Temurlen.
Aside from being from the Northern Region, his entire past was shrouded in mystery, and one day, he just whoosh appeared out of nowhere.
At his age, with a beard that looked like a snowstorm, he suddenly showed up and outshone all the young mages, graduating top of his class at the academy.
With his graduation thesis, he smashed existing theories and boom rocked the academic world.
There were countless attempts to recruit him.
But Temurlen rejected all wealth and honor, abruptly declaring his intention to build a Magic Tower.
The Blue Magic Tower and Red Magic Tower, which were already established, strongly protested.
“How dare a rookie, who has been in the academic field for less than five years, build a brick house and stain the name of the Magic Tower!” they cried.
Despite the backlash, Temurlen’s tower painted white on the outside was eventually erected.
Temurlen soon started gathering resources and people, investing a huge amount of funding.
At the time, he declared his somewhat random topic of study was to explore soul research.
About five years passed.
Then, the research results of the White Magic Tower began to be released to the world.
And the exploration into the soul, which everyone had deemed pointless, shook the entire magic community.
The basic definitions of magic changed.
The principles of mana operation were rewritten.
It was as if everything was uprooted, and the foundations had to be rewritten from scratch.
With this, the protests from the Blue and Red Magic Towers suddenly ceased.
The magic academia officially recognized Temurlen as the master of the White Magic Tower.
Temurlen became a big shot in an instant.
He was nominated for various awards and even won a few, but he never showed his face at any of them.
At that time, he was hiding underground in the White Magic Tower.
Using the research results of the tower, he was conducting his own studies and finally reached a new level.
“Now… I can see souls!”
His line of sight, which only certain monsters could see, had granted him the ability to see souls.
Some souls were clear.
Others were muddied.
Some were bright, while others were pitch black.
In the beginning, just observing various souls was exciting, so Temurlen spent time casting observation magic in the sky, looking down from above.
Then one day, he discovered a unique soul that he couldn’t find anywhere else.
“What the heck are you?”
The man’s soul was of multiple colors.
Describing it as vibrant didn’t cut it; it was ‘overlaid’ rather than ‘combined’.
It looked like many souls were gathered in one place.
Is he like me, having acquired the ability to see souls and stealing others’ souls?
However, it was too naturally overlapped to be someone else’s soul.
It felt as if the same person’s ego had multiple identities.
“Should I observe for a while…?”
Months passed, and the man gradually looked up at the sky more often.
As if he had realized he was being watched…
And this time, the man headed to none other than this place.
The White Magic Tower.
Temurlen shivered.
“The moment has come!”
He had been discovered.
Finally, this extensive observation magic, unnoticed by anyone, had been seen through.
Excitement and exhilaration surged through his body.
He had been carefully conducting reconnaissance from afar, but now his target had come to him first.
Temurlen felt his heart race as he thought of exploring that strange soul.
“…You still don’t know me well. Memory? That’s not my field. The topic I and the White Magic Tower are exploring is the soul.”
“The soul… is that what you mean?”
“What do you think is the standard that separates people and defines one individual?”
“I believe it’s memory.”
“Interesting opinion. However, you’re wrong. It’s the soul.”
“If souls are the same, does that mean those humans are the same person?”
“Exactly.”
“…I don’t agree.”
He couldn’t agree.
Having the same soul didn’t make you the same person.
Every time, Jill, Yulia, and Yerina were all different people.
Each one made different choices in the same situation and enjoyed different outcomes.
The memories with each one of them are precious.
But those kids are gone now.
They leave not even a trace aside from my memories.
Those who have already disappeared will never return again.
Having the same soul doesn’t mean they are the same person.
I can assert this with certainty.
“The soul is bound to the body, but memory is stored in the specific organ known as the brain. The soul remains for a while even after the body’s death, then evaporates, piercing the dimensional walls to fly to the Underworld, but memory perishes with the brain. Memory is simply data, nothing more, nothing less. The more fundamental essence is the soul.”
“That might be true. But my thoughts remain unchanged. This isn’t a conclusion I reached by banging on a calculator while sitting at a desk; it’s experiential.”
“You’re quite the stubborn customer. So, you mistook me for a ‘memory expert’ and came looking for me? What favor do you desire?”
“I want to regain this child’s lost memory.”
“…”
The old man’s eyes narrowed.
He looked surprised.
What on earth was he expecting…?
“If the memories have been physically erased due to brain damage, I can do nothing.”
“That’s fine. It’s a psychological issue. The memory is definitely in my head.”
“Well, if that’s the case, I see no problem. Shall we begin the procedure right away?”
“I’d appreciate that. But what will the price be…?”
“Haha. Given our connection, let’s consider it free of charge. It’s not a huge effort, after all.”
“…”
Did he just waste the busy master of the White Magic Tower’s time and get off scot-free?
Doubt began to creep in.
Now that I think about it, this old man…
He feels oddly familiar when he looks at me.
It felt like a ‘line of sight’ I’d experienced before…
When a person looks at another’s face, it’s usual to focus on the eyes or the forehead.
But this man’s focus strangely appears to look inside me.
Gui Ho?
Taesu Gui Ho was just like this.
Looking inside me.
He’d go, “Mmm, delicious!” when he saw a soul.
Moments later,
The old man’s focus shifted slightly, and he then gazed directly into my eyes.
“Follow me. The human brain is a sensitive organ, so I’ll need precise equipment and magic. I’ll borrow facilities from underground.”
“Sure. But may I ask if you see souls?”
“…”
Suddenly,
The old man’s footsteps halted.
At that moment, doubt turned into conviction.
As expected, this man had a vision that transcended humanity.
Did he show up in the second round because he was interested in my soul?
The reason I didn’t meet this old man in my first cycle is simple.
I was ordinary.
I had a normal soul, just like everyone else, living a single life.
However, as I regressed, it seems something about my soul left traces.
In the second cycle, he must have approached me after seeing those traces.
And starting from the third cycle, the reason why I couldn’t find him…
Perhaps it’s because my soul underwent drastic changes that were frighteningly noticeable as I continued to regress.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“…”
A firm denial.
With that, the old man went silent, quietly walking down the corridor.
Why won’t he deny?
Is there a need to hide that he can see souls from me?
What on earth does he want to do with my soul?
Or perhaps,
In the second cycle, this old man…
Did he mess with my soul somehow?
Maybe he engraved a mark in me that his future self could recognize.
As that thought crossed my mind,
An eerie sensation spread through my body.
Ahhhhhhh!
While strolling through the corridor, Temurlen was screaming internally.
I didn’t realize while watching from a distance.
I could never have imagined this person’s soul was so grotesque.
When I first saw him, I was debating whether to approach, but I held back.
That was the right choice.
No, just running away from this mortal realm and never meeting this guy again would have been the right choice.
Multiple personalities? No, multiple selves? Or should I call it a multi-soul? What in the world is this monster?
This man’s soul was unique to the point of being creepy.
It seemed clear at times, murky at others.
Dark in one moment, bright in another.
A strange form of the soul was created, blending multiple ideologies chaotically.
Then, when he looked at Temurlen, suddenly, that chaotic mind unified at once.
Questions.
When those many selves simultaneously expressed doubts, Temurlen could have screamed.
Is he a reincarnator? Or did he die and return from the Underworld?
Various possibilities darted through Temurlen’s mind.
At that moment, a warning from the Church flashed in Temurlen’s head.
“There’s an intelligent monster invading the other world, so be careful.”
Elvenguard had issued the same warning before.
And around society,
A chilling rumor was spreading.
“Great Demon…?”
A rumor claimed that a Great Demon from the Underworld would rise and make contracts with people, granting them power.
Temurlen’s pupils shook.
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