Chapter 357 – A Super-Mage Who Sees Providence.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

A young waiter talking to Chao Xin.
It was the same boy who guided Herrut during the day.
Glancing at the drink cup he was holding on the steel tray, Qiao Xin mumbled. And nodded his head.

“I am enjoying it.”

He pondered for a moment whether to be respectful, but he thought that he shouldn’t look down on Heo Root’s side even more here.
Even so, Huroot was acting as if he didn’t think the main store’s users were a big deal.

It’s as if it’s okay except for the president…

‘It’s hard to see them ignoring it at the point of inviting only our main store without the others in the first place, but…’

However, that is also suspicious.
Although the head office is a great place among the stranger clans, it was too suspicious to not see a single one of Elyunar’s many influential people.
Chao Xin looked at the drink glass.
His skill, Emotion, told me that it was an ordinary non-poisonous drink.

I took a sip and looked at the boy waiter.
Instead of feeling offended, he had a smile on his lips, as if it was natural for Chao Xin to speak in a short language.
Feeling a little sorry, Chao Xin cleared his throat and said.

“How long have you been working here?”
“Since I was born.”
“From birth?”
“Yes. I’ve been serving Lord Hurt for generations.”
“Is it.”

When I was unpacking at the accommodation, the employees of the head office had a meeting and listed suspicious points.
One of the questionable points of the Palace of Destiny.
Where did the dozens of people who work here come from?

Of course, the wide and wide Elyunar. It would have been easy to pick up those without status, but I was curious about the opportunity and conditions for them to get a job at the Palace of Destiny.

It is a place where the door has been locked away from the world for hundreds of years, but it must not have recruited people openly.

“But why are you curious about that?”
“Ah… The attitude of the staff and the workmanship are good. I was curious about where and how they trained people.”
“Is that so.”

The boy who smiled happily was handsome enough to look forward to the future.

“If Hear Root hears that, I’m sure he’ll be happy. He put a lot of effort into educating.”
“Efforts? Has Mr. Herrut been considering entertaining people before?”

I asked without missing a question, but the waitress only smiled meaningfully.
Displeased with him, he narrows his brows.
Maybe a commoner. If you intimidate them a little, they might spit out information.
Before that, the boy waiter opened his mouth.

“I cannot answer.”
“Why?”
“Some of the answers are because Lord Herrut restricts them.”
“…”
“If you break, you will be punished.”
“Me too?”
“No. Guests are an exception, but there are things that are strictly prohibited even for guests.”
“What is it?”

The waitress pointed out the stairs far away, going upstairs.

“From the 4th floor, entry is strictly prohibited.”
“Fourth floor? Did you go up to the fourth floor before?”
“It’s only on the 4th floor going up the stairs over there.”

There.
In other words, it is a story that leads to a place other than the usual room where guests can stay.

“Ah. We’re out of drinks. We’ll have to bring new ones. Please enjoy the banquet.”

The waitress bowed deeply and retreated.
He became busy moving dishes and running errands like other employees.

Chao Xin glared at his back for a while, then closed his eyes and sent a salt wave to his temples.

‘Everyone, report.’

Chijik.

‘Basement… It’s just a place to store alcohol.’
‘This is Jihyun! I didn’t see anything special from the 1st to the 3rd floor!’
‘Come on here. I looked all the way from the 4th floor up to the top, but there was nothing strange. It’s just a castle.’

‘Yeompa Channel’ created by his special privilege
If this was the case, there would be no fear of being eavesdropped by magic, so it was perfect for the operation.
Chao Xin closed his eyes and thought, then asked Lim Haji.

‘What about your perk, the clairvoyant? Have you tried it?’
‘Like any place with a tight security, Tutian is blocked. Appear opaque. It’s magic defense.’

If you’re really confident, you won’t even need to use powerful magic to stop clairvoyants.
It means there is something.

‘…No. In fact, it’s only natural that security be impeccable.’

Rather, it is strangely flimsy for a super wizard’s mansion.
No matter how much the employees at the head office searched, at least in places other than the upper floors leading to the banquet room, there was no system to monitor intruders.

Recognize that your way of thinking has shifted, and start thinking again.
Chao Xin gnashed his teeth, promising to find out what the mysterious super-mage was hiding and to put Huroot on an equal table this time.

While everyone was reporting, a man named Shen, who was supposed to look at the floor where the banquet hall was located, was a little late.

However, he was nothing different from his usual report, so Qiao Xin thought it was just a delayed response.

After that, only meaningless reports followed.
Then, in the yeompa channel that was connected at most, it led to a useless spirit fight.
Oh-yeon and her lover, Tae-sik, Ji-hyeon keeps clinging to her with a snoring noise.

Employees at the head office are colleagues, but they also compete with each other for promotions.
However, no matter how competitive they are, Cao Xin sighed, saying that they were too ragtag.

Second day.

Chao Xin already told me about the existence of the 4th floor yesterday.
Members of the headquarters pretended to be looking around the castle and snooped near the stairs leading from the banquet hall to the 4th floor.
There were no guards around, other than strictly forbidden.

When I sneaked up, the door was firmly closed, but if it was opened, the alarm magic would be activated.
This is the mansion of a super wizard, so it must be basic.

‘But I expected it.’

On this side, there is a man named Hakhu who is an expert in dispelling magic.

“Let’s buy time for Hakhu to go up and take a good look.”

At Chao Xin’s suggestion, we decided to make a little fuss for the scouting time after school.
First of all, I forcibly made a claim against the staff at the Palace of Destiny.

“Let me meet Mr. Huroot.”
“I’m sorry. Mr. Huroot is at work, so right now…”
“We are busy people too! Is it really that difficult to meet face to face!”

While making trouble for the staff like that, Hakhu moved secretly, and Chao Xin smiled.

There was just a misunderstanding.
We decided to communicate in real time, but the moment we entered the 4th floor, the communication was cut off.
Several dozen minutes passed like that.

Eventually, around the time the handsome old man with a mustache called the chief chamberlain came back, sweating and panting, the students also returned.
In the end, Hurrut never met.
It seemed that he hadn’t even communicated in the first place.
The employees of the main store, who felt sorry for the employees who apologized over and over again, apologized for being hasty and gathered in Chao Xin’s room.

I wanted to give Hakhu real-time instructions with salt waves, but the skill didn’t activate the moment I entered the 4th floor.
When the employees urged him to tell him what he had seen since he had not yet heard anything, Hakhu put on a dark expression.

Chao Xin asked as softly as possible.

“How was it? After school.”
“I didn’t see anything.”
“That can’t be the case. Then why is the 4th floor strictly forbidden?”
“No, it doesn’t mean that there is nothing…”

Hakhu trembled slightly and opened his mouth.

“Dark, there is nothing else.”
“…Can’t you just use the light skill?”

Hakhu shook his head at the words of a woman named Heejin with a blunt impression.

“If you use magic recklessly, you’ll get caught. Herrut is a wizard who can detect weak magic or skill activation even from several kilometers away… Besides, that darkness wasn’t something that could be revealed with magic.”
“…”
“I think we can break the darkness by using the tricky way of mixing Ryunar and mana.
“If you hide that much, you’ll become more curious…”

Chao Xin murmured.
A situation that has already caused a riot once.
Huroot must have easily guessed that the staff at the head office had bad intentions.
However, it doesn’t matter if you find out that there is still no contact, or you are ignoring it greatly.

“It’s already been ignored, why don’t you do it right?”

At the words of Shunichi, the de facto leader, all ten people looked at him.

“Right?”
“Yeah. We’re users, right?”

That’s right.
User privileges. Resurrection right.
As long as you have it, you can resurrect even if you die.
There are some people who have already consumed it, but you just need to give them an item that is easy to escape.

“Tomorrow night, everyone head to the 4th floor at once. Will it be okay?”
“Yes!”
“I’m good too”
“Are you excited for the first time in a while?”

Main store users shouting confidently.
Shunichi looked at Shen and Hakhu among them with a meaningful expression…

And on the morning of the third day.

Jihyun, a beautiful woman with fluffy long hair, naturally headed to the 4th floor while singing her lulu lala hum.
It was to distract Herroot’s nerves by showing her that no one was blocking her anyway, and that she was snooping on purpose.

‘I do my job well even if no one tells me to!’

Ji-hyeon hesitated as she placed her hand on her railing, expecting her pride and the men’s admiration to follow.
Apparently, dozens of waiters who had been roaming the corridors until now had come in before they knew it and were looking at Ji-hyeon in unison.

“…Uh~ How far. You’ve come to the wrong place.”

Jihyun broke out in a cold sweat.
She is also a fairly strong user, no. All users belonging to the main store are strong users.
Even she could kill ordinary people like that in an instant, but Ji-hyeon quickly ran away due to an unknown chill.

She obviously didn’t protect anyone until yesterday, but as if she was aware of the fact that Hakhu came in and out, she began to keep a close watch on her.

Ji-hyeon expressed her doubts and wanted to return to the main store as soon as possible, asking what the hell was she up to now… But she was convinced that something strange was in this mansion.
She then told her employees what she had been through.

She didn’t change anything.
The operation just continues.

And that night.
Huroot invited them to a dinner party after a long time.
A modest scale for just a dozen people, not befitting the title of super wizard.

In addition, there was a storm outside and lightning flashed, adding to the gloomy atmosphere, making it feel like a banquet for the dead.
It’s an old-fashioned castle, but it’s turned into a house of horror…

However, the food was very luxurious and tasty, so no one expressed dissatisfaction.
Even for Chao Xin, this was better than a frantic party.

“Listen while eating.”

Kind voice.
The users of the main store were nervous and listened to his words.

“I’ve thought about your proposal. The war to subdue the monster king, Askatlov… It’s a difficult agenda for this old body to decide. So, I decided to evaluate you guys and make a decision today.”
“If you say evaluation…?”

Qualification to fight Askatlov… Do you mean measuring strength?
Chao Xin swallowed dryly, thinking that high-level magic might come flying in the next moment.
In the tense air. Harut grinned.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about. I’m well aware that your headquarters are progressive and strong among the outsiders. All this old man wants is just… Fun.”
“…Fun, you say?”
“Yeah. Fun.”

“I’m all old, so the only worth living is fun,” Said Herruth with a grin.

“The Askatlov subjugation will be a very difficult journey. Wouldn’t it be worthwhile if it wasn’t fun?
“…Okay.”
“I hope there is a story I haven’t heard. Aren’t strangers adventurous? There must be one or two rare stories. Yes… In your generation, Primeure is famous there, right?”
“Story…”

All the users went through twists and turns while doing quests.
But is there a story that will satisfy the snarky supermage who has lived for nearly a thousand years?
Is there a story bigger than the story of Primure, who left a name for his great adventure even after his death?
At least not among these.
Chao Xin asked in a cautious voice.

“I’m curious what you want to talk about specifically.”
“Yes, the topic is important. A heart-thumping adventure story. A story of a courageous hero… All of them are good topics.”

Herruth, who had sad eyes, giggled.

“But tonight I want to hear a chilling ghost story.”
“…A ghost story.”
“Yes. For example… That’s it, a magic tool shower.”
“A magic tool shower?”
“It’s a thing that’s used everywhere now, but when it first appeared, the Elyunar people didn’t use it because they were suspicious.”

The head office pays attention to the story while frowning at how long ago it was.

“The water pressure of the stream of water spouting out of the magic tool shower became strong at once, tearing the flesh, or the blade protruding… There were stories like that.”
“Huh…”

It’s an embarrassing story to hear.
Jihyun listened with interest as if he liked scary stories.

“Actually, it was a well-founded story. Shortly after the magic tool shower was released, there were many people who died mysteriously in the bathroom. The cause of death was stab wounds.”

The table fell silent for a moment.
Hee heestroking his white beard leisurely, he continued.

“As it turned out later, the shower that was modified to assassinate a specific human was mistakenly distributed to the general public.”
“…Distributing…? But once you use it, you should know that the water pressure is strange…”
“Yes. That’s it.”

Hur Root’s eyes twinkled.

“So. It must have happened because of the intention of someone living in the same house.”
“…”
“First of all, there are quite a few people who check the water pressure or temperature with their hands in the water stream… For example, what if there is someone who says that the water temperature is right and the water pressure is okay. For example, my wife.”

Inside the quiet room. Harut laughed softly.

“That way, nonsensical stories circulated.”
“Are you saying it’s nonsense?”
“That’s right. As it turned out later, that didn’t happen. At most, I tripped in embarrassment at the first pressure of the shower and hit the back of my head and passed out for a while.”

A slightly lively interior.

“It would have been technically impossible, but the magic that caused the explosion would be more effective than that… In fact, isn’t checking the temperature a natural behavior no matter what anyone in the family says?”

A few temples laughing along with the smiling Herruth.
Perhaps he was happy with that, the super-mage continued with an excited expression.

“Why, isn’t there a common story between your world and our world? When you wash your hair, someone seems to pull it…”
“That’s for sure…”

Chao Xin was startled, but managed to speak.

“Sure.”

Your world.
Our world.
Hurrut naturally said so, but the Elunaryu people do not know the existence of the other world and the gods.
The only people who know about him are those who are in a special state, and those who have contracted with gods alike.

‘Which one.’

It wouldn’t be strange if Emre Pesni was in a special state, but considering Herruth’s talents, it would make sense to say that he made a contract with an evil god.
What was Heoruth thinking, he kept talking about what he knew about God from yesterday?
Are you testing something on the staff at the head office?

“It’s your turn. I want to hear stories like this that will make your hair stand on end.”

The people at the main store face each other and bring out stories they know.
However, most of them were familiar with battles, not those who made the story interesting, but rather flat.
Even so, Huroot listened with interest… But at first glance, he did not show any signs of interest.

“I see. I see. Hmm.”
“Now it’s Hurt-sama’s turn~”

Jihyun with fluffy hair smiled brightly.
She thought that she was usually an annoying woman, but she was helpful in this kind of socializing, she exhaled in secret.

The most trustworthy Shunichi is just crossing his arms with an expressionless face.

“It’s my turn. Hmm… Oh yes. Do you know about Shinsoo?”
“Aha. Are you talking about the Three Gods?”
“Hmm. Three Shinsoo.”

Soso, the alter ego man, said, “Why are you laughing so meaningfully?”

“Yes, yes. Do you know that one of those divine beasts is the Holy Dragon?”
“Ah yes.”

He is the most famous Shinsoo who knows and sleeps.
Unlike other divine beasts who do not appear unless a major crisis comes to the world, a divine beast that is said to have continuous contact with humans…

“Our Emrepes… There are times when we can see the providence of the world.”
“…Providence?”
“Yes. Well, that’s not important. I was able to see the divine providence of the Holy Dragon, and I found out a surprising fact.”
“What is it?”

Harut grinned.

“The Holy Dragon is the crystal of light. The divine beast of light. It is a dragon that can be said to be an aggregation of sacred things… It was said that such a dragon was sleeping in fraud.”
“…Fraud?”

Fraud.
It’s similar to demons, and there are beings with that power among the demons, but… Usually the power emitted by the powerful undead.
This is important information.
The employees of the main store, who had strong intuition as users, corrected their posture.
The same was true of Jihyun, who smiled innocently.
If it was a hidden quest, it might be a clue to improving your specs.
Then, as a result, the position at the head office will also rise.

“But sleeping in fraud doesn’t mean that you’re corrupted. It’s your choice, not your will… Yes. The assembly of light is probably in collusion with the darkness.”
“Darkness…?”
“Yes. With a group that has a deep relationship with the dark.”

Chao Xin frowned.
There are a few places that are related to the Holy Dragon, but the most famous ones are…

“Grise? It’s not like that.”

Could the place called Grise of Light have something to do with darkness?
But Harut smiled meaningfully this time as well.

“Is it…”
“So, is that a scary story?”
“It’s different for each person’s point of view… Anyway, if what you thought was a good being to be sacred is actually evil and dangerous, you’ll get goosebumps…”

He is too.
If what you believed to be safe was actually dangerous… That would be pretty creepy.

“My turn is over. Can you tell me another story?”
“…Have you heard any fresh stories so far?”
“None.”

A moment of silence in response.
Haru said with a bitter smile.

“Personal experiences are always fresh. So I’d like to hear from you guys. If it’s a ghost story… You’ve probably fought a ghost monster? If you fought a monster that was unique in its existence, wouldn’t you have experienced at least a strange phenomenon?”
“That…”

Even if it was a ghost-type monster, the easiest to catch was the smallest ghost monster that I had ever hunted.
Hurroot laughed again this time, and Soso, who was pissed at him, said ah.

“This is a story I’ve heard.”
“Something?”
“There is a place called the Golden Sun Clan. Do you know?”
“They’re correct people.”

Soso imitates Huroot’s smile at his firm words.
Chao Xin warned him to stop, but Su Su did not stop.

“But the power alone was ignorantly large.”
“I know. I was under the command of the Demon King of Color Dreams.”

I know you.
Soso, slightly stunned, continued.

“…Yes. Wouldn’t that mean that the Demon Lord of Color Dreams and the Golden Sun Clan collapsed overnight?”
“Hmm?”

It’s a famous story that everyone knows.
If it was Herroot who knew the user suspiciously well, he would have heard of it.
Why are you bringing up such a story?

“It’s a story about when I went to see the Holy Ghost in Sers, the capital of Entiaer…”

Come to think of it, generally users can’t get inside because they get caught in the gateway, but I wondered if their alter ego ability was being discovered, but it’s a story that I couldn’t pick up anymore.
Soso, who ignored it and said, “How can I know this alone?” Continued the story.

“The base of the Golden Sun Clan was there, and since there was an accident, of course the country investigated it.”
“How’s that?”
“But what can I say about this. There were terrible traces of torture there.”
“Hmm?”

Huroot’s eyes asked what it was like.

“Think about it. There are more than a thousand members of the Golden Sun Clan, and to torture them all, shouldn’t there be at least one thousand?”
“Yes.”

Soso sighed and sighed.

“But according to the rumors… There is only one person who carried out the torture. According to the rumors, they made models using human bodies, or made them kill each other…”
“Huh…”

Soso was thrilled with the most interesting reaction so far.

“The most creepy thing about this is this. No one showed any signs of defiance.”
“…”
“It means that close to thousands of people were intimidated by just one person, unable to resist, and tortured to death. What on earth did they do?”
“Thousands, for just one person…”

Hurrut began to ponder with a joyful expression on his face.

“Group hypnosis, the power of the Demon Lord of Color Dreams is similar to that, so there is a possibility, but it is so difficult to subdue the Demon Lord of Color Dreams that it is incomparable to 10,000 users with low skills… Hmm…”

After thinking about it for a while, this was the answer Hurt came up with.

“The target of that torture must have been an existence that transcended humans.”
“…”
“A monster like a monster or a divine beast, a being who crushes ordinary humans no matter how many there are… There was a human being who gave him overwhelming fear, a human being who didn’t look like a human who made it impossible to resist…”

Added Hart.

“No, is that a human? I don’t think a being that did that kind of thing would be human… I’m curious.”
“It’s probably human. That’s likely a rumor.”
“Hmm? Rumors?”
“It’s not a big talk, it’s a story that flows from a few people. Isn’t it a conspiracy theory?”

Soso sighed. A face that was eaten in one shot.
Chao Xin covered his face. What do you do when you feel offended?

Sensitively aware of the atmosphere, Jihyun said hastily.

“Ah~ I know that story. That’s a user ghost story.”
“What is the user ghost story?”

Fortunately, Harroot didn’t seem offended.
Jihyun laughed at Huroot’s question.

“It’s like a meme that laughs at users who have done ridiculous achievements. The story I was talking about before was just speculation about which user didn’t do that.”
“That’s about eight days.”

Several members of the head office nodded their heads at Ohyeon’s words, which she had been listening to intently.

“But when I saw it in the video, my personality seemed normal.”
“Looking at Poseidon’s tail, it didn’t look normal at all, did it?”
“That’s right. He’s a complete madman…”
“No. But one person is the golden sun…”

Hearing their conversation, Hurrut secretly laughed.

“You look normal as usual…”

A murmur that no one can hear.

“That’s really creepy.”

Herroot laughed in the most interesting voice yet.