Chapter 238
Chapter 238
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 238
Chapter Title: Raising Jang Hyun-deok
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A week had passed since then.
Finally, with some breathing room, I was able to hold a new magic lesson with Jang Hyun-deok.
"Hyun-deok, how's it feel? Can you move it?"
"Uh—well? This, uh, you know?"
Tss tss tss—
Thin strands of mana leaked from Jang Hyun-deok's hands.
"Yeah, that's it. Keep going just like that."
"Huh? Uh? Like this?"
Tssrrrrr tssrrrrk—
"No, not that! Focus! Jang Hyun-deok!"
An enormous surge of mana burst from Jang Hyun-deok's fingertips, spilling out like a tangled ball of yarn.
No, it really was yarn. The mana released from his hands transformed into tens of thousands of threads, fluttering wildly.
"Aaack! Wizard! What's happening!? Aaaah!"
Chrrrrk—chrarararak!
The countless threads sprouting from his hands danced like living creatures with minds of their own before wrapping around Jang Hyun-deok's neck and body. Ah, damn it. Total failure!
"Cackle cackle cackle!"
A horrific laugh echoed from somewhere.
"Ah, crap. Mulin after all?"
The mana and yin energy dormant in the basement surged all at once, sending shockwaves like an earthquake or storm.
"You dare! You dare!"
A woman's voice burst from Jang Hyun-deok's mouth.
"Red, block it!"
"Kiiiii!!"
Red, now gigantic, flapped fiercely (not flying, just flapping its wings) and unleashed a wave of abyss power to suppress the specter.
Kwarrrrk!
That was a problem in itself!
I hastily erected spells of [Control] and [Restraint] all around, binding the wave from Red and Jang Hyun-deok—no, Heo Ji-hyun now. Anyway, her.
"Open the door!"
Kiiiiik—
The silver barrier in the corner of the basement parted.
Inside, the high spirit entity, [The Laughing One], reached out mockingly at my predicament.
"See? What did I tell you?"
"Shut up! Take this!"
Kadddddk!
Heo Ji-hyun's spirit ripped free from Jang Hyun-deok's body. She got sucked into the barrier at [The Laughing One]'s gesture, wave and all.
—No! Don't! Don't seal me again!
Kwarrrung! Shiiiik!
With a noise that could shred eardrums, Heo Ji-hyun's spirit was resealed.
"Uh—uuh……."
Jang Hyun-deok groaned standing for a moment before collapsing unconscious.
"Kiiik!"
Red rushed over, wrapping Jang Hyun-deok gently in its massive wings.
Jang Hyun-deok fell asleep, buried in Red's fluffy feathers.
"Good job, Red."
Nice, nice. I high-fived Red's wing—and Cheongho, no, [The Laughing One] borrowing dead Cheongho's form, who had been watching, asked me in disbelief.
"Kim Shin-hwa. What the hell are you doing? Human experimentation?"
"How is this human experimentation? It's just teaching magic to my student."
"Magic? Don't spout nonsense. That's not magic."
"Borrowed Power is magic too."
Borrowed Power, or Divine Borrowing.
A technique to wield supernatural strength by borrowing from spiritual entities.
"Absurd sophistry. By that logic, you might as well teach Spirit Possession."
Fair point.
Borrowed Power was closer to Taoist arts than true magic, and if you veered further... it led to the possession rites of shamans or mediums.
Either way, it was a bit distant from the magic I used.
"You think a kid who can't control his own talent can handle a malevolent spirit's power?"
"I admit the progress was a bit fast, but he can do it."
"You really believe that? The kid's intelligence and mental fortitude are woefully inadequate."
"……."
Couldn't argue when they called Jang Hyun-deok an idiot. Depressing.
"I've possessed him before, so I know. Barely any innate mana, just an ability to amplify foreign entities' power after they've entered him."
[The Laughing One] chuckled, reminiscing.
"Among all the shamans and vessels I've possessed, his body was the best. You call it 'ride comfort'? Unforgettable stability and absurd pleasure."
"Shut up. Can't you?"
"Such an imbalanced ability couldn't form naturally. One of the abyss entities must've tampered with his soul for its own convenience."
Infuriating, but correct.
Analyzing Jang Hyun-deok's body again confirmed it: utterly abnormal.
Other talents for magic or mediumship were average or below, but the [Living Altar] trait for hosting spirits, gods, and amplifying their power was grotesquely hypertrophied.
Probably [The King in Yellow] who artificially tuned his abilities.
"Don't think of that as a person. It's just a tool in human shape. Destroy its ego, pin its limbs, and puppet it like your undead golems. No need to waste time on this ridiculous—"
Bang!
I slammed the barrier door shut with mana.
"Talking out of turn when you think you have an opening."
Grunt.
"Kiiii……."
Red, cradling Jang Hyun-deok, looked lost.
"No, Red. You did nothing wrong, so don't worry. Let's head to the living room for now."
"Kiii—"
* * *
"Uh—Wizard, my head's spinning."
Jang Hyun-deok finally opened his eyes.
"You're awake?"
"Where are we?"
"Living room couch."
"This fluffy thing—oh, Red. Hi?"
"Kiiii!"
"Hahaha—tickles! Uh, Wizard? What happened?"
Hmm—I searched for an excuse, gave up, and told the truth.
"I miscalculated."
"Not my mistake?"
"Yeah."
Took a shortcut and tripped.
The issue with Jang Hyun-deok not using magic properly... complicated, but boiled down to insufficient mana.
'So I tried applying Borrowed Power to supplement it.'
The plan exploited his possession-prone constitution. [Living Altar] amplified hosted spirits' power.
If Jang Hyun-deok could control a spirit inside him?
He could wield that amplified mana as his own.
'Thought it'd make [Super Medium Jang Hyun-deok] if it worked.'
Miscalculation.
The practice spirit, Heo Ji-hyun's, was nearly dissipated, poison purged.
Plus, prior possession should've built some soul-antibody.
Even so—
'Maybe because of the dream haze?'
Jang Hyun-deok's [Living Altar] trait had strengthened since before. It hadn't just restored Heo Ji-hyun's power on its own—it amplified it beyond her previous peak.
"Wizard, like in webnovels, you know? That protagonist stuff?"
Buried in Red's fluffy embrace, Jang Hyun-deok wheezed before spouting nonsense energetically.
"Status screen! Pababa! Awakening an amazing cheat ability no one else has! Nothing like that?"
"No such thing, you idiot."
Status screen aside, Jang Hyun-deok already had an amazing cheat: [Living Altar].
'Ah, annoying.'
Not annoyed at Jang Hyun-deok.
Well, he wasn't entirely innocent, but secondary.
Annoyed at [The Laughing One]'s snark earlier. At the hunch that the power in Jang Hyun-deok was part of [The King in Yellow]'s grand scheme. At [Predator of the Mountains] still lurking in Paju's reed fields. That bastard.
And at whatever sent those message windows—probably Nyarlathotep—watching my choices expectantly.
'[The King in Yellow], how the hell did he implant this trait?'
Any way to extract it?
"Maybe it's not impossible."
"Huh? What? Status screen? Whoa! Status screen!?"
"No, not that. Give me your right hand."
"Urk, like last time?"
"Yeah. Hand it over."
I grabbed Jang Hyun-deok's right hand and drew magic circles around us.
Giiiiiing!
"Aaaah!? W-Wizard?!"
Yellow glow poured from [The Mask of Carcosa] covering my face, dyeing Jang Hyun-deok's too.
[Perception]
Fwaaaak—
[Perception] activated after ages.
Magic to grasp the weak points in this world's powers and laws.
And—
Knead those soft spots, reshape the world's form to my will.
'Very limited scope now, but—'
Under [Perception], I examined Jang Hyun-deok's body.
Walak—
Blood streamed from my eyes. Throbbing head. Scalding brain. Boiling cerebrospinal fluid, frying neurons—delusional agony.
Through [Perception], Jang Hyun-deok's body appeared as a gleaming golden throne—waiting for a king to descend and sit.
[The King in Yellow] molded his soul into that form.
An 'artwork' by a far superior being. What magic to alter it?
'[Heir of the Corpse Pile] trait to make him a familiar. Easy.'
Whose crazy idea is that? Get lost!
'[The Laughing One]'s right, honestly. Jang Hyun-deok's a risk. Safer to seal him in a barrier than force it. Might even be best for him.'
Ah, hold on. Fox and crow fable?
'I-I think... j-just [Devour] his t-talent, mana, soul, blood. A-all of it.'
Never gave you speaking rights! Nameless, shut it!
'Send me into Jang Hyun-deok! I can use his power better!'
You, the escape artist? Stay buried in my subconscious!
'Just kill him! Why drag this burden around with pointless worries? Kill him like the others! Kill! Kill! Kill!'
Ah, and who are you? Do I know you?
Ignoring the lunatic roommates' ravings in my head, I directed mana at Jang Hyun-deok's soul.
Pajijijijik!!
Damn, impossible to change with my current power.
But still.
A small ornament—to ripple his plan.
'Why go this far for Jang Hyun-deok?'
'What's the goal?'
'W-Waste of power! Steal it! Plunder!'
'Think he'll reward you properly?'
'Just kill him!'
Why?
Not for Jang Hyun-deok.
Not for future rewards or benefits from him.
Just pissed at the abyss entity's setup!
And because you all oppose it!
So I'll do what you'll hate!
"■■■ ■ ■■ ■■■?"
Jang Hyun-deok's voice.
I heard it, but no bandwidth to parse meaning.
Wizard, what are you doing?
Meaning loaded belatedly. Loading? Shut up! Ignore that, finish fast!
[L-Grade Accessory 'Mask of Carcosa' unique function, 'Madman's Handiwork' activates.
// Madman's Handiwork: Attempt to unlock artifact's hidden abilities or bestow new ones.]
"■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■ ■■■."
My voice. Answering Jang Hyun-deok?
Not how this magic's supposed to work.
My words' meaning loaded late too.
Eerie sense of watching myself from a step behind.
Kwarrrrrung!
Thunderous roar shaking the whole mansion, absurd flash.
Golden lightning erupting skyward from earth—massive uproar! Wooooo!
Specters wailed at the mana exploding everywhere.
Heo Sang-hyeon stared, face pale.
Shiiiik—
Air rushed back, displaced by dense mana surge.
"Uwaaaaa—"
Despite the chaos, from Jang Hyun-deok's mouth...
"W-Wizard, what did you do?"
Dazed nonsense, as always.
"Jang Hyun-deok, you really—."
How so consistently dim?
"Huh? What?"
"Ah, whatever, man. Ugh…… My head's killing me."
Grunt—got overly heated, overdid it needlessly.