Chapter 21: The Price of Silence

Gaon reached the artifact and first examined its structure.

Removing the 8-star magic stone, its power source, could cause issues if done carelessly.

…Looks fine.

After completing his inspection, Gaon smiled.

Thankfully, the structure posed no problems for extracting the stone.

He promptly removed the 8-star magic stone and gazed at it with immense satisfaction.

Even from a distance, he had sensed its extraordinary nature.

Up close, the demonic energy within was even denser than he’d expected.

Absorbing it all might allow him to reach the 7th Circle.

However, there was one concern.

Can my body handle it?

The output of Circles formed with Pacheongi was far stronger than he’d anticipated, unlike mana-based Circles.

His current body could handle the 6th Circle’s output, but the 7th Circle was questionable.

If it’s too much, I’ll just break through the fourth wall.

Breaking through a wall brought changes as significant as forming a new Circle.

If his body couldn’t withstand the 7th Circle’s output, he could break the fourth wall first and then ascend.

Gaon stored the magic stone in his Kerhen pouch.

He then collected the artifact itself.

While he had only checked its general structure, not its specifics, he could tell it was no ordinary artifact.

He planned to examine it closely later.

Next, Gaon turned to the demon.

With the artifact and magic stone secured, there was no reason to keep it alive.

“Ice Spike.”

Crack!

Ice spikes erupted from the ground, piercing the demon’s body.

The Bind spell was released at that moment, but it didn’t matter—the demon was already dead.

Its body turned to dust and began to dissipate.

Gaon focused his senses, checking for other demons or valuable items like the 8-star magic stone.

Unfortunately, and predictably, there were no more treasures of that caliber.

Nor were there any demons—only low-level monsters remained.

Better leave these to others.

He could wipe them out in an instant if he wanted, but he chose not to.

It wasn’t for Rotes or Taylor’s sake, but for the knights and soldiers.

This invasion wasn’t a serious threat, making it a perfect opportunity for them to gain experience.

Gaon looked up at the demonic rift in the sky.

About 15 minutes until it disappears.

Based on its size, the barrier would likely fade in about 15 minutes.

Might as well train in the meantime.

Deciding to train until then, Gaon pulled the 8-star magic stone from his pouch.

The sight of it brought an involuntary smile.

With a wide grin, he began absorbing its demonic energy.

The dense energy flowed through his palm into his body.

As if waiting for it, his Pacheongi latched onto the demonic energy and began circulating.

Was it the sheer quantity or the high quality of the energy?

His Pacheongi grew at a tremendous rate.

Gaon checked the remaining demonic energy in the stone.

…This’ll take at least two hours.

Despite his continuous absorption, the stone still held a vast amount of energy.

At this rate, fully absorbing it would take at least two hours, possibly more.

Better absorb it all before leaving.

Originally, Gaon had planned to close the rift and leave Rabes with Rotes and Taylor.

But the magic stone made him reconsider.

Absorbing it fully could push him to the 7th Circle.

If he reached the 7th Circle, he might face issues from other shortcomings, but lack of power wouldn’t be one of them.

Yeah, that’s the plan.

After some thought, Gaon decided to absorb all the stone’s energy before departing.

A short while later, he paused his absorption and looked up at the rift.

The barrier was fading.

Faster than I thought.

He had expected another five minutes.

Probably because of the low demonic energy.

The rift was small, with minimal demonic energy flowing through it.

That likely explained why the barrier vanished so quickly.

This was good news for Gaon.

He activated all his Circles and began unleashing magic toward the rift.

Boom! Boom! Crack!

A barrage of spells struck the rift, accompanied by explosions and flashes of vibrant light.

The rift shook relentlessly.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the shaking stopped.

The already small rift began shrinking rapidly and soon vanished completely.

The sky above Rabes returned to normal.

Some demonic energy and monsters remained, but with the rift closed, the energy supply was cut off.

The remaining energy would soon dissipate, and the knights and soldiers could handle the monsters.

Gaon resumed absorbing the magic stone’s energy and started walking back to the estate.

***

“…What?”

Taylor couldn’t help but question, his expression filled with disbelief.

Rotes’s story was so shocking it was hard to believe.

More accurately, it was beyond belief.

“Are you… joking?”

Taylor asked cautiously, gauging Rotes’s reaction.

“It’s no joke. He’s exactly who you think he is.”

Taylor was speechless at Rotes’s response.

The First Tower Master… really?

At that moment—

“…!”

Rotes’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the rift.

The barrier was disappearing.

A multitude of spells materialized in the sky—undoubtedly Gaon’s.

Every spell shot toward the rift.

Boom! Boom! Crack!

The sound of spells detonating echoed, and Rotes let out a wry chuckle.

This is 5th Circle?

Gaon’s Circles had been shattered due to a magic array, and he was rebuilding them.

He had reformed five Circles—making him 5th Circle, the same as Rotes.

But Rotes knew he couldn’t replicate the spectacle Gaon was creating.

He could cast all those spells; his mana was sufficient.

The issue was time.

For Rotes, casting all those spells would take two minutes.

Gaon did it in five seconds.

Five seconds versus two minutes—an enormous gap.

He wasn’t lying when he said he could take on a 7th Circle Archmage.

Gaon had claimed that, despite being 5th Circle, he could defeat a 7th Circle Archmage.

Rotes had initially thought it might be difficult, even for Gaon.

But seeing this, he had no choice but to believe.

Rotes turned to Taylor, who wore a dumbfounded expression.

“Still think I’m lying?”

Rotes asked with a grin.

Taylor couldn’t respond.

The First Tower Master… really?

Rotes’s words were hard to believe, but if Gaon alone had created this spectacle, there was no choice but to accept it.

Rotes patted the silent Taylor’s shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

He took the lead, heading toward the source of the magic.

Taylor snapped out of his daze and followed.

Soon, they spotted Gaon.

“…?”

Rotes was puzzled.

Gaon was holding a massive magic stone, from which immense demonic energy was flowing—and being absorbed into his palm.

“Huh?”

“You’re… absorbing it?”

“Is that safe?”

Absorbing demonic energy was shocking enough, but doing so while moving was even more astonishing.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m purifying it as I go,” Gaon replied with a gentle smile.

He continued, “Leave the remaining monsters to the knights and soldiers. Help if it looks dangerous. I’ll leave the cleanup to you.”

“Yes, understood,” Rotes replied.

Gaon left, and Rotes looked at Taylor.

Taylor’s expression had changed.

His eyes sparkled as he watched Gaon’s retreating figure.

Seeing himself in Taylor, Rotes chuckled.

***

In the Gatian Plains, southeast of Rabes, knights, soldiers from the Sailer family, and mages from Rud Tower were advancing toward Rabes.

Their purpose was “support.”

A demonic rift had opened in Rabes.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

Closing the rift was important, but they had another critical objective.

Gardion Tower mages were currently in Rabes.

I hope he’s still alive.

Tomen, head of the Sailer family, thought of Gaon, the Gardion Tower mage who killed his third son, Rafir.

With the rift open, monsters would pour out, and demons might appear.

Tomen hoped Gaon hadn’t been killed by them.

That would be too easy a death.

At that moment, a scouting knight returned.

Tomen frowned slightly at the knight’s bewildered expression.

Was the situation worse than expected?

“Halt!”

Tomen stopped the advance.

The knight began his report.

Hearing it, Tomen was stunned.

“…The rift is closed?”

“Yes, they’re currently eliminating the remaining monsters and handling the aftermath.”

Tomen was speechless.

How long had it been since they received word of the rift, and it was already closed with cleanup underway?

He wasn’t the only one shocked.

Gallagher, Vice Tower Master of Rud Tower, who had heard the report, was equally stunned.

“Are we turning back?”

Tomen asked cautiously, gauging Gallagher’s reaction.

On the surface, Tomen led the support force, as it was a matter for the Glaco Kingdom.

But he had to be mindful of Gallagher, not just because he was Rud Tower’s Vice Tower Master, but because Gallagher was one of the few 6th Circle High Mages among them.

“No, we can’t,” Gallagher replied after a moment’s thought.

“This is the perfect chance to avenge the deputy and deal with those Gardion bastards.”

The rift was just a pretext.

Gallagher had joined the support force solely because of Gardion Tower’s mages.

Without them, he wouldn’t have come.

The rift’s closure gave no reason to retreat.

“Thank you!”

Tomen beamed with gratitude.

He had worried Gallagher might turn back.

While he had brought a large force, exerting influence in Rabes would be difficult.

But with Gallagher, there was no issue.

Even Oris Alion, Rabes’s lord, couldn’t act recklessly against a 6th Circle mage like Gallagher.

“No need for thanks,” Gallagher chuckled.

Tomen issued the order to advance again.

As they marched toward Rabes, Tomen thought of Gaon, his son’s killer.

Just wait a little longer. I’ll give you the worst pain imaginable.