Chapter 77

 

‘What kind of girl talks like this….’

 

Could she be around ten years old?

 

A girl who looked like a doll was holding a teacup and staring at Seo Woojin.

 

However, the words that came out of the girl’s mouth were strangely similar to those of an elderly person who had experienced everything in the world.

 

Seo Woojin glanced at Barsik who was beside her.

 

But Barsik showed no reaction at all.

 

As if the girl’s way of speaking was completely natural.

 

‘Hmm….’

 

Seo Woojin decided not to show any strange expressions.

 

‘Is this a case like Van Slein?’

 

When a certain threshold is reached, the body is reconstructed and rejuvenated.

 

So when Seo Woojin first saw Van Slaine, didn’t he think he was a fraud?

 

The girl in front of him seemed to be one of those people..

 

“Have you finished thinking?”

 

Seo WooJin quickly answered the question of the girl who was looking at him with an interesting expression.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then come in here and sit down.”

 

Seo Woojin was a little nervous and sat down in the seat she had given him.

 

It was much softer and warmer than the chair in Agna’s office.

 

“Did you say this child brought that pattern?”

 

The girl asked Barsik this time.

 

“Yes.”

 

His attitude in answering was excessively polite.

 

‘Indeed, appearances can be deceiving.’

 

Looking at Barsik, it was clear that the girl’s identity was anything  but ordinary.

 

‘I keep meeting people like this today.’

 

After meeting Agna right after the match and now being drawn to the Sky Tower, encountering this mysterious girl.

 

Perhaps due to the continuous tension, Seo Woojin felt a slight fatigue.

 

“Child, can you explain to me in detail where you saw the pattern you brought?”

 

Facing her question, Seo Woojin felt a sensation similar to meeting Van Slaine again.

 

‘I don’t know who she is calling a child.’

 

Seo Woojin chuckled inwardly.

 

“Oh, that’s…”.

 

He couldn’t reveal everything.

 

However, it seemed impossible to hide everything, so he decided to mix truth and falsehood appropriately.

 

“There was only a long hallway in the ruins. Then I accidentally broke the wall and went through it…”

 

He explained briefly, “A black space where no light could be seen appeared, and I discovered some strange stone pillars inside it.”

 

“There were many more patterns besides that, but I couldn’t memorize them all in my head.”

 

After Rosie Ruby died, the ruins disappeared.

 

So, there is no way to prove Seo Woojin’s words.

 

Seo Woojin finished speaking and glanced at the girl.

 

He worried that the lie might be exposed.

 

But fortunately, the girl nodded at Seo Woojin’s plausible answer.

 

“He mentioned Kademain.”

 

“We found a box with his seal on it.”

 

“Alchemy?”

 

“Bending the axis of space and time, the concepts and chaos…”

 

I don’t understand what they’re talking about.

 

At first, I could understand to some extent and concentrated to listen, but as it went on, technical terms overwhelmed me.

 

Seo Woojin, who was pretending to listen to their conversation, got lost in his thoughts.

 

‘Who is that girl? What is her identity? She seems like a magician, judging by her being in the Sky Tower. Perhaps she’s not much older than Van Slain?’

 

She seemed knowledgeable about magic, and her status didn’t seem ordinary.

 

It was like the time when he was a university student listening to a specialized subject lecture.

 

“What do you think?”

 

“…Uh, what?”

 

The girl who had ended the conversation asked Seo Woojin.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

It wasn’t a lie.

 

In reality, Seo Woojin was someone who didn’t know anything about that demonic spell.

 

But the girl’s question was not about that.

 

“The pattern. Why do you think it was carved there?”

 

The girl, smiling as she asked the question, seemed like an innocent girl and a wise sage at the same time.

 

But Seo Woojin didn’t pay much attention.

 

In this world, there were more than a few things that were hard to understand.

 

It seemed like it would be fine to just dismiss it as magic.

 

“Well, I’m not quite sure about that either.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

The girl nodded, but her gaze at Seo Woojin remained unchanged.

 

Eyes that seemed to penetrate through him somehow.

 

It made Seo Woojin a bit uneasy.

 

After all, he had a lot to hide.

 

“Then, why don’t you tell me about what happened inside the ruins? It’s been a long time since something like that was discovered, so my curiosity is piqued.”

 

Seo Woojin twitched his eyebrows at the girl’s words.

 

He had a mountain of things to do.

 

He had to delve into the newly acquired path of the sword, have dinner, and conduct afternoon training.

 

Today, both Gu Dong-hwan and Gye Suji were joining, so he was quite busy.

 

‘I took that precious time to come here, so you want me to tell you a story?’

 

He wasn’t a comedian.

 

He wasn’t the type of clown who went to entertain those in high positions with amusing stories.

 

Seo Woojin opened his mouth with a firm expression.

 

“Where should I start the story?”

 

***

 

“Time and space warp every 30 minutes? Your interpretation of the spell was correct, huh?”

 

“Wow, a lump of flesh?”

 

“Indeed. Rosie Ruby is not someone to be taken lightly.”

 

“Huh, you’ve been stuck with that guy for over an hour?”

 

“That’s amazing!”

 

Is this how an uncle feels while playing with his niece?

 

Although he reluctantly unraveled stories under the pressure of power and strength, he honestly wasn’t inclined to do so. 

 

However, he found the girl’s reaction too enjoyable.

 

Even to Seo Woojin’s stories, which weren’t particularly exceptional, she listened with sparkling eyes. 

 

Thanks to her, Seo Woojin became more excited to tell stories

 

“Then, a gem came out of Rosie Ruby’s body…”

 

As Seo Woojin was speaking, he closed his mouth.

 

‘I shouldn’t say this!’

 

Enticed by the girl’s reaction, he ended up blurting out things he shouldn’t have said.

 

“Gem?”

 

But it was already too late.

 

The girl was brightly smiling, waiting for Seo Woojin’s next words.

 

“Oh, it’s nothing. Rather, suddenly the ruins collap…”

 

It was when he was about to quickly change the topic.

 

“Talk about the gem.”

 

As if her previous demeanor was false, the girl stared at Seo Woojin with a serious gaze.

 

‘What kind of eyes…’

 

It was like looking into space.

 

So deep that the end couldn’t be seen.

 

If you looked into it quietly, it felt like falling in it and never being able to escape.

 

“Is it a red gem?”

 

Surprised—

 

Seo Woojin didn’t answer, but the girl nodded as if that reaction alone was enough.

 

“It’s a red gem… Barsik.”

 

“Yes, my lady.”

 

When the girl called for Barsik, he bowed his head in a polite manner.

 

“Go outside and wait.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Although he could ask for the reason, Barsik, as if having no doubts, immediately left the room.

 

Now, only the two of them remained.

 

“Class D. I was wondering how a child with a low level was so good, and there was a reason.”

 

The girl jumped off the chair. 

 

Although it was extremely cute, Seo Woojin couldn’t laugh.

 

Because one of the hidden facts was about to be revealed.

 

‘It’ll be okay. There’s no way she would know that I absorbed what was inside, right?’

 

Seo Woojin tried to reassure himself, but that thought was wrong.

 

“You absorbed the mana inside it, didn’t you?”

 

The girl had already noticed that fact.

 

‘What should I do?’

 

A cold sweat broke out.

 

Honestly, absorbing the mana from the jewel dropped by Rosie Ruby wasn’t a big problem.

 

It was a kind of providence, and it was something that even the Empire or the Sky Tower would welcome as Heroes became stronger.

 

But what was inside the jewel wasn’t just mana.

 

‘Magi.’

 

An energy that could never be accepted by the existence of this ordinary world.

 

Although it was only a small amount, Seo Woojin absorbed that magivery naturally.

 

Externally, there were no noticeable signs, but if one were to investigate the energy inside his body in detail, traces would surely emerge.

 

‘It’s my mistake.’

 

Seo Woojin blamed himself for blurting out words without distinguishing between what should and shouldn’t be said, fueled by his unfounded excitement.

 

On the other hand, the girl quietly observed Seo Woojin, who was lost in his thoughts.

 

‘Isn’t it interesting?’

 

In fact, while Seo Woojin remained unaware, the girl had already activated a certain magic.

 

‘Berdad.’

 

It was a mental magic that forced one to reveal his true feelings that he had been hiding without even realizing it.

 

Resisting this magic with ordinary mental strength was an impossible dream, especially for someone like him.

 

However…

 

‘This child resisted.’

 

He managed to utter the words momentarily but soon stopped.

 

From the girl’s perspective, this was truly surprising.

 

A being that had not yet reached the transcendent stage resisted her magic?

 

If other magicians found out, they would undoubtedly be eager to dissect Seo Woojin.

 

‘Is it because he absorbed mana? Is it because he’s a Hero? If not, is there another reason?’

 

The probability of it being due to mana seemed low.

 

Even if he possessed a large amount of mana, he shouldn’t be able to resist her magic.

 

Unless he was a transcendent dragon, it was an impossible feat for a human.

 

‘A Hero…’

 

It was the first time the girl had directly encountered a being called a Hero.

 

Usually, no one from Sky Tower set foot outside, which was why this was her first encounter with a Hero who entered this place.

 

‘The ‘God-tier Magic’ called the system might be responsible.’

 

She had devoted her entire life to understanding it, but she hadn’t even grasped a clue.

 

After all, it was literally magic of the gods.

 

The girl speculated that the reason Seo Woojin resisted her magic was due to the combination of being a Hero and the system.

 

However, she didn’t rule out other possibilities.

 

If she could find clues and hints, she was determined to uncover the true reason.

 

“Hey.”

 

The girl called out to Seo Woojin with a serious expression.

 

“Yes, yes?”

 

Surprised, Seo Woojin turned his gaze to the girl.

 

“Won’t you tell me a secret you are hiding?”

 

Her tone was casual, like asking for soy sauce while eating rice. However, the hidden meaning and weight within were anything but light.

 

“…I don’t have anything like that.”

 

Seo Woojin swallowed dry saliva and shook his head.

 

Though he had made a mistake just now, his expression indicated that he wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.

 

The girl smiled at his response.

 

“While I may not know what you’re guarding against, I can promise you one thing.”

 

A promise?

 

Not knowing the meaning, Seo Woojin looked at her quietly. The girl then spoke with a serious expression.

 

“I swear by my name that your secret will not be revealed to anyone. Moreover, it will not cause you the slightest harm.”

 

Unexpectedly, the girl’s voice was filled with dignity.

 

Seo Woojin felt his head bowing involuntarily.

 

And soon, the girl continued speaking.

 

“I am the owner of the Sky Tower and the guardian of the Empire, Martes. I swear in the name of Martes.”