Chapter 140: Terror (2)

Chapter 140: Terror (2)

Terror (2)

Two gorgeous women in their late twenties were chatting in a cafe.

“Hey, Sola, it looks like you’ve dialed down on chocolate lately. You used to gulp down three chocolate frappes.”

“I just found something sweeter than chocolate.”

Im Sol was catching up with a friend at the cafe, taking a break from her usual research focus to honor a postponed promise during the festival. She had initially planned to meet Min Yeji, the Iron Guild’s team leader, yesterday, but had to reschedule for today due to an appointment with Baek Ahyeong. As they hadn’t seen each other in a while, they had plenty to catch up on.

“So, I had this intense argument with the old geezer who heads the association.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

Sip.

“And my guild leader is pushing me to do something about it quickly. Ugh, there’s just too much to do.”

“Well, guilds do have a lot on their plate.”

Whenever Min Yeji started a conversation, Im Sol would respond naturally. They had known each other since their student days. Im Sol transitioned to a professor after a short stint in magic research, while Min Yeji joined a large guild for money and fame. One became an invited professor at Victoria Academy, and the other became a guild team leader, marking both as successful in their respective fields.

“It’s not like being a professor is... I can’t just sit still. I want to earn more money too.”

“What’s the use of all that money? You already have plenty.”

“No matter how much I earn, it’s never enough.” Min Yeji tapped her smartwatch again to check if she had received a call from her superior. Every time Im Sol saw her like this, she thought she made the right decision not joining the guild.

“Sigh... I should’ve contacted Lee Hoyeon during the festival. I don’t even know where he is now.”

“Yeah, I don’t know either. I haven’t seen him once during the festival.”

Im Sol found it more annoying if Hoyeon bothered her than seeing her friend dealing with her superior.

Ugh, how can they expect me to contact someone when we don’t even know where they are? Insane.”

“Calm down. If you pray to the heavens, you might meet him eventually.”

Boom! Boom!

At that moment, unidentified explosions sounded from outside.

“...!”

They both immediately got up and went outside. Smoke was rising from various places at the festival, and people were in a panic.

“It’s a terrorist attack... I’ll go help with the rescue.”

As a professor at the academy, Im Sol felt obligated to prevent the terrorist act. However, Min Yeji stopped her as she tried to run towards the smoke.

“Sola, wait. Something’s off about this.”

As a team leader of a large guild, Min Yeji was familiar with fighting against the Pandemic. Hence, she could sense the unfamiliarity in the terrorism.

“The smoke is too weak compared to the sound of the explosion. There might be additional attacks. We need to observe the situation for a moment.”

“You’re right...”

Im Sol calmly assessed the situation. Despite the loud noise, there were no visible injuries. While scanning the surroundings for suspicious individuals, Hoyeon caught Im Sol’s eye.

“Oh?”

“Did you find someone suspicious?”

“No, there... look.”

Min Yeji also noticed Hoyeon and looked in that direction. With flames in both hands, he was pushing through the crowd. He thrust the flames into the face of a security guard, who fell to the ground.

“Aaah!”

The security guard covered his face with his hands, writhing on the ground.

“What is he doing?”

“...!”

Both Min Yeji and Im Sol were shocked and ran towards Hoyeon.

***

In the midst of the panic, I shoved my way through the people desperately clinging to the security guards. Thanks to my Mana Sensitivity, I could detect the demon disguised as a security guard drawing mana from within.

Sizzle!

Without a second thought, I planted a fiery punch into the demon’s face.

“Aaah!”

“Keep your distance! It’s a demon!”

Gurgle-gurgle.

The demon’s face twisted as the transformation progressed. I shouted to make people move away. I decided it was more efficient to deal with the demon quickly rather than alerting everyone their presence among the guards.

“What, what’s going on?!”

“Someone’s dead! Lee Hoyeon attacked a guard!”

“Oh, my, my. Could this old man burden you a bit...”

I approached an elderly man sprawled out in the explosion aftermath, potentially nursing a leg injury. With a concerned look, I extended support. The old man, groaning, reached for my hand.

“Ugh!!” Simultaneously, the old man launched a dagger attack with his remaining hand.

Slice—

Despite the attack’s speed, the dagger met an effortless blockade from the Cotton Guard I had prepared ahead.

“Since when did you know?”

“Naturally, from the get-go, Mr. Gil Steven.” I chuckled at the old man’s bewildered expression. It’s always amusing to witness those who believe they’re clever being caught off guard.

“How on earth do you even know my name...? There are hardly any people within the Pandemic who know my true face. Is there a spy?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Thump.

My heart skipped a beat. The faint activation of Battle Sense hinted at a slight increase in tension. As expected, my judgment was spot-on. The first executive to show up is someone I can easily overpower. My growth rate surpasses the original work by a wide margin.

Gil stood up, drawing his mana. “For my master... I will bring the sacrifice no matter what.”

“You’re truly insane.”

Most executives in the Pandemic are in such fanatic states, thanks to Maestro’s ability.

Gil’s body became agitated, and turbulent mana surged. Of course, I remained entirely unfazed.

“Die...!”

As his mana surged, a magic circle formed. I tampered with the core circuit, and the spell crumbled.

“What... how?!”

“Well... I wanted some practical material for my research paper, but its quality is disappointingly low.”

“What nonsense!”

Realizing his magic wasn’t working, he turned around and began to flee. He experienced the difference in skill firsthand.

“Ah, such a feeble creature makes a quick judgment.”

Gil stood by the central fountain in front of the academy auditorium, and I followed suit.

“Just give up now, will you?”

I tried to stall for time, hoping to extract information, but it seemed like a wasted effort.

“Kuk, kuk... I will ignite the final flame. For my master!”

“...”

As soon as he finished speaking, the mana in his body rapidly began to disappear.

What is this? A trap?

The place where he stood is the Academy Hall of Fame, showcasing statues, portraits, and artifacts owned by the academy...

Wair, artifacts?

I immediately used Mana Sensitivity towards the Hall of Fame. Since about an hour had passed since the terror incident, people were roughly evacuated. Fortunately, there were no people inside. However, I sensed fluctuations in mana. It was the flow of a massive magic circle.

“If I can obtain thousands of sacrifices with my own body... this, too, would be a worthwhile endeavor.”

Gil Steven closed his eyes, wearing a refreshing smile as if orchestrating his own destiny. It was clear he aimed to achieve something through his sacrifice.

What can you do with artifacts?

I slowly retraced my memories. Artifacts. There seemed to be such content in the original work.

“I remember now.”

An artifact is equipment brimming with mana. There was a method of attack leveraging that mana, involving triggering the artifact’s mana to create an explosive effect. Undoubtedly, such a method appeared in the original work. It was mentioned briefly, but I vividly remembered.

Upon realizing this fact, I could discern the magic circle inscribed on the Hall of Fame. It was a magic circle designed to detonate an artifact by converting it into mana.

I must put a stop to this.

In the original work, even if such a thing existed, it might have been left untouched as a precaution. Using this kind of magic requires an enormous amount of mana and inevitably entails sacrificing Gil Steven.

Given the imminent threat to his life, he wanted trigger the spell to bring sacrifices along his path.

No wonder he fled as soon as he felt the level difference.

What should I do?

I pondered slowly. If the bomb is intimidating, then I just need to take action before it detonates. But, how should I deal with the artifact bomb?

Isn’t it as simple as erasing the artifact before it’s used as a bomb?

The mana in the artifact only functions when the equipment is intact. Breaking the artifact won’t allow me to absorb the mana present there like an elixir.

I began gathering mana in my hands.