“A Concept is the Source…?”

Kim Songcheol’s voice emanated from the ball of light.

His expression was, of course, not visible, but it was clear that he was full of doubt.

Cha Sehyeon’s Source is ‘broken stained glass’ and Yobian’s is a certain ‘melody’.

That much is understandable. But the idea that a Concept itself is the Source didn’t quite resonate with him.

“That’s what I think. Although I’ve never met anyone else whose Source is a Concept.”

Resa is an expert when it comes to the mental world. According to her knowledge, a Source cannot be standardized. Anything is possible.

If she hadn’t had such a free way of thinking about the Source, she wouldn’t have even mentioned the word ‘Concept’.

“The Concept of ‘nothingness’ itself…? Is there no chance it’s something else? It seems there’s a lot of room to interpret this space differently.”

“It could be something else. But ‘nothingness’ is, in my opinion, the highest Concept. No matter how you interpret this space, it can only be included in ‘nothingness’.”

Resa spoke with a clear voice, unlike before.

She seemed to have come to that conclusion definitively.

A space of nothingness.

There is nothing, and it is even endless.

It wasn’t incomprehensible that she had decided it was ‘nothingness’ itself.

“Since we’ve confirmed the Source and roughly set a direction, even if my interpretation is wrong, there’s no big problem. Not everyone perfectly understands their Source and begins 1st-tier Magic. They can just adjust it as they learn. And from what I see, that’s not the real problem.”

Resa’s expression was serious. She had been cynical all along, but now a hint of warm concern seeped out.

“Honestly, I don’t know if a human can handle a Source like this. It’s too vast. If a Concept is the Source… it’s like a human trying to sculpt clay the size of Earth. Even a small slip and you’d be buried in the clay. It would be better if the Source was an ‘endless space’. But considering the Concept of ‘nothingness’, your existence disappearing would be no big deal, wouldn’t it?”

“In other words… it’s dangerous?”

“It’s more than that. If you were my family, I would have just erased your memories related to the Source and thrown you into a B-rank Dungeon. And that difficulty… How are you going to grasp the Inner World Projection, and how are you going to manifest it? I can’t even imagine it.”

“Shouldn’t we discuss that after I’ve learned 1st-tier Magic?”

“Tsk, true. What’s the point of talking about it now… Anyway, good luck. I’ve confirmed the Source, so my job is done. Make sure to tell him.”

“I don’t know that person.”

“Anyway.”

The moment Resa waved her hand, Kim Songcheol felt himself being sucked in somewhere again.

And when he opened his eyes, he was back in that room. Resa was already getting up from her chair in front of him.

“Oh, shouldn’t I name the Source?”

Kim Songcheol asked.

Gyusimja had asked Cha Sehyeon what he would call his Source. And to choose carefully.

“Even if you name it well, the only advantage is that it makes it easier to grasp the Inner World Projection. Considering your Source, it probably won’t mean much. Just name it something simple later.”

Resa replied as if it were nothing and created a Magic circle at her feet. It was a Teleport Magic circle.

“Then let’s not meet again. Especially not as enemies. Though I don’t know if you’ll still be alive by then.”

She left a cold smile and disappeared with a flash of light.

“I can’t tell if that was concern or a curse.”

Kim Songcheol tilted his head and left the room.

As they descended the stairs, Setsu was seen sitting at a table, conversing with the Mages.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden stood exactly where she had been. For some reason, an invisible wall seemed to surround her.

This was because the Mages did not enter a certain radius around her.

Even the Mage who had first spoken to the Celestial Spirit Maiden earlier didn’t even glance in her direction now.

“Is it finished?”

As Kim Songcheol descended to the first floor, Di Shawn turned his head and asked.

“Yes, I’ve confirmed it.”

“That’s a relief. Is there anything else I can help with?”

Di Shawn asked with a smile. But for some reason, to Kim Songcheol, it sounded like he was being told to leave quickly now that his task was done.

“No, this is enough. Thank you for your help.”

Kim Songcheol bowed to Di Shawn and Yobian.

They smiled and waved their hands as if it were nothing.

They hadn’t really done much. Di Shawn had just sat and talked, and Yobian had only made one call.

The real effort had been made by Resa.

“Shall we go?”

Kim Songcheol, Setsu, and the Celestial Spirit Maiden exited the building together.

“Did you confirm that thing called The Source?”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden asked, walking alongside Kim Songcheol.

“I did. They said it’s nothingness itself. I’ll have to hear more details, though.”

“I see.”

Kim Songcheol explained, thinking she might be curious, but her reaction was lukewarm.

He wondered if she hadn’t understood, but then…

“So that’s why other Sorcerer Foes couldn’t see it.”

She seemed to have understood it correctly after all. It seemed she had simply accepted it as it was, lacking any foundational knowledge about The Source.

“But in an A-rank Dungeon, does everyone recognize Ilwol wherever you go?”

“Mostly. Any Foe who knows Ilwol well would immediately recognize that I am a Demon Lord.”

“Really? Is that an advantage? It seems like it would prevent unnecessary fights.”

“That might be true for the small fry. But it doesn’t apply to all Foes. Ilwol doesn’t dominate the entire Dungeon. In an A-rank Dungeon, there are several organizations comparable to Ilwol. Those Foes wouldn’t necessarily care about Ilwol’s presence.”

For Magic, there’s Pioneer.

For Dark Magic, there’s Lucifer.

The Fyoo of the Supernatural Ability Users.

There’s also the Murim Alliance and the Golden Lion Knights.

These were the groups that could rival Ilwol in an A-rank Dungeon.

Among them, Lucifer could be considered the truly orthodox powerhouse.

As with all history, organizations also experience their rises and falls.

Even Pioneer, the ultra-elite Magic group, doesn’t have a very long history when you consider it. There was a successful Magic group before them, and Pioneer emerged after that group disappeared.

However, Lucifer boasted thousands of years of history, even if it had its ups and downs. It had even witnessed the time when multiple Ilwols fought among themselves like hungry ghosts.

The reason for that long history is not so much strength as it is a continuous influx of new members.

Black Magic allows one to become stronger more easily and quickly compared to normal magic. Nowadays, many of its associated side effects have disappeared, but it still guarantees rapid growth at the cost of an unstable foundation.

Dabbling in Black Magic in the extreme illusion of a dungeon might have been a matter of survival instinct.

Also, Lucifer’s Black Magic has one special feature: ‘The Source loan’.

Black Magic eventually transitions into magic that uses The Source. At this time, through a contract with the 72 Demons, ‘a part of a demon’s inner world projection’ is borrowed as The Source.

This method is only possible with Black Magic, and merely borrowing The Source has no side effects.

However, a demon’s inner world projection is so peculiar that if one uses magic for a long time using that inner world projection as The Source, the person gradually changes. Their mind becomes corrupted by the borrowed The Source.

Nevertheless, there are more than a few mages who borrow a demon’s The Source. Some even use a demon’s The Source even when they have their own.

This is because being able to use the same The Source, passed down through generations, is a definitely huge advantage.

Furthermore, the The Source of major demons is sometimes ‘inherited’ after strict verification.

The fact that they use the word ‘inheritance’ means it’s not given to just anyone.

“How’s the power dynamic these days?”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden asked Thirteen, who was behind her.

“Lucifer is expanding his influence. There are rumors that a great Black Mage has appeared for the first time in several hundred years, but it hasn’t been confirmed. Pyu is as quiet as ever, and the Pioneer faction is moving to keep Lucifer in check. I believe the Pioneer faction will inevitably react most sensitively to Lucifer’s expansion.”

“So that’s how it is.”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden shrugged. The Magic world and Ilwol are distant. They don’t have much interest in each other. Rather, the Pioneer faction was busy worrying about Lucifer, and Ilwol was busy with the Murim Alliance.

They both know. The fact that there’s no need to create more external enemies.

Kim Songcheol visited the Magic Alliance Headquarters again through the teleportation site.

This was because now that his The Source was revealed, he had to be promoted to a Tier 2 Mage and share in the 1st-tier Magic.

The Magic Alliance Headquarters, which he found again, was wide open. He remembered a brick propping open an unlocked door.

Thinking a thief might have broken in, he peered inside and fortunately saw someone sitting at the desk.

It was a middle-aged woman with a devastated expression.

She was leaning back in her chair, completely drained of energy, and merely moved her lips to greet Kim Songcheol and his companions as they entered.

“Welcome. Welcome to the Magic Alliance Headquarters. How may I help you?”

There was no warmth or moisture in her tone.

Without even a smile, she simply uttered the words in a dry tone.

“I’m here for a Tier 2 Mage promotion.”

She briefly looked back and forth between the hologram and Kim Songcheol.

“I don’t have the energy for jokes.”

“Huh?”

“You’re already a Tier 2 Mage.”

“I haven’t been promoted?”

“Ha…”

The new Headquarters Director sighed and looked up at the ceiling. For some reason, it felt like a lament about her own situation.

Kim Songcheol then checked his rank using the medal he had.

As the Headquarters Director said, he had become a ‘Tier 2 Mage’.

‘Is it Ddochiryang again…’

Kim Songcheol remembered what Resa had said.

If a word is wasted, the one speaking it is at a disadvantage.

However, at this moment, it was also something he couldn’t make any judgment about.

Because he didn’t know Do Chi-ryang’s objective.

“Then, can we share the First-tier Circle theory and the First-tier Founding Magic?”

“Go ahead. It seems your request has already been completed…”

Leaning back in her chair, she tapped the hologram a few times. Then, the Magic theory poured into Kim Songcheol’s mind.

After receiving the shared Magic, Kim Songcheol went outside.

He wanted to go straight to training, but since he was already in the Dungeon, he had to collect points.

And Setsu always needed points.

As he left the base as usual, he felt the gaze he had felt before.

He was being followed again.

But this time, it didn’t end with just watching.

Suddenly, light erupted from the front, and three people appeared.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden confirmed their appearance and quickly stepped forward.

It felt like she was shielding Kim Songcheol and Setsu with her body.

“You should greet your elder sister when you see her, Hee-ryeong.”

One of the three said.