Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Reborn Mage
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“Huff…… huff…….”
An excruciating pain tightened around my throat.
I’d long since lost track of how much time had passed.
At this point, time meant nothing. I was simply focusing every ounce of my being on staying conscious, moment by moment.
How much longer did it go on like that?
Amid the agony that felt like my entire body was being torn apart, a tingling euphoria crept in.
“Dr…… dear.”
Every blocked section of my circuits had been cleared.
“Aah…….”
The lingering mana in my body flowed through the circuits without any obstruction.
My head, shoulders, fingertips, toes…… Mana pulsed vividly through every part of me.
I had no idea what this would mean for my magic, but it definitely felt different from before.
I hoped the results would be worth the suffering.
Of course, there was a more pressing issue right now.
‘How much time…… has passed?’
No matter how hard I tried to recall, I couldn’t even guess.
‘……Ten hours?’
It felt like more than twenty hours, subjectively.
If that wasn’t just perception—if it was real.
If I’d truly failed……
Would I be trapped here forever?
‘……I don’t know.’
I knew nothing.
No, even thinking was becoming impossible.
My body and mind had both reached their limits.
I finally let go of the consciousness I’d been clinging to.
Praying that when I opened my eyes again, I’d be somewhere other than this room.
***
“Huff!”
I jolted upright, gasping for breath.
Reflexively scanning my surroundings…… Thankfully, this wasn’t the place I’d been right before blacking out.
In other words, not the Chamber of Time and Spirit.
“You’re awake?”
Only then did I notice someone standing beside me.
It was Asion Gail, the academy president.
“Where…… is this?”
“The academy’s recovery room. You really pushed your body to the brink.”
I barely heard his last words.
Only “academy’s recovery room” echoed in my mind.
Recovery room, recovery room……
“……Does that mean?”
“Yes, you succeeded. Yoo Han.”
“Aah.”
With those words, all the tension drained from my body.
My ragged breathing steadied, and my racing heart returned to normal.
A chill ran down my spine.
Only now did I realize just how dire my situation had been.
“……I really thought I was going to die this time.”
“That tough, huh?”
“Yes. Untangling those knotted circuits was no joke.”
“Pfft.”
Asion Gail let out a ridiculous chuckle at my lament.
It was infuriating.
Easy for him to say—it wasn’t his pain.
“Don’t give me that look, you rascal. Who do you think you’re glaring at—the academy president!”
Smack!
He flicked my forehead as if I’d offended him.
It hurt like hell.
No wonder he was the inventor of body transformation magic that turns you into a white lion.
Rubbing my stinging forehead, I glared at Asion Gail.
“……What kind of thing is this to do to a patient?”
“A patient? You think you’re a patient now?”
“If not a patient, then what……”
As I started to retort.
“Huh?”
I suddenly noticed something odd about my body.
Not bad odd—quite the opposite. That’s what was strange.
‘Why am I so fine?’
I’d endured pain that felt like it would kill me, yet my body was perfectly fine.
As if nothing had happened.
Sensing my confusion, Asion Gail explained.
“When your circuits flow normally, your body’s regenerative abilities improve as well. It’s because your mana circulates properly now. That’s why you’re unharmed.”
“What do circuits have to do with that?”
“No need to overthink it. Mana is like a second blood for mages. Now that it’s flowing right, it affects the body too.”
A second blood.
That much I could understand.
What surprised me was……
“……This much?”
The effect was bigger than I’d imagined.
Abnormally so, to me.
But Asion Gail shook his head as if it were perfectly normal.
“As I said earlier, your mana circuits were several times more messed up than average. A massive boost to recovery is only natural. Hup!”
“Eek.”
Without warning, Asion Gail turned my body toward him.
Gripping my shoulders firmly, he stared straight into my eyes.
“And that’s not all. You’ve been reborn as a completely new mage.”
“……Really?”
“Better to experience it once than hear it a hundred times. Want to feel it for yourself?”
Excitement gleamed in Asion Gail’s eyes.
I nodded silently in response.
***
Step, step, step.
Dershion and I left the academy building and entered a standalone structure off by itself.
This was where Thompson and Kayla had dueled for admission to the academy.
Of course, there were no spectators this time.
Right now, it was just me and Asion Gail.
Honestly, I felt a bit uneasy.
“……President, you’re serious?”
“What’s the problem?”
“Well, how can I spar with you? I haven’t even reached six circles yet.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll hold back to the level of swatting a crawling worm.”
“……”
Well, I meant go easy—not that easy.
“We’ll see if you’re a worm or a viper pup once we clash.”
“Pardon?”
“If you’re ready, let’s begin.”
“……Yes.”
I nodded, and Asion Gail drew up his mana first.
Woooong!
A golden halo enveloped him, and soon.
Groooowl!
A massive white lion appeared before me.
He’d cast his body transformation magic.
‘……Damn, it’s huge.’
I’d seen it a few times during the war, but the pressure now was on another level.
It felt like facing a real beast.
No—more than that, if anything.
‘One mistake, and I’m dead.’
Tensing up just as much, I summoned my mana.
Shwooo!
Contrary to my expectations, it surged through my body at incredible speed.
I hadn’t noticed it much in the Chamber of Time and Spirit, but this was an enormous change.
So much so that I momentarily lost control.
Crackle!
Mana slipped my grasp, sparking wildly.
But only for a moment.
- Magic learning ability increases by 300%.
- Mana sensitivity increases by 300%.
- Magic computation ability is maximized.
I adapted in an instant, stabilizing the flow.
It wasn’t any special technique—just pure instinct taking over.
[Do you get the hang of controlling it?]
I nodded at Asion Gail’s words.
“Yes, a bit……”
In that instant.
[Then you’re ready.]
Thud!
Asion Gail kicked off the ground and charged.
His hind legs exploded with speed, and facing it head-on, I felt a chill.
Like prey staring down a lion on the hunt.
I could tell at a glance.
‘All that worm talk……’
He had no intention of going easy on me.
“Then I’ll get serious too.”
After a brief warning, I cast my spell.
The first one was, naturally, light magic.
More precisely, a light-attribute transformation spell.
‘I can do this now.’
That conviction welled up inside me.
And sure enough.
Shiiiik!
A pure white halo enveloped my body, making it feel weightless, as if gravity had vanished.
The moment I pushed off.
Boom!
I shot forward too fast and slammed into the wall.
Even faster than the test run I’d done before.
‘What the……!’
Naturally, I panicked.
[……What the hell are you doing?]
Asion Gail was just as surprised.
“No, the speed is……”
[……So not a worm—a viper pup after all.]
He wasn’t interested in my excuses.
Thud!
The white lion launched itself again—Asion Gail.
I barely had time to calm myself before assuming position.
One thought filled my mind.
‘Slowly…… slowly……’
Just enough speed that I could control.
But.
This time too, my body exploded forward with insane velocity.
The silver lining: I was already braced, so no wall-crash.
Instead, I turned it into an attack.
Splat!
“……You okay?”
Groooowl!
My sudden punch landed.
Asion Gail bared his gleaming white fangs, clearly annoyed.
Looking ready to rip me apart any second.
And it wasn’t just my imagination.
Shwaaaa!
Vast mana erupted from his body without warning.
Click, click! Click-click-click!
Transparent barriers sprang up, encircling us.
[Asion Field].
The president’s declaration: no end to this spar until one of us fell.
“No need to go this far……”
Groowl!
Asion Gail ignored me and lunged again.
Same charge, but a different trajectory this time.
Not his forepaws—but the razor-sharp claws on them.
Aimed straight at me with murderous intent.
‘Dodge.’
My instincts screamed danger, and I leaped aside.
Boom!
Restraining my explosive movement as much as possible, I evaded my spot.
But Asion Gail anticipated it, shifting course to strike.
My vision filled with massive white fangs.
That’s when I extended my fingers.
“……Void.”
My first time uttering the incantation.
Shwaaa!
Dozens of magic circles materialized behind me as a pitch-black void yawned open right in front of him.
Large enough to swallow even Asion Gail’s massive frame.
And it wasn’t just big—it sucked in everything around it with ferocious power.
Shwooo!
Clatter, clatter! Shiiiik!
Chairs, desks, random debris.
It devoured it all without mercy.
Even Asion Gail.
[……!!]
His huge pupils dilated visibly.
That’s when immense mana surged into his claws.
Chiiiing!
Shing!
He swung his forepaw with devastating force from midair.
Riiiip!
He tore the void space apart with his claws.
Honestly, I’d been a little worried.
As expected of the president.
The power to rip space itself?
‘High-level mages aren’t born every day.’
But for some reason.
Asion Gail’s voice that followed.
[What…… the hell…… was that……?]
Sounded more shocked than I was.