Wiz

Magic Crafting?

A question bloomed inside me at the unfamiliar term, but there was no time to dwell on it.

"Eeeek! Stop! Stop it, I said!"

The heat wave and the Wood Golem were growing more violent by the second. Left alone, they'd tear straight out of the training hall and rampage until Ah Seo-ah's mana ran dry.

"Stop that magic, now!"

I shouted the command without thinking.

And in that instant—

Shaaaaaa—!

A sprawling magical formula unfurled before my eyes. Countless equations and theories wove themselves into beautiful lines, computing the spell at blinding speed.

It was a spectacle overwhelming enough to steal the mind of anyone watching, but at the same time—

"Ugh?!"

An enormous amount of mana was draining out of me. Even in my Dragonification state, where my reserves felt close to infinite, I could feel them shrinking by the heartbeat.

The mana that had poured out was reassembled, in a single breath, into one complete mana formula.

The spell Wisdom had made manifested itself in reality, and a ferocious chill converged on me.

"T-Tae-hyun?"

Baek Seo-ha stared at me with bewildered eyes. I wanted to explain, but my mouth wouldn't open—because this was, unmistakably,

the sight of a mage casting magic with practiced ease.

How was I supposed to explain something even I didn't understand?

Whooooom... craaack!

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The gathering cold took shape, hardening into a single form. An ice dragon, sculpted as if from crystal, spread its jaws wide and charged at the heat wave and the Wood Golem.

Krwaaaaaaah—!

As the ice dragon closed in, the golem swung both hands at it. The dragon twisted through the attack with fluid grace, then coiled its massive body around the golem and froze it solid.

"Guwaaak...!"

Letting out a dying roar, the Wood Golem shattered into ice shards. The dragon then turned its jaws on the heat wave and spat out condensed cold.

Kwoooong! Kwoong! Whoom...

The heat was gradually neutralized until the wave sputtered out entirely. Both magics vanished in the blink of an eye.

"What on earth...!"

Baek Seo-ha gaped at the ice dragon in disbelief. Its task complete, the dragon crumbled into ice fragments and dissolved. That ephemerality itself was proof that it was no summon, no familiar—just a spell.

"...What the hell did you do this time?"

Baek Seo-ha looked around blankly at the aftermath—at the training hall, frozen over in every direction.

Ah Seo-ah's first practice session ended there, at least for the time being. We agreed that Seo-ha and I would keep helping her train until she could properly handle the Primordial Elements. There were only the two of us capable of reining her in if she lost control again like today.

Though Karin could technically do it too.

For some reason, that plan fell through when Seo-ha made me swear, "You are never to call that woman."

"Anyway..."

I sat on the edge of the break room bed and spoke to the message floating in front of my eyes.

"So you're..."

Just as I'd thought. This was the artificial soul I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had inherited from the Round Table of Sages—Wisdom.

"I had no idea this was how the inheritance worked."

It felt as though Wisdom herself had been transplanted directly into me.

Somehow I could feel happiness welling up through the message. Even an artificial soul was still a soul, it seemed.

"That thing in the training hall—that was you, right?"

"Yeah, that."

"So what is it, exactly?"

Wisdom began her explanation.

After a brief hesitation, Wisdom continued.

No wonder. I'd thought the mana draining out of me had felt alarmingly severe.

It was a technique never designed for ordinary humans in the first place.

It made sense, really. Even Diana couldn't instantly craft and cast a spell of that magnitude—and she wouldn't be able to withstand the mana cost, either. Not unless she intended to burn her entire reserve on a single casting.

Horrifyingly inefficient.

And yet, at the same time—

It transcends every mage alive.

A prickling chill ran down my spine. What Wisdom had just done shattered every piece of common knowledge I had about magic and skills. Yes, it had drained enough mana to stagger me even in Dragonification.

But it's usable.

That fact alone was enough. In effect, I had just acquired the most supreme mage on this planet.

"Does the mana cost of Magic Crafting stay the same every time?"

Oh ho, so that's how it worked.

"Then at my current level, how far could I push it?"

My skill stat read 52—not a mage-class hunter's stat, but strong enough not to lose to most actual mages.

Whoa, seriously?!

"...That's enough. Stop."

"No, no. You didn't do anything wrong."

Disappointing, sure—but realistically, Magic Crafting would have to stay locked behind Dragonification. With the scrap of mana I had in my normal state, crafting even one decent spell looked impossible.

A colossal mana reserve, dragon mana and a dragon's authority... and now Magic Crafting on top of it all.

I was certain of one thing: the moment my existence went public, the Magic Tower people would hunt me down and slit me open to see how I ticked.

That was putting it mildly. Even by my own assessment, I'd become a walking embodiment of everything the Magic Tower dreamed of, all rolled into one.

Luckily, Ji Yeon-ha's contract keeps me tied down here.

But the other branches—especially the British headquarters—could never find out. Never...

Swallowing that small vow, I lifted my head.

"Well then. Looks like we're together from now on."

Either way, Wisdom was a force beyond anything I'd imagined. For someone as much of an outsider to magic as me, she'd be a help in a dozen different ways.

"Wisdom... Wisdom... Weirdly, it doesn't roll off the tongue."

We'd be living together from now on; what was the point if I couldn't pronounce her name?

"I'll just call you Wiz from now on. That okay?"

Hm, I wouldn't exactly call it a nickname. I just dropped the last syllable because it was easier to say.

She seemed so happy about it that I didn't bother correcting her. Right—good was good.

"So, Wiz. What other abilities do you have?"

Just as Wiz was about to launch into her list—

Creak!

The break room door opened carefully, and a woman of refined beauty stepped inside.

"Tae-hyun! There you are!"

Karin waved with a bright smile.

"I've been looking all over for you."

"You were... looking for me?"

"Yes, I have a message for you... but before that."

She closed the distance to my side in an instant. A sweet fragrance washed over me, and something in my head went faintly strange.

"Let's have a little chat, just the two of us. We so rarely get any time together, you and I."

"Ah... a-ah. Of course."

What was this?

The atmosphere was... a little different from usual. Those bewitching eyes, that porcelain skin. Her lips were crimson, as if stained with blood.

She was always beautiful.

But today her looks kept pulling at my attention. Those deer-like eyes drank me in, and the corner of her small mouth curved up, just slightly.

Gulp.

Before I knew it, I'd swallowed dryly.

"H-how, um... how has guild life been treating you lately?"

"Wonderfully. We're still getting used to working together, so I haven't entered a gate with the others yet, but everyone's been so kind—every day feels rewarding. I'm happy."

Karin gave me a knowing smile.

"And that's all thanks ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to you, Tae-hyun."

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead.

Something... something was wrong. My heart was hammering out of control.

What? Really?

In the blink of an eye, Wiz had identified the item and even its effects. That must be one of the "plenty of smaller tricks" she'd been about to mention.

"Tae-hyun?"

Thinking I'd gone blank, Karin leaned her face in close, careful and slow.

"Are you all right?"

"I-I'm... f-fine..."

That beautiful face, already gorgeous, was inches from mine. I was losing my mind.

What kind of irreversible event, exactly? I was just beginning to genuinely want to know when—

'Hnngh!'

With superhuman willpower, I let a thread of mana slip free. Peace settled over my mind at once.

"Karin. Would now be a good time to hear what that message is?"

"...Huh? Oh. Yes, of course..."

Karin wore a puzzled look for a moment before her usual face returned.

"There's a visitor waiting outside the training hall. From what I hear, the Chairman summoned you, and they've come to escort you there."

Ah—so Father had finally finished his review. It was time to get Magic Crafting and the business properly underway.

"I see. Thank you."

"W-wait, Tae-hyun!"

Karin stopped me just as I was heading for the door.

"What is it?"

"Ugh... w-well, you see..."

Mumbling as if to vent some inexpressible grievance, she finally squeezed out an excuse.

"W-when are you going to teach me the spear?!"

"I'll find time for it soon."

"...Heheh, okay. I'll be waiting."

I made it out of the break room unscathed.

I switched off the Guardian's Vambrace.

"Haaah! Haaah..."

Thank god Protection blocked mental attacks too. That could have gone very, very badly.

"Thanks, Wiz."

Without Wiz, I would never have realized it was an item's effect. I wouldn't have thought to activate the vambrace, either.

Karin... I need to watch out for her.

Where on earth did she even get her hands on a deranged item like that? I steadied my breathing, gave my rumpled clothes a quick straightening.

I was about to go see my father, after all.

The world's one and only producer and distributor of magical artifacts.

That glittering reputation would, this time, go to Cheonseong.

And that's not all.

The company we were about to build would bend the entire course of the world. A company that would erase the future of humanity's extinction and march toward the hope waiting on the other side of it.

Its name was none other than—

Horizon.

It was time to change the world in earnest.