Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: The Silver Moon Clan's Test
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Mastering even a single form perfectly takes years of effort.
I've only spent a few days getting the hang of the thorn form, so expecting higher scores here would be greedy.
[Electric Attribute Control Technique]
Grade: 0 (52%)
Still, the proficiency of my Electric Attribute Control Technique has now reached 52%.
The attribute proficiency had been rising steadily, but it jumped by about 15% after facing Baek Eun-seong recently.
Compared to the training time invested, it wasn't a bad growth rate at all.
"I'll practice this slowly for now."
The real reason I visited the training grounds today was something else.
It was to try practicing 'Dual Form Simultaneous Manifestation.'
Manifesting one thorn form and one sphere form at the same time.
In manifestation magic, this was the pinnacle technique, surpassing even Compressed Manifestation.
Incidentally, this training also doubled as practice for 'Dual Attribute Simultaneous Manifestation.'
If I could manifest two attributes at once, it might create situations in 1-on-1 combat where the opponent struggles to respond.
Who knows, I might even succeed at the 'Triple Attribute Simultaneous Manifestation' that no mage in the future has ever achieved.
But for me, who still can't properly manifest the thorn form, that's a distant realm.
I should put those pipe dreams aside for now and focus on practicing dual form manifestation first.
"Let's give it a shot."
Whoooong!
I first manifested the familiar sphere form magic.
Then, while maintaining that, I tried to simultaneously manifest the thorn form.
Mana swirled wildly, and an unstable shape began to form above my hand. A long stick.
This was hardly worthy of being called a thorn form.
I tried to reshape it into a proper thorn using my imagination, but it didn't work well.
"...Tch."
In the end, I released the manifestation.
As expected, for someone like me who can't handle even a single thorn form properly, manifesting two forms at once is still too much.
But that attempt gave me a sense of it.
The flexibility of imagination. And the method of mana control.
I felt confident that trying again would yield a better form than before.
[Mana Control Technique (B)]
Training Value: 92%
"Huh?"
The training value went up?
"Heh."
A smile crept onto my face involuntarily.
92%.
Just 8% left until A-grade.
Achieving A-grade within 1 or 2 years had been my goal, but this growth was much faster than expected.
Time passed, and Friday evening—the day I'd promised with Lee Seo-jun—arrived.
I was waiting for him in front of the school gate.
"Kim Seon-woo."
Just as I was starting to get tired of waiting, Lee Seo-jun appeared before me.
"Damn, why are you so late?"
"Ah, sorry. I was talking with a teacher for a bit."
"It's getting late. Let's head to Ddal-ri before it gets any later."
Lee Seo-jun nodded and started walking, then suddenly turned to me.
"But we don't have to go together, you know."
"Huh?"
"I can go alone. I feel bad that you're coming with me."
"It's fine. I want to learn some things myself."
Mage families in this world each possess secret magics.
And those secret magics are passed down only to mages affiliated with the family.
Usually, they're handed down only through bloodlines, but some families occasionally take in disciples to build their power.
This was a form of 'power expansion.'
The House of Silver Moon was famous among renowned families for raising disciples.
Incidentally, this was a rare chance to build resistance to illusion magic.
Of course, I could buy it through Outsider's Boon, but points aren't infinite, so I shouldn't pass up a free opportunity.
Plus, with the butterfly effect, who knows what else might happen? Sticking by Lee Seo-jun's side is a good idea.
Lee Seo-jun nodded at my words.
"If you say it like that, I don't have much to argue. Next time you need a favor, just ask. I'll help with anything."
"Then lose to me if we end up on opposing teams in the finals."
"What?"
Lee Seo-jun made a baffled expression.
"Why? You said anything."
"No, that's not just me taking the loss—my teammates would suffer too."
"Tch. All talk."
Lee Seo-jun still looked baffled as he stared at me.
And so, Lee Seo-jun and I took a portal to a small city in Chungcheong Province.
We walked down a street that felt like a quiet rural town and arrived in front of a massive mansion.
From the outside, it looked like a traditional Korean house.
The nameplate boldly read 'Silver Moon.'
"Whoa, it's really cool."
Lee Seo-jun muttered quietly beside me. I hesitated for a moment before pressing the doorbell.
Ding dong.
The door opened, and someone appeared.
It was a young woman who looked to be in her twenties.
"Who might you be?"
Lee Seo-jun, standing next to me, spoke politely.
"We've come to seek the teachings of the Silver Moon Clan."
"Huh? Wait... that face... Are you Lee Seo-jun by any chance?"
"Yes, that's right."
At his response, the woman's face flushed slightly. She stared intently at Lee Seo-jun's face.
"Wow, what a face... Ah! But you're here to become a disciple of the Silver Moon Clan?"
"Yes. Is that not allowed?"
"Oh, no, of course it is. I'll go speak to the clan head. Please wait a moment."
With that, the woman hurried off somewhere. Lee Seo-jun turned to me.
"Think they'll accept me?"
"They will. That woman just now is probably a disciple of the clan too."
"Still, they won't just take anyone off the street."
"If your talent impresses them, they'll accept you more readily than you think. And you're not just 'anyone.'"
Lee Seo-jun didn't respond. Then the woman returned.
"Please come in. The clan head wishes to see you."
And so, Lee Seo-jun and I entered the interior.
Several disciples in hanbok caught my eye.
It felt just like stepping into a sect from a wuxia novel.
"This way."
As we proceeded, I felt a gaze from somewhere.
A silver-haired girl peeking timidly from behind a wall.
Her exotic hair color wasn't typical for someone of Eastern descent, but it suited her strikingly white skin perfectly. Above all, she was incredibly beautiful.
I recognized her immediately.
Eun Seol-ah.
The granddaughter of the Silver Moon clan head and a major character who would newly appear next year as a first-year at the Sorcerer's Academy.
When our eyes met, Eun Seol-ah flinched and hid behind the wall.
Creak.
Then the door opened, and we entered a vast room.
A woman who appeared to be in her forties sat there, staring at us intently.
Eun Hye-su, head of the Silver Moon Clan.
Unlike her youthful appearance, she was actually a grandmother in her seventies.
"So you're Lee Seo-jun? I knew you'd come someday."
As she said that, she turned her gaze to me.
"But who's that? Your lackey?"
"Not a lackey, just a classmate from the same class."
I pointed at Lee Seo-jun with my finger. Eun Hye-su blinked at me, then chuckled.
"My apologies. Rumors say you're such a prodigy, I figured you'd have at least one lackey trailing you. Sorry if that offended you."
"I already knew you were the type, so it's fine."
At my emotionless response, Eun Hye-su lifted one corner of her mouth.
She looked slightly annoyed.
"'Knew I was the type'? What do you mean by that?"
I shrugged.
"That you're overflowing with confidence and pride."
"You sure know how to dress up 'arrogant' nicely. Heh heh."
She immediately caught the implication in my words.
As expected from the original story, the old lady was sharp as a tack.
Eun Hye-su half-reclined on her cushion and looked down at me.
"So, you came to me wanting to become a disciple of the Silver Moon Clan? Then I need to see your skills first."
Swish!
Eun Hye-su swung one hand through the air. At the same time, powerful mana erupted from the floor, revealing a hidden magic circle.
Whoooong!
Two barriers generated from the magic circle, enclosing Lee Seo-jun and me separately.
The surroundings went pitch black, and several monstrous wolves appeared.
These weren't real wolves.
It was illusion magic.
So no need to worry.
I gathered mana and activated Outsider's Boon.
The core of the mana forming the illusion magic came into view. I slowly examined the magic formula there.
Installed magics are mostly designed similarly.
Whether barrier or illusion magic, if you can unravel the formula, you can easily dispel installation-type spells.
For others, spotting and unraveling the formula would take a lot of time, but not for me.
I immediately began dispelling the magic formula.
The floor's magic circle glowed, and the barrier enclosing me started to crumble.
That's when it happened. A chilling presence from behind.
Killing Intent Detection had activated.
But I felt puzzled.
Illusion magic only detects the killing intent of living beings. That means something alive was hidden inside.
I sensed the crisis and dodged.
Whoooong!
A monstrous wolf lunged with sharp fangs, passing right through where I'd been standing.
That attack just now wasn't an illusion—it was real.
"What the?"
I stared at the monstrous wolf.
"A summoned beast?"
As expected from a prestigious clan head, it wasn't ordinary.
Hiding a real one among illusions. Moreover, cleverly concealing the real within the fake to make it hard to distinguish.
"A trap like this..."
In that case, dispelling the barrier could wait. I needed to deal with the 'summoned beast' hidden inside first.
—Kaaang!
The monstrous wolf attacked me again.
I ducked and shoved magic straight into its belly.
Bang!
—Kreurgh!
The monstrous wolf collapsed and vanished. Fortunately, as a test summon, it wasn't too strong.
"Phew."
I let out a sigh of relief and inspected the barrier of this space again.
Then I injected mana to quickly dispel it.
Flash!
The world shifted back, revealing the original scenery.
Looking around, the Silver Moon Clan disciples who had come to watch were staring at me in shock.
"What was that? How did he dispel the barrier so quickly?"
"...Is that even possible at his age?"
Amid the whispering disciples, Eun Hye-su was also looking at me with wide eyes.
"...Impressive. I didn't expect you to unravel it faster than Lee Seo-jun."
I glanced at Lee Seo-jun beside me.
I couldn't see what was happening inside his illusion barrier, but the constant strong mana fluctuations suggested he was battling illusions.
And soon enough, the barrier around Lee Seo-jun vanished.
He held a sword in his hand, breathing heavily as if from an intense fight.
"Hoo..."
Eun Hye-su alternated her gaze between Lee Seo-jun and me before speaking.
"Both of you are remarkable for your age. One solved it through orthodox methods, the other used innate power and mana to force it open. Especially you—I wasn't expecting much, but you really surprised me."
Eun Hye-su looked at me and said,
"You pass the first test."
At the words 'first test pass,' a faint smile appeared on Lee Seo-jun's lips.
Eun Hye-su stared at his face carefully before speaking again.
"Oh, right, Lee Seo-jun. I've wanted to meet you once."
"Come to think of it, you said earlier you knew I'd come... Do you know me?"
"Of course I do. It'd be weirder if I didn't."
Lee Seo-jun nodded as if accepting it readily.
"How's the old man doing?"
"Are you referring to the Association Chairman?"
"Yeah, the chairman."
"Ah, yes. He's doing well and healthy. You know my grandfather?"
"Well, sort of..."
Muttering that, Eun Hye-su said to Lee Seo-jun,
"So, you want to become a disciple of the Silver Moon Clan?"
"Yes, that's correct."
At his answer, Eun Hye-su tapped the floor lightly with one hand and spoke again.
"Be honest. Isn't it more that you want our barrier protection magic rather than becoming a disciple?"
Lee Seo-jun's face showed slight surprise at her words.
She continued without minding his reaction.
"You're a thief, coming here demanding our family's weakness outright."
It wasn't wrong.
And Lee Seo-jun, knowing that, hardened his expression.
"Heh heh. Relax your face. It was a joke. I owe a debt too, so if you want teachings, I'll give them. No need to change your surname to 'Eun' or anything."
"...Debt? What do you mean?"
"It's something like that. You don't need to know."
Lee Seo-jun shut his mouth at her sharp words. Then, as if piecing something together, he opened it again.