Chapter 7 : Genius (1)

“Who on earth told you about me?”

Leoden, who seemed to space out as if his thoughts had come to a halt, closed his book and rubbed his temple as if he had a headache.

It was likely the first time someone had come to find him without him seeking them out first.

Beginners who had just arrived in Edelion wouldn’t even know much about the shunned and taboo existence of black magic.

Those who eventually sought out black magic were typically people who, after realizing what this tower truly was, encountered the limits of their presumed talents, only to have them utterly shattered.

Leoden was an eccentric who made it his livelihood to pick up such people from the lower floors, take them as disciples, and teach them while putting them to work.

“A person whose name and face I don’t know told me I should find an old man named Leoden here,” I replied.

“Are you an idiot? You believed that outright and left behind those flashy fools in the central square to come here?”

Trying hard to suppress the laughter threatening to burst out, I continued the conversation.

Leoden snorted, got down from his chair, and stood before me.

He was shorter than me, currently standing at about 165 cm.

He scrutinized me from head to toe with glimmering eyes.

At first glance, it might seem like a lecherous old man ogling someone, but in reality, he was activating his Eyes of Insight.

‘Go ahead, take a look.’

I had no intention of hiding anything.

If he had managed to take in a scoundrel like my past self, then he would surely drool over the talent I possessed now, having invested every hidden reward I collected into becoming a black magician.

In truth, I had already learned everything there was to learn from him.

The reason I sought him out again was to have a “signboard” to display to others.

An irregular popping up out of nowhere draws suspicion and endless checks.

I detested the idea of being hindered before fully growing into my potential.

On the other hand, being the talented disciple of an eccentric but well-known black magician could shield me from prying eyes, no matter how exceptional I appeared.

“Hmm… Oh… Wow…”

Leoden, now circling around me and thoroughly inspecting every inch of my body, started muttering exclamations that could easily be misunderstood.

His demeanor gradually shifted.

This was all within my expectations so far.

“This is… this is…!”

But when he suddenly grabbed my waist and shuddered, it caught even me off guard.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Ahem. I got a bit too excited. I never imagined such talent could truly exist.”

Regardless of everything else, the fact that this man, whom I had spent years with, dared to touch me left me speechless, and my tone naturally turned icy.

Come to think of it, this old man, despite his decayed appearance, might still be full of energy and rather inclined toward such behavior.

Realizing his mistake, Leoden cleared his throat awkwardly, quickly withdrew his hand, and stepped back.

“I don’t know how much you know about black magic, but it’s not something I’d recommend to someone as talented as you. Honestly, you seem like someone who could succeed in anything.”

“I understand what black magic is and how it’s perceived. But if it’s the only way for my talent to truly shine, I’ll endure it. That’s how I’ll climb the tower and eventually see what lies at its peak, isn’t it?”

What black magic is and how it’s treated—such discussions were no longer worth having for me.

I knew it all too well, had experienced it all too thoroughly.

In fact, I probably understood it better than Leoden, who now raised disciples on the lower floors after retiring.

I had fought alongside the so-called strongest above the 150th floor.

But I had no choice.

Living an ordinary, peaceful life wasn’t why I abandoned everything and came back here.

What could I do if the path ahead was already a thorny one?

The only road I know is that one.

Even if I bleed, I’ll crawl forward if I must.

“Hmm…”

Leoden let out a low sigh, seemingly recognizing the sincerity in my answer.

If he didn’t have that level of insight, he wouldn’t have survived and worked this long.

“But from what I see, you cannot become a black magician.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I see your expression has changed—so you were wearing a polite mask all along. Calm down for now. The truth is, women cannot become what we commonly call black magicians.”

Leoden chuckled and shared something shocking.

It was another secret of black magic that even I, someone who thought myself among the strongest black magicians in this tower, had never known.

‘Now that I think about it…’

His words hit me like a hammer.

In all these years, I had never seen a female black magician.

A ridiculous realization, but maybe I was too preoccupied with surviving day to day to question it.

“I suppose I’ll have to tell you the history of black magic. It’s a story that even those studying black magic find boring and outdated, so few bother to pay attention to it.”

Leoden hung a sign on his shop door indicating it was closed and pulled out a chair for me.

For now, all I could do was sit quietly and listen to his story.

“The world sees black magic as a hodgepodge of depravity, the root of all evil to poke at whenever bored. But black magic, too, stems from a legitimate branch of magic,” Leoden began.

Black magic had both orthodox and unorthodox paths.

While the distinction between them was faint due to its nature, black magic didn’t simply appear out of nowhere.

It had roots.

“The origin of black magic lies in someone quite different from today’s black magicians. Long ago, there was a witch named Marya. She was the first to create true black magic using darkness and spirits.”

“A witch…”

Leoden was telling me things I’d never heard before, but that made sense.

My past self had no need to know such stories.

“So, doesn’t it make you curious? Why did the power originating from a witch transform into the black magic of today? The black magicians, inheriting fragments of black magic from the witch, weren’t satisfied. To gain ultimate power, they slaughtered her alive and extracted her abilities, modifying them to complete what we now call black magic.”

“Does that mean I can’t use black magic?”

Listening quietly, I spotted a contradiction.

If gender were the issue, how was I already able to use black magic?

I had killed a tutorial enemy using black magic derived from my past memories and the mana in my current body.

“That’s not it. If you truly have talent and insist on practicing black magic, the proper path for you would be to continue what was severed and become a complete witch. Today’s black magic is just a modified version of a witch’s black arts. Though much has changed, the root of black magic undeniably lies in the witch’s craft.”

Leoden’s eyes gleamed.

This wasn’t discouragement—it was closer to encouragement.

And it stirred something within me.

If the black magic I knew was merely a diluted, mass-market version, there was no reason to reject the opportunity to learn its lost secrets.

‘This could work.’

Ever since I ended up in this new body, it felt like I was continuously reaping unexpected benefits. This was another windfall.

Leoden continued, “I can’t teach you the witch’s black arts directly, but fortunately, I’ve gathered plenty of materials about them.”

Seeing that I wasn’t here on a whim,

Leoden openly revealed his desire to mentor me.

Since I had come with that goal in mind, it didn’t take long for me to officially become his disciple again.

“Well, well. Taking on a female disciple—am I dreaming?”

“You don’t have to be so formal with me.”

“I appreciate that. Keep wearing that mask in front of me, though.”

Once things were finalized, an awkward silence followed.

Leoden seemed certain that my current demeanor was an act—a polite facade.

The old man was as sharp as ever.

‘He’s given me an excellent opportunity; I can handle some menial tasks.’

In my previous life, after being betrayed in the end,

Leoden had been the only one who could even remotely be considered an ally.

So much so that even his habit of treating disciples like slaves had become something I looked back on fondly.

Agreeing to do what he asked was my way of showing respect.

But unlike my past self, who was a clueless idiot drifting without direction, I wasn’t going to naively let him work me to the bone this time.

“These are introductory books on the basics. And this—this is a book that records the witch’s black arts.”

To my surprise, Leoden began teaching me immediately.

This was a stark contrast to the past when he had me doing grunt work for over a year, claiming I wasn’t ready to learn.