Chapter 124

Episode 124

#124. Encounter at the Demon Den (1)

“Over here!”

“Found it!”

How long has it been since we settled into the Magic Realm?

Finally, the knights have discovered the concealed barrier of the ancient ruins. They swung their faintly glowing swords through the air.

SWOOOSH!

A crack appeared in the air, revealing the true space beneath.

‘This is the legacy of the Golden Age.’

The first ancient ruin I’ve seen since being reincarnated in this world was quite impressive.

It kind of gave off that ancient ruin tourism vibe.

‘This has its own charm.’

But that was about it.

The more I explored the Demon Den, the less interesting and exciting it became.

‘Guess there’s nothing special after all.’

I’m a veteran player from Silver Era 1. I already knew the locations and existence of undiscovered Golden Age ruins.

But I didn’t feel the need to risk exploring them.

These hidden Golden Age ruins in the Magic Realm weren’t necessary for me. The body of Arad that I reincarnated into contains all the knowledge from the peak of the Silver Era 100 years later.

Much of that knowledge originated from relics unearthed by imperial adventurers. Imperial mages decoded, organized, applied, and developed those findings.

All that information is already inside my head.

‘The Silver Era’s magical civilization equaled or surpassed the Golden Age. It wasn’t called the Platinum Era for nothing.’

I watched as the knights boldly entered the fully revealed Demon Den. Priests and magicians were carefully focusing their breathing.

The ominous dark energy grew stronger, as if confirming it was indeed the Demon Den.

“Maintain strict vigilance! Report even the slightest anomaly!”

Valkyrie especially looked most serious among everyone present. She seemed to hope finding a clue to cure Ariana here.

Looking at Valkyrie’s expression made me feel both sorry and apologetic.

‘The quality of Golden Age ruins in the Magic Realm tends to be poor…’

Back when the Golden Age fell, the ancient mages who lived here weren’t exactly welcomed in their own time.

This place was essentially a prison and exile site for mages back then.

‘The people of this era have unrealistic fantasies about the Golden Age.’

Of course, the Golden Age was remarkable. It felt like combining Ancient Rome, Egypt, and the Song Dynasty at its height.

Meaning it wasn’t some utopia like Atlantis or the Yao-Shun era.

‘Especially the ruins in the Magic Realm.’

Looking around the Demon Den built atop the ancient ruins, I frowned.

Each ancient character on the walls represented inhumane incantations, reminiscent of the Aztec cannibal civilization.

‘This place should be sealed after we’re done here.’

Now I understand why the empire left the Demon Den alone despite knowing about it – there wasn’t much to gain in terms of materials or knowledge.

“Hem!”

I gave another warning to our group.

“According to intel, there are children who haven’t even begun studying magic in the Demon Den.”

Despite the Demon Den and Golden Age ruins being unnecessary…

The reason I personally came here despite the danger and inconvenience is simple.

Talent.

“Absolutely! Under no circumstances should they be killed indiscriminately! These children can become perfectly usable magicians with proper education.”

High-level talent is extremely rare in Lenslet.

It’s estimated that Isaac gathered promising individuals while traveling across the continent.

‘Maybe we’ll find someone talented in Spirit Arts!’

The thought of acquiring more walking human heavy equipment sent my heart rate up.

“Alright. Kids haven’t done anything wrong after all.”

“Hmm… But since it’s Lord Jin’s orders, we’ll do our best to comply.”

Though reluctant, the knights and priests accepted my repeated requests after we set out.

If I hadn’t come along, they probably would have wiped out the children and claimed they were already dead.

“Will the Arad Group be raising these children directly?”

“I don’t plan to run an orphanage. I’ll send them to the academy and let the Mage Guild raise them properly.”

“Yes sir!”

On the other hand, the magicians, who had less prejudice against black magic, looked particularly bright-eyed and enthusiastic.

Thus, filled with excitement and anticipation, we thoroughly searched the Demon Den.

“It’s strangely quiet…”

As time passed, our expressions grew increasingly tense.

“Did they escape?”

The Demon Den wasn’t wide but was deep and complex, requiring careful inspection.

Even so, by now we should have heard some noise or conversation.

BEEP

‘Huh?’

That’s when the radar disk I was carrying showed an unnatural marking.

“There’s something. Behind that wall.”

I pointed in the direction indicated by the radar.

“Heard it! Slash!”

Valkyrie and the knights immediately cut through the wall like human buzzsaws.

“It could be a trap or decoy. The signal seems suspicious.”

“Understood.”

When Valkyrie kicked down the severed wall with her foot, it collapsed easily, revealing a hidden space behind what appeared to be a solid wall.

“Tsk tsk tsk… It’s not a trap, so rest assured.”

At the same time, a voice responded from within, having clearly overheard our conversation.

“Who goes there!”

Valkyrie shouted, raising her sword aura.

“Are you Valkyrie the Frost Blade? This is my first time seeing you in person.”

Despite facing the killing intent of a Swordmaster, the man inside remained perfectly calm.

He appeared to be an old man around Valkyrie’s age, wearing elegant robes that marked him as a high-ranking mage.

“Oh dear…”

“My goodness.”

The problem was the bodies surrounding the man, presumed to be his doing.

“…You killed them all?”

“I put great effort into sending them as peacefully and painlessly as possible with this old body.”

From young children to youths, all wearing black robes, lay dead.

They seemed to be the lower-tier black mages and children we had been searching for.

“Ugh…”

Valkyrie tensed, but not because of the old man’s deeds.

“You’re no ordinary opponent, Lord Arad.”

“Yes, I agree.”

Because the mana, presence, and atmosphere emanating from the old man were far from ordinary.

“Could it be…?”

“Based on my guess…”

“Hmm? Someone you know?”

“Yes, likely.”

I thought I knew the identity of the old man.

“Isn’t this a humble place for the highest esteemed figure of the Golden Tower?”

There was one person I hadn’t met since coming to this world.

But my intuition (the 2D illustration and feel from Silver Era 1) told me the truth.

The identity of this person is Yulkaneis, the master of the Empire’s Golden Tower.

“Hooh?”

When I called out the old man’s name, the golden eyes of the Archmage lit up strangely.

“What?! Yulkaneis??”

The surprised voices of my party echoed.

While we knew he wasn’t an ordinary old man, this revelation was still unexpected.

“Are you Arad Jin, the sorcerer of the North?”

Yulkaneis’s gaze was fixed solely on me.

“I may not be a sorcerer, but I am indeed Baron Arad Jin.”

Given who he was, I addressed him respectfully. His status, age, and power warranted respect from even this Confucian youth.

“You recognize me instantly. Have we met before?”

“I’ve heard rumors carried by the wind, but this is our first meeting.”

“Hmm…”

Yulkaneis continued to regard me with a strange look.

FLASH

Suddenly, his golden eyes took on an unnatural quality.

‘Spirit magic!’

There’s no doubt that was spirit magic.

‘…?’

But it had no effect on me.

“!”

When I resisted his spirit magic, Yulkaneis looked surprised, widening his eyes slightly.

‘What?’

I was equally shocked.

An 8th Circle Archmage’s spirit magic.

Even my protective magical artifact would struggle to defend against it.

‘Could it be… thanks to constant exposure to that necklace Ariana always wears?’

My guess is that somehow it strengthened my resistance.

“…”

“…”

In any case, this mutual failure increased our wariness of each other.

“Are the children around here the work of the Golden Tower Master?”

Casually trying to appear nonchalant, I asked the 8th Circle Archmage.

“Yes.”

“Why did you kill them? Isn’t their talent wasted?”

“Sorcerer of the North, it seems you don’t know everything.”

Yulkaneis smirked at my question.

“Children with aptitude for black magic generally possess souls favored by dark spirits. Meaning, they tend to have significant innate issues. They show no hesitation in damaging life or causing suffering. In fact, they derive excitement and pleasure from it.”

WHOOSH

Upon finishing his explanation, Yulkaneis gestured to burn the surrounding bodies.

Given the location, it was likely to prevent them from becoming undead.

‘They could have been retrained through mind control magic…’

Just for that reason, did he kill them? Watching the burning bodies, I silently lamented.

“So, why did the Golden Tower Master come here personally? I heard you’re very busy…”

There was no need to ask how an 8th Circle Magus arrived here.

The tower must have known about the Demon Den’s long collaboration with them, and he likely teleported here using 8th Circle magic.

‘I wonder what his purpose is?’

Besides talented children, what could he possibly gain from this Demon Den to warrant coming in person?

“A mage’s intuition. I felt someone I wanted to meet would soon arrive if I waited here.”

“Was the person you wanted to meet me?”

“That’s right.”

“Is there still a rat in the High City? My position and destination are supposed to be top secret.”

“In order to avoid creating an aggrieved party, I suppose I should explain further.”

Yulkaneis smiled kindly like a grandfather and continued.

“When you reach my level, you see. You can control familiars from very far away.”

CHIRP

As he spoke, an owl perched on the mage’s shoulder.

“Though the distance is too great for clear vision or sound, I can vaguely see general actions and directions.”

True to form, the overly informative magician shared unnecessary details.

“Wowwww… Incredible! So 8th Circle really is amazing, huh?!”

Impressed and respectful, I praised his achievements, hoping to coax more unsolicited high-level information.

“Hahahaha! And furthermore… Hmm? Cough!”

Caught up in the moment, Yulkaneis started to continue before catching himself mid-sentence.

“…What greatness? You’re the greater one.”

His face suggested ‘Did you dare try to lead me into divulging secrets?’

SIZZLE SIZZLE SWISH

At his glare, Valkyrie and the knights began channeling mana into their swords.

Regardless of the circumstances, one of the empire’s greatest threats targeting me was undeniable.

“Woah woah woah, everyone calm down.”

Sensing the hostility, Yulkaneis quickly waved his hands.

“I have no intention of kidnapping the sorcerer of the North or fighting you all. Even I find battling Valkyrie the Frost Blade burdensome.”

“We won’t be swayed by persuasion either.”

“Figured as much. I just wanted to have a conversation. Since you don’t seem inclined to visit the capital.”

Calmly keeping the knights and Valkyrie at bay, I maintained eye contact with Yulkaneis.

Excitement, anticipation, tension, and caution bubbled in my chest.

‘Yulkaneis. Father of Arcanepunk magical engineering in the empire. Restorer of magic circuits. Pioneer of magic conduits.’

The old man before me was one of the top three named characters in the game.

How famous was he? He was regularly mentioned even in Silver Era 1, which took place 100 years later.

Especially in production professions, his portrait kept popping up wherever you went.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

No wonder Arad’s body reacted strongly.

To Arad, a max-level crafting specialist, meeting Yulkaneis must feel like meeting a world-famous soccer star.

‘What kind of person is he really? Is he truly a dragon taking a leisurely stroll, as the rumors suggest?’

On the other hand, I, Jin Yuseong, couldn’t help but feel some worry and fear.

In the original history, Yulkaneis’ accomplishments were legendary.

So much so that conspiracy theories emerged in later generations suggesting he might actually be a dragon.

“I’d like to hear the reason you came to see me.”

Maintaining composure and calmness, I faced this historical mystery.

“…”

In response to my inquiry, Yulkaneis remained silent for a moment, merely observing me with his peculiar golden eyes.

“The feeling of your soul is strange. Considering how you easily resisted my earlier mental attack…”

“?!”

Then Yulkaneis began muttering to himself as he observed me.

“Your aura, presence, and mana are weaker than a low-level magician’s. However… Perhaps there exists some unknown high-level polymorph beyond our knowledge.”

“…”

After muttering a few more words, he finally asked me seriously.

[Could it be… A Great One?]

Through telepathy, not spoken aloud.

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