novelraw Chapter 144 : Odin's Eye (2)
Chapter 144 : Odin's Eye (2)
Odin's Eye (2)
"Ardan Bello failed, huh."
Useless, Damian muttered as he gazed at the people outside the window.
He thought it was a truly peaceful scene.
Monsters could appear at any moment, and nobody could guess when a gate might open, yet not a hint of fear showed on their faces.
That must mean people had become accustomed to things like gates and dungeons in this world.
And they had nearly perfect means to deal with such things.
"You had too high expectations for someone who's already fallen."
"Maybe provoking him with the King's blood was a misstep."
Because of that, he hadn't been able to use his true abilities at all.
'But, if it wasn't for the King's blood, he wouldn't have fought in the first place.'
Damian closed the window curtains and turned around.
There stood a pale-faced man with red hair.
"Sebin."
"Yes."
"Are the preparations complete?"
Even in this small country, he had found a rather useful card.
He had intended to simply wrap things up by taking care of the Javelin Guild, but hadn't expected someone to approach him even before that.
'Jin Su-hyeok.'
The man known as the president of Grand Nova.
To be honest, Damian hadn't paid much attention to him at first.
He wasn't an awakener, nor did he have any special abilities.
Just a normal person with a bit of physical training.
"Are you really thinking of inviting that man to the table?"
"He's useful. Probably more so than you expect."
"I honestly don't know about that. Aside from one, none of the awakened under his command are of much importance, are they?"
Damian had traveled all around the world collecting his cards one by one.
He had just about finished gathering them, and among those cards, Jin Su-hyeok was the most insignificant.
Even if he was the President of Korea's largest management agency, in the end, he was just a human.
"Park Jung-woo, he was also just an ordinary human, not an awakened."
"Well..."
Sebin couldn't bring himself to deny Damian's words.
Just as he said, Park Jung-woo indeed started as an ordinary human.
"But wasn't it because of the procedures carried out by humans and the presence of the Saintess that he became special?"
"That might be true. But that's just a matter of outcome."
Damian saw Park Jung-woo reflected in Jin Su-hyeok.
Just as an ordinary human had killed the Demon King, he wondered if Jin Su-hyeok could become something to stand against Park Jung-woo.
'That madness I sensed from him.'
And that tenacity.
Maybe that was the key.
Such intense emotions did not exist among demons.
"Anyway, once I gather the last card, it's over."
"Yes, but I still doubt whether it's truly possible. Wouldn't it be easier to go after the Demon King's heart..."
He had conducted various experiments while staying in Korea.
Among the most notable had been a certain procedure carried out on Shim Chun-hoo.
"The Demon King has already been defeated once in the past, Sebin."
"...."
"And this time, the king is with them."
That meant there was only one way to overcome this situation.
'The Saintess'—born for the sake of humans.
Just as they had a being with the power of a god, now Damian's side needed such an existence too.
"So, there's only one way to overcome this: invoking their own 'god', just as they do."
The god of the demons.
Now, only a single step remained for its manifestation.
***
「The Premiere of the World of Superhumans Opens Successfully!」
「Here Comes the Korean Blockbuster」
「Great Mage Shin Ah-yeon's Successful Movie Debut」
The movie "World of Superhumans" opened to great success.
In just three days, it attracted over 500,000 viewers; if the momentum lasted, it could easily hit five million.
And if word of mouth spread well, some speculated that even ten million might be possible.
From Ah-yeon's perspective, it was the perfect debut in the film industry.
"... I'm never acting in a movie again."
"Huh? Why? You did so well this time."
"Aren't you being a little too relaxed after fighting all those demons lately, oppa?"
While checking out an article about Ah-yeon's movie in the office, I heard Ah-yeon, who was sitting next to me, grumble as she sipped her Budion. She seemed more baffled by my attitude than anything else.
"What if something like the last incident happens again?"
"There won't be anything happening in Korea for a while."
"Huh?"
At my words, Ah-yeon looked at me, as if to ask how I could know that.
"I've heard a few things."
Chairman Song Hyun-seung had already raided several locations suspected to be the bases of the demons.
But nothing had been discovered in those places. Nothing left behind by the Javelin Guild, or by JM.
You could say maybe they were just hiding, but it rather felt more like 'Why now?'
"Like you said, there have been a lot of incidents in Korea recently, so it'll be hard for them to operate here for a while. Especially with me around as well, it'd be even harder for them to use Korea as their main stage."
"Then..."
"Minister Enoch is searching, so if anything comes up, we'll hear from him."
Even if Song Hyun-seung missed something, the Americans wouldn't.
And on my end, I'd asked Ardan to continue pursuing any clues of the demons in Korea.
"So for now, let's focus on our own work."
Especially, I didn't want to entangle Ah-yeon with matters related to the demons.
If she were to encounter a demon from her past, it was hard to predict how she might react.
So it was better for Ah-yeon to remain in her daily routine as she was now.
'Besides, it's also good preparation, just in case.'
Considering Ah-yeon's past life as Estella and her power.
Of course, I hoped she'd never have to use that power again.
"But I'm still not going to act in another movie. My conscience can't take it."
"Then do a few of those ads we just got."
Almost all the dungeons suitable for S-rank had already been cleared, so we had to make some money with ads instead. The main reason was that Grand Nova and the big three managements had already monopolized most of the dungeons.
'No matter how much bigger we've gotten recently, it seems impossible to pre-occupy those as well.'
The more achievements a management agency had, the easier it was to secure dungeons.
It was natural that Unique, which hadn't been running properly for a while, couldn't get priority for dungeons.
'Once we start moving the A-rank hunters, things should improve.'
We already had a full party, and the second party would soon be ready as well.
With that, Unique would finally be able to deliver some dungeon clearing records and the income would increase too.
"By the way, you."
"Yes?"
"You've been in a bad mood all day, haven't you?"
Considering how she kept grumbling in the office, something must've happened.
"... Was it that obvious?"
"Is it because Ardan keeps visiting your mansion?"
"That actually doesn't bother me..."
For the record, Ardan was staying at Unique's dormitory, but would visit Ah-yeon's mansion on an almost daily basis.
"Then why?"
"Well... I got another message from Odin's Eye."
Odin's Eye was the largest mage union in Northern Europe—and the biggest mage guild in the world.
They'd been reaching out persistently ever since Ah-yeon made circle magic public.
"I guess it's harder to just ignore them this time."
"Yeah, the vice-guildmaster is coming to Korea."
Ah-yeon shuddered as if just remembering that gave her the chills.
"That old man is a total maniac and has a twisted personality! I don't know why Ivan hasn't dealt with that kind of mage already."
"... True, I'm curious too."
"So, could you come along when I meet them later?"
Was that why she'd come to the office?
"I don't mind, but... is it today?"
"Yes. He called yesterday and said to meet at 2 PM today."
Annoyance filled Ah-yeon's voice.
Understandably so—2 PM was barely an hour away.
***
Patrick Jefferson.
He was an authority in wind magic and a great mage.
Among the six elders at Odin's Eye, he was the most senior and famous for his eccentric personality.
He also possessed a voracious appetite for knowledge and an intense passion for research, notorious for using any means necessary for the sake of magic.
"That arrogant brat."
Patrick stroked his distinguished mustache as he waited for his counterpart.
He was currently at a hotel in Jamsil, one of those places reserved only for truly distinguished guests.
'To make someone like me wait this long...'
And it wasn't just today.
He'd requested a meeting with Shin Ah-yeon about her 'circle magic' several months ago.
But that cheeky girl simply ignored him.
She even sent him emails full of taunting emojis.
'But that won't work this time.'
Patrick wasn't the only one coveting circle magic.
Every great mage at Odin's Eye hungered for it.
It was a higher level of magic that transcended simple elemental spells.
A revolutionary breakthrough that could leap magic research centuries ahead.
'And how could that mere girl have created such a thing...'
It simply made no sense.
But if it was the Shin Ah-yeon he'd met long ago, maybe she could have.
A child blessed by the god of magic.
That was the only way to see it.
Though she was known as attaining S-rank at nineteen, that was a lie.
She was only fifteen.
After studying magic for just eight years, she'd earned the qualifications of a great mage.
If knowledge alone had been the criterion, she'd passed it long before; it was only gathering enough magic power that required those eight years.
So when he heard that Shin Ah-yeon lost her mana hall and was powerless, he felt both the loss of a rare talent—and, strangely, relief.
He no longer had to watch that monster surpass him.
Ding-dong.
"It's open—come in."
As if in response to Patrick's words, the door of the hotel room slowly opened.
In walked an Ah-yeon, clearly more mature than he remembered.
"... Huh?"
Accompanied by some strange man.
"Who is that man?"
"My manager. You didn't say we had to meet alone, right? So I brought him."
Patrick was dumbfounded.
Wasn't it obvious, when he said to meet, it should be alone?
'Well, she was always this kind of girl.'
In the past, at least on the surface, she'd acted meek. Now, not even that.
She was more like a hyena waiting to bite at the slightest gap.
"I'll just be quiet, you two go ahead with your conversation."
"I don't want you to just be quiet—I'd like you to leave."
"He's my manager—why should you get to say who comes or goes?"
Clearly, she was on edge today, probably annoyed at being told to show up.
"It's pretty low, threatening to cut all magical support to Korea if I didn't meet today."
That was the reason Ah-yeon had come.
Odin's Eye was a world-class mage union and often provided magical personnel to countries short on such resources.
Korea was one of those countries, so it wasn't an easy threat to ignore.
"Odin's Eye didn't want to go this far, but you wouldn't respond."
"Pretty bold, coveting someone else's creation like it's yours."
"You..."
"What? Want to go a round? Shall we step outside?"
Apparently, the rumors that she had lost her mana hall were false; an immense magic power surged with her will.
'No, it's definitely less than before.'
So, was it really broken after all?
'How did she fix it?'
He'd heard the rumors, but seeing it up close strained credulity.
"Don't provoke me, Shin Ah-yeon. Unlike you, I don't care about others."
"Oh, I'm so scared. And how is that different from a damn thug?"
As Ah-yeon's snarky tone filled the room, I couldn't help but wince.
'Ji Yeon-hwa... No, this is Hwang Yeon-ji's influence.'
Unlike Ah-yeon's usual cursing, this kind of sharp sarcasm belonged to Hwang Yeon-ji.
'Maybe letting them live under the same roof was a mistake...'
At this rate, their vocabularies were going to combine into some kind of terrible chimera.
I wondered if I should have them live separately.
"Shin Ah-yeon!!"
In the end, it was Patrick who blew up first.
He shouted with a roar, and as a massive wave of magic power exploded from him, the surrounding air was suddenly sucked into a vacuum.
'...?'
Patrick had been ready to pick a fight there and then, hotel be damned; but suddenly, he noticed something strange.
'What's with this guy?'
His magic power had surged, drawing all the nearby air toward himself.
An ordinary person, not an awakened, would've collapsed instantly from a crushed lung and suffocated.
'Why is he fine?'
In his momentary rage, he'd forgotten there was an ordinary person in the room.
So there was no doubt his full strength had just struck that man.
'This is odd.'
Curious, Patrick slyly pointed a finger at him, attempting to squeeze the air out of my body even harder.
At a level where it'd be strange if any ordinary person didn't just faint on the spot.
'It doesn't work.'
But he stood perfectly still without so much as a flinch.
Almost as if the magic had no effect on him at all.
Rather than the spell, he looked more concerned about the hotel security not showing up after all this commotion.
'Hoo...'
Patrick's anger quickly faded, replaced by curiosity.
He was a great mage, driven by a thirst for knowledge and research above all else.
How could he not be curious at witnessing this phenomenon?
"Hey."
While Patrick kept experimenting with magic on the man out of pure curiosity, Patrick heard a chilling voice next to his ear and turned to see Shin Ah-yeon glaring at him coldly, with even the bare minimum of respect gone from her eyes.
"What do you think you're doing?"
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】