Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Magic Genius with Korean Patch 84
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A day had passed since emerging from the Door of Awakening.
'I'm so tired.'
Upon returning to the Mage Tower, he immediately met with Lena and Risar, then was summoned straight by Tower Lord Luke to enter the Door of Awakening.
The total time spent up to that point wasn't particularly long overall, but the mental fatigue Jeon felt was considerable.
"I've heard the gist of it, so that's enough. Go rest today."
Luke sent Jeon away after hearing only a brief account of reaching the 4th Circle and gaining much inside.
Of course, he added that they should meet again later to talk properly.
'Lena and Risar headed back to their lodgings for now.'
Having witnessed Jeon being called by the Tower Lord themselves, Lena and Risar had left word that they would return tomorrow before going back to their accommodations.
Thanks to that, Jeon could rest deeply right after exiting the Door of Awakening, with no other appointments.
"Jeon!"
And today.
In the audience chamber once more, Jeon faced Lena and Risar again.
It was meant to be a meeting to finish catching up, interrupted yesterday by the Tower Lord's summons.
"What's this? You seem different somehow?"
The moment they met, Lena noticed something had changed about Jeon.
Of course, she wasn't a mage far above Jeon's circle, so she couldn't instantly tell he had advanced a circle.
'Is she just that perceptive?'
Or perhaps, without Jeon realizing, the achievements from yesterday had subtly altered his posture or speech.
Well, whatever the case.
It wasn't something to hide, so Jeon nodded to Lena, who had spotted his change.
"Yeah, you're right. I've reached the 4th Circle."
"No way!"
When he casually nodded and stated his change, Lena cried out in disbelief.
"You were definitely 3rd Circle just yesterday!"
"That's how it happened."
"How does that even happen?! It's only been a day! How can you go from 3rd to 4th Circle in just one day!?"
Explaining it step by step would take too long.
Jeon tried to brush it off vaguely, but Lena clearly couldn't accept it easily.
'I guess I'd be the same.'
Even Jeon himself had wondered how he'd advanced so quickly when he first met Lena.
Yet here he was, having leaped an entire circle in a single day.
From Lena's perspective, it was impossible to just gloss over with vague words.
"Did the Tower Lord give you some heirloom elixir passed down through the tower?"
"Not exactly an elixir, but... yeah, something handed down through generations."
"That's unfair! Cheater!"
"That's just how the world works."
But that was merely Lena's side of things.
Right after exiting the Door of Awakening yesterday, Luke had asked Jeon not to speak carelessly about it.
'Even within the tower, only executives know about it.'
So Jeon couldn't tell her even if he wanted to.
His solution was to brazen it out instead.
"I was already at the cusp of 3rd Circle. With the Tower Lord's help, I broke through to 4th. Insights come suddenly sometimes, right?"
Besides, excluding the cheat-like artifact called the Door of Awakening, what Jeon said wasn't entirely a lie.
With that mindset of 'I'm not lying,' he shrugged nonchalantly.
"I can't believe it! Even so, no one advances that easily!"
Of course, that didn't convince Lena right away.
She had boasted of reaching 4th Circle incredibly fast herself.
A realm unmatched among her peers.
How much effort had she poured in, fueled by rivalry with Jeon?
Yet Jeon had snapped to that same level in a mere day.
'I wanted to stay ahead in circles, at least!'
Of course, she knew her skills didn't measure up to Jeon's.
Even if she was 4th Circle and he 3rd, she couldn't beat him.
But holding a higher circle than Jeon was more a matter of pride for her than proof of superior strength.
It wasn't because she'd learned magic first or hated lagging behind him.
She hadn't learned magic to compete with anyone in the first place.
She simply enjoyed being with Jeon.
Being the same age made it comfortable around him.
No need to maintain dignity pretentiously like with others, no worrying about appearances.
Despite being peers, he had a mature side that indulged her whims well.
But if she stagnated there, she couldn't stay by his side.
He'd said his path was dangerous, and to visit the White Mage Tower, she needed to reach 4th Circle first.
'That's why I pushed so hard to 4th Circle...!'
Having a higher circle than Jeon gave her a sense of mental security.
But for him to catch up just like that.
Jeon's growth was worth celebrating, but it was natural for Lena to feel indignant and unfair.
"What can you do?"
Even so, there was nothing Lena could do about it.
No matter how unreasonable it seemed, Jeon had already reached 4th Circle.
Unbelievable as it was, she had to accept the reality of his leap in a day.
"...Then let's spar!"
"Huh?"
"We're both 4th Circle now! Let's spar!"
Regardless, Lena suddenly challenged Jeon to a duel.
Not expecting to win, but to gauge their gap and show him her growth.
"Hm, a spar."
Jeon lightly rubbed his chin at Lena's words.
It piqued his curiosity too.
He'd tested in the Door of Awakening, but hadn't truly used 4th Circle magic in reality, and wondered how much Lena had grown.
'Plus, I have two new runes.'
It was also a chance to practice them.
After brief thought, Jeon nodded.
"Sure. But 1v1 with you would be too predictable, so Risar, care to join?"
"You mean... 2v1 with Lady Lena and me?"
"Yes, exactly."
Risar reacted with some surprise to Jeon's words.
A mage paired with a mage-knight for a spar was unusual.
"I'm not underestimating you, Jeon, but a mage and knight together create synergy beyond simple addition."
As Risar said, both were strong individually.
But mage-knight pairs had far greater synergy than mage-mage or knight-knight.
Mages covered knights' ranged weakness, knights mages' close-range frailty.
"It's fine. It's just a spar anyway."
Jeon nodded reassuringly despite Risar's concern.
"Well, if you say so..."
Risar knew Jeon possessed strength beyond 4th Circle.
With Jeon's assurance and it being just a spar, Risar didn't press further.
"Guess I should ask if we can use the tower's training grounds."
With the decision made, the three left the audience chamber for a suitable sparring spot.
The sparring venue was secured quicker than expected.
When Jeon asked Connect if there was space for sparring with outsiders, Connect promptly arranged a training ground.
"It's not in the main tower, but for an external one, it's quite decent. I booked it under my name, so use it freely."
The facility Connect booked was pretty good.
A bit inferior to the main tower's, but for sparring, its size and sturdiness were more than ample.
In the training ground's center.
With ample space between, Jeon on one side, Lena and Risar on the other.
"Then, begin."
At a suitable distance, Connect signaled the start.
Tadat!
Risar drew his sword in an instant and charged Jeon.
Lena prepared magic from behind.
'Their coordination's improved.'
They must have trained together since.
Their teamwork seemed much tighter than before.
But setting aside admiration, Jeon prepared to counter both.
'Risar first.'
Graduate-level knight Risar approached with aura-clad sword.
Normally, Jeon would block with Silver and create distance, but not this time.
'Reinforcement, Swiftness.'
He planned to use his new rune magics.
The Reinforcement rune manifested through Jeon's body.
A strength unlike before enveloped him entirely.
Then Swiftness rune settled in.
Jeon felt his body lighter than ever.
Kuuk.
Lunareik settled in Jeon's hand.
Unlike usual, thicker, with silver gem at the end where wooden vines gathered into a spear-like form.
Gripping it, Jeon charged back at Risar.
"Hm?"
Not expecting Jeon to charge, Risar voiced surprise.
But that wasn't all.
'Fast?'
Not just charging, but at an alarming speed.
Comparable to a seasoned knight.
Distances closed instantly; both swung their weapons.
"Kuhk!?"
Risar involuntarily groaned from the rebound in his hands.
Despite facing a mage, the clash felt like against a fellow knight—heavy and solid.
"How?"
He knew Jeon's prowess as a mage.
But suddenly matching a knight in close combat?
"Risar, duck!"
From behind, Lena unleashed her prepared magic.
Well-synced, Risar ducked and sidestepped despite surprise.
The 4th Circle magic hurtled at Jeon.
A massive Silvermont signature silver flame mass engulfed toward him.
But Jeon swung Lunareik at it; the flames dispersed effortlessly.
The distortion field from Lunareik's tip neutralized Lena's magic simply.
"No way!?"
Lena cried in disbelief; she'd never expected her magic blocked so easily, gap or not.
Meanwhile, Risar, having sidestepped, closed in again.
Kaang! Kaaang!
Risar was a seasoned knight.
One moment of fluster was enough.
Unlike his hesitant prior clash, he now calmly exchanged blows with Jeon.
'Close combat prolonged is disadvantageous.'
Thanks to runes, speed and power held up.
But knights had swordsmanship too.
The more they traded, the worse for Jeon.
That is, without other magics.
Pazizizik!
As Risar pressed, lightning burst from Lunareik's tip.
"Kuk!"
Risar faltered, retreating momentarily.
Hwaruruk! Silver flames chased the retreating Risar.
"Risar!"
Lena cast to aid him.
"Not happening."
Pazizizik! From Jeon's fingertips—not Lunareik—4th Circle Lightning Spear intercepted her magic.
Numerically superior, yet Lena and Risar felt utterly blocked, like against a wall.
As they sought a way through...
"Phew, shall we end it here?"
Jeon, in control, suggested stopping first.
Not real combat; he'd tested new runes and 4th Circle magic sufficiently—no need to continue.
"Very well. But... you've grown tremendously."
Accepting, Risar sheathed his aura and expressed genuine admiration.
"Unbelievable, cheater, you're too strong."
Lena grumbled similarly.
Jeon anew felt his growth since Silvermont.
"How do you keep getting stronger alone?"
"Dunno. Good luck, I guess."
To Lena pouting in complaint, Jeon shrugged.
That irked her further; her already pursed lips jutted out more.
"This won't do."
"What?"
"You got this strong climbing the White Mage Tower, right? Then I'll join the White Mage Tower too!"
"...Huh?"
"Lady Lena, what!?"
And from her pouting lips exploded a bombshell.