◈ Episode 79. The Dignity of the Chief (3) [Broken Dimensional Rift].
True to its name, the scenery of the rift was anything but ordinary.
Rifts were already known for their bizarre landscapes to begin with.
But this place went beyond bizarre.
‘It’s roughly like when the graphics glitch out.’
Above all, reality and Arcana.
Not a single scene from either world could be seen clearly.
I don’t know if this expression is appropriate, but…
It was like the rift had been forced open somehow…
‘Wait.’
Come to think of it, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Today wasn’t Thursday.
A new update.
It wasn’t the day a new rift appeared.
Then [Broken Dimensional Rift]
meant it wasn’t a scheduled rift.
So my impression that it looked like a rift forced open wasn’t nonsense, either.
“Do all rifts look like this?”
“No. A space of anomalies is not this shoddy.”
“Then that is a relief.”
As expected of Marcelo.
It should have been his first time entering a rift.
Yet he immediately noticed something suspicious.
Marcelo continued.
“As you said, there would be nothing good about letting the internal situation become known outside.”
This involved none other than the upper echelon of the Magic Tower.
A senior mage had gone missing, and on top of that, if word spread that his disappearance was connected to the Magic Tower’s leadership? The repercussions would be no joke.
“I will end this swiftly.”
Marcelo’s declaration.
I’ll say it again.
I couldn’t feel more reassured. Truly.
Mana rippled from Marcelo’s body.
Since I had seen it once before, I recognized the process the moment I saw the search.
It was tracking magic.
Soon, Marcelo’s hollow eyes flashed.
“I have detected Bangrit’s mana. I will open a portal.”
He manifested a portal immediately.
……
If it had been me, those two manifestations just now would have blown away a third of my mana.
But Marcelo didn’t seem to have consumed even the slightest bit of mana.
Once again, I was forced to understand my place.
I still had a long, long way to go.
However, at least when it came to my presence.
I never fell behind anyone.
Click-clack—
“……Who’s there!”
It was all because of these damn shoe sounds.
With Grandfell’s personality, concealing one’s presence was impossible.
His stride was always full of force.
“M-Marcelo-nim? Even co-researcher Lee Hoyeol?”
Thanks to that, I was able to come face-to-face with Bangrit, whose face had gone deathly pale. Disheveled brown curls. Seeing his reaction, which showed just how flustered he was, I swallowed a sigh of relief for now.
‘He doesn’t seem hostile.’
Marcelo spoke before I did.
“Bangrit. I can guess that there are circumstances.”
“……Chief Marcelo. I, I…”
“We did not come all the way here to interrogate you.”
“……!”
Bangrit lowered his head.
Once again, I thought it was fortunate.
If I had entered this rift alone?
‘I would’ve started spewing venom from the get-go.’
Something like, I knew it from the moment you tried to bribe me.
Or, you ruined the conference I was presiding over because of you.
I realized this anew as well.
‘There’s a reason people say words can repay a debt of a thousand nyang.’
But it seemed this wasn’t a situation that could be resolved with persuasion.
Because mana was rippling from Bangrit’s body.
“……I already know that you are not that kind of person, Chief Marcelo. But I’m sorry. I cannot let this opportunity slip away!”
Pure Mana Studies.
There was no inefficient search process.
A magic that took only pure mana as its weapon, and because of that, in terms of destructive power alone, it did not fall behind any other magic. Bangrit Tom, who was called the pinnacle of that Pure Mana Studies.
Goooooo—
He manifested magic.
“Please forgive my rudeness.”
Swoooooosh—!
I could grasp it the moment I saw it.
A beam of condensed mana.
The structure of the magic was simple and clear, without any need for analysis.
The search target was only vast mana.
An interference that maximized nothing but destructive power.
And an exceedingly swift manifestation.
“!”
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-boom—!
Its destructive power surpassed imagination.
Chijijijik—!
The ground was crushed, and the atmosphere shook.
Even the rising dust evaporated without a trace.
……
Was this for real?
What was even more frightening was that Bangrit’s magic contained no killing intent. Bangrit merely intended to drive us far away. The missed trajectory of the magic was proof of that.
But even with the destructive power of a magic that had missed.
For it to have this much force.
Was this what a senior mage of the Magic Tower was?
There was a reason the Magic Tower was called the strongest armed group on the Arcana Continent…! Marcelo manifested a barrier and offset the aftermath.
Truly, that was a self-defense method only possible because he had mana overflowing.
‘I’m insanely jealous.’
Naturally, I was in a position where I had to conserve as much mana as possible.
As always, miserably.
I had no choice but to make use of everything, whether I had it or not.
The search target was the pure mana surging through this space.
To be precise, it was Bangrit’s mana.
I searched the aftershock of mana that was sweeping over us.
Interfered with it and manifested magic.
Naturally, complex interference was impossible.
As I said, its power was no joke.
To avoid getting swept up in it, I had to simplify the interference process.
Of course, it wasn’t necessary either.
The search target was just pure mana.
And as for how to interfere with this kind of pure mana and manifest it.
I had already learned that through experience.
Float—
Hundreds of mana spheres appeared in midair.
Yes, it was Light.
The basic magic of Pure Mana Studies, Light.
“……!!”
At that moment, I felt their stinging gazes.
Marcelo and Bangrit looked as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have.
In this place where all sorts of high-level magic were running rampant.
They must never have imagined they would see such a trivial basic spell.
But this was my best, and this was my way.
With a paltry level of 296.
It was my struggle to survive in a level 900 rift.
Even if they looked at me that way, there was nothing I could do about it.
I spoke shamelessly.
“That was rather lacking for a greeting. Bangrit Tom, senior mage.”
After responding in such a pitiful manner, only my mouth was alive.
Bangrit shouted.
“Damn it, please just leave me alone!”
At this point, I could be certain.
……
Wouldn’t it help more if I just shut up and stayed still?
Because I had made Bangrit fire off magic again.
Swoooooosh—!
But this time, Marcelo didn’t just stand by and watch either.
An equally swift manifestation.
Kwa-kwa-boom—!
The scene of vast mana colliding.
The victor seemed clear.
Marcelo opened his mouth.
“I do not want this meaningless act, Bangrit.”
That was precisely the reason Marcelo occupied the position of chief.
Yes, Marcelo was the one who had succeeded in establishing the majority of existing magic as theory.
That meant there was no mage who understood the countering relationships between magic better than Marcelo.
“Damn it!”
In the end, the one who retreated was Bangrit.
Short-range teleportation.
Bangrit hurriedly moved away.
……
I was grateful the battlefield was inside a rift.
Imagine if this chaos had happened in reality.
It would have been no surprise if dozens of buildings had already been blown away and mountains had collapsed. But the conclusion of this battle seemed obvious.
Chief and senior.
The difference looked clear.
Perhaps Bangrit realized that as well.
He couldn’t rashly manifest magic.
Bangrit ground his teeth—grit—and spoke.
“……Do you know?”
“What do you mean?”
“This was the reason. The reason I came here.”
Bangrit glared at Marcelo.
“Chief Marcelo, born into the bloodline of a renowned magical family even in the Empire, and born with great talent, you will never understand how I feel for your entire life.”
Marcelo, so he came from quite an impressive family.
But why was he suddenly looking at me?
“You are the same, co-researcher Lee Hoyeol.”
For no reason, I flinched like a guilty thief.
……
Did he perhaps realize my dark history?
That I was the heir of the great Claudi family,
and even the owner of a talent so tremendous it was embarrassing?!
However.
Naturally, that setting was a secret known only to me.
“To have the leeway to counter my magic with Pure Mana Studies in that fleeting instant. If only I had talent like yours…! I would have had no reason to come here.”
As you can see.
He was simply talking about my talent.
But it still felt unfair.
Bangrit needed to look beneath the surface.
Only after confirming how desperately I was struggling
would he stop saying such things from a position of privilege.
It seemed Marcelo also agreed with my old-fashioned thinking.
“Bangrit. You are greatly mistaken.”
“Mistaken……?”
“My life is not so grand as to deserve your envy.”
“……What do you mean by that, Chief Marcelo?”
“You will come to understand before long.”
Was he simply trying to comfort him?
There was no way such words would enter Bangrit’s ears.
Bangrit clenched his teeth again and shouted.
“No, before asking me to understand, how about you understand me, Chief Marcelo? I have neither bloodline nor talent. You know that well too, don’t you, Chief? The position of Pure Mana Studies, plummeting because of someone like me……!”
Suddenly, I remembered what Marcelo had said.
Was it that his self-esteem was terrible compared to his ability?
There probably wasn’t a better way to describe Bangrit than that.
I could imagine what expressions the other mages of the Magic Tower would make if they heard those words.
I didn’t know Bangrit’s unfortunate family circumstances very well, but if everything he said was true…
‘That means he entered the Magic Tower without any such halo, doesn’t it?’
Not only that, he had become a senior mage.
In the end, it was self-praise.
So there was no reason to listen any longer.
No, there had been no point in listening from the beginning.
I opened my mouth.
“That is enough whining, Bangrit Tom.”
“……Did you say whining?”
“I have no interest in your bloodline or your talent.”
Judging someone solely by their bloodline and innate talent?
There was no way Grandfell’s pride would tolerate such behavior.
Of course, even hearing the specific circumstances would not change that pride.
Yes, at this moment.
There was only one thing that damned pride wanted.
“Bear in mind that the conference is not yet over.”
The final presenter of the regular conference.
It was to put Bangrit Tom on the stage of the Crystal Hall.
“The only thing I am curious about is your research.”
“……!”
“Not your family, lineage, or talent.”
At my words, Bangrit muttered to himself.
“Th-the conference! I prepared with all my might, and yet I completely forgot…”
It seemed he had finally come back to his senses a little.
Only then did Marcelo let out a sigh.
However, it wasn’t over yet.
Because my pride was still not satisfied.
“But before that.”
“?”
“I will hold you accountable for the current situation.”
Yes, whatever it was, we had to make things clear before moving on.
The reason he had come to the rift in such a hurry that he had completely forgotten even the conference he had prepared for with all his might.
The reason he had spoken of differences in bloodline and talent in such a rift.
And finally, even what kind of conversation he had with the upper echelon of the Magic Tower.
He would have to provide reasons that my pride deemed reasonable.
Only then would he be able to present his research at the regular conference.
Bangrit clutched his head.
“……During the regular conference, I was summoned by an elder mage.”
Marcelo nodded.
“I had guessed as much. What exactly did you discuss?”
“It was about this rift.”
“I see.”
That much had been expected.
I asked.
“There must be a reason you considered this wretched rift more important than the conference.”
“Th-that is. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure.”
“What does that mean?”
Bangrit truly seemed confused.
“The elder clearly said that there was truth in this rift.”
“There is truth inside the rift? An elder said such a thing?”
“Without a doubt. That the truth you seek would be inside the rift. That if you grasped that truth, no one would look down on you……”
Marcelo’s expression turned grave.
The reason was simple.
“You know this, Bangrit. Truth is not something that can be grasped so easily. It is precisely because it cannot be easily grasped that it is called truth.”
“I know that too! That’s why I’m confused. Why did my judgment grow clouded by words like that……?”
“I understand well enough. There’s no need to force yourself to think of it. Let us discuss the matter after we return. Would that be acceptable?”
Marcelo asked for my understanding, and I nodded.
It wasn’t that my pride had accepted it.
It was simply because I had realized it. ‘The fact that they had such a suspicious conversation means…’ The elder mage had never intended to let Bangrit live.
Thinking that only deepened the question.
Why?
Why would an elder mage, one of the upper echelons of the Magic Tower, try to harm Bangrit Tom, a senior mage?
And why had he lured Bangrit into a Rift, invoking the truth of all things?
Complicated.
Why the hell were their internal affairs this complicated?
Just thinking about it felt like it would split my head open.
However, the tangled questions—
were resolved with surprising ease before long.
Craaaack—!
“!!!”
A thunderous roar echoed inside the Rift.
The scenery, like broken graphics, collapsed.
From within the crumbling gap, an enormous hand burst out.
Craaaack—!
A black and vicious hand seized space itself.
Craaaaaack—!
It began to tear space apart.
“What in the world is that……?”
At the sight, not only Bangrit but even Marcelo was left speechless.
But I realized it.
Why Bangrit had fallen for such an obvious lie.
Why, of all places, he had been lured into a Rift like this.
And what the true identity of that enormous hand was.
It was all thanks to the message that appeared before my eyes.
[Skill, ‘Natural Enemy Relationship,’ is activated.]
The heightened senses of a demon hunter.
Had my sense of smell developed too?
No wonder I thought something stank from the very beginning.
“Foolishly.”
I took the offering out of my inventory.
[Pentagram of Impure Knowledge]
[Grade: Epic]
[Restriction: None]
[Effect: Sealed]
[Description: Its effect has been sealed by a demon’s curse. It must be purified in order to know its true effect.]
“You hasten your own death, inferior breed.”
[‘Pentagram of Impure Knowledge’ has been selected as the offering.]
[Skill, ‘Exorcism Ritual,’ is activated.]
[???
is invited to the ‘ritual.’]
It must have been because it had yet to fully reveal itself.
Question marks—the demon’s name was unknown.
But so what if it was a demon whose name I did not know?
Granfell could not hesitate before a demon.
The same went for me, Lee Hoyeol. ‘Normally, that might be one thing.’
But right now, on either side of me were the Magic Tower’s chief and senior mage.
Marcelo and Bangrit were here.
So whoever it was, they had well and truly been caught.
Even if it was a Demon King. Even if it was a great evil.
At this moment, it was nothing more than experience points.