The essence of magic was to extract maximum efficiency with minimal mana.
Even when creating a single fireball, the key was how much mana could be saved while maintaining the sa power.
A mage’s capability was evaluated by this standard.
The speed of chanting or the amount of mana was a separate talent.
So, one thought ca to mind.
Could magic be used with demonic energy instead of mana?
Maximum power with minimal mana.
If I could convert the mana in the vessel into demonic energy and use it as a material for magic…
I could achieve at least three to four tis the efficiency compared to the magic I had created so far.
Of course, there was a clear difference between the mana that helped trigger magic and demonic energy.
It was not about which was better or worse; they were fundantally different. In extre cases, magic could not be used with demonic energy, or I would have to craft it as if I were creating martial arts techniques directly.
The reason I was so obsessed with magic was separate.
I had reached the peak in martial arts, having learned from Cheonma countless tis in the past.
In terms of hand-to-hand combat techniques, I had no shortcomings.
But more power and firepower.
The more urgent ti beca, the more restless my mind got.
For that, I wondered if I should seriously take up a job at a host bar or sothing.
“Lee Shiheon. Were you thinking about sothing else?”
Even the Sage—this monster—was difficult to deal with.
She was not an ordinary person, and how could I possibly seduce her by any ans?
“Please focus.”
“Focus!”
I stroked Sephirot, who had climbed onto my lap, and continued moving my pen.
For so reason, the problems weren’t sinking in today.
“If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask anyti.”
Still, the learning process was smooth.
Once this lesson ended, it would be like taking a step closer to Hwangdo.
Since I had been taught by Cheondo, Baekdo, and Hwangdo, I always thought that I wanted to follow the strength of all three.
Hwangdo was currently regarded as an unmatched grand mage in this world.
Even the Sage highly valued her talent.
Maronnie also possessed similar talent to Hwangdo. There was a reason the Sage had her eye on her.
It was unclear what a woman who claid to pursue neutrality had in mind when approaching Maronnie or Sansuyu.
For now, I just had to follow Hwangdo’s path.
-Scribble, scribble.
The sound of the pen moving.
That sound was getting closer.
Three days.
We were at the stage of wrapping up the first assignnt given by the Sage.
With no choice but to stay up all night, I continued studying. Even Maronnie, who found this amount of work hard to digest in three days, sat next to . ṝἈΝÖ𝐛ÊŠ
-Flap.
The sound of pages turning ca from right beside .
-Screech.
The sound of a chair scraping against the tile floor.
A cat cautiously approached.
Before long, Maronnie’s head gently leaned against my shoulder.
Blanche has been getting excessively touchy lately.
“Blanche.”
“……”
No response. When I looked over, Maronnie had her eyes closed.
It was obvious that she was pretending to sleep.
This darn cat had picked up all the wrong habits. Sotis, she copied what Sansuyu did to .
“Are you tired?”
I stopped writing and slightly raised my hand.
Waving my palm in front of Maronnie’s face, her long eyelashes fluttered faintly as if sensing the wind or warmth.
“Sigh.”
When I sighed, her shoulder trembled slightly.
That alone was enough for her to realize that I had noticed. But perhaps fearing that she couldn’t bear the embarrassnt if she admitted it, she clenched her eyelids even tighter, pretending to sleep with all her might.
I glanced at the book in front of Maronnie.
The page was filled with notes.
Turning back the pages without her noticing, I saw that she had already finished solving her part of the problems long ago.
She had just been sitting by my side, pretending to work on the mid-section problems.
‘Since when did she start acting like this?’
It must have been after the day I helped with Sansuyu’s nursing.
Her behavior beca suspicious around then.
Since that day, she’s beco much more assertive in sticking by my side.
I didn’t know what it was like to experience subjugation.
Nor did I know what emotions drove Maronnie to pretend to sleep like this.
But looking at her actions, she was no different from a woman deeply in love.
Even during dinner, if there was sothing like sausage, she insisted on giving one more.
And when I passed it to Sansuyu because I had enough, she glared at with the face of an abandoned cat.
Whenever that happened, she always took one of my clothes as if in retaliation.
I didn’t know what she did under the blanket, but she fidgeted around.
At first, I almost thought it was so sort of cursed doll and felt creeped out.
“Is this so bad that I need to help her release it?”
When Maronnie had her desires fulfilled once, she didn’t react so strongly to touch.
-Flinch.
Maronnie’s face trembled at my words.
Her breathing quickened slightly, as if in anticipation. Swallowing her saliva, her throat quivered montarily.
First, I needed to finish the assignnt.
With only a few problems left, I tackled them while Maronnie clung to my right shoulder.
By the ti I finished, it was 3 AM.
Everyone else was asleep, and I gently shook Maronnie’s shoulder.
Still, she didn’t wake up.
Left with no other choice, I held her under her knees and behind her shoulders, lifting her up.
-Gasp.
Maronnie, startled, held her breath. I hastily closed the book and left it on the desk, heading for the room.
-Click.
Lately, Sansuyu has also been staying up late often.
It seed she was deeply engaged in investigating the Cornus Family’s experint, and the Sage was assisting her.
“Mmm.”
As the door opened, a sleep-talking Sansuyu murmured from my bed.
She, too, had picked up bad habits from Maronnie, frequently occupying my bed whenever she could.
Unlike Maronnie’s more inappropriate motives, Sansuyu seed to find comfort in my presence, like a mother’s scent, so I let it slide.
Though it drove crazy to fall asleep with Sansuyu’s scent clinging to .
In the darkness, I gently laid Maronnie on the bed.
Though I knew she was pretending to sleep, I cautiously placed her on the sheets. Her red face and slightly opened eyelids told she was still awake.
As I turned to leave, Maronnie grabbed my hand.
“……”
“Blanche?”
Without a word, she clutched tightly—pulling closer with teary eyes barely open.
Her contact was noticeably more frequent today, as if she had made up her mind.
A National Tree’s ntal strength wasn’t ordinary.
Considering that, she really must be struggling.
It was no wonder, given the imnse power of the Tree Spirit King.
As she gradually tightened her grip on my arm, I swayed toward her.
-Thud, thud.
My feet took two steps forward, and my head lowered slightly.
I asked one last ti.
“Are you really struggling?”
Maronnie’s lips parted slightly.
She seed to want to say sothing but hesitated to voice it, instead digging her nails into my arm.
The power of the Tree Spirit King was sothing even I couldn’t fully comprehend.
Each day, it grew bit by bit.
The walking pheromone—another ability granted by the Tree Spirit King’s power.
In the future, such powers would likely increase, perhaps even those I couldn’t control.
“…Can’t you hold it in?”
-Nod.
“Sigh… I don’t know what’s going to happen, but are you okay with this?”
“……”
“You’re in a fragile ntal state, Blanche. I told you this is because of my ability, but even I don’t know how this will turn out.”
It was true that I should console her and help her break free from the brainwashing.
Maybe I should just be rough with her?
So rough that she’d lose all affection for .
No.
In her current state, Maronnie might be so shocked by my actions that she wouldn’t even be able to eat.
“…You.”
Then Blanche opened her mouth.
“You… made like this.”
“That’s why—”
“I’m not asking you to do everything… just a little.”
She was pleading.
No, maybe it was not even pleading.
Considering how well Maronnie had held herself back until now, it was impressive.
It had only been four days, but still, I didn’t know the extent of the brainwashing.
After a long silence, I eventually covered my face and sighed.
“…Co to the bathroom.”
Maronnie lifted herself slightly, finally opening her eyes and getting up.
Her face was extrely flushed, but there was a hint of joy in it as well.
-Clunk.
I opened the door, let Maronnie in first, and then closed it.
I didn’t turn on the lights.
Unless I used so kind of mana, I wouldn’t be able to see Maronnie’s expression.
I could only barely make out slight movents.
Maronnie sat on the toilet.
“What do you want to do? But rember, we can’t go all the way.”
I gave her one rule.
It must not end in sex.
This was really an addiction.
Hadn’t everyone I had been with reacted the sa way?
Even the gentle Jin Dallae tornted at night.
If I granted every wish of brainwashed Maronnie, it would really cause trouble.
“…The light?”
“Let’s leave it like this.”
“Okay.”
Maronnie’s hand reached for my waist first.
With standing and her sitting on the toilet, it was inevitable.
Her hands slowly fumbled over my stomach before she rose slightly and hugged tightly.
“……Haaah.”
-Thump thump.
I could hear her heart beating loudly.
“Can you hear it? …My heart. This isn’t really my feelings, right?”
“Blanche.”
“…Tell , Lee Shiheon. Is it really, really not?”
“Don’t get swayed.”
As I spoke firmly, Maronnie seed a little upset, digging her nails into my back.
“I still don’t understand.”
Maronnie’s hands reached up to caress my cheeks.
She took her ti, as if morizing every contour of my face through her fingertips.
Standing shorter, her head nestled against my chest.
Was she licking ? I could feel my clothes slowly getting damp.
It didn’t take long for the scent of Maronnie to fill the bathroom.
-Clack.
She started fumbling with my belt.
“Hey, that’s…”
“Just a little… as long as we don’t go all the way….”
“Even so.”
I had seen this slippery slope before—starting with just touching, but leading sowhere much further.
Maronnie gripped even tighter.
No matter how hard she dug in, her nails left no marks on my skin.
“Is it only her you’re doing this for?”
“What?”
“Sansuyu… she’s just your lover. And I’m… brainwashed, right?”
She had definitely misunderstood sothing.
She must have seen what happened back then.
Could this have led to jealousy?
“…I like you too.”
“Hey, that’s not—”
“I’m not saying that right now! Right now….”
She cut off my words entirely, and instead, her hands were fiddling with my pants.
Slowly, it started escalating.
Since I hadn’t been intimate with anyone recently, my body reacted quickly.
When she unzipped my pants, my mber sprung out forcefully, brushing against her chest and lower abdon.
Maronnie stared at it in awe, almost like she was entranced.
Maybe “gone too far” was the right phrase.
Her legs gave out as she sat back down on the toilet, resting her face against it.
“……”
-Thump, thump. Thump, thump.
The sound of my heart echoed louder.
[Champi~]
Byeol’s voice rang from the other end of the phone.
With her smartphone wedged between her shoulder and ear, Champi chuckled cheerfully.
“Hey, Byeol.”
[How’s the work going? Is it progressing well?]
“Ah, of course. Guseul is still under surveillance, and as for the other hunters… well, we’ll see.”
Blood seeped toward her sneakers.
Not wanting to dirty her shoes, Champi took a step back.
[I’m counting on you!]
“…Yeah. Yeah. If the Vice President asks , how can I stay quiet? If I want any scraps, this is what I need to do. Right, future President?”
[Future President, huh? You’re too much!]
That old man Mugung was far too conservative.
Or maybe it was not just conservative, but overly devoted to his country.
He’d do anything to raise the prestige of South Korea.
It was one of the reasons why the Korean branch of the Hunter Association stood so tall today.
No one could surpass Mugung in skill from the start.
That was why South Korea was now considered a leading nation.
They had absolute diplomatic superiority, early access to mana stones, and so on.
But in focusing so clearly on his goals, he often missed what was right in front of him, making him seem like a stubborn old man.
On the other hand, Byeol… well, she was flexible.
That was one reason Champi liked her.
[So, what about the traitors?]
Byeol’s voice turned serious.
“I sent them over. To that place.”
Champi put away her phone and looked down again.
Bodies torn to pieces.
[I’ve confird it.]
“Yeah, good work, Lehu.”
[Lehu~]
After hanging up, Champi shoved the phone into her pocket.
Then she stomped down on the corpse in front of her.
“…Damn it. Why?”
“Dead bodies shouldn’t be talking.”
His thigh flesh tore open, and the man couldn’t even scream, just shutting his eyes tight.
“Who are you supposed to be? So kind of ntor? What, are you trying to spread Flower’s ideology?”
“…We shouldn’t have lost this fight.”
“Heh heh heh heh heh.”
A deep chuckle spread.
“Ha ha ha ha ha. This arrogant bastard. That’s why I hate the younger generation. They think they’re sothing special.”
“…!”
“Sure, today’s S-ranks are stronger than those of the past. I an, compared to the Cheonma days, things have improved.”
“…Damn it.”
“But here’s the thing.”
They’re delusional.
“Just because you’re an S-rank and can throw around a bit of power, do you think you have so grand stake in this world? Do you think that siding with Flower will change the current balance? Are you stronger than a god?”
“…Urgh.”
The man frowned at Champi’s harsh words.
“Heh. It’s funny.”
Champi raised her head.
Seven corpses lay scattered around.
“The fact that you and I are both considered S-rank.”
“…You bitch!”
“Even among S-ranks, there’s a clear gap. I an, co on, this proves it. A-rank hunters sneaking around and killing civilians are treated like S-rank calamities. Cheonma and the Tree Spirit King are both S-rank, aren’t they?”
Rank gas were a joke.
In this world, you didn’t know until you fought.
“You’ll never, ever die peacefully.”
So all the S-rank hunters Champi killed—more than seven—were basically the sa.
They were all alike in the end.
“I know, idiot.”
Champi stomped on the man’s head.
-Squash!
The skull cracked. The man’s eyes rolled to the floor.
Imdiate execution.
Those who sided with Flower had committed such grave cris.
Whether they were good or evil didn’t matter; they had ddled in her affairs.
“…Tastes bitter.”
Champi’s armor slowly peeled off her body.
After using her full strength for the first ti in a while, blood spurted from her mouth.
“Heh, I’m screwed soon enough.”
Though the Forester Selection Competition handled the traitors, there were still many undiscovered ones.
How many more would be revealed here?
A dark cloud was looming over the world.
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