Chapter 164

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 164: Procedure (2)

“So, I told you, didn’t I?”

Inside the training room of Takamine Hospital.

A white woman was swinging a massive axe through the air—almost as tall as herself.

“I’m telling you, when fighting an enemy who uses a large weapon like me, you have to stick close. If you try to keep your distance because you’re scared you’ll die if you get hit once, you’re really going to die.”

Alexander Aaron’s words left the three from Dark Shade Unit speechless.

“B-But… they don’t even give us an opening to get close,” Kwon Hudon complained bitterly.

Alexander Aaron pointed her axe at Hudon and shouted, “Hey! Don’t say weak things like that! I told you—if you don’t get close, you really die. Even if you get close, you might die, but that’s still the better chance of survival, isn’t it?”

It was a sound argument. None of them could argue back, but the three still looked dissatisfied.

“Easy to say. But how exactly are we supposed to pull it off?” Mei Hong grumbled with a pout.

Alexander Aaron shook her index finger side to side in reply.

“It’s not easy. That’s why I’m teaching you.”

She refused to back down on any point. Mei Hong suppressed the rising frustration.

“Now I understand why the captain asked me to teach you today. You guys are just too lacking to take the captain’s lessons directly.”

Alexander Aaron clicked her tongue.

“But don’t worry! I’m going to make you at least somewhat useful today…”

Suddenly, Alexander Aaron threw her axe straight at Kwon Hudon.

Caught off guard, Hudon was too surprised to react. The axe embedded itself beside him.

Hot liquid splashed onto Hudon’s face immediately afterward.

“W-What?!” Hudon looked down in shock. A naked man lay dead, impaled by the axe.

“Wow…”

Alexander Aaron, the one who threw the axe, wore a look of disbelief.

“What the hell are you guys?”

The training room rippled like the surface of water. Naked men crawled out from everywhere.

“Do you know who’s in this hospital?”

The intruders ignored Alexander Aaron’s question. Instead, they raised both hands.

Tendons bulged from their forearms, and their fingernails transformed into beast-like claws. Alexander Aaron tilted her head in confusion.

“That doesn’t look like a skill... what the hell is that?”

The intruders snarled and charged simultaneously, targeting not only Alexander Aaron but also the three from Dark Shade Unit.

Alexander Aaron stomped her foot hard on the ground.

Earth stomp.

As the skill activated, the intruders’ bodies were crushed as if squeezed in a press. Crushed flesh splattered across the floor.

“What the hell are these guys?”

Just then, a voice echoed in her mind.

—Aaron, can you hear me?

It was Secretary Kim’s voice, communicating through Aaron’s skill.

—Kwon Mi was attacked. Are you okay over there?

“The captain? Wow, these guys are really insane. We got attacked too, but I killed them all.”

—I thought so. I just got a message from other team members—they were attacked the same way.

Teams scattered throughout the hospital were ambushed simultaneously. The enemy clearly didn’t prepare just yesterday or today.

“Can we identify the beasts responsible?”

—Right before the ambush, a barrier surrounded the hospital. According to Joo Hayun’s guess, it’s Aeon.

“The Mei family isn’t behind this?”

Alexander Aaron was puzzled.

The reason Kwon Mi was guarding Kwon Hanul was because of the Bloodfire Sword, Mei Xiao.

But it’s not the Mei family—it's Aeon attacking?

“Why Aeon? I can’t make sense of this.”

—I don’t know either. Kwon Mi suspects Aeon is after Kwon Hanul because he’s a True Blood.

“Even so… why provoke Hyukcheon over that?”

Hyukcheon once drove Aeon to the brink of extinction.

Even after that, Aeon attacks Hyukcheon because of Kwon Hanul?

—Kwon Mi said she would move independently to find the mastermind. I’ll go with Joo Hayun to protect Kwon Hanul.

“Oh, then I want to fight alongside the captain too.”

—I thought you would say that, knowing your personality. But aren’t you forgetting something?

Oh, right.

Alexander Aaron looked around at Dark Shade Unit: Kwon Hudon, Mei Hong, and Gael Garcia were all here.

—Bring the young lord and the two juniors to my side. Then join up with the other Hyukcheon teams.

“Yes, understood.”

Alexander Aaron replied bravely.

“Oh, Secretary Kim.”

—What is it?

“It looks like we might be delayed. Will that be a problem?”

Suddenly, Alexander Aaron’s tone changed.

“Another strange person just arrived.”

At the training room’s entrance stood a man cloaked in black.

—Any problems?

“None.”

Alexander Aaron answered confidently, staring at the intruder.

“Who are you? Ah, I know you’re an Aeon mage.”

“I call myself White.”

The voice was surprisingly ordinary.

“From birth, I was assigned the mission to kill Hyukcheon. Today, I finally fulfill that mission.”

“Huh? Sorry, but I have no intention of helping you with your mission…”

Snap.

A finger snapped. Suddenly, White’s body doubled.

Snap.

Another snap, and now there were four.

Snap snap.

Two snaps. White’s body increased from four to six.

Snap, snap, snap.

With every snap, White multiplied. Soon, White filled over half of the training room.

“Magic is a far more advanced technology than mere skills.”

White spoke. Hundreds of Whites spoke simultaneously.

“Alexander Aaron. You will succumb to the greatness of magic.”

* * *

“Looks like the first wave was completely wiped out?”

Outside Takamine Hospital.

A young man standing at a distance spoke up.

“Didn’t this operation just get ruined?”

“You don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

An old man standing beside him scolded the young man.

Uniquely, both of the old man’s irises were completely black.

“The people we just sent in were nothing more than a distraction for the Black Sharp Squad and a way to gauge their level.”

“Is that so?”

“The real battle starts now.”

The old man, Azeth Hermes, said with a hint of amusement.

“As you know, our Aeon once nearly got wiped out by Hyukcheon.”

“You’ve really gotten old. Talking about ancient history right away.”

The young man mocked, causing Azeth Hermes’ face to twist in displeasure.

“...Anyway, after that day, Aeon began to train forces specifically to oppose Hyukcheon.”

“Oh, really? But why bother with all that trouble? You should’ve just asked me.”

Azeth Hermes gave the young man a cold glare.

Though he was once an Aeon-affiliated magician, this young man now walked a separate path. He was not someone to be trusted with such authority.

“They are about to face the Black Sharp Squad now.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a massive clash of magical energy erupted from Takamine Hospital.

“It has begun.”

Azeth Hermes smiled.

* * *

“I’m worried about what kind of place this Earth we’re supposed to arrive at really is.”

Hanul hadn’t misheard. That demon had indeed mentioned “Earth.”

“Worrying is pointless. Didn’t the prophets say that Earth is the optimal place for us to continue our world?”

“The prophets’ words are vague at best. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s beneficial to us. You know that too.”

“I know. But we have no other options left.”

Beruel sat on the stairs and said, “Everything’s ruined. Not just the land is devastated — the dimensions themselves have been torn apart. We’re lucky to even have the Ark to transfer the survivors to Earth.”

The demon sighed quietly at Beruel’s words.

“Don’t worry so much. No matter where Earth is, as long as our kin are together, we can overcome anything.”

Beruel patted the demon’s back reassuringly, and the demon finally smiled.

But just for a moment — suddenly, the demon’s expression turned serious.

“The Ark will arrive on Earth very soon.”

The demon waved his hand through the air, and the curtains covering the building’s walls were pulled aside.

Behind the curtains was not a wall, but a huge glass window.

Beyond the glass was pitch-black space. It wasn’t outer space — if it were, stars would be visible.

“We are about to cross the dimensional barrier.”

At that moment—

With a tremendous roar, the entire building shook violently. The demons lost their balance and fell to the floor.

“What on earth is this...?”

Beruel turned to the demon in confusion. The demon crouched on the ground, sweating profusely.

“Why are you like this? Pull yourself together!”

“The dimensional barrier... is rejecting... us...”

The demon’s chest glowed bright red, like a piece of molten iron.

“The Ark’s control... is... lost...”

The building began to crack.

The floor, ceiling, walls — everything shattered to pieces.

The collapsed debris and the demons fell into the darkness.

The only one who did not fall was Kwon Hanul.

“What is happening?”

Standing on the edge of darkness, Kwon Hanul was lost in thought.

“What on earth is about to happen now?”

Suddenly, a bright light poured in.

The previously dark space brightened, revealing a new landscape.

A clear blue sky, lush greenery spread out below, and a city visible in the distance.

As soon as he saw it, he realized: this place was...

“Earth, isn’t it?”

Just then, a groan came from the floor.

Looking over, Beruel saw the demon he had been talking with collapsed on the ground.

“Crossing the dimensional wall... was... this difficult...”

The demon was in no normal state. Covered in wounds leaking magical energy, it crawled across the ground, unable to move its limbs properly.

“I... need to recover...”

Despite the pain, the demon kept moving.

“The Ark... must be... delivered...”

Then—

“What’s this? A monster I’ve never seen before.”

A human voice called out.

A young man looked down at the demon.

“Y-you are...?”

“Ugh, uaaagh!”

The demon opened its mouth, startling the young man, who screamed in shock.

“A m-monster... is talking!”

The young man was as surprised as the demon.

“Is this a lifeform from Earth?”

The demon swallowed hard. It was in no condition to fight and had to try to appease him.

“Hey, I don’t mean to harm you. If you help me...”

Before it could finish, the young man drew a knife and cut the demon’s throat.

“Guh, guuurk!”

Under normal circumstances, such wounds would be easily healed.

But weakened by crossing the dimensional barrier, its body could not recover.

“The Ark...”

The demon finally lost its life, its body collapsing and scattering.

“Phew... You can’t let your guard down around dangerous monsters.”

The demon’s scattered remains floated into the air. Some pieces flew toward the young man.

“Wha? Wha—?”

Panicked, he waved his arms wildly but it was no use. The demon’s body was absorbed into him.

The young man closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them — his irises had turned black.

“...Hah.”

That was not the only change.

His mind suddenly filled with knowledge far beyond what he had learned in his entire life.

Of course, he couldn’t fully comprehend it, only understand a little.

But that was enough.

“Is this how you do it?”

The young man extended his palm. Magical energy intertwined complexly, causing a strange effect.

The weeds growing on the ground suddenly sprouted rapidly.

They grew larger and larger, eventually transforming into a tree.

This wasn’t a skill, a trait, or a gift.

This was...

“Magic. So this... is magic.”

The moment the first magician was born.

“Haha... To think that Azeth Hermes would have such a fate in his life.”

The young man laughed joyfully for a long time.

Then, something caught his eye.

A glowing orb floated where the demon had died.

Drawn as if by a spell, the young man reached for the orb with both hands.

At that instant, the knowledge absorbed from the demon flared up like lightning.

“This is it.”

The first magician — Azeth Hermes — cheered.

“With this, I can accomplish anything.”

At that moment, a single ambition took root in Azeth Hermes’ heart.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]