Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Magic
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Kim Tae-jin sat quietly on the creaking wooden bed, sifting through his memories, while old man Richer watched him intently. Both their expressions were unusually serious.
The massive claws and sharp, enormous fangs of the werewolf he'd seen just the other day were still vividly clear in his mind.
He could clearly remember Uncle Pavilion's side getting torn open with a huge chunk of flesh ripped away by the werewolf's attack. He remembered old man Richer collapsing in a heap, and the old man's powerful lightning strike.
But the mana cell's mana array that Richer had shown him? That didn't come to mind so easily. He vaguely recalled the shape, but all the details were blurry.
It was only natural. Human memory has its limits, after all.
Right after learning something new, you can solve problems about it without a hitch. But a few days later, only hazy recollections remain, leaving you thinking, "Ah, I've heard of that somewhere."
And after even more time passes, all that sticks is the fun anecdotes or jokes the teacher or professor told.
The complex and vague stuff doesn't linger long in memory. What lasts are the interesting or intense experiences, and simple images.
Tae-jin's memory wasn't exceptionally outstanding compared to the average person. He wasn't some genius who could snapshot a complex mana array like a photo.
Just two days ago, hadn't he failed to replicate the mana cell Richer had shown him right before, stacking it up clumsily instead and using a mere imitation spell?
"My memory's a bit fuzzy on it. Can't you show it to me one more time?"
Richer made a face like he couldn't believe it.
"Kid, how did you manage to pull off that mana cell the other day?"
"I just copied it on the spot, so it worked out somehow. What do you expect if you ask me to do it again after a few days? Of course I'd forget."
"A few days? It's only been two."
"Two days is plenty of time to forget. Don't act all high and mighty— just show me again."
Tae-jin puffed out his chest and spoke confidently, but Richer looked utterly baffled.
"You were able to mimic the other spells decently enough with just a feel for it, without knowing the exact mana arrays."
"There's a limit to patching things together by feel. Once it goes beyond a certain level, how am I supposed to copy it?"
"Your talent and instincts are top-notch, but when it comes to actually using your head, you're a bit half-baked."
"You must not remember your own younger days, old man. You were probably the same when you were learning magic."
"The same? What same?"
"So what, you memorized it right on sight?"
"Yeah."
"If you're gonna lie, at least make it believable."
Tae-jin said that, but Richer was the one looking baffled now. This old guy wasn't joking after all.
"How the hell did you memorize that? It wasn't your run-of-the-mill complex thing."
"You think anyone becomes a high mage? I'm one with particularly good memory. I even remember what was skewered on those kebabs you bought me when we first met."
Tae-jin, who had actually bought the drinks and snacks, had completely forgotten that what he'd gotten for old man Richer was kebabs. He only vaguely recalled buying something.
Tae-jin spoke in a slightly dissatisfied tone.
"Then shouldn't you be able to copy a spell perfectly the first time you see it?"
"No. Memorizing mana arrays doesn't take that long to begin with. The real issue is how accurately you can replicate them, and whether you can master them enough to cast naturally."
"I've been casting spells just fine without memorizing every little detail."
"That's what's weird about it. It's astonishing talent. Casting by feel, skipping bits of the mana array without knowing it precisely—other mages would call it a lie. But without a solid foundation, you'll hit a wall eventually."
It was a headache-inducing conversation. To become a higher-level mage, he'd need far more effort than before.
Tae-jin was hearing from Richer about the differences between himself and other mages. Unlike the simpler spells he'd learned so far, now that the mana arrays were getting complex, his shortcomings were showing.
Casting magic could be compared to drawing a complex picture.
Really smart people can look at a complex picture and memorize it like a snapshot. It might not be perfect, but the overall structure is similar.
However, they struggle in the process of rendering it precisely. Unless they're extremely practiced, parts of the picture will be off or broken. If they don't have enough mana to work with, they might run out midway.
Tae-jin, on the other hand, could flawlessly reproduce a picture if given its form. He had plenty of mana to spare, so he never had to stop midway.
He could even fill in forgotten parts decently enough to get similar results. That's what innate talent is.
But even that approach has limits. For something complex and large, even improvising reinforcements would reach a ceiling eventually.
"It's become clear your talent for magic isn't limitless."
"Still, how many people are on my level?"
Instead of humoring him, Richer fell into quiet thought.
"What're you thinking?"
Tae-jin expected some snide remark or joke, but Richer said something unexpected.
"If you can't remember the mana cell, maybe there's no need to teach it to you."
"What? You said you'd teach me!"
"I was going to teach you the mana cell because I worried you'd botch it faking your way through. If you can't remember it, no need, right?"
"That's not how it works!"
"It does. I wasn't planning to teach you the mana cell hoping you'd become the strongest mage. Don't you just need to find your way home?"
Richer had nailed the current situation. Tae-jin first thought it was a light joke, but Richer seemed serious about skipping the mana cell lesson.
Tae-jin felt like something he'd been promised had been snatched away.
"Sure, but you definitely said you'd teach me. Promises should be kept. Knowing more magic can't hurt."
Richer shook his head.
"The mana cell's different from other spells. It's not something the more you know, the better. It's the fastest way to turn into a mana addict, and it'll burden your body too."
"What if another emergency like the other day hits? There'll definitely be times I need it."
"I'll teach you a few decent attack spells. That should handle most problems. And your path home is through libraries or mage towers, not the streets—do you even need attack spells?"
It was a convincing argument. But Tae-jin couldn't shake that vague sensation.
That omnipotence, like he could do anything. That intense power at his fingertips, capable of ripping apart metaphysical somethings. If he hadn't felt it once, he might let it go—but having felt it, there was no turning back.
Who wouldn't be thrilled at the prospect of power beyond imagination? Especially with world-class talent to boot.
Meekly saying "I see" and giving up on the mana cell was out of the question.
"I won't use it recklessly—just teach me. Isn't it better to learn from you than practice sloppily on my own?"
Richer, who had been pondering, grew serious again. He was genuinely worried Tae-jin might cause an accident practicing the mana cell alone.
Convincing comes through actions, not words.
Instead of arguing, Tae-jin recalled the clumsy shape from his memory and began deploying the mana cell.
Interlocking mana rings disrupted and seized the flow of mana.
It absorbed incoming mana but blocked the outflow. The form was crude, but Tae-jin grasped its essence perfectly. Lacking the precise array and principles, he stacked the spell clumsily with his innate sense.
The whole process took Tae-jin less than three seconds.
It wasn't even close to the mana cell Richer had shown. Compared to the one Tae-jin himself had deployed two days ago, it barely achieved half the effect—a shoddy spell.
The mana-linked rings rattled precariously, ready to snap at any moment, and the mana density inside was uneven.
Even the minimal paths that had to be left open to mitigate impacts were blocked. It wasn't like a spell for handling high-density mana—it resembled barricading a small room and prepping to detonate a bomb inside.
Still, the internal mana density was definitely higher than outside. Primitive and crude as it was, it was sufficient as a prototype mana cell.
In the end, Richer had no choice but to yield a step.
No parent wins against their child, no teacher against their disciple. Especially not one who owed his disciple a debt of gratitude.
The world's uncertainties are unknowable—who knew when Tae-jin might need immense power?
In such a situation, relying on that clumsily stacked mana cell as a last resort and getting seriously hurt? Unthinkable.
Richer let out a deep sigh.
"I tell you it's dangerous, and you won't listen."
"So you'll teach me?"
"Think on it for today. We'll be stuck in this city a few more days anyway."
"A few days?"
"Yeah. From what Garam said, he'll be able to walk in about five days. We'll take a carriage either way, but better to move after he's recovered."
"Got it, old man. Since you've agreed to teach me magic, give it some positive thought."
Richer sighed again.