Jaun’s group moved quickly to escape from the underground.
They killed any security personnel in their path without hesitation and dispelled the barriers blocking their way.
There were far more security devices in the underground than expected.
Occasionally, monsters or other mages blocked their way, but when they were killed, they turned out to be mere illusions.
“Ugh! Another illusion!”
Baek Eun-seong complained as he watched a monster disappear like a mirage after stabbing it with his spear.
“…But doesn’t it feel like we’ve been walking in circles?”
“I felt it too. Seems like it’s another kind of illusion magic.”
Bert calmly surveyed their surroundings. At that, Baek Eun-seong looked up at the ceiling.
“Can’t we just bust through the ceiling?”
“You think it’ll work? This whole ship is a massive training facility.”
Jin frowned, visibly frustrated.
“Hmm. Then destroying the device first would be faster.”
“Yeah, let’s start with the device.”
Jin quickly scanned the area.
Though he was a support-class mage, Jin was also a researcher of mysteries and a magi-tech expert.
He knew how security systems were typically installed and was confident in finding them quickly.
And true to his confidence, Jin quickly located the underground security devices.
Boom—!
As the devices were destroyed one by one, the surrounding environment began to change.
The illusion magic that had trapped them like a maze vanished.
“It’s done.”
“Let’s go!”
Jaun once again ran in the direction of the exit. Just then, a voice echoed in their ears.
—Hey! When are you getting here?!
It was Natasha’s voice.
Bert pressed his hand to the communication artifact in his ear and replied.
“The traps were more complicated than expected. We’ll be up soon.”
—It’s tough holding out here too. Since we’re outside, all sorts of freaks are showing up.
“Hang in there a little longer.”
—Ha… Fine. I’ll hold on as long as I can.
At that moment, Natasha and a few others were waiting on the roof of Atlantis.
They needed a new mode of transportation to escape the ship after completing their mission.
Natasha had arrived with an airship to extract them.
“You all heard that, right? A ton of enemies are swarming Natasha’s position.”
“Yeah, let’s hurry.”
“Mm!”
Just as they were about to move again—
A powerful magical force could suddenly be felt from somewhere.
Fwoosh—!
A fiery spear shot out from the darkness toward them. Bert swiftly deployed an electric barrier.
Boom!
The magic was blocked by Bert’s shield. But they felt the tension rise.
The fire spear just now wasn’t something a mere security officer could conjure.
“…Who’s this now?”
At that moment, six figures emerged from the darkness.
“Long time no see, Bert.”
“…Alex.”
Bert narrowed her eyes at the sight of Alex.
Baek Eun-seong looked between the two of them and said,
“You know him?”
“Yeah. He’s someone I knew. Used to be just a little guy, but he’s grown a lot.”
“Ooh… this feels romantic somehow.”
“Ooh what? Don’t start.”
Heather chuckled softly.
Then, magic formed again around Alex.
Whoosh!
Ten flaming spears ignited around him. Baek Eun-seong’s face hardened at the sight.
“Okay, I take back the romantic part.”
Bert also sensed the strong magic power and tensed up.
“…Things are about to get annoying.”
A strong magical explosion erupted nearby. That meant Jaun had made his move.
With that level of magic power, they would likely run into Elin’s group.
The sudden magical blast woke up even the mages who’d been asleep since the late night. One by one, they started coming outside.
As I casually scanned the crowd, I spotted Lee Seo-jun’s face. He looked around and, realizing Jaun had caused another incident, his expression stiffened.
I shifted my gaze slightly toward the rooftop of the building.
Natasha, Scar, Aaron, and Lee Cheong were fighting security officers in front of the airship.
But since they weren’t my objective, I had no reason to get involved with them.
It’s not like I’d make a difference even if I did.
I pulled my black hat down lower, making sure I stayed in a CCTV blind spot. Just in case, I also attached a fake beard and wore a mask over it.
Suspicious? Definitely. But better than getting my identity exposed.
It would be a real hassle if Jaun found out who I was.
Even if I was still “Kim Jinwoo,” it wouldn’t change things.
Atlantis’s security officers were running around in a frenzy.
“Where’s Poseidon now?”
“The group that stole Poseidon is still in the basement. The Association’s been dispatched, but it’ll take about 15 minutes for them to arrive!”
“Fifteen minutes, huh. Do whatever it takes to destroy that airship first!”
I left the surface chaos to them and headed underground.
I arrived at the epicenter on the second basement floor.
As I went down, the magical pressure became stronger than before. I was sweating from the tension.
Just as I was about to run toward the source of the magic, a voice called out from behind me.
“Hey, who goes there?”
I turned around and saw three security officers standing there.
They seemed scared by the distant surge of magical power and had hung back to guard the area.
I pulled my hat lower again.
They narrowed their eyes, sensing something suspicious.
“May I have your name, passenger?”
This is getting troublesome.
After a quick decision, I acted.
I used “Instant Acceleration.”
Time seemed to slow around me, and my body surged with vitality.
Swoosh!
Before they could react, I closed the distance. The officers were startled and tried to respond, but there was no way they could keep up with “Instant Acceleration.”
I enhanced my fists with magic and struck each officer in the head.
Thwack!
“Urgh!”
All three of them collapsed unconscious.
In less than three seconds, it was a clean and flawless execution—so smooth I felt a bit proud.
“Whew.”
I did feel slightly bad, but at least they weren’t seriously hurt.
I dashed toward the direction of the battle once more.
When I arrived, sure enough, a brutal fight was underway.
4 versus 6.
Jaun’s group was outnumbered, but their basic skills were superior, so they were holding their ground.
I hid myself and observed the fight from a safe spot.
After all, I wasn’t here to get involved in the battle.
My goal was to see what happened here—and to minimize any unfavorable future outcomes caused by butterfly effects.
“Ugh! This is getting really annoying!”
Baek Eun-seong shouted in frustration as he fought.
The others in Jaun’s group were in a similar state. They were sweating and gritting their teeth as if something were chasing them.
Which made sense.
Regardless of who was winning, the longer the fight dragged on, the worse it was for Jaun’s team.
They had probably already learned from Natasha’s call that the Association had been dispatched.
If the Association showed up, they didn’t stand a chance.
“…This fight is meaningless now.”
“This won’t do. Jin! Use it!”
Bert, who had been firing electric spikes, shouted loudly.
Jin nodded and pulled a small orb from his waist pouch.
A magical smoke bomb.
It contained a special component that induced hallucinations the moment one came into contact with the smoke.
Boom!
As soon as the smoke grenade hit the ground, it exploded with a massive burst of smoke.
“Cough! Cough!”
The smoke quickly filled the underground space. Before long, the entire area was so thick with smoke that nothing could be seen.
Then, from within the smoke, Bert, Jin, and Heather burst out, each wearing a compact gas mask.
Their plan was to use the smoke to create chaos and make a swift escape.
However, they hadn’t gone far before five Jaun extermination squad members began to pursue them.
I kept my eyes on the waist pocket of the fleeing Jin. Powerful magical energy was leaking from it.
Poseidon was probably inside.
I wondered if I could extract Poseidon without Jin noticing. I activated Nature’s Grasp.
Because Jin was moving so quickly, I had to be both swift and precise.
Ssssss…
Using the power of nature, I opened the pocket. Then, with a delicate control of magical energy, I began pulling Poseidon out.
‘Did it work?’
At that moment, Jin snatched Poseidon back with his hand.
“…What the? Why are you coming out on your own?”
Jin gave a puzzled look and took off running again. Just like that, they disappeared.
“Damn.”
The attempt was good, but it ended in failure.
Tsk. Clicking my tongue, I gave up on Poseidon. It was going to end up in Jaun’s hands anyway.
There’s no use being greedy over it.
I turned my gaze back toward the smoke.
There were still people here.
Baek Eun-seong and Elin.
They were still inside the mist.
Ssssss…
As the smoke gradually cleared, the two of them came into view.
Baek Eun-seong was swinging his spear wildly at empty air with a bewildered look.
“Ugh! What the hell is this?!”
It was a barrier. And a high-level one at that. Within it were only Baek Eun-seong and Elin.
I looked from Baek Eun-seong to Elin.
Elin was sweating cold bullets, her lips trembling.
Dozens of magic circles drawn on her left hand and arm glowed red, emitting tremendous magical power.
Seeing that, I was horrified inside. Using just one tattoo magic causes excruciating pain.
But Elin was simultaneously using not just one, but all the magic circles drawn on her arm.
Baek Eun-seong, too, was stunned at the sight.
“You… are you insane?”
“Hehe… Where do you think you’re going…? You’re not getting away.”
Elin gave a chilling smile. Despite the sweat and her bluish lips, the murderous glare in her eyes remained.
Baek Eun-seong, shocked by her madness, struck the barrier again with his spear.
Kaang!
“You crazy bitch! What kind of magic is this?!”
Realizing the barrier couldn’t be broken, he turned his eyes back to Elin.
“Fine, then I’ll kill you first!”
Wuuuuung──!
Strong magical energy infused his spear, and the tip began to vibrate.
Baek Eun-seong gripped his spear tightly.
Time was running out.
Soon, the Association would storm in.
Especially since they were surrounded by the sea, if he didn’t move quickly, there was a real risk of being captured.
“…I need to kill her fast.”
But the enemy was an S-rank mage. Not someone he could afford to underestimate.
So Baek Eun-seong charged at Elin with his spear.
Fwoosh!
At that moment, Elin activated the magic circle on the back of her right hand, not the left.
Bang!
A pillar of fire erupted from the ground.
“Ugh!”
Baek Eun-seong quickly retreated. This time, one of the magic circles on Elin’s right arm lit up.
Ice spikes materialized behind Baek Eun-seong and shot toward him.
He spun his spear skillfully and smashed them all to pieces.
“Wow. She’s completely insane. She tattooed magic circles all over her damn body!”
Just then, a voice came through his earpiece.
—Hey! Baek Eun-seong, why aren’t you here yet?!
It was Jin’s voice. Baek Eun-seong relaxed his stance briefly and pressed his ear.
“Got caught by some lunatic.”
—What are you talking about?
“I don’t know either. Some barrier magic trapped me. And she’s absolutely nuts.”
—Damn it. Can you stop babbling? We don’t have time.
“I know! Ugh… You don’t get it. I’ve never seen anyone crazier than Theresa—until now.”
—If you don’t come soon, we’re leaving without you.
“What?! Hey! What am I supposed to do?!”
—Swim, obviously. You want us all to die because of you?
Baek Eun-seong scowled at Jin’s words.
“Hey! I can’t swim!”
—Why the hell are you afraid of water, you idiot?!
Just then, another wave of ice spikes flew in from his blind spot. Baek Eun-seong spun his spear with dazzling speed to block the attack.
“Gotta hang up. I’ll take out this maniac and be right there.”
—Five minutes. That’s all you get.
“Yeah.”
After ending the call, Baek Eun-seong turned to Elin with a sharpened glare.
“You’re dead now.”
In that instant, Baek Eun-seong vanished. A strong gust of wind erupted as he reappeared right in front of Elin.
As he closed in, another pillar of fire shot up from the floor.
But Baek Eun-seong didn’t dodge. Instead, he reinforced his body with protective energy and took the hit head-on.
A strategy to give flesh and take bone.
“Only way to deal with a psycho is like a psycho!”
With that, Baek Eun-seong delivered a brutal kick to Elin’s body.
“Guhak!”
Elin screamed in pain and rolled across the floor, then vomited blood.
Ssssss.
The barrier trapping them both vanished.
But Baek Eun-seong didn’t run. He immediately thrust his spear toward Elin’s head.
Just as the spear tip was about to pierce her—
Thump!
Baek Eun-seong instinctively felt something terrifying.
Not with his head—but his instincts—he stopped the attack and jumped back.
And then—
Bang─!
“Gaaah!”
A sphere charged with lightning flew in from somewhere and engulfed Baek Eun-seong’s arm.
“Aaaagh! My arm!”
Crackle. Crackle-crack!
Electricity surged through his entire body, numbing him. Gritting his teeth, Baek Eun-seong looked at his arm.
One of them was gone.
He quickly used magic to close the wound and stop the bleeding.
“…Damn it. What was that?”
The magic that was just fired—
He hadn’t sensed any mana at all.
Baek Eun-seong quickly turned his head in the direction the spell came from.
He saw someone with a cap pulled low.
He recognized him.
No—he could never forget.
That hat. That black jacket.
It was the same guy who told him to “Go choke on this” and handed him a lollipop during the Cup of Life incident.
“You… you! That damn bearded bastard from the Rune Clan!”
At Baek Eun-seong’s shout, Elin—still coughing up blood on the floor—snapped her eyes wide open.
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