The Curtain Rises (8)
-Pugh!
The dagger, which looked like a sharp edge on a black stone, struck Lüer’s neck. Blue blood flowed like crazy, and my hands were instantly stained with sticky blood. There was a familiar smell in the room. Lüer’s blood smelled like a peach.
As the Mana at the tip of my hand increased, a foreign force began to intervene in the room. This space was already in contact with the sculpture of God. The ritual was in progress and could no longer be taken back.
It fell, looking up at me. Lüer died without a single scream, and its pupils began to relax toward me slowly.
“… Keugh!”
I barely swallowed a scream.
It was a pain that shook the soul. It hurt. A different kind of pain from the physical pain drove me to pieces.
The penalties given by the soul contract are terrible. If you couldn’t deal with it, you could go crazy, and the reaction was proportional to the other party’s soul. I completed my prayer, taking care not to lose my mind.
“… I hope you could drop the spells, Dryflos.”
The blood and flesh of the sacrifice began to be sucked into the center of the dagger that took Lüer’s neck. I won’t leave a drop of blood as usual.
The pure energy overflowed since it was a higher-level being. However, it was a creature that was just good for a sacrifice because its soul was insignificant. Thanks to that, I was able to endure the penalty. If I had to break the contract with White Deer in this way, I would’ve gone crazy at once.
As time passed, the top of the white magic circle turned clean. The dagger ate all the remains.
That completed the tribute of the offering.
Then, that time, as if rainwater dipped the dry and cracked earth, I felt the divine spell charging inside me. When the power that had risen within was condensed and stabilized. The foreign energy flowing in the room disappeared at once as if it had never been there before.
Satisfied with the offering, God placed the spells on the wizard. That ended the ritual.
“Uuuugh!”
I sat down because my knees were shaking. I gasped violently. Even if I go through the penalty of breaking a contract over and over again, I could hardly get used to it.
I got down on my knees for a while, then laid down on the floor.
“Oh, I’m going to die… I’m going to die…”
I said, groaning. I should stretch out a little more. I barely raised my trembling hands in the aftermath of the shock and looked up at the summoner’s blood-stained in the palm for a moment. Lüer’s blood dried quickly, and the scent got thicker as it hardens.
Even with a headache, like a woodpecker beating on my temple, I thought with hope. Ah, I wanted to eat peach-flavored yogurt.
“The reason Dryflos loves Lüer is because it’s delicious…”
As I muttered that, I heard a will of doubt outside the door.
[Are you done?]
Parvache, who was approaching, opened the door to see if it had sensed that the ceremony was over.
[This time, it ended quickly.]
I hesitated and answered.
“Uh, as you can see.”
From that point of view, Parvache taught me what should be offered for some gods. As it was now, for example, Dryflos was offered several creatures that meet certain criteria.
Ironically, however, in terms of whether or not God needed this offering, it said that a species like Lüer, which was offered now, wasn’t a snack from God’s point of view. It said it was giving spells even though they were practically meaningless, right?
Nevertheless, it was so tricky to meet the “minimum” level that expresses sincerity. It was enough to open a Channel to a higher dimension and lure the creature there.
Moreover, since that dimension had a short history, there were no creatures that could match the taste of Dryflos. Without the Channel on my chest, the ritual would’ve been more difficult.
[Are there enough spells charged?]
“It’s the first time I’ve had such a big charge since the day I got my first order from Dryflos.”
A fight with an unpredictable enemy was ahead. The more preparation, the better.
Parvache looked down at my white face and spoke.
[… So, why don’t you take a rest today?]
“No, I have to collect more dreams.”
Maek’s magic could be helpful in an emergency. I needed to at least collect enough dreams, considering I hadn’t made a new one after using the Ring of the Flame Storm.
But… I was exhausted, so I had to rest for an hour before starting.
After lying down for a while, the back of my head got sore. I turned my head to the side. My face reflected on the white-coated marble floor. Dark circles that seemed to advance to the bottom of the nose stood out.
Without knowing, I spat out, swearing inside.
Kylgeniapros—that lunatic bastard.
Dryflos was a nobleman compared to that bastard. It was easy to get the spells if I made a proper sacrifice. Given the absorption of the offering in the dagger, it probably devoured both the offering’s body and soul. It was questionable whether it was useful.
But Kylgeniapros, the God I first received the spells about half a year ago, demanded a completely different offering from me.
“I couldn’t take it back at that moment… damn it. But it was taking so much.”
Not so long ago, Yusu, Garam, and even the Dell Giants asked me about my condition when they saw me. It meant that the balance of my body had collapsed to the point that it was visible. It wasn’t just because of overwork.
Unexpectedly, it was White Deer’s two gatekeepers who approached the truth. I could remember what they said.
“Oh? The smell has changed a little. Where did you get hurt? Human Guru?”
Feeling the exhaustion that weighed on my whole body, I thought the tribute of offering ritual was quite terrible. When a part of the body was offered as a sacrifice, the record was stored deep in the soul. It couldn’t be reproduced in any way—loss of body that didn’t recover after drinking a few elixir bottles.
Of course, I could recover through elixir when my physical strength was exhausted by moving my body violently. The problem was, I was in a situation where the maximum level of my physical abilities itself was down.
After knowing the enemy’s identity, there was a spell that had to be obtained this way.
“There is no god like Dryflos.”
Parvache seemed to have noticed what I was thinking.
“It’s harder to bear the penalty than before. I think it definitely affects my physical condition.”
[… Min-joon.]
“Last time is the first, and last I did. In the future, I will never ask a spell to a god who demands the caster’s biological tissue as a sacrifice.”
[… The price was a bit high. I guess it would be asking for something that belongs to you… but not such an explicit sacrifice.]
“I’ll never recharge after consuming the spell this time. Damn, what’s the value of ordinary human intestines? Why did it ask for something like that? Can’t it just take it in moderation like other gods? It’s just teasing me to get fucked, that dickhead.”
Just as Yodmo asked for my memory (as expected at the time) as the contract’s price, it would have some meaning to ask for the caster’s body tissue. However, it only hurt and annoyed me from the point of being taken away. I poured myself into God’s lust.
It was a hundred times better to take away meaningless childhood memories. Later on, I saw the file saved on my laptop, and it was really nothing.
I made up my mind. God was also another thing, but I would never leave the people who created the reason for me to do that in the first place.
The time was coming. Not long ago, I sensed the magic unfolding in the Hun-neung. It was obviously the magic of the message system. He must’ve been confident that he cheated the eyes of Kaifu, but he couldn’t escape my eyes.
The bait that I spread through Kim Kyung-hwan was finally bitten.
I muttered inside.
Now, be strong, Mr. Kim Kyung-hwan. The high ground was right before your eyes.
Analyzing the messages that they sent, it seemed that it wasn’t far from here. I’d wait for a little while… I thought something good would happen.
***
“Oh, Kyung-hwan? Anything good happened?”
It was an unexpected timing for him to talk.
Kim Kyung-hwan, who checked the man’s face, frowned as if his excitement had cooled down. His expression, who was drowning in daydreaming, hardened in an instant. When there was no answer, Baek Woon-gyu laughed and continued his words.
“You look happy after all.”
Why was he pretending to be so close to me these days? And… how can we meet again here? Kim Kyung-hwan wondered if he was waiting for himself here. It was exquisite timing for a coincidence.
“… Why?”
“The interview must have ended well, right? How was the atmosphere? Didn’t you get scolded a lot?”
Thinking he was the second place in the last year, it sounded as if he wanted to receive even severe reprimands. It was like that to Kim Kyung-hwan’s ears.
That guy looked at himself with anxious eyes, but it was only terrible for Kim Kyung-hwan to feel. Who cares who? Was that really true right now?
It was just funny and the same.
“Being scolded? Well, no way.”
During the long period of the interview, Kim Kyung-hwan explained the spell. In the process, he used only the concepts he learned at the training center, as Eraser told him, and the Kaifus were shocked and once again guaranteed Kim Kyung-hwan’s genius. Government agents looked mixed with expectations, surprises, and worries.
Baek Woon-gyu nodded when he heard Kim Kyung-hwan’s insincere answer.
“That’s how it ended up? What a relief. By the way, we were all so surprised! The magic you used, you came up with it by yourself. I heard that it was a way that Kaifu had never tried before.
“… Ah, yes, well.”
“It’s really great. Beyond the originator of magic. You’re the pride of all of us.”
Saying so, Baek Woon-gyu tapped Kim Kyung-hwan’s shoulder with his left hand. The feeling of the ring on the finger hitting his shoulder blades was strangely unpleasant. It didn’t hurt, but an uncomfortable feeling of unknown reason spread to his body.
Who did he dare to touch? Kim Kyung-hwan thought that the cause of the unpleasant sensations was the attitude of Baek Woon-gyu, who seemed to treat him as a subordinate.
‘How many years older are you to act like a superior? You lame old man.’
Has he been in his early 30s? Come to think of it, Kim Kyung-hwan never asked for his age. Whether or not he saw a hardened expression, Baek Woon-gyu said with a smile on his mouth.
“I’m really glad. The instructors deny it, but if you weren’t there, it might’ve been a big deal, right? Thanks for saving us all. It was a relief that you stepped up at that time.”
“Hmm, well, yeah.”
Kim Kyung-hwan tried to get out of there after saying goodbye. The other person seemed to want to continue talking more, but he ignored it and continued walking. He heard Baek Woon-gyu quietly talking behind his back.
“… Thank you for stepping up, Kyung-hwan.”
Kim Kyung-hwan didn’t respond.
After being alone again and walking for a while, he was forced to stop again.
Another trainee was approaching him.
‘What day is it today? It’s an idiot party. What’s wrong with her again?’
Today’s interview lasted quite a while. He wanted to wash and sleep quickly. He will meet Eraser in his dream and learn new and improved magic. He is in a hurry to go to the room.
It wasn’t very pleasant to see a person who he usually looked down at seemed to had another business with him in such a situation. Kim Kyung-hwan glanced at the person in front of his eyes with a slight grimace.
Although she had her long hair down, it couldn’t cover all the ugly burn marks. He thought he was reluctant to look around the left eye of Hwang Soo-rim, which was distorted in dark red. Did she say she had a car accident before the Channel incident?
“What is it, Hwang Soo-rim?”
Usually, among trainees of similar age, older people were called old brothers and old sisters. It was a natural culture among trainees, mostly in their 20s and 30s.
He remembered that Hwang Soo-rim was two or three years older than himself. Still, he didn’t want to call her old sister since she was a person he had always completely ignored.
‘They said she’s still struggling in 1st class, right?’
Hwang Soo-rim was walking straight toward him. Looking at it, Kim Kyung-hwan traced his memory.
It said that she learned her magic at a remarkable pace in the early days of her admission. Her speed was so phenomenal that she was even told as a talented person that might threaten Baek Woon-gyu, who was number one at the time. Then one day, she suddenly bumped into the wall of growth, and the magic didn’t increase any more as she has never been in the first place.
Unfortunately, she had been like that since Kim Kyung-hwan’s admission. So, she was in a state of sluggishness for about half a year.
‘Wouldn’t it be better to just get her out of here?’
Eraser and Kaifu instructors both said that mental power was also an important factor in learning magic. Kim Kyung-hwan thought that Hwang Soo-rim’s sudden stop while growing rapidly would eventually be a matter of willpower.
‘Is she desperate because she got stuck? If you want to live like that, you need to be mentally strong. I’m sorry, I pity her.’
While thinking about it, Hwang Soo-rim came in front of him and stopped walking. Kim Kyung-hwan raised his chin as if he wanted to say something. Hwang Soo-rim looked up at him coldly. A cold and straight will leaked out of her exposed pupil.
‘What?’
Kim Kyung-hwan thought in a moment of confusion. No matter how much he looked at it, it didn’t look like the eyes of a desperate person. Was she the type that initially looked at people in this way?
However, as soon as he heard the first word she brought out, Kim Kyung-hwan’s confusion cooled down as if pouring a bucket of water. As soon as he listened to Hwang Soo-rim, it was terrible irritation and anger that blossomed in his mind instead of confusion and curiosity.
She suddenly said.
“The magic you used when fighting the monsters, did you really create it by yourself? You didn’t, did you?”
