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chapter 57
Artists and his companions, active in the Seoul metropolitan area of Korea.
The artist is believed to be a psychic who uses telekinesis, and it is said that he has two Aura Masters among his companions.
Rumor has it that even those two Aura Masters are stronger than the average Aura Master.
On top of that, there are people like Yeon Mirae and Ryu Ah-young—the youngest Aura Masters—and even a girl who changed the paradigm of materialization powers.
Because of their presence, many people began to think that Korea might be an environment especially suited for producing exceptional awakened individuals. They came to Korea, only to realize that the educational curriculum itself was nothing particularly special, and many were ready to return home.
“What? You’re saying someone suspected of being a Grand Mage appeared in Gyeongju?”
“Shh! Only the police and the awakened who were part of the investigation know about this. It’s top secret.”
“Ah, I see.”
Rumors began to spread.
That there was a mage in Gyeongju who kept a wolf familiar rivaling an Aura Master.
That there was a Grand Mage in Gyeongju who erased only the exact memories he wanted from a psychometrist.
Those who heard the rumors stopped in their tracks, hesitant to leave.
To think that such a powerful mage had been hiding in seclusion until now…
And they became convinced.
There must be something in Korea.
Perhaps Korea was full of hidden masters.
“That’s what I heard,” Yeon Mirae told me.
“……”
Her words left me dazed.
‘Well… it’s not like Korea doesn’t have any hidden masters at all….’
Because of the corruption and cruelty of those in high places, there were indeed some strong people who concealed their true abilities to avoid notice.
Of course, that wasn’t unique to Korea—other countries were the same.
Still, even among those recluses, it was rare to find someone on the level of an Aura Master or a Grand Mage.
There were quite a few who had reached just short of that stage, though.
Anyway…
“So this Grand Mage in Gyeongju… it’s really….”
“Yes. I think they’re talking about Master. It’s probably because of Sarang’s appearance, and how everything was burned to ash with Sammaejinhwa to erase Sarang’s traces.”
“……”
I fell silent.
All I did was send Sarang to vent my frustration on someone who had annoyed me by casting a spell on me. How did things end up like this?
“Oh, and apart from that, the Awakened Association has been noisy lately.”
“Really? Why?”
When I asked, Yeon Mirae pulled out her smartphone.
“First, there’s the issue of Japanese mercenaries who were hired by politicians in Japan and tried to stage a terrorist attack in Korea. That’s led to a cold-war situation. And also…”
She found a photo on her phone and showed it to me.
“Because of the statistics showing that the number of dungeons appearing has been decreasing over the past few years.”
The photo was a graph. Up until a few years ago, the line had been steady, but then it suddenly dropped sharply at a certain point.
Ah… so that’s what it was.
“The decrease in dungeons might seem like good news, but it could also mean that guilds or criminals are hiding them for profit or crime….”
“That’s just because the Black Fog overexerted itself.”
I said firmly, cutting off her worry.
She blinked at me, and I explained why the number of dungeons had fallen.
“Remember the incident where I first appeared as the Artist?”
“You mean what happened in Yeouido?”
“Yeah. Monsters that normally shouldn’t have been together appeared all at once, right?”
That had been the Black Fog’s ambush and experiment.
“And because the Black Fog overextended itself that time, the number of dungeons spawning dropped after that.”
The statistics clearly showed fewer dungeons appearing after that day.
“… You’re right.”
Mirae checked the graph and nodded.
Of course, the experts wouldn’t be ignorant of this. At this point, they were probably just treating it as one hypothesis among many.
Mirae must have heard as much.
But…
“Since it’s coming from Master, it must be true.”
She didn’t mean she believed it only because it was well-grounded—she meant she trusted it because it came from me.
Not sarcasm, just genuine trust.
As if my words were truth itself, she asked me:
“So will the Black Fog keep creating dungeons like this? Or will it recover someday?”
“In ten years, it’ll recover. Not ten years from now—ten years counting from the Yeouido incident.”
“So not many years left.”
Yeah. Not many.
But in those few years, awakened life would become tighter and harsher.
The decline of dungeon generation meant, from humanity’s perspective, that the world was safer.
But for those who relied on selling dungeon byproducts—or buying and reprocessing them—it was a crisis.
For the first one or two years, they probably assumed it was just a temporary lull.
But three years passed… then four, and now five. They were beginning to realize it was real.
“Dungeons are really decreasing?”
“Yeah. Fewer dungeons are appearing, but the number of awakened raiders hasn’t changed.”
Fewer dungeons meant more competition among awakened whose livelihoods depended on them.
Some might argue that multiple people could enter the same dungeon and split the byproducts.
And in fact, unless you had a pocket dimension like me or Mirae, normal awakened couldn’t carry out everything anyway. Sharing was possible.
But greed won out.
People began to go missing in dungeons.
Awakened started backstabbing each other to claim dungeons.
“That’s why you can’t go into a dungeon with strangers anymore. Even guys you’ve worked with for years are stabbing people in the back. How could you trust someone you just met?”
“Don’t the Association and the police arrest those types?”
The police and the Association weren’t incompetent.
They investigated thoroughly, treating backstabbers as murderers, sentencing them to death or life imprisonment.
But despite their efforts, the decrease in dungeons—and the desperation, greed, and distrust that followed—only made the crimes increase.
“……”
One of my puppets, known to the public as the Artist, sat in a café listening to nearby awakened talk.
Of course, the Association would take measures.
For example…
‘Overseas deployments, perhaps.’
The thought had barely crossed my mind when—
“What? You want me to go to Australia? Are you kidding me?”
Yeon Mirae, sitting at the same table, snapped into her phone.
‘Australia, huh.’
A wide land, most people living near the coast, leaving vast stretches of uninhabited territory.
‘And uninhabited land means dungeons can spawn with no one to clear them.’
In cities it might be fine, but inland? Many dungeons would be left alone.
Monsters spilling out might even have formed their own ecosystems.
It would be the perfect place to hunt freely without worrying about others.
Whoever called Mirae—if it was an official dispatch—there would be good pay.
And likely other capable, guild-independent awakened would get the same call.
Though Mirae was already expected to join the Iron-Blood Guild, she was still technically just a student.
Anyway…
‘Sending awakened abroad weakens national power. Surprising the higher-ups agreed.’
Most likely the Australian government had formally requested help.
With fewer dungeons worldwide, they must have thought foreign awakened could help clear out the surplus in Australia.
Too many abandoned dungeons, even in the wilderness, would be dangerous.
I put down my empty cup just as Mirae, scowling, hung up.
“Are you going?”
“Of course not!”
She shook her head, genuinely unwilling.
“Why not? You’d still have to clear dungeons, but you could also relax, maybe travel. Good experience.”
“… Do you really want to send me that far away?”
She narrowed her eyes.
… Was that how it sounded?
“No, that’s not it. I just thought you might not get another chance to travel abroad like this.”
After graduating, she’d enter Iron-Blood and spend her days raiding dungeons or chasing criminals.
Knowing her, she’d work earnestly, staying busy.
She’d get vacations, sure—but likely spend them training with me, not sightseeing.
So realistically, little chance of international travel.
“… True enough.”
She nodded reluctantly.
After a pause, she added:
“Alright. I’ll go to Australia.”
But on one condition.
“Condition?”
“Yes. You have to come too, Master.”
“… Me?”
I blinked.
“Yes. If I say I’m taking my disciple along for training, no one can object.”
“That’s true…”
Even the academy wouldn’t refuse. They’d probably encourage me to go.
“And if it’s a trip, it’s better together. Oh, let’s bring Ha-eun, Rachel, and Arthur too.”
She was already expanding the scope.
And so, I accepted Mirae’s proposal. Together with her, Lee Ha-eun, Rachel, and Arthur, I arrived in Australia.
“Wow…! A kangaroo!”
The moment we stepped out of the airport, Ha-eun pointed excitedly.
“……”
“……”
“……”
The rest of us fell silent at the sight.
“Gunwoo! Look! The kangaroo’s wearing boxing gloves!”
“… Uh, yeah, it is.”
Sure enough, the kangaroo outside the airport was wearing boxing gloves.
“(One-two! Hook, hook!)”
And shadow-boxing.
“That’s the famous Boxing Kangaroo of Sydney International Airport.”
While Ha-eun stared in wonder and the rest of us looked dumbfounded, someone approached us and explained.
“You must be Miss Yeon Mirae and your four companions. Welcome. I’m Laura, your guide.”
“Oh, yes.”
Mirae quickly shook hands with the woman who introduced herself as Laura.
And thus began our overseas trip—one we would never forget, for many reasons.
