Chapter 356

Then, after thoroughly securing the shell, I finished my preparations and finally set out.

I slipped through the open window.

Gururuk!

Today, with winter just around the corner, the sky was brilliantly clear.

.

.

.

By the time it was around ten in the morning, most of the lively, energetic residents had already gone out.

At that hour, the apartment building abruptly fell quiet.

Sitting there alone, all that reached my ears was a faint wash of white noise.

Vroom.

Murmur, murmur...

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

And around the time some unidentified bird began chirping outside, the body seated inside the studio apartment suddenly jerked upright.

_-

At present, this body possesses no self-aware consciousness.

Its eyes blink from time to time. It occasionally gets up to keep its muscles from stiffening. It even opens the refrigerator and drinks water.

That is all.

Much like the toy dogs sold by street vendors in subway stations, it may move with surprising liveliness, but that does not mean it is truly alive.

_-

The body born under the name Giryeo—meaning “to strive with skill”—stirred for a moment.

It performed the act of walking with practiced ease, dozens of muscles working together in intricate coordination.

That was only natural.

It was not generating entirely new commands from nothing. Its muscles and brain were simply repeating movements they already remembered.

And with the body being efficiently maintained in this manner, its true mind was free to devote its attention elsewhere.

Kaaak! Kaaak!

Damn it. I’m just trying to pass through. Why are these bastards so territorial?

In other words, the archmage was controlling pigeons in order to observe the world.

It did not take long for the value of golem studies to become apparent.

The magical technology accumulated over the long history of a certain planet was remarkable in more ways than one.

Just as the natives of Alphauri were, in a sense, veterans when it came to creating life, the mages of that world could observe distant places with astonishing vividness as long as they possessed enough magical power.

They could even feel the breeze brushing against their cheeks.

And as an added benefit, this sort of magic was also useful for exploring extreme environments such as the deep sea.

Get lost, you inferior crow brats!

Kaaak!

Block my way again and I’ll ram straight into you.

The only problem was that the archmage was currently using all that power for something that seemed rather less important...

If you put it on a nose, it becomes a nose ring. Put it on an ear, and it becomes an earring.

Technology, in the end, tended to be used however its owner pleased, no matter the planet.

With no workplace to get in his way in this life, the archmage simply enjoyed his rare day off.

I think I’m finally getting the hang of flying.

The observational data was coming in smoothly as well.

Although the distance was already more than ten times greater than it had been during the [Six-Legged Corridor] incident, the magic continued to function flawlessly.

Hmm.

There could hardly have been better news.

And yet, for some reason, the mage casting the spell occasionally found his attention wandering elsewhere.

Not toward his own accomplishment as a mage, but toward the cities painstakingly built by millions upon millions of people in this world.

Today, those were what moved him most.

Impressive.

Seen from high above, the city below was drenched in gray, as though everything had been constructed according to some immutable law.

The natives of Earth often found such uniformity dull and monotonous.

But to an alien, the rigid urban landscape—precisely measured and meticulously arranged—possessed an unfamiliar beauty.

I’ve been too busy surviving to say it very often, but...

Seeing another world like this really is moving.

In my previous life, I barely even knew where the planets of the solar system were.

Yet now, I had learned that those distant places were bustling regions filled with life, and that entire civilizations had risen upon them.

To the archmage, every single building raised by the people of Earth seemed like a masterpiece.

I wonder how many years it took them to develop technology like this.

And the natural environment here is completely different from my homeland.

Now that I’ve been reincarnated on Earth, living high above the ground like the locals might not be so bad.

To the alien, the entirety of South Korea was an enormous treasure trove waiting to be explored.

And so, while concentrating on controlling the rock pigeons, he wandered through every interesting place that caught his eye.

That was how events unfolded until shortly before ten in the morning.

[Ding-dong.]

Then, at approximately 10:11 a.m., a sudden signal heralded a change in the atmosphere.

[Ding-dong.]

The temporary residence housing Kim Giryeo’s original body.

The doorbell of studio apartment 405 rang.

_-

When an unexpected visitor appears in broad daylight, there are usually two possibilities.

First: religious proselytizing.

Second: proselytizing from one of the other five religions.

The building’s entrance code was openly written on the wall beside the main door, so unsolicited visitors were hardly unusual.

Besides, these days, even city gas inspections were normally announced in advance.

No reason to open the door.

Unless there is an emergency, such as a fire, do not leave the apartment.

Another safety measure prepared by the archmage took effect.

Following the magical directive established in advance, the shell inside the studio apartment chose to ignore the doorbell.

Giryeo-ssi!

But if a sound like that kept coming...

Well, that changed things.

Giryeo-ssi.

It was a voice I had heard countless times before.

High-pitched, yet forceful.

A tone so distinctive that it might as well have been a fingerprint.

It was the voice of the leader of the Korean Magic Tower Guild.

Esther was standing beyond the door.

Why aren’t you answering your phone? You’re not even on a raid, and you haven’t replied to any of my messages! I’ve been trying to contact you since lunchtime yesterday!

Naturally, when a modern person came all the way to someone’s home without warning, it usually meant they had something urgent to discuss.

Giryeo-ssi, I’m already worried about you living alone, but more importantly, there’s something I really need to tell you.

Giryeo-ssi!

The visitor raised her voice again.

I have something to tell you. But seriously, why is there no sign of anyone inside? According to [Searcher], this is definitely the right place...

She sounded increasingly anxious.

And as the situation developed, something unexpected began occurring inside the studio apartment as well.

The magic protecting Kim Giryeo’s original body suddenly began making a decision.

[Top priority: Do not allow any harm to come to the body.]

As you can see, this body had quite a few promises to keep.

[Assessment based on memory: But if I anger the curse caster, don’t I usually get hurt?]

At that point, the mammalian brain became confused.

The memories left behind by its new occupant had also been imprinted upon the body.

I should avoid provoking that S-rank named Seo Esther.

She’s the type to hold a grudge for a long time...

After regaining his strength, he had even entertained half-hearted plans such as remote lessons.

Unfortunately, the hastily constructed system created by the archmage was not free from the inconveniences of software updates.

Because the spell relied only on broad fragments of memory, the extreme caution he had practiced throughout his F-rank days had become its default standard for judgment.

[Touch the curse caster → the person gets hurt.]

And so, acting on a deeply flawed conclusion, the magic protecting the empty shell made its move.

Drrr.

A moment later, the door opened with almost no resistance.

Huh?

_-

And that was how the two S-rank hunters came face to face.

***

About two minutes later, inside Kim Giryeo’s temporary studio apartment.

...So what I’m saying is, there’s really no need for you to teach me separately.

Another voice echoed through the room.

If the current negotiations with the government go well, the [Book of Destruction] should end up in my possession.

_-

Haseong said he’d feel too pressured if another legendary item appeared here, and you said you didn’t need it either—

I was simply lucky enough to benefit from the situation.

And now Seo Esther was on the verge of acquiring exactly that kind of extravagant support item.

If I manage to obtain the [Book of Destruction], I probably won’t be so obsessed with teaming up with other S-rank hunters anymore.

_-

Besides, there won’t be enough time to learn how to handle that artifact properly.

And how am I supposed to arrange a separate schedule with you on top of that, Giryeo-ssi?

Right?

In truth, the reason the [Book of Destruction] had still not been returned to its country of origin was largely due to the archmage’s influence.

Someone had, quite literally, submerged Andy Oliver in water, and the resulting chain reaction had produced one benefit after another.

_-

However, the body currently moving inside the apartment was little more than a mass of magic that struggled even to form simple words.

Oh, by the way, Giryeo. There’s something I only wanted to say when the two of us were alone.

While the blond homeowner remained silent, Esther continued talking by herself.

I-I definitely didn’t investigate your background or anything.

It’s just that there happened to be a lot of people at the hospital where you stayed who were acquainted with my father.

Beneath the casual tone of her words were several rather serious implications.

I happened to hear that during your last hospital stay... you had another episode where you coughed up blood.

_-

First of all, I dealt with the janitor who was spreading those eyewitness stories, so you don’t need to worry about that.

_-

When a man living alone suddenly stops responding, people naturally start wondering whether something happened to him.

That’s why I came.

A range of emotions passed over the curly-haired woman’s face.

For a moment, she looked genuinely worried.

Then she sharply asked why he insisted on living in such a tiny place—something she had apparently wanted to say for quite some time.

You’re acting like you’re determined to donate your entire fortune to charity!

The curse caster’s magical power fluctuated along with her emotions.

Fortunately, for the moment, there was little reason for concern.

Gugugugugu!

No matter how much of his consciousness was focused on the rock pigeons, the source of the magic itself remained within his original body.

Kim Giryeo now possessed magical power exceeding even the level of an S-rank.

It would take an extraordinary incident to so much as scratch his skin.

[Rule 8: If the body receives an impact above a certain threshold, control will immediately be terminated. The mental viewpoint will be retrieved, and consciousness will return to the original body.]

In fact, that was precisely why the alarm system had been so lax.

The mage inhabiting the rock pigeon had, in a sense, turned on a “Do Not Disturb” mode.

After all, his body was sturdy, and protective wards were permanently installed around the studio apartment.

There was no reason to keep the auditory channel open like some frightened coward.

The Alphauri mage’s reasoning was, for the most part, correct.

There was only one exception.

Among all the scenarios he had considered, the appearance of the curse caster—whose presence created contradictory commands within the system—had complicated matters considerably.

_-

With a friendly awakened one visiting him, the chances of Kim Giryeo’s body suffering physical harm should have become even lower.

Hmm.

And yet the silence continued.

Giryeo-ssi.

Gradually, the visitor began to realize that something was wrong.

By the way... are you really okay?

You’ve barely said anything this whole time.

What’s going on?

Swish.

As she spoke, the woman reached out and gently placed a hand against my forehead.

Honestly, there was no deeper intention behind the gesture.

It was simply an expression of concern for my health.

Huh?

But contrary to what she expected, her palm immediately registered something alarming.

Hot...

He’s hot.

How could a body that was practically dead be this warm?

The weather has gotten colder lately, so ordinary human clothes aren’t quite enough.

In fact, this was the work of the second being occupying the corpse.

But taking out my winter clothes is a pain.

I’ll just raise my body temperature a little.

One should never expect ordinary common sense from an extraterrestrial life-form.

To put it in Earth terms, an Alphauri had turned on the heater because the weather was cold, then left the house and forgotten about it.

That was why the original body was slightly warmer than normal.

Ahhh! Oh my goodness! You’re burning up!

That seemingly insignificant increase of two degrees Celsius became the final straw.

The guild master of the Korean Magic Tower immediately went pale and began making a tremendous fuss.

This is a full-blown emergency! You need treatment right now!

And she did not stop there.

Mistaking Kim Giryeo’s silence for delirium caused by a high fever, she moved to solve the problem herself.

She slipped an arm around the homeowner’s body, despite him being roughly twenty centimeters taller than her, and tried to support his weight.

In other words, she attempted to move Kim Giryeo’s body.

[Unless an emergency such as a fire occurs inside the apartment, do not leave.]

This clearly violated the security measures imposed upon the body.

[Top priority: Do not allow the body to be injured.]

[VS]

[But if I anger the curse caster, don’t I usually get hurt?]

This time, however, the security mechanism encountered a direct conflict.

_-

After a brief moment of hesitation, the body bearing the name Kim Giryeo stopped resisting.

True to the nature of a system created through trial and error, the magic had malfunctioned.

Drag.

And so, the blond man was helplessly dragged out of the apartment by the curse wielder’s brute strength.