“I’ll find it by tonight.”

Jin Siwoo declared with a determined resolve, as if failure wasn’t an option.

[Contractor… Is Cynthia going to be okay?]

Gamut’s concern was met with a nod from me.

Cynthia isn’t a weak spirit. She can take care of herself, as long as she doesn’t overdo it.

‘As long as she doesn’t try to lead the charge to save someone…’

If things go awry, she can always return to the spirit realm. With the mana I’ve given her, she should be able to maintain her presence in the human world for over a month.

‘But if it comes to a fight…’

Then even Cynthia’s safety isn’t guaranteed. Who knows what kind of experiments they might use Hana for, or how long Cynthia can hold out. We need to hurry.

‘Tonight…’

At least I have a couple of hours to spare. There’s no more exam supervision today…

‘I need to prepare.’

I quickly drew a magic circle. A connection theme spell, a means to contact the old man.

[Another request, is it?]

“I have a favor to ask.”

[A favor? As long as the price is right.]

Emotionally, I wanted to charge in right away, but this was enemy territory. I wasn’t about to rush in unprepared.

“Can you deliver the item to the place I want?”

[Of course. It’ll cost extra, though.]

Money wasn’t an issue.

[Alright, then.]

I relayed the necessary items and time to him.

[The location? Didn’t you say to deliver it wherever you wanted?]

“The location is where I am, at the specified time.”

[You want me to track your mana?]

“Yes.”

[…You know that’s illegal, right?]

Tracking someone’s mana without permission was against the law.

“Since when did you start caring about that?”

[Has it been about ten years since we met?]

“Are you saying you can’t do it?”

[Of course not. But it’ll cost you a bit more.]

I heard a chuckle.

[Oh, and one more thing.]

Just as he was about to end the call, the old man’s voice continued.

[Your student, Shin Haeryeong, was it?]

Why bring her up now?

[There’s one more condition for this deal. Arrange a meeting with her for me.]

“You want me to sell out my student?”

My voice carried a hint of displeasure.

[Not sell. I’m thinking of retiring soon. I need to train a successor, don’t I?]

“You want to take on a student?”

In all my lives, I’d never seen this old man take on a student. With his transcendent knowledge of magical engineering, it would be a great opportunity for Shin Haeryeong.

[I’m willing to pass on everything I know.]

With her thirst for knowledge, Shin Haeryeong would likely welcome this chance.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t agree to that.”

But my answer was a refusal.

[Why not?]

“That’s a decision for her to make.”

She’s already worn out from Shin Haeseong’s demands. It’s up to Shin Haeryeong to choose, not me.

[Is that so.]

“Yes. If you need extra payment, I’ll handle it with money.”

[Understood. I’ll prepare as you requested.]

As the connection spell ended, I placed Draconyx on the desk. The bullets were sufficient, and the gun itself was in good condition.

‘To kill Baran, I’ll need to hit him with a soul theme spell directly.’

I failed in the last battle. Even though the bullet hit him square in the head, he managed to dodge my magic by severing his own neck.

‘Did he let his guard down? Or…’

I pondered for a moment. What would it take to manifest a soul theme spell that even he couldn’t avoid?

‘Maybe I can do it like with Venomous.’

If I could trap him in one place, I could unleash the soul theme spell on his entire body. But trapping him? Baran?

‘…I’ll need to think more about that.’

With only two hours left, there wasn’t enough time to devise a foolproof trap he couldn’t escape.

‘I’ll figure it out during the fight.’

I decided to put it on hold for now, recalling how I’d often determined the best approach while battling dark wizards.

Two hours after Hana was kidnapped, around four o’clock, my head was still throbbing, but my mind was clear.

“…It’s quiet.”

Hana wasn’t the talkative type. Still, the lab felt unusually silent without her presence. They say you don’t notice when someone’s there, but you do when they’re gone. And without Cynthia’s chatter…

‘I need to bring her back.’

Hana was my assistant. Initially, I saw her as a clue to finding Min Haejin, but two months was enough time to grow attached.

Sensing a presence outside the door, I stood up.

“I found it, sir.”

Jin Siwoo announced as he entered. There was no need to ask what he’d found.

“Good.”

I glanced around the lab once more. The quiet space felt strangely unfamiliar now.

‘…I need to bring her back.’

I decided to push away any negative thoughts. Was my mental state intact? Not really. But I forced a smile anyway. It was just a minor incident, and soon the lab would be bustling again.

“Let’s go.”

Tucking Draconyx into my coat, I walked past Jin Siwoo and out of the lab.

***

The Dark Cult had several branches, each hidden discreetly. If Cynthia hadn’t come along…

‘I wouldn’t have found it this quickly.’

Jin Siwoo and I climbed the mountain. There’s no better place to hide than a mountain.

– Are you sure the two of us are enough?

When Shinseong Company offered to send more people, I shook my head. Leaving the school unguarded could lead to another dark wizard incident.

‘I’m worried about Hana too.’

If they felt threatened, who knows what they’d do to her. We needed to move discreetly, with as few people as possible.

“I’m curious if this item will really help.”

Jin Siwoo said, fiddling with the carpet in his hand.

“It’ll work.”

It’s something the old man made. Unless it’s someone as extraordinary as Jin Siwoo, it should fool their eyes.

“We’ll proceed as planned.”

Standing at the edge of the lab’s boundary, I spoke, and Jin Siwoo nodded silently.

‘I’ll act as if I came alone.’

There’s no chance they’re watching. I’ve checked multiple times to ensure we’re not being monitored.

“Then I’ll stay hidden until you give the signal.”

With the carpet draped over him, Jin Siwoo vanished without a trace.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Standing at the boundary, I aimed Draconyx. All I could see were trees, but the gun was pointed precisely at one spot.

– Bang.

To break the barrier, I needed to reverse-engineer the magic, but that wasn’t necessary now. We needed to enter discreetly, and all I needed was a small crack they wouldn’t notice.

– Whoosh…

As the bullet pierced through, a previously invisible building came into view. I stepped inside cautiously. The interior felt like an abandoned hospital.

‘No one…’

I moved carefully, but all I heard were my own footsteps. Occasionally, the stench of decay made me gag, but there was no immediate threat. Yet, I felt uneasy.

‘…This place.’

After walking for a while, I finally saw light. It was seeping from a distant room.

‘Déjà vu.’

Despite the strong sense of déjà vu, I crept forward, holding my breath. I approached the room with the light and peeked inside.

Once again, there was no one. Just a fluorescent light illuminating the floor.

– Bang!

“…!”

Startled by the sudden noise, I approached cautiously. A curtain surrounded a bed, and I could see a shadow on the other side.

‘A dark wizard?’

I pulled back the curtain with Draconyx aimed, and my brow furrowed.

– Flash!

The abandoned hospital began to transform around me. Cracked walls mended themselves, and flickering lights stabilized. Dust vanished, revealing a familiar place. I knew where I was.

‘An illusion, after all.’

I realized it before entering the room. The moment I felt déjà vu, I knew. But…

‘How can I ignore this?’

My gaze followed the barrel of Draconyx. It was aimed directly at the bed, where a woman sat.

“How was your day?”

“…You dark wizards really know how to disgust someone.”

“Dark wizard? What are you talking about?”

If it’s an illusion, I could break it by reversing the spell. Or I could just shoot the woman, the center of this illusion, and escape. But…

“Ha Jun, is something wrong?”

“Mother…”

Facing the woman who had died in my past life, I found myself lowering my arm, Draconyx and all.

***

“Baran is truly amazing!”

The moment they succeeded in retrieving the first sacrifice, Baran had already anticipated Lee Jaesang’s arrival. He instructed his senior dark wizard to set a trap, and as expected, they successfully ensnared Lee Jaesang in an illusion spell.

“Then, enjoy your dreams.”

The red-eyed dark wizard looked down at the unconscious Lee Jaesang and smiled.

‘No matter how strong his mind is, he can’t escape my magic!’

The forced application of dream theme magic, one of the illusion spells used by dark wizards.

‘What a foolish man.’

To walk right into a trap like that.

‘Why does Baran even bother with someone like him?’

It was beyond comprehension.

‘If I accidentally kill him, I won’t be blamed, right?’

If I claim he resisted too strongly, Baran wouldn’t be too upset.

“Yes, let’s kill him. I’ll kill him and align myself with Baran!”

The dark wizard’s blackened fingers reached for Lee Jaesang’s throat.

“Get your filthy hands off me, you bastard!”

“What the—!?”

— Whoosh!

The dark sorcerer, who had been reaching for Lee Jaesang’s throat, recoiled in shock. A massive spear of water had just pierced the spot where he stood moments before.

“You dare threaten my contractor…!”

A woman with flowing blue hair stepped in front of Lee Jaesang, blocking the sorcerer’s path.

“So, you were hiding all along, you wretched spirit!”

The dark sorcerer quickly assumed a battle stance. He had thought the water spirit had fled, nearly invisible, after their last encounter. Yet here she was, still lingering.

“What can you possibly do in that fading form of yours?” he sneered.

Lee Jaesang, lost in a dream, couldn’t supply her with magic. Normally, he wouldn’t stand a chance against such a high-level spirit alone.

‘All I need to do is stall. She’ll vanish on her own.’

A mocking smile crept across his face. With her transparency, he wouldn’t even need to exert much effort.

“Foolish spirit. I’ll kill you and send your contractor to join you!”

Black mana began to coalesce in the sorcerer’s hand. Silent incantation. The sorcerer’s domain was always under a full moon.

— Swoosh!

Cynthia raised a barrier of water to block the sorcerer’s attack. But with each defense, her body grew more transparent, and it was clear she couldn’t hold out much longer.

“What can you possibly do!?” the sorcerer raged, his face twisted with madness as he unleashed more magic.

Cynthia, nearly invisible now, gritted her teeth and held her ground.

“Endure this…! How about this, then!”

The sorcerer gathered a massive amount of black mana. Cynthia knew instinctively that she couldn’t stop it.

‘No.’

She raised another water barrier, refusing to back down. Her mind was consumed with the need to protect Lee Jaesang.

“Disappear with him!”

The enormous mass of black mana hurtled toward Cynthia. She could block it once with her water barrier, but then what? What would happen to her contractor after she was gone?

Just as Cynthia braced herself, a voice cut through the tension.

“I haven’t received any orders, but…”

Jin Siwoo appeared suddenly.

“I’ll take it upon myself to intervene.”

Without hesitation, Jin Siwoo charged at the black mana sphere.

— Slash!

With a single strike, the black mana split and dissipated into the air.

“What the—!?”

Jin Siwoo landed gracefully, his gaze fixed on the dark sorcerer through the slit of his helmet.

“I’ll protect you first, and accept any punishment later, Mr. Lee Jaesang.”

“Who… who are you!?”

“Jin Siwoo, team leader at Shinsung Company.”

The sorcerer had only been briefed about Lee Jaesang.

‘Actually, this might work out better.’

Shinsung Company was notorious for meddling at Shinhwa High. If he could kill a team leader, his plans would become much simpler.

Moreover…

“I’ll have to change my strategy.”

Lee Jaesang was still trapped in his dream, wasn’t he?

“I’ll kill him first, then deal with the rest!”

“You think you can kill him? I don’t see how.”

“Can’t you see? He’s trapped in my magic. If he dies in the illusion…”

“An illusion? You think he would die from something so trivial? How foolish.”

Jin Siwoo spoke softly.

“He stands at the pinnacle of humanity and will one day reach the heavens.”

“That’s nonsense…!”

The dark sorcerer clenched his fist, ready to crush Lee Jaesang, but then…

“…What?”

He sensed something was off.

Behind Jin Siwoo, beside Cynthia…

“Haa…”

Lee Jaesang was slowly rising to his feet.

“How, how, how is this possible!!!”

“How do you think?”

Lee Jaesang’s eyes burned with fury.

“I’m too extraordinary to be trapped by such pathetic magic.”

— Click.

The Draconix was aimed at the dark sorcerer.

“Thanks for the nice dream, you idiot.”

— Bang.

The bullet flew swiftly through the air.