Chapter 672 – Arranged World (3)

AAU South Korea Branch.

“How did the simulation results turn out?”

For once, Yoon Soogyeom was pestering Sung Hyunjoon.
Probably because he was eagerly waiting for the data.
But Hyunjoon was just as anxious.

“Senior, I’ve been staring at the monitor non-stop since earlier…”

Ding!
…Finally!
Hyunjoon answered eagerly.

“Wait a moment, it just arrived!”
“Hurry and check it out!”
“Shouldn’t you wipe your glasses first?”
“Glasses? Ah, I need to get myself together.”

Yoon Soogyeom had just splashed cold water on his face to sharpen his mind.
As a result, the lenses of his glasses in his shirt pocket got splattered with water drops.

“Okay. Ready.”
“You just wear them like that?”
“No time to clean.”
“You really can’t help yourself once you get fixated, huh?”

Click.

Hyunjoon clicked his tongue but moved the mouse.
With Joshua now the head of the integrated branch, AAU North America was far from work-life balance.

“…How many pages is this?!”

Since the USA was where Cosmo’s first headquarters existed, it was natural the research and remaining data there were the most active.
Hyunjoon opened his mouth, genuinely impressed.

“To be honest, I thought it was pointless. No matter how vast the remaining data was, Raymond Sean supposedly took everything important away, right?”
“Right.”
“But they managed to restore leftover data and even secured the simulation program from Arcana Continent’s early era. Seriously, we have to admit the tech power of the superpower country, don’t you think, senior?”

Yoon Soogyeom nodded vaguely.

‘Hmm, is it really just technology?’

Hyunjoon was thinking too rose-colored about the world.

‘Did Raymond Sean really delete all the data?’

Not long ago…

More precisely, until Hoyeol united the AAU with pride, close cooperation among branches was unimaginable.
Each branch was closely tied to their own nation or specific player groups.
So Yoon Soogyeom suspected—

Joshua might have made an autocratic decision ignoring the U.S. government’s opinions.
Indeed, Joshua, whom they encountered during the U.S. business trip, was such a man.

‘He’s one of the few respected superiors like Manager Park.’

Yoon Soogyeom genuinely worried about his safety.

‘We’re grateful, but how will he deal with the aftermath…’

Nevertheless, they had to judge the simulation data objectively.
They didn’t want to doubt him but couldn’t rule out the possibility of a third party’s malicious intent mixed in.

──────
Analysis of Simulation Results from the Update
──────

Whether Yoon Soogyeom knew it or not, Hyunjoon said:

“Running simulations means the update will happen soon. Back then, just seeing this would wear me out with overtime… but maybe because it’s been a while, it feels welcome, right?”
“…”
“Hey, senior, read it slowly!”

Rustle rustle.

Despite Hyunjoon’s pleading, Yoon Soogyeom rapidly read the simulation data.
Before checking the results, the input data must be examined.

‘The Supreme Commander’s power is clearly excluded.’

A sensible calculation.

Former Supreme Commander Lee Hoyeol’s strength was beyond measure, impossible to input.
So the update data entered could not be perfectly accurate.

“They roughly set the Demon World’s power to half.”
“Considering the slain Ten Thrones, that might be accurate?”
“Sad but understandable.”

Indeed, all was understandable—up to a point.

“…What’s this?”

Hyunjoon muttered briefly.

“Senior, something’s wrong here.”

He tried to find the reason.
Recently, some top players had entered the Anomaly realm.
They probably couldn’t reflect their true power in the input data.

Hence, this result…

“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
“It’s just as inaccurate on their side too.”
“!”

Hyunjoon stopped arguing.
He knew not only their power was imprecisely measured, but the Demon World’s power was as well.
Even the Ten Thrones…

‘Even if all ranking players rush in…’

They can’t be defeated.

Grit.

Hyunjoon clenched his teeth and stared at the simulation results.

──────
Upon this update, survival of the Arcana Continent is impossible.
──────

Yoon Soogyeom coldly evaluated.

“It was insufficient.”
“Insufficient?”
“No matter how much we’ve grown, all the trials we faced…”

That was an undeniable truth.

“They were trials that could never have been overcome without Supreme Commander Lee Hoyeol.”

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Magic Tower.

──────
Then we will wait for your return.
──────

Thud.

Marcelo put down the feather pen.
A letter to see off the senior mages heading out.
Releasing focus made his head heavy.
This was why he had never coveted the position of Tower Master.

On the top floor of the Magic Tower, where he stood firmly on his two legs.

Marcelo felt the weight of the tower climb from the legs upward.
Not only now but ever since officially assuming the Tower Master role.

Suddenly, he remembered the cat that had lain here.

“I think I understand why you were so lazy.”

His head felt heavy enough to make everything tedious.
The Tower Master must know everything about the tower.

In other words?

Whether he liked it or not, the Tower Master had to hold all the tower’s information in his mind.
Even if he didn’t fully understand the structure of the Crystal Hall or the entire tower.

“I too feel my lethargy worsening day by day.”

He had to memorize and retain the tower’s information for future generations.
That was why Marcelo couldn’t participate in this possibly final Holy War.

His eyelids moved heavily.

“The Magic Tower must have sensed something.”

The Mugan at the tower’s root was shaking.

Mugan was a space whose origin and purpose were unknown.
Used as a prison for criminals who broke rules, the Magic Tower exploited it as such.

‘But calling it just a prison…’

There were still undisclosed areas in Mugan.
Marcelo was not the only Tower Master suspicious of it.
Only, no one had been able to investigate it.

‘No one can maintain composure inside Mugan.’

…Or maybe one person could?

“My Lord.”

Yet, Marcelo never considered asking Hoyeol to inspect Mugan.
He had no such option in mind.

“My Lord will surely appear in this Holy War.”

Someone might ask.

If Hoyeol is going to move, why bother moving the senior mages?
Marcelo would keep silent on that question.
Instead, he recalled Hoyeol’s words.

-“You would have noticed, Marcelo.”

My Lord clearly said.

-“I am not whole now.”

To think he admitted his imperfection shocked Marcelo deeply.
So when Hoyeol resigned as chief mage, Marcelo couldn’t even dare to oppose.
Wasn’t he the one who understood Hoyeol’s rhetoric better than anyone else?

‘If he said that…’

It might mean Hoyeol was even less whole than commonly expected.
Furthermore, Marcelo was realizing the limits of reversal magic.

‘No matter how powerful reversal magic is…’

Once causality is set, it cannot be undone.

For example, reversal magic can reverse magics because magic originates from magic power(MP).
Without causal ties, magic and MP can interchange freely.

The principle of construction magic often cast by my Lord was no different.
It only tears down and rebuilds.
The rock framework doesn’t change.

‘That’s why senior mages left the tower.’

If a town or village collapses?

Hoyeol’s reversal magic can restore it anytime.
But not living humans in the village.
The living and the dead are clearly distinct.

‘Even reversal magic cannot nullify the causal ties of death.’

Marcelo muttered.

“If reversing life were possible, it would no longer be magic…”

Then.

The magic tool, 『Anomaly Parrot』, flapped its wings.
One of the magical tools that can connect different worlds.

“Have you arrived already? Considering the time difference…”

It was probably the most anomalous of the magic tools.

Because it mimicked the drone cameras, considered the most advanced technology in the adventurer’s world.
The difference? The parrot transmitted sound instead of video.

Soon, the parrot’s beak opened.

“Tower Master Marcelo.”
“Listening, Senior Mattisse.”

Senior Black Mage, Mattisse Dean Carl.

He and four other senior mages had deployed to the Arcana Continent.
Marcelo trusted Mattisse, which allowed him to remain at the tower reluctantly.

Marcelo asked bluntly.

“Was my concern correct?”

Mattisse should understand his meaning.
However, Marcelo frowned at the reply.

“No. There doesn’t seem to be a need for concern, Tower Master.”

Could he have misunderstood?

“Are you serious, Senior Mattisse?”

Marcelo expected Mattisse to know.
He was a peculiar black mage.
Perhaps, without deep talks with Hoyeol, he noticed the change.

“Yes. Chief Lee has taken the lead.”

His certainty made Marcelo lower his voice.

“May I have your full attention, Mattisse?”

As said, relying on the incomplete Hoyeol now would be irresponsible.
Especially since my Lord had recently suffered severe mental anguish.

‘…He lost his close friend Harkon.’

So Marcelo intended to speak honestly.

Even if my Lord says not to intervene, ask to support him behind the scenes.
That was the purpose of this deployment.

Just as Marcelo was about to continue.

“This can’t be.”

The parrot emitted a sigh.

“…?”

Marcelo flinched.
It wasn’t a sigh of sorrow.
He could tell just from the sound.

More precisely…

“Senior Mattisse, are you listening?”

Mattisse snapped out of it and spoke frankly.

“My apologies, Tower Master. I was lost in admiration for a moment.”

It was close to awe for something miraculous.
Then Mattisse said words Marcelo could never imagine.

“Do you remember, Tower Master?”
“What do you mean?”
“Chief Lee who once fell into Blackening.”

Blackening…!

Marcelo’s eyes changed.
Wasn’t he the one who sensed ‘difference’ from the Blackening Hoyeol?
Marcelo asked urgently.

“Could it be that my Lord fell into Blackening?!”

Mattisse answered.

“No. The suitable magic power surrounding Chief Lee now…”

An extremely objective assessment.

“Seems to surpass even that Blackening…!”

.

.

.

I looked at Park Hwigang.
Reversal Magic.
The stopped heart started beating again.

‘This is…’

Not Grandfell’s,
But my, Lee Hoyeol’s power.
More precisely…

‘The power of Lee Hoyeol from the previous cycle.’

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