A Mage with 5,000 Strength

Tae-hyun realized all over again just how twisted and tangled his magic skills were. If any actual mage class saw them, they would probably scoff, What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kind of idiot learns magic skills like that?

Ah, I need to patch things up with the demons soon so I can use my skills without all this hassle... Of course, there was no telling how many quests he would have to clear to achieve that. Among all the mages who possessed the same spells, not a single one shared Tae-hyun's particular grievance. After all, normal players didn't go around making mortal enemies out of the Archdemons who ruled the layers of the Demon Realm!

My summoning spell is Intermediate, but of all things, it had to be the wraith type. That's a bit awkward for showing off my skills, isn't it? Not all undead summoning spells were created equal. The one Tae-hyun possessed was Summon Wraith. Unless the summoner was exceptionally high-level, wraiths were difficult to utilize on their own. They weren't physically strong; instead, they fought by casting curses and debuffs on enemies while other, sturdier undead tanked the damage.

Man. If I'm going to summon something, a Death Knight or an undead wyvern would be so much better... Tae-hyun was being thoroughly shameless, considering he wasn't even a mage class.

This one's too dangerous, that one will get me arrested... Sifting through his options, the only spell left was Dark Arrow. It was a basic black magic spell used by everyone from novice black mages to high-level experts. In the hands of a master, it could pack a serious punch, but Tae-hyun hadn't used it in a while. Sadiq's fire spells had simply been far superior. However, since he couldn't use any Sadiq-related skills inside the Magic Tower, he had to rely on Dark Arrow.

Sigh... Do I have to use that method? Two ideas came to mind. The first was equipping the Crown of the Forgotten Dead. This was the powerful artifact Tae-hyun had snatched and run off with while Lee Se-yeon and Smith were busy bickering. Since it was an item Lee Se-yeon had desperately wanted, it was bound to be an incredibly potent piece of black mage equipment. The problem was...

The description is way too ominous.

He could force himself to equip it using his bypass skills, but he dreaded the consequences. He had an ominous feeling that the moment he put it on, everything would go horribly wrong!

My Infamy is already giving me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enough of a headache. I shouldn't go adding curses to the mix... Tae-hyun decided to opt for the other method.

Tae-hyun's Luck stat currently exceeded 4,500. Consuming a few dozen points here meant absolutely nothing. The double-edged sword of the Luck stat was that gaining or losing a few points made absolutely no noticeable difference!

Wisdom! Please let it be Wisdom!

"..." Tae-hyun's face contorted as a barrage of system messages began to flood his vision.

A colossal, pulsing power surged through his veins! Of course, Tae-hyun was not pleased in the slightest.

Dammit. What do I do now? If Wisdom had been selected, he could have used that massive stat pool to compensate for his lack of proper magic skills. But Strength! That was the single furthest stat from magic!

Click.

"Apologies for the wait."

A sharp, gloomy-looking man clad in black robes stepped into the room. He tilted his head as he looked at Tae-hyun.

"This is the guy who's supposed to be so incredible? Really? I barely feel any mana from him."

"Baron Terand guaranteed his abilities himself, so his skills are bound to be genuine."

"Well, if Baron Terand guaranteed it... You don't think he was blackmailed or anything, do you?"

"Haha, you do love your jokes, sir."

Listening to the conversation between the mage NPC and the gatekeeper, Tae-hyun felt a sudden jolt of anxiety. If he got caught, escaping the Magic Tower in one piece would be a nightmare.

"Right. I am Chesia, the Archmage who leads the black mages of this Magic Tower. The other Archmages are too busy with their own affairs to attend. Do you wish to be tested by someone else?"

"Not at all! It is an absolute honor to be tested by you, Lord Chesia. Hehehe."

Desperate to get what he wanted, Tae-hyun instantly adopted a groveling attitude. The only thing he could rely on right now was his Speech skill!

"Take off that mask."

"Ah. Yes, of course."

Despite the flattery, Chesia's attitude remained cold and aloof.

"A Count, I see. I apologize, but noble titles hold no weight within the Magic Tower."

"Naturally. I had absolutely no intention of demanding special treatment because of my title. That is precisely why I was wearing the mask."

"And not because of your Infamy?"

"Haha. That is a complete misunderstanding. I was simply acting in the name of justice for the continent, which unfortunately led to some misconceptions."

"True, I did hear that you fought fiercely against the evil Sadiq Church. Looking at your Reputation, I suppose it is possible there was a misunderstanding."

This was the kind of reaction you got when both your Infamy and Reputation were exceptionally high. It triggered a sort of I know you're rumored to be a bad guy, but could you actually be...? response from NPCs!

Chesia tapped his staff against the floor and continued. "Besides, I do not care much about Infamy anyway. To us black mages, Infamy is practically a badge of honor."

"Actually, my nickname is the Butcher Count."

Tae-hyun instantly pivoted his stance!

"...I-I shall take my leave now. Have a pleasant time."

The gatekeeper, who had been listening from the side, slowly backed away before bolting out of the room. Pitter-patter!

Since Chesia was the only Archmage available, the gatekeeper had worried, Is this really okay? Is it safe to call such an eccentric Archmage? But seeing them now... they were a match made in heaven!

"Enough idle chatter. Let us see your skills. Let us see if you truly deserve that recommendation letter and have the right to summon me here. If you do not..."

Chesia trailed off ominously.

Hearing that, Tae-hyun immediately began to calculate. Should I kill Chesia? If I do, how? What kind of gear and items does he have on him? That robe he's wearing looks incredibly expensive... If I'm going to take him down anyway, wouldn't it be better to raid his room and sweep up everything?

Sizing up an Archmage of the Magic Tower and calculating his net worth on sight! Such was the terrifying power of habit.

No, no. Calm down. Now is not the time to kill him.

Tae-hyun reined himself in. While taking down Chesia and stripping him of his items would be deeply satisfying, dealing with the aftermath would be a nightmare. He would have to flee the Magic Tower, and they would constantly send assassins to hunt him down... His haters would undoubtedly throw a festival in celebration.

"What are you doing? Are you going to show me or not?"

"I am starting now. I will demonstrate my Dark Arrow."

"Dark Arrow. The absolute basic of basics, yet it reveals much."

Chesia nodded in satisfaction.

It seemed he had passed the first hurdle. Tae-hyun stepped up close to the target.

"What are you doing? Why are you standing so close to shoot an arrow?"

"I use it in a slightly different way."

The target was a massive boulder. Once the magic struck, its destructive power would be clear. Tae-hyun took a deep breath. Timing was everything.

Dark Arrow!

A swirling mass of darkness gathered at Tae-hyun's fingertips, quickly shaping itself into a sharp, pointed arrow.

Hup!

Tae-hyun threw a punch. Before the arrow could even fly from his fingertips, his fist reached the target. The arrow shot forward, and his fist slammed into the boulder at the exact same instant.

CRASH!

A thunderous roar echoed through the room. CRACK! The boulder serving as the target split clean down the middle and crumbled into pieces.

Tae-hyun's chosen method was a complete parlor trick. Cast Dark Arrow and simultaneously smash the target with raw physical Strength!

To think I'd actually pull off a stunt we used to joke about back in Pan-On 1... Though Tae-hyun had played a blacksmith in Pan-On 1, he had briefly considered building a "Strength Mage" at one point. He never imagined he would actually put the concept to use like this.

Will this actually work? Tae-hyun stole a glance at Chesia. The Archmage was... standing there with his jaw hanging wide open.

"What spectacular power!"

"Thank you."

"But why do you shoot it from such close range?"

"To maximize its destructive force, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I must get as close as possible before casting."

"This devastating power... You truly deserve your title as the Butcher Count."

"..." Chesia was marveling at a rather bizarre detail.

"Even among black mages, it is rare to find someone capable of producing such raw destructive force."

Normally, spells that boasted such overwhelming firepower belonged to the elemental schools—fire, frost, or lightning. Black magic was primarily centered around summoning undead and casting curses. Spells with high direct damage output were few and far between.

"Very well. I acknowledge your skill!"

"Thank you."

"No, I should be the one thanking you. To think a newly arrived mage would be this outstanding! And a black mage, no less! The other schools will turn green with envy when they hear of this!"

"Thank you...?"

"I must call the other Archmages and show you off! I want you to demonstrate this spell again right in front of their faces. I cannot wait to see the looks on those fools who always look down on the destructive power of black magic! Kuhahaha!"

"..." This was not a situation to be thankful for at all!

Out of the frying pan and into the fire! He had barely managed to deceive Chesia, only to be thrown into a situation where he had to fool the other Archmages as well. As the saying went, a long tail is bound to be stepped on. There was absolutely no guarantee he wouldn't get caught if he tried to pull this stunt again in front of a whole crowd of Archmages.

"Um, Lord Chesia. This spell consumes a massive amount of MP, and I am currently quite exhausted... Would it be alright if we did this next time? I would like to return fully prepared."

"Very well, let us do that. Tomorrow, then?"

"Ah, no... Tomorrow is a bit..."

"The day after tomorrow?"

"I have an appointment the day after tomorrow..."

"The day after the day after tomorrow?"

"I have someone I need to kill that day..."

"Ah, then when is a good time?!" Chesia snapped, growing irritated as Tae-hyun kept dodging the question.

"How about a week from now?"

"Fine. A week from now it is. This actually works out well since it gives us plenty of time. I shall gather even more mages to witness it."

"..." Cold sweat poured down Tae-hyun's back.