Oma's Mage (2)
‘Ugh.’
Song Jiseok’s face twisted in pain. With trembling eyes, he looked down at his hand gripped by Kim Jehyun.
Constitutionally, thanks to his innate strength, he had never been overpowered by anyone in a contest of raw power. On top of that, Song Jiseok was a mage on the cusp of the 5th Circle. Before the handshake, he had cast Strength on his own hand as a little prank.
There had been no shortage of people who suffered harshly from Song Jiseok’s malicious pranks disguised as power plays over the years.
‘What the hell is...’
Song Jiseok’s thoughts couldn’t continue. The pain radiating from his hand intensified. His face contorted viciously.
“Haha.”
The laughter of Matapju Choi Hanseom signaled the end of their power struggle.
“Jiseok’s met his match today.”
Choi Hanseom grinned. He knew all about his youngest disciple’s bad habit. He had been curious to see how Kim Jehyun would handle it.
But this exceeded his expectations.
‘Not magic. He overpowered Jiseok’s enhanced grip with pure strength alone. As expected... goblin lineage?’
Choi Hanseom’s misunderstanding of Jehyun deepened further. It was a ridiculous misconception born because even someone like Choi Hanseom, who had reached the supreme realm of the 8th Circle, found Jehyun inscrutable.
“Ugh.”
Song Jiseok massaged his right hand with his left as he glared at Jehyun. His expression mixed pain, bewilderment, and irritation at being outdone.
“You should work out more. Your grip strength is seriously lacking.”
Jehyun delivered the finishing blow. He smiled faintly, needling Song Jiseok in that classic ‘ice-cold bitch’ way.
Song Jiseok’s face hardened. It was obvious he was pissed. But he couldn’t act out in front of the Matapju. He had no choice but to swallow his anger.
‘That bastard...’
The light in Song Jiseok’s eyes darkened as he stared at Jehyun. He had long known the guy was exceptional. But this level of physical prowess? It didn’t make sense.
Song Jiseok could tell Jehyun hadn’t used magic. That made it all the more shocking.
‘How the hell does he train to temper his body like that?’
Song Jiseok’s face turned queasy. Inscrutable. The word fit perfectly.
‘I should’ve asserted dominance from the start.’
He gritted his teeth. At this rate, he’d fall behind Jehyun too.
From the atmosphere, it seemed his master intended to take Jehyun as a disciple. The fact that he hadn’t left the mission solely to Song Jiseok but had called Jehyun along as well was proof enough.
Song Jiseok felt a growing urgency. He wasn’t lacking enough to avoid the ‘genius’ label elsewhere, but compared to his four senior disciples, he was practically ordinary.
Though their entry as Matapju’s disciples had been staggered in time, he was the only one still stuck at the 5th Circle.
His first and second senior brothers had already broken through the second wall into the 7th Circle. It was a glaring deficiency by comparison.
‘Ha, slapped with the ‘donation disciple’ label, and now I’ll hear I lost to some random newcomer.’
Song Jiseok was outstanding enough to be called a genius anywhere else, but he fell a bit short for Matapju’s disciple. And yet, the reason he had become one anyway...
His family’s immense financial and technical contributions to the Magic Tower.
That was how he had secured the spot.
‘I have to get the seal first.’
Song Jiseok’s eyes sank. There was no room to retreat. He was the only disciple without the seal. If this newcomer Jehyun got it before him, his reputation would crash, and the scolding from his family was a foregone conclusion.
‘Nightmarish.’
Song Jiseok shook his head. Staring at the monstrous kid before him, he resolved himself.
‘Your talent might be superior, but I have more experience.’
The power play had failed, but once the real mission began, things would change. He would rise above Jehyun somehow. If not, he’d drag him down.
* * *
A clear sky. Blazing sunlight poured down from cloudless blue heavens.
The weather was perfect today. But Haejeongsan Mountain was a different story.
At odds with the fine day, a thick, gloomy fog shrouded one massive peak.
‘That’s the place.’
Jehyun gazed ahead. Numerous people bustled around Haejeongsan, erecting temporary barricades.
To fortify this vast area with barricades—it was impressive dedication. But it was necessary. If even a single monster escaped the dungeon, no one knew what catastrophe might unfold.
A bit further on, they reached a crowd. Upon arriving at the destination, Jehyun and Song Jiseok stepped out of the mana car.
They hadn’t exchanged a word the whole ride. The incident in front of Matapju earlier, plus Song Jiseok’s naturally taciturn nature. Jehyun had nothing particular to say either, so silence had reigned.
Jehyun preferred it that way. He’d used the time to organize his thoughts. Instead, the three accompanying 4th Circle mages had chattered excitedly among themselves.
“Welcome.”
Kim Sangyang, the Magic Tower affiliate managing the site, greeted them. Jehyun and Song Jiseok’s group followed him into the tent serving as temporary headquarters.
Inside gathered not just Magic Tower personnel but representatives from other factions too. Restrictions on participation had been lifted, allowing any support.
“They’re here.”
“Song Jiseok, Matapju’s disciple, and Kim Jehyun.”
“Whoa, that’s Kim Jehyun? He’s so pretty.”
“That’s the guy they’re calling a once-in-a-generation monster?”
Members from other factions muttered as they eyed Kim Jehyun. Most had heard at least rumors about him.
In truth, many there cared more about the Magic Tower arrivals than the dungeon break itself. Noble purpose aside, it was a chance to boost their own fame and their organization’s prestige.
Especially now, with the Magic Tower in disarray. Proving themselves superior in the media would be golden.
‘And if we snag the boss before Song Jiseok or Kim Jehyun, our value skyrockets.’
Jo Seunghoon, representing Haedong Geommun, thought to himself. He wasn’t alone. Lee Ji Clan’s Shin Siyong, Gwangho Clan’s Bong Hyunjun, Cheonsega’s Cheon Giha, and other promising stars from major mid-to-large factions shared the sentiment.
They cast appraising glances at Jehyun, testing if the hype was real.
‘Hm? What’s this?’
‘Can’t gauge his mana.’
‘Tricky...’
They all tried to size up Jehyun’s presence. None succeeded.
It was only natural. Even Matapju couldn’t fully grasp Jehyun’s power. These lesser mages had no chance of piercing his essence.
‘Can’t pin it down exactly, but he’s no ordinary guy.’
‘Masterful at concealing his aura, huh.’
‘Gotta see him in action.’
They watched Jehyun with intrigued eyes. The Magic Tower buzz made sense now. He clearly had something special.
“Alright, seems everyone’s gathered. Time for the briefing.”
A Magic Tower mage stepped forward—the local coordinator. He explained that Haejeongsan’s dungeon, Oma’s Dungeon, had broken, unleashing the Omas. The fog blanketing the area was likely the work of a mage from that dungeon.
“That mage is probably the boss.”
Mana potent enough to affect this entire massive mountain. No pushover.
The briefer stressed utmost caution.
“Don’t worry. If you’re anxious, leave it to us.”
A young man with slanted eyes spoke up. Seo Cheolhee of Isu Clan. A dual-sword ability user dubbed the ‘mage counter’ for his trait that massively boosted magic resistance.
“What? We’re confident too.”
Cheolsega’s Cheol Gangsan retorted. Famous for his innate divine strength, he was a superhuman of Cheolsega.
All exuded confidence.
Briefing over, they headed to the entrance for Haejeongsan ascent.
“Over there! They’re coming.”
“Whoa, all the top clans and houses are here.”
“Jo Seunghoon!”
“Shin Siyong and Cheon Giha too.”
“Isn’t that Song Jiseok? First time seeing Matapju’s direct disciple.”
“Next to Matapju must be Kim Jehyun.”
“Ooh, the prodigy everyone’s hyping. Real deal?”
Crowds thronged the entrance. All come to watch the mages and superhumans tackling the dungeon break.
The public obsessed over superhuman rankings. With so many promising stars gathered, bets flew on who’d claim the boss.
The hype fired up the participants too.
“How’re we moving?”
“Not just one path, and we can’t all squeeze through here. We’ll take another route.”
“Us too, separately.”
Once inside, they splintered for personal glory. Eyes gleamed with intent to claim the boss kill.
In the end, they scattered.
“Blinded by merit. Tsk.”
Song Jiseok clicked his tongue at the display.
Alkasha chimed in at the sight.
“Not for you to say, is it?”
‘Fair enough.’
Jehyun chuckled softly in response.
Song Jiseok was just as merit-hungry. Their recent exchange replayed in Jehyun’s mind.
“Though Master assigned us both, I believe command suits me, with my age and experience. Will you follow my orders?”
Song Jiseok had unilaterally set team positions and strategy. He claimed the core striker role. Jehyun was relegated to rear support.
If they felled the boss like this, merit was obvious.
‘Trying to offset his lag with results.’
Jehyun vaguely understood Song Jiseok’s mindset.
“What if you miss the boss’s treasure orb? We’re competing with other teams, and even Song Jiseok’s checking you.”
Competing externally and internally too. No guarantee Jehyun would claim the boss this way.
Yet Jehyun seemed utterly relaxed.
‘No rush. No one here will take down the boss anyway.’
“What?”
‘This op failed in the future.’
Knowing the future, Jehyun knew it flopped. Those gathered failed against Oma’s mage. Some even fell into peril, resolved only when higher experts rushed in.
‘Plus, as Matapju said, this boss is special.’
“You mean it’s really an Irregular?”
‘Yeah.’
“Hah, so everything’s in your palm then.”
Jehyun just grinned silently at Alkasha’s words.
Only he could properly handle Oma’s mage here.
“Alright, everyone on high alert as we move!”
At Song Jiseok’s shout, the Magic Tower group advanced. He brimmed with zeal, determined to slay the boss himself.
Jehyun chuckled at the sight, then addressed Alkasha.
‘Alkasha. Know why I’m not rushing?’
“The fog blanketing the mountain?”
‘Sharp as ever. Right. This isn’t ordinary fog. Everyone else’ll struggle hard in it.’
Jehyun waved a hand, continuing.
‘Everyone but me.’
With that, his eyes began to glow golden.