Chapter 48: Mage’s Tower (3)

“Open Map. Status!”

Han-seong kept shouting.

But no matter how desperately he called out, there was no response. The map didn’t appear, and even the Blessing of Remote Support had vanished without a trace.

No, how was he supposed to use skills like this?

As he was blankly standing there with a helpless feeling, suddenly something caught his eye.

“This is…”

It was a fairly thick book.

《Aether: Basic Understanding》

One of the two books handed to him by Aei, the tower administrator, before entering the Trial Room. He remembered being told it would help with the trial.

After pondering, Han-seong opened the book.

And he frowned.

“…What is this written in?”

He couldn’t read any of it.

The characters densely engraved in the book were not ones he knew. It was even questionable whether they existed on Earth at all.

Just as he was about to close the book again, suddenly a strange phenomenon occurred.

“Wh-what’s going on?”

The unidentifiable characters on the pages started moving and twisting on their own, quickly changing into familiar characters. Into Hangul.

Han-seong, who had been staring blankly, turned the pages.

The preface caught his eye first.

『Aether refers to the life energy emitted by stars that harbor life. In the universe, aether is like an uncut gem with infinite potential, and can be defined as a force that can change into any property depending on how it is used.』

The definition of aether.

An explanation not much different from what he had heard from Aei earlier. Han-seong turned the pages and soon found a part that could be a clue.

『The most basic method of perceiving aether is through repeated meditation. By reaching a state of emptiness of thought and then ecstasy, one can perceive all surrounding existences, and at this time, aether also finally reveals its presence.』

‘Meditation!’

Han-seong’s eyes lit up.

He read up to the middle of the book, but in the end, meditation was the only clue that seemed helpful.

Well then, might as well try it.

“Phew.”

With a deep breath, he closed his eyes.

He relaxed his whole body and calmed his confused mind. Meditation was familiar to Han-seong, so he quickly entered a state of emptiness.

Thinking of nothing.

Not seeking to know anything.

Making his consciousness like the surface of a calm lake.

Eventually, when all surrounding sounds ceased, he finally felt various presences.

‘The sound of my heart beating.’

He could vividly feel the movement of muscles, the position of bones, even the direction of blood flow.

Though he thought a consciousness form meant something like a soul, it didn’t seem to be exactly that.

Han-seong didn’t dwell on this and immersed himself in even deeper meditation. When he reached the state of ecstasy, he perceived an unknown presence.

It was in the center of his body.

Its presence could be felt in every muscle and bone, every organ and even each strand of hair. It existed everywhere and could be found anywhere.

And finally.

Han-seong realized what it was.

‘Aether.’

The source of life. The energy of stars.

Once he recognized its existence, he could continue to feel its presence even after leaving the state of ecstasy.

An interesting point was that aether moved according to Han-seong’s will. The aether evenly distributed throughout his body sometimes dwelled in his heart, sometimes in his bones.

‘Then…’

Wouldn’t it be possible to extract it outwards?

It should certainly be possible. With this certainty, Han-seong focused his nerves on his fingertips. At the same time, he moved the aether to gather at his fingertips.

‘Just a little more, a little more.’

When a satisfactory amount had gathered.

He grasped the stone tablet and pushed the aether into it. The aether slid naturally into the stone tablet like oil floating on water.

But that was the end of it.

“Huh?”

The aether did not dwell in the stone tablet.

It merely circled around the surface of the tablet before dispersing. Surprised by this unexpected situation, Han-seong was taken aback.

“What? Why… Ah!”

But he quickly realized.

He looked again at the explanation of the 1st Tier trial engraved on the surface of the stone tablet.

[Challenge]: 1st Tier Trial

[Content]: Convert aether into mana, manipulate it, then inject it into the stone tablet. Or striking the stone tablet with magic will also be considered passing the trial.

‘I see, I need to convert this into mana.’

But how do I do that?

The question didn’t last long.

He would probably find out as he read the book. And Han-seong’s prediction was correct.

『─Just as even a gem with infinite potential is nothing but a stone if not processed, to handle aether as desired, it must be converted into an energy suitable for one’s body.』

A part described in the latter half of the book.

There, a detailed explanation was written about how to convert aether into applied energies such as mana, ki, or spirit power.

This could be summarized as follows:

‘The circulation of aether.’

From head to toe.

Like blood circulating throughout the body, move the aether to sweep through every part of the body in circulation.

Aether, with its ever-changing properties, understands the owner’s body during the circulation process and converts into an applied energy suitable for it.

If the body’s owner is a warrior, it becomes stamina; if an assassin, energy; and if a Mage…

‘Mana.’

At that moment, the aether changed.

The applied energy suitable for Han-seong’s body.

Into mana. Recognizing the existence of mana, Han-seong was filled with a strange feeling.

‘It’s familiar.’

Mana felt very close and familiar to Han-seong. Probably because he had encountered it several times through mana potions and meditation.

With this, aether had changed into mana.

All that remained was to fulfill the trial’s conditions. Han-seong grasped the stone tablet again. To push mana into the stone tablet by moving it.

Woong! Wooooong!

The moment he injected mana into the stone tablet.

A different reaction from before appeared. The stone tablet began to vibrate and emit light.

‘I see. So this is…’

Aether, and mana.

If aether was like clay that could become anything, mana was like water.

Within the category of water, he felt the possibility of changing into any form. As he was quietly pondering this newly realized fact.

New characters were engraved on the stone tablet.

[You have passed the 1st Tier trial.]

[Moving to the Trial Room.]

[Time taken: 01:35:18]

When he blinked, the surrounding scenery changed.

The Trial Room. It was the very place where he had first met V, the trial supervisor.

[Combat Assistance Support System: Eden]

[System restoration complete.]

[1st Tier Trial: Completed]

The system that had temporarily stopped also activated.

Following this, a surprising notification appeared.

[Your Rank Experience has increased.]

[Amount increased: +30%]

It increased this much?

Han-seong’s eyes widened.

‘Is it because I passed the trial?’

Or is it because I realized what aether and mana were in the process of taking on the trial? He wasn’t sure, but it was certainly something to celebrate.

As he was smiling with satisfaction.

“Eh?”

His eyes met V’s.

The doll was lying on the floor scratching its back vigorously, but as soon as it saw Han-seong, its eyes bulged. Then it suddenly stood up and shouted:

“Why are you here, that is? The trial shouldn’t be over yet… Don’t tell me you gave up and came out, that is.”

“No, I passed and came out.”

“That’s impossible, that is! How could a primitive species from an undeveloped planet who can’t even use aether pass the trial so quickly, that is?”

Seeing V repeatedly questioning, Han-seong calmly explained what had happened in the white space.

About how he felt aether through meditation and converted it into mana. Hearing this, V asked back with a slightly surprised expression:

“I don’t understand, that is. How did you succeed in meditation on the first try, that is?”

The doll asked back in a puzzled tone.

Meanwhile, Han-seong tilted his head.

“Why would meditation have success or failure? Doesn’t it just happen naturally as you do it?”

“No, that is not the case! Meditation requires a high level of concentration, that is. Even with professional training, it takes at least several years, that is!”

Even being told that, it didn’t really resonate.

He had never felt anything like failure or success in meditation. He thought of the stages of emptiness of thought and ecstasy as just parts of meditation.

But seeing V’s reaction, it didn’t seem to be quite like that. As he was feeling somewhat strange about this.

V spoke to him again.

“But how did you know to perceive the existence of aether through meditation, that is?”

“Oh, that…”

He learned it from reading the book Aei had given him.

But is it okay to say that?

Meanwhile, as no answer came, V found this suspicious and scurried over to Han-seong. Then it quickly discovered the existence of the book.

“I understand, that is.”

V frowned.

As if all questions had been resolved, its button-hole-like eyes flashed.

“It’s the administrator’s doing, that is!”

“…Is bringing books prohibited?”

“That’s not the case, that is. You can bring anything into the trial, that is.”

Well, that’s a relief at least.

Han-seong let out a sigh of relief.

“However, even if you got clues from the book, gaining enlightenment this quickly is exceptional, that is. You have talent, that is.”

Both Aei and V.

They didn’t hold back on praising Han-seong for his talent in magic. Though Han-seong himself didn’t really feel it and just smiled awkwardly.

Then a question suddenly occurred to him.

“Ah, right. By the way, what exactly is this Combat Assistance Support System Eden?”

A question that arose while taking the trial.

Han-seong asked curiously, but what he got in return was V’s unpleasant expression.

“I have no reason to answer that, that is. Ask the administrator about such things, that is.”

Unlike Aei, it had an unfriendly attitude.

It seemed he wouldn’t be able to get answers no matter what he asked, so Han-seong closed his mouth.

“Anyway, I acknowledge you passed, that is. Now receive your reward, that is.”

“Reward?”

“A reward given by the tower to congratulate you on passing the 1st Tier trial, that is.”

What V held out was a skillbook.

The doll soon added an explanation.

“If you use this, you can acquire an additional unique skill that you haven’t learned, that is.”

As soon as it finished explaining, V placed the skillbook in Han-seong’s hand. Then a familiar notification message unfolded before his eyes.

[You have acquired a skill.]

[Unique: Additional Base]

‘Finally…!’

He had obtained the skill he wanted.

Han-seong immediately examined the detailed information.

[Unique: Additional Base (Lv.5)]

-Establishes a semi-permanent additional base at coordinates a certain distance away from the boundary of the observable range on the map.

All blessings are activated upon entering the area.

▷Installation Range: Up to 20km from the boundary line

▷Base Area: 10m radius

▷Maximum Possession: 1 / The maximum number of additional bases that can be possessed increases according to rank.

(Next additional rank: 5th Tier)

▷Cooldown: 125 hours

▶Current Rank: 3rd Tier

A skill for setting up a base.

Han-seong carefully read the skill information. The part he focused on was the installation range of the base.

‘The boundary line means the edge of the map.’

Currently, the observable range is 12.5km.

Then the maximum range where an additional base can be installed would be coordinates up to 32.5km away from Han-seong’s main base, the officetel.

If he moves in a straight line, he could set up a new base as far as Suwon. This brings him one step closer to Daejeon.

But then, V’s eyes widened.

“I don’t understand, that is.”

“Hmm? What now…”

“In order, you should have first obtained the ‘Unique: Temporary Base’ skill, that is. But the fact that you got the Additional Base skill means…”

V trailed off.

A moment later, the doll narrowed its button-hole-like eyes and whispered:

“…You, did you perhaps obtain a nameless skillbook on your current planet, that is?”

“If you mean a skillbook called ‘Untitled’, then yes.”

Han-seong nodded.

Skillbook: Untitled (無題). It was an item possessed by Poison Master Bae Hyeon-seok when he was defeated. Thanks to that, Han-seong had acquired the Temporary Base skill.

Meanwhile, V let out a hollow laugh.

“Not only is your magic talent outstanding, but your luck is good too, that is. You’re a completely broken character, that is.”

“Is it that hard to obtain?”

“Of course it is, that is! That’s one of the nine hidden pieces prepared by Eden, that is. It’s a treasure that exists only one per planet, that is!”

That skillbook was the only one on the planet?

Then the Poison Master was truly the lucky one. Han-seong retorted as such, but what he got in return was a rebuke.

“In the end, you’re the one who got it, so you’re the luckiest anyway, that is. I won’t accept any objections, that is!”

“O-okay.”

Han-seong smiled awkwardly.

Having said all it wanted to say, V hopped backwards and quickly distanced itself from Han-seong.

“Anyway, let’s move on, that is. You’ve earned the right to challenge the second trial, do you want to attempt it right away, that is?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

“Understood, that is. The method is the same as before, that is. Then I will now start the 2nd Tier trial, that is!”

With that resounding declaration.

Just like the first trial, everything turned into a white space. Han-seong looked at the stone tablet left alone where V had been.

To check the contents of the trial.

[Challenge]: 2nd Tier Trial

[Name]: Magic Manifestation

[Content]: Manifest one of the implementable magics and strike the target before you.

‘The target before me?’

Han-seong looked around.

And he found something like a scarecrow placed not far away. He probably had to strike that with magic.

“Open Map is…”

It seems it’s not working this time either.

Well, there’s no choice then.

He’ll have to refer to the book he received from Aei again. Han-seong immediately opened the book titled 《Principles and Conditions of Magic Manifestation》.

And he found a clue.

『Magic is the essence of aether utilization. Three things are needed to manifest magic. The power to convert aether into mana, the work of imagining and drawing the image of the magic to be manifested, and the method of infusing mana into the voice and releasing it are those things.』

He knows how to convert aether into mana.

What remains is the work of drawing the image of the magic to be manifested and the method of infusing mana into the voice.

Han-seong kept turning the pages and soon found the clue he wanted.

『Magic manifestation is like drawing a picture on a canvas. Imagine the image of the desired magic and draw a sketch on your mental image. When the work is done, apply lines with mana and fill in the colors. Then the preparation for manifestation is roughly complete.』

‘A picture…’

Han-seong had a nostalgic expression.

Before the Upheaval, the reason he, who had been cooped up in his room for 10 years, tried to come out into the world on his own was precisely because of drawing.

‘To be exact, it was webtoons.’

He could draw imagined images exactly as they were. Conversely, he could also perfectly reproduce specific images in his mind.

Whether it was scenery, faces, or phenomena.

This acted as a significant advantage in drawing webtoons, and thanks to this, it became the driving force for him to nurture his dream as a webtoon artist and come outside.

“…Though it’s become pointless now.”

Han-seong smiled bitterly as he realized the reality.

Then he continued turning the pages. To find the method of infusing mana into the voice.

『Next is the work of pulling out the completed picture, the ‘spell formula’. First, place the spell formula in the air as if releasing mana externally. Then, by emitting mana through the voice and giving a name to the spell formula, magic is finally manifested.』

‘Hmm, to summarize…’

After converting aether into mana.

Imagine the image of the desired magic, and complete the picture using mana like paint.

Finally, release this externally, then infuse mana into the voice and give a name to that spell formula to manifest the magic.

Having finished understanding, Han-seong was filled with enthusiasm.

‘Alright. Let’s do this.’

He immediately entered into meditation.

Just like in the first trial, he circulated aether to convert it into mana.

The time taken for this process was just 10 seconds.

Han-seong, while holding the mana in his body, immediately recalled the image of the magic he wanted to manifest.

‘Dark clouds, lightning, flash, thunderous sound.’

The scattered images like puzzle pieces came together in Han-seong’s mind. The sketch was completed in an instant, and Han-seong used mana like paint to complete the picture.

‘Lastly…’

Take out the completed picture, the spell formula, externally.

It wasn’t difficult because it was the same method as when he had injected mana into the stone tablet earlier. And all that’s left is to give a name to that spell formula.

Han-seong moved his lips.

“Call Lightning.”

Along with the sensation of mana being released.

Black storm clouds formed above the scarecrow’s head. Soon there was a crackling sound like sparks flying, which quickly evolved into a thunderous roar.

Rumble! Boom!

Lightning that fell right in front of him.

The lightning that poured down with enough force to tear eardrums struck the scarecrow in the blink of an eye. The scarecrow turned into a lump of charcoal on the spot.

Some time later.

Familiar words were engraved on the stone tablet.

[You have passed the 2nd Tier trial.]

[Time taken: 00:27:05]

The second trial passed in one go.

It was an achievement accomplished in less than 30 minutes.

[2nd Tier Trial: Completed]

Along with the restoration of the Combat Assistance Support System, his experience greatly increased again. Now only 8 percent of Rank Experience remained until promotion.

‘Now if I just pass the next trial…’

He can become a 4th Tier Mage.

Then the observable range on the map will become much wider, and he’ll be able to learn new skills too.

As he was smiling with dreams swelling in his heart.

A familiar face appeared.

“…What on earth is this, that is.”

The trial supervisor, V.

It looked at Han-seong with an expression clearly showing bewilderment.

“To pass the trial in less than 30 minutes after entering, this is absolutely impossible for a primitive species receiving Eden’s help, that is!”

The doll shouted, panting.

“Well, this one was a bit advantageous for me.”

“What do you mean by that, that is?”

“I have a talent for drawing pictures.”

He explained in detail everything he had experienced in the process of taking the 2nd Tier trial.

The point that he was able to easily complete the imagined picture thanks to being familiar with drawing. And the speculation that this might have been why he shortened the time.

On the other hand, V couldn’t accept this.

“B-but even so…!”

How could you easily draw the process of lightning falling? V argued like that. To this, Han-seong replied with an awkward smile:

“I can reproduce as a picture any scene I’ve witnessed even once.”

“Wh-what…?”

“People, scenery, even phenomena, everything.”

At Han-seong’s answer, V’s mouth fell open.

An expression beyond surprise, to the point of shock.

As he was thinking it was amazing that a doll could make such an expression, a whisper as small as a mosquito brushed past his ear.

“…Crazy talented bastard.”

“What did you say?”

“Ahem! It’s nothing, that is. Come here and receive your reward, that is.”

The way of speaking definitely changed just now.

But the sound was too small to hear what the content was. Han-seong glanced at V with a suspicious look, and the doll brought a chest from the corner.

“This is the second reward, that is.”

V opened the chest. When Han-seong discovered what was inside, his eyes widened.