Flame-Wielding Mage Kim — Part 3
Right after returning to the Mage Tower.
Kim Mabeob immediately underwent the Phoenix Circuit transplant surgery.
The head surgeon was none other than the Tower Master.
He mentioned that the procedure would take quite a while, especially since it was the first time attempting such a surgery, so they’d be moving cautiously.
“You’ve certainly stirred up a lot of things while I wasn’t looking.”
The Head Researcher Mage who had invited me approached.
“Well, things just sort of ended up this way.”
“Haha, inviting a Superhuman was worth it after all. I thought just acquiring the Black Flame data would be a great success, but who knows—a whole new school of magic might emerge from this.”
“That seems a bit far-fetched.”
“Rumors are already spreading. They say the path to flame arts has been opened. Do you know how many people here at the Mage Tower are born with mana but can’t pursue magic because they struggle with calculations? All of them are now hoping for the success of the Tower Master’s grandson.”
“It would be nice if they could just use a computer for assistance.”
“One hit from an EMP bomb, and that’s the end of that. Besides, to go beyond Level 5, you need to do all the calculations yourself. If you can’t, Level 4 is the limit.”
The Head Researcher Mage rambled on about this and that.
He mentioned, somewhat regretfully, that he has a granddaughter, too. Great mana, but her mind can’t quite keep up—this news had lifted a huge worry from his heart.
Then, after checking to ensure no one else was nearby, he leaned in and whispered to me.
“Superhuman, I’m telling you this because of my granddaughter. You remember that incident not too long ago? That mage who was expelled.”
“Ah… yes, I remember.”
“I discreetly investigated and found out that he was secretly funded by the Geumo Group.”
The Geumo Group.
One of the top five conglomerates.
Second in the industry.
They’re notorious for their aggressive, almost predatory business expansions.
In the game, they’re practically depicted as villains.
“The Geumo Group, you say?”
“Yes. If they were stealing Mage Tower information, we would have issued a formal warning. But strangely, they only asked for information on you. Not only did they approach that mage, but they also offered my disciple money to sell information about you.”
“Specifically targeting me?”
“Yes. You, and you alone.”
I felt my expression harden slightly.
A conglomerate secretly gathering information from the Mage Tower?
It’s possible.
That’s what industrial espionage is all about, isn’t it?
But specifically wanting to buy information about me?
“They’re probably trying to recruit you. You’re a talent everyone would want. Didn’t the Tower Master also extend an offer?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Haha. In two years, we’ll be sharing the same table.”
“Well, let’s wait and see.”
“Hahaha.”
The Geumo Group. So, it’s them.
I’ll just keep that in mind.
For now, it’s best to avoid them.
The head of that group is an extremely authoritarian figure. If you reject his recruitment offer, he takes it as a declaration of war.
I have no intention of joining any organization, but Geumo Group and Old Father’s Cult? Absolutely not.
If it comes to that, I’d rather join the Sun Mage Tower.
Bang!
As soon as our conversation ended, the door to the operating room swung open.
The Tower Master emerged with a beaming smile.
“Hahaha! It was a massive success!”
He saw me and strode over, slapping me heartily on the back.
“Superhuman! It’s all thanks to you! My grandson has finally become not just a mage, but a superhuman!”
“Congratulations, Tower Master.”
“Congratulations!”
“Congratulations!”
“Hahaha! Superhuman, you’ve truly done a great service! Doesn’t it feel a bit silly to wait two more years? What do you say—shall we hold the inauguration right now?”
“Don’t act like you’ve already won. You’re bound to get a harsh reality check if you’re not careful.”
“Hahahaha! That spirit! It’s like looking at myself fifty years ago! Hahaha!”
The Tower Master laughed so heartily, the entire tower seemed to shake with the mana-infused sound of his voice.
Mages who heard the commotion started flocking toward us.
They all parroted their congratulations like a chorus, while even the elders celebrated, setting off magical fireworks.
There was only one mage who couldn’t seem to muster a smile.
Elder Jo.
She glared at the Tower Master, then at me, with a face like she’d bitten into something sour before retreating to her laboratory.
Bang!
The sound of her door slamming echoed through the hall, as if she wanted to make her discontent known.
“Hey, you brat! Get out here if you’re feeling steady!”
“Yes, yes, I’m coming.”
Kim Mabeob, pale as a sheet, staggered out.
He looked as if he might collapse any second, but something about him had changed.
A faint wave of mana could be sensed emanating from him.
If visualized, it would be a subtle red, like a sunset.
I felt my hair stand on end.
This sensation…
This sense of threat…
He wasn’t that much weaker than me.
But he wasn’t so strong that I couldn’t gauge his power, either.
The Tower Master called out proudly.
“Mabeob! Let out a big flame! As the first fire mage in the history of the Mage Tower, you have to give a demonstration!”
“Here, right now?”
“Yes! Actually… Superhuman, how about you try blocking it?”
“Sounds good. I’ll take it on.”
I activated my magic resistance and fire resistance, maintaining my Black Flame.
Extending the shield strapped to my left forearm, I stepped forward.
Kim Mabeob looked at me with an awkward expression.
“My apologies, Superhuman. My grandfather can be a bit… insistent.”
“It’s understandable. After all, this is the historic moment when Superhuman Kim Mabeob made his transition.”
“Heh heh heh.”
“Give it everything you’ve got. You know, right? I even withstood the Sunfire for 15 seconds. No matter how powerful Phoenix Flame is, I won’t die.”
“Alright, here goes.”
The Mage Tower’s spacious hallway instantly transformed into a makeshift fire demonstration arena.
Kim Mabeob took a deep breath.
He had no staff, no mana amplification device.
Instead, his entire body heated up, with the mana circuit glowing red.
It was as if the energy would burst through his skin.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted between his hands!
The heat was intense.
A wave of scorching air engulfed me.
The blazing heat, the fierce flames, lunged toward me, as if to consume me.
Sizzle, crackle.
My skin felt singed, and my hair faced yet another ordeal.
Calmly, I evaluated the power of his flame art.
‘Not bad.’
It was comparable to a flamethrower or an incendiary bomb.
A proper Level 3 Superhuman.
He could massacre ordinary soldiers, no matter how many, with ease.
But there was a flaw.
“Impressive. Congratulations on becoming a Level 3 Superhuman.”
“Ah…”
Kim Mabeob shivered slightly, caught in the wave of emotions.
Then, his face fell into a crestfallen expression.
“But it doesn’t work on you.”
“Of course not. I’m rather strong against magic.”
“Still…”
“You have to keep working hard. Is there no elixir for fire attributes? Chugging those would be the best. No need to worry about balancing mana, body, and mind like a mage.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Kim Mabeob’s eyes sparkled.
He looked like he was ready to sprint to the elixir storage immediately.
The Tower Master let out a hearty laugh and then guided me to his office.
This time, we weren’t alone.
Kim Mabeob and the elders joined us, gathering around.
“First, let me express my gratitude.”
The Tower Master began.
“Thanks to you, one of our Mage Tower’s longstanding dreams has been realized. You didn’t just help my grandson, you’ve also lifted a burden from the parents of our talented youth.”
“It was just a job I was commissioned to do.”
“Hahaha. So humble. How can someone be both so skilled and so noble?”
“It’s a gift I was born with.”
“A perfect fit for our Mage Tower.”
“I can’t wait for these two years to pass. Hahaha.”
The elders chuckled along, offering kind words.
The Tower Master paused his laughter and turned serious.
With a wave of his hand, a crystal box materialized, bathed in light.
Inside the crystal box.
A small memory chip, resembling a transparent USB, floated within.
“As promised, here is the Sunfire.”
“Thank you.”
“I still don’t understand. Why ask for something you don’t need?”
“It’s essential for me.”
“While I appreciate you giving us the foundation for Phoenix Flame Arts, I can’t just hand this over freely. As we originally agreed, you’ll need to make a magic pact.”
Non-usable, non-leakable, non-copyable.
With a satisfied heart, I completed the magic pact.
When I shattered the memory chip, a golden sun materialized in my mind.
A sun composed of numbers, magical symbols, and geometric shapes.
I could equip it, but I couldn’t actually use it.
Because of that mage restriction.
The Tower Master watched me intently.
“How does it feel? Do you understand any of it?”
“Not at all.”
I didn’t even attempt a Trait Swap.
I still remember vividly when the Saintess forcibly baptized me.
Since the Tower Master is on par with the Saintess in terms of power, it’s best to avoid switching traits right in front of him.
He may seem friendly now, but who knows when his attitude might change?
“If you’re interested, I can arrange for you to enroll at the Academy of Magic. How about transferring to a Magic Swordsman?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to decline. My brain isn’t exactly cut out for that.”
“What a shame.”
He said it, but he didn’t seem particularly disappointed.
It was probably just an offhand remark.
“Isn’t the Sunfire alone a bit lacking? I did give it to you because you wanted it, but in the end, you can’t use it immediately, can you?”
“I’m more than satisfied.”
“No, no. I’m not satisfied. I received something from you, so I should at least repay you properly. Bring it in.”
Creak.
The door opened, and four mages struggled to carry in a large golf bag.
It looked similar to the one I carried around, only far more luxurious.
Made from woven black mana fibers, with intricate golden embroidery forming magical patterns on the surface.
It looked too precious to carry around casually.
‘Huh?’
Something felt odd.
It was just a golf bag, and yet it looked soft and almost empty from the outside, but the four mages were struggling to carry it.
Thud!
When they set the golf bag down, the ground shook.
The Tower Master grinned, pointing at the golf bag.
“Go ahead, try lifting it.”
What is this? A trap?
I grabbed the golf bag with one hand and tried to lift it…
Huh?
It was heavy.
Heavier than the golf bag I usually carried, stuffed full of guns and grenades.
If I were only Level 1, I wouldn’t be able to lift this without considerable strength.
“What on earth did you put in here?”
“Who knows? What could it be?”
The Tower Master just smirked mischievously.
Even when I felt around the outside, all I could sense was a peculiar texture.
I couldn’t feel anything inside.
The surface was soft like clouds, yet squishy like slime.
‘Could it be…?’
I had heard of this before.
I hurriedly opened the golf bag to check inside.
Inside, the golf bag was filled to the brim with bundles of 50,000-won bills.
The interior wasn’t like a regular golf bag—it was as spacious as a car trunk.
Not just twenty or thirty stacks, but at least a hundred, if not more.
“Oh my god!”
My jaw dropped.
A magic bag!
And not just ordinary everyday magic, but one enhanced with spatial expansion magic!
Among magic spells, the ones for imbuing bags with time or space magic are notoriously difficult.
I wasn’t certain of the exact capacity, but this golf bag seemed to have about four times the space.
This alone would be worth a fortune.
It’s practically like carrying around an entire car trunk.
Though it didn’t have weight reduction magic, this was more than enough.
“How is it? Do you like it?”
“Yes. I really like it. Uh, am I really allowed to have this?”
“It’s only fair. I’ve been bothered by that old golf bag you’ve been lugging around. How can a Level 3 Superhuman walk around carrying such trash?”
Well, it was free.
The owner of the gun shop had given it to me as a bonus.
It was sturdy and handy, so I didn’t mind using it roughly.
“And what’s with the cash inside? Are you giving that to me as well?”
“Oh, sure. Consider it pocket money.”
“Pocket money? Haha, it looks like it’s almost five billion won.” (TL Note: Around 3.7 million USD)
“Sounds about right.”
“Five billion won, just as pocket money?”
“Of course, pocket money. Buy yourself a snack when you’re in the mood.”
The Tower Master responded casually.
Is this what life is like at Level 8?
Before, President Seo of Seungcheon Security had given me a billion as pocket money, but the Tower Master is on a whole different level.
I hefted the golf bag onto my shoulder with one hand.
It weighed close to 100 kilograms.
I bowed and expressed my sincere thanks.
“Thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”
“Yes, yes. If you ever run into trouble or need assistance, feel free to call me anytime.”
The Tower Master pulled a business card from his wallet and handed it to me.
A plain, rectangular white card with no symbols of gold or sun.
The elders around us watched with gleaming eyes.
“It seems the Tower Master has really taken a liking to the Superhuman.”
“To think he’d give him that.”
“Isn’t that his private number?”
“My word… Even the president doesn’t have that number…”
This single business card might be worth more than the Sunfire, the spatial expansion golf bag, or even the five billion won in cash.
After a whirlwind of a business trip, I returned home.
Fatigue finally caught up with me.
I soaked in the magic bath and stared blankly up at the ceiling.
“Level 8, huh…”
The Tower Master, who acted like a friendly neighborhood grandpa.
Yet, the glimpses of mana he occasionally showed were real.
If he unleashed his wrath through magic, he could topple mountains and fill rivers.
I want to reach Level 8, too.
To go beyond Level 8 and rise to the pinnacle of the world—Level 9.
But first, I need to reach Level 4.
I looked at my reflection in the mana bathwater.
“This is the perfect moment.”
My body was fully developed.
My mana circuits were firmly established.
I had ample battle experience.
Physically and mentally, I had no issues whatsoever.
Every indicator was signaling that it was time for a level-up.
Then it’s time to drink it.
The nectar I’d been saving.
And take that leap.
To Level 4.
–TL Notes–
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