Beginner Magician

"Sis, don't you think we're getting a little too hyped up for our last day together? What if someone uses it against us?"

"Ugh, I don't care. It's not like we did anything wrong. Let's be real—if it weren't for us, they never would've contained the damage to this level. We should be getting a damn commendation, not this. All they do is bark orders, poke their noses into everything, and give us a headache. Besides, when are we ever going to eat together as this exact group again!"

It was a massive incident that left over a thousand casualties, and the internet was completely flooded with news of the Orc Warrior dungeon break.

Yet the people at the center of that tragedy were currently having a drinking party. Depending on how one looked at it, the scene could easily stir up negative public opinion—regardless of their actual contributions.

That was why the restaurant had already pulled down every curtain, blocking any outside eyes.

Ohohohot! Master! These humans are looking up to me! Can you see?

An hour earlier, Yeonhee had given in to Jin-gyeong's persistent begging and summoned Ran. The little creature proved extremely effective at diverting attention away from Yeonhee herself, so she had kept the summon active.

Ran flitted around the ceiling, curiously exploring every corner of the restaurant.

"It's seriously so cute. That tiny, chubby bird… heuk heuk… I wanna fly too… whoosh whoosh—hiiing…"

Bae Jua stared at Ran in a daze, whining drunkenly, before suddenly turning to Yeonhee.

"Um—that skeleton… Its name was Ilwol, right? If you summon it again, does it keep its previous memories?"

"Yes. It remembers everything."

"Then… could you maybe summon it one more time? It saved me when things got dangerous. I at least need to say thank you—hue… I'm getting nauseous."

Yeonhee pondered Jua's request. Re-summoning was already possible, so calling him out wasn't an issue. Besides, she couldn't exactly refuse a request from Bae Jua, the hidden MVP of today's battle.

The only thing that gave her pause was No Hayun, who was subtly straining her ears, clearly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠waiting for the answer.

Can't be helped…

In truth, Yeonhee had also wanted to summon Ilwol once while they were outside. The restaurant owner, Woo Mi-ran, was a former hunter herself, so there was no need to feel awkward.

Eventually, Yeonhee cleared space in the middle of the restaurant and chanted the summoning spell. A door tall enough to brush the ceiling materialized.

"Whoa…"

"But why does the summoning method look different from the others? Ilwol comes out through an actual door, and the scale is completely different."

"The bird came out of a flower bud earlier, didn't it? Maybe they're all unique?"

"It could change depending on how long they've been contracted. Since he's the first summon, they've been together the longest."

While everyone speculated about the summoning gate, the door shimmering with blue light swung open.

Was it just her imagination? The light pouring out seemed even brighter than usual.

Step—

Huh?

The figure that stepped out was nothing like the Ilwol they remembered.

Aside from his exposed skull, his entire body was covered in pure white material. The armor was no longer loose and baggy but perfectly fitted to his bones, giving him a surprisingly stylish silhouette.

The armor looked as if thin slices of bone had been roughly layered over one another, yet there was a strange sense of refined craftsmanship to it. His gauntleted fists were particularly striking—small flames flickered to life in his palm before fading away.

Looking closer, the plate armor was densely engraved with geometric patterns, and the sharp, irregular protrusions resembled flickering flames.

Hic—!

Gulp—

The sound of someone hiccupping and swallowing echoed louder than the sizzling meat on the grill.

Helen rubbed her eyes, double-checking what she was seeing. Bae Jua's mouth hung wide open, completely forgotten.

"Amazing…"

No Hayun had unconsciously whispered the word. The others shot her startled looks.

You think that looks cool? Anyone would say that thing looks demonic.

It's too scary… The old version felt more approachable. Uhh…

Everyone except No Hayun was visibly trembling. Several had already pulled weapons from their inventories.

Ilwol's face had grown far sharper than before, making it intimidating to even speak to him. Yet the overall impression was like staring at a masterfully crafted sculpture—beautiful in a terrifying way. It was hard to look away.

Ilwol, unaware that the silence was because of him, walked straight toward his master as usual.

Whoa… Is this a barbecue place? How long has it been since I last saw the outside world?

He had stepped out briefly during the Guchang-ro dungeon break and again on the dawn they moved into the two-room apartment, but this was the first time he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had truly emerged properly.

Khup—I'm genuinely moved. Are we the only customers? Well, that explains why she called me.

"Ilwol…"

Yeonhee didn't rush over to hug him, nor did she turn away pretending not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to notice. But seeing her hesitate made sudden fear grip him.

Don't tell me… Is my face really that scary now? Where's a mirror? I need to check immediately.

As he looked around for one, she slowly approached and gently rested her head against his body. He froze in place, listening to her ragged breathing.

The others, watching them, sheepishly returned their weapons to their inventories and began commenting.

"It really is Ilwol? Did you evolve or something?"

"Whew—I thought my heart was gonna stop. Why'd you transform so dramatically?"

"Wow… He looks insanely strong. The gaps in his bones are all filled in. If he covered his face, he could probably walk around outside."

"They'd catch him and interrogate him immediately if he did that, Jin-gyeong."

"Really? Can't we just beat them all up? Ehehe—"

"So white. Both Ran and Ilwol… You're all so clean… I'm the only trash here… Heuk heuk."

Some of them still looked normal, but others were clearly not. Song Jin-gyeong and Bae Jua had drunk so much that their faces had gone from flushed to deathly pale.

Don't they trust their hunter physiques a bit too much? And why is Bae Jua crying again?

"Hiiing—I'm sorry…"

Anyway, he had to do something about the girl whining against his chest. Since he couldn't stroke her hair in front of everyone, he gently pulled her shoulder and guided her back to the table.

Damn… These thorns are nerve-wracking!

Afraid of pricking her, he had no choice but to walk beside her in an awkward, hunched posture.

"Ooh… Look at him escorting her. Isn't he fascinating? Was he some noble in his past life?"

"Ack! Ilwol, were you the youngest son of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a count from another world?!"

"Oh dear, this lowly Song Jin-gyeong failed to recognize the noble sir. My apologies."

"Ha… Everyone drink some cold water and get a grip, yeah?"

He guided Yeonhee to the seat created by pushing two tables together, then stood behind her, gazing at the table of pure chaos.

Change the grill plate on time while eating. The stew's burning to a crisp, you guys…

The sight of the stew turning black bothered him immensely.

"Ilwol's here, so another bottle of soju!"

"Does Ilwol drink? What's your tolerance like?"

Tolerance… What was my tolerance again?

When he tilted his head, Helen chuckled and held out a soju glass.

"Just take the glass. Today's MVP."

......

He carefully pinched the glass with his fingers. Soon, six hunters raised their glasses high and clinked them against his.

I don't know how this particular combination happened… but it's fun.

Clink! Clink!

"Sit here, Ilwol."

Instead of the spacious spot beside No Hayun, Yeonhee had deliberately pulled a chair between herself and Helen, patting it lightly.

Do I really belong here…?

Even as he sat, awkwardness flooded through him. He could almost feel cold sweat running down his back. Maybe it had simply been too long since his last drinking party—a million years, give or take.

"But why did you change so drastically? You got so handsome I didn't even recognize you. Where'd you get the surgery? I wanna go too. Kkkluk—"

"For real! Did anything else change? Did you get new abilities? Are you dropping nukes now?"

"What do you do while waiting to be re-summoned? Can you move around? Or are you even conscious during that time?"

"I was really, really thankful earlier—heuk… It was so scary… Heuang—"

The barrage of questions hit him the moment he sat down, making his head spin.

Crash—!

"Kyaaak!! What is that?! Sis, what is that thing?"

"I told you I had an interesting summon."

The woman emerging from the kitchen spotted him and quickly hid behind the door.

"You didn't say it was a monster like that! You said skeleton soldier! That thing looks like a knight!"

"What knight? It doesn't even use magic."

Helen answered casually.

Whew… An acquaintance? This is confusing. Very confusing. In times like this, just face forward and become a mountain.

Thinking I am the mountain, I am the water, he sat quietly. The others grinned and poured out whatever they wanted to say.

"Hehehe—"

"Wow, look at Yeonhee. Her mouth's practically reaching her ears now that Ilwol's back."

"N-no it's not…"

"Sure it isn't. Hihi, you're adorable. Aww, look at these squishy rice-cake cheeks. They stretch like slime."

"Uung—hahimadaeyo—"

.......

Listening to them playfully tease Yeonhee, he smiled while savoring the message that had appeared in his mind just before being summoned.

Hehehe… Even if I wanted to live modestly, it just isn't that easy.

In the Dark Space, after three hours of intense focus, he had finally succeeded in manifesting Fireball.

It was still a crude, wobbly sphere with no proper targeting, but the important thing was that he had done it himself.

If I want to master all sorts of things, I'll never have enough training time… For now, I guess I'll do image training in my head—

Just as he was about to begin training, he felt an intense gaze and turned toward it.

She doesn't seem like the type to join a gathering like this.

Stare—

The moment their eyes met, the alcohol in No Hayun's system vanished instantly.

She recalled the message that had appeared during the battle in the canyon a few hours earlier.

The dozens of times she had combined her ice with Ilwol's bombs seemed to have triggered something akin to an epiphany. It was truly astonishing.

Of course, it's my first time linking with bombs, but it's not like I've never cooperated with a fire mage in real combat before…

Ever since receiving her first achievement, she had tried not to get greedy. Yet somehow, being with him kept yielding results.

Just being together felt like gaining some kind of experience points. That alone was satisfying enough. Still, she couldn't stay with them forever. The guild—no, her mother—had set clear goals for her.

Even so, the unresolved questions kept pulling her attention back to him.

How exactly does his revival mechanic work? Is it possible because of some special contract with Lee Yeonhee? In that case… maintaining a good relationship with Yeonhee would be beneficial for the future too. Mm… I'm dying of curiosity, seriously.

She nodded to herself, staring intently at the evolved being called Ilwol. At first she had thought he was an early-stage awakened playing around, but now that didn't seem right either. His true identity was impossible to pin down.

Regardless, what mattered most was continuing the connection.

I shouldn't push it. I'll create opportunities naturally. The brute-force approach I've used until now clearly has its limits. Clashing with Lee Yeonhee is exhausting too.

She gently rubbed her stomach where he had struck her earlier, then downed the soju in her glass.

"So Yeonhee, you're diving straight into D-grade dungeons starting tomorrow?"

Helen asked after downing her coffee in one go.

"Mm…"

"Hey… Yeonhee, be reasonable and take at least one day off. You'll ruin your health at this rate."

"I… have to visit the Association tomorrow, and I need to sell some runes, so I probably won't be able to run dungeons."

"Right, right. Finish that quickly in the morning and take Ilwol out for some fresh air in the suburbs or something."

"Does Yeonhee-ssi have a car?"

"Ah, Yeonhee doesn't have a car…"

"A car…"

As the drinking party wound down, everyone sipped the coffee Woo Mi-ran had brought from somewhere while discussing future plans.

She had thought her connection with the Helen duo would end after today, but the canyon battle had raised their levels so much that they would reach level 40 in just two or three days.

It felt awkward to part without another word, so they were taking this extra time to talk.

The first to speak was Lee Jiu, the youngest of the Helen combo.

"For now… I'll keep running E-grade dungeons for a while. My level is the lowest here, and so are my stats. Honestly, my contribution in this raid was the lowest too… I think I need to build more experience from the bottom up."

Hm, so one person is dropping out. That's fine. Losing Lee Jiu won't be a big blow.