Chapter 15: Echoes of the Past  

“You’re saying it was an accident during training, Gaon?” Oris trailed off, staring at the gaping hole in the training room’s ceiling.  

The issue was the five protective magic arrays installed in the room. What kind of magic could destroy all five?  

“Sorry,” Gaon said. “I figured I should explain before repairing it.”  

“No, it’s fine! These things happen during training all the time,” Oris replied, snapping out of his thoughts and shaking his head.  

“But you’re saying you’ll repair the arrays yourself? Are you skilled in array crafting too?”  

Many assumed magic and array crafting were the same, but they were distinct disciplines. 

A master mage could be clueless about arrays, and an array expert might lack magical prowess. 

Yet Gaon claimed he could restore them.  

“Not exactly skilled,” Gaon said. “Just enough to handle what was here.”  

“Oh!” Oris’s eyes sparkled with admiration.  

“Do you need any materials?”  

“I’ve got everything I need.”  

“Alright! Let me know if you need anything else,” Oris said, smiling warmly.  

Gaon seized the moment. “It’s not about the arrays, but I need an elixir.”  

“An elixir? I can offer what I have—”  

“No, I want to buy it fairly. Didn’t you want to maintain a good relationship?”  

A one-sided exchange, while initially appealing, often soured relations. 

Luel’s Blessing was already excessive; accepting more without payment risked complications.  

“Ah, you’re right,” Oris said, realization dawning. “How much do you have?”  

“Not much gold, but I have some artifacts.”  

“Artifacts?”  

“Yes, Kerhen artifacts.”  

…!  

Oris was stunned. “You have more besides that pouch?”  

He knew Gaon’s pouch was a Kerhen artifact—rare and valuable. 

He’d assumed that was it. More artifacts? And from the way Gaon spoke, it wasn’t just one or two.  

“Yes, hold on,” Gaon said, rummaging through his pouch and pulling out items he deemed unnecessary for the future.  

…!  

Oris’s jaw dropped with each artifact. High-grade emblems! That one too!  

Most bore high-grade Kerhen emblems. 

One even had a supreme-grade emblem, a rarity Oris had seen only twice in his life.  

Swallowing hard, he thought, How does he have so many Kerhen artifacts?  

He’d assumed they’d be low-grade. 

But not one was low-grade; only one was mid-grade.  

Even the Rios Empire’s emperor wouldn’t have this many.  

Kerhen artifacts were nearly impossible to acquire, regardless of wealth.  

“That’s it for now,” Gaon said, setting down a small rod-shaped artifact.  

Oris scanned the haul: one mid-grade, eight high-grade, two supreme-grade—eleven in total.  

“You plan to trade all these for elixirs?” he asked cautiously.  

“Yes, finished products or raw materials like spirit herbs.”  

“It’ll take time. These are incredibly valuable.”  

“As long as it’s not too long, I’m fine. Any you’re interested in? I’ll give you priority.”  

…!  

Oris’s eyes lit up. He’d been eyeing one, and Gaon’s offer was unexpected. But—  

“I don’t have anything like Luel’s Blessing,” Oris admitted. 

His elixirs were mostly mid- or low-grade.  

“That’s fine. Low-grade is enough. Doesn’t have to be mana-based.”  

Pacheon Simbeop could process any energy—mana, demonic, or sorcery. Any elixir would do.  

“Wait a moment! I’ll fetch them!” Oris rushed out.  

Watching him leave, Gaon thought, I can form it soon.  

Even two or three low-grade elixirs would suffice for the 5th Circle.  

Looking at the ceiling, he extended his hand.  

Crack!  

The hole sealed shut. 

He then pulled magic ink from his pouch and began restoring the arrays, aiming to finish before Oris returned to consume the elixirs and reach the 5th Circle.  

***

Somewhere in the Southern Outskirts of Rabes  

Five figures in black robes, numbered 1 to 5, sat around a circular table.  

“What happened? The curse on Gron was broken,” said McCarrin, the largest figure, marked with a 1.  

Glaxion, marked with a 3, replied, “Abel appeared at the library and took a kid with him.”  

The others turned to Glaxion at the abrupt statement.  

“Recent intel suggests the kid is Gaon, the Gardion Tower mage who killed Rapir in Tren and vanished,” Glaxion continued.  

…!  

Everyone’s faces registered shock.  

“Gaon is at least 4th Circle,” Glaxion said. “Even suppressing his sorcery, I couldn’t fully gauge him, but a 3rd Circle couldn’t evade my senses. 

At his age, 4th Circle means he’s a priority for Gardion Tower. 

He likely had an artifact capable of breaking the curse.”  

Turning to McCarrin, Glaxion added, “If he can break the curse, he might detect our grand plan. We should act now.”  

“Opening the rift now would be too small. Even mid-tier demons would struggle to pass,” McCarrin countered.  

“Our goal isn’t destruction but spreading fear,” Glaxion argued.  

McCarrin fell silent. 

Glaxion was right—their aim was to open a demonic rift to instill terror, not annihilate Rabes, which was McCarrin’s personal ambition.  

“Any objections?” McCarrin asked.  

Silence.  

“Two days from now, we execute the plan,” he declared.  

“All for the will of the Abyss!” Glaxion shouted.  

The others echoed, “All for the will of the Abyss!”  

***

Hoo.  

Finishing the last elixir’s absorption, Gaon exhaled softly and checked his Pacheongi.  

A vast amount circulated within him, enough for the 5th Circle. 

He’d gathered it long ago but delayed formation due to the fourth wall of Pacheon Simbeop.  

Guess I need more.  

The fourth wall hadn’t appeared, likely requiring more Pacheongi.  

Time to form it.  

Gaon began rotating his Circles one by one. 

As they spun fiercely, he started forming the fifth.  

As its completion neared, the lower Circles’ output intensified.  

Breaking the wall first was the right call.  

Without his strengthened body, he couldn’t have withstood this output.  

The fifth Circle completed, and Gaon activated it to test its maximum output.  

Crack!  

The surrounding space trembled.  

Grinning, Gaon thought, This is it.  

The output exceeded expectations. 

With proper strategy, he could defeat a 7th Circle mage—certainly. 

His arsenal wasn’t limited to magic; Pacheon Swordsmanship’s first stance, now practiced alongside magic, amplified his strength.  

Next, he extended his senses to their limit. 

The 5th Circle enhanced not just output but perception.  

Hm?  

He frowned slightly. 

Two mages were at a nearby restaurant—one likely 5th Circle, the other 4th. The 5th Circle mage’s mana felt familiar.  

I’ll know when we meet.  

They were likely Gardion Tower mages sent to the Alion estate. 

He’d soon find out who they were.  

Then, the mages stood, left the restaurant, and approached the estate.  

Gaon rose, exiting the training room. Blanc, waiting nearby, approached.  

“Anything you need?”  

“Tell the count the mages have arrived. I’ll greet them first.”  

“Understood!” Blanc, startled, rushed to Oris’s study.  

Gaon headed not to the entrance but the estate’s wall, where the mages were approaching.  

Waiting by the wall, he saw them climb over.  

…!  

The mages flinched upon seeing him, instantly wary.  

Gaon ignored their caution, studying the 5th Circle mage. 

The mana wasn’t the only familiar thing—his appearance was too. 

A past acquaintance, now in his 60s or 70s, meaning he’d been a teen or young adult when Gaon knew him.  

“What’s your name?” Gaon asked.  

“Who are you?” the 5th Circle mage countered, not answering. “I wasn’t told there’d be a mage at the estate…”  

Trailing off, he raised his mana, pressuring Gaon’s surroundings with a guarded expression.  

Gaon frowned. 

He understood but wasn’t pleased.  

Activating all his Circles, which needed no warmup thanks to Pacheongi, they spun at maximum speed. 

He seized control of the space around the mages, pinning them just enough to immobilize them.  

…!  

Both mages were stunned, especially the 5th Circle mage.  

Seeing his shocked face, Gaon remembered.  

“Rotes! It’s Rotes!”  

Rotes, the seventh disciple of Reudi, Gardion Tower’s second master after Gaon.