Confidential
More clues were needed.
"You said you might have seen me at the Magic Tower. Do you remember anything in particular?"
When Woojin asked, Benjamin frowned slightly and rubbed his chin, trying to recall his old memories.
But he couldn't come up with anything useful. Before long, Benjamin shook his head.
"Nothing specific comes to mind… My apologies. I must have brought it up for nothing."
"There's no need to apologize."
It seemed unlikely he would gain any more information here. After exchanging brief farewells with Benjamin, Woojin stepped out of the vault room.
He wasn't particularly disappointed.
After all, there were many other mages here besides Benjamin.
But…
…Do I really need to find this out?
That thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Who the original owner of this body had been, and what kind of life he had lived.
Was it really worth spending precious time investigating?
Digging into the past might only give him a headache. For all he knew, the man could have been some fool who committed a major crime and fled to the Demon Realm.
So much time has passed that most people seem to have forgotten… Do I really need to dig it up and drag it back into the light?
Maybe it would be better to leave it buried.
Once that thought appeared, Woojin found himself deeply conflicted—like standing at a crossroads.
Then he heard a voice.
"Jin, did something happen?"
Arwen, who had been standing beside him, spoke up. It seemed he had been thinking for quite a while.
"It's nothing."
"Really?"
"Yeah. There's no problem."
He tried to brush it off casually.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's not like you. Are you sure something isn't bothering you?"
She was frighteningly perceptive.
Arwen herself had gone through something similar recently. After regaining her lost memories, she had spent several nights sleeplessly thinking things over.
In a way, she's my senior in life.
She seemed like the right person to share this concern with.
With that thought, Woojin spoke.
"You're right. I do have something on my mind."
"What kind of problem?"
"To be honest… my memories of the past aren't completely intact either."
"Really?!"
Arwen gasped in surprise and smiled.
Strangely enough, she looked even happier than when he had bought her the necklace.
It was a rather puzzling reaction.
"Why are you happy about that?"
"It's a rare thing we have in common! So what exactly is troubling you?"
Unusually excited, Arwen urged him to continue.
Woojin hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"…It just feels strange."
"What do you mean?"
"From a certain point onward, I feel like I became a completely different person."
That was exactly what had happened.
One day, Kim Woojin had begun experiencing endless nightmares.
And he had become the new owner of this unknown body.
He had never thought much about it before.
But during his conversation with Benjamin earlier, a thought had suddenly occurred to him.
…Did I steal this person's body?
Like a cuckoo laying its eggs in another bird's nest, perhaps he had taken over someone else's life entirely.
Once that thought surfaced, his mind became complicated.
Why had he come to this world?
And why had he ended up borrowing this man's body in particular?
Questions he had always avoided.
The moment he thought about them, countless emotions surged—guilt, confusion, and doubt.
He wanted to look away from those feelings.
So he explained the situation in a more indirect way.
"If I learn what kind of person I was in the past, it might make things complicated. I've lived without problems until now—do I really need to find out?"
Arwen thought for a moment before answering.
"So in short, it's an identity crisis."
"Is that what it is?"
It sounded like something a teenager might say.
But at the same time, it captured the essence of the problem.
These kinds of emotional conflicts usually came from questioning one's own identity.
"I don't think you need my advice."
"Really? Why not?"
"Because your judgment is far better than mine. I'd probably just get in the way."
After a brief pause, she added,
"But if I had to suggest something… how about taking a light walk around?"
"Would that help?"
"Yes. It helped me."
Looking at the scenery while walking might help him calmly organize his thoughts.
Woojin accepted the suggestion without hesitation.
"Let's go for a walk."
"Sounds good."
The two of them left the ruins and began strolling around the surrounding area.
The forests, rivers, and cliffs of the Demon Realm stretched around them. Everything was covered in black mold and thick moss.
It seemed the rift core in this region hadn't been purified yet.
Since they were already here, maybe they could look for it.
Thinking that, Woojin continued walking.
Rustle—
A sound came from ahead.
Something's there.
Let's check.
Curious, Woojin moved forward slowly, his steps silent like a leopard's.
Arwen noticed and quietly matched his pace.
As they advanced…
A large bird came into view.
It had a long neck, long legs, and tiny wings compared to its body. Its distinctive appearance made its identity obvious.
An ostrich-type magical beast.
It wasn't extremely rare, but sightings were uncommon.
Since they had already encountered it, Woojin decided to hunt it.
He drew his machete and walked toward the ostrich, not bothering to hide his presence. At this distance, there was no chance of losing the prey.
The ostrich opened its beak wide.
"Byaaack—!"
It spread its wings and puffed up its body, letting out threatening cries as if warning him not to come closer.
Of course, Woojin ignored it and kept approaching.
The distance closed rapidly.
The ostrich didn't stay still.
One of its legs pushed against the ground, launching a powerful kick. Several dagger-like claws protruded from its foot.
Since it wasn't a particularly impressive attack, Woojin simply raised his machete like a shield.
Clang!!
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
The recoil pushed the ostrich several steps backward.
"Kyah?!"
The ostrich staggered in confusion.
No wonder.
It had charged first and attacked, yet it was the one pushed back—as if it had tried to kick a rolling boulder.
I should run.
But it was already too late.
If it turned its back on this predator now, it felt like it would be attacked instantly.
It was trapped.
The ostrich's tiny brain quickly became overloaded.
Its eyes gradually lost focus as it grew more confused.
And soon, it came up with its own solution.
Thud!
The ostrich buried its head straight into a mound of dirt.
"…What is it doing?"
Arwen muttered in disbelief.
Woojin had been wondering the same thing.
What on earth was this creature doing all of a sudden?
Tap, tap.
He nudged the ostrich's leg with his machete. The bird flinched, but instead of running away, it stayed perfectly still like a statue.
Watching it like that reminded Woojin of something he had once heard.
"…I've heard that when ostriches encounter a predator, they bury their heads in the dirt."
"Why?"
"They believe that if they can't see anything, then no one can see them either."
If they bury their heads deep in the dirt, they can't see the surrounding scenery even if their eyes are open.
And from their perspective, the same must apply to the predator. If they can't see the predator, then the predator must not be able to see them.
That belief led to this behavior.
Arwen chuckled softly.
"What a foolish creature. Thinking that closing its eyes will make its problem disappear."
"Maybe it's a kind of escapism."
As they exchanged those words…
Woojin suddenly felt something strange.
More precisely, it was a sense of similarity.
…Maybe I'm not so different from this thing.
As always, ignoring the problem right in front of you wasn't wise.
He reached out and grabbed the ostrich by the neck.
Whoosh!
Like pulling a radish from the soil, he yanked the ostrich's head out of the dirt.
The ostrich's eyes met Woojin's again.
It nearly fainted from shock.
"Byaaak—! Byaaack!"
It fled like a chicken with its tail on fire.
Woojin simply watched its retreating back.
"Aren't you going to catch it?"
"No. I don't feel like it anymore."
It had been a useful walk.
Thinking that, Woojin turned around—ready to face the question he had avoided earlier.
They went back down into the underground ruins.
Woojin returned to the research room and sought out the Tower Master, Duran.
"I just sent you away, and now you're back."
"I came because there's something I want to discuss."
"What is it?"
Woojin didn't hesitate.
"Benjamin said he might have seen me at the Magic Tower about ten years ago."
"…Explain in detail."
Woojin described everything that had happened recently.
The conversations he had with Benjamin and Fabian.
And the fact that his memories of the past were unstable.
After hearing the explanation, Duran narrowed his eyes.
The Tower Master studied Woojin carefully, then muttered as if thinking aloud.
"Indeed… I remember feeling that you looked familiar when I first saw you. Perhaps you were once affiliated with the Magic Tower."
"Is there some kind of registry?"
"There is. But it only contains personal details. I'm not sure it would help identify you."
The records only listed things like a person's name, origin, and age.
There were no portraits or anything visually recognizable. Even if they checked the documents, it might be impossible to find Woojin.
That left only one option.
"Any mage over forty—come here!"
Duran shouted loudly.
At the Tower Master's command, the mages who had been working nearby gathered together.
They were senior mages who had spent many years at the Magic Tower.
"Why did you call us all of a sudden?"
Duran gestured toward Woojin.
"Does anyone recognize this young man? He might have been one of us about ten years ago."
At those words, everyone's gaze turned toward Woojin.
To be honest, it was a bit uncomfortable.
Several of the mages' expressions became strange.
"…He does look familiar."
"So it's not just me."
"If it was ten years ago, shouldn't we imagine him looking younger than he does now?"
The mages began discussing among themselves, like scholars encountering a curious research subject.
While the debate continued—
"…Could this young man be the apprentice who used to work in Lord Hendrick's laboratory?"
Someone suddenly murmured that.
The mages' gazes focused on Woojin again.
Duran tilted his head slightly.
"Now that you mention it, he does resemble him… but the aura is completely different. Nox was small and frail. He looked like a little chick."
"But the hair color and the eyes look similar. Maybe they're relatives."
Benjamin answered that suggestion.
"Nox didn't have any family. He was an orphan."
"Was he? Then how did he become a mage of the Magic Tower?"
"If I remember correctly… Lord Hendrick suddenly brought him here one day. Isn't that right?"
Benjamin asked to confirm.
Duran nodded immediately.
"That's right. That eccentric Hendrick… one day he brought Nox to the Tower. He said he had found the talent needed to complete his research and was extremely excited."
"What kind of research was Hendrick doing back then?"
"That's classified information."
Duran answered like that.
But curiosity is in a scholar's nature.
The surrounding mages began protesting.
"Come on, just tell us the rest! You can't gather everyone here and then stop halfway!"
"Was it ancient magic?"
"How high-level is this secret? Our clearance isn't exactly low."
Questions poured in from every direction.
Duran waved his hands repeatedly, trying to calm them.
"Alright, alright! It's not that important anyway, so I'll tell you. The research failed, so it won't matter much if you know."
"The research failed?"
"Yes. It failed spectacularly. There was a major accident, and several people lost their lives."
Hendrick himself was not an exception.
He had been a talented mage, but he had attempted magic that was far too difficult and dangerous.
Ancient magic that had long been forgotten.
"Long-distance teleportation. Hendrick and Nox were researching it when they were annihilated."
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