Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Hellish Magic Training
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'Ughhh!'
An itchy energy prickled my entire body like I'd been bitten by bugs.
"Mana is the element that constitutes nature—sky and earth, fire, wind, water—and the driving force that circulates through heaven and earth. For ages, humans have yearned to produce it with their own power. Using the infinite talents granted by the main god Adein, they spent countless years seeking ways to harness nature's power."
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I opened my eyes and glared at the old man wearing Gandalf's guise—Gandalf himself.
While I was sleeping, this geezer had placed me on top of some bizarre magic circle that sparked electricity like banging on a windowpane and launched into a long-winded speech.
Among all the batshit crazy old men, there couldn't be a bigger pervert than this one.
'Magic my ass. He must've dusted that bracelet with sleeping powder.'
It was impossible to believe.
How could magic exist in a civilization at the cutting edge of technology?
If there were actual mages, they'd be all over YouTube videos by now.
"Magic was born from the blood, sweat, and tears of our ancestors who emphasized communion with nature and strove to borrow its power. That gave birth to the magic language—Runes. Some say magic was a gift from dragons who bestowed grace upon humanity during their amusements, or that it was the seed of evil sown by demons in the human world. But those are the foolish delusions of the ignorant, born from a defeatist mindset. True magic originated with humans. As the masters of the mortal realm, only humans were chosen by the main god Adein."
My body was on the verge of madness from the stinging electric shocks piercing everywhere, yet this Gandalf droned on with absurd magic theory.
'Is he mad cow diseased or something?'
How could anyone spout fantasy novel bullshit so calmly without holes drilled in their head?
Even amid the pain, I couldn't help suspecting mad cow disease, which still lingered in parts of Europe.
"But the prosperous era of magic didn't last long. Dark mages addicted to nether-realm mana opened dimensional gates and summoned demonic beasts from the demon world, revealing their filthy desire to devour the world. Thus began the long war between humans and the dark mages—a proxy war between gods and demon gods known as the God-Demon War."
Gandalf recited the tale like an old storyteller, immersing himself so deeply that even in my agony, my ears perked up.
"Then dragons appeared. To protect humanity on the brink of extinction, dragons from another dimension were summoned with the main god's permission, ending the First God-Demon War. But that ushered in a long ice age of magic, where humans—the former rulers of the mortal realm—were scorned by dragons and other races."
Gandalf ground his teeth in fury over something.
'Tsk tsk, he's completely lost it.'
He seemed to have spun a full-fledged fantasy novel from his imagination. Nothing like that had ever happened in Earth's history.
Sure, there were magicians, but no one bold enough to war with demon gods.
Except maybe the braggart heroes from Greek and Roman myths.
"That's why I became a mage. I wanted to return the dragons, demons, and all those other races disrupting the mortal realm—where humans should rule—to their proper places. By my hand, the great mage Idal!"
The Czech geezer calling himself Idal spewed madness like it was strung out on a clothesline.
Fear faded, replaced by a surge of pity.
'Well, in this harsh world, going fully insane like that might not be so bad.'
Half-assed madness gets you called a lunatic, but if you're perfectly lost in it, who could complain?
Even mental hospitals would pay to keep someone like that away.
"Kekeke. I trained in magic like a madman and reached the 8th Circle great mage realm—something no human in history had achieved. And at exactly ninety-nine years old, no less."
'Tch, entertaining.'
Even as a novel, it had to be written with lies this vivid to hit right. Amid the sharp pain, I felt myself getting sucked in.
It was that feeling you get from stumbling on a decent story after a long drought.
Gandalf Idal looked no older than seventy at most.
Yet he calmly claimed he'd ascended to great mage at ninety-nine. That mental world was almost admirable.
He didn't seem totally unhinged like someone shitting on walls. No, this was the pure, beautiful soul still dreaming of fantasy.
Don Quixote could call him brother.
'Just throw in dimensional travel, and it'd be perfect.'
I pleasantly imagined the next plot twist.
"But that was it. Even in the lost mage era, the 9th Circle was the domain of gods, forbidden to humans. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't reach it. Damn it, fucking hell...."
The familiar curses—damn and fucking hell—burst out.
That frustration would drive the story forward.
"I aimed for 9th Circle magic to unleash mana transformation! To polymorph into a handsome hunk like a dragon and generously pleasure women across the land...! Graaaaaah!"
A sudden outburst of Hongik Ingan ideology.
'Pl-pleasure women across the land? Gah!'
Idal writhed in frustration from the setback.
Without checking my own shock, he continued.
"Tch, but life was still good. Before I knew it, I was lord of the mage tower, and empires and kingdoms scrambled to serve me. Kekeke, treasures from across the realm and unlimited research funds every New Year. Approaching a hundred, that was some consolation. With 8th Circle magic, I could regain some youth anyway—meet a fresh spirit and start anew. If only I hadn't met that bastard. Grrrr!"
Idal's life story grew ever more thrilling.
I knew it was fiction, but the pull was strong—my ears wide open.
The electric zaps still tingled my body, but the tale drowned out the pain.
"It was a windy day. I'd just finished polite invitations to kingdoms, requesting princesses as my brides, when he showed up. That fucker I wanted to beat to death!"
I was curious about this guy too.
Solid plot so far.
If I could just return to Korea, I could debut as an author based on this.
"It was a shock. This punk barely into his forties challenged me—a heavenly 8th Circle great mage, Idal himself—to a magic duel!"
Recalling that moment, lightning flashed from Gandalf Idal's eyes.
'A dragon out for amusement? Or a demon?'
I guessed at the character.
"At first, I judged him a green kid in poor shape and showed mercy. I'm usually sharp-tempered—I'd burn rushing fools alive—but that day was auspicious, my first step toward marriage, so I held back."
'Is this great mage actually a black mage? The kind who made the world tremble?'
Otherwise, why would empires and kingdoms bribe him? Or an old coot demand princesses?
A honorable mage wouldn't dream of marrying at a hundred.
"But he sneered at me. Kyaa, I was the fool. I bit the bait and accepted the duel."
This tale would've been perfect with cold cola and fried chicken, but cruel reality denied me—short by a measly 3%.
"I started light with a 3rd Circle Lightning spell to fry him. But the bastard dodged with an Air Shield like he'd been waiting. Impressive, I thought. At that age, 4th Circle marked a genius."
The geezer wielded diverse language masterfully—natural even to my ears.
"I got a bit pissed. So I went serious with a 5th Circle Burst Flare. Intent made it city-wall-shattering power. No, but that rotten son of a bitch bounced it with a Fireball! No way a 2nd Circle blocks an 8th Circle great mage's 5th Circle!"
Gandalf asked me.
Unthinkingly, I shook my head.
By fantasy common sense, impossible.
"I should've sensed the weirdness and stopped. But at my spry hundred years, I lacked patience."
"...."
Idal casually dropped lines that'd make disbelief run away four times. I let it slide through one ear, awaiting the next bit.
"Rage boiled over. So I prepped a 7th Circle spell I'd memorized daily for emergencies. Back then, even top mage tower or court archmages topped at 7th. Should've ended it. No, this piss-dunked fucker fans himself in a 7th Circle Blizzard like it's hot! Wah, lid blown."
I could picture it. Who fans in a 7th Circle spell?
'Next, next!'
Dragged here asleep, the school trip group must be in chaos over my absence, but I couldn't stop.
Old man Gandalf's dementia-spun yarn gripped me sweatily.
'Dragon for sure. Yeah.'
Guessing was half the fun.
"Absurd. A punk pushing forty blocking 7th Circle. Kyaa, I didn't know he had non-magic skills."
"Wh-what was it?"
"You thought dragon inwardly? Heh, I flashed on that too—amusing dragon maybe—but no. I'd sense an 8th Circle dragon's aura easy."
'No? Then what?'
Blaming my imagination's limits, I stared endlessly at Gandalf's white beard.
"Only 8th Circle attacks left. Not many, but each could shatter a castle. Heh, and I mastered them."
The geezer self-praised. Confirmed: no cure.
'No, what happened next?!'
Next part I had to hear, even dying.
"That's when."
Knowing my impatience, Gandalf's wrinkled lips parted again.
"That orc-dick-sized bastard made a devilish proposal."
Gandalf swore like any Korean teen.
I burned to know the offer from the orc-dick guy.
"Finish his incomplete magic circle, and he'd concede defeat. Not bragging, but beyond Circle magic, in alchemy, circles, theory—no one matched me then."
Gandalf gilded his face nonstop.
"You accepted, right?"
The prickling inside had dulled to habit; curiosity made me ask aloud.
"Of course. I knew every circle type then. Principles grasped, child's play to draw. No circle unsolved by genius great mage Idal. KraHAHAHA!"
No thoughts left.
Humans gotta be human to bother with.
Likely, fearing magic defeat, he fell for orc-dick's ploy.
"Ah! But the circle in that weird cave he led to—first I'd seen. Lost mage era circle, the bastard!"
'Mage era? Pre-God-Demon War?'
"Promised, so trapped finishing it. No, long-lost scholarly thrill excited me plenty."
Totally his style.
For a mage at peak, unsolved theory trumped worldly treasures.
"Years grinding that circle. Dozens of meters wide, hundreds of thousands ancient runes etched. Deciphered runes and shapes, filling gaps—faster than those punks could dream."
'Punks? Not one guy?'
Questions piled.
"Then one day, I completed it. PuHAHAHAHA! History's dragon-unfinished great mage era circle—perfectly interpreted and done."
'Amazing persistence!'
Gandalf Idal's vivid imagination spat imagined events like lived.
Respect surged.
I'd go that perfectly mad too, I vowed.
"Then they appeared. Grrrr! Vile scum luring great mage Idal to fulfill their ambitions! Then I realized: duel baiter was secret Golden Mage Tower lord Yasumahal; court archmages from kingdoms and empires involved. Plot to eliminate this great mage by minion mages! Graaaaa!"
Gandalf Idal—asshair jungle assured—laughed to tears, wailing.
'Whoa~! Killer acting!'
Perfect immersion.
Believable as real great mage.
"Kuhuhuhu. Couldn't let them have it. Completed circle grasped, all mage era tech in their filthy hands—obvious. Stupid fucks...."
Madness lasered from his eyes.
"They sneered. Guarded by master knights, mocking me for wasting years like a fool in their trap. But I sneered back. They didn't know the circle they led me to was a dimension shift one. Hehehe."
"Gasp!"
"Dimension shift circle"—unintended gasp escaped.
'No way, a real mage?'
Logic said no, but gut unease screamed warning.
"Then I activated it before their eyes. Grinding teeth inwardly... Kuhuhu, idiots. No deciphering now. Great mage Idal mastered it fully, tweaked my way. KraHAHAHA!"
Idal clutched belly laughing triumphantly.
Why so pitiful?
'Fool, you dimension-shifted to escape, right?'
Looked like still lost, no homecoming.
If true.
'But does that world really exist?'
Curiosity sprouted wildly. If Gandalf Idal spoke truth, I'd visit once.
Rule another world as great mage.
Every suffering Korean's dream?
"So you're chosen."
'Huh?'
Idal's calm voice froze my fantasy-drifting mind.
He'd regained composure, golden eyes gleaming.
"Wh-what?"
"Hehehe. Go avenge me in my stead."
"Wh-where?"
"Where else? Think I ate fancy and bullshitted? Kalian Continent, where I lived!"
Impudent prick snapped back.
"Why me? Go yourself, Gan—er, Master Idal. Tie up loose ends for peaceful old age!"
Escape this mad old fuck.
Real mage vibe screamed he'd ship me off-world.
"No. I'm retiring comfy. Nearing two hundred, joints creak, appetite gone—send old master where?"
"M-Master?"
"Yeah, master. You accepted my offer, took the gift."
"When? I never took any—Gah! No way?"
Sudden cold wrist snap.
Silver bracelet snug on left wrist.
"Already did mana inheritance rite. You're no different from my clone now. KraHAHA!"
Mad Gandalf cackled wildly.
'Dad! Mom!'
Parents' faces flashed unkindly.
Why miss them so today? Unknowable.
"Rest over. Let's restart."
"Wh-what?"
Unpredictable Idal.
"What else? Supersonic mana injection circle I made for this. Ready. Full power now."
"Wait! Hold on!"
Staff raised, evil grin—yelled at Gandalf.
"This passed safety checks?"
Transparency spewed multicolored lights—this circle thing.
Idal's state screamed sketchy build.
"Dunno. Some magic stones Chinese—can't guarantee. Here goes! Power up!"
ZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZ!
"Graaaaaaaaah!"
No time to freak over Chinese—onslaught hit.
Gandalf's evil face last memory.
Praying desperately to Allah it was a dream.
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"Firebolt!"
Focused mind, hurled 1st Circle attack Firebolt at rabbit.
Pew pew pew!
But what kind rabbit takes a novice mage's Firebolt kindly?
Magic bounced off ground; startled rabbit hopped away frantically.
"Stop! Hey! Leave a leg! Bunny! Bunny!"
My weapons: one toothless dagger, few shaky 1st Circle attacks.
Ass wiggling like chasing perverts, I idiotically pursued across plain.
'Stop! Stop I said! Waaah!'
Fail, and day two starving.
Even trendy Ragnarok(?) game doesn't torment noobs this bad.
"Huff huff....!"
Rabbit dashed far, ignoring my desperate wish.
Thud.
Panting ragged, collapsed into thick wildflowers.
"Fucking... insane."
Unbelievable reality—madness inducing.
Stylish Eastern Europe school trip turned suffering with mad mage; mom's daily kimchi stew—calculated cost be damned—brought tears.
'Haa, all planned.'
Current spot: nameless Iceland plain, Europe.
Month since dying/reviving in Chinese-stone supersonic mana injection circle. Woke wrecked here.
'Real mages exist. Dimensional traveler from another world....'
Unbelievable. Especially great mage Gandalf—unimaginable.
'So illusion circle in Golden Lane for fishing. Snag mana-sensitives from tourists.'
Tales during circle rest breaks.
Gandalf Master Idal, dimension-shifted to stranger Earth.
Industrial Revolution peaking globally—science blooming.
Adapted easy with magic, made bank.
Earth then unpolluted, mana plentiful—magic versatile.
Sold panaceas as quack doctor; professor at uni with smarts; Rockefeller mana-prospecting oil; casually told Einstein at dinner mana linkage theory—time-space intertwined—sparking general relativity, birthing great scientist.
Unverified, but had to believe.
Self-proclaimed master Idal.
Staggering wealth hoarded everywhere—proven by evidence.
Nearby training spot: dozens-floor underground mage tower stuffed with unheard treasures like junk.
'Greedy Gandalf!'
But fury rose thinking.
Centuries banking on Earth, yet to me: sadistic pervert mage.
His created injection circle? Tolerable.
Fantasy noob knowledge: magic starts sensing/accumulating mana.
But follow-up special training.
No game char: dagger one, newborn 1st Circle attacks for survival drill.
Grrrrr.
'Hungry. Tch.'
Sky clouds floated as oden, kimbap, school front fritters—snack signboard.
'Dying of starvation possible.'
Ruthless, demented Gandalf master.
Surviving him: top mission.
'Yes! Hehehe. Missed that.'
Starving haze—flash of one magic.
"Bunny, you're dead."
Plains teem rabbits.
Mind sparked spell, scanned for prey.
Clumsy hands chanted formula, manifesting magic will.
"Oh! Rabbit!"
Dozens meters: fat grass-munching bunny. Eyes rolled back, completed chant.
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Pew pew pew!
"Woo! Got it!"
Fwoosh.
'No way! That level already.'
Disciple Kang Hyuk—hard-won after decades.
Idal circled invisibly cloaked, guarding.
Untamed land: black bears, wild beasts aplenty.
New 1st Circle disciple: accident risk.
'Guessed, but adapting this fast?'
1st Circle mages littered Kalian Continent. Mana affinity? Learnable.
But Kang Hyuk differed from scrubs.
Injection circle aided sensing, yet few match his speed.
Genius Idal himself took three months for mana handling.
Korean boy Kang Hyuk: one month to mana breathing, usage stage.
Unght magic too—simple tweak made Fireball work.
"KraHAHAHA! I'm genius after all!"
Kang Hyuk's hearty laugh at area Fireball bunny success.
Idal's lips curved fondly.
Forced disciple, yet undaunted max effort—growing fondness.
'Kid, know you're genius, but tomorrow I'll cram that praise back. Kekeke.'
Idal learned thus.
Battle mage start—no formal—earned gold-eyed reaper Idal title.
Idal knew: desperation key to magic training.
No die-hard effort? Mana denies joy easy.
World over, but magic more.
Mana: coquette repelled harder loved.
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"As you know, your mana hall gained a Circle."
'I know, you evil great mage!'
Lotus on Gandalf master's words, heart absorbing.
"Kalian Continent has mana breathing. Knights theirs, mages theirs, spiritists theirs—separate lineages. Didn't know why then. But meeting him on Earth clarified."
Confirmed mage, ignored master Idal no more.
Whatever reason, he'd keep me world-bound—max survival think.
Plus natural endgame obsession style: challenged Andromeda-quad magic.
"Dropped Earth, Southeast Asia traveling—China chaos peak. Qing fallen, Japan invading, communists/nationalists ravaging. Posed British consul aide touring China, met him in Zhangjiajie: Cheonghae Taoist lamenting turbid world, self-starving to death."
'Korean plus languages galore—reason now clear.'
"Month's basic mana breathing: my reinterpret of nameless inner power heart method from Cheonghae Taoist, made mana breathing. Realized post-meet: why mages struggle mana, knights same mana only oaur blades, spiritists weak mana open dimensions summon spirits."
No rote lecture—magic class incomparable.
Focused, no word missed.
"Difference: dantian variance. Cheonghae said all natural ki—mana—formless, indestructible. Exists yet not—natural ki essence. Humans arbitrarily select, confine dantian—begins accumulation, mana hoarding."
Master's gentle explanation flowed serene.
Chest kindled small flame.
'Am I mage now?'
Month ago: clueless student. Now training nonexistent magic.
"Knights craving raw power: instinct lower dantian—easy turbid large mana hall. Ages honed their mana circulation: knights' breathing. Mages prioritizing nature's law-bound force over brute: purer mid dantian—heart area—mana pile. Spiritists valuing spirit communion—nature essence purest: upper dantian—crown—mana. Thus distinguishes knight, mage, spiritist."
'Hmm, such depth.'
Endless magic—learn forever.
Chest burned hot—fun.
"Cheonghae heart method—no 'Yang Heart'?"
"Gah? How you know?"
'Jackpot! That wuxia novel Yang Heart real?'
Fantasy/wuxia reads rare, but brain-break faves.
Bed snacks, fantasy realm.
Heavenly rest—known to few.
Pure fiction fantasy/wuxia? Real.
"Know not how, but Cheonghae tome: 'Mystic Void Yang Heart Technique.' Kalian unseen great mana cultivation."
'Where's Gandalf master's limit?'
Shocks galore, but hobby floored me.
Underground tower central: dozens massive TVs.
50+ inch latest PDP crammed.
Broadcasts from Earth nations—languages blaring.
Gandalf master watched, laughed, cried—time flew.
Linguist-challenged me: respect earned.
"This tower spot: Earth's purest mana nexus. You know: decades industrialization—mana gravely polluted. Half+ gone vs my arrival. Earth mana scant vs Kalian baseline—grave for magic trainers. But lucky—met great master. No worry. Trust follow this master alone."
Man-seduce melodrama.
'Just trust follow me'—cliché from beard-stroking Gandalf master. Kindergarten praise-hungry face.
'Cry or laugh? Sigh!'
"Once master, eternal! Full heart enshrine master's grace deep—treasured!"
Stressed 'treasured' hard.
Who begged mage? By now, baby-talking Seo Ye-rin, lovey-dovey school life.
Uninvited to my youth: Gandalf.
Kidnap sue urge, but month+ bred attachment.
Grandpa farming rural—'can't leave home'—faint echo in master.
Holiday visits, parting silent longing eyes.
Gandalf master's gold eyes: occasional unknowable longing, loneliness.
"If your heart so, master can't idle. Today special: new hunting ground for you. Expect big. Hehehe...."
'As expected. Bullshit longing eyes....'
Age-mismatch sleazy grin pervert master.
Cursed my brief pure delusion.
'All house motto fault!'
Honesty creed birthed this pure soul(?) me.
No link to truthfulness.