Memorize Chapter 262

The moment fear gripped him, Marvolo jerked his head up. With his one remaining trembling hand, he carefully wiped the blood from his mouth. Struggling to rise while leaning on the ground, warm, sticky blood dripped from his wounds.

Marvolo de Aylight. Three hundred years ago, when he still held a shred of purity, Marvolo was the greatest mage of his time. Revered by all, he stood at the pinnacle of mages as the great archmage. He was the leader of Magia, the foremost magical city, and a pioneer who led the salvation of Hall Plain.

Of course, his path wasn’t always smooth. He had faced death’s door countless times. Yet, Marvolo miraculously survived each ordeal, crushing his enemies and seizing victory. And until he kidnapped his cherished comrades, the hero Lloyd and the fairy queen Margarita, earning the title of “traitor,” he was hailed as a hero, admired by all. That was the life of Marvolo de Aylight, a great mage forged by such experiences.

Even when Saintess Gracia led a punitive force against him after uncovering the truth, he repelled them with his power. Though he faced hardships along the way, Marvolo’s life was undeniably one marked by victory.

Perhaps that’s why he couldn’t accept it.

“Cough!”

Another gush of blood sprayed from Marvolo’s mouth. Countless healing magic circles swarmed around him, only to melt away as they appeared. The blazing swords embedded in his body burned fiercely, as if tearing his insides apart.

Wracked by the flames surging within, Marvolo let out pained groans, twisting his body. Still, he took a step forward, desperate to grasp Ordo again. That’s when it happened. A sharp sound sliced through the air, targeting his head. He twisted his body instinctively.

Slash. Thud.

“You dodged that? Damn, you’re persistent… Guess that’s what makes you a great mage.”

“Grrk…”

Kim Su-Hyeon muttered with a hint of regret. But strictly speaking, Marvolo hadn’t dodged. He’d barely avoided having his head split in two, but his remaining right arm now lay on the ground.

Marvolo screamed. Or tried to. Blood clogged his throat, and only bubbling froth spilled out. His mind was in chaos. His reason refused to accept defeat or death, but the instinctual fear he felt facing Kim Su-Hyeon was chilling.

“Cough, cough! W-Wait…”

Thwack!

As he struggled to speak, vomiting blood endlessly, Marvolo’s vision suddenly warped. Stars burst before his eyes, and his memories darkened. Piecing them together, he realized his head was smashed into the cold ground.

He groaned, trying to rise, but without arms, his body writhed like a worm. He attempted to lift his head, but a heavy pressure on the back of his skull forced it down further.

The moment he sensed the chilling killing intent at his nape, the last shred of reason in Marvolo’s mind crumbled.

“S-Spare me!”

“Hm?”

“Y-You’re interested in the ruins, right? If you let me live… Gah!”

“Not interested.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kim Su-Hyeon drove his sword into Marvolo’s nape. He had no intention of sparing him. The outcome was clear. Letting him live to hear his pleas risked some trickery. Rather than falling for a defeated foe’s sweet talk, Kim Su-Hyeon’s philosophy was to kill cleanly.

He poured the power of Hwajung into the Nil sword lodged in Marvolo’s neck, as if it were the final blow.

*

Perhaps because I poured in so much Hwajung, Marvolo’s body was engulfed in a fireball in an instant. Only then could I breathe a sigh of relief. I’d been worried he might pull some crazy stunt, using every last ounce of strength to manipulate my comrades’ minds. I’d torn his internal mana to shreds as a precaution, but you never know.

“Arghhh!”

Marvolo’s writhing was almost comical. Stomping his feet and twisting like a caterpillar, he was a far cry from the great mage who once defined an era. In the end, his fate was no different from any other enemy. I watched his body burn for a while.

At some point, Marvolo’s screams stopped. The runes etched into his skin blackened and decayed, and his body crumbled into ash. I staggered slightly, withdrawing the Hwajung. In that moment, I felt a breeze stir. In a city where everything had been still, the wind blew. The remaining ash danced in the air, carried away as if in a waltz.

Thus, I confirmed the end of Marvolo de Aylight, the leader of the ancient magical city of Magia.

“Hah…”

I let out a weak sigh. My body ached, but I felt fine. No, more than fine—I felt liberated. Though a resident, I’d defeated a mage with a magic stat of 100 single-handedly. I’d succeeded in an expedition that had failed once in my first life against IstanTel Law.

“Su-Hyeon!”

“Hyung!”

Suddenly, I heard my clan members’ voices. Turning toward them, I was relieved to see them all standing unharmed. The ancient mage’s buffs must have been stronger than expected—they looked like they’d been through hell. Over half were sprawled on the ground, but the rest still held their weapons. Yet, they no longer moved.

Marvolo had called them failures, meaning his mind control hadn’t worked. The moment he fell, the magic animating them likely cut off, leaving them like puppets with severed strings. Left alone, they’d soon die.

“Su-Hyeon, are you okay?!”

“I’m fine. The others… Huh?”

I replied calmly, turning to walk toward them. But then, their figures seemed to warp, and the ground felt like it was sinking. Regaining my senses, I realized my one knee had hit the ground. A sharp dizziness struck me.

‘Fuck, the side effects.’

I cursed inwardly. Seeing me collapse, my clan members rushed over, panic on their faces. I tried to regain control, but my body tilted against my will.

As my cheek hit the cold ground, my body felt heavy as lead, and darkness slowly crept into my mind.

*

This wasn’t my first time in such a situation, so when I regained consciousness, I accepted it relatively calmly. My body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton. I’d conserved and restored my vitality meticulously since the Ruined Laboratory, only to burn it all in this one battle. The thought made me sigh.

“Hah…”

“Mmm…!”

“?”

I was definitely conscious. As my dulled senses slowly awakened, I noticed my face felt warm, and my neck was oddly comfortable. A strange sense of déjà vu hit me. The moment a single thought flashed through my mind, I snapped my eyes open.

“…”

‘Stay calm, Kim Su-Hyeon. You’ve been through this before. Remember that time.’

Before my eyes was a blue robe. The soft air against the back of my neck didn’t seem to dig in as it had before. The tender sensation at my throat clearly belonged to someone’s thigh. In other words, I was resting on someone’s lap, my face buried in their stomach.

“Oppa? Are you awake? Oppa!”

“Yeah, uh, yeah.”

The one giving me the lap pillow was none other than Kim Han-Byeol. She looked down at me with a slightly flushed face. I hurriedly tried to sit up, responding as casually as possible, but that turned out to be a mistake. My arms gave out, and I ended up face-planting into a rather sensitive spot.

“Eek!”

At the same time, I felt peculiar gazes on me. Kim Han-Byeol, flustered, supported me. With her help, I barely managed to sit up, finally able to take in my surroundings. Nearby were Sol, her eyes swollen from crying, and Baek Hangeol, his lips trembling similarly.

“Oppa, are you okay?”

“Clan Lord! I mean, Hyung-nim! How’s your body…?”

“Waaah…”

“I’m fine. Sol, don’t cry. Oppa’s not dead.”

“Waaah… It’s not that…”

I soothed Sol with a calm voice, but she shook her head, tears streaming down. With an expression that screamed, ‘I’m so upset right now,’ she wailed:

“Waaah… I healed you… but when I tried to give you a lap pillow, you frowned and dodged like you hated it… but when Han-Byeol unnie did it, you buried your face and clung to her… Waaah!”

I stared at Sol, dumbfounded, then glanced at Kim Han-Byeol with a look that said, ‘Is that true?’ Her face turned bright red, and she quickly looked away. I decided to change the subject.

“I see. How much time has passed since I collapsed?”

“About 30 minutes…”

“30 minutes. Where are Go Yeon-Joo, An-Hyun, and Yun-Jung?”

“They went to scout the area after confirming you were healed. The city changed suddenly after that mage fell… They said they’d just take a quick look and come back soon.”

‘Stop changing the subject. It’s making things weirder.’

The ancient magical city of Magia was completely different from when we first arrived. Though it had a somewhat worn charm, it once exuded grandeur and majesty. Now, it was as if a frozen clock had started ticking all at once, leaving only a chaotic, dilapidated mess. Buildings were blackened, cracked, and exuded a sense of ruin.

“Oppa, were you surprised?”

“Hm? Nah, not really.”

My clan members were probably shocked, but I’d known the city’s true nature from the start. I activated my Third Eye when I broke the barrier, so I wasn’t particularly taken aback.

My vitality was slowly recovering. According to my memory, there shouldn’t be any more threats here. Still, to prepare for any slim chance, I decided to rest quietly until Go Yeon-Joo and the others returned. While waiting, I listened to my clan members recount the battle.

Despite the chaos of the fight, Kim Han-Byeol described the events in surprising detail. As expected, the players enhanced by ancient magic buffs weren’t as easy as they’d seemed at first. Their physical and magical defenses were significantly boosted, making them tough opponents.

“At first, we didn’t know what the buffs were, so we were mostly just taking hits. Even when we landed attacks, they didn’t seem to feel pain and kept coming relentlessly… Oh, but the Shadow Queen was incredible. Even without her shadows activating, she darted across the battlefield, coordinating everything.”

“Ugh…”

“As time passed, things got better. There were a few dangerous moments, but Baek Hangeol used his reflection ability at just the right times…”

“Ughhh…”

While Kim Han-Byeol spoke, I glanced down. Sol, nestled in my arms, was whimpering softly. She’d cried so much that I ended up comforting her. I patted her back gently, nodding for Han-Byeol to continue.

She tilted her head slightly, then suddenly lit up as if remembering something.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Oppa, there’s something you need to see.”

“What is it?”

“Just a sec. Hangeol, can you take it out?”

“Y-Yes!”

Baek Hangeol, who’d been quietly listening, jolted at the request. He set down his bag and carefully rummaged through it.

“Found it!”

He quickly held out a clenched fist with a bright smile. From the gaps between his fingers, a faint white glow shimmered.