-The End of an Insect
* * *
Under cover of deep darkness, Kim Seonho slipped secretly into the Eternal Life Building.
By now, even the Bureau knew this place was the Magic Tower, so one would have expected security to be tight. Yet perhaps because all the mages had rushed off toward the commotion caused by the shapeshifting monster, the guards were lax. It was nothing Kim Seonho’s bodyguards couldn’t break through without much trouble.
As the Magic Tower had instructed in advance, he took the elevator up to the tenth floor, where a man was waiting to receive him. He was a black mage.
“Please come this way. It may be a little uncomfortable when you pass through the portal. You are an ordinary person, after all, Chairman.”
The black mage spoke as he guided him. Kim Seonho was slightly offended by the need to point out that he was an ordinary person. But he did not let it show.
He was about to enter the headquarters of the black mages. This was his first time going inside the Magic Tower.
When entering someone else’s house, one was supposed to quietly take off one’s shoes.
They turned down the corridor and stopped before a black wall. There was nothing there. And yet the energy of the space had already changed. It felt as though his heart were being squeezed.
The black mage drew a circle on the wall with the short rod in his hand. Soon, a crimson portal appeared. A circle as red as blood wavered before them.
“Please enter.”
The black mage had Kim Seonho go first. Unable to show any hesitation, Kim Seonho strode into the portal.
In that instant, space distorted and rippled. A wave of nausea rose in him, as though his brain were being compressed.
‘Well, it’s nothing much.’
Kim Seonho thought as he forced down the urge to retch. He hated the sight of mages acting high and mighty, so he tried hard to deceive himself.
But that was as far as his willpower could carry him.
“Once you are ready, please take one more step.”
The black mage spoke again.
Kim Seonho had only stepped into the portal; he had not yet crossed through it.
“Ah, right.”
Kim Seonho quickly gathered his wits and took a step forward.
At that very moment, a terrible sensation surged over him. First came an overpowering revulsion, as if he would vomit on the spot, followed by the feeling of his whole body being crushed and a helplessness that made him want to collapse right where he stood. His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
He had entered the Magic Tower.
But to Kim Seonho, it felt less like the Magic Tower and more like he had set foot in the Demon Realm.
Barely suppressing the urge to sink to the floor, Kim Seonho looked around.
Before his eyes, a skybridge stretched out in a long line. Beyond it loomed a building in the distance, so vast it seemed unreachable. It was a structure of bizarre geometry, as if it had neither beginning nor end.
Following the black mage’s lead, he crossed the skybridge. The space above was wide open, but it did not feel like the outdoors at all.
Far, far above, he could just make out a ceiling. Something of darkness, far darker than the night sky. At a glance, it even seemed as though the sky itself were writhing.
There were no walls or railings on either side of the skybridge. When he glanced down, he saw a sheer drop into unfathomable depths.
‘What kind of damn space is this? It’s no place for humans to live.’
Kim Seonho grumbled inwardly.
He was only pretending in order to hide his fear, but in truth, his heart was filled with nothing but terror.
He could not even tell where such dark energy was pouring in from. Above, below, ahead, behind—every direction was seething with wicked energy.
After they crossed the skybridge, a wide hall appeared, and here at least, it felt like the interior of a proper building, with a proper ceiling and floor. He felt somewhat relieved.
But that lasted only until he spotted Samir standing in the middle of the hall.
Samir stood there. Pitch-black energy wrapped all around him. At the same time, an immense pressure crashed down on Kim Seonho.
‘Ah… Was coming here really the right choice?’
But Kim Seonho did not have many options left.
At any rate, there was no path back now. All he had to do was finish negotiating with Samir and leave this place—leave Korea.
Forcing his trembling legs to move, Kim Seonho slowly approached Samir.
* * *
“So, what negotiation did you wish to propose?”
Samir opened his mouth.
He was using polite speech, but it was not out of respect. It was little different from mockery. A faint, derisive smile rose naturally to his lips.
Was it because it had been too long since he had been this close to a human who was not a mage? Or had humans always been this disgusting?
‘Nothing but an insect.’
Samir’s innermost thoughts shuddered with revulsion.
It had not been long since he returned from the Demon Realm. Perhaps that was why he hated humans even more. Especially someone like Kim Seonho.
A worthless human dared to wag his tongue about negotiating with him, the master of the Magic Tower. It would not have satisfied him even to crush him to death on the spot.
If what Kim Seonho possessed had not been the Golden Apple, Samir would never have met him face-to-face.
But it was the Golden Apple. And that had use.
The Golden Apple, which contained the seed of eternal life. It was something worth coveting. From the first moment he had heard about the development of the Golden Apple, he had taken an interest.
The Magic Tower had even set up its own laboratory and factory to try to imitate it. Though it had ended in failure, and now even that laboratory and factory had vanished without a trace.
“I intend to leave this country now. I developed such a precious product as the Golden Apple, and yet they blocked its release. I’m completely fed up. To think they would even try to make me out to be a criminal…”
Kim Seonho was rambling on and on. Irritation surged within Samir. Did this man think he had time to sit idly and chat with a human like him?
“Briefly. State only the terms.”
He no longer cared to maintain even formal politeness. Samir had already decided what he would do with this man.
“Ah, yes. My apologies. I will hand over all the development data for the Golden Apple. In exchange, please release the test subjects sealed beneath my house. Oudin sealed them with magic. If you undo that…”
“What do you plan to do after releasing those test subjects?”
“I want to throw this country, which failed to treat me properly, into chaos. It’s revenge. In particular, I want to bring Oudin to an end.”
“Understood. I will guarantee that.”
Samir cut off Kim Seonho’s words. There was no need to listen at length. He disliked the very fact that this man dared to attach conditions and negotiate with him.
“The Golden Apple?”
“All the development data is in here.”
Kim Seonho took a small chip from inside his clothes and handed it over. Samir accepted it and asked again.
“Where are the products you’ve produced so far? You’ve already manufactured them, haven’t you?”
“Ah, yes. They’re in the underground warehouse at our headquarters. If you need them, please take as many as you like.”
The development data and the products alike—he handed everything over readily. He said he wanted to negotiate, yet he gave them up even though Samir had not yet fulfilled any of the conditions.
One might think that Kim Seonho, driven into a corner, had nowhere else to turn and was acting out of fear of Samir. But Samir did not believe that.
‘You’re clearly hiding something. I can see right through your shallow little scheme. You’ll hand over all the development data? Do you think I would believe that?’
There was no need to check the chip.
Samir already knew. He knew Kim Seonho was trying to deceive him with petty tricks. He knew this man had no intention of simply giving up the best thing he possessed.
‘Do as you like.’
In any case, Samir had no intention of joining hands with Kim Seonho. All he needed to do was take what he wanted and kill him.
The Golden Apple could never shine as it should in the hands of an insect-like human. I will spread the Golden Apple far and wide in your place.
As for chaos, I will gladly stir up as much as you desire. And bringing Oudin to an end is what I wish for even without your request.
But nowhere in that process do you have any need or value.
Samir looked at Kim Seonho with cold eyes.
He was trying hard to suppress it, but he could not hide the way he trembled. Samir felt not the slightest shred of pity.
I will give you an end befitting an insect.
With his black eyes holding Kim Seonho frozen in place, Samir’s hand slowly rose.
* * *
Governing infinite time and space was endless. The space of the mind was boundless, and its power inexhaustible.
My training was as light as the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, and also as heavy as the birth of the universe.
Suddenly, I sensed a noisy ripple and opened my eyes.
Before I knew it, the crows had returned.
[Oudin, did we interrupt you? Sorry.]
[But isn’t it about time you opened your eyes? It’s morning.]
“Did it look like I was sleeping or something?”
I answered with a light joke. My heart felt that carefree, for no particular reason.
[Well, of course we knew you were training.]
[But you can’t stay here forever. Everyone in the outside world is looking for Oudin.]
“Really? Who? Did something happen?”
Though I had entered a deep state of concentration, I had left one thread of detection in place. It reached even outside the magic space. If any act of terror happened while I was training, I had to notice it immediately.
But nothing had been caught in my detection.
[Well, things are always happening.]
[Like the weather being strangely cold.]
[Or strange energy drifting around.]
[And people are always waiting for the hero Oudin.]
The crows were answering like Zen riddles. Was this how they had decided to do things now instead of telling me the news of the world in detail?
In any case, rather than hear the details from the crows, I decided to go out and see for myself. It was about time for that anyway.
“All right. I’ll go out.”
As soon as I rose from my seat, I immediately entered the mansion. After taking a quick look around, I opened a portal and came out into the rooftop room.
First, I looked out the window. At a glance, the sun was shining brightly, making it seem warm.
But when I looked a little farther away, I saw people walking with their bodies hunched tightly.
“Is it cold even though the sun looks fine?”
It was definitely still strange weather. On a clear autumn day, people would not be walking around hunched over like that. It did not even look particularly windy.
I went out onto the rooftop and extended my detection. Even before I analyzed it, I could feel a cold energy seep into my very bones through my skin.
Invisible to the eye, a black energy that did not seem of this world permeated the atmosphere.
I was about to analyze it in detail when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
It was Cheon Danbi’s voice. Soon, I saw her come up. Not only Cheon Danbi, but Ren and Gil were with her as well.
“Did everyone sleep well? What brings you all here this early?”
I greeted them lightly and looked over my team members. Fortunately, everyone looked peaceful.
Even Cheon Danbi, who had been complaining about the cold, smiled when she saw me.
“It’s a good morning, except for the weird weather.”
“Yes, I slept well.”
“Good morning to you too, Mage.”
Each of them returned an ordinary greeting in their own way.
It seemed nothing had happened to any of them. No, they looked even brighter than usual. As though something good had happened overnight.
“You all look well.”
I answered like that and withdrew the detection I had spread out.
Then I immediately analyzed it. As expected, it was anything but ordinary.
‘Is the final battle finally about to begin?’
Black energy was spread widely throughout the atmosphere. It had been hidden discreetly, but not completely concealed. Ordinary people would not know the cause, but it was enough to be easily caught by a mage’s detection.
The sun was unable to exert its power, as if trapped behind a glass wall. The black energy was blocking the sunlight.
It seemed to be an energy wave from the Demon Realm. Still, it was not so dense that I would suspect the Demon Realm creatures in the Magic Tower had come outside.
For now, they seemed to be testing the waters. But soon, it would pour down.
“Let’s all go to the Bureau at once.”
When I said that, my team members looked up at me in surprise.