"...."
Frigid water poured over his head.
Kael stood motionless for a while with one hand braced against the wall.
Streams of water ran down his shoulders.
The spots where Toph had struck him yesterday throbbed every time the water touched them.
"Whew...."
From his shoulders, ribs, and the backs of his hands to his elbows... it would honestly be faster to find an uninjured spot.
Still, as long as he could move, that was enough. He had experienced injuries far worse than this countless times.
Kael turned off the water and swept his wet hair back.
The bathroom mirror reflected a face etched with deep exhaustion.
Kael stared at his reflection for a moment before picking up a towel.
When he finished his shower and stepped out, a familiar voice was drifting from the old radio in the room.
-Good morning, citizens of Magiterra!
Drying his hair with the towel, Kael glanced toward the radio.
-Last night in the Eastern Outer Circulation District, commonly known as the Graverock Block, an unidentified massive flash phenomenon was witnessed! According to citizen reports, blue fireworks bloomed in the sky, with some witnesses testifying that it looked like 'fireworks bursting right out of a fairy tale.'
The Anchor's voice brightened even further.
-A fairy tale! For an expression like that to come out of Graverock, isn't this touching news proving that the city's literary scene isn't dead yet?!
Just then, a beeping sound effect played from the radio.
The Anchor lowered his voice.
-What was that...? A Hero wearing a black mask appeared in the Graverock Block, defeated the villains, and set off fireworks in the night sky....
A brief silence fell.
Soon after, the Anchor burst into laughter.
-Citizens, I certainly respect your imagination. But a Hero? If such a thing existed in this city, they'd have signed an advertising contract first thing....
Kael draped the towel over a chair and turned off the radio.
Silence settled over the room.
Sitting on the floor, he closed his eyes and sank his senses deep within himself.
A change had occurred in his Magic Circuit, which had remained completely shut since he fell into Magiterra.
This morning, a very faint flow of mana had formed within that circuit.
Though it was no more than the moisture left on dry ground after rain, it was definitely flowing.
Kael focused his consciousness on the tip of his index finger.
Lumen [Light]
Moments later, a small light bloomed atop his fingertip.
Kael quietly gazed at the light.
Even with just this, he had already run several tests, and the conclusion he drew was clear.
The Magic Circuit had not yet recovered to a usable level.
All he could manage were basic spells.
To be precise, it was barely equivalent to the ember gained from crushing a single 1st-tier ACU.
If there was a difference, it was that this time, he didn't need an external catalyst.
However, the duration was short, and above all, his mana depleted quickly.
While it was far from satisfactory, progress was progress.
Kael decided to be content with that.
"Hmm."
The other problem was 'why.'
Why had the recovery begun?
Simply because he had used high-output magic?
Or because of a specific substance released when destroying Pale's 6th-tier ACU?
The latter was the most likely.
No matter how many low-tier ACUs he had crushed before, there had never been a reaction like this.
'A 6th-tier or higher ACU.'
Kael slowly curled his fingers.
'The answer must lie there.'
The problem was how to obtain one.
It wasn't as if 6th-tier users like Pale were just lying around on the streets.
It was then.
The communication terminal rang.
Beep.
He picked up the Terminal Card—more precisely, the business card.
The name displayed on the screen was familiar.
[Elena Weiss]
Chief Secretary of Seraph Industry.
Kael looked at the card for a moment before connecting the call.
-Mr. Kael.
Elena's composed voice came through.
As always, it was a voice that showed little emotion.
-Are you feeling alright?
"Out of nowhere?"
-I heard quite an incident occurred near your area yesterday.
Elena paused briefly.
-Judging by your voice now, it seems you weren't caught up in it, fortunately.
Kael looked down at the back of his bandaged hand.
"Seems so."
-That's a relief.
Elena's reply was brief.
-For now, I believe it would be best if you stay home as much as possible.
"Why?"
-The situation outside is a bit complicated.
"To what extent?"
When Elena did not answer, Kael waited with the terminal to his ear.
A few seconds passed.
She was hesitating to say something.
Then, Elena finally let out a soft sigh and spoke.
-Currently, Seraph Industry and Archeon Genetics are in a standoff near the Graverock Block.
Kael repeated the name he was hearing for the first time.
"Archeon?"
-Archeon Genetics.
"Why are they in this neighborhood?"
-It seems they also detected the abnormal magic emission that occurred last night.
Kael looked out the window in silence, but the street seemed quiet.
"What about Seraph?"
-We deployed an outer Security Team to confirm your safety and that of the building.
"What does Archeon want?"
-Officially, it's under the pretext of an on-site investigation, but their true objective is unknown.
"You sound like you know, but are playing dumb."
-....
This time, Elena fell silent for a very brief moment.
-There are reports that Archeon's Representative moved personally.
"Representative?"
-Leah Valencroft. Among business figures, she is known as quite the shrewd operator.
"Serious enough for their Representative to come in person?"
-It seems they deemed it so. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you could remain inside your home for the time being.
"Understood."
-...?
"Why?"
-Are you serious?
Elena looked at Kael suspiciously through the screen, but he had no intention of going anywhere anyway since he planned to dedicate today solely to recovery.
"Yeah."
***
The morning air was chilly.
Nights in the Graverock Block were always filthy, but the sight after sunrise was even more wretched.
Soot and debris scattered across the alleys bore witness to the turmoil of the previous night.
Right in the middle of it all, forces from the two corporations faced off against each other.
Seraph Industry's Security Team was dressed in black armored suits, while Archeon Genetics' response team on the opposite side wore armored suits of white and green.
However, security forces were not the only ones on the scene.
There were researchers holding residual mana measuring devices and investigators carrying bio-contamination sample cases.
And mercenaries tasked with protecting them were mixed into the crowd.
The two groups did not aim their guns at each other, but they confronted one another in an even more exhausting manner.
An attitude refusing to back down a single step, paired with encrypted communications constantly relaying reports up to leadership.
Tensions ran high enough to snap at any second, yet at the same time, neither side seemed inclined to fire the first shot.
Leah Valencroft walked slowly between them.
She seemed to pay little heed to this tension.
With a black overcoat draped over her white coat, Leah walked across the fractured street. Several Archeon agents formed a perimeter around her, remaining vigilant.
"What's the status?"
At Leah's question, the Investigation Team Leader stepped right up beside her.
Dark circles hung heavily beneath his eyes, testifying to how he had combed through the site all night.
"Nothing substantial."
"Even after staying up all night?"
"Yes."
The Investigation Team Leader immediately continued.
"The residual mana concentration at the scene is extraordinary. Traces of a high-output spell formula being deployed are undeniable. However, the waveforms dispersed far too quickly. Standard ACU output should leave behind residual mana reverberations of a specific caliber, but those traces are virtually nonexistent."
"Virtually nonexistent, you say."
"Yes. It's also difficult to pinpoint the central emission point."
"The report stated the location had been narrowed down."
"Only to an approximate area. The exact emitter has not been confirmed. At the scene was a warehouse presumed to be the stronghold of Toph, boss of the gang known as the Black Ring, and traces of a large-scale battle were found there. However, Seraph is currently restricting access."
As Leah turned her gaze, she saw the Seraph Security Team standing at the entrance to the road.
Behind them, temporary barricades had been erected.
Leah looked in that direction for a moment, then asked.
"Does it look like Seraph is attempting to cover up the scene?"
The Investigation Team Leader fell silent briefly as if choosing his words before speaking.
"It's difficult to conclude that definitively."
"Why?"
"Seraph hasn't cordoned off the entire warehouse. They are only restricting access to their own assets and the surrounding corridors. They are avoiding intervening in Toph's stronghold on the grounds that it conflicts with Gardin's jurisdictional records."
"Uncharacteristically cautious for Seraph."
"Yes."
Leah flipped through the holographic report with the tip of her finger.
Her eyes darted rapidly.
"Then it seems Seraph isn't even indirectly involved in this affair."
At Leah's words, the Investigation Team Leader nodded cautiously.
"That is our assessment as well. At the very least, there is no evidence indicating Seraph planned the high-output magic emission itself."
"Then that's strange."
Leah looked back toward the Seraph Security Team.
"Why are they here?"
"We have confirmed information on that matter."
When the Investigation Team Leader operated his wrist Terminal, property ownership details of the surrounding buildings appeared.
"There is a building owned by Seraph Industry nearby."
Leah's fingers stopped.
"Here?"
"Yes."
"In the Graverock Block?"
"That is correct."
Leah turned her head very slowly, taking in the surrounding scenery.
Her gaze swept over the decrepit streets, collapsed signboards, and walls bearing marks of illegal modifications.
Graverock Block.
Though nominally part of the Surface Level, it was practically an abandoned outer district.
Its security rating was low, rental revenue was unstable, and it offered nothing to corporate brand value.
Therefore, there were few reasons for a corporation like Seraph to deliberately own a building in such a place.
Of course, that didn't mean there were none at all.
An outer base, a hidden warehouse, or a temporary facility for field experiments.
Or an ideal spot to hide someone.
The corners of Leah's mouth curled up.
"How interesting."
The subordinate beside her spoke carefully.
"It has been confirmed that the building was recently transferred under Seraph's name."
"Recently?"
"Yes. Previous ownership was complicated. Debts were tied up across several parties, some floors were vacant, and the fourth floor is registered as an operating bar. Since the transfer, the first and second floors appear to have been repurposed as Seraph management spaces, and the third floor as a temporary residence."
"Temporary residence...."
Leah repeated the phrase.
"Who lives there?"
"The registered resident's information has been classified as confidential."
"Seraph hid someone on the third floor of an old building in Graverock?"
Leah pondered for a moment.
Seraph did not appear to have caused this high-output mana emission itself. No, they didn't even seem to be indirectly connected.
Yet there was a building owned by Seraph near the emission site, transferred relatively recently.
Its third floor was designated as a temporary residence, and the resident's information was confidential.
Furthermore, Seraph's Security Team was concentrating on defending the perimeter around that building rather than the warehouse.
'At this point, it would be difficult to call it a coincidence.'
Having finished her thoughts, Leah began to walk.
"Let's go."
The Investigation Team Leader immediately fell into step behind her.
"Representative. The building is currently under the control of Seraph Industry's Security Team."
"I know."
"A frontal approach could lead to a clash."
"That's why we're going head-on."
The Investigation Team Leader stood still, momentarily at a loss for words, but Leah spoke without even looking at him.
"If we sneak in, Seraph Industry can treat it as a unilateral intrusion on our part. By contrast, if we go in head-on, we can at least have a conversation."
Smiling quietly, she walked forward.