Sunday, 3 p.m.
After finishing the three-day Atlantis training schedule, Lee Seo-jun didn’t return to his dormitory but headed for his family home.
It was to visit the man who had raised him—his grandfather, Chairman Kim Jin-cheol—for the first time in a while.
“Grandpa?”
But the person who greeted him wasn’t Kim Jin-cheol, but an elderly housekeeper.
“Oh my, Seo-jun. When did you arrive? You should’ve called ahead. I would’ve at least prepared a meal.”
She had worked in the mansion since Seo-jun was a child.
Seo-jun smiled and gave her a polite bow.
“Ah, ma’am. Have you been well? I only came to say hello and won’t stay long, so there’s no need for food. But where’s Grandpa?”
“The Chairman called and said he’s on his way. I wondered why he was coming early—turns out it was because of you.”
“Yes. I contacted him separately.”
“Are you really sure you don’t want something to eat? I can make you a quick meal.”
“No, really. I’m fine. Please go rest.”
At his words, the housekeeper nodded gently and disappeared down the hallway.
“Hm.”
Wondering how to spend the remaining time, Seo-jun decided to surprise Kim Jin-cheol when he arrived by waiting in his study.
As he opened the door, a massive bookshelf came into view. Countless books. And among them, a photo from his childhood.
Seo-jun chuckled as he looked at it.
“Brings back memories.”
He gently touched the photo and began scanning the books.
Several of them were unique tomes of magic.
Among them were secret texts of a minority clan said to have gone extinct 500 years ago, and grimoires from families that had been wiped out.
Then, at the very top of the shelf, a nameless book caught his eye. Out of curiosity, Seo-jun pulled it out.
[Research on Mysteries]
“Research on Mysteries?”
Intrigued, he opened the book.
[I was captivated by mysteries and spent many years pursuing and studying them. This book is a record of my research.]
It didn’t look like a published book, but rather a personal diary written by someone.
No author name was listed.
“This handwriting doesn’t look like Grandpa’s…”
He flipped through the pages. It appeared to be a record of experiments testing what happens when multiple mysteries overlap.
Despite its thickness, the number of written pages was few.
In other words, it was incomplete.
“A mystery researcher, huh…”
Just as he muttered to himself—
Something astonishing happened.
The book responded to his mana, flashed with light, and then something slid out and dropped to the floor.
“…What the heck?”
Seo-jun was startled by the sudden event.
As he processed what had just happened, he realized that the book was actually a “magic vault” disguised as a book.
Still, for a magic vault to open this easily… Something felt off.
“Hmm…”
Seo-jun closed the book and carefully picked up the object that had fallen.
Two photographs.
He looked at the top one.
In the photo were Chairman Kim Jin-cheol and two boys in martial arts uniforms.
The boys’ faces—
He recognized them instantly.
Jin Cheonwoo and Choi Ilhyeon.
The other two of Kim Jin-cheol’s three disciples, besides himself.
It wasn’t surprising, since this was public knowledge.
Kim Jin-cheol had always been respected by everyone, but raising Jin Cheonwoo as a disciple was often called “the worst mistake in human history” and faced heavy criticism.
He turned to the second photo.
Familiar faces again.
Jin Cheonwoo, Choi Ilhyeon, and a woman Seo-jun had seen on the Ghost Island—Lee Yoon-kyung.
“……”
Seo-jun swallowed dryly and examined the photo closely.
Jin Cheonwoo and Lee Yoon-kyung were holding hands like a couple.
Choi Ilhyeon, standing slightly apart, looked a bit lonely, though his expression was still bright.
Jin Cheonwoo and Lee Yoon-kyung.
He had suspected some kind of relationship between the two.
Choi Ilhyeon had said Lee Yoon-kyung was his mother, and the Tower’s Will had also told Seo-jun that Jin Cheonwoo’s blood ran through his veins.
And yet, judging by the friendly photo of the three of them together, it seemed they had once been close friends.
Well, in a way, that made sense.
Jin Cheonwoo and Choi Ilhyeon were famously known as rivals under the same teacher.
Seo-jun looked down at the back of the photo.
There was a small map and an address written on it.
Before he could fully make it out—
Clunk. A door opened outside.
—“The Chairman’s here.”
—“Is Seo-jun home?”
—“He’s waiting inside.”
Seo-jun quickly tucked the photos into his coat and returned the book to its original place.
“Grandpa.”
He stepped out with his usual bright smile to greet Chairman Kim Jin-cheol.
I lay in bed, thinking about the rest of this year’s schedule.
First up was the dungeon raid on the land I purchased in Gangwon Province.
But it was still too soon to attempt it.
Gretel still needed to grow, and I also wanted to be stronger before diving in.
“…I wish I’d have some kind of magical breakthrough soon.”
At some point, my magical growth had hit a bottleneck.
Thanks to Choi Ilhyeon’s guidance, my physical skills and combat experience had improved greatly, but my specialty wasn’t reinforcement—it was manifestation.
Naturally, I was more attached to my main speciality than my secondary.
“Hm…”
Should I raise the intensity of my training?
Oh right, I have that Training Room Ticket I got as a prize from the Taehwi Festival.
I took out the ticket from subspace.
It was decorated with ornate golden patterns.
I really wanted to use it now, but I had already planned to use it during winter break.
After all, all the key characters who received tickets would be using them then.
“Sigh.”
I put the ticket back in subspace and let out a long breath.
What else was on the schedule…?
There was the final exam of the year—the one that would determine whether I could participate in next year’s “Sacred Martial Festival.”
And then…
“Oh, right.”
In the original story, Seo-jun found Jin Cheonwoo’s records right after the Atlantis incident ended.
Is that event progressing properly?
Thanks to the butterfly effect, everything’s been shuffled around, so I have no idea if it’s going as planned.
It’s a pretty important episode, too.
“…But I can’t exactly go tell him myself.”
It’s frustrating.
Even if Seo-jun did find Jin Cheonwoo’s records like in the original, I’d still need a reason to get involved in his business.
That’s another headache.
Wandering around near Seo-jun in this unpredictable world is probably the best approach for now.
“Hmmm…”
Ah, whatever.
I’ll just observe the situation and drop a hint when the time is right.
Wednesday afternoon, at the multi-purpose indoor magic training ground.
The comprehensive mana control class had begun.
The students began their individual mana control training according to the instructor’s guidance.
“You need to create a perfect shape. Try to clearly visualize your main form.”
Although creating a shape was technically a type of manifestation magic, this training was focused on how well one could control mana.
Even those who weren’t manifestation-type mages could enhance their magical ability through this control training.
I practiced a shape I didn’t usually handle, rather than the sphere I commonly used.
That’s because spheres have their limitations.
The form I was currently training with was a “spike.”
The spike is one of the most popular and frequently used forms in manifestation-type magic.
Just as each attribute has its pros and cons, forms also have their strengths and weaknesses. The spike’s advantage is that it consumes less mana due to its small surface area.
And since the tip is sharp, its lethality is not to be underestimated.
Of course, where there are strengths, there are also weaknesses.
Because the surface area is small, it’s difficult to compress mana into it.
In other words, compression techniques using the spike form are quite hard to pull off.
“Hm……”
I tried to manifest a spike, but it turned out clumsy.
The shape was weird, and the tip lacked sharpness.
To achieve the same level of detail as the sphere I usually use, I would need quite a bit of practice.
“A spike form? Trying something new?”
Just then, Yoo Ara, who had been immersed in her training beside me, asked.
“Yeah. I figured the sphere was a bit too mana-intensive.”
Yoo Ara, who also used the sphere form, nodded in agreement.
“The sphere form doesn’t really have that many advantages. But isn’t heavy mana consumption kind of a strength? It means more destructive power.”
“That’s only true for people like you, who were born with mana.”
“You don’t seem like you’re lacking in mana, either.”
Compared to before, I had definitely improved a lot. But I was still far behind a mana monster like Yoo Ara.
“I thought it wouldn’t be bad to try out different sub-forms. I mean, spheres and spikes aren’t even that detailed to begin with.”
Yoo Ara seemed to think for a moment before suddenly turning to me.
“You know, I’ve noticed this before. You try new things a lot.”
It’s not because I want to—it’s because I lack talent.
If I had talent like Lee Seo-jun or Yoo Ara, I would’ve just focused on mastering one spell endlessly.
“…It’s not a bad thing to learn various things.”
When I addressed my shortcomings with a plausible excuse, Yoo Ara fell into serious thought.
“Growth, huh… Yeah. Should I also try practicing various forms?”
“No. You shouldn’t.”
“Why not? You can, but I can’t? Are you looking down on me?”
“What are you talking about? Unlike me, you’re overflowing with talent. Specializing in one thing is best. Didn’t they teach you that in the fundamentals of magic?”
For a moment, Yoo Ara looked smug, but then she snapped out of it and returned to her usual self.
“Geez. You’ve been hanging out with Lee Seo-jun too much. You’ve caught his smugness.”
“What smugness?”
“When someone talented lowers themselves and praises others. They might think they’re being humble, but that’s not always how it looks. To some people, it can be unpleasant.”
I was just telling the truth, but somehow, I became one of those smug guys like Lee Seo-jun.
“Smug? Please. Honestly, you’re the one being smug here. If someone heard you, they’d think you had no talent.”
“Kim Sunwoo. You’re seriously impossible…”
Yoo Ara shook her head in disbelief.
While I continued training and chatting with Yoo Ara, I felt someone’s presence behind us.
“Kim Sunwoo.”
It was Lee Seo-jun. Yoo Ara looked at him with a questioning gaze.
“I was wondering if you’re free after school today.”
“After school?”
“Yeah, there’s something I’d like you to check out.”
Something he wants me to check out?
What could that be?
While I was mulling over it, Lee Seo-jun continued.
“There’s something I need to check out on the hill behind the school.”
The hill behind the school. It seemed random, but I immediately understood what he meant.
He’s found traces of Jin Cheonwoo.
I was wondering how to get involved, but thankfully, Lee Seo-jun came to me first.
That probably meant he trusted me to some extent.
“Alright.”
As soon as I answered, Yoo Ara cut in.
“What is it? I want to come too.”
“You can’t.”
Yoo Ara frowned at my answer.
“I was asking Lee Seo-jun.”
Lee Seo-jun gave an awkward smile.
“Sorry. I need to do this with just Sunwoo.”
Yoo Ara nodded thoughtfully and turned her attention back to her training.
“Well, if that’s how it is, I guess there’s no helping it.”
Late evening, after school.
I followed Lee Seo-jun to the hill behind the school.
The hill behind the Mage Academy was filled with natural mana and boasted significant height and views.
The school regularly dispatched personnel to eliminate naturally occurring monsters, but one still had to stay alert in case of sudden attacks.
“…It was around here.”
Lee Seo-jun muttered as he scanned the surroundings.
“Ah, found it.”
He ran ahead, and I followed.
“Here it is.”
We arrived at a small underground tunnel hidden beneath a massive rock.
“What is this place?”
I pretended not to know and asked. Lee Seo-jun thought for a moment before speaking.
“You said before you’d help me find traces of my parents, right?”
“Yeah.”
“After the joint training with the special class, I found traces of Lee Yoon-kyung.”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t Lee Yoon-kyung—it was Jin Cheonwoo’s traces.
But it seemed he wasn’t ready to tell me about Jin Cheonwoo yet.
That was fine with me, so I just nodded.
“So?”
“There was a map among the traces. But the drawing was so vague, I had to search the whole area before I found this.”
I looked around. Indeed, there were signs of freshly dug earth everywhere.
“You really managed to find it.”
“Yeah. But there’s a complicated illusion barrier here. It’s not easy to break through. I was hoping maybe you could undo it.”
So that’s why he came to me first.
Lucky for me.
I smiled slightly and walked toward the tunnel.
As I tried to open the entrance, a strong magical presence surged forth.
“There are definitely layers of complex spells here. Feels like a mystery is also involved.”
“So can you break it?”
I shook my head.
“If it involves mystery, I can’t undo it either.”
Disappointment crossed Lee Seo-jun’s face.
“…So it’s a no-go after all?”
“Hm. Mind if I try stepping in for a moment?”
“You can, but don’t go too far. It’s mentally dangerous. I nearly died myself.”
I knew that from the original story.
I stepped into the tunnel.
—Kyaaaaaaaaaaaang!
A horrific scream rang in my ears.
My vision blurred, the ground split apart, and the world fractured into two, three, ten separate layers. Then the space shifted through yellow, green, violet hues. A severe headache hit me.
“Ugh!”
Gritting my teeth, I immediately bolted back outside.
“Wow… That’s no joke.”
It felt like experiencing a nightmare. Like seeing the world through the eyes of a drug addict in a film.
With the right traits, maybe I could build resistance over time—but I might go insane first.
“You okay?”
“Yeah… I’m fine. But there’s no way to break through this by normal means.”
“So we can’t enter?”
I shook my head at his muttered question.
There is a way in.
Even the original Lee Seo-jun managed to get past that horrific magic trap using a certain method.
“You just need to learn a protective spell that can withstand illusion magic.”
“Protective spell?”
“Yeah. That trap isn’t made to be undone.”
“Then what’s it for?”
“It’s meant to test if someone is worthy of passing through.”
“Worthy?”
“Think about it. You’ve heard of a similar magic device before.”
At my words, Lee Seo-jun fell into thought and then spoke.
“…The Eunwol family?”
“That’s right.”
The Eunwol family.
A family specialized in creating set-type magic like illusion traps.
That illusion magic bears their design.
We’ll have to go there.
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