Chapter 51
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
He had no intention of solving a problem without getting something in return.
Park Chan-woo offered advice in exchange for Adora obtaining a holy relic.
Thanks to this, he was able to easily obtain a high-grade holy relic without having to hunt for it himself.
It was even easier than eating rice lying down.
“Do not fear your own power. Simply rule over death naturally. Make sure the name ‘Witch of Death’ isn’t wasted on you.”
“…Are you saying I’m not ruling over death properly?”
“If you were truly in control, Kankun’s tribe wouldn’t have been wiped out. Don’t you agree?”
All of this was Adora’s doing.
If she had handled the energy of death properly, she could have easily controlled it so that Kankun’s tribe wouldn’t have been wiped out.
But because she failed to control it, Kankun’s tribe was massacred.
And then she was forced to fight Kankun.
“Kankun overcame his own weakness. But you are still afraid of your own power. Even if you were to meet again like this, nothing would be solved.”
“Only the ‘Black Witch’ can control a witch’s power.”
“You can do it too. If I help you.”
Park Chan-woo was confident.
Adora had simply never learned properly.
In the world of witches, there was no need to control the power of death, and even if there was, they would have relied on the ‘Black Witch’.
Black magic.
Magic that runs counter to the truth.
From the perspective of a mage who deals in truth, black magic was a deeply fascinating field of study.
Especially being able to interact directly with the master of black magic, a witch, was a rare opportunity.
There were black magicians out there, but who could compare to the true master?
‘I knew when we joined hands. How Adora’s death works.’
He sensed it faintly.
It wasn’t simply about snatching away life.
It was a much more advanced magic, built on a higher formula.
‘Adora’s mana burns other mana.’
Mana.
Something all living beings possess.
Adora’s mana has the property of burning any mana it touches.
That’s why he lost consciousness the moment they joined hands.
He escaped death thanks to Boksil, but a significant portion of the mana within his body was burned away, causing him to lose consciousness.
Mana that burns mana.
And it works as naturally as breathing.
How astonishing.
Even the magic of death placed on Kankun’s heart worked by ‘burning the heart’s mana.’
That’s why his chest was blackened.
‘Mana burn is functioning as a passive ability.’
There were similar spells.
A spell called mana burn.
Most mages think ‘mana burn’ exists in only one form, but strictly speaking, there are three major types of mana burn.
‘Mana Drain,’ which absorbs the opponent’s mana, ‘Mana Break,’ which burns only the opponent’s mana, and ‘Mana Burn,’ which burns mana and kills the opponent.
Adora’s was the most vicious form of ‘Mana Burn,’ working constantly as a passive. And if she wanted, she could expand it to cover the entire tower—a truly enormous spell.
A being who could use magic of this scale naturally from birth…
‘…Unbelievable.’
Park Chan-woo knew better than anyone how extraordinary that was.
Magic that manipulates another’s mana is at least [Unique] grade.
Even then, the range is small and the efficiency is low.
To wield Adora’s level of destructive power, mana burn would need to be [Eternal] grade.
‘For magic to work, it requires a formula and mana. In contrast, for black magic, there must be an offering.’
This was the main reason most black magic was condemned.
What about witches?
What was Adora offering as a sacrifice to handle ‘death’?
And why had the energy of death suddenly weakened?
There was only one answer.
‘……It seems that losing emotion is the price for power.’
A witch sacrifices all emotion as an offering to wield such great power.
Naturally, awakening emotion would be a grave sin for witches.
But Adora had felt emotion seeing Kankun, and now, her ‘death’ itself had begun to weaken.
To restore the energy of death to its original state—
…She had to erase her emotions.
She had to return to nothingness.
“What should I do to properly rule over death?”
Adora asked.
Her counterpart was a mage who had erased Kankun’s weakness and even removed the magic of death—clearly no ordinary mage.
The only one in the Tower of Arrogance to have shifted domains.
At the very least, she couldn’t treat him like any other human.
So, she spoke sincerely.
About how to solve this problem.
How he could help.
The answer was simple.
……Kankun had to die.
But that was no true solution, not a proper way to overcome it.
Park Chan-woo extended his hand.
“……?”
Adora stared blankly at the offered hand.
“Try to make sure I don’t lose consciousness.”
“…If you do this, you’ll die.”
Even if Boksil prevented death, his mana would still burn.
If he overdid it, eventually all the mana in his body would be burned away and he would die.
Park Chan-woo knew that better than anyone.
But there was only one reason he kept reaching out.
“I know. Still, I must be the only one who didn’t die from physical contact. If I die, you won’t be able to solve anything. Overcome it before I die.”
Overcome it.
He believed she could.
Opportunities like this didn’t come often.
Everything else that touched her died, but Park Chan-woo was the exception.
But opportunities weren’t unlimited.
It had to be resolved with desperation.
Park Chan-woo continued speaking.
“Use me to master death. If you want to approach Kankun, it’s something you must do.”
If she met Kankun in her current state, one of them would certainly die.
They couldn’t even stand facing each other.
Proper conversation would be impossible.
Don’t avoid it—overcome it and master it.
“…….”
Adora, Witch of Death.
She looked at Park Chan-woo with a strange expression.
A human willing to sacrifice himself to solve her problem.
This human, astonishingly, did not fear death.
Of all the living beings she had ever met, he was the first.
A being so composed in the face of death.
Even the witches avoided her.
Everything that touched Adora died and faded away.
Kankun’s tribe, and Kankun as well.
She could not understand why she was born with such power, or why she had to carry such karma.
It was simply darkness.
She was trapped in pitch-black darkness.
Yet, this human reached out his hand from within that darkness.
“Hurry.”
“……”
When Park Chan-woo urged her, Adora cautiously took his outstretched hand.
[‘Death’s Authority’ spreads.]
[‘Boksil’ nullifies ‘Death’s Authority.’]
[‘Death’s Authority’ is diverted, but as a result, extreme fatigue sets in.]
Vrrrr!
‘Guh!’
His whole body convulsed, and Park Chan-woo lost consciousness again.
* * *
It felt like there was a burnt smell in his mouth.
His mind went blank, and it felt like the blood in his heart was evaporating.
His mana was burning.
Blazing, burning fiercely.
A spell that forcibly burns the opponent’s mana.
It activated automatically within the domain, and if there was physical contact, it triggered to the extreme.
‘Still, I lasted three seconds.’
The first time they shook hands, he passed out instantly.
This time, he held on for about three seconds.
He was unconscious for a little less time too.
Roughly between two hours and one hour thirty minutes.
However, it was by no means an easy feat.
Above all, it was excruciatingly painful.
It was easily one of the top three most painful experiences he’d ever had.
Would cutting off sensation make the pain more bearable?
‘Even sensory deprivation wouldn’t work.’
The burning of mana has nothing to do with the senses.
It was a realm beyond the five senses—a nonexistent sixth sense.
Repeating this was madness.
‘At most, I could do it about four times a day.’
But Park Chan-woo didn’t give up.
Instead, his eyes gleamed as he reached out to shake Adora’s hand again.
‘Mana burns and regenerates. In that process, only purer mana remains.’
He was gaining something too.
[Your mana is being refined.]
[‘Mana Efficiency’ increases by 2.4%.]
[‘Mana Regeneration’ ability increases by 3.87%.]
[As you empty and refill repeatedly, your capacity for mana grows.]
[Your mana has increased by 3.]
His mana efficiency and regeneration, even the amount of mana itself, had all improved.
It was a miraculous effect achieved together with Boksil and the Witch of Death.
Even Park Chan-woo wondered how far it could go.
‘This is an opportunity. A golden opportunity!’
Adora wasn’t the only one who found an opportunity.
Park Chan-woo had one too.
No matter how painful it was, even if he might die, he couldn’t give up.
‘There are almost no ways to increase mana regeneration.’
Especially when it came to ‘mana regeneration,’ it was something all mages longed for.
No spell, tool, or equipment could increase ‘mana regeneration.’
At best, leveling up the ‘Mage Class’ would give a minuscule increase, but the limits were clear.
“…Again?”
Even Adora was now beyond disbelief and into awe.
He was clearly out of his mind.
It was obvious how unbearably painful it was, and yet every time he woke up, he’d ask to shake hands again.
“Can’t do it?”
“…No, I’ll do it.”
But she knew she couldn’t avoid it any longer.
Adora, Witch of Death.
A person with incredible talent, directly taught by the Black Witch.
If she couldn’t even control her own death, nothing could be more foolish.
A hand cold as ice.
A hand without a trace of warmth, calling forth death.
‘Urgh!’
After that, Park Chan-woo lost consciousness several more times.
But that was fine.
[On the 3rd floor of the Tower of Arrogance, the floor guardian ‘Basilisk’ has appeared!]
[Adora has successfully hunted the ‘Basilisk.’]
[The path to the 4th floor of the Tower of Arrogance opens.]
[All of Adora’s supporters are rewarded.]
[You are Adora’s only closest aide and a powerful supporter.]
[Four holy relics have been displayed in the showcase.]
[As a reward, you receive ‘15 Coins’ and ‘6 Arrogance Boxes.’]
[Tip: Collect as many ‘Arrogance Boxes’ as possible.]
[The more ‘Arrogance Boxes’ you collect, the better the rewards.]
Hunting, in any case, was left to Adora.
