Chapter 36: The Obscure Reality (1)
Sang-hoon is the most proficient wizard in the department of magic.
What is his most difficult class?
Lee Hak-beom’s basic theory? Baek Dong-seok’s practical lessons? No…it is Kang Min-hyuk’s lessons that challenge him on the deepest level. Kang Min-hyuk becomes a tiger as he teaches him.
“Watch this! Doubles casting is a way to use mana memory. The magic you’ve used is constantly reborn in your mana, keeping it clear enough to handle complex processes. That doesn’t mean you can put blind faith in mana memory. In the end, your faith must lie in yourself: you complete the casting. If you perform the cast while fiercely rotating the circle’s mana, your double-casting will be much faster. The meaning of magic is the act of creating something new through merging your body’s mana with outside forces. But what if you could utilize the mana of nature? The pressure on your body to produce maximum mana is reduced – you can use nature’s energy to help your making of magic. So, starting today, we’ll focus on that.”
Sang-hoon was shaken. Methods of fast casting by mana rotation and assimilating nature’s mana completely defied everything he knew about magic. He had many questions at first. It is a wizard’s nature to be curious and Sang-hoon harassed Kang Min-hyuk until he could understand. Kang Min-hyuk never hesitated to answer.
In the end, through constant validation of Min-hyuk’s higher knowledge, he could no longer see him as a classmate.
“The man is a monster!”
He knew that if he followed Kang Min-hyuk, he would inevitably achieve his desires. It was strange to think that they were barely aware of each other’s existence only a short while ago. Now, although they hadn’t reached a depth of relationship that generates mutual trust, they had something stickier: mutual benefit.
Kang Min-hyuk needed Sang-hoon’s development; it was an especially important factor in his tower’s construction. It’s safe to say that Mataap gets its power from the followers of Mataapju. His excellence as a wizard and a scholar will create a sense of stability for people, and they will hope to learn magic from the tower. However, that alone wouldn’t suffice. If he could also gain a reputation as an excellent teacher…then, his tower would really grab the hearts of the wizarding community. Jeong Sang-hoon’s growth would attest to his leadership.
Jeong Sang-hoon had grown into an outstanding wizard, and he continued to improve. When he revealed Kang Min-hyuk as his mentor, it would have a great impact. So, Kang Min-hyuk was strict with Sang-hoon. He treated him from the perspective of a superior, not an equal. Sang-hoon followed him without a word.
The teachings worked. Just as Min-hyuk had ideas for Sang-hoon, Sang-hoon had the same for Kang Min-hyuk. He hoped for personal growth and a revival of his family name. As their relationship deepened, Jeong Sang-hoon realized what a great opportunity it was to receive Kang Min-hyuk’s teachings.
“Keep today’s lessons in mind. As long as you learn from me, you will be walking a very different path than most. Remember this: never accept knowledge without questioning it first. It is the only way to learn truly, keep asking questions. Keep trying to figure it out. If you continue in this way, you’ll surely progress to greatness.”
The idea of his progression made Sang-hoon’s heart ring. Jeong Sang-hoon’s determination strengthened, knowing he would achieve his goals.
“Yes, Master.”
Sang-hoon did not hesitate to bow his head to Kang Min-hyuk.
* * *
A few days later, the time of the joint class had dawned.
The students were more tense than usual. Dong-Seok Baek stood before them and said,
“From today, we’ll be holding joint classes with the Swordsmanship Department for the next two weeks. Our first step will be dungeon exploration. Suseongjeon will be the second step, and lethal dueling the third. All stages will be graded according to performance.
The atmosphere was heavy. The students had concerns about the class itself, but they were also fearful of the Swordsmanship students.
Baek Dong-seok laughed bitterly,
“I’m sorry.”
He understood the student’s misgivings. The relationship had always been tense between the two departments – Swordsmanship always played the dominant role. The Hunter Academy president was known to favor the Swordsmanship department, so if an accident occurs in a joint class, Swordsmanship students were rarely harmed.
“I can see why you’re worried, but this is a gateway you must walk through to advance as a wizard. When you graduate from the academy, a harsh society awaits, and that world is not so kind to wizards. Symbiosis with a reinforced warrior is necessary to increase your power, and joint classes allow you to prepare you for what lies ahead. Learn as much as you can; learn how to play your part as a wizard in battle. That way, you will survive.”
He phrased it gently, but what Baek Dong-seok meant was that a wizard’s value was minimal without the presence of a warrior.
“Now, let’s head to the area E hunting ground.”
* * *
Zone E was a hunting ground that created artificial dungeons used for training. Students were divided into three sections due to the great number of swordsmanship students, but hundreds of students were still in section E. In Korea, all boys showing talent as a warrior were sent to the swordsmanship department or Suhomun – it was a shocking contrast to the number of students in the magic department, which barely amassed 150 people.
The swordsmanship students looked at the magic students as though they were monkeys in a zoo. Kim Mii-jin stepped forward and began to clarify the situation.
“I will make the announcements from now on.”
They were split into groups of four. Teams consisted of three warriors and one wizard.
Kang Min-hyuk was told of his team; it consisted of Lee Jang-hoo, Jae-seong Ceramic, and Ki-yong Jang. Due to the vast amount of people involved in the training, the number of groups exceeded 100 trillion; Kang Min-hyuk made his way to Zone E and entered the spot marked ’92 trillion’, and the rest of his team were already there. As soon as he entered the vicinity, they looked at him with intrigue, asking.
“are you really Kang Min-hyuk?”
There was an inevitable overlap between the two departments, and due to Kang Min-hyuk’s unique background as the successor of the Guardian Gate, he was a recognizable figure. The fact that he was training as a wizard and not a warrior seemed strange.
Lee Jang-hoo spoke:
“As the leader of Article 92, I will tell you about the dungeon you’re about to enter.”
His voice diverted attention away from Kang Min-hyuk’s presence, so his reaction was overlooked.
“It’s a C-class dungeon, inhabited by a D-class monster, Lizard-man. The hunting ground isn’t easy because higher-level entities guard it, but it shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge. Jae-seong and I will take the lead, and Ki-yong will take the rear. You…”
He turned to look at Kang Min-hyuk, laughing.
“You do what you do…whatever that is.”
It was a statement of obvious disregard. However, Kang Min-hyuk took it calmly,
“I know what to do.”
He replied, quietly confident.
Kang Min-hyuk thought back to a class led by Kim Chang-soo.
“A joint class presents the opportunity for a wizard to experience how tragic his reality truly is. I feel a sense of pride for wizardry when I work with students of magic, but the moment I go to class with the swordsmanship students, my illusion crumbles. Warriors have the strength to tackle most dungeons without the aid of magic…a wizard is usually just a symbol, nothing more. A nod to tradition…however, it will be interesting to see it play out.”
Article 92 entered the dungeon. The entrance was similar to an ant’s den – Lee Jang-hoo climbed into it without hesitation.
“Oh wow…check out that smell!”
It was the stench of decay…the smell of Lizard-men. They barely had time to acclimatize to their surroundings before Lizard-men bounded towards them.
Kiieeg!
“There they are!”
“Get ready!”
Slurp
They appeared – their greasy scales twinkling beneath shimmering torch-light – there were three of them; ugly, bipedal creatures with the fluttering, forked tongues of snakes. They were incredibly fast and moved with a sort-of slither. Their long, strong nails swung towards the group, slashing through the air.
Scrape, Kakan!
Claws and swords clashed, creating sparks; the ferocity and speed of their attack were unexpected.
Swooosh!
Blue light emanated from Lee Jang-hoo’s sword, and swiftly, it sliced through the creature’s chest, hitting its claws with a crash before sinking into its scaly flesh and drawing dark green blood, which would have splattered over Jang-ho’s face if he hadn’t turned his head to avoid the spray. Their blood could cause paralysis, so they had to dodge it at all costs – they would be easily defeated in a paralyzed state. Jang-ho kicked the Lizard-man’s chest before swinging a fist in its face until it lost balance and toppled backward.
Boom!
Its chest lay open, a tangle of squirming organs, and yet it bared its teeth and raised a pathetic hand, still hungry to attack despite its defeat.
“Persistent cub.”
Pow.
The final blow put an end to the situation. Jae-seong and Jang-yong battled the other two lizard-men in turn, defeating them with ease. Lizard-men were powerful enemies, and a second circle wizard wouldn’t dream of fighting one alone; however, the swordsmanship students made short work of them. It must have been empowering for them – the affirmation that they didn’t need a wizard.
Jang-hoo let out a deep laugh as he looked at Min-hyuk,
“well, this is fun.”
His words emphasized how little regard he had for Min-hyuk’s magical abilities. They didn’t need him – they could take the C-class dungeon alone.
Kang Min-hyuk had heard rumors that warriors were trying to take magicians’ chi, trying to tame them through these training sessions.
In the battles that followed, the team dealt with the monsters without the help of Kang Min-hyuk. After some time, however, an incident occurred. They were fighting six lizard-men when one rushed towards Kang Min-hyuk. Jang-hoo and his party saw it happening but didn’t defend him. The lizard-man attacked Min-hyuk, who responded quickly,
“Fireball!”
Pop! Brrrrrr tttsss!
A great flame hit the lizard-men, but they broke through the flames, screeching and baring their horrible teeth. They shot towards the wizard, but Kang Min-hyuk narrowly avoided the attack. In the same movement, he pulled out his dagger and stabbed the lizard-man in the back of the neck with all his strength.
Dumpf!
The lizard-man’s eyes widened, and after tottering, reluctant to fall, he collapsed with a loud thump.
As the rest of the party turned to stare at him, Kang Min-hyuk said, in a dull voice,
“The slime on their skin reduces physical damage. The simplest way to deal with them is to burn the slime with fire-based magic and aim for the brain through the back of the neck – that’s the vital spot for these monsters. You can’t waste time with lizard-men; taking too long could result in your body being smashed to bits.”
The team ceased to laugh at Min-hyuk after that. They continued to slaughter the lizard-men with greater confidence after seeing Min-hyuk’s stunning defeat.
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