Episode 528. Spilt Milk (5)

Irene and the women who entered Victoria Park went deeper inside, checking their surroundings.

“Where is Lee Hoyeon…? You said he entered Victoria Park.”

“Him being so hard to find is even more suspicious. We confirmed his entry at the entrance, so.”

Irene comforted the disappointed Liliana as they went deeper into Victoria Park.

As they walked around, they asked the Iris Guild members they encountered about Lee Hoyeon’s whereabouts, but not a single person had seen Lee Hoyeon.

“That nobody has seen him is definitely suspicious.”

“I know, right? It seems certain that the baby’s dad is sneaking around.”

Scarlet and Rebecca also nodded with puzzled expressions.

Since it was a confirmed fact that Lee Hoyeon had entered the park, it made sense to assume he was hiding, just as Rebecca said.

He was a man full of secrets.

“Hoyeon-nim’s barrier… can you break through it, Rebecca-nim?”

“Uh… I’m not confident. To be honest, when he’s in peak condition, the baby’s dad’s barrier is often too much for me to handle.”

The Rune Barrier is Rebecca’s magic.

While Rebecca’s proficiency is overwhelming, she often sees through the barrier, but on average, catching up to Lee Hoyeon’s magic power was insufficient.

“So what are we going to do? I’m tired from the heat… Huh?”

Just as Liliana was about to grumble.

In a corner of Victoria Park, filled with pillar-like black magic, a huge explosion occurred.

A powerful magic wave, strong enough for everyone in the park to feel.

“W-what was that? Did everyone feel that?”

Liliana was the first to scream.

Hell’s magic erupting like this was unfamiliar even to her.

“…Yes. I felt it too. That’s incredible magic power.”

“A terror attack? Is it a terror attack? We haven’t heard from the guild members yet, though.”

“Seeing it erupt with such firepower in such a short time, it seems like a barrier that was blocking something has broken. I feel uneasy. Let’s go quickly.”

Liliana wasn’t the only one who felt the magic.

Irene, Scarlet, and Rebecca too naturally sensed the magic.

“Should we contact the Iris Guild…? No. Let’s go by ourselves.”

“I think that would be best.”

Black magic filling Victoria Park.

They cautiously approached the source of the explosion.

*

“It’s not reacting to my magic…. Could they have seized control of the entire magic circle?”

Lee Hoyeon watched the magic circle begin to spin, his eyes widening.

The fake dungeon magic circle was already operating, ignoring his magic, and it was working.

Such a massive magic circle being seized like this.

Just when did they start preparing this?

Kwa-gwa-gwang-

Unlike the frantic Lee Hoyeon, the magic circle calmly continued its operation.

Lee Hoyeon clenched his teeth and moved his magic.

Eye Opening.

Blood Beat.

Du-geun. Du-geun.

Swelling in an instant, Lee Hoyeon’s magic power surged towards the magic circle.

Trying desperately to regain control, a frantic last resort.

But the fake dungeon magic circle didn’t budge, instead sucking in the surrounding magic.

“I can’t control it…. Kkuhk!”

The magic circle was already beyond his control.

Having absorbed someone else’s magic, it was opening the fake dungeon.

Kwa-aang-!

From the center of the magic circle, a massive explosion occurred.

The magic power contained within it was something Lee Hoyeon himself had put in, so he knew how immense it was.

Because the fake dungeon needed to cover the entire Academy, the security magic circles within the Academy had to be destroyed instantly.

Even Lee Hoyeon’s Rune Barrier, no matter how strong, couldn’t stop it.

U-du-du-

Trees nearby snapped, and a sandstorm raged.

Lee Hoyeon, shielding his face with his hand, scanned his surroundings with a serious gaze.

“The only one who could do something like this without a trace is….”

Someone whose magic skills are as outstanding as his own, and who can use Hell’s magic.

“It has to be Lucifer.”

Lucifer was a renowned expert, both as a mage and in Hell.

Besides, excluding Lee Hoyeon, the only mage using Hell’s magic is Lucifer.

‘When did he do this…?’

Just a few days ago, there was no trace on the magic circle.

Could he seize control of the entire magic circle in such a short time?

Lee Hoyeon scowled and poured his magic into the magic circle.

Magic power that was destructively overwhelming. Since he couldn’t control it, his intention was to forcibly collapse the magic circle.

However, the situation unfolded in the exact opposite direction of Lee Hoyeon’s intentions.

The rampaging fake dungeon magic circle began to emit ominous magic power, as if it would swallow everything around it.

Black flames blazed, and ominous magic permeated the air.

“Shit….”

Du-geun. Du-geun.

Lee Hoyeon’s heart pounded rapidly.

A sign of combat instinct.

His body was preparing for battle, and rationally, he knew it couldn’t be stopped.

As if visually representing foreboding, Hell’s magic soared into the air.

Lee Hoyeon closed one eye, preparing for the approaching magic explosion.

“…Baby’s dad!”

Just then, a loud shout came from behind.

Lee Hoyeon turned his head and only then discovered the four women who had approached closely.

“W-what is this? Lee Hoyeon! What are you doing to the Academy?!”

Irene felt a chilling, ominous magic all over her body as she slowly approached.

Raging like a typhoon of black magic.

Standing in the middle of it, Lee Hoyeon, covering his face, looked like the final boss of evil.

“Hell’s magic is this intense… Is the Demon King himself appearing?!”

Liliana was just as flustered.

She thought Lee Hoyeon had gotten caught up in something again, but it was the opposite.

Lee Hoyeon looked at Liliana, who was following behind Irene in surprise, and said, bewildered.

“No, how are you all here?”

“Irene suggested we come… Anyway, what are you doing right now, baby’s dad? Are you okay?”

Rebecca looked at Lee Hoyeon with a surprised expression.

The black magic filling all of Victoria Park seemed poised to swallow the Academy itself soon.

“….”

Seeing the approaching women, Lee Hoyeon squeezed his eyes shut.

What should he do about this situation?

While trying to retrieve the fake dungeon magic circle, he discovered Lucifer’s scheme, and the magic circle was forcibly activated.

Lee Hoyeon didn’t feel confident that he could explain his predicament without being misunderstood.

“R-right now, I…”

Hwa-reu-reu-reuk-

Seeing the flames erupting behind him, Lee Hoyeon snapped back to reality.

If the magic circle continued to deploy like this, the women before him would also be caught in the fake dungeon.

“I’ll explain later. For now, let’s run…!”

The moment Lee Hoyeon’s face was consumed by the ominous magic.

“B-baby’s dad!”

“Hoyeon-nim!”

Hwa-aak-

Along with the screams that followed, the world turned upside down.

Lee Hoyeon, who had been in the center of the magic circle just moments ago, vanished.

“H-how? I thought the baby’s dad was pouring magic into the circle.”

“That’s not important right now. That magic circle is about to…!”

Kwa-aang-!

Immediately after Lee Hoyeon disappeared.

A massive magic explosion occurred, engulfing the entire Academy.

*

“W-what? Where am I! Kyaak!”

Lee Hoyeon, opening his eyes, the first thing he heard was a woman’s sharp scream.

Lee Hoyeon opened his eyes in a completely different space, not among the bushes in a corner of Victoria Park.

He lifted his head and surveyed his surroundings.

Disgusting monsters roamed, and ominous magic filled the air.

Even Lee Hoyeon, who designed the fake dungeon, was taken aback by the horrific sight.

It seemed the same for those around him, as many people were confused by the unfamiliar sight.

“Help me! Someone save me!”

“Everyone calm down! Students, gather under the nearest Professor!”

The Academy’s students and staff, despite the crisis, quickly regained their composure.

Sticking together as much as possible, they assessed the situation and acted according to the terror response manual.

‘This….’

It was exactly like Lee Hoyeon’s plan.

A fake dungeon appears, and monsters emerge nearby.

The monsters slowly, without rushing, approach the students.

This is to make them realize they’ve fallen into a dangerous situation.

“Shit….”

The Hell’s magic filling the space firmly imprints the fact that this is an inescapable dungeon.

Lee Hoyeon realized that he had entered the fake dungeon he created, himself.

– Everyone calm down! It seems like a terror attack. We’re probably trapped in a dungeon!

– Don’t fight the monsters! Everyone needs to stick together!

This dungeon is entirely an illusion created by Lee Hoyeon.

Even if one gets injured or dies inside, they would only be isolated in a separate space, not actually die.

It was Lee Hoyeon’s final conscience, and because he set such a peculiar condition, the magic circle was even harder to create.

However, the owner of the dungeon now was not Lee Hoyeon.

“Aah, aah! Kyaaaaaak!”

“S-Seoyoung-ah! Over here, there’s an emergency patient here!”

“Kim Tae-hyun!! No!”

Blood flowed profusely in various places.

Just because they are students and staff of the Academy doesn’t mean they all have high combat power.

The monsters appearing here were carefully selected by Lee Hoyeon, powerful monsters from Hell.

If battles broke out with the monsters, it was natural that there would be significant casualties.

‘Why are the monsters attacking?’

It was different from the conditions he had set.

Lee Hoyeon looked around.

He looked around hoping to find a heroine, but saw no familiar faces.

‘They should be together by now.’

The fake dungeon itself was a plan targeting the heroines.

Creating a crisis situation for Lee Hoyeon, then stimulating their hearts.

Afterwards, saving the women at the risk of his life was the planned performance.

Since all the heroines needed to witness that scene, the targeted heroines were set to gather in one location within the fake dungeon.

‘This place seems quite far… Where should I go?’

The internal map of the fake dungeon was stored in Lee Hoyeon’s mind.

Lee Hoyeon frowned after briefly searching his memory.

“It’s too far. Plus, there’s a possibility the paths have changed.”

The monsters, which shouldn’t have attacked students first, had turned vicious, and the fake dungeon, which was manipulated, had become reality.

Moreover, the space Lee Hoyeon was currently in didn’t exactly match his memory.

The detailed paths might have changed.

‘… What should I do? Let me rethink this.’

What should Lee Hoyeon do right now?

Going to find the heroines might be one way, or dealing with the nearby monsters first to save the civilians could be another.

But Lee Hoyeon thought of another method.

“… I need to go to the center.”

The content of the fake dungeon magic circle had not been significantly altered.

The Hell’s magic inscribed on the core formations could only seize control; it couldn’t change the fundamental elements engraved in the magic circle.

Yet, that was happening.

The monsters had become real, and even the space Lee Hoyeon was in had changed in its details.

To perform such manipulation, the caster must also be inside the fake dungeon.

The center of the fake dungeon.

There, where everything could be controlled, was Lucifer.