Chapter 33: The Blind Date
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 33: The Blind Date
Globally, all children are required to undergo a magic power test at the age of ten.
This test measured one's innate magic power, and if a child's power exceeded a certain threshold, they were given the option to enroll in a Magic Tower's training center.
Of course, it was extremely rare for anyone to refuse enrollment. For commoner families, the chance for their child to become a mage and receive corporate sponsorship was a life-changing opportunity—a more desperate hope than a lottery ticket they might never win.
The situation wasn't much different for wealthy families.
Even if their child didn't become a mage, making connections with potential future mages at the training center could provide numerous business advantages down the line. It was only natural for them to try and send their children to the training center.
However, of all the children who entered the training center with their hearts full of dreams, only about 30% would ever make it into a Magic Tower.
Furthermore, even that 30% who managed to enter a Magic Tower could be expelled at any time if their supervising professor deemed them unsuitable.
It typically takes a child in a Magic Tower eight to nine years to form a Mana Circle, and roughly 40% succeed within that timeframe.
About 30% form their Mana Circle later, while the remaining 29% are deemed unsuitable and expelled.
Yet, even among these exceptionally talented children, filtered through such a rigorous process, there was a shining 1% that stood out.
They were the ones who formed their Mana Circles at a vastly superior speed, destined to become the nation's representative mages—they were what you would call geniuses.
And at the Gray Magic Tower, there was one such unprecedented genius who had reached the 3rd Circle at the mere age of twenty-one.
“Hello?”
It was Choi Hyena, of the Seongbuk Choi family, one of the Republic of Korea's three great prestigious magic families.
-Hello? My granddaughter?
“...What is it?”
Just hearing her paternal grandmother's voice was enough to sour Choi Hyena's mood.
-Oh, my. This old grandma just called because she wanted to hear her granddaughter's voice, and you're already asking for business? Isn't that a bit harsh?
“Well, you've heard my voice, so you're good, right? I'm hanging up.”
-Ah, ah! W-wait a moment!
Just as I thought.
She wasn't the type of person to call without a reason.
The problem was, she only ever called with troublesome and annoying matters.
Last time, she'd brought up a marriage proposal from another prestigious magic family.
I'm busy enough with my magic research, what's all this about marriage?
Choi Hyena, who had reached the 3rd Circle at the young age of twenty-one, had a grand ambition.
One day, she would surpass the Gray Tower Lord, known as the next-generation archmage, and reach the supreme realm of the 8th Circle herself.
To achieve that, she couldn't stop her magic research for even a moment, and marriage was nothing but a waste of time.
-How about going on a blind date?
“Haaah...”
Of course.
How can she be so predictable?
“Grandma, I told you last time, I have no intention of getting married or anything...”
-Don't be shocked when you hear this. He's the same age as you, but he's already at the 2nd Circle.
Thud. Choi Hyena dropped her phone.
“...I'll just go to see what he looks like.”
With a peculiar expression, a mix of suspicion and interest, Choi Hyena picked up her phone.
*
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!! BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!
A loud, annoying alarm blared through the small studio apartment.
“Ah... fucking loud...”
It was a moment where I resented my past self for setting an alarm before bed.
I don't even have any plans, so why the hell did I set an alarm?
Kang Hyun-woo rubbed his swollen eyes and forced himself up.
A familiar screen hovered before his eyes.
[Matching has ended.]
[Favorability Change]
[Cheon Yeo-hwa 0♡ → 87♡]
[Bond Level Change]
[Cheon Yeo-hwa Lv.0 → Lv.2]
[Calculating...]
[500 Love Coins have been awarded.]
[Remaining Coins: 1,700 Coins]
[Name: Cheon Yeo-hwa
Age: 20
Race: Human
Affiliation: AXZ-174
Occupation: 2nd Young Lady of the Heavenly Demonic Cult
Disposition: Cold, Cruel, Calculating, Pure Love (New!)
[Time until next match: 122:49:45]
“...Has this been up all day since yesterday?”
Yesterday afternoon, after a wild night with Cheon Yeo-hwa, I had returned home the moment the matching time ended.
As soon as I got back, I had passed out from the exhaustion of a two-day mountain hike and the backlash of shooting five loads in a row all morning.
“Did I sleep for about... 20 hours?”
Man, I really slept a lot.
But I felt just as refreshed.
“It gave me 500 coins this time.”
That was more than I expected.
However, the shop hadn't reset, so there was nowhere to spend them.
“I'll save them for now. They might come in handy later.”
I dismissed the screen and headed for the bathroom.
I didn't have any appointments, but I had a place to go.
After showering, I hailed a cab.
“To the Gray Magic Tower, please.”
Meeting Iris and Cheon Yeo-hwa had made me realize something.
I'm too weak.
I had become the mage I'd always dreamed of being and even reached the 2nd Circle, but I couldn't even beat the gatekeeper of the 1st floor of the underground dungeon.
Moreover, Cheon Yeo-hwa, who hadn't even fully detoxified from the poison, was several times stronger than me.
To get Iris out of that place, I'll have to become much stronger than I am now.
I also had to get stronger to protect Cheon Yeo-hwa from the assassins targeting her.
My immediate goal was the 3rd Circle.
For that, I needed to meet with Choi Young-ok, the woman I'd met before.
During my reunion with Iris, I hadn't been able to attend a proper class. Besides, the next match was still five days away.
And enrollment in the Magic Tower was a whole month away.
To reach the 3rd Circle, I needed to accumulate more knowledge. And for that, I needed the help of a mage stronger than myself.
I thought she was no ordinary old woman, but to think she was Choi Young-ok of the Seongbuk Choi family.
The Seongbuk Choi family.
One of the Republic of Korea's three great prestigious magic families, known for producing numerous outstanding elementalists, they were characterized by their red hair.
That was also why people in Korea tried their best to avoid anyone with red hair.
As far as I knew, there was only one person who was the grandmother of a Seongbuk Choi family granddaughter.
The Elementalist of Crimson Flame.
I'd seen an article on an online community calling her a genius who had reached the 6th Circle at the relatively young age of sixty.
Huh? Isn't sixty old? you might ask, but Choi Young-ok looked to be in her mid-forties at most.
Besides, the denser one's magic power, the longer their lifespan. As a 6th-Circle mage, her lifespan was likely double that of an ordinary person.
Considering some mages never even reach the 3rd Circle in their entire lives, it's incredible.
It was a bit strange that someone like her was trying to set me up with her granddaughter, but for me, who was aiming for the 3rd Circle, there was no one better.
“We're here.”
Arriving at the Gray Magic Tower for the first time in a while, it was as crowded as ever.
As I waited in the first-floor lobby, I saw a familiar face in the distance.
“Grandson-in-law!”
“...”
At the sudden appearance of a 6th-Circle mage, the eyes of everyone in the lobby turned towards her in unison.
...Has that old lady lost her mind?
Many of the people who came to the Magic Tower on business were corporate types, but occasionally there were reporters and people from the hunter industry.
And in front of all these people, the Elementalist of Crimson Flame from the Seongbuk Choi family was looking for her grandson-in-law?
It was only natural that people's gazes shifted from Choi Young-ok to me.
As dozens of pairs of eyes focused on me in an instant, a faint smile bloomed on Choi Young-ok's lips.
...I should have worn a mask and a hat.
That old hag. She's clearly doing this because she wants to spread the rumor that I'm her grandson-in-law in front of everyone.
Circumstantially, that was the logical conclusion, but I still wondered if the great Seongbuk Choi family really needed to go to such lengths for a guy like me.
There must be so many guys with better qualifications than me, so why me?
It felt a bit off, but I smiled and approached Choi Young-ok anyway.
“I'm sorry for not contacting you.”
“It's quite all right. It's common for mages to lose contact for a month when they're concentrating. And that's not even to mention advancing a Circle.”
Though she said that, Choi Young-ok looked at Kang Hyun-woo with astonishment.
She'd had her suspicions, but he was really at the 2nd Circle. Moreover, his magic power was considerably more stable than when they had last met.
It would be hard to achieve that unless he'd been in a real battle.
Choi Young-ok smiled.
It seemed she'd picked a fine grandson-in-law.
“Anyway, I didn't expect my grandson-in-law to contact me first. Shall we head up to my workshop for now?”
*
Following Choi Young-ok, I arrived at her workshop, located on the 54th floor.
The incredible scale of it, occupying the entire floor, made me realize just what kind of position Choi Young-ok held in the Magic Tower.
...It's much neater than I expected.
I had imagined a mage's workshop to be a chaotic mess of magic ingredients and research papers, but aside from the various machines of unknown purpose scattered about, it looked like a normal office.
“This area also serves as a reception room. My main workshop is on the floor above.”
“...Excuse me?”
“I use both the 54th and 55th floors.”
I couldn't help but be surprised by Choi Young-ok's casual statement that she used two entire floors in the Magic Tower, located on prime Seoul real estate, as her personal workshop.
Fucking enviable... I'm looking into loans because I can't afford my lease deposit.
Now that I was a mage, I could probably get a massive loan, but it was nothing that could compare to the price of a building in the Gray Magic Tower or the wealth of the Seongbuk Choi family.
“Ah, of course, my grandson-in-law has nothing to worry about. I can provide you with a personal workshop anytime.”
“Oh.”
Being the grandson-in-law of a prestigious family... might be even better than I thought?
As long as the photo of her granddaughter I saw wasn't so ridiculously photoshopped that even her own parents wouldn't recognize her, I was more than welcoming.
It was just that the topic of marriage itself was a bit heavy.
“By the way, what brings my grandson-in-law here today?”
I bowed my head toward Choi Young-ok, who was sipping her black tea.
“First, I'd like to thank you for what you did last time.”
“Hm? Ah.”
The news I'd seen in the taxi on the way here had shown Assemblyman Jeon Jinmuk getting pelted with rotten eggs by citizens, and the backs of Jeon Hyeseong's maternal family members as they appeared before the prosecutor's office.
“It was nothing, so don't worry about it.”
Choi Young-ok waved her hand as if it were truly nothing, but honestly, there was no way that simultaneously taking down a national assemblyman and a family that wielded immense power in their region was "nothing.”
“And family doesn't bow to each other over such trivial things.”
“...But does your granddaughter know she's having a blind date with me?”
Honestly, that was what I was most suspicious about.
The eldest daughter of a family with wealth comparable to a conglomerate and the distinguished bloodline of a prestigious magic family would be happy to go on a blind date with a war orphan like me?
Could it be any more implausible...?
“...She knows about it.”
She knows about it, but somehow, I doubted she'd actually agreed to the blind date.
Why could I picture a future where I get a face full of water at this meeting?
I could only hope it was just my own overactive imagination.
“A-ahem. So, did you come today just to thank me for that matter?”
“Ah, that's part of it, but I have one more favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
The magic I could currently use, aside from basic common magic, was elemental magic that dealt with fire and lightning.
Lightning was powerful, but it had the disadvantage of being difficult to control.
Fire, on the other hand, wasn't as powerful as lightning, but it boasted superior firepower compared to other elements and had the advantage of being useful in various situations.
“Could you please teach me some magic?”
If I could handle the fire element more skillfully and use more spells, I felt like I could see the path to the 3rd Circle.