“Is that so?”
“The Practical Faction was conceived by that friend with the purpose of safeguarding fellow dark wizards dependent on him.”
Raul leisurely sipped his coffee before resuming his dialogue.
“To chase after an ideal, one mustn’t let oneself be entangled by worldly matters.”
“……”
“I’ve encountered countless individuals of such kind. Sadly, none of them found a fulfilling end… At this point, I lack the vigor to even hold resentment.”
The process of firmly rooting their presence within this city extended across a considerable span.
How many years had Raul dedicated to encountering diverse individuals and traversing through various demises?
Lennok, who had resided in the city for slightly over a year, grappled with each passing day, mourning in his unique manner.
“I can’t express enough gratitude for your actions thus far.”
“…Don’t mention it.”
Lennok’s words were met with a shake of Raul’s head.
“I’m not naive. While I might not be privy to the council’s inner dealings, I’m well aware of the overall situation. Had Craig’s demise been postponed, it wouldn’t have been unexpected for everything to take a darker turn. Am I mistaken?”
Lennok couldn’t refute this notion.
Had this mission faltered, and had Craig indeed succeeded in harnessing the apocalyptic entity known as Annihilation…
No one could ensure how the city’s political landscape might have shifted.
And so, he shifted his gaze to the window and broached another topic.
“He referred to the creature he attempted to summon as a shard of the apocalypse.”
“Apocalypse… In my wanderings across the continent, it remained a fable, treated as legend.”
Raul shut his eyes.
“There was a phase when zealots, believing in a phantom menace, proliferated throughout the world. It didn’t take long to eliminate these madmen who hindered human progress and urban development, thereby laying the groundwork.”
“Are you implying Vulcan’s history is not extensive?”
“What I’m suggesting is that the anxiety about an impending catastrophe menacing the world, far from being unfounded hearsay, has persisted for quite some time.”
“……”
“Merely whispers existed regarding the responsibility borne by the Great Seer and Madria Falcia upon Philemon’s shoulders. No one has borne witness to such creatures firsthand. If you seek to ascertain the truth, you should seek out sources beyond me.”
“That’s my intention.”
Lennok declared as he gradually rose.
His legs, strained from the encounter with Jaun, still throbbed.
He would need to resort to medicine to expedite his return to normalcy following this ordeal.
Raul directed his gaze upwards at Lennok, who stood up, concealing his intricate emotions.
“While you were diligently navigating the world beyond the city to thwart Craig’s scheme, the rest of us were ensconced in comfort, mere spectators. The truth about the grand tree root pattern you were seeking turned out to be far more consequential than anticipated.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Isn’t the world often nonsensical?”
“……”
“Scarcely do many individuals truly value the enigmatic truths you strive to uncover. Even if it heralds the impending apocalypse… There won’t be a multitude to rally behind your cause.”
Raul pressed on.
“You can’t undertake this endeavor alone. No one can endure in isolation.”
“So, are you saying you’ll assist me, Raul?”
“Yes.”
A moment of quiet descended between them.
The slanted sunset rays pierced through the aged window, casting light upon his weathered knees.
“If you require an artifact, come to me. Although my contribution might be limited, I’ll furnish you with the necessary provisions to the extent possible. Given your skills, it probably boils down to providing consumables.”
The pledge of cooperation from Raul, an accomplished dark wizard of the Enchantment faction.
Just the mere fact that Lennok could freely access talismans, explosives, or their crafted cursed items would be of immense aid.
However, Lennok didn’t readily revel in this unconditional offer.
Believing such statements wasn’t simple, given the impression Raul had presented thus far.
“Intriguing.”
Lennok chuckled softly.
“Have you finally succumbed to guilt?”
“No.”
Raul responded leisurely, eyes closed.
“I believe I can empathize with that friend.”
The tale of Craig Tillian, ensnared in Senator Reisen’s avarice, sabotaging his own ambitions only to be left disillusioned, had reached its conclusion.
But how many analogous narratives must have unfolded within this city? And how many more would emerge in the times ahead?
Lennok was the sole audience to the cry of injustice, but it appeared to have reached Raul’s heart despite being unheard.
Lennok endeavored not to delve too deeply into it.
Always, there was a sole principle he clung to, a singular focus.
However, Raul’s assertion that one couldn’t subsist in solitude didn’t readily fade from Lennok’s heart.
***
Ring, ring!
Lennok glared at the incessantly chiming cellphone and eventually silenced the alarm.
The reason the typically inconspicuous alarm sound resonated throughout the house was that the payment for his prior missions and performance bonuses had been finally deposited into his account.
Lennok’s own worth certainly played a part, but having undertaken the stakes of others during operations and repeatedly succeeding in his endeavors, his earnings had surged exponentially in his account as he ascended higher.
‘One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand…….?’
Billion, and then ten billion.
The intermittent payouts from Dyke Corporation, coupled with the bonuses for his victorious missions with agents.
Collectively, his valuation kept skyrocketing.
In unison, he had amassed a staggering eighteen billion cells.
It was an amount that felt surreal, even in his wildest imaginings. Back on Earth, it was a sum Lennok could barely fathom touching, yet here he held it all in tangible currency, achieved within a single year.
Lennok, fixating on his bank account which had surpassed the ten-digit milestone, absentmindedly tossed his phone onto the bed and reclined.
When accounting for cigarettes, medications, supplements, sustenance, and the expenses associated with this dwelling, he had likely amassed nearly 20 billion cells independently.
The recompense for all the relentless trials he had braved had manifested.
Perhaps, if he judiciously managed this wealth, he could lead a life of ease for the remainder of his days.
However, Lennok silenced his phone, promptly rose, and took a seat at his desk.
The dwindling time. The waning physique. The talent he had borne alongside all its penalties.
Following his pursuit of liberation from the fetters constricting him, an unanticipated predicament emerged.
‘Annihilation Acrotreenia—Craig dubbed it the imminent wilderness-borne apocalypse.’
The extramundane entities that the Great Seer Madria Falcia had observed and safeguarded against.
Craig had stated that communion with these creatures grew more accessible subsequent to her demise.
The end was drawing near.
And it was neither Evelyn, Aris, nor Raul who apprised Lennok of this reality.
It was the elder dark wizard from the Pandemonium.
The one who had initially furnished him with the brooch and urged him to pursue the trail.
‘Does Pandemonium know what’s happening now? Or maybe-‘
They might wield influence over the ongoing events.
Yet, one certainty persisted.
If there really is a mainstream in this world.
Lennok could not elude its current.
“Damn it…….”
Within the dim laboratory.
Lennok shielded his eyes with both palms and muttered a curse.
Sustaining even a simple hope for the future proved arduous.
The fragments of the apocalypse and the mainstream. The stagnant world.
Was the individual from Pandemonium, who had intimated these truths, a foe or an ally?
What connection did the term ‘Alcaid,’ bestowed by the Great Seer, bear with the invading sea-dwelling monsters?
Lennok harbored no intention of remaining idle, yet was there not a paucity of information to independently take action?
‘It’s not a problem that can be solved by just worrying… Let’s do what we need to do first.’
This wasn’t exclusively about monetary remuneration.
Throughout his encounters with Craig and the dark wizards, the knowledge Lennok assimilated through his heightened senses remained vividly etched in his memory, only growing more ordered and coherent with time.
No, the knowledge retained within his psyche was metamorphosing into a structured framework, propelling him to ascend even higher.
‘Magic users above level 6. Of those, only a few can use the ‘self-domain’.’
As well as the intricacies of necromancy he had gleaned during ceaseless confrontations with necromancers.
‘For now, let’s set the domain aside.’
During the confrontation with Craig, Lennok rapidly grasped the mechanics of utilizing the domain, yet regrettably, he lacked precise insight into its application.
Given that even his discourse with Aris failed to yield understanding, it appeared that this knowledge was tightly guarded amongst high-level wizards.
Presently, he was only cognizant that the domain enabled a wizard to surpass the limitations of their spells.
It would be prudent to discreetly solicit information or resources pertaining to the domain from Aris in the future.
‘I have something in mind about necromancy.’
Three items lay prepared in his arsenal.
The AI data module of Craig procured from Evelyn; the engine extracted from Daron’s body; and the intricate formulas of necromancy Lennok had recently unearthed.
Craig had conjured forth an uncontrollable monstrosity, unfurling a banner of defiance against the sprawling city. Yet, Lennok believed the concept itself wasn’t without merit.
Employing the AI’s algorithm to govern the necromantic equations had yielded a measure of success.
The sorcerous craft of a dark wizard ought not to be dismissed, but whenever benefits manifested, they should be embraced without reservation.
No, mere assimilation was inadequate.
He aspired to draw Craig’s ideals to their very roots and ascend to a loftier echelon.
With this firm determination, Lennok channeled mana from his innermost depths.
Woo-wooo-wooo-wooo-wooo!
The colossal surge of mana was so overpowering that even Lennok himself recoiled.
Every instance he dared fate and transgressed the boundary.
Each time he glimpsed a higher plane.
Lennok’s mana surged with explosive force, broadening his vistas.
Mana inundated his being and surged forth, yet his mastery was flawless.
Gradually, Lennok extended his hands toward the AI data module, transmuting the coursing mana into electric energy.
Zzzzzzzzzzz!!!
The sound resembled harmonizing bird songs, layering in harmonious cacophony.
Despite the lab’s soundproofing, the auditory assault coupled with the blinding brilliance of the current coursing into the module was disconcerting.
Given the intensity, one might expect the module to reduce to ash in the blink of an eye.
However, the module, bathed in the current emanating from both hands, merely trembled slightly, wholly unscathed, and radiated with enhanced luminosity.
‘The change in the nature of mana used by a wizard who has reached level 6. Its value is not just in increasing the power of magic.’
The faculty to temporarily graft entirely different spell paradigms.
From a unique magical system tailored to a singular domain, it stood as a stepping stone to facilitate transition into new possibilities.
Like this.
[Lightning Magic Property Change: Necromancy]
Paaaat!
Within the searing torrent of alabaster lightning, something began to quiver and stir.
“Is that so?”
“The Practical Faction was conceived by that friend with the purpose of safeguarding fellow dark wizards dependent on him.”
Raul leisurely sipped his coffee before resuming his dialogue.
“To chase after an ideal, one mustn’t let oneself be entangled by worldly matters.”
“……”
“I’ve encountered countless individuals of such kind. Sadly, none of them found a fulfilling end… At this point, I lack the vigor to even hold resentment.”
The process of firmly rooting their presence within this city extended across a considerable span.
How many years had Raul dedicated to encountering diverse individuals and traversing through various demises?
Lennok, who had resided in the city for slightly over a year, grappled with each passing day, mourning in his unique manner.
“I can’t express enough gratitude for your actions thus far.”
“…Don’t mention it.”
Lennok’s words were met with a shake of Raul’s head.
“I’m not naive. While I might not be privy to the council’s inner dealings, I’m well aware of the overall situation. Had Craig’s demise been postponed, it wouldn’t have been unexpected for everything to take a darker turn. Am I mistaken?”
Lennok couldn’t refute this notion.
Had this mission faltered, and had Craig indeed succeeded in harnessing the apocalyptic entity known as Annihilation…
No one could ensure how the city’s political landscape might have shifted.
And so, he shifted his gaze to the window and broached another topic.
“He referred to the creature he attempted to summon as a shard of the apocalypse.”
“Apocalypse… In my wanderings across the continent, it remained a fable, treated as legend.”
Raul shut his eyes.
“There was a phase when zealots, believing in a phantom menace, proliferated throughout the world. It didn’t take long to eliminate these madmen who hindered human progress and urban development, thereby laying the groundwork.”
“Are you implying Vulcan’s history is not extensive?”
“What I’m suggesting is that the anxiety about an impending catastrophe menacing the world, far from being unfounded hearsay, has persisted for quite some time.”
“……”
“Merely whispers existed regarding the responsibility borne by the Great Seer and Madria Falcia upon Philemon’s shoulders. No one has borne witness to such creatures firsthand. If you seek to ascertain the truth, you should seek out sources beyond me.”
“That’s my intention.”
Lennok declared as he gradually rose.
His legs, strained from the encounter with Jaun, still throbbed.
He would need to resort to medicine to expedite his return to normalcy following this ordeal.
Raul directed his gaze upwards at Lennok, who stood up, concealing his intricate emotions.
“While you were diligently navigating the world beyond the city to thwart Craig’s scheme, the rest of us were ensconced in comfort, mere spectators. The truth about the grand tree root pattern you were seeking turned out to be far more consequential than anticipated.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Isn’t the world often nonsensical?”
“……”
“Scarcely do many individuals truly value the enigmatic truths you strive to uncover. Even if it heralds the impending apocalypse… There won’t be a multitude to rally behind your cause.”
Raul pressed on.
“You can’t undertake this endeavor alone. No one can endure in isolation.”
“So, are you saying you’ll assist me, Raul?”
“Yes.”
A moment of quiet descended between them.
The slanted sunset rays pierced through the aged window, casting light upon his weathered knees.
“If you require an artifact, come to me. Although my contribution might be limited, I’ll furnish you with the necessary provisions to the extent possible. Given your skills, it probably boils down to providing consumables.”
The pledge of cooperation from Raul, an accomplished dark wizard of the Enchantment faction.
Just the mere fact that Lennok could freely access talismans, explosives, or their crafted cursed items would be of immense aid.
However, Lennok didn’t readily revel in this unconditional offer.
Believing such statements wasn’t simple, given the impression Raul had presented thus far.
“Intriguing.”
Lennok chuckled softly.
“Have you finally succumbed to guilt?”
“No.”
Raul responded leisurely, eyes closed.
“I believe I can empathize with that friend.”
The tale of Craig Tillian, ensnared in Senator Reisen’s avarice, sabotaging his own ambitions only to be left disillusioned, had reached its conclusion.
But how many analogous narratives must have unfolded within this city? And how many more would emerge in the times ahead?
Lennok was the sole audience to the cry of injustice, but it appeared to have reached Raul’s heart despite being unheard.
Lennok endeavored not to delve too deeply into it.
Always, there was a sole principle he clung to, a singular focus.
However, Raul’s assertion that one couldn’t subsist in solitude didn’t readily fade from Lennok’s heart.
***
Ring, ring!
Lennok glared at the incessantly chiming cellphone and eventually silenced the alarm.
The reason the typically inconspicuous alarm sound resonated throughout the house was that the payment for his prior missions and performance bonuses had been finally deposited into his account.
Lennok’s own worth certainly played a part, but having undertaken the stakes of others during operations and repeatedly succeeding in his endeavors, his earnings had surged exponentially in his account as he ascended higher.
‘One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand…….?’
Billion, and then ten billion.
The intermittent payouts from Dyke Corporation, coupled with the bonuses for his victorious missions with agents.
Collectively, his valuation kept skyrocketing.
In unison, he had amassed a staggering eighteen billion cells.
It was an amount that felt surreal, even in his wildest imaginings. Back on Earth, it was a sum Lennok could barely fathom touching, yet here he held it all in tangible currency, achieved within a single year.
Lennok, fixating on his bank account which had surpassed the ten-digit milestone, absentmindedly tossed his phone onto the bed and reclined.
When accounting for cigarettes, medications, supplements, sustenance, and the expenses associated with this dwelling, he had likely amassed nearly 20 billion cells independently.
The recompense for all the relentless trials he had braved had manifested.
Perhaps, if he judiciously managed this wealth, he could lead a life of ease for the remainder of his days.
However, Lennok silenced his phone, promptly rose, and took a seat at his desk.
The dwindling time. The waning physique. The talent he had borne alongside all its penalties.
Following his pursuit of liberation from the fetters constricting him, an unanticipated predicament emerged.
‘Annihilation Acrotreenia—Craig dubbed it the imminent wilderness-borne apocalypse.’
The extramundane entities that the Great Seer Madria Falcia had observed and safeguarded against.
Craig had stated that communion with these creatures grew more accessible subsequent to her demise.
The end was drawing near.
And it was neither Evelyn, Aris, nor Raul who apprised Lennok of this reality.
It was the elder dark wizard from the Pandemonium.
The one who had initially furnished him with the brooch and urged him to pursue the trail.
‘Does Pandemonium know what’s happening now? Or maybe-‘
They might wield influence over the ongoing events.
Yet, one certainty persisted.
If there really is a mainstream in this world.
Lennok could not elude its current.
“Damn it…….”
Within the dim laboratory.
Lennok shielded his eyes with both palms and muttered a curse.
Sustaining even a simple hope for the future proved arduous.
The fragments of the apocalypse and the mainstream. The stagnant world.
Was the individual from Pandemonium, who had intimated these truths, a foe or an ally?
What connection did the term ‘Alcaid,’ bestowed by the Great Seer, bear with the invading sea-dwelling monsters?
Lennok harbored no intention of remaining idle, yet was there not a paucity of information to independently take action?
‘It’s not a problem that can be solved by just worrying… Let’s do what we need to do first.’
This wasn’t exclusively about monetary remuneration.
Throughout his encounters with Craig and the dark wizards, the knowledge Lennok assimilated through his heightened senses remained vividly etched in his memory, only growing more ordered and coherent with time.
No, the knowledge retained within his psyche was metamorphosing into a structured framework, propelling him to ascend even higher.
‘Magic users above level 6. Of those, only a few can use the ‘self-domain’.’
As well as the intricacies of necromancy he had gleaned during ceaseless confrontations with necromancers.
‘For now, let’s set the domain aside.’
During the confrontation with Craig, Lennok rapidly grasped the mechanics of utilizing the domain, yet regrettably, he lacked precise insight into its application.
Given that even his discourse with Aris failed to yield understanding, it appeared that this knowledge was tightly guarded amongst high-level wizards.
Presently, he was only cognizant that the domain enabled a wizard to surpass the limitations of their spells.
It would be prudent to discreetly solicit information or resources pertaining to the domain from Aris in the future.
‘I have something in mind about necromancy.’
Three items lay prepared in his arsenal.
The AI data module of Craig procured from Evelyn; the engine extracted from Daron’s body; and the intricate formulas of necromancy Lennok had recently unearthed.
Craig had conjured forth an uncontrollable monstrosity, unfurling a banner of defiance against the sprawling city. Yet, Lennok believed the concept itself wasn’t without merit.
Employing the AI’s algorithm to govern the necromantic equations had yielded a measure of success.
The sorcerous craft of a dark wizard ought not to be dismissed, but whenever benefits manifested, they should be embraced without reservation.
No, mere assimilation was inadequate.
He aspired to draw Craig’s ideals to their very roots and ascend to a loftier echelon.
With this firm determination, Lennok channeled mana from his innermost depths.
Woo-wooo-wooo-wooo-wooo!
The colossal surge of mana was so overpowering that even Lennok himself recoiled.
Every instance he dared fate and transgressed the boundary.
Each time he glimpsed a higher plane.
Lennok’s mana surged with explosive force, broadening his vistas.
Mana inundated his being and surged forth, yet his mastery was flawless.
Gradually, Lennok extended his hands toward the AI data module, transmuting the coursing mana into electric energy.
Zzzzzzzzzzz!!!
The sound resembled harmonizing bird songs, layering in harmonious cacophony.
Despite the lab’s soundproofing, the auditory assault coupled with the blinding brilliance of the current coursing into the module was disconcerting.
Given the intensity, one might expect the module to reduce to ash in the blink of an eye.
However, the module, bathed in the current emanating from both hands, merely trembled slightly, wholly unscathed, and radiated with enhanced luminosity.
‘The change in the nature of mana used by a wizard who has reached level 6. Its value is not just in increasing the power of magic.’
The faculty to temporarily graft entirely different spell paradigms.
From a unique magical system tailored to a singular domain, it stood as a stepping stone to facilitate transition into new possibilities.
Like this.
[Lightning Magic Property Change: Necromancy]
Paaaat!
Within the searing torrent of alabaster lightning, something began to quiver and stir.
