Seventh Main Tower (3)

The sub-event in Malentai proceeded swiftly.

Pung Ryu-jin followed the designated route step by step, and swiftly reached the destination.

Finally, he learned the whole truth.

"Oh, Ryu-jin..."

Looking at the woman pouring tears as she sat on the ground, Pung Ryu-jin examined his own hands.

Through his translucent hands, he could see the patterns engraved on the floor.

For some reason, he couldn't see his own reflection in the mirror.

"Ah..."

Only then did his memory revive.

The fact that he died.

The reason he died, and that there was a woman he loved. The very woman sitting in front of him, crying.

He remembered everything.

"I... was already dead. A dead body..."

Unable to peacefully pass away even after death, Pung Ryu-jin wandered the heavens to hunt ghosts to protect his beloved woman.

He finally realized that all these events stemmed from him.

Approaching the woman, he whispered quietly.

"Please give me a hug."

"Sob..."

Despite shedding tears, she reluctantly approached the ghostly Pung Ryu-jin.

Then, they embraced warmly and exchanged words of love.

As time passed, Pung Ryu-jin's body became increasingly transparent, and when the woman finally confessed, 'I love you,' he ascended up above and disappeared into light.

"Ah..."

And so the story ended.

Leaving behind the sobbing woman, Baek Yu-Seol stepped outside the mansion and leaned against the wall.

In the Aether World, there were truly countless 'sub-events.'

Each event had a protagonist at its center, and the player played a role in helping to resolve the event by delving into their relationships.

However... it was impossible to participate in every sub-event.

Even now, events and incidents were occurring all over the world, and although they called it an event as players, it was the story of real life.

Experiencing it firsthand made it even more real.

Suddenly, he felt the insignificance of his influence in this world.

While he thought the stories of the protagonists unfolding at Stella Academy were the most important, if one looked beyond the confines of that small academy, there were countless stories twinkling like stars.

"Phew..."

He lifted Pung Ryu-jin's gourd.

There was a single water droplet falling there.

Plink! Plop!

Shoo...

Suddenly, a downpour began.

It was not unusual for it to rain in the summer, but the timing was quite strange.

Come to think of it, in the game, it also rained after an event ended.

Baek Yu-Seol didn't bring an umbrella.

Unlike other mages, he couldn't conjure a mana shield, so he had to get soaked in the rain.

He put on Stella's coat, which was modified by Alerisha's skills and somehow became waterproof.

Finally, he walked the streets of Malentai.

As the powerful aura of the strong ghost Pung Ryu-jin receded, the atmosphere in the village was better despite the heavily overcast weather.

Oh, right.

Wasn't there a line marking the end of this event?

[As tears fell from the woman, the sky cried with her. The rain didn't stop that night.]

He touched the wet gourd.

Pung Ryu-jin had always told him.

He said he would retire after this incident.

He said he would finish his life by farming in a small cabin he prepared in the countryside.

Baek Yu-Seol didn't respond. He knew it was an unattainable dream.

Eventually, he was destined to leave with only this gourd remaining.

... And this gourd was precisely the 'Dead Spirit's Vengeful Talisman,' which played a significant role in the episode "Dark Mage Corruption."

If the artifact "Vengeance Tree Branch" used on Maizen Tyren was useful aggressively in boss battles, the Dead Spirit's Vengeful Talisman would provide significant assistance throughout the episode for survival.

It was frustrating not to have to use it...

Anyway, now that he had secured insurance, he could be rest assured.

Next, he would go to the villa Pung Ryu-jin always talked about.

He would clear the hidden dungeon buried within the ruins and return to Stella.

In the dungeon, there were no demons, and as long as one cleared the quizzes and traps, the difficulty level was very easy since there was a walkthrough.

"... Should I check it out?"

Crossing the sparsely populated street in the rain shower, he quickly changed his pace.

——

Talking to a mirror didn't feel great.

It was rather eerie, and it might evoke a sense of madness.

However, for dark mages, conversing with a mirror itself wasn't that awkward or strange.

The world inside the mirror was all reversed.

Right becomes left.

Left becomes right.

It was a completely opposite world.

So, for dark mages, the mirror served as a gateway to the 'other side.'

In a dimly lit hall, with no one and nothing around, there was only one full-length mirror.

Professor Raiden spoke to the mirror.

"Right now, the Child of constellation has headed there."

The reflection of Professor Raiden didn't appear in the mirror.

It couldn't.

After all, that place was a different world from reality.

Without answering, the mirror paused for a moment and then spoke to Raiden.

-You... are quite a useful errand runner.

"Is that so?"

-Yes. Along with the Child of constellation, you've sent the descendants of twelve other disciples....

The owner of the voice spoke as if pleased with the situation.

"What do you plan to do with that child?"

-I will absorb her.

Wasn't it obvious?

-But, I will fail.

... For the first time, the owner of the voice uttered negative words.

-I am merely a fragment of a shattered soul, I cannot dare to absorb the Child of constellation...."

A fragmented soul.

It was truly a poignant statement.

"Then why are you making such a choice?"

-By absorbing a part of that child, I can suppress it, preventing her from awakening the abilities of the 'previous life.'"

The voice fell silent for a moment.

It seemed to be deeply contemplating something.

"You're considering killing yourself."

-... Even though I may perish here, the true 'me' will still exist. And that too, in the name of a king."

"That will suffice."

Professor Raiden closed his eyes.

The presence in the mirror couldn't maintain its form and didn't even retain memories from its past life.

That entity was nothing more than a replica, having torn off a portion of someone's soul.

However, despite that, the clear determination he held in his past life persisted firmly even now after half a century had passed.

He constantly said, "Remember this. Constellation doesn't wish for the world's destruction."

"... Yes, I understand."

"To correct the mistake of the Progenitor Mage, this too is an inevitable choice..."

The conversation ended there.

The presence in the mirror completely disappeared.

Now, across the mirror, only Professor Raiden stood with a shocked expression.

He stared at the mirror for a long time, then turned and left the hall.

And then, a moment later...

Crash!!

The mirror shattered into countless pieces on its own, turning into dust.

Now... nothing could ever be restored.

——-

"Shouldn't we go this way?"

"No. It's this way."

"I think the opposite."

The expression 'possessed by a ghost' was commonly used.

However, how many people who use that phrase had actually been possessed by a ghost?

Not even the genius among geniuses like Edna and Eisel, or Anella, who had lived as a dark mage, had ever been possessed by a ghost.

Therefore, even while following the ghost story, no one knew where or how to go properly.

Whoosh...!

A chilly wind brushed past their ears.

Giggle...!

Chuckle...!

Somewhere, the laughter of children echoed faintly.

At the same time, the girls stopped walking.

Then, without anyone speaking first, they tightly held hands and continued walking.

No matter how brave the girls were, ghosts were frightening.

"How cute..."

Jeremy, who had been walking behind, kept a distance of several dozen steps.

He felt a certain jealousy as he watched Edna's behavior.

It was a thirst driven by possessiveness.

He knew the pleasure earned from 'conquering.'

The exhilarating pleasure which arose when one acquired something they couldn't have or was difficult to obtain.

That... those who had never felt it would never understand.

Jeremy even felt a kind of triumph over Edna.

What would the sense of conquest be like when he completely made her body and mind, which always resisted, entirely his own?

Jeremy had never experienced such a situation before, so he even felt a strange excitement.

'Hmmm...'

However, recently... There had been a quite disturbing group at the academy.

It wasn't just about spreading rumors.

Jeremy was curious about Edna's every move, wanting to know everything she did and where she was, so he ordered his subordinates to watch from afar.

As a result, recently, some quite suspicious movements were caught.

Besides himself, there were others who watched Edna from afar.

The people monitoring Edna varied widely in occupation and gender, but he couldn't find any commonality among them.

However, he could tell that they all looked at Edna with an undisguised interest.

He didn't like it.

To be honest, it made him feel bad.

It was quite absurd and annoying that other insignificant things were aiming for the prey he had chosen.

But regardless of whether he liked it or not, Jeremy calmly analyzed the situation.

'Why are they monitoring Edna?'

Recently, she was said to have been snooping around the academy to investigate ghost stories.

No, there were many students like that.

In fact, even in Stella, there were quite significant disturbances caused by various clubs, including the 'Mystery Club,' which was quite large.

They made a commotion in order to uncover the mysteries of the Seventh Main Tower.

However... Edna had been investigating in a slightly different way.

Instead of investigating the ghost stories themselves, she had been searching for the very person who spread the rumors.

It was a fact easily discovered by Jeremy, and there was no way the professors wouldn't have noticed.

They probably found Edna's background check quite bothersome.

'So, they were monitoring Edna for that?'

There was no need to monitor her for such a reason.

Rather, that would be quite conspicuous behavior.

Then, he had to think the opposite.

He tried to utilize Edna, who was digging into their background.

'... Trying to involve Edna in the ghost stories.'

That was Jeremy's conclusion.

So, he secretly followed her out of the dormitory in the early morning and chased her to this place.

He didn't intend to let others guard Edna.

This time, he would take matters into his own hands.

"... Huh?"

"What the...?"

Abruptly, the girls who were leading stopped in their tracks.

No one noticed, but...

Suddenly, the surroundings had changed completely.

"Wait a minute. Did we really come in? Really?"

"Yeah. From now on, it could be really dangerous, so let's be careful."

"I'll go ahead."

Jeremy quietly looked out the window, leading the noisy girls far ahead.

The black moon shone down on the world, and the sky was completely white.

It was just before dawn when they entered.

Not only that, but the colors of everything outside the window were completely reversed.

It was as if to emphasize that this place was a different world.

"... Beautiful."

A reversed world.

It was a beauty that Jeremy really liked.

If possible, he would want to separate this world and exhibit it.

But more than that, the annoying movements kept bothering him, preventing him from enjoying the scenery fully.

Wobble~!

The walls swayed, and the corridors swayed.

The space itself seemed to move slowly and press down as if it were flexible.

Jeremy had a hunch.

This place was already within the jurisdiction of an unknown enemy.

Resistance would be meaningless.

But if it was to protect Edna, he was willing to do anything.

Swoosh...

Golden blades shot up from the floor and spun around Jeremy's body.

The gold engulfed the black covering the corridor, slowly consuming it.

Bit by bit.

Devouring the black.

"... Weak."

He still lacked strength.

Jeremy objectively assessed his own level.

At best, he was at the level of a Class 4.

He was still ridiculously weak compared to the magic abilities of the elders.

But the reason he could survive and slaughter all the elders wasn't because of his magical abilities.

It was his 'cruelty.'

He could ruthlessly cut down anything in front of him without a moment's hesitation.

A shadow undulated and emerged in front of them.

It gradually encroached on the space, advancing towards Edna and the girls.

Swish~!!

As the golden blade sliced through the air, the shadow split in half and collapsed.

"Not bad."

Jeremy summoned more golden blades and walls by channeling his mana.

He had done a lot of studying to win a girl's heart for the first time in his life, and because of that, he had realized one thing: 'Women are attracted to sturdy men who can protect them.'

It was a common theme in most romance novels, so it was probably true.

And Jeremy possessed enough strength and power to protect someone.

He thought so.

Flash!

Suddenly, the world seemed to distort into pure white.

Jeremy involuntarily closed his eyes and quickly summoned a golden shield.

However, when he opened his eyes again... all the shadows had already turned into dust and melted away.

Amidst the vivid scattered light, there stood Edna.

She spun her raised staff high and then slammed it down onto the ground, saying, "Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, yes..."

"That was amazing..."

"Uh, seems fine. Shall we go again?"

After checking Jeremy's spot with a quick glance, Edna turned her head and led the way.

Watching her confidently stride forward... he felt a subtle emotion.

To think a first-year could dissolve those masses of darkness that he couldn't even cut through with a single spell...

Was it possible?

No.

Before that, a fundamental question arose: 'Can I really protect her? It's not because I'm weak. The girl is too strong... So she doesn't need protection.'

"Haha...."

He laughed for the first time in a long while.

Someone might think he was laughing out of disappointment, but no.

He was genuinely happy.

It was such a strange and unfamiliar experience in his life.

*'It's fascinating, fun, and... charming.' *

Edna, who always turned out to be beyond Jeremy's imagination... was not just becoming less tiresome but more desirable the more he saw her.