Chapter 69

 

“My name is Barsik.”

 

The mage introduced himself, removing the black gloves from his hands.

 

“…Barsik?”

 

“The mage from Sky Tower.”

 

I had expected it since he came with Lee Ji-ah, but he was just as cold as expected.

 

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”

 

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

 

As Barsik looked around and spoke, people began to rise from their seats one by one.

 

No one failed to understand the meaning of his words.

 

“Well, I’ll be back soon! Take care!”

 

With Lee Ji-ah’s lively farewell, everyone rushed out.

 

The lively atmosphere of a moment ago disappeared, and silence set in.

 

‘Indeed, an ice mage.’

 

He could understand why such a nickname was given.

 

“Is your body okay?”

 

After a long time of silent staring, Barsik suddenly spoke.

 

“Yes? Yes, I’m fine.”

 

In fact, he felt better than ever.

 

“Good to hear.”

 

With these words the silence returned.

 

‘What should I do?’

 

Seo Woojin felt suffocated in this awkward atmosphere.

 

He had heard that the man wanted to see him, but he hadn’t expected it to be just to ‘see’ him.

 

“Um…”

 

Seo Woojin couldn’t overcome the awkward atmosphere and wanted to speak first.

 

“They said that you defeated Rosie Ruby.”

 

“It wasn’t me.”

 

Although it was annoying that the conversation stopped abruptly, he sighed with relief that a conversation had started and nodded.

 

“The one who killed him was a guy named Baek Siwoo, not me.”

 

“Is that so? It seems the information was wrong.”

 

He thought for a moment and then continued.

 

“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, you’re the one who collapsed the ruins.”

 

“Me?”

 

“I heard you touched the jewel.”

 

That’s right.

 

Seo Woojin realized that his expectations were correct.

 

‘The jewel formed the ruins.’

 

When Seo Woojin touched it, the mana and demonic energy supporting the ruins were released, allowing him to finally escape.

 

I’m not sure how that happened, though.

 

“Did anything strange happen?”

 

“Strange?”

 

“Anything.”

 

Something strange did happen.

 

A tremendous force entered my body, and thanks to it, I crossed the threshold of death and came back.

 

But Seo Woojin remained silent.

 

“That’s a shame.”This is because he was worried that he might make a mistake while explaining and saying something about Magi.

 

‘There’s no reason to do it.’

 

There was no obligation to explain every detail to someone he just met.

 

Especially to someone who might become an enemy someday.

 

Barsik looked truly disappointed.

 

The shadow that fell on his white, almost pale face was quite fascinating.

 

“Oh, by the way.”

 

As if Seo Woojin remembered something, he clapped his hands.

 

“I saw something when I was walking around the ruins?”

 

He subtly mentioned the pattern on the cover of the ‘Chronicles of the Demon King of Another World’.

 

“A pattern? Where did you see that?”

 

“Well, you know, the place was changing all the time. So I don’t really remember.”

 

Since he couldn’t say that he saw it on the cover of the book ‘Chronicles of the Demon King of Another World’, he went around it vaguely.

 

Unexpectedly, Barsik accepted this clumsy excuse.

 

“So what kind of pattern was it?”

 

I thought he might have some doubts, but his face was full of curiosity.

 

He really seemed like a seeker of truth.

 

Seo Woojin chuckled to himself and found a piece of paper and a pen.

 

“I don’t remember the details, but something like this.”

 

Recalling the memory, he drew the pattern as similar as possible.

 

There had been a significant event in the middle that he feared he had forgotten, but fortunately he was able to draw it.

 

Six circles of different sizes with geometric lines engraved inside.

 

The details might vary a bit, but to Seo Woojin, there didn’t seem to be much difference.

 

“Here you go.”

 

After meticulously drawing the pattern for ten minutes, he showed it to Barsik.

 

“It’s a magic circle.”

 

Barsik’s eyes showed even more interest when he saw it.

 

“A seal? No, it’s more sophisticated than that…”

 

He took a pair of glasses from his pocket, put them on, and murmured to himself, absorbed in the pattern.

 

Most of the words were unintelligible to Seo Woojin.

 

But among them, there were a few words that caught his ears.

 

Qualification, proof, existence, and so on.

 

‘Does this mean that you have to prove your qualification to see this book?’

 

It might be possible.

 

While combining a few words, Seo Woojin formed some hypotheses, but Barsik sighed.

 

“Hmm.”

 

“Did you find out what it is?”

 

Seo Woojin, who had stopped thinking, asked.

 

He was dying of curiosity, but he didn’t show it.

 

“It’s an ancient magic circle.”

 

“Ancient?”

 

When Seo Woojin raised his head, Barsik added some more explanation.

 

“At least 1500 years. It could be a magic circle used in the past, maybe even more ancient than that.”

 

It is an era where the word ancient fits very well.

 

“It’s closer to a ritual for qualification. I’m not sure what the qualification is for, but it seems to be a significant high-level magic.”

Seo Woojin felt a slight excitement at the thought that his hypothesis might be correct.

 

It was because of the anticipation that he might have found a way to access the book.

 

However, Barsik’s next words were disappointing.

 

“Too bad. You can’t grasp the entire magical design with just this.”

 

The activation method, the proof method, and even the exact reason for the existence of magic.

 

There were many things he was curious about, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much he could find out right now.

 

It was only a very small part among numerous patterns.

 

So Barsik’s words were probably right.

 

From his perspective, it was like touching an elephant’s leg, no different.

 

Seo Woojin felt the same regret.

 

If he were a mage-level magician, he thought he could find a way, but he ended up failing.

 

Still, it’s not like I didn’t gain anything.

 

Qualification.

 

If he passed, he would be able to read the book.

 

He still didn’t know the method, but that didn’t mean it was completely impossible.

 

It just needed some time.

 

‘I will memorize the patterns bit by bit with each level up.’

 

If he interpreted it that way, he might be able to find a way eventually.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Seo Woojin expressed his gratitude sincerely.

 

But Barsik shook his head.

 

“If it’s about seeing this magic circle, there’s no need for that; it’s to the extent that I would ask for it.”

 

“Then can I ask you for a favor often?”

 

“If you find it.”

 

With these words, Barsik rose from his seat.

 

He wanted to find out something, but since Seo Woojin didn’t know anything, there was no need for him to stay here any longer.

 

“Take care of yourself. It doesn’t seem necessary, but…”

 

Surprisingly, he judged Seo Woojin’s physical condition correctly.

 

‘He’s not just a mage.’

 

When Seo Woojin acknowledged this, he left the room without looking back.

 

‘Indeed, an ice mage.’

 

Except for when he looked at the pattern, he was a man who exuded a cold atmosphere.

 

Seo Woojin, who had been shaking for no reason and felt extremely tired, lay down on the bed again.

 

‘I should try some experiments soon.’

 

To see how much his body had really changed.

 

He wanted to find out.

 

* * *

 

“Rosie Ruby?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Riok answered Agna’s question calmly.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

She asked, wondering if he could be wrong.

 

“The mage at the Sky Tower confirmed it as well.”

 

“If that’s the case, it must be true.”

 

At the mention that Barsik had confirmed it, surprise crossed Agna’s face.

 

Roje Ruby is dead?

 

It was hard not to be surprised that one of the Demonic Helldane’s most threatening enemies had disappeared.

 

“Then it’s possible to subjugate… no, it’s not.”

 

Agna shook her head as she spoke.

 

Sure, now that Rosie Ruby was dead, it was the optimal time for subjugation.

 

But it couldn’t be done.

 

It was a situation where wasting energy was not an option.

 

‘The Devil’s Descent is not far away.’

 

Thinking about the Advent War, it was crucial to conserve as much energy as possible at the moment.

 

‘Because in Helldain, there’s not only Rosie Ruby.’

 

True to its name, Helldane was home to many monsters.

 

There were dark elves and others who rivaled Rosie Ruby.

 

Inevitably, there would be extensive damage.

 

Now, they couldn’t afford such a bloodbath.

 

‘It’s a shame, but there’s nothing we can do.’

 

Agna pushed thoughts of subjugation from her mind.

 

“The one who killed Rosie Ruby?”

 

“It’s Master Baek Siwoo.”

 

“Oh-“

 

Agna exclaimed in admiration.

 

“I knew he had grown quite a bit, but already enough to face Rosie Ruby?”

 

“I heard it was a single blow.”

 

“As expected!”

 

The strongest hero in history.

 

For such a talent, the Empire spared no support, so it was natural for them to be strong.

 

“Are there no casualties among the heroes?”

 

“That is correct. Even though some of them are in slightly worse condition due to the long time they spent in the ruins, there are no casualties.”

 

“That’s fortunate.”

 

Every hero is precious.

 

They are the “weapons” that must fight the Demon King for their sake.

 

It would be unfortunate if they died in a place like this before the war even began.

 

Agnar smiled at the continued good news.

 

But only for a moment.

 

Now she had to talk about something more serious.

 

“What about the investigation of the Dark Elves?”

 

The Dark Elves, who were supposed to be in the center of the demon realm, appeared on the outskirts.

 

Like last time, they attacked the heroes again.

 

And once again, Crusiel failed to learn about it in advance.

 

“It seems most likely that it was a random attack.”

 

“Random?”

 

“According to the investigation, there is no trace of followers, including Gerald.”

 

Rioc spoke confidently.

 

But Agnar’s expression was not good.

 

“There are no coincidences in this world.”

 

As the head of intelligence, she treated the word “coincidence” with extreme caution.

 

‘This is something we need to look into on our end as well.’

 

It’s not that she underestimated the Knights’ abilities, but they were too straightforward.

“All right. Let’s stop here for the report. Any other unusual information?”

 

It was a formal question.

 

But Rioc nodded his head.

 

“Do you know a hero named Seo Woojin?”

 

Agna’s gaze, which had been looking at the documents, looked up.

 

“Seo Woojin?”

 

“He’s a D-class hero. Received support from Sion…”

 

“I know about that, get to the point.”

 

“It looks like Sky Tower is starting to take notice of him.”

 

At these words, Agna started tapping her fingers on the desk.

 

‘Sky Tower? Why would those stubborn lunatics…?’

 

Mages were, by default, indifferent to worldly affairs.

 

Of course, heroes were excellent subjects to pique their curiosity, but they didn’t care.

 

They also knew that the existence of heroes was essential to the existence of this world.

 

Therefore, they forcefully suppressed their curiosity about Heroes.

 

‘But now they’re showing interest?’

 

And that too, only in the D-class?

 

Agna recalled Seo Woojin from her memory.

 

That name was getting on her nerves lately.

 

‘No particular abnormalities have been reported, but…’

 

Having skills higher than his rank was the only thing worth mentioning.

 

However, when Sky Tower started to show interest, it seemed like he could no longer be ignored.

 

“I should meet him at least once.”