The Mad Mage of Olympus
The Olympus Magic Tower is a cult of fanatics who worship magic above all else. This group believes the very origin of the world stems from magic. They are incredibly arrogant. And viciously persistent.
— From a lecture by an old magic studies professor, On the Arrogance of the Olympus Magic Tower.
Gale Potter’s pure eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Oh……! Ooooh……!!”
It had all started with Lee Shin’s Wave Resonance Method.
The revolutionary discovery that claimed one could achieve awakening through wave resonance! According to Potter, it was a finding that would rewrite the entire history of magic studies!
The very theory that had made Potter beat the ground and curse the heavens, crying, “How could you allow such a monumental discovery to fall into the hands of a mere guild representative!”
Potter simply couldn’t stand it.
What mage in their right mind could possibly ignore a discovery of this magnitude? If such a mage existed, they had to be one of those gate-peddling Yankee bastards.
After much deliberation, Potter decided to head to Korea. And so he studied.
Korean language, Hangul, Korean culture, even the nation’s history.
And then he was stunned. Why had he only just learned of such a country?
The shock he felt the first time he encountered Hangul still made his hands tremble.
How could a single language allow for so many forms of expression? And why was learning it so incredibly simple?
King Sejong was undoubtedly a great mage! There was no other way to explain it.
Just as runes formed the foundation of magic, writing was the foundation of a nation. A country that possessed such a magnificent script must surely possess matching dignity.
And indeed, every time he searched on YouTube, exactly what he wanted appeared.
“The Miracle on the Han River — How Is This Even Possible?” The Reason the World Is Shocked!
The CEO Who Shed Tears…… Ido! Why Are You Here of All Places?!
America is stunned, China is trembling, Japan is on its knees…….
“Unbelievable!”
Potter slapped his forehead at Korea’s astonishing cultural level, shed tears over its radiant history that had bloomed from ashes, and became utterly captivated by the bulgogi he ate in Koreatown.
“I love Hanguk…… I love you, Republic of Korea.”
By the time he actually arrived in Korea, Gale Potter had already become a proud Taegeuk warrior.
“Beautiful……”
Just looking out the window lifted his spirits.
After staring at nothing but gloomy British weather, the refreshing scenery here felt like paradise.
The taxi driver found the British gentleman rather strange. A blond, blue-eyed man who looked like he’d stepped out of a movie was grinning like an idiot while staring at an empty field. How could that not catch his attention?
“Haha, you speak Korean really well for a foreigner.”
“I studied. Today is a very important day for me.”
“Oh really? Meeting a friend?”
“Friend……? That word isn’t quite right. Comrade.”
“Ooh…… comrade?”
The driver tilted his head at the unfamiliar term for a moment before deciding to let it slide. The guy was a foreigner, after all. He continued the conversation as usual.
“If it’s an important day, you should eat something good…… Let’s see. What would a foreigner like? Bulgogi? Samgyeopsal? Or that thing that’s been in a lot of movies lately, the jja…….”
“Jja. Pa. Gu. Ri.”
“Whoa! You already know it!”
“Heh. I anticipated that question.”
What did he take the chief mage of the Olympus Magic Tower for?
Through meticulous image training, he had prepared responses for every possible question.
“Korea is the Land of Eastern Courtesy. We are a wise people who understand etiquette and manners.”
“Uh…… y-yeah, that’s true.”
“In Korea, treating a guest is the host’s duty. That means choosing the menu is not my place.”
“Uh…… uh-huh…… I see……?”
“At such times, it is proper for the guest to show joy at the host’s hospitality. Fortunately, I am not picky about food. I have no allergies either.”
“Uh…… right, of course.”
“I have prepared myself to display the utmost delight.”
Gale Potter slightly lifted the gold-rimmed glasses hanging from his neck and let his eyes gleam.
The taxi driver quickly looked away after seeing that gaze.
Better not say anything more…….
The unusual force he put into the accelerator was absolutely not because he was intimidated.
A short while later, the taxi that had stopped in front of the Mir Guild building sped away as if fleeing. Standing before the guild’s main gate, Gale Potter felt something surge within him.
“This is it…… This is where a new era of magic begins.”
History would remember this day.
The new horizon of magic that Gale Potter and Lee Shin would create together!!
He took a powerful step forward.
Then a voice called out from behind him.
“Huh? Some foreigner? Hey~! What’s up?”
“……??”
Potter turned at the call.
In that instant.
“!!”
“!!”
Both of them froze.
Because there stood the very person he had been searching for — Lee Shin.
Wearing a tracksuit and a puffer jacket.
“Hyung, what are you doing here?”
Faction.
: A group possessing a particular attribute or power.
Even GM had factions, each with its own identity. The most representative was the Bureau, which operated the Guild War League — the beginning and end of GM.
And the identity of the Bureau, run by Jamal Popper’s followers, was ‘the Gate.’
They managed and studied gates in accordance with their founder’s will. This was also why the Bureau refrained from excessive interference in matters outside the gates.
On the other hand, the root of the Olympus Magic Tower — the faction that represented mages alongside the Bureau — was magic itself.
To put it extremely, these people were obsessed with magic.
The sun rose because of magic. The moon existed because of magic. Even human worries and anxieties all came from magic. They were true extremists.
Yes, they were lunatics. Bomb-wielding lunatics.
But the reason Lee Shin was surprised right now wasn’t because the other party was crazy.
The conflict between the Olympus Magic Tower and the Bureau was famous enough to have its own story, so getting involved with them wasn’t particularly special.
However…….
‘Not right now, that’s the thing.’
The part of the story where factions came into play was still far off.
Frankly, he hadn’t even entered the Asia League yet. What factions could there possibly be at this stage?
Therefore, the fact that this blond lunatic was standing in Korea — and right in front of the Mir Guild no less — was clearly an event outside the system.
……By the way, what exactly had this guy studied to end up like this?
There, Gale Potter — now wearing comfortable clothes — was holding a phone while Chae Dong-ha patiently taught him one thing at a time.
“This is the menu.”
“Oh!!”
“This is the price.”
“Ooh!!”
“And if you press this, it places the order. See the time here?”
“The address??”
“It’s already registered on the phone.”
“Payment??”
“That’s registered too.”
“Ooh—!! So this is Korean delivery culture!!”
The man was one of the top ten scholars in the world as the chief mage of the Olympus Magic Tower, yet here he was, slapping his forehead in shock over a mere food delivery app.
What’s more, those “comfortable clothes” turned out to be K-outdoor hiking gear.
Lee Shin was dying to know where on earth he had bought that.
Was this the so-called gukppong he had only heard about? The kind that left America stunned and Japan in tears?
Kk kk kk. Lee Shin covered his face and laughed.
This is exactly why I can’t help but love this world.
The moment things got even a little boring, it immediately served up sensational events like this.
“Hey, hyung. What should I call you? Gale? Potter? Gale Potter?”
“Please call me Potter.”
“Alright, Potter hyung.”
“Wait, correction. I came here to receive instruction from Professor Lee Shin. The title ‘hyung’ is not appropriate.”
“Just call me hyung. In Korea, if someone’s even one year older, they’re hyung.”
“Aah! The Land of Eastern Courtesy!!”
“Pfft! You drink?”
“I like alcohol and I’m good at it.”
“Kk kk kk, I already like you, hyung.”
Then it was time to show off his skills for the first time in a while.
“I don’t usually do this, but I’m making an exception because I like you, hyung.”
A secret technique he had learned from his boss in his previous life. He had seen police officers do this in some movie and it blew everyone away.
He poured soju into a glass, opened a beer bottle by striking its bottom, then used his thumb to control the pour.
Shhhhhk—!!
“Behold! This is Korean bomb liquor!!”
“Ooooooh!!”
Enthusiastic seal clapping erupted.
Chae Dong-ha, watching from the corner, could only shake his head.
A baby-faced kid was talking about bomb shots like a seasoned office worker, while a blond British gentleman straight out of a movie was wearing tacky hiking clothes and clapping like a seal.
And Chae Dong-ha himself was stacking a tower of glasses while watching…….
He could only be grateful that the employees were on vacation and no one was around to see this.
Lee Shin downed a refreshing shot and got to the main topic.
“So hyung came because of the ‘Wave Resonance Method’ I mentioned and wants to research it together?”
“First, please look at this.”
The paper Potter handed over was research material.
It was the Olympus Magic Tower’s research data on the Wave Resonance Method. The interesting part was that everything had been translated into Korean.
“Personally, I consider attaching the word ‘possibility’ to this great discovery itself an insult, but for now I will use that term. Through various papers and experiments, we have confirmed the potential of the ‘Wave Resonance Method.’ However, there is one critical flaw.”
“Hm. It doesn’t work on everyone.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Variable 1. It does not activate on all targets.
Variable 2. Even upon successful resonance, not all mana is amplified.
Conclusion.
“I wish to understand the ‘gap’ that exists between these processes.”
“Hmm……”
Lee Shin tilted his glass while looking at the materials and let out a low hum.
Seeing his serious expression, Potter closed his mouth.
It must be magical meditation.
But Chae Dong-ha knew better. Look at those cloudy eyes. He’s not even reading it.
Just as Chae Dong-ha thought, while Lee Shin was striking a serious pose, his actual thoughts were…….
The white parts are paper, the black parts are letters. The font is pretty small. How many characters is this?
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to read it. The original Lee Shin had been quite well-educated. He could read it if he tried. The reason he didn’t bother was simple.
It’s obviously a system thing.
The selection of characters who could awaken was determined by the system.
How was Lee Shin supposed to explain that? Actually, this world is a game, I’m a veteran player who got struck by lightning and woke up here. Hehe.
—Yeah, right. Lee Shin had zero desire to wake up in a mental hospital the next morning.
So he had to keep up appearances.
Unaware of any of this, Potter watched Lee Shin stroke his chin with a sullen expression and swallowed nervously.
He must be offended. That I dared to add commentary to his great discovery.
To a mage, their theory was their pride.
To attach the word “possibility” to a theory that had already been demonstrated with their own eyes and was still producing results — it was perfectly reasonable to feel insulted.
Fuck…… I knew this would happen, so I tried to remove the word “possibility” somehow…… Those pig bastards. When I get back…….
Even Potter himself would have cursed if he were in that position.
He would have kicked his chair and shouted, “You incompetent fools, get lost! You don’t even deserve to accept me!”
Seeing how Lee Shin was handling it, the professor truly was a sage.
Look at that chillingly rational and merciful demeanor. So this was the secret to reaching truth. Potter felt he had learned something once again.
“I fully understand your displeasure. On behalf of the Olympus Magic Tower, I apologize for researching your theory without permission and presuming to evaluate it.”
“Mm.”
“If you look at the last page, you’ll see that everyone acknowledged this theory will change the world despite its flaws.”
“Mm……”
“Professor Lee Shin’s theory touches upon ‘awakening’ — the greatest mystery humanity wishes to unravel. If we solve this secret, humanity will conquer awakening. It would be a miraculous achievement. Far greater than when Jamal Popper conquered the gates.”
Jamal Popper had become humanity’s savior by conquering the gates.
Then what if Lee Shin conquered awakening?
The answer was one of two things.
Either he would rise to a place far higher than a savior, or he would erase Jamal Popper and take that position himself.
Either way, Lee Shin represented the future. And Gale Potter intended to ride that future.
“Please, bestow your teachings upon us — no, upon me, Gale Potter.”
“Mm……”
Of course, Lee Shin wasn’t thinking about any of that.
Well, he was thinking something. So this is why people enjoy being misunderstood……?
It gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.
Still.
Lee Shin looked at the restless blond man.
Gale Potter, chief mage of the Olympus Magic Tower.
He knew the character, of course. It wasn’t as if Lee Shin had only ever played with a Korean account. He had played Britain and even Africa.
Although Gale Potter couldn’t be used as a hunter, he was a character who got involved in many places, so Lee Shin knew him quite well.
Since he’s here…… maybe I can use this to target ‘that guy’?
He had been needing a high-level mage anyway. Since the man had come to him on his own two feet, it would be a waste not to make use of him. Lee Shin kept his expression composed and slowly opened his mouth.
“Alright. Since hyung is asking this much, I’ll help you.”
“Aaaaaah—!!”
“Let’s head out tomorrow. Sound good?”
“Of course! I can leave immediately!”
“Heh heh. Korea is a country of justice. When someone shows this much sincerity, we have to repay it.”
“Aaaaaah—! Jeong!”
At that moment, the delivery food arrived. When Potter instinctively reached out to give a tip, Lee Shin grabbed his hand and shook his head.
“There’s no delivery tip in Korea, hyung.”
“Oh my god, even that is jeong!? Darn it!! Korea!!”
Potter beat the floor in frustration while Lee Shin looked immensely pleased with himself.
Just then, Chae Dong-ha made eye contact with the delivery rider. Without a word, he pulled a ten-thousand-won bill from his wallet and slipped it to the man.
“……Please pretend you didn’t see anything.”
“Th-thank you.”
Once again, the burden of embarrassment fell squarely on Chae Dong-ha.
The next day.
The Rolls-Royce came to a stop.
Unlike yesterday, Lee Shin and Gale Potter stepped out of the car in full formal attire.
“……This place is.”
“If you can’t believe what I show you, you’ll have to experience it yourself, won’t you?”