Edna cautiously walked through the narrow alley. She had hurriedly followed the trail to find Haewonryang, but the distance had become too far.

As the day of the Heavenly Spirit Tree's Ascension was slowly approaching, people were flocking to the inner perimeter of the Heavenly Spirit Tree, and there were hardly any signs of popularity on the outskirts.

As the chilly breeze blew in the alley, she let out a deep sigh.

"Why is he like that...?"

In the original novel, Haewonryang was like a main character in a boy's comic, who grew alongside Mayuseong.

But for some reason, the Haewonryang she directly encountered had a different vibe.

"Is it because of me...?"

If there was a difference from the original, it would be that Edna herself had a significant impact on Haewonryang.

Knowing that, a sense of guilt settled in her heart.

Although she had enthusiastically intervened in the original story line to try to prevent the destruction of the world, could it be that she was having a negative influence instead?

Such thoughts crossed her mind.

While she was wandering around like that for a while.

Eerie.

… Huh?

Suddenly, a shiver ran down her spine. Although it was not a familiar energy, she could realize what it was based on her instincts.

"This... Can't be true..."

Dark magic.

At that moment, someone behind her approached, making the sound of footsteps.

The boy had black hair with a hint of red and purple eyes.

He was wearing Stella's school uniform with cold-looking glasses resting on his nose.

The identity of that boy was none other than...

"Haewonryang...?"

And furthermore... Haewonryang was in a state where dark magic corruption was almost complete.

Their eyes met.

The reddened white sclera indicated that his sanity was almost gone, but he stood firmly on both feet, which proved that he had retained little intelligence, and silently observed Edna.

She spoke, tense as if speaking to a beast.

"... Calm down, Haewonryang."

"Calm down...?"

"Yeah. All the emotions and feelings you're experiencing aren't yours. You don't like losing to others, do you? You don't want to be influenced like that, right?"

Haewonryang didn't respond, and slowly approached her. But, the moment Edna showed a frightened expression and took a step back, Haewonryang paused.

He tilted his head.

He asked, "Why... are you running away?"

"Huh? Uh?"

It was just one step.

That step backward stimulated Haewonryang.

"Oh, crazy..."

To think that she would get scared and step back without even knowing his current state.

Edna quickly interjected.

"I didn't run away. I just..."

"Me..."

He struggled, shaking his head as if in pain, and uttered with effort, "You... hate me...?"

"No, no! Please don't think that way!"

Somehow, she had thought that Haewonryang's condition was bad at times.

But, she never imagined that Haewonryang would experience 'dark magic corruption.'

In the original novel, Haewonryang was an exceptional archmage with excellent emotional control.

She chewed on her lips, thinking of someone. She didn't expect Haewonryang to end up like this, but it wasn't difficult to speculate who the culprit might be.

‘Professor Maizen Tyren... Even in the original, he became a dark mage and put Eisel in danger as the early main villain. According to the setting, 'a dark magic contractor contaminates others with dark magic by scattering seeds,' but fortunately, such victims didn't appear in the original. But... the original is just the original. Is it different from reality?’

Her own existence could have acted as a variable which made Haewonryang turn out like that.

‘I have to find a way to reverse this somehow.’

There existed magic for Edna to purify dark magic, and although Haewonryang's state of corruption was dangerous, it was still reversible.

Of course, simply casting a purification spell wouldn't suppress the corruption. If that were the case, all magic users would have learned light magic while believing in sanctity.

One needed to weaken the other person as much as possible. For that, combat was inevitable.

However... Edna knew well because she saw the 'original novel.'

That combat alone was not enough.

The protagonist of the novel, Eisel Morph.

She purified countless dark mages and touched their hearts with only conversations, gaining the nickname 'Saint of Repentance' for a time.

‘I feel a little sorry for using that method first, but I have no choice.’

The most important thing was to restore the original emotions of those infected through dialogue.

"Haewonryang, tell me your inner thoughts. Why, in the world did you end up like this?"

...

"There must be a reason, right? Something pressured you, something that caused stress."

Burdened by studies.

Exhausted from competition.

Tired of magic.

Afraid of fighting.

It could be any reason. Any emotion could be the fuse for dark corruption.

And once one knows the reason... there can be countless ways to resolve it.

Although she herself didn't possess a warm aura like Eisel and couldn't offer genuine empathy... still, based on what she had seen so far, she believed that she could somehow make it work.

That was what she thought. But...

Whoosh...!

Haewonryang swiftly approached her.

From the start, he had never intended to engage in conversation.

"Uh, uh..."

She keenly felt the sensation of her hair fluttering in the wind. The black claws growing from Haewonryang's fingertips were aimed at her neck, and there was no prepared magic to counter it.

However, just before Haewonryang's claws touched her throat, a powerful black lightning bolt descended from the sky.

… Crack!!

An overwhelmingly deafening thunderclap.

Edna blinked her eyes in astonishment, and in front of her, a boy dressed in Stella's robes fell to the ground.

"Ma-Mayuseong...?"

As she was startled and stepped back, Mayuseong shook his head, pushing his bangs to the side.

"Are you okay?"

He asked with a calm smile, to the point where it didn't seem like he was facing a dark mage, but Edna could sense it.

The perplexity hidden within him.

Perhaps it was because of her Black lightning being exposed. Edna knew the nature of it. But she had to deliberately ask the question to avoid giving herself away.

"... That magic just now?"

"Sorry, forget about it. Please."

"Well, uh, yeah."

Yes.

Edna thought it was enough. She approached Ma Yuseong's side and aimed her staff at him.

While watching Haewonryang slowly getting up, Mayuseong asked with a sidelong glance.

"Why didn't you try to fight? It was very dangerous since you weren't prepared at all."

"I wanted to try resolving it through conversation..."

"Conversation?"

Mayuseong's expression subtly changed.

"Yeah, conversation."

Edna chewed her lips nervously. She had intended to try resolving it through conversation, but since he wouldn't listen, it became a problem.

How did Eisel attempt to converse and persuade such people?

That question arose.

Thunk!!

Without a moment to think, Haewonryang once again raised his black crystal-like claws and charged forward.

This time, without using black lightning, Mayuseong stepped forward and deployed ordinary earth magic to block it.

"I'm not sure about your plan, but for now, we have to fight. Can you do it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I can."

She wasn't sure how they ended up in this situation, but at least the situation was positive. She was fighting alongside Mayuseong, who possessed the abilities of the male protagonist.

She summoned her pure white magic, infused with the blood of an angel.

Battle was inevitable.

However, she would definitely restore him to his original state.

Swish!

Using a Hyper Jump, Mayuseong's wand emitted a burst of light, and from the ground, a whip of earth wrapped around the empty space.

Haewonryang dodged it with beast-like agility, and pursued Mayuseong.

No matter how powerful the Hyper Jump was, it was a limited means of movement. The direction was fixed, the speed predetermined, and the casting delay was significant.

In contrast, with his corrupted body, Haewonryang leaped around freely, which put Mayuseong at a disadvantage in terms of pure mobility.

However, Mayuseong's magic exerted destructive pressure on his opponent.

Flaming blades fell from the sky, tearing through Haewonryang's back roughly, and spikes of rock shot up, piercing through his defenses.

Seeing that, with Edna providing support from behind, the situation in the battle was much more advantageous on their side.

"Binding Light!"

Swoosh!

Two chains suddenly fell from above Haewonryang's head, wrapping around his body in an instant.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mayuseong summoned a flaming fist and delivered a powerful blow to Haewonryang's abdomen, pushing him back forcefully.

"Ughhh..."

Haewonryang groaned as if steam was escaping from a rice cooker.

Edna seized this opportunity to attempt a conversation, but even before that, a change occurred in his body.

His joints twisted unnaturally, and the structure of his body began to intertwine. It was evidence that the level of dark Corruption was increasing.

The urgency in Edna’s heart grew with each passing moment.

"The corruption is progressing! We have to stop it quickly!"

Upon her outcry, Mayuseong nodded his head and tried to cast his magic.

Crack!

"Ugh!"

Haewonryang, who approached with beast-like agility, grabbed his neck with one hand.

"Ma, Mayuseong!"

Mayuseong struggled desperately to free himself, but it seemed impossible due to the vast difference in pure strength.

Unable to do anything else, Edna had no choice but to prepare the magic she had intended to use when Haewonryang regained his senses.

Gathering all her magical power, Edna completed a spell.

It was a spell that almost reached the level of a Class 4 spell, and it was almost impossible to use it under normal circumstances, but she had thoroughly memorized it in her mind in preparation for this situation.

"Dark Magic Purification Shield."

However, to use this magic, she had to forcibly ignite her blood and exhaust all her mana, so there was only one chance.

Furthermore, since it was an attempt to use magic that was beyond her skill level, the casting time was quite long.

Boom...!

Golden magical runes appeared under Edna’s feet and at the tip of her staff, and the casting slowly progressed.

In the midst of the casting, while observing Mayuseong’s distorted expression of pain, he faintly smiled.

"Mayuseong..."

Mayuseong was right in front of him.

Moreover, he had his hands around his neck.

'I can win.’

From the moment Mayuseong appeared in front of him, there was only one thought dominating his mind.

'Defeat Mayuseong.'

His power boiled and raged.

Unlike in the past when he had to struggle with just a fraction of his magical power, now he felt like he could kill even a monster like Mayuseong in a single blow.

Lost in endless exhilaration, just as Haewonryang was about to draw more dark magic power…

"... This is quite disappointing, Haewonryang."

'What?'

At some point, Mayuseong was looking at him with cold eyes, and he didn’t have a pained expression.

That... was a gaze he had never seen before.

Even Haewonryang, who was mostly worn out emotionally due to the progress of the dark Corruption, felt some fear.

It was not fear stemming from a difference in power.

Instead, if anything, he felt that he was more powerful now.

This, truly...

Purely...

"I thought you were someone who lived in the same world as me... But in the end, you're nothing more than that."

… The one he thought of as a rival was feeling disappointed in him.

Ah...

So, Haewonryang felt fear.