Episode 598. Special Week (4)

I, Lee Hoyeol.

“This is crazy.”

Has your heart been beating so fast lately?

Someone might ask.

Anyway, isn’t that a lot of fuss over just one book?

I’ll exclaim in exasperation.

‘Did you even read that?!’

Romantic explorers are bullshit romantic explorers, Lorenzik.

That’s not romance, that’s bullshit, really, and even Grandfell, who likes to paint his face with gold, was even muttering something?

-“But I’ll take that as a poetic license.”

To make a long story short.

It’s a shame that rivals my dark history notes.

It was called 『The Post-Cataclysmic Bible』.

But.

“The Light of the Bible, that absurd story was a true story, not a work of fiction?”

With nothing better to do in the Amethyst Hall, the old senior mages had apparently run through the whole damn ‘Bible’……! Hey, Grandfell. I was afraid this would be the case, so I asked for it, right?

‘If we can’t do that, let’s at least cast a low-level binding magic!’

..!

But our Grandfell-nim.

He never hid his deeds from others.

In the end, the current four months ended up happening.

“Yes.”

As if that weren’t bad enough, the words came out of the snout.

“I am the light of the Bible.”

“……!!!”

You can be sure of this by seeing that he has been quiet until now and then spits out outrageous remarks at such a time. It’s unfair that you’ve been called the infinitely deep darkness all this time, haven’t you, Grandfell?

‘… Whoa, what can I do, Hoyeol.’

The water’s already been spilled, it’s all about mind control.

Or, to put it more bluntly, bullshit.

Glance.

I don’t think anyone will notice.

I rolled my eyes subtly and looked at Jesse.

Luckily.

She doesn’t look that surprised.

I wonder if I should call it fortunate, by the way. Jesse’s tone was as if she’d been expecting this. She stared at the Bible with a distinctive exclamation point look in her eyes.

‘Anyway, I’m glad it’s only Jesse.’

Jesse was now the Magic Tower’s youngest Adept Mage.

The story behind which the Magic Tower rolls and my personality.

At least she knows better than the other players.

‘At least she won’t go around blabbing about it.’

In that case, the only ones left are the seniors at Amethyst Hall.

“Come to think of it.”

“It’s exactly like the biblical description, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. Brilliant clothes, and even more brilliant silver hair!”

Ha, seriously, I can’t stop sighing.

Anyway, they were mages who spoke in magic. The hostile magic power has subsided, and even Andre, the former Elder Mage who glared at me, has begun to recede.

Then he considers my words again.

“Truly, we have not been forgotten.”

This time, my vision flickers.

[Your connection to the ghosts of Amethyst Hall has increased significantly].

[Your influence among the ghosts of Amethyst Hall has increased significantly].

[The ghosts of Amethyst Hall will no longer be hostile to you].

Is this the ending?

Because the system message that never lies said so.

I guess I don’t need to raise my magic power anymore.

‘There’s no need to attract unnecessary attention.’

Well, it’s time to wrap things up.

‘For now, to avoid confusion.’

It didn’t seem like a good idea to send the seniors of Amethyst Hall back to the Magic Tower right away. The Magic Tower and the Arcana Continent would have to change at some point.

‘It’s reality, I’m an adventurer. What the hell. This is going to be so complicated my head is going to explode.’

I figured it would be proper protocol to step out of the Amethyst Hall with at least some basic training, and most importantly, ……. I stared at the Bible, still glowing brightly.

Swoosh.

‘……I’m going to tell you to watch your mouth about that.’

I, Lee Hoyeol.

As the Chief Mage of the Magic Tower.

And the one who organized the Special Conference.

In order to resolve the situation in Amethyst Hall.

I was about to continue.

“Better to see it once than to hear it a hundred times.”

No, why are you saying that now?

“See it with your own eyes and realize it for yourself.”

All you have to do is pretend to be cool, Grandfell?!

“Cataclysm.”

Ttogak.

I barely have time to recover from my spat before I turn around and head out of the Amethyst Hall. I’m followed by Jesse Heinness, and then the mages of Amethyst Hall.

Sssssssshhh.

As I pass the boundary between the Magic Tower and the Amethyst Hall, a terrible scene comes into view, and I realize that I have seen it. It was the players who had gathered in the Magic Tower to fulfill the [Hidden Quest: Ghosts of the Magic Tower].

Lee Hoyeol, no matter how hard I try to turn my stupid brain around, I can’t find an answer.

‘Even though there are a lot of eyes watching this, there are still too many, really…!!’

But my cries did not pierce through the iron skin. Rather, my snout speaks to the ghosts of Amethyst Hall who follow in my footsteps.

“The deadline is midnight.”

“…?”

“Report your findings in writing.”

Even more bewildered than the bewildered seniors of Amethyst Hall, I am.

Did you just say report, Grandfell?

I don’t even want to hear what report it is.

‘No, are you crazy?’

Even so, there are one or two tasks that need to be handled, so what kind of report is this, really?! Even though I was burning up inside, I didn’t forget to clean up after myself.

‘This isn’t the time for this, Hoyeol, let’s use our heads.’

I gritted my teeth and rolled my eyes.

“The reason why I granted freedom to you who were losers.”

Eventually, I could add.

“I’m sure you know better than anyone else.”

That’s what you call a slap in the face……!

AAU Korea Branch.

“Uh-huh.”

The tension finally broke.

Park Minjae sank back into his chair.

He covered his face with both hands and mumbled.

“Soogyeom, Hyunjoon, are you watching?”

This is the general manager of our AAU Yusra branch.

“Branch manager, there are a lot of articles about this.”

“What are they talking about?”

“Well, they’re blowing things out of proportion, aren’t they?”

Indeed, I guess so.

It’s what the media does, it’s obvious.

Once they get the scoop, they don’t let go.

Why, look at how the Baek Yiseol conspiracy theory, which was hotly debated in the past, is still being recalled today.

Park Minjae checked the headline of the forwarded article.

-[Breaking News] Number of ghosts identified is over 20 AAU “Great chaos was expected, but no damage was reported.”

-[Special Feature] Lee Hoyeol, what is he painting now?

It was the last one that caught my eye.

‘So, I’m sure he’s drawing it.’

I wondered.

Why would Yusra General Manager Lee Hoyeol choose to hold a special conference at this time, when the taboos of the Magic Tower were being lifted, a move that would surely cause chaos.

Park Minjae snorted.

“First of all, the noses of the nosers would be flattened.”

AAU European Union branch managers.

At the branch manager’s meeting, they raised suspicions.

Even Lee Hoyeol, the general manager, can’t know everything. He didn’t understand the significance of the special conference. He made up a bunch of bullshit about why the special conference wasn’t held.

But the last words of his speech were indisputable.

“I’m sure you know better than anyone why I’ve granted you, the losers, your freedom. Our general manager speaks with such elegance, right? So much so that it makes me feel relieved.”

The General Manager knows everything.

‘The problem is that we don’t know, but …….’

Park Minjae wasn’t particularly anxious.

It wasn’t like he had known all along, was it?

Of course, even if he couldn’t fully understand it, he could at least try to fathom it.

“Let’s get started.”

At moments like this, I wonder if I should have bundled the two of them up and sent them to the US branch. Soogyeom is a trustworthy subordinate, and Sung Hyunjoon is a bit lacking.

“I had passion. Maybe it’s because I don’t have passion, but I just don’t feel excited.”

Still, Park was persistent.

“Twenty senior mages and at least twenty ghosts.”

Let’s see, the former senior mages who were on probation in Amethyst Hall, let’s call them ghosts for convenience, ……. After much deliberation, Park Minjae gave his honest impression.

“Wait, doesn’t this mean that the Magic Tower’s power has doubled?”

The difference between the Magic Tower’s apprentice and adept mages was enormous, and the difference between adepts and senior mages was unfathomable. Hadn’t we seen such senior mages’ performance before?

‘Each one of them can even compete with a Legion Commander of the Ten Thrones.’

Even if the current seniors of the Magic Tower had lost their positions, it didn’t mean that they were superior in power. The qualifications for seniority are simply determined by the performance of the regular conferences.

Park Minjae swallowed dryly.

“A good reason to at least double the power of the Magic Tower…….”

I wonder if the General Manager held the special conference in anticipation of such an event? Thinking so, Hoyeol’s behavior today began to make sense.

He went directly to the Amethyst Hall.

He persuaded the ghosts.

He actually spoke to the ghosts.

‘If it’s all in preparation for that event in the future.’

After all, isn’t there only ‘that’?

“…The Ten Thrones.”

Maybe it’s not even an ordinary Ten Thrones, and its appearance is imminent. Park Minjae hurriedly checked the current reported locations of the Holy War Alliance forces.

Second Sun – near the top of the Zero Mountains
Shining – Moderate level 600 rift, [Rocking Cradle]
Great Alliance Berserker – Gaon Building Personal Training
Warlord – Arcana Continent Imperial Quest

Park Minjae had a serious look on his face.

“Tsreup, no?”

His expression quickly relaxed.

The positions of the Holy War Alliance were too varied.

If the appearance of the Ten Thrones was expected to be so powerful that it could borrow the power of the Amethyst Hall ghosts, then surely the Holy War Alliance would have gathered before then.

Park Minjae looked at the final force and nodded.

Great Alliance Gaon – Behemoth’s Maw, Arcana Continent
Sinhwa – Behemoth’s Maw, Arcana Continent
Kingdom of Yusra Army – Behemoth’s Maw, Arcana Continent

“Is that what happened?”

Even with Gaon included, and the other two factions’ recent growth, it was clear that they alone would not be enough to stop the Ten Thrones. But what if it’s just a simple advance party?

“That’s what it is, General Manager.”

Park Minjae concluded.

The appearance of the Ten Thrones is scheduled, but not imminent.

Hoyeol’s judgment pointed to that fact.

But Park Minjae didn’t know that.

In all those judgments.

Grandfell was involved, not just Hoyeol.

*

Arcana Continent, Behemoth’s Maw.

Uuuuuuung–

A bizarre sound echoes through the area.

Even to the ears of the Holy War Alliance, still far from Behemoth’s Maw.

“Didn’t you hear that?”

Even to the Iron Castle flying above them.

“Chainwalker, what did you just say to me?”

It was a sound that could not be ignored.

It was like that.

It was the howl of the Behemoth that connected the Arcana Continent to the Demon World. It meant that something that even it couldn’t handle was regurgitating into its mouth.

Suddenly, Nam Taemin’s brow furrowed.

‘What the hell is this message?’

I can’t read a single word……?

[Bael, the First Throne Demon King, begins to look over the Arcana continent].