2000 Years of Magic History in My Head

Episode 29: The Genius of the Fallen High Family (1)

Kang Min-hyuk thought back to a class he took at the beginning of the semester.

“What is the ultimate purpose of the magic department? It’s where a wizard is equipped with basic skills. Still, a wizard is also a hunter… to play both roles in the highly competitive world beyond school; practical experience is essential. The department of magic gives the curriculum completed through numerous trials and errors. The formation of the third circle is said to be the common reference point for developing this skill.”

As a hunter, a second circle wizard holds little value. But once the next circle is formed…many shortcomings are resolved. For instance, second circle magic can (generally) only endure a few uses in any single battle. However, the third circle produces much greater mana and can therefore sustain greater amounts of casting. Thus, the third circle became a point of emphasis by the professor due to its practical functions.

If a wizard graduates in the second circle, he will have no future as a hunter. However, a third circle wizard will receive offers from both his family and outside groups for teamwork and employment. He becomes sought after. Some wizards remain in the third circle; there is no clear time-frame in which one should progress to higher classes.

Two years from the day of the lecture mentioned above, an incident occurred in which a second-grade student reached the third circle on the merit of his strength alone. It caused an uproar at the time.

Most senior, fourth-year students could barely form the third. The second-grader was regarded as a genius and instantaneously received many offers of recruitment from prosperous organizations. The fourth circle’s possibility can be predicted by the time it took to generate the third. For this reason, the value of the third circle was colossal.

Now, Kang Min-hyuk, who endured the second-stage output of the Mana Room, could feel the trio of circles twined around his heart. His gamble had paid off.

As soon as he adapted to the second stage, he increased the output and delved into the third. There is a saying in Suhomun:”Comfortable training is poison.”

With strength training in Suhomun, the weight one was expected to uphold was always burdensome. The trainee screams because his muscles are tearing, but he holds on. The memories of that time struck Min-hyuk. Before the second stage became too comfortable, he quickly progressed to the third.

Again, the gamble worked. His spirit was stretched to the brink of life and death: the result of this was the third circle. Was there any other case like this? He didn’t think so; not one.

At least, in the magic department, no other wizard had formed the third circle as young as Kang Min-hyuk. Perhaps there were instances elsewhere, by worldclass arch-mages who were so awakened at an early age, but it was exceptionally rare. It was a process of initiation.

For a wizard to enter the magic department without a youth course, to then climb to the third circle so swiftly was completely unheard of. Kang Min-hyuk knew how great his development was. The effect of the Mana Room was immense. Without it, such rapid growth would have been impossible…but there was another, more important factor to consider talent.”I have a talent for magic…”

It had called to him. It caused him to sacrifice his place as a successor. Even in Klinssman’s world, his progress would have been notable.

Classes were held in the Department of Magic the next morning. Professor Ha Man-Seok spoke passionately to his class about understanding the Book of Magic

“Recently, the French Magic Association has developed a study to simplify third circle casting, in particular: Magic Chain: Lightning. The casting time was shortened by 20 seconds, and the power also increased. This teaches us that our knowledge of magic is changeable. If we find a more efficient magic system, we can use a more advanced form of magic.”

A spell-book is a record of the system of magic. The system isn’t fixed; it can change at any time. Kang Min-hyuk was aware of this. Klinssman’s world had already exposed several of these systems, divided into the upper, middle, and lower.

Ha Man-Seok continued, “Now, I’ll give you a group assignment. As groups of three, write a report on the new system of magic. I want you to explore how the magic system we know could be perceived differently…it isn’t a factual essay, but a flexible one. This way of thinking is essential for a wizard. I expect your submissions within a week.”

Group projects…every student dreaded them. Friends huddled together, forming teams quickly. Kang Min-hyuk was left alone. Despite his victory in the Magical Academic Competition, he was unapproachable…his classmates still saw him as the eldest son of Suho-moon. Although he was admired for his achievements, he was also envied. A distance was generated between himself and his peers. Most of his classmates had forged their relationships over the years spent together in the youth academy. They couldn’t approach Kang Min-hyuk without disregarding those bonds. Students glanced over, flirting with the idea of joining him, but none had the heart to break the barrier.

“We could work together if you have no one else in mind?” a voice said to his left. It was Kim Chang-soo. The same Kim Chang-soo who had led the group in the practical class against the goblins…his perspective of Kang Min-hyuk had changed on that day. Instead of seeing him as inferior, he noted his charisma… his magical prowess…there may have also been a hint of sexual desire.

So, Kim Chang-soo wanted to continue to build a relationship with Kang Min-hyuk? “Okay.”Min-hyuk nodded. He had no attraction to Kim Chang-soo, but as long as he had a team, he didn’t care who was in it.

Almost immediately, another student stepped forward.”Can we do it together?”Whispers swept across the room – their classmates had been quietly observing…

“Ugh!”

“What is he doing?”

“Jeong Sang-hoon and Kang Min-hyuk?!”

Sang-hoon had also been a hot topic upon his admission. He entered the department of magic as the chief; he couldn’t help but be named Sang-hoon, the child of a magical family now fallen.

The Jeong family had been respected in wizardry for over a century. The discovery of magic was so significant that some believed it held to the future of human evolution. However, as time passed, the prestige of the Jeong family weakened.

Alongside some internal problems, the development of fortified civilization seemed to promise the elimination of magic. It became an increasingly obscure art, and the term “Myeongga” fell out of use. As time passed, the Jeong clan was perceived as a famous family of the fallen past. One hundred years later, though, some continued the legacy.

His father had trained Sang-hoon: he was born a wizard, trained from childhood, and his father had recently shared with him certain sentiments:

“One of your classmates, Kang Min-hyuk, has revolutionized the world of magic with double casting. If you get the chance, become close to him; just being near to his genius will be good for you.”

Sang-hoon was mildly annoyed by that. Min-hyuk was the eldest son of the opposition, and the words touched Sang-hoon’s pride. Much about his father annoyed him. They were different from each other. Mostly because Jeong Sang-hoon’s father had failed…he didn’t regain the prestige of the past and achieved nothing. At the same time, Jeong Sang-hoon knew himself to be a genius. He developed quicker than his peers and confidently progressed to the senior level upon his very entry to the department of magic. He’d grown without the help of Kang Min-hyuk but was curious to see what they could accomplish together.

So, they were three. That afternoon, when the group gathered together to work on the assignment, Sang-hoon immediately expressed his thoughts.”This is a topic I’ve already been studying passionately. I have a result.”Kim Chang-soo’s eyes grew wide.”

Really?!

“In contrast, Min-hyuk merely watched Sang-hoon, looking bored.

Sang-hoon laughed and went on: “Uh…so, the magic that I studied was the Fire Bolt. In analyzing its particular system, I thought of a simpler way to reduce casting time. About a year ago, through lots of experimentation, I managed to shave a whopping ten seconds off, compared to the Fire Bolt statistics we know. Originally, I intended to present this personally, but since it has come up as a group assignment, why don’t we present it together?”

“Oh my GOD!”

Kim Chang-soo stood, mouth gaping.

A ten-second reduction was huge. It was a shame it was only first circle magic, but a revelation, nonetheless. “Could it be real?!”Kim Sang-hoo’s jaw dropped further. Kang Min-hyuk took over the data. “It’s real.”He stated.

It was as described by Sang-hoon. If the magic is cast according to the contents of data he presented, it seemed that you could, indeed, reduce the time by at least ten seconds. But there was a problem; one that only Kang Min-hyuk could see.”It’s the same as the lower-level magic system.”

Sang-hoon’s theory was just like the low-level Fire Bolts he read about while he was in Klinssman’s world. Jeong Sang-hoon, who couldn’t understand the context of Kang Min-hyuk’s thoughts, smiled triumphantly. “What do you think?”One look at Min-hyuk’s face told him that his data was insufficient.