So many people have it wrong.
When you say you’ve awakened “black magic,” most people imagine something that craves souls, with blood and bones flying everywhere, a thing steeped in evil. But in reality, what those of us who awakened black magic actually did was clean up battlefields—being dispatched to specific places or targets that couldn’t be handled by manpower, or to sites everyone else avoided.
“This site is relatively clean, isn’t it?”
I had taken a request from the Awakener Association and come out to the scene. After looking around, I immediately examined the countless monster remains scattered across the ground and released my mana.
Then, using the blood flowing from the monster corpses, I drew a magic circle according to the countless pieces of information engraved in my mind the moment I awakened black magic.
Seven years had passed since my awakening.
When I first awakened black magic, it felt hopeless.
Judging by the image of black magic known to the world through fantasy novels and the like, it was the patent of the evilest of evils—or of throwaway villains.
Moreover, since I didn’t properly know the lives of those who had awakened black magic before me, I’d imagined myself being persecuted, misunderstood, and dying a screaming, violent death. But in reality, it turned out to be an occupation needed in far too many places.
“Seongchan, finish up over there and help me with this side too!”
Just as the magic circle was about to be completed, a woman called out to me. I turned my head, met her eyes, and answered that I understood.
‘Go Yujin. The representative of our company. Age twenty-seven. An incredible beauty, and her personality is also warm and easygoing, so countless men make passes at her, but…’
Right then, Go Yujin used black magic. All sorts of corpses and filth in the area clumped together, and a gigantic rag golem revealed itself.
Then, watching Go Yujin naturally walk toward that golem and burrow inside it, I clicked my tongue.
‘If she just didn’t show people that side of herself, she’d be really popular…’
Her black magic was specialized for Golem Meister. She could make a golem out of anything, but because she had to board it personally in order to move it, even though it was an excellent ability, people tended to avoid her.
But from the perspective of someone who also used black magic, the fact that she could board a golem at all seemed like a pretty amazing ability.
‘Compared to that, I’m way too lacking in defining traits…’
Awakenings were broadly divided into three types.
The specialized type, which focused on one power, could be said to resemble Go Yujin’s case. Then there were offensive types and support types.
In the case of offensive types, all their abilities were specialized in attack, so in a way, you could say they were focused on one thing, but they were still a little different from specialized types.
In any case, support types were the same. They had an extremely wide variety of abilities they could use, so their effectiveness differed greatly depending on how they were employed.
But the problem was that there were cases that didn’t fall into any of those three types.
That was the “All Meister.”
It could be called an all-purpose ability type capable of using everything in black magic. The problem was that, in exchange for being able to do everything, it had a chronic issue: none other than a lack of “mana.”
It was because of a single penalty—the penalty of increased mana consumption.
That much meant the power of a spell could be strengthened when used, but the mana consumption was so enormous that it was the kind of mana commonly described as “premature.”
‘I do have a lot compared to others, but… it’s still a shame.’
Just then, light burst from the completed magic circle, and soon a rag golem formed and looked down at me.
So when I pointed at the debris collection truck parked to one side, the rag golem naturally moved and climbed into the vehicle on its own.
‘I guess I should be grateful I wasn’t thrown onto a battlefield with blood flying everywhere. Battlefields weren’t exactly pleasant.’
Some people enjoyed seeing blood on the battlefield. They took pride in having grown stronger, expressed all sorts of complicated emotions, and enjoyed being admired.
But I was a bit far removed from that kind of person, so I was satisfied with the work I was doing now.
Just then, Go Yujin also dispelled the huge rag golem atop the vehicle and walked out. Seeing that, I felt like I understood why people avoided her.
“Doesn’t that feel gross?”
“Even if it does, what can I do? This is my ability.”
Go Yujin’s entire work uniform was smeared with monster filth and blood.
It must have been unpleasant even for her, but she behaved naturally, as though she was used to it by now.
Honestly, as someone watching, I had no major complaints. If anything, it was fair to say it was a feast for the eyes. Since her voluptuous body was covered in blood and filth, her figure was revealed in full, to an almost bewitching degree.
‘Her looks do all the work…’
But the feast for the eyes ended there.
There was a spell Go Yujin could use as well, but for some reason she rarely used it herself. So I lightly released my mana and cast “Clean” on her, and in an instant, the grime that had covered her whole body was washed away.
Was it because of that sensation?
Go Yujin shuddered all over, blushed, and looked at me as she said,
“Seriously, you know you can’t use this spell carelessly, right?”
I didn’t really know why she reacted that way. So I nodded vaguely as if I understood, then looked at the remaining debris and said,
“I think one more trip should be enough. I’ll take care of it. Let’s wrap this up quickly and go rest.”
“Yes, sounds good!”
Most requests that came in for black mages amounted to one or two a day, and there were plenty of days without even that. But for the most part, they weren’t combat requests—they were site cleanups like this.
Thanks to that, unlike the image the public had of black mages, I was comfortably making money today as well, cleaning up after everyone else.