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[Chapter 122]

[Intentions Disguised as Goodwill (5)]

Magic is the manifestation of imagery.

The more concrete the image, the more clearly magic is manifested in the real world.

Conversely, magic with an unclear image is not manifested in reality, or manifests as a phenomenon different from the conceived image.

Or it appears plausibly in reality based on vagueness.

"What on earth did you guys do?"

"Eun-ha. You see... When Tae-yang healed an injured puppy with magic, it suddenly turned into a monster..."

"What? He used healing magic?"

"Tae-yang said he learned it before. The puppy's condition was really bad so he gave first aid with Tae-yang's magic, and was going to show it to Eun-woo..."

"Healing magic learned before entering the academy would just be magic to heal oneself... Even if Tae-yang didn't know, you should have known, Cheon-seo. You should have stopped him."

"Is that so? Tae-yang spoke confidently so I thought..."

Eun-ha sighed with irritation.

The reason supporters who can handle healing magic are high-level personnel stemmed from such points.

To heal people, one needed to know medicine.

Not just medicine.

Mana control also had to be excellent.

Of course you need to control mana precisely when you have to infuse mana into someone else's body, not your own.

Even for simple first aid magic, players who aren't supporters usually don't try to heal others.

As many as there are people.

Mana has unique characteristics.

Therefore, the act of absorbing mana dissolved in the air can be said to be coloring general characteristic mana with one's own characteristics.

But On Tae-yang infused his mana directly into the puppy without knowing anything.

A puppy is also a creature with a heart.

The puppy's mana must have repelled the mana coming from outside.

Moreover, it was in a state with low physical strength.

Monsterization due to mana runaway.

These guys should be considered one rank higher than the set hierarchy...

Monsters transformed by mana imbalance enveloping living beings were among the strongest of the same species.

Even when Eun-ha checked just before, it seemed to be at least 7th rank.

Four such creatures scattered and left the scene.

"Eun-ha, what should we do? Shouldn't we report to the Mana Management Bureau?"

"We should... report. Eun-woo, can you contact them?"

"Yes, I'll do it. Then Eun-ha, you... are planning to chase the monsters?"

"It's annoying but I have to do it."

Unnecessary problems could arise if left alone.

Eun-ha answered Eun-woo's question while barely holding back his irritation.

Then he watched On Tae-yang who caused this trouble.

"I... didn't mean for this to happen..."

Does he feel some responsibility?

On Tae-yang was clenching his fist with his head lowered.

Soon he raised his face with gritted teeth and opened his mouth towards Eun-ha.

"Anyway, we just need to take down the monsters. I'll resolve it."

Eyes filled with determination.

It was a face Eun-ha often saw in On Tae-yang in his previous life.

On Tae-yang would show such an appearance of never yielding in any situation.

Thus he was called a warrior praised by the people, .

"What can you do now when you're not used to fighting monsters."

"This happened because of me. So I have to kill those things with my own hands."

However, Eun-ha snorted at the face filled with determination.

Because in his eyes, it only looked like an immature face.

How could he who had only entered high academy not long ago deal with scattered creatures?

Above all─.

"─It's not resolved by killing them. The moment there's damage, it's no longer just your problem. But what power do you have to confidently say you can kill them before that?"

"That's...!"

"This isn't playing hero. You're not a hero, you're a student who can't even properly take down one monster."

Eun-ha harshly criticized.

Though he knew he couldn't gain On Tae-yang's favor, he couldn't defend this no matter what.

On Tae-yang was seriously mistaken.

Killing monsters isn't everything.

The important thing was to worry about damage occurring to the surroundings due to monster appearances, and prevent that.

Without knowing that, he's thinking one-dimensionally that he can resolve this problem by killing monsters.

It was a childish way of thinking.

"But... Are you telling me to just stay still like this? Then who will kill the monsters!?"

"Of course players should kill them. And I'm planning to step up to prevent problems too."

"Then why are you stepping up..."

"Responsibility is originally taken by those above, not those below. Those with power take responsibility. So I who couldn't keep you in check should take it."

Nevertheless, On Tae-yang didn't give up and expressed his opinion.

Not giving up was also On Tae-yang's strength.

On Tae-yang was that kind of person.

Like a protagonist that would appear in novels, someone who never surrendered no matter how harsh and difficult the situation, never gave up and ultimately overcame and moved forward.

However, this wasn't a situation where trials needed to be overcome.

It was a situation where damage needed to be prevented.

"What you need to do is not this, but write a reflection on what you did wrong."

"...What?"

"If you did something wrong, you should naturally apologize. Why are you making a face like you're hearing this for the first time? Resolving the problem is natural, but shouldn't you apologize for causing the problem?"

"..."

"But you don't have the power to resolve the problem. Then write a dense reflection instead of not being able to resolve it."

He didn't want to mix words anymore.

Eun-ha decided to chase the monsters, leaving On Tae-yang who was frowning behind.

Just then, Yoon I-byeol grabbed his sleeve.

"I-I'm sorry. Tae-yang didn't do anything wrong. I made a fuss for nothing... so Tae-yang used magic on the puppy."

Yoon I-byeol sniffled.

Eun-ha quietly looked at her then sighed.

He flicked her forehead.

"Ow!"

"Who said only On Tae-yang did wrong? You all did wrong, you know? Of course you have to write reflections too, were you not going to write them?"

"...Uh... Eun-ha, I was just staying still..."

"You should have stopped them. You're 031st grade, right? Do you think it makes sense that you didn't know even this?"

"...Hahaha. Actually I was planning to write from the beginning. I'm joking."

Eun-ha clicked his tongue seeing Lee Cheon-seo grumbling while averting his gaze slyly.

He felt like hitting him once.

So he decided to beat up Lee Cheon-seo under the pretext of training as soon as the club ended.

Meanwhile, he flicked Yoon I-byeol's forehead again as she clutched her painful forehead.

"I'll handle the resolution, so you guys think about how to apologize."

Those with power take responsibility.

This too was a principle he would uphold if he made a party.

Eun-ha took steps in the direction the monsters disappeared.

"Just eat fish bread. Eun-woo."

"Here!"

Perhaps because they were together for 3 years.

Eun-woo realized what he meant and threw a fish bread to Eun-ha.

He who caught it in his mouth soon took out his smartphone from his pocket.

He chews on the fish bread while making a call on his smartphone.

[Hello?]

"Oh, Ha-yang. Can you help me?"

[Is it because of the monsters that just appeared? One fell on our side and we just took care of it.]

"...Good, well done. There should be three more of the same creatures. Can you find their locations with your power?"

[Okay. And we'll help too. Is that okay?]

"I'd be grateful if you do."

His friends work together perfectly.

Eun-ha who swallowed the fish bread soon raised the corners of his mouth.

☆

Come to think of it, there were several similar incidents in the previous life too.

Though was certainly treated as a national hero who saved the world from calamities.

Not all the achievements he accomplished could be said to be right.

Though it was covered up by the media...

Sometimes he made messes because his heart was too ahead.

I cleaned up his messes sometimes too.

There was an incident where a large-scale mana imbalance broke out in Namyangju due to the death of the exorcist Samael, and a whole city was nearly destroyed.

At that time, major media only praised On Tae-yang and his party members who killed Samael, without mentioning the secondary damage caused by them.

Rather, they only condemned the inadequate measures of clans and players based in Namyangju.

There were many other incidents too.

Though their achievements may be highly evaluated, it was a party with sloppy finishes.

On Tae-yang certainly executed justice for the people of the world.

But when someone was saved, there were also times when someone else was harmed because of it.

So Yu Do-jun once sarcastically mocked his actions.

'Do they think they're some kind of saviors? When I see them at party meetings, they just look like they're absorbed in playing warrior.'

'They always say they act for justice, but when I look carefully, I wonder if such results are okay even if acting for justice.'

Lee Yu-jeong was the same.

She who was thoroughly tired of dealing with secondary damage caused by On Tae-yang's party drank alcohol grumbling that day.

Though Eun-ha didn't express it in words, cleaning up someone else's mess wasn't a very good feeling.

'That's why I'm scared of people with half-baked beliefs. These guys have no answer. They think their words are the truth.'

'The Mana Church is exactly like that. The Mana God is punishing the world so those who will receive salvation should follow the words of mana. What god is mana, god is...'

'Those guys really have no answer. They just go on about mana for everything. Why do they blame innocent mana instead of finding justification for committing crimes in themselves.'

'In that sense, isn't Eun-ha much better than On Tae-yang?'

'...Why is my story suddenly coming up?'

'Well, Eun-ha is a hundred, thousand times better! Though this kid is called crazy, unlike On Tae-yang there's consistency in his actions.'

'He listens to my words well too.'

'...You say he listens to your words well, Yu-jeong? Hey, why don't you listen to my words? I suddenly feel hurt?'

'Are you Yu-jeong.'

On Tae-yang wasn't a perfect superhuman.

He too was an imperfect human.

The alias was just a name reflecting people's fantasies.

People living in a world overflowing with calamities needed a hero to be a pillar to live on.

That's why the world praised On Tae-yang's achievements highly, and didn't try to shed light on the damage caused by him.

Nevertheless, Eun-ha still tried to recruit On Tae-yang.

Because On Tae-yang's power is real after all.

On Tae-yang's gift .

A gift that becomes stronger the more internal mana falls below a certain level.

Moreover, a power that brings about unreasonable divine techniques using companions' gifts.

Eun-ha needed that power.

So he was in the middle of chasing monsters created by On Tae-yang.

"Ha-yang. Did you find them?"

Since Jung Ha-yang became of the Zodiac .

Her skills improved by leaps and bounds day by day, surprising Eun-ha time and time again.

It was the same now too.

[Seo-na's group decided to chase the monster that fled towards Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. So Eun-ha, you turn right at the next corner, then pass through the alley...]

"...Why do you know my location so precisely?"

[I won't tell you.]

She knows his exact location.

Eun-ha made a sour expression.

He was running with his smartphone switched to speaker mode placed in his chest pocket.

[Actually, I'm tracking your locations with a map brought from the community center. It seems easier to pinpoint your locations with a map than without one after all.]

"I thought I had some kind of tracking device attached to me."

[...I can find you if I want even without such things.]

Eun-ha decided to gloss over the story he just heard.

There are things in the world that are better not to know.

It was more comfortable living without knowing.

[Ah, I just found information on the monsters through the Player Library. They're 7th rank monsters called Long Ears Devils.]

"There's no risk of infection, right?"

[Hmm... It says you won't turn into a monster, but in unlucky cases you could get bacterial infections and such. Be careful.]

"That level is... fine."

Eun-ha wall-walked up a telephone pole and jumped onto a rooftop.

He decided to deploy his sensing network to find monsters hiding nearby.

Thousand Steps

Mana Crasher

Found it.

Eun-ha jumped down from the rooftop and slashed the creature passing through a narrow alley.

He picked up the mana stone that fell to the ground and reported to Ha-yang that he subjugated one.

[That's good. It seems a player patrolling nearby subjugated one. Seo-na's group says they just took down a monster too.]

"That's fortunate. Is it over then?"

Eun-ha could finally feel relieved.

Because the situation would become complicated if monsters disappeared beyond the influence of the sensing network.

However─.

[─But, Hello Imun-dong Clan says 2 passersby were injured.]

"...It's become troublesome."

Injuries occurred.

Eun-ha rubbed his forehead.

In the end, it couldn't be passed off as a simple happening.

It seemed the club would be affected.

"Ha-yang. Can you find out which hospital those people are receiving treatment at?"

[Okay. But what are you going to do?]

"What else. We have to go apologize. Bringing On Tae-yang too."

☆

The people injured by monsters received treatment at Kyung Hee University Medical Center.

Fortunately, it seems to be minor injuries.

The injured people were amazed seeing their wounds heal instantly after receiving Eun-woo's treatment.

"Thank you."

"This is nothing. Then shall I go out?"

"Okay. See you later."

Cha Eun-woo's gift was which changes her mana to be similar to the other person's mana.

The reason she excelled at healing magic was also due to her gift.

Though Yu-jeong possessed superior skills than Eun-woo even without .

The reason Lee Yu-jeong was skilled at healing magic was probably due to the gift of .

Eun-ah too had the skill to adjust others' mana by eye even without .

Eun-ha gently waved his hand to Cha Eun-woo leaving the hospital room.

Soon the only people left in the room were the injured people, Eun-ha, and On Tae-yang.

"I'm sorry for causing harm. On Tae-yang."

"...I'm truly sorry."

Eun-ha bowed his head towards the people lying in bed.

On Tae-yang who was dragged into the hospital room by friends finally couldn't overcome Eun-ha's call and apologized.

"It's okay. We weren't badly hurt, and you said you'll compensate the medical expenses so I'm fine with that."

"That's right, even the wounds healed like this."

The injured people didn't get angry.

Rather, they even showed an attitude of trying to comfort the two.

Nevertheless, Eun-ha didn't raise his waist for a long time.

Only when they forcibly tried to raise him did he lift his head.

"Then I'll leave contact information

Eun-ha handed over his father's business card.

He would probably get scolded a lot as soon as he returned home.

Nevertheless, the reason he didn't contact Sirius who sponsored him was because he could accidentally give Han Seo-yeon a weakness.

It's fortunate the incident didn't grow bigger.

It's also fortunate these people don't want to make it a bigger issue.

In fact, the reason the injured people came out politely was because they had already been given sufficient compensation.

As soon as he contacted his father, his father resolved this whole matter in the blink of an eye.

Anyway, Eun-ha left the hospital room.

Should I follow too?

No. Wait downstairs.

Cha Eun-woo who was waiting in front of the hospital room asked while moving her lips.

Eun-ha shook his head.

She nodded and went downstairs.

"...Where are you going?"

"Just follow without talking."

Eun-ha walked down the corridor silently.

On Tae-yang who had been following him with his head lowered finally expressed doubt.

But Eun-ha answered indifferently and went out to the backyard where there shouldn't be people.

"Those people just now could have died if they were unlucky. Because of you."

After confirming no one was around.

Eun-ha slowly opened his mouth.

Looking back, On Tae-yang was standing with his fists clenched.

"In the end... they didn't die."

But the words he uttered were outrageous.

Eun-ha looked at On Tae-yang who didn't lose spirit and didn't bend his opinion even while receiving his gaze.

Perhaps because he started speaking once.

On Tae-yang spewed out words he seemed to have been holding in.

"They didn't die in the end. And a life was dying before my eyes. Then isn't saving it naturally what a person should do as their duty?"

As if telling him to say more.

Eun-ha closed his mouth and urged him with his gaze.

On Tae-yang seemed to gain strength and gradually raised his voice.

"My father said too. You must never pretend not to see and pass by a life dying before your eyes! So I only did the right thing!"

"..."

"But I have to be cursed by you here!? Should I who acted with good intentions be cursed!?"

On Tae-yang's shoulders kept shaking.

Eun-ha who had been quietly listening without saying anything until then snorted.

"...This was a complete madman."

"What?"

Unlike the previous life.

Eun-ha who got to converse directly with On Tae-yang let out his impression of him.

He's a madman.

A madman who would say he did nothing wrong even if he died.

Though it seemed there was something wrong with himself saying this.

"If you made a mistake, you should know how to take responsibility. Not think about finding reasons to justify it because you don't want to lose. Do you know how pathetic you look right now?"

Eun-ha moved his steps towards On Tae-yang.

On Tae-yang glared at Eun-ha's eyes without avoiding them.

The distance gradually narrowed.

"...I only spoke the truth."

"Words have weight. Words without weight are just nonsense. But your words sound extremely light."

"I...!!"

"Ah, so you mention your father said, is that why you're going on about father, father? You don't want to take responsibility, so you need someone to take responsibility."

On Tae-yang could be seen getting worked up.

A face not seen in the previous life.

Eun-ha smirked.

It felt like he was finally facing On Tae-yang without illusions or lies.

He was someone who could be seen ordinarily anywhere, not matching the name of warrior.

"And good intentions?"

Eun-ha mocked him.

Then he continued speaking while looking straight into his eyes.

"Even if goodwill exists in the world, how can there be such a thing as good intentions in a world like this. It's just being packaged plausibly with words like good intentions."

Good intentions exist when selfishness doesn't exist.

However, the current state of affairs is a world where one cannot live without selfishness.

Therefore, the word good intentions does not exist in this world.

Moreover─.

"─Do you think someone who says good intentions with their own mouth will really be good?"

"...!"

In this world, the word good intentions is nothing more than packaging individual desires.

Then how greedy and selfish must a person be to say that out loud?

"Don't think you can justify anything with words like good intentions."

"..."

"You could get hurt doing that. And if you can't do it for certain, don't step up at all. Good intentions are annoying, but there's nothing more annoying than half-baked good intentions."

"..."

"From now on, zip your lips too. If your mouth is light, you should zip it."

Eun-ha pulled On Tae-yang's lower lip who was frozen after being overwhelmed at the start.

Then Eun-ha who patted his shoulders turned his back on him.

Eun-ha─.

"─Did I speak unnecessarily..."

Regretted after speaking.

I should have just kept my mouth zipped.

I ended up getting worked up for nothing too.

Because of that word, good intentions.

He ended up emotionally changing suddenly because all the people approaching Ha Baek-ryeon in his previous life said such words.

Eun-ha chided himself for not dealing with it maturely.

"...I don't know anymore either."

But the water was already spilled.

Eun-ha's strength was in thinking efficiently about the future rather than regretting.

"I should call noona."

His mood must be down too.

He put on airs for nothing.

Eun-ha decided to act spoiled to Eun-ah for a moment before returning to his friends.

Of course─.

"Noona, you know..."

[─I heard you caused trouble?]

He had to get scolded a lot.