Chapter 44: Seol Eun-ah’s worries about forced entry into the Black Gate

• Swoosh
  A massive sound began to echo as the gate turned dark.

Black Gate.

Just as the disciples had all entered. The phenomenon of the Black Gate had occurred.

“What… what is happening?….”

Yang Han-gil was surely aware of the Black Gate phenomenon. His dumbfounded reaction stemmed from an unwillingness to accept reality.

“No way… it can’t be happening… of all places, a Black Gate appears in this dungeon?….”

Yang Han-gil was pulling at his hair, tormented by the pain.

“It won’t end with just one or two deaths… what… what should we do?”

Then, Yang Han-gil suddenly began to run in another direction.

What a crazy bastard.

While it might seem insane to just run away, thinking coldly about it, his judgment might actually be right.

After all, there was nothing he could do against the Black Gate. This place was blocked by immense magic, making entry impossible.

But I can do it.

The force blocking the Black Gate is ‘magic.’ And I can absorb magic.

Damn… I didn’t want to feel this unpleasant sensation again.

When Seol Eun-ah had been swept up in the Black Gate phenomenon before, I had used the same method to forcefully enter the dungeon.

The method is simple. I suck out all the magic flowing into the gate and release it.

Then the blocked space forcibly opens up. A straightforward and clear solution. Of course, it’s a method that no one but me can achieve.

“Phew….”

Just as I was about to place my hand on the dungeon again.

“J… Juwon?”

Seol Eun-ah called out to me.

She looked at me with a startled expression, as if asking what was going on. Given the urgency of the situation, I quickly explained.

“After the disciples entered, the gate transformed into a Black Gate. If we don’t act quickly, they will all die. The internal dungeon could have transformed to B-grade at best, or A-grade or higher at worst. It’s reasonable to think of it as at least A-grade.”

As I attempted to place my hand back on the gate, Seol Eun-ah stopped my arm.

“What… what are you trying to do? You’re not thinking of absorbing magic like you did with the Death Knight, are you?”

“That’s right.”

When I stated it firmly, she tried to dissuade me.

“It… it’s too dangerous! It looked dangerous even when you absorbed magic from a Death Knight, but absorbing such immense magic might really kill you….”

Seol Eun-ah, even while speaking, sensed she was wrong.

Why am I saying this?

She knew it too. There was no other way to resolve the Black Gate besides Juwon. Waiting around and getting support from various guilds wouldn’t force this Black Gate open.

Thinking that way, it was only rational for Juwon to extract the magic in the gate to save people. However, she couldn’t shake off a single fear while observing the eerie magic spreading out.

What if something goes wrong and Juwon dies?

In reality, the magic spreading from the Black Gate was on a different level than that from ordinary monsters. The density was so unpleasant and sticky it felt bizarre, almost like looking into a deep sinkhole.

Seol Eun-ah was anxious. She was worried that Juwon might be harmed. Unconsciously, she had chosen his safety over the many people inside the dungeon.

“It’s fine. I’ve done this before,” Juwon reassured her.

Seol Eun-ah fell silent. The only reason she had survived the Black Gate phenomenon was that Juwon had forcibly opened the Black Gate and rescued her.

Juwon thought inwardly.

The disciples of Helmunt Academy don’t matter to me. But my disciples. They are the ones I selected among tens of thousands, using every means available to help them grow. If they die, I may never find others with similar talents again.

Of course, it wasn’t just for that reason.

Kang Eun-byeol, the daughter of the Hunter Association’s president. If she were to die, it would naturally make them enemies.

I already have many foes. Turning the Hunter Association against me would leave me with no way back.

There was one more thing that bothered me.

Park Hye-yeon.

When I looked into her eyes, memories of the day I was abandoned by my disciples kept resurfacing.

Since that day, I had received help from many people, including Seol Eun-ah, who offered me concern and comfort.

Thanks to them, I managed to recover from despair more quickly and find what I needed to do.

But Park Hye-yeon likely had no one to help her. If she did have someone, with her immense talent, she wouldn’t still be a B-grade mage at her age.

Why am I letting this bother me?

Her delicate body contrasted sharply with her venomous gaze. At the same time, her attitude suggested she wouldn’t mind dying as long as she could finish her revenge.

If her life were to end here without completing her vengeance, it wouldn’t sit well with me.

Have I gotten attached to her after spending a few days together?

I began to shake my head to dispel these unnecessary thoughts.

Anyway, to destroy the Mage Tower and the Baal Guild, I need my disciples’ help. So it’s only natural that I save them.

With that thought, I placed my hand on the gate.

[Absorb]

• Warning! A massive amount of magic is being injected into your body.
• Warning! You have exceeded the maximum amount of magic your body can accept.
• Alert! If you continue to absorb magic, your body may explode.
• Warning! Immediately stop magic absorption.

A warning window appeared, far more frequent and severe than when I captured the Death Knight. I ignored them all and cast a spell with my other hand.

[Recovery, Repeat.]

• [B] Recovery effect activated. Partially heals damage to the body.
• You are in a state of addiction to intense magic. The recovery effect of Recovery is diminished.
• [B] Recovery effect activated. Partially heals damage to the body.
• You are in a state of addiction to intense magic. The recovery effect of Recovery is diminished.

Numerous alerts continued to repeat.

“Gahhh!”

Despite recovering every second, I began to feel my body tearing apart and burning with pain.

No… this can’t be happening…

My consciousness started to fade. A strong urge to pull my hand away from the gate surged within me.

I… need to pull myself together…

• Huuuung

Magic began to flow into my body even more, causing my eyes to turn bloodshot. The veins on my forehead bulged grotesquely, and my organs began to swell.

Shit… damn it…

• [B] Recovery effect activated. Partially heals damage to the body.
• You are in a state of addiction to intense magic. The recovery effect of Recovery is diminished.
• Warning! Immediately stop magic absorption.
• Warning! Immediately stop magic absorption.

Ignoring the alerts, I continued to absorb magic.

I can’t take any more…

Realizing this, I reached my hand toward the sky.

[Release]

• Piiiiiiiiiiiiing!

The mass of condensed magic shot out from my fingertips and soared into the sky. The magic ascended endlessly for over several seconds.

Then…

Kwaaaahhh!

The ground shook with an absurd sound, as if a worldwide earthquake had occurred, and the sky was completely enveloped in darkness.

Is this… the magic of the Black Gate…?

Seol Eun-ah watched in a daze, unable to comprehend the sight before her.

High-level magic, like Meteor, couldn’t even compare to the overwhelming power displayed.

If this magic had been directed not at the sky, but at people or buildings, it would have undoubtedly obliterated everything without leaving a trace.

Kwaaaahhh!

The magic explosion repeated several times in the air.

In that moment, as she lost consciousness and stared at the spectacle, Seol Eun-ah quickly regained her senses and looked at Juwon.

“Damn…!”

Juwon, battered and bruised, was desperately sucking in the remaining magic from the gate.

His face had lost all vitality, and his skin was dry, making him look like a sick person.

He went through this torment when he came to save me…

Watching Juwon like that made her heart ache. Despite enduring such hardship to enter the Black Gate in the past, he had never once flaunted his achievements.

She felt an even stronger admiration for him.

Tatatatak

Seol Eun-ah quickly ran toward Juwon.

“Juwon, please absorb mana from me!”

Although Juwon was absorbing external mana from his surroundings, it clearly wasn’t enough due to the massive amount of mana required for the Recovery skill.

Therefore, Seol Eun-ah willingly offered her own body. She decided to give him all of her mana.

As the guild leader of a high-ranking guild, her magical prowess and total mana were impressive.

Especially the amount of mana she possessed was incomparable to that found in plants, soil, or air.

Living beings inherently had more magic than inanimate objects, and the efficiency of mana absorbed from humans, who possessed a Circle, was even greater.

“Thank you…”

Juwon couldn’t even finish his sentence as he grasped Seol Eun-ah’s arm.

• Huuuung

In an instant, her mana was sucked into Juwon.

“This… this is enough now…”

As Juwon tried to pull his arm away after absorbing the mana, Seol Eun-ah tightly held onto it and wouldn’t let go.

“Please… take as much mana as you can.”

When Juwon attempted to refuse, Seol Eun-ah spoke again.

“You’ll have to fight once you go inside. It’ll be disadvantageous in that state. So using me to recover as much as possible is the most reasonable choice.”

She understood too. Even as the leader of a high-ranking guild, she wouldn’t be much help in the Black Gate incident.

It would be fortunate if she didn’t hold him back. Having actually experienced the Black Gate herself, she knew this all too well.

So she decided that this was the best she could do in the current situation. She resolved to give all her mana to Juwon.

“Thank you…”

Juwon eventually began to absorb mana from Seol Eun-ah.

Grrrgggh…

Seol Eun-ah endured the painful sensation of having her mana absorbed, pushing herself to the limit.

Just before losing consciousness, she quietly whispered to Juwon.

“I… helped you, so… if you come back safely… please grant me one wish…”

Juwon looked at her and replied.

“I promise.”

• Thud

As Seol Eun-ah collapsed onto the ground, Juwon entered the gate, where the magic quickly blocked the entrance again.

• Huuuung

As soon as Juwon stepped inside, the gate was once again sealed with magic.