“What on earth happened to that guy… Did he get brainwashed?”
The man thought to himself as he was thrown back. It was a reasonable deduction.
It was like getting all huffy over a little gossip, just like a pufferfish with its poison all riled up.
The Tower Master was still the best magician in the world. It would be possible for him to brainwash and control someone at a level of mind manipulation.
“… Nah, that can’t be it.”
The man quickly dismissed that thought. In fact, it wasn’t a serious deduction at all. He was a total mess too, but at least he was a magician with the title of sorcerer!
He knew that there was no issue with Lee Ha-yul now.
In fact, when the man bounced away, Lee Ha-yul flinched and showed a late sign of guilt. Of course, thinking about the battle situation, he stiffened his face again.
All things considered, if it were the old him, he would have doubted it even more. The Tower Masters he knew were a bunch of rational, fucking assholes.
They would have seriously suspected the possibility that their rationalizations could lead to real brainwashing.
But now, things were a little different.
After hearing the situation, the Tower Masters… weren’t as guilty as he expected. It was unintentional, and nobody could have predicted that variable.
He was the one born from that variable!
“Geez.”
The man scrunched his face. He momentarily wondered why his fate turned out this way.
He knew it wasn’t real but tried to resist. After going through some hellish struggle and finally dying, now he was sitting here thinking about it—it was just absurd.
“Honestly, necromancy is a useless skill.”
He’d felt uneasy about it from the beginning, but experiencing something similar firsthand is far worse than he imagined.
The man shook his hands as if trying to cast it all away. Thud! Sparks of magical energy flew from the circuits on his arms.
With one move, hundreds of spells erupted.
Boom! In the center, their spells collided, causing a series of explosions.
After that explosion, the two people rooted to the ground were Hong Yeon-hwa and Choi Ji-yeon. They trembled as they sensed the booms above them.
“Ha, Ha-yul just cussed…”
More than the loud explosion, Lee Ha-yul’s recent exclamation echoed in their ears.
What kind of conversation could he have had with that helmet guy, suddenly cursing like a beast?
Hong Yeon-hwa understood why Lee Ha-yul had warned her to not curse him.
Was it a “mirror therapy” thing? Even if it wasn’t a real mouth, hearing Lee Ha-yul let loose with some crude language was way more shocking than expected…
Gop-hwa Expansion Ability
Evolution
Taesan Expansion Ability
Iron Wall
The two activated their expansion powers simultaneously.
Gop-hwa’s energy flickered outside of Hong Yeon-hwa, igniting within her to boost her physical abilities.
Choi Ji-yeon wrapped herself in rocks pulled from the ground like armor. It was a technique she’d used before, but now it was amplified by the expansion power, exponentially increasing its strength.
“First, let’s get in and smash him.”
Neither of them were magicians, but they knew how to fight against one.
It wasn’t good to give a magician space. Especially one who hadn’t built up their offensive and defensive skills yet—those magicians were weak in close combat.
“I know that much.”
Magicians were the best at recognizing their own weaknesses. They knew too well that getting closer meant taking hits. They even created various methods to compensate for those weaknesses.
The man pulled back his fist. Thud! The circuits on his arms sparked again.
His circuits were irregular.
Like blood flowing through veins, magical energy flowed through these circuits, unleashing spells with just ordinary movements.
If he hadn’t had “High Magic Manipulation” as his unique skill, his body would have exploded from casting spells with a body that resembled a defective piece.
It was an artificially created entity, a remarkable product born from the order of artifact reversibility that could never appear naturally.
“Manifest!”
The order of reversibility fused into the man’s body, becoming his unique ability. He was an irregular form capable of modifying his circuits at will.
“Expand!”
Reversibility Order Expansion Ability
Reversal
Crack! The sparks turned into flames. The circuits twisted in real-time, adjusting dynamically.
A reaction. The reversed magical energy clashed, creating a massive surge.
Normally, the circuits would be torn apart in an instant, and reverse energy would come crashing to the core. If he was lucky, he’d be incapacitated; if slightly unlucky, he might explode and die.
But the man’s circuits were built for this phenomenon.
They contained and harnessed the magical energy fully.
The man’s fist pulled back, momentarily disappearing. Hong Yeon-hwa instinctively crossed her arms.
– Bam!
“Ugh!?”
The formidable energy enveloping her arms shattered. The tremendous impact sent her body flying back. Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes went wide.
‘Damn, he’s fast…!’
She barely caught a glimpse of the punch. She reflexively blocked, but even with her enhanced physical abilities, she was still knocked back significantly.
The man turned his body. Crack! This time, energy sparked from his legs. The leg that left a trailing afterimage kicked Choi Ji-yeon.
– Boom!
The loud bang filled her ears. The shockwave cracked the ground. The man’s eyes widened.
Rocks shattered. Debris rained down.
He couldn’t break it completely. With her legs firmly planted and using her arms to block the kick, Choi Ji-yeon was pushed back but didn’t go flying.
‘What the heck, why is she so tough?’
Choi Ji-yeon. The heir to Taesan.
It was true that Taesan was ridiculously sturdy in defense, and it was also true the man had controlled his power, but he hadn’t expected her to be this tough.
He acknowledged her potential, but he didn’t remember her being this strong since the end of her first year.
Had she shed her old personality and now unlocked her potential? What could have happened?
– Tap!
Choi Ji-yeon, with her sharp gaze, reached out. A gigantic rock-covered hand grabbed the man’s leg.
Taesan Expansion Ability
Reverse Force
Crack! The stones trembled. The life force pulled in from the earth was consumed by her body. The rocky grip squeezed the man’s leg as if to crush it.
‘Wow.’
The man sprang. Both legs were off the ground. Immediately, he swung his ungripped leg.
With even more force than before. Combined with his magic.
Boom! This time Choi Ji-yeon was sent flying. The magic mixed in with the kick bounced her off the ground. She sprang back up.
After they temporarily disentangled, the man reached out for Lee Ha-yul.
Even amidst the momentary skirmish, the man’s body continued to unleash magic. One leg had been ‘reversed,’ but the other remained ‘pure.’
The pure circuits unleashed spells tirelessly at his command.
Lee Ha-yul had been fighting the man with magic since earlier. Remarkably, he was actually at an advantage.
‘This is some broken magic power.’
His magical output was extraordinary. The man quickly recognized the cause.
A difference in magical energy. The man stored profound, pure energy with his “High Magic Manipulation,” but it couldn’t compare to Lee Ha-yul’s.
Moreover, the spell he cast was just as convoluted as the man’s own. He constantly fired high-risk spells with a myriad of complexities that would force any magician to quit if they made even a single mistake.
‘So he really is a crazy bastard.’
This was something that would terrify someone without guts to try it. The man let out a hollow laugh as he reached out.
“Greater Wall of Void.”
He opened up his previously inactive pure circuits. Magical energy flowed forth, automatically manifesting a spell. A massive black spear condensed above his head.
An advanced offensive magic created for siege. Right before it was launched, Lee Ha-yul gripped the purification spell backward and pulled his arm back.
The blatant throwing posture of the spear was tiny compared to the black spear.
The purification gem glimmered brightly. Boom! Suddenly, the golden spearhead shot up explosively.
At that moment, light burst forth, dispelling the darkness and the light generated from the energy explosion alike.
A shining light of pure intensity formed the spearhead. Gritting his teeth, Lee Ha-yul flicked his arm.
Bam! The golden line pierced through the black spear. The shattering black spear merged into the night sky. The spear advanced toward the man without losing any momentum.
‘What the hell is that?’
Seeing the blinding light for the first time, the man was dumbfounded.
Its energy rivaled Gop-hwa! In fact, in sheer output for an instant, it even surpassed Gop-hwa’s.
Was there another unique skill as ridiculous as Gop-hwa’s? This was truly shocking for the man.
Unique skills of affinity often correlate with the personality of the wielder. What kind of crazy personality does the user of that skill have? It was impossible to gauge…
He stretched both hands forward. The circuits shifted, and magical energy flowed. A multitude of shields woven by the man blocked the trajectory of the spear.
Whack! Before the spear could reach it, icy spikes began to rain down.
The attack emerged much closer than the spear.
The man frowned. As expected, the chill from the spell penetrated the weaving and messed up some of the magic.
Only then did the spear explode. Crack! The tip of the spear found its way through the defenses one by one.
At some point, the purification was blocked. But the man’s frown didn’t loosen.
The elongated golden spear glimmered brightly.
– Boom!
The explosion of the bright light enveloped the man. The shockwave from the blast sent several cadets, who had been staggering from afar, rolling on the ground.
“Whoa, look at that viciousness…”
As the bright flash waned, the revealed man seemed fine. He checked the scorched hem of his robe and let out a reluctant murmur as he turned his head.
Lee Ha-yul had already dashed forward, knowing the man would be fine. With three pairs of wings fluttering, he was propelled toward the man.
Lee Ha-yul reached out. The man stared intently at him.
‘Still a first-year… but looking at him like this, hope isn’t a bad thing.’
The skills displayed in the brief battle were many, and each one of them was mind-boggling.
This was just a first-year. What would he become after his second, third, or fourth years? The man was curious to find out.
Even now, he couldn’t predict what would show up, but for now, he would check it out…
Twist! The circuits twisted. The creaking circuits transformed into the shape of a spell…
“Crazy bastard.”
The man let out an expletive. The cross-section of the circuits on Lee Ha-yul’s arms showed. Greater Wall of Void. A pure white spear erupted right in front of the man’s nose.
The man jolted in surprise and swung both arms.
Crack! The spear was driven into the ground, accompanied by a thunderous sound. The ground trembled like waves, and debris soared into the sky.
“Wow…”
A little distance away from where the Greater Wall of Void was buried, the man rubbed his tingling arms and gawked with his jaw dropped. Lee Ha-yul, similarly, grimaced while rubbing his glowing right arm.
“That guy is a real nutcase.”
He processed the circuits into spell use.
For the man, that was an instinctive skill. For Lee Ha-yul, however, it was absolutely impossible.
In fact, that was something he shouldn’t do. Doing so was a madman’s act.
There were countless better alternatives; there was no need to force it.
The man understood that too.
If it weren’t for the order of reversibility, and if the sorcerer’s help hadn’t existed, he would never even dream of trying it.
But that guy was doing this madness all by himself!
The man was left in awe of the true lunacy of someone without the aid of artifacts.
“…That’s why they called me.”
He realized the Tower Master’s intentions.
It was similar to leaving the child with those illegal treatments—better to take them to a legitimate and capable place for treatment.
The man’s techniques weren’t anything good, but doing that, he still managed to show a credible answer and explanation.
‘Yeah, if he’s going to use it in such a risky way, it’s better to learn properly. Watch… Observe well and learn.’
Whatever the case, the body was already dead and gone. He ought to help the real one to endure it successfully, right?
With a bitter smile, the man spread his arms wide. The circuits inside him twisted dramatically. Crunch! A green line protruded from his shoulder.
The circuits within his body surged forth.
Unique Magic – Foolish Gears
– Creak!
The circuits twisted and connected like cartwheels.
*
[Unique Ability “Affinity with Magic” is growing.]
[Unique Ability “Jack of All Trades” is growing.]
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