Chapter 393

Words : 2655 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

“What are you saying right now?” “We said we’re pulling out.” The Old Magic Tower’s mages spoke firmly, showing no intention of reversing their decision. Although this meeting was called to overcome the situation, the plan went awry from the start. “The exit will open in 2 days anyway. We just need to hold out until then, so I don’t see why we should unnecessarily risk ourselves.” “No, how can you say that so easily when we don’t know what they might do? How can you know what will happen if we just stay inside?” “Whatever these unidentified attackers are trying to do, how long can they last outside the outpost? They fled into an area full of mysterious phenomena, so they’re probably already dead. We just need to fortify the outer walls and stay put.” “You think they’re fools who would do this without preparing for that? They must have a way!” “What way? Are you saying they know something that we of the Old Magic Tower don’t?” “You don’t know everything either, do you?” The Old Magic Tower mages frowned as if they were quite offended. “You’re going too far.” “Aren’t you the ones going too far?” The atmosphere quickly turned hostile. Who would want to risk danger in this situation? Everyone was acting to survive but since the Old Magic Tower mages weren’t willing to take any risks at all, they couldn’t help but draw criticism from other mages. “Are you that scared?” “What did you say? We’re just making a reasonable judgment!” “What’s reasonable about bowing your head like a coward!” “What? Are you done talking?!” Voices gradually grew louder. They were already fighting and tearing each other apart when they needed to join forces. “Stop! That’s enough!” Although Yekaterina stepped in to mediate the situation, it wasn’t easy. The Old Magic Tower mages’ pride reaches the sky. Their attitude is usually arrogant, and now they’ve become extremely sensitive due to various adversities piling up. Despite Yekaterina’s mediation, the mages split into two groups and sneered at each other. “Just like the remnants of the old ways, their actions are always stability-oriented. That’s why they’re regressing like that.” “Look who’s talking, a faction that bears our Magic Tower’s name but has their nose in the sky.” The word ‘faction’ was commonly used when the Old Magic Tower mocked the New Magic Tower. It meant that you broke away from us, implying that they were the original. The Magic Association was no different in having divided opinions. They were, after all, a collection of various medium and small-scale schools. Naturally, their thoughts didn’t align. “Haa.” Even though Yekaterina tried to stop them, the mages’ war of nerves wouldn’t easily subside. Long-accumulated old emotions had unfortunately burst out in the worst situation. ‘What should we do? At this rate, we’ll hit rough waters from the start.’ Yekaterina had a headache. The mages were intellectuals of this era and had strong pride. Even though she was a queen of a country, she couldn’t make them all bow their heads. The fact that the Kasar Basin was a space isolated from the outside also played a big role. After all, in the Night of Mystery, the mages knew far more than Yekaterina herself. ‘It would be nice if someone could help here.’ As if someone had read her mind, a man’s voice echoed through the conference room, which was tense with tension. “Staying here won’t do any good.” Such a calm voice. Because it was so different, ironically, it ended up drawing everyone’s attention. All eyes turned to the speaker, a young man with black hair. “Rudger Chelici.” Someone who recognized Rudger murmured his name. Rudger responded casually. “Since everyone seems to know my name, there’s no need for introductions.” “What do you mean by what you just said? That staying won’t do any good?” One of the Old Magic Tower mages asked with a sharp tone. “The ones who planned this have no intention of leaving us alone.” “How can you be so sure of that?” “Anyone who went to the mansion would know what happened to the Secret Mansion.” Those words caused a stir throughout the conference room. Several mages who hadn’t yet heard the news showed puzzled expressions. “The mansion collapsed. It turned into ruins, unable to withstand the power of the ley lines. The problem is that at the site where the mansion collapsed, the ley lines are overflowing.” “Don’t tell me that pillar visible beyond the forest......” He seemed quite surprised, probably not having been at the scene. The phenomenon of ley line energy gushing up was visible even from the outpost. While the mages didn’t know what was going on, hearing the story made them instinctively realize this was no ordinary matter. “But why is that a problem?” “It is a problem. A very big one at that. Do you think it’s just a coincidence that one of the ley lines ended up like that?” “Are you saying they’re targeting that?” “Sage Limrei intentionally twisted the flow of the ley lines running through the mansion to collapse it. Although that wasn’t his only goal, what’s happening beyond the forest now is the result.” The representative of the Old Magic Tower, an elderly mage, frowned. “Right. You were with Limrei, they say. That’s quite reliable information. But why should we believe it?” Rudger looked at him as if asking what he meant. The old mage snorted. “I’m saying you might have been involved in Limrei’s work.” “That statement implies you suspect me and our team members.” “You mean Sempas and Roina Pavlini? Why not suspect them?” “What?!” The one who burst out at this point was a mage from the Magic Association. Everyone in this room knew that Roina was a member of the Magic Association and a Lexer-grade mage representing them. “Is the Old Magic Tower suspecting us now?!” “We’re just keeping possibilities open, that’s all.” The old mage deflected while staring at Rudger. “Or am I wrong?” “I understand.” Rudger’s response to the question of whether he was wrong was quite out of place. “What do you understand?” “Ignorance isn’t a crime. When you know nothing, isn’t it natural to think that way?” Though roundabout, it meant ‘you’re saying that because you’re stupid.’ To a mage, who symbolizes intelligence, this was one of the most insulting remarks. The mage who received this counter twisted his face. “What!” “Do you know how many ley lines flow through the Kasar Basin?” Instead of responding to that anger, Rudger immediately threw out a question. “What are you plotting now!” “Don’t you know?” “You...!” The old mage was about to shout something but, conscious of the surrounding gazes, calmed his anger. “...It’s 5.” “Fortunately, you do know. The Kasar Basin is a separate world created by 5 ley lines pooling in one place. And the one that burst this time is one of them, the ley line that flowed beneath the Secret Mansion.” The overflowing energy was now spreading outward and the surrounding area must have become quite a wasteland. “The Kasar Basin is like a dam containing vast mana. One of the pillars supporting it has collapsed. Their intention is obvious. They plan to collapse the other pillars in the same way.” “What? Then this place...” “Will collapse. The moment the flow of the ley lines twists, that massive energy will collide with itself. What do you think will happen after that?” “...A terrible catastrophe will occur.” That was exactly what the Black Dawn Society was aiming for. And the aftermath of the Kasar Basin’s collapse wouldn’t simply end within the basin. The terrifying chain of destruction would spread along the flow of the ley lines, leading to the collapse of the entire surrounding area. “There are three cities nearby. Not to mention the villages where people live. How many people do you think will die if this situation unfolds?” “......” The mages fell silent. They finally realized what the enemy was targeting, and how serious the current situation was. “You said they went outside? Then they’re targeting other ley lines. If we don’t stop them quickly, something terrible will happen.” “Wait. Then something’s strange. The Secret Mansion is one thing, but other places could have mysterious phenomena occur at any time. How can they move around such places like their own backyard?” Even after many years of research by numerous mages gathered together, they couldn’t understand these phenomena. It didn’t make sense that unknown people would know about it. “When exactly did they make their move?” “What? Why suddenly...” “Did they not react after the mansion’s ley lines started to twist?” The one who answered that question was Yekaterina. “That’s right. Something happened beyond the forest, and enormous beasts rushed toward the outpost.” “And then they revealed their true colors inside. After causing indiscriminate destruction, they escaped outside in an organized manner.” Derek let out a groan. “Are you saying they were targeting the destabilization of one ley line from the beginning?” “Yes.” “...I see. After all, mysterious phenomena occur on top of ley line flows. If one ley line gets twisted, it’s bound to be affected.” “If we stay idle in the outpost, that’s exactly what they want.” Rudger spoke while staring directly at the Old Magic Tower mages. The Old Magic Tower bristled at that pathetic gaze but couldn’t open their mouths. They weren’t unaware of how foolish their recent actions had been. “But how are they planning to destroy the ley lines? Even if they have a plan, the energy flowing from the ley lines isn’t something humans can touch.” One of the Magic Association mages voiced an opinion. Actually, after knowing this land was created by the flow of massive ley lines, there were attempts by mages to somehow utilize it but they all failed. That’s how massive the energy flowing beneath the earth was. While you could change the course of a moderate stream, you couldn’t change a massive river. “Handling it and recklessly twisting its flow are clearly different. Naturally, the method would be easier and simpler. For instance, causing an explosion at the core area where the ley line flows.” “That’s impossible!” “Why do you think it’s impossible?” “Well, because until now there’s never been...” “There is no precedent. Then was the mansion’s collapse something that had precedent? If that was impossible, how do you think the Secret Mansion drew and used the ley line’s energy?” “That, that’s...” “Not knowing something and there being no method are clearly different.” That statement from Rudger was the decisive blow. “So instead of just spending time in the outpost, we need to go directly to where the ley lines are and stop them. If not...” “...If not?” “Everyone will die.” At that shocking statement, everyone stared at Rudger with wide eyes. Their reaction seemed to ask how he knew all this. Rudger immediately added: “...That was the message from Mage Roina Pavlini.” “Lady Roina’s message?” “She told me to relay this to you.” All these opinions came from Roina, and I’m just the messenger. When Rudger said that, the mages immediately seemed to accept it. “If it’s Lady Roina’s analysis, it’s trustworthy.” “So she was analyzing this situation even at this moment.” “Perhaps her absence from this meeting is because she’s trying to find even one more piece of information instead of spending time in discussion.” If Roina had been here, she probably would have grabbed Rudger’s collar asking when she ever said such things. A heavy silence pressed down on the conference room. In the end, the enormous catastrophe looming before them weighed heavily on everyone’s minds. “Alright. It seems the situation is roughly sorted out now.” Queen Yekaterina stepped forward, drawing the mages’ attention again. “We now need to chase after that unidentified group and protect the ley lines. One out of five has already been destroyed, so four remain.” “The enemies probably split into four groups and headed for each ley line. We need to stop them as quickly as possible.” “No. Three.” The one who stepped forward then was the old mage who had been consistently dissatisfied. Everyone gave him looks wondering what he was going to say now, and the old mage made an unpleasant expression. “There are 4 remaining ley lines total. But we only need to worry about 3 because one of the ley lines is right beneath us.” “Beneath? You mean the outpost?” “Yes. This outpost was built on top of one of the ley lines. That’s why we could endure in this Kasar Basin for so long.” “Don’t tell me the reason the enemies suddenly caused terror inside was...” “They were trying to destroy this place’s ley line. But when they failed, they headed for the next ley line.” The Black Dawn Society’s plan itself was plausible, but what they overlooked was how quickly the mages responded despite the sudden betrayal. What made this possible was Yekaterina’s presence. Even in the suddenly unfolding situation, Yekaterina gathered people and commanded them, allowing the chaotic situation to be sorted out faster than expected. ‘She was helpful in this aspect.’ If Yekaterina hadn’t been there, two ley lines would have been destroyed by now. It was fortunate among misfortunes. They had managed to protect one out of the five ley lines, after all. But the score was now 1 to 1. And there were still 3 ley lines that hadn’t collapsed yet. With just one ley line, the mysterious phenomena in the Kasar Basin had weakened. If a second one breaks, who knows what will happen next. “We need to protect at least 3 out of the 5 ley lines.” “That’s the minimum. We must approach this with the mindset that we can’t give up even one.” “We need to form teams. Split into three.” “We should leave some people inside to prepare for possible surprise attacks. We also need to take care of the injured.” Operation starts in 30 minutes. Until then, they agreed to prepare, select personnel, and meet again. The meeting ended like that. Everyone dispersed to make their choices, leaving the tent. This was true for Rudger as well. ‘There’s no time to spare, but it’s not critically urgent yet. Since the locations of the remaining ley lines aren’t precisely known, they’ll also need considerable time to find them.’ To destroy a ley line, you need to strike its exact flow core. It was a complex process that required simultaneous strikes in multiple places, not just one. ‘Right after the mysterious phenomena ended, no matter how much they hurry, they’ll need time, and if we hurry, we can stop them.’ However, something bothered him. ‘But it’s still strange. I thought their command system would be shaken with Old Man Limrei dead.’ For that, the process of striking the outpost and retreating after the mansion’s collapse was too quick. ‘Is there still someone giving commands?’ As Rudger headed toward the central plaza where Roina and Arpa would be, pondering these thoughts, his eyes caught someone beyond a half-destroyed tent. “You...” A girl with bright blonde hair was peering out with just her head from behind the tent and she was someone he had seen before.

Chapter 393

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