The ground floor of the storage building opened into a grand lobby, where desks stood at either end, staffed by polite employees attending to clients.
The security guard guided Gin toward one of the counters, where a receptionist greeted him with a warm smile.
"Welco, sir. You're here to inspect an item, correct?"
"Yes," Gin replied.
"If you could provide your identification, please," the receptionist requested, holding out a smooth, flat device—undoubtedly a magical artifact designed to verify credentials.
Without hesitation, Gin placed his ID on the device.
"Verification complete. You have access to Storage Room 6 on the seventh floor.
Take the elevator to the right, and an attendant will et you there," the receptionist explained, handing him a tal access card and a sheet of paper.
"Please return the card upon your exit. This docunt also contains a guide to the facility's procedures."
Accepting the items, Gin scanned the paper as he walked toward the elevator.
The building specialized in high-security storage, offering vaults of varying sizes and even secret chambers on undisclosed floors.
A quick glance at his phone confird the facility's reputation as a leading provider of private vault services.
"Expensive," he muttered under his breath.
The prices were steep—far beyond what he could afford to maintain regularly. For now, his current storage unit was manageable, but unless his ventures reached full profitability, this would remain a luxury.
The elevator whisked him to the seventh floor, where an attendant greeted him with a courteous bow and escorted him to Storage Room 6. The door was unassuming, its height matching a standard building floor.
"Here we are. Please tap your access card on the panel to unlock the door," the attendant instructed.
Gin complied, and with a tallic click, the lock disengaged. The attendant bowed once more. "Enjoy your visit, sir."
As the attendant withdrew, Gin grasped the handle, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. The spacious interior exceeded his expectations. At the center lay the massive carcass of the mutant carapace troll, its once-vibrant magical essence now faded.
If I had waited any longer, it might have deteriorated irreversibly, Gin thought grimly.
Without wasting ti, he cast a comprehensive cleansing spell. This wasn't a simple sanitation charm but a powerful incantation designed to eradicate all traces of bacteria and mold at their source. The atmosphere in the room grew sterile and pristine.
His eyes drifted to the ceiling, where a neatly embedded mana stone glowed faintly. Intricate sigils radiated from it, maintaining an enchantnt that regulated the storage environnt. Though it was skillfully crafted, Gin found it lacking in complexity.
"Hmm... I should enhance it a bit."
He decided to inscribe temporary enchantnts that would not alter the room's physical structure. This required an exceptionally delicate touch to control mana density and flow, ensuring the magic would dissipate cleanly when removed. Unlike the shimring sigils he had etched at Café Wizard, which left faint holographic traces, no such evidence could remain here.
With focused precision, Gin fortified the room's defenses. He double-checked the security asures, ensuring that even with the access card, unauthorized entry would be nearly impossible.
Satisfied with his work, he finally turned his attention to the troll's body. Today, he would dedicate his ti to fully preserving and studying the creature.
Elsewhere, Owen Frieden stepped through the entrance of his grand estate. As if in welco, the lights inside flickered to life, casting a warm glow over the spacious interior.
It had been a long day. The excavation of an ancient underground ruin had proven more demanding than expected, especially with the sheer number of artifacts unearthed. Complications had multiplied after discovering a rare mutant beast within the ruins. And if that weren't enough, Owen had handed one of the creature's carcasses to Ban Gin—a decision that had co with its own complications.
Not only that, but Owen had also arranged for Gin to acquire one of the relics destined for the Five Great Clans. The aftermath of that arrangent was still causing headaches.
He sighed, shaking his head as he reflected on the situation. Even now, he couldn't quite understand why he had gone to such lengths for Gin. At the ti, it had felt like the right thing to do—a decision driven by instinct rather than reason.
After a quick shower, Owen changed into comfortable clothes, cracked open a can of beer, and collapsed onto the plush sofa. He chugged half the can in one go, savoring the cold rush down his throat.
"Ah, that hits the spot," he muttered, spinning the can lazily in his hand.
His mind wandered to Gin, the enigmatic mage who had unexpectedly earned his trust. From the very first eting, Owen had been intrigued. Gin exuded a quiet brilliance, a presence that drew others in.
The more Owen observed him, the more his admiration grew. There was sothing magnetic about Gin—sothing that evoked both curiosity and respect.
"There are rare people like that," Owen whispered to himself. "Those who just naturally earn your favor without even trying."
But as the days had passed and responsibilities mounted, that initial fascination had cooled. He took another sip of beer, allowing his thoughts to settle.
He needed to understand the reasons behind his feelings for this mage.
Why did I feel such a strong connection to Gin?
He analyzed it carefully.
Objectively, Gin's appearance was certainly striking, but it wasn't the kind of attractiveness that imdiately fostered warmth.
In fact, his features were sharp and cold—almost intimidating. For soone less accustod to beauty, perhaps his looks alone might have left an impression, but Owen had encountered plenty of handso and powerful individuals.
In this world, where magic shaped and enhanced the body, beauty was often a byproduct of magical training.
Yet Gin's allure wasn't rely superficial.
"It's sothing else… sothing deeper," Owen murmured, his thoughts drifting once more to the mysterious mage who had changed the course of his life in ways he had yet to fully understand.
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