Chapter 129 – Purification (6)

Sun-woo first took out the dao he used before from his inventory and handed it to Nanseol.

Nanseol, who was a bit troubled by the crude appearance of the blade, was fascinated by the unexpectedly fitting feeling of the blade and swung it around here and there.

It seemed her thoughts about swords had changed somewhat through going through real combat during this time.

“If you like it, you can keep it.”

At Sun-woo’s suggestion, Nanseol shook her head.

“I can’t do that. Moreover, it’s a blade that doesn’t match our Mount Hua anyway.”

That was true because it was difficult to properly use Mount Hua’s martial arts with a dao that had an edge on only one side.

However, Nanseol’s appearance of regret even while speaking made Sun-woo resolve to find a proper sword.

Sun-woo asked Nanseol and Hayden, who was lying exhausted, to guard the surroundings and approached the contamination formation that had stopped operating.

Unlike her usual appearance, Yeonhwa stood at the center of the contamination formation, continuing to look at where her senior sister had been.

Sun-woo didn’t disturb Yeonhwa and approached the magic circle spread around her.

And he knelt on one knee and placed his hand on the magic circle.

The situation of the magic circle being drawn vividly came to Sun-woo’s mind.

“As expected. It’s a kind of amplification magic circle. A magic circle that enhances existing contamination formations several times over. Hmm, because it’s negative energy amplification, it’s too much to use as is.”

Shortly after, Sun-woo who rose from the magic circle reviewed the scene he just saw and walked toward the magicians’ corpses.

Now that he had figured out what kind of magic circle it was, it was time to figure out how to modify it.

Sun-woo placed his hands on the corpses of the magicians Nanseol killed in turn.

He searched for methods of making magic circles in their experiences and subsequently checked the memories of the black magician he killed too.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to figure out how to make and modify the magic circle.

During this time, the growth of his magician skills and acquisition of experience through various magic items had tremendously raised Sun-woo’s skills as a magician.

Now just by seeing and hearing magicians’ experiences, he could sufficiently repair even such advanced magic circles.

Sun-woo, who finished checking several times in his head, walked around on the magic circle and quickly drew lines in several places.

He reversed the magic circle that enhanced negative energy and changed it to amplify positive energy instead.

Sun-woo, who confirmed the magic circle operated well by casually flowing mana, approached Yeonhwa who was still standing blankly.

“Are you okay?”

Sun-woo carefully spoke.

Yeonhwa had just lost someone close. He wanted to leave her alone longer, but right now it couldn’t be helped.

At Sun-woo’s question, Yeonhwa opened her mouth with a forlorn expression.

“I’m hungry. I want to eat spaghetti.”

Sun-woo sighed at Yeonhwa’s answer that was still unpredictable.

“I’ll buy it for you. Caroline took you around and only ruined your taste buds.”

“Promise.”

“Yes. Of course.”

Sun-woo asked Yeonhwa to purify all the contaminated amplification stones placed around.

At Sun-woo’s words about buying it for her, Yeonhwa returned to her usual somewhat dazed appearance.

And then she started walking around the magic circle’s exterior purifying all the amplification stones.

While Yeonhwa was purifying the amplification stones, Sun-woo checked the inner dan she just purified with his phone camera.

〈Inner Dan of the East Sea Golden Turtle: A divine object that a giant turtle from the East Sea that lived for over a thousand years carried in its body〉

〈Water adaptability increases extremely and internal energy also increases〉

“How could they catch such a spirit beast? Do they have some kind of spirit beast detector?”

It was yet another spirit beast’s inner dan.

Sun-woo who confirmed the inner dan’s information immediately put it in his pocket.

Unfortunately, this inner dan that had already been contaminated couldn’t be used for the work from now on.

Sun-woo handed the Dragon Heart to Yeonhwa who approached after purifying the amplification stones.

“You can keep infusing divine power into this Dragon Heart in a purifying way, right?”

“Are you trying to make the purification formation you mentioned before?”

“Yes, will it be too much right now since you used a lot of divine power?”

“It’s okay. Divine power isn’t something that’s consumed. It’s received from the Supreme Being, so it only depends on faith.”

Sun-woo, who recalled the appearance of the saintess exhausted after using divine power a while ago, had no choice but to ask about that incident.

Yeonhwa spoke as if it were natural.

“Ah, that’s because receiving divine power is physically tiring. It definitely strains the body. That saintess person definitely lacks exercise.”

At the unexpected story, the images of priestess and saintess in Sun-woo’s mind shattered once again.

Yeonhwa said she was fine and went up to the center of the magic circle holding the inner dan in her hand.

“Don’t I need to do the muttering that the people wrapped in black clothes did earlier?”

“No, you have to do it.”

To activate such continuous magic circles, a magician had to keep activating spells.

A situation where he had to pour mana into the magic circle while activating spells.

Sun-woo had to handle alone what multiple magicians had been handling.

Fortunately, Sun-woo’s amount of mana converted from internal energy was no joke compared to his low magic circle level.

He could sufficiently handle alone what several people should do.

Yeonhwa looked at Sun-woo with an expectant expression, and Sun-woo felt embarrassed about chanting spells for no reason.

However, Yeonhwa unfortunately couldn’t see Sun-woo chanting spells.

The moment she infused divine power into the Dragon Heart, the Dragon Heart sucked up divine power at tremendous speed, causing her to momentarily lose consciousness.

‘So this was why the dead priestess looked dazed.’

Sun-woo hurriedly began chanting spells and the magic circle brightly emitted light.

Soon after, the amplification stones and the Dragon Heart in Yeonhwa’s hand began spreading blue light.

***

At the same time, Hayden and Nanseol were frantically busy blocking contaminated humans entering through the collapsed wall.

Contaminated humans nearby had swarmed over tremendously at the sound of the wall collapsing.

“This is really the limit now.”

Hayden groaned as he pushed contaminated humans outside.

The recovery amplification stones he had accumulated using points were no longer left.

Until then, missions had continued so he could keep stockpiling amplification stones, but now missions were cut off so he couldn’t receive points anymore.

The amplification stones he had been using sparingly had finally all run out.

Moreover, the contaminated humans now pushing in couldn’t be killed either.

Until now they had let them rest comfortably because there was no way to recover them, but now that he knew they could be purified, he couldn’t do that.

Thanks to that, using telekinesis became even more difficult and Hayden felt like his entire head was boiling in sulfur fire.

Nanseol’s situation wasn’t very good either.

She had become accustomed to killing swords through fighting with the Demon Cult.

Therefore, fighting for suppression like now was several times harder.

While knocking down charging people with the back of her blade and breaking arms and legs, Nanseol had time to reflect again.

Nanseol and Hayden were gradually pushed inward.

It was difficult to handle opponents whose numbers kept increasing.

Yet they couldn’t kill them either.

These contaminated humans were also just victims in the end.

Fortunately the contaminated ability users were buried together in the collapsed part, otherwise they would have definitely been breached if they were alive.

It was that moment while struggling to block the surging people.

Nanseol and Hayden, who felt tremendous energy surge from behind, turned around in surprise.

They could see a blue pillar of light shooting up to the sky from the center of the magic circle.

The pillar of light pierced through clouds and soared into the sky.

All people in the city, and all contaminated people too, were drawn out by the powerful force felt from outside.

And they all saw the blue pillar of light piercing through the sky.

All contaminated humans lost consciousness from the strong energy flowing from the pillar of light.

The energy of purification struck the entire city.

The people who were trying to enter the arena through the collapsed wall also all lost consciousness and collapsed on the floor at that moment.

Nanseol and Hayden witnessed with their own eyes the world changing at that moment.

The walls, ground, and clouds that had been dyed turbid colors were all returning to their original colors.

Finally, the people Nanseol and Hayden had knocked down also began returning to their appearance before contamination.

“Ah, this really could be returned to normal.”

Hayden was shedding tears without knowing it. The goal that had been an uncertain dream approached reality.

Unlike Hayden and Nanseol who were moved and admiring, Sun-woo and Yeonhwa were completely exhausted.

Yeonhwa was exhausted from handling divine power pouring out like a storm and Sun-woo had converted and consumed all his internal energy to mana.

They had no energy to care about the majestic scenery around them.

Yeonhwa just lay on the floor and fell asleep as if fainting.

Sun-woo forcibly raised his body, took out a potion and drank it down.

Mana was quickly replenished.

Sun-woo, whose stamina returned, immediately asked Nanseol and Hayden to handle the aftermath and ran outside the arena through the collapsed wall.

Now that official business was successfully handled, it was time to take care of personal matters.

Sun-woo had succeeded in finding one more memory while checking memories about the magic circle in the black magician’s corpse.

It was the place where Sun-woo’s enemy, the red-eyed swordsman Yang Hwasu, had fled.

However, unfortunately the black magician was someone who had been active in a fantasy world.

He had been summoned for this matter and met Yang Hwasu in this world.

Of course there were memories of meeting Yang Hwasu several times before that too.

However, he neither lived with Yang Hwasu nor knew where Yang Hwasu lived.

Sun-woo grumbled briefly then ran even faster toward his goal.

The place Yang Hwasu fled to was the hideout of the gang organization that had ruled this contaminated city until just now.

It was also a place Sun-woo had visited before this world became contaminated after receiving wrong information.

After the former boss died, Yang Hwasu had been acting as boss since some time ago.

***

The street was very quiet.

Not a single person walking on the street was visible and only a few people collapsed on the floor showed this city wasn’t an abandoned city.

Sun-woo passed through the seemingly empty wealthy district in the center and entered the slums.

He finally arrived at their hideout.

However, nothing remained at the arrived location except traces of hasty departure.

Several ability users from the gang were collapsed, but Yang Hwasu and the contaminated summoners had all left.

Just in case, he checked the memories of remaining odds and ends one by one.

However, he could only learn that Yang Hwasu had left this place some time ago by spatial movement together with contaminated summoners.

In the end, he had missed Yang Hwasu again.

Sun-woo was full of regret, but could quickly gather his mind.

Because the path he had been walking wasn’t the wrong path.

Though he missed him now, if he continued going forward like this, he would definitely meet him again.

When that time came, Sun-woo resolved never to let his opponent escape again.

There was one more reason he could stay calm.

Now Sun-woo’s anger wasn’t only toward Yang Hwasu who killed his parents.

He had also begun to feel anger toward those who created and spread contamination.

Of course Yang Hwasu’s life was the most important matter, but his anger toward those who created the cause and spread contamination was also considerable.

Sun-woo checked the spot where spatial movement occurred one last time, then moved his steps toward the arena where his companions were.

It was time to take care of official business again.

Sun-woo, exhausted from fatigue, headed toward the arena with unhurried steps.

People who regained consciousness began appearing one by one around Sun-woo.