They thought it was over.

They thought the catastrophe had ended there.

And so, after that incident, they continued living their years in relative peace.

Naturally, a disturbance of that scale had drawn the attention of Korea’s ruling powers. But with Zen’s newfound strength, even the Emperors governing each region could do nothing but yield to him.

There was simply no stopping him.

Through Zen, those who had spent their lives hiding in fear, the people capable of wielding mana, were finally able to walk openly beneath the clear skies without fearing persecution or witch hunts simply for possessing magic.

And so, in fifteen years, Zen had become a living legend.

"...Archmage!"

Naturally, the mages looked up to Zen as a hero, referring to him by a title that somehow only served to embarrass him.

An Archmage.

"You sure are popular," Jihyeon teased from the side.

"Please stop..."

Naturally, Jihyeon found the situation amusing.

She did not mind that the student she had once taught had already surpassed her to such an absurd degree, nor did she care that her own achievements meant little in the eyes of those mages compared to Zen’s existence.

As long as she was free to continue researching magic however she pleased, nothing else truly mattered to her.

"But Noona, are you really participating?"

"I mean, I kind of have to," Jihyeon replied with a shrug. "The younger mages have been begging for my assistance, so I might as well help a little."

"Let me help you."

With the rise of mages, territorial conflicts had become inevitable.

People naturally gravitated toward power, and now that magic openly existed within society, nations and factions alike had begun seeking the protection of powerful mages.

And recently, a foreign power had reached the shores of Korea.

"They’re calling themselves the Magic Federation," Jihyeon said while flipping through several documents spread across the table. "Apparently, they’ve already absorbed several coastal regions overseas under the guise of ’unifying humanity.’"

Zen frowned at that. "And let me guess. They want mages under their control."

"More or less." Jihyeon let out a tired sigh. "They claim independent mage organizations are dangerous and unstable. According to them, centralized authority is necessary to prevent another catastrophe like the White Nights."

"And people are actually agreeing with that?"

"You’d be surprised how quickly people trade freedom for safety."

Zen fell silent.

Because honestly, that part sounded believable.

"Anyway," Jihyeon continued, "they’ve been demanding that Korea hand over all registered mages for ’international regulation.’"

"...That sounds suspiciously close to imprisonment."

"Exactly."

Zen clicked his tongue.

Humanity really never changed.

Even after civilization collapsed once already, people were still obsessed over control the moment fear entered the equation.

"They’re scared," Jihyeon said. "And scared people always look for something to chain down."

Outside the window, the sounds of a growing city echoed through the streets.

For the first time in years, mages were no longer hiding.

And ironically, that freedom was already beginning to create a brand new kind of conflict.

"But why haven’t they asked me?" Zen asked. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Because you terrify them."

"...What?"

"You flattened half a forest, creating a typhoon at sixteen years old," she replied matter-of-factly. "Do you honestly think people see you as normal anymore?"

"...."

"Most mages respect you," Jihyeon continued. "Some even worship you. But very few are actually comfortable around you."

"That sounds... exaggerated...?"

"No, it really isn’t." She leaned back in her chair before continuing. "To the younger mages, you’re practically a living legend already. The problem is that legends aren’t exactly approachable."

Zen frowned. "So instead of asking for my help, they’d rather handle things themselves?"

"Partly." Jihyeon nodded. "The other reason is because nobody wants you directly involved unless things become truly catastrophic."

"...Why?"

"Because whenever you get involved, things tend to escalate."

Zen opened his mouth to argue before stopping midway.

"...Fair enough."

Jihyeon snorted. "People appreciate the results, but they’re also scared of what it costs whenever you step onto a battlefield."

They had good reason to be.

By this point, stories about Archmage Zen had already begun spreading in Korea. Entire armies scattered the moment storms appeared overhead.

There were rumors that his magic could alter weather patterns themselves, and after the incident with the dark flames, nobody could even properly measure the extent of his mana anymore.

To ordinary people, he had long stopped resembling a human mage.

He had become something closer to a natural disaster wearing human skin.

"That’s why they asked me instead," Jihyeon continued. "I’m easier to negotiate with."

"...Translation?"

"You look like someone people can still stab if negotiations fail."

"...."

But beneath all the humor, there was still one underlying truth.

"But the thing is, Zen," Jihyeon continued, "the only reason they’re even asking for my help is because of my connection to you."

"You mean...?"

"These foreign powers still don’t know you exist," she explained. "Korea’s been intentionally hiding that fact. They want to keep you concealed until the moment they absolutely need you."

Zen stared at her blankly for a moment.

"Wow," he muttered. "So my entire existence is basically being treated like some final emergency button."

Jihyeon laughed. "Hehe. When you put it that way, it does sound pretty bad."

"That’s because it is bad."

"But can you really blame them?"

"...."

Jihyeon’s smile faded as she rested her chin against her palm.

"Zen, the moment the world fully realizes someone like you exists, the balance we have right now disappears entirely."

"...Balance?"

"Fear," she corrected. "The current peace only exists because nations are still uncertain about each other’s capabilities. The moment they realize Korea possesses someone capable of wiping out armies alone..."

Her expression turned more serious.

"...Every nation on the planet will start moving."

Zen quietly leaned back against his chair.

He understood immediately.

Weapons powerful enough to threaten the balance of the world were never left alone.

In his previous life, nations had done the exact same thing in forms of nuclear weapons, experimental technology, and biological research.

Humanity always feared whatever it could not control.

And once fear entered the equation, conflict inevitably followed.

"...So basically," Zen muttered, "they’re hiding me because they’re scared the world will come after me."

"I guess so...?"

As Zen fell into thought, Jihyeon suddenly grabbed him and roughly ruffled his hair.

"It still makes no sense to me," she said with a laugh. "How can someone as cute as you end up being treated like a world-ending threat?"

"...Noona."

"What?"

"I’m literally taller than you now."

"And?"

"You can’t keep treating me like a child forever."

Jihyeon only grinned wider before continuing to mess up his hair anyway.

"To me, you’re still the gloomy kid who used to stare at trees as if they were the most beautiful thing in the world."

"Noona..." Zen let out a tired sigh. "Have you forgotten what I am?"

"So what? You’re still younger than me, even counting your previous life."

"...Just how old are you exactly, Noona?"

Smack——!

"Has nobody ever taught you not to ask a woman her age?!"

Jihyeon snapped immediately after smacking the back of his head.

* * *

While conflicts continued across various regions, Korea eventually signed an intermittent peace treaty with the foreign power after three long years of war.

The Germans.

At first, the conflict had begun as nothing more than territorial disputes and political pressure over mage jurisdiction.

But as more nations recovered pieces of lost technology and mana research from before the White Nights, tensions rapidly escalated into full-scale warfare.

The world had begun rebuilding itself once again.

And just like before, humanity immediately found new reasons to kill one another.

Entire coastlines had been turned into battlefields during those three years. Mage battalions capable of leveling cities emerged one after another while ordinary soldiers became increasingly obsolete against people capable of manipulating the laws of nature themselves.

The emergence of mages completely changed warfare.

Traditional armies still existed, but the true deciding factor behind victories now lay in individuals powerful enough to alter battlefields alone.

And among those individuals, none stood above Archmage Zen.

Ironically, despite being feared by the international powers, Zen himself rarely participated directly in the war.

Most of the time, his mere existence was enough to deter invasions entirely. Storm systems forming near Korean territory alone had already become synonymous with catastrophe among foreign militaries.

There were even rumors among German forces that Korea possessed a living calamity hidden somewhere within its borders.

The rumors were not wrong.

Still, the war eventually reached a stalemate. Nobody wanted to be the first nation pushed into forcing Archmage Zen onto the battlefield completely.

And so, peace negotiations finally began.

Though calling it "peace" was generous.

It was more akin to both sides silently acknowledging that continuing the war any further would eventually lead to mutual destruction.

As part of the treaty, international mage organizations were formally recognized for the first time in history. Mages were no longer treated as myths, monsters, or hidden anomalies, but had become political entities in their own right.

The world was changing rapidly.

And while new systems and organizations were gradually being established across the world, five years later, the changes finally began.

"W-What is that?!"

In the northeastern region of Korea, humanity witnessed the appearance of a Demon for the very first time.

At first, people tried giving them familiar names pulled from old myths and folklore.

Dokkaebis.

Yokai.

Oni.

Monsters.

Anything to make them feel understandable.

But the more encounters humanity experienced, the more people realized those things could not simply be categorized as creatures from legends.

Because they were fundamentally different.

What they all shared, however, was one terrifying trait.

They were drawn toward mana.

Entire villages began disappearing overnight. Military forces sent to suppress these creatures were slaughtered. Some Demons possessed intelligence capable of mimicking human speech, while others acted purely on instinct like starving predators.

And the worst part, their numbers kept increasing.

At first, governments attempted to suppress information to avoid mass panic. But once entire cities began reporting sightings, concealment became impossible.

Humanity quickly entered a state of fear once again.

The White Nights had already shattered civilization once before.

Now it felt as though the world itself was beginning to collapse for a second time.

"...This doesn’t make sense," Zen muttered while reading the reports spread across the table.

Across from him, Jihyeon’s expression remained grim.

"Mana density is increasing worldwide," she said. "The barriers separating territories are weakening."

"...."

"We initially believed mana was simply a new form of energy introduced during the White Nights. But lately... I’m starting to think mana itself was never supposed to exist in our world to begin with."

Zen’s eyes narrowed.

"You’re saying the White Nights opened something."

"No," Jihyeon corrected quietly. "I think it connected something."

The room fell silent afterward.

Outside, distant sirens echoed throughout the city.

Humanity had only just begun recovering from one apocalypse.

And now, another one was beginning.

And so, Zen decided to take matters into his own hands.

"...."

It did not take him long to realize the truth behind these so-called Demons.

"...Melissa?"

The moment Zen examined the remnants of one closely, his expression immediately darkened.

Because the mana signature radiating from the creature resembled the same dark flames that had once threatened to consume Melissa.

"....!"

The realization immediately sent a chill down his spine.

The Demon before him no longer resembled a living creature. Its body had already turned into blackened fragments after Zen destroyed it, but traces of dark mana still remained throughout the surroundings like smoke refusing to disperse.

Behind him, several younger mages watched nervously while maintaining barriers around the ruined village.

"What do you mean, Archmage?" one of them asked.

Zen slowly looked around the area.

The buildings had been torn apart. Corpses littered the streets. Blackened traces of corruption spread throughout the environment like roots digging into reality itself.

Then he noticed it.

Some of the corpses were changing.

"...Back away."

"W-What?"

"I said back away. Now!"

The moment those words left Zen’s mouth, one of the corpses suddenly twitched.

Crunch——!

Its body contorted as black mana erupted from within its chest. Bones cracked apart while flesh expanded into monstrous shapes.

Screams immediately echoed from the younger mages.

"D-Demon!"

"No..." Zen muttered. His expression darkened. "It wasn’t born as one."

The thing before them had once been human.

A Korean national.

Even the words spilling from its distorted mouth were still Korean.

"Hurts..."

The voice sounded broken. Like someone drowning under layers of agony.

At that moment, Zen finally understood the horrifying truth.

The Demons were not invaders descending from another world.

They were humans corrupted by an outside influence.

And somehow, that realization terrified him far more than ordinary monsters ever could.

Because monsters could be killed without batting an eye.

But humans?

Humans still carried traces of themselves even after becoming something else entirely.

"Archmage!" one of the younger mages shouted nervously. "What do we do?!"

The transformed human suddenly lunged forward.

Boom——!

Before it could reach them, wind pressure instantly crushed it into the ground. The earth ruptured under the force while black blood splattered across the ruined streets.

Yet even then, the creature continued twitching.

"...It’s still alive?"

Zen stared silently at it.

The corruption spreading throughout its body resembled a parasite desperately trying to preserve its host, no matter the condition.

Bones had shattered completely, organs were visibly exposed, yet the thing still continued moving.

But even so, Zen subdued the so-called Demon with his magic.