Chapter 291: The Meaning of the Message (1)

“Outside… is the damage really severe?”

Lennok asked, leaning weakly on Soo-ryun’s shoulder as they walked.

Soo-ryun replied with a stiff face.

“It’s beyond words. The downtown area in the center of the fortress has been completely reduced to ashes.”

“…”

“Thanks to your early warning, everyone who hadn’t evacuated yet could be rescued, but the fortress residents and the remaining family members are struggling to extinguish the fires.”

“…I see.”

Lennok, who had a rough idea of what Walter’s final method would be, had already asked others to handle the aftermath in advance.

A battle between 7th-tier Archmages, especially a consecutive fight against a Guido Cult Bishop and the Head of an Eight Families — it would be impossible to prevent the fallout from spreading everywhere.

He had decided it was better to prepare the surroundings beforehand, even before deploying his Domain.

“Those lunatics, Chen and Manson, are helping out too. Once you and Asi escape, we plan to completely quarantine this entire section.”

As soon as they realized the black flame wouldn’t easily extinguish, they decided to quarantine the area entirely and wait for the fire to die down.

Considering the assets left in the downtown area, it was truly a bold decision, but Lennok knew Soo-ryun’s judgment was correct and nodded.

Even Lennok couldn’t easily predict how long the mental flame, ignited by burning his Mind Imprint, would continue to burn.

It was preferable to slowly observe its properties over time and minimize damage.

“By the way, it’s truly a monstrous disaster. For a mere human to cause such a thing… Is this how battles between monsters who have completed their Hierarchy are like?”

Soo-ryun, supporting Lennok, looked around and muttered with a rigid expression.

A curtain of black flame, burning as high and fiercely as a skyscraper.

Even though the damage hadn’t reached them here yet, the heat alone was enough to make their entire bodies feel hot.

At her words, Asi shook his head with a frightened expression.

“Not all Archmages can cause such disasters. It’s just that Master Van possesses an unbelievable amount of power.”

“…”

“To think you single-handedly crushed the Ibon Family’s forces and even subjugated the Cult’s Bishop… If this news gets out, it will be impossible to verify its authenticity.”

“…It was just an unexpected event that happened when it mixed with the Bishop’s power.”

Feeling their evaluations of him rapidly soaring, Lennok subtly changed the subject.

“Can’t you tell it’s not fully under my control with my mana, to begin with?”

“Do I need to reach this level and look down upon the world to deal with the Cult’s Bishops? I still have a long way to go.”

“If it’s to protect the fortress, everyone will have to work hard from now on. I will strive for it.”

“…”

At their completely unyielding reactions, Lennok silently closed his mouth.

Immediately after, a large shadow that rose from the far end of the street swiftly enveloped the three of them, clearing a path.

At the familiar lingering scent of mana, Lennok looked up.

“This mana is…”

“It seems the Samyeong Family Head has awakened. To come help us right after regaining consciousness…”

Soo-ryun smiled, hoisting Lennok onto her shoulder and said.

“It seems we didn’t choose the wrong Fortress Head.”

The black flame that had burned the Ibon family’s main residence vanished after lighting up one more night.

This was because Oren, who had taken over the authority of the Fortress Head, had modified the outer barrier of the fortress, focusing on quarantining the fire in the central area.

To be able to contain the flames caused by the Black Sea Divine Dance and still possess such strength, durability, and freedom of modification — it was clear that a barrier directly touched by an Ascendant was on a different level.

By comparison, it could even rival the barrier protecting the Lighthouse, which the Eyes of Blue used as their headquarters.

It wouldn’t be a lie to say that the reason the City Council didn’t rashly invade Palgung Fortress’s Domain was also due to the power of the barrier manipulated by the Fortress Head’s authority.

“…”

Lennok, wrapped entirely in bandages, looked out the window quietly before turning his head.

Even though the Proxy Battle had ended and the Samyeong Family Head had newly ascended as Fortress Head, the atmosphere inside the fortress wasn’t very bright.

Ultimately, among the three most powerful families in Palgung Fortress, the Ilwon and Ibon families had been completely cut off.

Moreover, the shock of the truth — that the Ilwon Family Head had self-destructed by feeding his own family members to the cult, and the Ibon Family had allied with the cult to sacrifice the entire fortress — was immense.

If it hadn’t been for the Samyeong Family Head’s actions at the end of the Proxy Battle, it wouldn’t have been strange for an irreversible rift to have occurred between the Eight Families and the fortress residents.

It was clear whose efforts had prevented the disaster of the Apostle’s Descent and averted the complete collapse of Palgung Fortress.

“So, there won’t be any rebuilding of the Ilwon and Ibon families, I suppose.”

“Palgung Fortress will change its name to the Six-sided Fortress and continue to exist. There will be considerable external intervention in that process, too.”

Chen, who was standing behind Lennok, replied.

He watched Lennok’s actions silently, arms crossed.

“Considering what’s happening outside the city, Palgung Fortress will probably step down from its position as one of The Triad.”

Chen, who had been venturing into Vulcan’s underworld attempting to start a business, would likely know more about the recent situation in the megacity than Lennok.

Chen continued without waiting for Lennok’s reply.

“It’s not surprising. It was only difficult to ascertain the true situation because it was isolated from the outside, but the fortress’s power itself had been deteriorating for a long time… Oren probably suspects that fact too.”

The crumbling power and prestige of the fortress. Could the Ibon Family Head’s desperate struggle also be seen as an effort not to be left behind?

“It’s going to get noisy outside again.”

It was only natural that Vulcan’s underworld would become chaotic over Palgung Fortress stepping down from The Triad and the newly vacant seat of an underworld overlord.

Chen chuckled at Lennok’s murmur.

“Always. Solving one problem doesn’t always bring a happy ending for everyone.”

“…”

“On the contrary, a harsher time awaits Oren and the fortress residents. Compared to the fortress’s power, they hold too many privileges, and there won’t be just one or two people dissatisfied with that fact.”

The three overlords who reigned over Vulcan’s underworld. The title of The Triad was not just a grand plaque.

They managed and controlled nearby commercial districts, and in exchange for ensuring the safety of residents, they received underworld taxes to maintain their organization’s scale and manpower.

This series of transactions alone maximized their influence in the vicinity of their organizations, and the prestige between different organizations grew wider and wider.

In this business, even such notoriety was a form of power and qualification.

It was obvious how far the dark struggle would spread between those who sought to exploit the weakening fortress and those who aimed to rise to the top of the underworld.

If the powerhouses of organizations, who had been holding their breath during this process, began to exert their strength, the streets would quickly turn into a mess.

But Lennok, fully aware of this, nodded indifferently.

“I see. Oren will handle it well on his own.”

Naturally, he had no intention of continuing to exert himself for the fortress beyond that.

His entanglement with Palgung Fortress would have been impossible if he hadn’t discovered the ruins while tracking the Guido Cult’s traces.

By killing the missionary Walter and preventing the Apostle’s Descent, Lennok had done more than enough work.

Indeed, from now on, it was purely the fortress’s affair, with no room for Lennok’s intervention.

Chen burst out laughing as if he had expected Lennok’s reaction.

“Hahaha! I knew it! Someone as clean-cut as you wouldn’t want to get any more involved.”

“…”

“But I’ve decided not to pass this by anymore.”

“What?”

Only then did Lennok turn his head to look at Chen’s face.

“The business I planned to do with my friends. I’m going to set up that company here.”

Chen replied.

“Thanks to being with you, my standing within the fortress has risen significantly. If I set up a business here, I’ve secured a promise from Oren for various privileges, and even tax benefits. Plus, there are still quite a few well-trained warriors remaining in the fortress… For me, it’s quite a good business foundation.”

“…”

“You, having a shrewd broker like Jenny as your manager, don’t have to worry about this, but I, who’s just jumping into this scene, have some troublesome issues.”

He said that, then smiled and crossed his arms.

“I plan to solve the fortress’s problems little by little from the side and gain various things. If it goes well, it’ll become a mid-sized company to rival any.”

“I see.”

As Lennok nodded, Chen subtly pulled out a business card from his pocket.

“So, on that note, are you perhaps interested in investing in us?”

“…”

“We’ll start somewhat like a labor agency, but eventually, we plan to move into construction and facility management, where mana users’ labor can be used most efficiently. Especially receiving fees for restoring and managing the ruins that collapsed in the underworld would be incredibly efficient…”

Lennok stared blankly at Chen, who had transformed from a reliable comrade into a businessman in an instant, and chuckled.

Even if he talked big like that, Chen, who always managed to take care of himself, wouldn’t throw himself into a failing business.

Not just for his connection with Chen, but if he wanted to maintain ties with the fortress, owning some shares in his company wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“I roughly understand what you want.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. I’ll give you a suitable answer soon, just wait.”

The extent of Lennok’s contribution to the continued existence of Palgung Fortress this time was beyond comparison to all the people in the fortress combined.

While others were groaning from injuries and struggling to grasp the situation, hadn’t he single-handedly broken into the Ibon family’s main residence and completely finished the job?

In that process, he even thwarted Walter’s original goal of the Apostle’s Descent, so it was obvious what that fact would mean to those who knew the inside story.

Oren, too, after hearing all of it, decided to offer Lennok a fitting reward to secure his connection to the fortress.

Thanks to this, Lennok succeeded in acquiring the land of the Ibon family that he himself had burned down, the mansion owned by the Ilwon family, and even the management rights of the ruins within it.

It was effectively like becoming the master of a new, unofficial family even in the fortress, which had now shrunk to the Six-sided Fortress.

Adding to that, he had received the remaining assets of the Ilwon family and even some of the carapace left after burning the Apostle’s body, which was more than enough compensation.

Perhaps the ‘investment’ Chen desired was a request to lease the land where the ruined Ibon mansion stood, in exchange for shares.

Lennok’s assets or actual goods weren’t immediately needed, and if it was just a request to lease land he had acquired for free, there was no reason not to grant it.

“…”

After seeing off Chen, who waved with a brightened expression, Lennok immediately headed to the inner quarters of the Ilwon family mansion.

After this incident, more than ten people, including the heads of the Eight Families, had sought out Lennok, and Chen was the last.

Manson had long since escaped outside, with the Fortress Head’s permission, claiming the fortress was stifling.

But Lennok still had something left to do inside this fortress.

The secret of the ruins that Walter had so desperately desired. The faint crack etched into the closed world.

Because one more opportunity awaited Lennok in that secret place owned by the Ilwon family.

Deepest within the three-story Ilwon family mansion.

Walking along the dark corridor hidden behind the bathroom mirror, a meadow unfolds into view in a faintly sunlit room.

A ruin protected within a golden barrier. A dilapidated coffin lay slanted among the slightly overgrown bushes.

The inside of the coffin was empty, but it was densely inscribed with names written in an unknown script.

Lennok calmly passed through the golden barrier and walked into the ruins.

He had already had Oren open the barrier beforehand.

From the moment he stepped into the ruins, he felt time slowing down within his body.

“Hmm…”

He slowly settled his body, moving sluggishly as if through water, onto the grass.

Lennok was already accustomed to the phenomena occurring in these ruins through several experiences.

The speed of his thoughts still matched that of this world, but his physical body was being affected by a different space.

To be precise, by the influence of a now-vanished worldline.

“…”

Lennok slowly raised his mana, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings.

Unlike his infinitely slow-moving body, his mana itself spread in all directions at a speed that was neither too slow nor normal.

That was probably because mana, the sorcerer’s power source, was a force that simultaneously affected both body and mind.

With his mana spread throughout the ruins, Lennok closed his eyes and heightened his concentration.

Whoosh!

His extremely developed mana perception became so acute that it could detect even a single dust particle moving within the ruins.

Lennok maintained this state of concentration for dozens of minutes, focusing on understanding and interpreting the space of the ruins.

Clang!

He didn’t pay much attention to the uninterpretable script on the coffin or the existence of the coffin itself.

The important thing was that this space itself was the spacetime of a now-vanished Old World.

If this landscape was indeed a trace of WORLD 1.0 and 2.0, which Lennok knew, then there would be a gap he could read within the discrepancy of those worldlines.

‘Now I can understand the meaning of that message.’

The message left by the leader of the Pandemonium to Lennok. He had said that if he sought the Guido Cult’s secret places, he would find answers about time magic.

The true meaning of those words was not that time-系的 unique magic was hidden in this secret place.

‘Walter said that the existence of these ruins itself was a crack in a closed world.’

Therefore, these ruins functioned as a communication channel to send signals to the outer sea and directly receive the power of apocalypse drifting through the dark sea.

The Guido Cult had been using such ruins as consumables to awaken their missionaries as Apostles of the end.

But that was not the only way to utilize the cracks that appeared in this world.

A crack in the world. Conversely, that meant it provided an opportunity to glimpse the composition of the world’s cross-section through that crack.

It was like peeking at the component structure of a machine through a damaged part.

Only localized, cross-sectional observation was possible, and truly understanding its structure was a distant goal.

Even so, one could at least glimpse some of the parts that made the machine called the world operate.

‘The operating principles by which this world’s time and space are established, to understand the gap by comparing it with the spacetime of the Old World, and enable relative measurement. That means…’

It was effectively the same as concrete measured data on time and space systems falling into Lennok’s hands.

Lennok’s eyes shone sharply.

‘It means I’ve obtained the most basic data for creating spacetime magic.’