Valerie called me to the research lab, not the training ground, exactly as she had said she would three days later.
Perhaps because I'd practically been living in the training grounds ever since that horrifying session in the lab, the place had changed completely in the meantime.
Wait a second.
"I haven't even been gone for months — what happened here?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm talking about the state of the lab."
Books on linguistics were scattered across the desk, while specialized volumes on ancient and medieval Korean, restoration studies, and ancient Korean Peninsula culture were piled high on the sofa and precision instruments.
"…."
I hesitated at the entrance of the lab, glancing down at the floor.
What had once been a neatly finished floor was now littered with printed papers, leaving barely any place to step.
"Oh, this? It's all research material. I need to throw it out now. When I was at the Mage Tower, I could just order around graduate students or rookie mages to handle this stuff — it was convenient."
So basically, no slaves left to do the grunt work.
Valerie made that unsettling comment as she exhaled a puff of smoke from the pipe she had in her mouth.
As the smoke curled slowly upward, infused with her magic, the magic circle embedded in the lab activated.
Wooooong—
The cluttered objects began floating on their own, neatly stacking themselves in a corner of the lab.
They piled up precariously high — almost to the ceiling — but somehow didn't topple over.
Only then did I step fully into the lab.
"You've worked hard."
Her eyes had always been sharp, with dark circles under them — but they looked even worse now.
After seeing the state of the lab, I could understand why.
Even for her — armed with translation guides and multiple academic degrees — this had clearly been a time-consuming deciphering process.
Valerie yawned and shook her head.
"It's fine. It was fun. The Korean Peninsula has well-preserved records from ancient times, so decoding the language and script wasn't too difficult. Oh, did you know this? If we were to travel back far enough in time, we wouldn't be able to communicate at all. The language would sound completely different — even the pronunciation would be unrecognizable. Those movies lied, you know. If you actually went back, the first thing you'd have to do is learn the language."
Valerie, clearly excited, kept rambling.
Then she rummaged through a corner of the lab and brought something over.
It was the stone tablet I had asked her to decipher.
But its appearance was noticeably different from when I first brought it.
"Some of the constellations and characters were missing, so I did some restoration work."
"You know how to restore artifacts too?"
"Just the basics. I didn't patch up any seriously damaged parts — just revived the necessary details."
Valerie stacked several documents beside the stone tablet.
Then, pipe still in her mouth, she plopped down onto the sofa.
"Let me explain this step by step."
She pointed a slender finger at the first line of the tablet.
"Have you seen this constellation before?"
"No, I haven't."
"I thought so. These days, it connects like this."
Valerie pulled out a document from one of the stacks and laid it down.
As she traced lines across the page, two constellations connected.
The Big Dipper and Cassiopeia.
And between them — Polaris, the star countless travelers used as a guidepost.
"This is where the problem starts. Why were these grouped together like this? Look underneath."
Valerie erased the constellation lines and began connecting them in a different pattern.
"This was a fictional constellation from the start. The order of these stars is the key to the deciphering. That's why it was placed in the first sentence…"
She swept her hair back with a sigh.
"But that was just a diversion. I wasted several days falling for that. Phew."
Valerie pulled out a few more documents.
"I reverse-calculated the lunar movements — but it didn't match. You could argue that ancient people made calculation errors, but… I don't think that's the case here. Some of the constellations tied into the pattern couldn't even be seen back then. So what does that mean?"
I stared intently at the documents.
I had no knowledge of ancient languages, culture, or astronomy.
But Valerie had kindly written up her translations, so I could read and understand them.
'This looks… familiar.'
My eyes widened as I stared at the tangled star chart.
"Wait a second. Can I tear this?"
Valerie chuckled slyly at my question.
"Hey, want to be my assistant?"
"Didn't you just call that 'a slave' earlier?"
"Ahem, when did I say that?"
Feigning innocence, she searched through the document pile.
"No need to rip it up — I've got it here."
She pulled out another sheet.
A map of the Korean Peninsula.
More precisely — a map of its Dragon Veins.
"I heard that in Eastern philosophy, the world is seen as a living organism. It's similar to the Gaia Theory — but a little different. Anyway, if the land and rocks are the skeleton, then the soil is the skin, and the trees are the hair. And just like how the human mana system has mana paths and mana cores… In this era, they were called energy veins and energy nodes — and the Dragon Veins were the pathways mana flowed through."
The Spirit Veins didn't just govern the flow of magic — they encompassed all spiritual and worldly energy.
And the Dragon Veins were a subdivision of that — the specific routes mana traveled.
Just like a human's mana pathways and cores.
"This is a map of all the Dragon Veins across the Korean Peninsula. It wasn't a star chart at all — it was a map of the energy nodes in the land."
As I looked at the Dragon Vein map Valerie had brought out — I felt a sense of dissonance.
"But… this dates back to ancient times. They wouldn't have conquered as far north as this back then."
The map even included the Dragon Veins of Manchuria and the Russian Far East — regions currently designated as unexplored territories.
Valerie chuckled.
"That's why this is such an important historical artifact. It's proof that ancient people expanded their territory this far north."
"…!"
"And that's everything I could decipher about the 'location.'"
I furrowed my brow at her words.
"What… exactly does that mean—"
A sudden thought crossed my mind.
'If the Dragon Veins are like a mana system, then… no way.'
I turned my eyes to a few of the inscriptions.
"Do you have a translated copy of these by any chance?"
"Yup, right here."
As if she had been waiting for this moment, Valery handed me a piece of paper.
I recognized the words written on it.
"The Incantation of Suhngmuiga's Classical Magic."
An ancient magic technique from the Suhngmuiga family, built on the flow of mana.
It was considered outdated now — a relic no one bothered to learn anymore.
I hadn't learned it either.
But while working with my aunt on our research, I had at least memorized the incantation.
Slowly, I began to draw up my mana.
Following the words on the page, I circulated the mana through my body.
Then, matching the flow to the diagram beside me — no, not a constellation, but acupoints — I traced its path.
"…Found it."
A key point on the leyline marked on the map.
Gyeongju. Mount Toham.
Once called Dongak (East Peak) during the Three Kingdoms era — one of the sacred mountains revered in ancient times.
***
Even though I had pinpointed the location marked on the stone tablet, I didn't leave right away.
After all the relentless training, I was exhausted — physically and mentally. I also had a lot of preparations to take care of.
Plus, I needed to buy some personal supplies.
Thanks to Valery's intense training sessions, all the clothes I had brought with me were burned to ashes — I was down to just one set of casual clothes.
So the next day, when I met Valery at the training ground as usual, I told her.
"Huh? You're skipping training today?"
"I should probably stock up on some supplies first. I'm usually too wiped out to move after training — and besides, thanks to you, I don't have any training clothes left."
"A-Ah… yeah, sorry about that."
To be fair, she had gotten a little carried away during training and flared up her mana.
"So what kind of supplies are we talking about?"
"Just the basics — stuff I might need in case something happens. There's always the chance I could get stranded once I enter that place. I'm planning to pick up food, camping gear, that kind of thing."
"Mmm… Makes sense."
I vaguely remembered hearing, in my previous life, that my eldest brother had once gone into the place marked by the stone tablet — and hadn't come out for quite a while.
Back then, I was already being treated like an outsider in the family, so it was just a rumor I overheard.
Still, it never hurt to be prepared.
"So once you're done getting ready, you'll leave right away?"
"Yes, I think that's for the best."
Valery scratched her head, looking a little disappointed.
After thinking it over for a moment while glancing at me, she nodded and shot up from her seat.
"Alright! I'll go shopping with you! It's been a while since I've had a chance to get some fresh air."
"…"
I couldn't see my own face, but I knew for certain I wasn't smiling.
I needed to turn her down.
It was obvious things would get annoying if she came along.
Valery peeked at my expression.
"…What's with that look?"
"I don't know what you mean."
I forced the most shameless smile I could manage.
"You don't even have a car, right? If you're planning to buy a lot of stuff, you'll need one. I'll drive!"
…Admittedly, that would make things easier.
"Haah… I mean, I did ask you for a favor and you've helped me a lot, but… sniff! To think I'm being discarded like this after everything I've done for you… I'm just being used and thrown away…"
Valery dropped to the ground like a tragic heroine, letting her hair fall over her face and even pretending to cry.
Annoying.
She was seriously an annoying woman.
I let out a long sigh.
"Fine. Enough with the act. If you're coming, hurry up and get ready. And wash your hair — it's a mess."
"Really?!"
"Yes, really."
"Okay! Just wait a bit! I'll wash up and get changed!"
Like a gust of wind, Valery shot out of the training ground, her energy completely restored.
I looked at her retreating figure with a faint, bitter smile.
'Well… I do owe her.'
If I thought of it as a quick distraction, tagging along for a while wouldn't be the worst thing.
'I should at least treat her to dinner tonight.'
I had money — the question was, what would she like?
Ah, right.
There was something.
***
As expected, going out shopping with Valery wasn't exactly the best idea.
I'd only planned to humor her a little, but three hours later, I was cursing my past self for even thinking that.
"Try this on! And this one!"
"Wait, this too! This looks good!"
"Wow! You look great in this too!"
I was little more than a dress-up doll.
Clothes were being thrust at me from every direction, and refusing wasn't an option.
"Well, I guess it helps that you've got the physique for it — everything looks good on you."
Sighing, I took off the jacket I'd just tried on.
"Not that I'll be able to wear any of this when I'm out there running around."
I couldn't exactly swing a weapon while wearing slacks and a jacket.
There was a reason why warriors usually wore fusion hanbok or functional clothing.
"Oh, come on. It's just for fun — for a little change of pace. Here, try this too!"
"…Heh."
And so, I ended up wandering around downtown Gyeongju with Valery.
Though, calling it "downtown" was generous — Gyeongju wasn't exactly a bustling metropolis.
There weren't many places to look around.
No high-rise buildings. Not a large population, either.
Despite being filled with historic sites and relics, it wasn't overflowing with tourists.
Maybe it was because it was known as the birthplace of Korean shamanism.
With all sorts of energies intertwined here, it wasn't exactly an ideal place to live or travel.
"Did you know?" Valery said casually. "Sometimes, when the yin energy gets especially strong, ghost-type monsters even show up in downtown Gyeongju?"
Valerie was nibbling on a waffle cone ice cream as she spoke.
"Ghost-types, you say? As far as I know, there aren't any gates or dungeons around here."
"This land's... a little different. Technically speaking, it's not really ghost-types. In terms of sorcery, it'd be closer to 'Chimimoryo' — spirits and monsters from folklore. We had something similar back in my hometown too. They called it the Wild Hunt."
"Was that... safe? And how come I've never heard about it?"
"It only happened once in a blue moon. Besides, back home, every other house has a shaman living in it. If spirits show up in large numbers, people treat it like a windfall and rush to capture them."
I understood instantly.
It figured — considering how heavily ritualistic their sorcery was, they'd probably see spirits more as resources than threats.
"Anyway, you really went all out. Isn't this a little excessive?"
Valerie glanced in disbelief at the mountain of gear loaded into my car — tents, backpacks, food supplies, clothes.
She looked at me like I'd completely lost it. I gave her an awkward chuckle.
"That's it. I'm done now. This should be plenty."
"So... you heading back home now?"
Valerie looked a little disappointed.
I shook my head.
"Let's grab dinner before we go back. My treat — I owe you a lot today."
Her face immediately lit up.
But then, with an exaggerated huff, she crossed her arms and lifted her chin proudly.
"You know, I've got expensive taste~ I'm from France — the land of gastronomy. Oh, and did I mention I'm from a noble family? Ordinary food doesn't exactly—"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. I promise you'll like it. Let's go."
I chuckled and turned to leave.
***
The place I brought Valerie to... was a chain fried chicken restaurant.
And the look on her face crumpled on the spot.
"…Cheapskate."
"C'mon, just go in."
"What am I, a kid? Who brings someone to a place like this? Seriously, here I was thinking you were taking me somewhere fancy because you insisted on treating me... Unbelievable."
She pouted and let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Have you ever had this before?"
"You think just because I'm from a noble family I've never eaten fried chicken?"
"Korean fried chicken?"
"…What's the difference?"
"Just try it first."
After much grumbling, I finally managed to get her to sit down at a table.
She still looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
"You know, I've been pretty tolerant with you, but I don't eat food like this."
I couldn't help but laugh.
This was the same woman who, at a press conference later, would say that the reason she stayed in Korea was because of how good the chicken was.
It became such a famous story that the franchise we were in tried to scout her as a model — and when she refused, they just sent her free coupons instead.
"Here — try this."
I set a plate of freshly fried chicken in front of her.
Valerie still looked unconvinced, but the savory aroma of the crispy batter was universal.
Sniffsniff …Okay, fine, it smells good.
Even so, eating in a place like this…
And in such a casual setting — that was a first for her.
Well, since he bought it for me... I guess I'll at least try it.
With a sigh, she picked up a piece with tongs, delicately cut a slice with a knife, and brought it to her mouth.
"...!"
And dropped the knife.
Valerie de Bell.
Daughter of the Bell family, promising scholar, and disciple of the Tower Master.
For the first time in her life — she was shocked by food.
"Th-this is…"
Crunch — chew, chew.
She had started delicately carving the meat off the bone... but soon abandoned all pretense and began devouring the chicken with her bare hands.
"S-so good…"
She even started blurting out words in French as she tore through the chicken.
Finding the sauce on her hands annoying, she casually cast a cleaning spell instead of using the provided plastic gloves.
"This is the best!"
It was the first time I'd ever heard her shout "Tres bien!" so loudly.
Pounding the table like that was a bit much for Eastern culture.
I noticed a part-timer at the counter jump in surprise and steal nervous glances in our direction.
"Valerie, can you please eat like a civilized person?"
"How can I? This is... this is... a gift from the gods..."
Honestly, I should've known from the way she talked about spells like 'Hell Eyes' and 'Death Sight' that she was prone to exaggeration.
Did she eat fried chicken in her past life or something? No way she's going to end up naturalizing in Korea just because of this… right?
Surely not... just for one meal of chicken.
"I want another!"
"Go ahead. Should I order something different this time?"
"There are... other kinds?"
Valerie happily devoured the rest, and when she found out they delivered, she even downloaded the app on her phone before finally heading back to her workshop.
***
The next day.
Once I finished my preparations, I headed for the location written on the stone tablet.
The mid-mountain slopes of Tohamsan, Gyeongju.
Beneath it lay a hidden space.
The very place where, in the future, my eldest brother would discover the Records of the Black Night — and the site where the most relics connected to the First Ancestor had been unearthed.
The tomb of Lee Hyang-seon, the second head of the Soongmu Clan — that was where I was headed.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]