacked confidence in cooperative activities, but... If the team consisted of Flame, Eisel, and Ma Yu-Seong, it would be a different story. This didn't mean he had confidence in cooperating with them.

It was because those three protagonists had such exceptional personal abilities that teamwork was almost unnecessary. 

The Flame team, which focused more on individual activities compared to other teams that relied on cooperation, might have some disadvantages, but their superior physical abilities could cover even those shortcomings.

"Well, I can just join in and let them do most of the work."

With Flame going this far to ask, it would be a bit rude to refuse.

Besides, she was the only... friend he shared his hometown with.

"Hmm. Maybe this will work out well."

He needed an illustration to practice Mentalist in a real battle, and the League of Spirit would be an excellent training ground for that.

——-

Morfran Forest.

The guardian occupation zone of the Adolevit's Crimson Tower. 

Hong Bi-Yeon moistened her red lips with her tongue as she looked at the tall and barren tower built solely to manage Morfran Forest. 

'This is my first time here.'

This place was the last remaining legacy and trace of the Grand Morph Duchy, which had been wiped out ten years ago. Due to the powerful dark magic that tainted it, the Adolevit royal family regularly undertook purification work here. 

'I don't get a particularly good feeling from this place.'

It wasn't because of the dark magic. 

Rather, there was strangely little dark magic here. 

A gentle mountain breeze blew. 

The air was clear, and the chirping of mountain birds could be heard from all around. 

She made eye contact with a squirrel hiding an acorn, but it got scared and hid up in a tree. 

For a place supposedly tainted by dark magic and needing yearly purification... It was strangely peaceful. 

"Welcome, Princess Hong Bi-Yeon. I am Kaizen, the purification mage of the High Holy Federation. I look forward to working with you." 

The purification work was usually handled by the first princess, Hong Si-hwa, but for some reason, Princess Hong Bi-Yeon participated this time, causing a stir among the public. 

While this wasn't visible to her, just looking at their expressions made it immediately clear. 

'They're wary of me.'

Hong Bi-Yeon's lips curled into a smile. 

It had been a long time since she'd been treated like this. Since meeting Baek Yu-Seol, her position in the palace had solidified, leaving hardly anyone who would dare treat her this way. 

'I have no allies here…'

The Morfran purification work was conducted in strict secrecy under the guidance of the Duke of Orkan, so only noble mages aligned with Hong Si-hwa's faction were gathered here. 

Entering the Crimson Tower, Hong Bi-Yeon felt a nostalgic sense of familiarity that she hadn't felt in a long time. 

The cold, sharp atmosphere she had sensed as a child in the palace. 

When she reached the top of the tower, she was greeted by a rooftop made entirely of windows. 

There were no pieces of furniture to speak of here. 

The walls were completely made of windows, with a red magic circle engraved on them. However, the inscriptions were ominous rather than fiery, giving a rather unpleasant feeling. 

And there, standing with his back to the window, was an old man. 

The old man wore a red pointed hat. He opened his narrow eyes and met Hong Bi-Yeon's gaze. 

"... Mage Terriban." 

"Welcome, Princess. It's been a long time." 

"Yes... It has been a while." 

"It feels like just yesterday when the young princess first ignited a flame on her fingertips, and now you've grown into such a beautiful lady. Haha…" 

That was by no means a compliment. 

Mage Terriban.

Once, as the chief mage of the Adolevit royal family, Terriban taught flame magic to the princesses. He was kind and gentle to the other two princesses, but with Hong Bi-Yeon, he was nothing but cold. 

Rather than giving proper instruction, he constantly scolded her, and said things like relying solely on her talent would lead her nowhere, and that the way she handled magic made it seem like she might lose control someday. 

He was one of the people who tore young Hong Bi-Yeon's heart to shreds with his harsh words. 

Step. Step.

Terriban chuckled as he slowly approached Hong Bi-Yeon. 

She flinched and took half a step back without realizing it, and she was sweating nervously as she bit her lip. 

"Oh dear. If you react like that, this old man... feels very hurt." 

"... You've changed quite a bit, Terriban. Are you now trying to act like a kind grandfather?" 

"Nothing in this world stays the same, Princess. I, too, am just a mere being that changes according to the laws of nature." 

"Human nature doesn't change, Terriban. I'm sick of that disgusting mask, so why don't you stop pretending?" 

"Haha, I understand. I was too harsh on you when you were a child, Princess. But I hope you understand one thing: I did it all for you." 

"... That's disgusting." 

She dismissed him with that, then turned to speak to the purification ritualists who were waiting. 

"We can skip the unnecessary formalities. I want to proceed with the purification ritual immediately. Is everything ready?" 

"Yes, Princess. But may I mention one thing?" 

"Go ahead." 

"Before we start the purification ritual, the Princess needs to activate the 'Flame Spirit Array' using the royal family's emblem..." 

He trailed off at the end. The reason was obvious. 

Until now, the person who had activated the Flame Spirit Array was Hong Si-hwa, a class 7 mage. 

In contrast, Hong Bi-Yeon was only a class 4 mage at best. 

Achieving that level at the age of seventeen was impressive, but it was nowhere near enough to handle the family's magic on her own. 

"I can do it." 

"Hmm. Are you sure?" 

The nobles looked at her with skeptical expressions. 

"Well... It's not like something terrible will happen if you fail. If it doesn't work, we can always call Princess Hong Si-hwa... Let's give it a try for now." 

Just from the way they spoke, it was clear. 

They didn't trust Hong Bi-Yeon at all. They seemed convinced she would fail to activate the Flame Spirit Array, given how casually they were preparing for the purification ritual. 

"Alright. Let's do it then." 

But Hong Bi-Yeon responded to their reactions without much concern. 

By now, she was tired of getting irritated and reacting impulsively to everything. 

'It's simple. I just have to show them, don't I?'

Show them who Hong Bi-Yeon was. 

Show them what a mage like Hong Bi-Yeon could do. 

Show them what a princess like Hong Bi-Yeon was capable of. 

She just had to prove herself.

'Right now, that's a very easy thing for me to do.'