"AAAAAAAH!!!"
It was the middle of a night shrouded in darkness.
From one of the buildings in a quiet neighborhood of studio apartments, a man's agonized scream suddenly erupted.
Someone briefly looked around, searching for the source of the sound, but soon lost interest.
"Haaah… Haaah…"
The man who had awakened from his sleep, breathing heavily, was none other than Baek Gang-hyeon.
He immediately looked around to confirm where he was and finally realized what had happened.
"Ah… It was a dream."
For a brief moment, he had felt sensation returning to his completely paralyzed left leg.
But a dream was ultimately nothing more than an illusion. That sensation would never return.
At least, that was how things should have been.
"Huh…? Why is my leg twitching?"
When he habitually pressed down on his left thigh, it twitched, and he felt pain.
Startled, Baek Gang-hyeon threw off his blanket and examined his leg.
'It looks the same as always, though…'
Unlike his right leg, which remained sturdy thanks to regular use, his left leg, which he had been unable to use, felt stiff and unresponsive, like a withered tree branch.
He was afraid to touch it again, wondering whether he had simply imagined the sensation.
But he had to make sure.
-PRESS…!
He pinched the thigh of his damaged left leg with all his strength.
However, the sensation he had felt earlier was nowhere to be found, as though it had been a lie.
The disappointment and emptiness that followed were enough to bring out the uglier side of a person's heart.
'Hah. Why make me get my hopes up like that…?'
There had been a time when he had still clung to the hope that his leg might move again.
But he had abandoned all such hopes long ago.
'Was I really that bothered by what that passenger said? Or did I still want to believe that miracles exist?'
As his depression deepened, Baek Gang-hyeon let out a long sigh.
"Phew… I should at least wash my face and clear my head."
Not wanting to be consumed by his gloom any longer, he climbed out of bed, walked normally on both legs, and headed toward the bathroom.
He then splashed the still-cold water from the sink directly onto his face.
-SPLASH! SPLASH!
Was it because of the cold water?
Or had he simply been trying to escape from his thoughts?
'Wait. I walked normally?'
Only then did Baek Gang-hyeon realize that he had just walked without dragging his left leg.
"That's impossible…!"
Unable to believe what was happening, he raised his hand and slapped his left thigh.
-SLAP!
A sharp smack rang out, followed by a scream of sheer delight.
"AAAH!! AAH!! HAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHA!! I can feel it! I can feel it!!"
He looked almost like some kind of pervert who derived pleasure from pain.
And something was watching him.
It was a creature with a body resembling a human eye, black wings, and a serpent-like tail.
The creature silently passed through the window and disappeared somewhere.
It moved as though the laws of physics did not apply to it.
***
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the penthouse building.
One entire wall of the living room consisted of a single enormous window, offering an unobstructed view of the scenery outside.
Standing before that window, wearing nothing but a robe, was Veylord.
Just then, the creature that had been inside Baek Gang-hyeon's home a moment earlier landed on his shoulder.
"Did you give him a pleasant dream?"
[CHIRRUP.]
As though thoroughly familiar with the creature, Veylord gently stroked it.
The creature seemed delighted by his touch, but Kang Tae-pung found its appearance thoroughly unsettling.
[Master. What the hell is that disgusting-looking thing? Did you keep creatures like that too?]
"This is a spirit called a Nightmare Catcher. It helps me make a chosen target experience whatever dream I desire."
After kindly explaining, Veylord grabbed the Nightmare Catcher he had been stroking and crushed it in his hand.
-SKREE!
With a brief scream, black blood and chunks of flesh fell from his hand.
But the Nightmare Catcher's corpse soon evaporated into the darkness and vanished as though it had never existed.
"If I leave it in the present world, it will start giving even its summoner nightmares of its own accord. It must be returned immediately."
Whether that was simply the nature of the spirit or Veylord had an unusually brutal method of dismissing his summons, it was a gruesome sight.
But Kang Tae-pung was more fascinated by the fact that spirits actually existed.
[Whoa. A spirit? Those things really exist?]
"Indeed. I never imagined spirits would exist in this world either, but I decided to try summoning one just in case, and it worked."
After all, as long as Mana existed in this world, even in small quantities, it was reasonable to assume that creatures capable of living on that Mana existed as well.
Of course, their numbers were small, and they rarely revealed themselves.
[So what exactly did you do with that spirit?]
"You'll find out tomorrow."
With that answer, Veylord turned around and headed toward the bedroom.
A bed, blankets, pillows, and other bedding had already been prepared there.
[Speaking of which, that girl is quite cunning. She managed to fill this place with everything you needed less than an hour after you moved in. It's almost as if she'd prepared everything beforehand.]
When Veylord had first arrived, the apartment had certainly been completely empty.
Yet somehow, she had learned of his arrival and contacted him almost immediately, informing him that furniture would be delivered.
Naturally, every piece of furniture had a simple yet practical design that suited the apartment perfectly.
[Still, at least you've saved some money.]
"The problem is that none of it suits my taste."
Having lived as a nobleman in an era resembling the ancient medieval age, Veylord found the designs far too ordinary.
He had thought something a little more extravagant would be preferable, but Kang Tae-pung had vehemently opposed the idea.
[Master, your taste is far too old-fashioned! If you're going to live in this world, you need to change your preferences a little.]
"Tsk! What is so wrong with floral patterns?"
He grumbled halfheartedly, but he could hardly replace all the furniture immediately.
And so, he fell asleep, and the following day arrived.
Waking early in the morning, Veylord put on Kang Chan-seong's old tracksuit and headed outside.
There, waiting for him in front of the penthouse building, stood Baek Gang-hyeon.
"So you haven't forgotten my words."
He had remembered Veylord's instruction to return if his leg recovered and had come back as promised.
It was unclear how long he had been waiting, but Baek Gang-hyeon's body had grown cold, and he was shifting restlessly from foot to foot.
"Huh?!"
The moment he spotted Veylord emerging from the building, he hurried toward him.
Although he was no longer paralyzed, his movements were still awkward, and he walked with a slight limp in his left leg.
"How did this happen?! My leg! My leg is moving!"
"Indeed. It seems to be moving quite well."
The casual answer, as though this were the most natural thing in the world, convinced Baek Gang-hyeon that Veylord was responsible for the miracle.
"Was it really you who caused this miracle, sir? No, was it you?!"
Veylord answered his question affirmatively.
"I merely gave you a small opportunity. You were the one who did not let that opportunity slip away."
"An opportunity? I don't understand what you mean at all!"
Caught in the midst of this miraculous situation, Baek Gang-hyeon was overwhelmed by alternating feelings of fear and confusion.
"Didn't you have a dream last night? A very difficult dream?"
Only then did Baek Gang-hyeon remember the nightmare he had experienced.
"Every choice you made in that dream was the correct one. That is why I restored your leg."
What Veylord had done for Baek Gang-hyeon was not some kind of Restoration spell.
He had merely introduced a minute amount of Magic Power into the Mana pathways that had closed due to his severe injury.
"If you had abandoned those people on the bus and fled, or if you had surrendered your will to live out of fear of that overwhelming power, you would have lost that opportunity forever."
If even one of Baek Gang-hyeon's choices had displeased him, Veylord would have used that Magic Power to blow off his entire leg rather than reopen the blocked pathways.
However, this was a feat that no one other than Veylord could have accomplished.
[When did you do something like that?]
'When we shook hands before I got out of the taxi. I tried applying what I'd learned from Old Man Hwang's curse.'
Of course, he had used nothing more than pure Magic Power, so there was nothing sinister about it like a curse.
But if an inexperienced Mage attempted something like this, both the Mage and the target could suffer severe internal injuries, cough up blood, or even die.
Whether he knew any of that or not, Baek Gang-hyeon simply expressed his gratitude to the man who had granted him such a miracle.
"Thank you so much. Thanks to you, sir… I can finally have new hope again."
Seeing him express his gratitude so passionately, Veylord coldly spoke a single sentence.
"Then it is time for you to pay the price."
At the mention of a price, Baek Gang-hyeon nodded as though he had been waiting for those very words and loudly declared his resolve.
"Yes, sir! I'm prepared to pay any price! Please give me any order you wish!"
Apparently having already decided to serve Veylord, he knelt on both knees and waited for his orders.
Perhaps because it was still early in the morning and there were no passersby, Baek Gang-hyeon showed not the slightest embarrassment.
And Veylord, as though thoroughly accustomed to such situations, confidently issued his command.
"First, get your body back into proper condition. And when you're ready to return to the underground fighting world, come find me."
Even at the mention of returning to the underground fighting world that had caused his injury, Baek Gang-hyeon expressed neither objection nor doubt.
"Yes, sir! I'll rebuild my body just as you instructed and return!"
His response actually made Veylord curious, so he asked him a question.
"You haven't asked why I want you to return to the underground fighting world."
Baek Gang-hyeon answered with an expression filled with conviction.
"Because it's an order from someone like you, sir. I'm certain you must have a good reason."
He had made his own assumptions and reached his own conclusions, ultimately convincing himself that Veylord was a benevolent person.
"Naturally, you're planning to deal with the organizations that have infiltrated the underground fighting world and are fixing matches, aren't you?"
That was not entirely incorrect.
More precisely, Veylord intended to weaken the Taebaek Gang's influence, even if only slightly.
Only by weakening the Taebaek Gang could he begin to shake the confidence of Park Sang-sik, who had taken control of Taebaek Construction.
"Well, think whatever you like. You should head back now. It's time for me to go and have breakfast."
"Yes, sir! Thank you so much once again! I'll come back to see you very soon!"
After bowing deeply to Veylord, Baek Gang-hyeon returned to his taxi and drove away.
"What a truly fiery man."
He had seemed cheerful even when he couldn't move his leg, but now he was not merely cheerful. He burned with an intensity that seemed capable of consuming everything.
Veylord was curious to see just how brilliantly that flame might burn, and how much of himself and his surroundings it might consume.
'I wonder if my involvement will cause problems for the future.'
It was an unexpected connection, but he had decided to make full use of it for his own purposes.
After all, he would be changing the future regardless.
He had simply decided to shape those changes to his own advantage.
***
The amount Veylord had received from selling one hundred gold ingots to Old Man Hwang was approximately sixteen billion won.
"Making money is remarkably easy."
It was an amount that Kang Chan-seong could never have dreamed of possessing just a short while ago.
Anyone who overheard him making such a remark would naturally have every right to curse him.
However, if he considered the money a war chest for reclaiming Taepung Construction, which had now become Taebaek Construction, it was nowhere near enough.
"I'll have to find a way to multiply this money."
And the method he had chosen was illegal gambling in the underground fighting world.
Although match-fixing would be involved, how many gamblers would bet on a fighter who had retired due to an injury and was now making a comeback?
Veylord intended to exploit the combination of illegal gambling and match-fixing to strike it big in a single move.
'And while I'm at it, I'll deal with the Taebaek Gang members involved in fixing those matches.'
[Tsk. Master, people who keep chasing one big win sometimes end up losing everything in one blow.]
'I know perfectly well how gamblers end up.'
One only had to consider Hong Jang-mi, who had fallen from a cliff and died, leaving behind not even a body to recover.
And there was also Kang Tae-pung, who had lost his own company.
As Veylord sat deep in thought on the comfortable sofa, he received a call from Old Man Hwang.
-Have you been well?-
Now that the curse had disappeared and there was no longer any danger of his heart stopping, the old man's voice sounded considerably brighter.
But they had hardly been apart for any time at all, so Veylord answered indifferently.
"It has barely been any time at all. More importantly, what is it?"
At his question, Old Man Hwang immediately got to the point.
-As you suggested, I looked into people who had suddenly fallen seriously ill. It led me to a city councilor I've known for quite some time.-
Apparently, the person who had placed the curse was someone who wielded considerable influence in Daegu.
For some reason, however, he had approached Old Man Hwang and performed the ritual that cursed him.
And it seemed the man had never imagined that someone might actually break the curse.
-His heart suddenly stopped as well, and he was rushed to the hospital.-
"So, have you found him? The Curse Mage, I mean."
-I've been applying pressure from various directions, but the man refuses to talk.-
In other words, Old Man Hwang's influence had played a significant role in the downfall of the city councilor who had appeared in the news the previous morning.
"I suppose he values his own life too much to speak."
-You mean he's afraid of being cursed himself?-
"Exactly. Someone might approach him like an ordinary person and offer a handshake, and that alone could be enough to trigger a curse."
What made curses so troublesome was their activation conditions.
"For a politician, meeting people is part of the job. Can he really avoid that for the rest of his life?"
Even something utterly insignificant could trigger a curse that would gradually devour his life.
Of course, harming someone with a curse required considerable preparation or ability.
"I'll meet him and deal with it myself. Just tell me where he is."
He intended to travel to Daegu using teleportation and tear the city councilor's memories out of his mind.
-Very well. When do you intend to arrive?-
"Right this instant."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Veylord's figure vanished from the penthouse.
He reappeared in the spacious courtyard in front of Old Man Hwang's residence.
-What? What do you…?!-
"I'm in the courtyard outside your house, so get ready and come out. Ah! Bring me any pair of shoes you can find while you're at it."
Although he had arrived wearing a comfortable tracksuit, he had forgotten his shoes and was now standing barefoot.
"Good grief. I still haven't gotten rid of the habit of wearing shoes indoors."
Meanwhile, alarms began blaring throughout the building, apparently triggered by the sudden appearance of an intruder.
"I'll have to tell them to turn that off as well."
A short while later, the emergency alert had been canceled, and Veylord set off with Old Man Hwang toward the hospital where the city councilor had been admitted.
For some reason, however, Old Man Hwang's granddaughter insisted on accompanying them, taking a seat in the front of the car.
"By the way, why is your granddaughter coming along? Isn't she busy?"
"Hmm? Come to think of it, didn't you say you had a board meeting today?"
At that, she casually answered while operating the tablet in her hands.
"I canceled it. That's hardly important right now. Grandfather's life was at stake. What could be more important than that?"
"Hmm… My life, you say. I wonder whether that's really the reason."
Old Man Hwang sounded somewhat displeased, sensing that his granddaughter's attention was directed not toward him but toward his friend sitting beside him.
"By the way, your granddaughter…"
Just then, she interrupted him and asked a question of her own.
"By the way, Mr. Kang Chan-seong, do you even know my name?"
That was precisely what Veylord had been curious about.
"Hmm? Ah… Well… Come to think of it, I don't believe I've heard it. Have I ever asked?"
Any faint hope she had entertained was dashed by his answer, and she pushed her lips forward in a dissatisfied pout.
"Hah! Seriously! This is the first time I've ever been shown so little interest. Anyway, my name is Hwang Hee-jin! Please remember it!"
She was naturally the type of woman who had great confidence in her appearance.
She was so accustomed to receiving attention from others that being ignored like this felt almost unfamiliar.
She continued grumbling from the front seat, complaining that she had even lent him a home and he hadn't bothered to ask her name once.
But the two men in the back seat silently ignored her.
***
Meanwhile, the chauffeur-driven car arrived at a large hospital.
Reporters were gathered in force at the entrance, waiting for an exclusive story.
"Hmm. Perhaps I made this matter bigger than I intended. Quite a few reporters have gathered."
It was the result of the pressure Old Man Hwang had exerted through various channels against the hospitalized city councilor.
At that moment, Hwang Hee-jin raised her phone and offered to handle the situation.
"Don't worry. I'll get rid of them."
"No. There's no need for that. Just guide us inside. They won't recognize us anyway."
Veylord intended to resolve the situation quickly with magic.
Unlike Old Man Hwang, who immediately understood his meaning, Hwang Hee-jin tilted her head in confusion.
As soon as they stepped out of the vehicle, Veylord cast a spell on himself and the other two.
[Invisibility]
It was the same Invisibility spell he had previously used before activating Flight magic.
The three figures grew indistinct, eventually blending perfectly with their surroundings.
More precisely, the spell refracted light so that those around them could not perceive their presence.
"Now, let us go. Even if we're standing right in front of them, they won't notice us."
He spoke confidently, knowing his own mastery of magic.
The three of them walked normally past the reporters and easily slipped past the security personnel stationed to keep the journalists out.
Not a single person noticed them passing.
"Whoa… So this is magic? Grandfather told me about it, but I can't believe something like this really exists."
At her exclamation, Veylord briefly glanced toward Old Man Hwang.
The old man immediately admitted what he had done.
"If we fail to prevent the Gates, she'll learn about it eventually anyway. So I told her."
"I see."
Veylord had no particular reason to conceal his abilities or power, so he accepted the explanation without much concern.
After entering the hospital lobby, he found an area where no one was present and dispelled the magic.
Their previously invisible bodies returned to their original appearance.
"So, where do we go now?"
"I'll guide you. Just make sure you follow me."
They boarded an elevator and passed through another series of maze-like corridors before finally arriving at the VIP ward.
At its entrance stood several private bodyguards dressed in black suits.
"Hmm. Are those men standing there to protect the person hospitalized inside?"
"That's right. Even a city councilor can acquire considerable power if elected several times. Shall I handle them?"
Old Man Hwang rolled up his sleeves, apparently preparing to take matters into his own hands.
But what greater loss could there be than having an old man injure himself or break something by needlessly exerting himself at his age?
"There's no need. I'll handle them myself."
[Air Arrow]
The moment a small magic circle flickered at his fingertip, the sound of something striking the guards' heads rang out.
-THWACK! THWACK!
In his original world, this was merely a spell used to harass or keep enemies in check.
But in this world, it was a sniping spell capable of striking its targets without even a mouse or bird noticing.
Fortunately, he had not killed them. The guards had merely lost consciousness.
"They'll remain unconscious for half a day. Let us go inside."
Speaking as though it were nothing remarkable, Veylord took the lead and opened the door to the hospital room.