You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 206

I felt a slight grinding sensation when I thought of the word failure, but the truth is, it was the truth.
âMana control isnât working properly.â
The most important thing for a magician to cast a spell is controlling the surrounding mana.

However... when I tried to grasp the mana like usual, it slipped through my fingers as if it were some liquid I couldn't hold.
Flustered, I forced myself to hold the mana and cast the spell, but the glass shard flew to a different place instead of the target I had aimed for.
A spell that would usually be as natural as breathing, a simple magic, failed to be cast correctly.

âSo does this mean thereâs already a magician in this city who has claimed control of the mana?â
âNo, it feels a bit different.â
If another magician had already taken control, the magic would have failed outright from the start. More importantly, I would have realized it as soon as I entered this city. But the mana in this city was flowing freely without a master.

Thatâs why I entered Suzhou without much thought.
But now, when I tried to cast magic, it turned out like this.
âHow about you, Han Jaeyoung?â

âHmmmâ¦â
Han Jaeyoung furrowed his brows and tried to move the mana, but then shook his head.
âIâm in the same boat. I get what you mean when you say it feels different. Itâs like trying to change the course of a giant river. I could force it a little, but... I donât think I can control it completely.â

Han Jaeyoungâs description was spot on.
Since I had also failed to control such simple magic.
âIâve been thinking about it, and maybe this is some kind of formation technique,â I said.

âA formation technique...?â
âLike you said, Da-on, a formation technique is basically a way to follow the natural flow of mana, right? But a magician is someone who breaks the original flow. So, a formation technique is essentially in direct opposition to a magician.â
Han Jaeyoungâs words certainly made sense.
The Qi Men Dun Jia formation, in its essence, is about changing the natural flow of mana by arranging natural objects around it, and itâs still part of nature and its logic.

However, a magician is someone who overturns that natural order and writes new rules.
This city, which utilizes the Qi Men Dun Jia, doesnât allow a magician to set their new rules, meaning it effectively ties the magicianâs hands.
âItâs really troublesome,â I said.

âItâs really bad,â Han Jaeyoung agreed.
I said seriously, âThis means weâve lost over 99% of our partyâs power.â
âWell, just asking for fun... but that 99% includes my magic, right?â

âDo you really want to hear the answer?â
âI guess I donât need to,â Han Jaeyoung replied.
âIf thatâs the case, we should move quickly rather than wait here for the manager,â I said.

Yuhanul looked up into the air, likely reading the systemâs message.
The system was still displaying arrows pointing to the location of the shard.
âThe system shows that the shard is indeed in this city. I want to go first and figure out where it is and if this Hyunam person is the shard. What do you think?â

I crossed my arms, and Han Jaeyoung shrugged.
âSince 99% of our power is lost, we have no choice but to trust the remaining 1%. What do you think, Da-on?â
âI think itâs a pointless move, but I wonât stop you. Go ahead.â

There was no point in stopping him, as I couldnât use magic myself.
Even if I gave another suggestion, there was no way to stop Yuhanul if he insisted on going.
Still, his asking for my opinion was likely a form of consideration since he didnât want to leave me and Han Jaeyoung behind... but it was unnecessary worry.

Yuhanul, apparently thinking my consent meant agreement, nodded and said, âIâll be back.â
With that, he opened the window and jumped down without hesitation.
Thud!

A slight noise echoed as Yuhanul kicked off the window frame and landed on the roof of another building.
Soon, he disappeared from view.
Han Jaeyoung watched his retreating figure and asked, âSo why do you think sending Yuhanul is a pointless move? Honestly, thereâs a good chance heâll find Hyunam and succeed in the quest. That guyâs power isnât something you should discount.â

âJust to clarify, my calculation says the remaining 1% power is you,â I replied.
âGood grief.â
Han Jaeyoung, a fairy hybrid, may not be able to use magic, but he certainly has his uses.

His greatest weapon, Transformation, isnât overly dependent on mana control.
And considering how a fairy and an ogre are opposites, heâd be useful for fighting zombies as well.
Despite clearly enjoying himself, Han Jaeyoung still seemed perplexed.

âBut if Yuhanul isnât even 1%, why is he out of the equation?â
âYuhanul canât use his full power in this city.â
I know Yuhanul is strong, probably more than anyone else. But...

âDo you really think someone like Yuhanul could steal the hope of this city?â
From everything Iâve seen and heard, the reason this city has survived is because of Hyunamâs Qi Men Dun Jia and the zombies.
Thatâs why the people at the watchtower and others, including Soomyeong, blindly follow Hyunam.

As Ikenhong mentioned, there were many dungeons around Suzhou, and other cities were struggling as well.
For the people of Suzhou, Hyunamâs presence, which kept them safe, is invaluable.
But if, in this situation, we assume Yuhanul is going to kill Hyunam, who might be the shard of Orbis...

âIf we kill Hyunam, this city will collapse.â
If Hyunam, the backbone of this city, falls, the formation and the zombies will vanish, and the ordinary people living here will be thrust back into danger.

Would Yuhanul really kill Hyunam, knowing the risks? Even someone like Ikenhong couldnât ignore that.

This is a huge handicap for Yuhanul.
âThatâs why Iâve excluded Yuhanulâs power from the equation.â
âDa-on, donât you think youâre underestimating â NоvеlÑgÒ»Ñ â (Continue reading) Yuhanul? Iâm sure heâs already made the same deduction.â

Han Jaeyoung rebutted my point.
âYet, seeing him rush out like that means he believes that even if there are risks, itâs the right thing to doâto defeat the enemy of humanity.â
Yes, I know Yuhanul isnât a rookie.

Heâs no comparison to Yi Pyeonghwa, but Yuhanul is a veteran whoâs been through many battles and challenges.
Killing someone isnât an easy decision, but he has borne the weight of murder for a greater cause before.
But...

âThe enemy has already made all the preparations.â
By now, the fact that Theo Yobanovich is dead is likely known by the shard of Orbis in this city as well.
So, they must already know that either I or Yuhanul will come looking for them.

âThe fact that we canât use magic now is definitely a trap from the enemy. But charging in without any plans is a foolâs move.â
I scoffed.
âIâll bet 500 on the fact that Yuhanul wonât be back by tomorrow morning.â

He probably wonât die, but itâs obvious heâll walk right into the trap set for him.
âWow, 500,000? Your stakes have gotten bigger.â
âIâll win, even if I bet 50 billion.â

Han Jaeyoung looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
âIf youâre that sure, you should have stopped him from going.â
-System reminds user, 'Jeong Da-on', of the quest Do Good Deeds, Be Blessed?

âHow am I supposed to stop him? I canât even use magic.â
Yuhanul wasnât someone who could be stopped by a few words, and there was no point in making myself tired by saying more.
âSo, youâre saying we just watch and do nothing while Yuhanul gets into trouble?â

âNo, I never said that. I told you, I have a plan.â
âI knew it.â
Han Jaeyoung smiled, knowing exactly what I was thinking.

Han Jaeyoung may be fundamentally good-natured, but heâs also good at playing the system to his advantage.
âWeâll move without Yuhanul to avoid his inevitable opposition.â
âYour understanding of me is why youâre the 1%.â

â...So, whatâs the plan?â
âOf course, we start a campaign to sway public opinion.â
This is the enemyâs home turf. In a place like this, if we want to fight, we need to first knock down as many of their points as possible.

âHow do you plan to sway public opinion? This isnât Korea, and people here arenât friendly to you, Da-on. Plus, Hyunamâs position is very strong... Ah.â
Han Jaeyoung stopped, as if he realized something.
I nodded.

âThatâs right, Iâm a âsageâ like Hyunam.â
I donât know why the system decided that Iâm on the same level as Hyunam, but itâs a card I can use.
âI might not be as powerful as him, but Iâve built up quite a bit of authority too.â

âSo, youâre going to use that authority to shake Hyunamâs position? Or maybe expose the fact that heâs using outsiders as zombie food...â
âWould that even work? Heâs sacrificing a few outsiders to save thousands, maybe even tens of thousands. Even if the truth gets out, people will stay silent.â
This is something thatâs happened countless times throughout human history.

No matter how much pain someone on the other side of the world suffers, humanity usually chooses convenience and righteousness.
This time will be no different.
âWhich is why we need to use a different method. Alright, Leo.â

I lowered Leo, who had been yawning in my arms, to the floor.
With graceful feline movements, Leo landed and looked up brightly.
âMeow!â

-My turn?
âYeah, your role is very important. Can you do it?â
Leo puffed out his chest confidently, as if to say, Of course.

But that only lasted for a moment.
âLeo, youâre going to become a rat from now on. Got it?â
âMeow meow?â

-Whatâs that supposed to mean?
âWhat are you talking about?â
âCan you even understand Leo? Never mind...â

Well, the shard of Orbis has probably made preparations of their own.
'This time, youâre the one defending the city, Orbis.'
The side that has something to protect is always the one that has the hardest fight.

And unlike the hero, Iâm not interested in a fair fight.
I donât believe in justice or goodness.
What I believe in is human desire.

The desire that called me the destroyer of worlds, and you the worldâs justice.
I raised the corner of my mouth.
âLetâs see just how fast this house of cards will come crashing down.â

The next morning, when Han Jaeyoung and I went down to the first floor, the restaurant was completely empty, unlike the previous night.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
[Oh, youâre up so early?]

Soomyeong, looking tired, sat on the counter chair, then stood up to greet us.
She must have been cleaning up after the drunks until early this morning. I wasnât sure if she had gotten any sleep.
I greeted her and asked, "Arenât you going back home?"

[Ah, weâre on shift work, so weâll be going back this afternoon. After that, we have two days off, so donât worry.]
âYou must be working hard.â
[Itâs fine, itâs fine. Itâs not a big deal, especially when serving precious guests⦠and when Iâm hosting a sage, this kind of work is nothing.]

Soomyeong waved her hand, but then she stood up to prepare food. Han Jaeyoung and I both stopped her.
âWeâre fine, we donât need to eat.â
[Huh? But you didnât eat anything last night either. Is the food not to your taste...?]

âNo, itâs not that. As a sage, I donât need to eat.â
In reality, I had just eaten some calorie bars Iâd brought with me earlier.
[Still, others should eat somethingâ¦]

âOh, my companions are also training to become sages, so fasting is better for them.â
Han Jaeyoung glanced at me without blinking, probably surprised by my lie, but I wasnât particularly bothered by it.
After all, Taoist priests often fast, so this setup wouldn't be an issue.

âBy the way, do you have children, Soomyeong?â
[Ah, yes. My grandson is five years old.]
Soomyeongâs eyes softened.

[Heâs my daughterâs son. My daughter and son-in-law... were taken by monsters, so Iâm raising him now.]
âI see. Thatâs really unfortunate.â
[Ha-ha, thank you. But itâs okay. I have my grandson. I would do anything for him.]

âHaha, of course, oneâs own flesh and blood is always the most precious.â
I smiled lightly as I passed it off.
Of course, thinking about whether that "anything" would include offering one of the living to the zombies for food was a chilling thought.

Soomyeong sighed in relief at my words.
[Thankfully, I knew a sage would say something like that. In fact, Hyunam said the same thing.]
I managed to keep my calm smile intact. Thankfully, I didnât lose my composure.

"Ah, what did Hyunam say?"
[He said that sacrifice for others is a noble virtue. Itâs tough working here, but if itâs for our child, I can endure it.]
I see.

I donât know how much Soomyeong knows about the secrets of this city, but...
At the very least, I understand that Hyunam gave a perfect excuse to rationalize his actions.
â...Youâre truly doing difficult work.â

The foundation of conversation is understanding and empathy.
âI saw you working last night, Soomyeong. You didnât get angry at the poor people and served food with kindness. Thatâs truly a virtuous deed.â
Saying this, I took Soomyeongâs hand. Her skin was rough, likely from doing hard labor.

Soomyeong looked a little surprised but didnât pull away from my hand.
[Hmm? Ah, thank youâ¦]
âIâm not just saying this. Anyone would hesitate to do what youâve done, working day and night and putting yourself at risk to help others. An ordinary person would have given up.â

[Ah⦠thatâs true.]
My words seemed to touch something in Soomyeong.
At first, she seemed hesitant, but now she appeared moved, even slightly teary-eyed.

[Actually... working here in this empty inn is tough and basically unpaid. Even if we try to find other workers, the younger ones always push the work onto people like us who are older... Of course, since itâs voluntary work, people like me have to step up.]
I see, sheâs even working without pay.
âAgain, Iâm truly amazed by your dedication. Youâll definitely be rewarded someday.â

I hoped my translation device conveyed this properly.
Looking at Soomyeongâs face, it seemed to have worked. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
[Do you really think so? That Iâll be rewarded?]

Everyone desires a reward for their actions.
Theyâll do anything to receive that promise.
I smiled.

âOf course. As a sage, I can guarantee that. However... thereâs one thing that bothers me.â
[Hmm?]
âThe thing is, a sage like me shouldnât usually speak about such things, but since youâve been so kind to me and accumulated virtues... I donât want to hide this from you.â

[Wh-What is it?]
âYou have to keep this secret.â
I lowered my voice.

I saw Soomyeong gulp nervously.
When empathy is formed with someone, the words of an authoritative figure seep in like rain to a thirsty earth.
âThe energy in this city is weakening. If it continues like this, everyone might die.â

A fight that heroes can never engage in.
A fake must be countered by a fake.