Lee Han-gyeol of the Magic World

I opened my eyes.

I stared blankly for a moment before a powerful hangover hit me, and with it, the memories came flooding back.

Ah, ah, ah…

It’s so embarrassing…! I think I’m going to die of shame…!

“Ah, fuck!!!”

I shot up, and my head throbbed—

Ugh, this hangover is brutal.

Choi Shin-woo was gone.

Instead, a blanket was draped over me, and the mess from last night’s drinking had been cleaned up. I guess he tidied up and left first. Being an Enhancement-type, he probably recovers fast.

Hooo…

What’s done is done. The future is what matters… Yeah, right. As if I could ever forget acting like that.

No matter how drunk I was, how could I have had sex with that bastard and let him cum inside me? Ha, fuck, fuck, fuck.

First, I checked for any changes.

[Essense: 250/1220]

I saw this yesterday. My Essense had filled up by about 250. Would this be enough to reverse the transformation? No, it had to be.

Just as I was about to reverse the transformation, another piece of information caught my eye.

[Acquired ‘Succubus’ Skill: Magic Absorption]

Magic Absorption?

I quickly opened my status window.

[Lee Han-gyeol (Succubus)

Trait: Succubus
-Skill (P): Essense Absorption (Lv.1)
-Skill (P): Magic Absorption (Lv.1)

Sub-trait: Optimal Physique
-Skill (A): Body Recovery (Lv.1)
-Skill (A): Body Enhancement (Lv.1)

Trait: Transformation – Lee Han-gyeol
-Skill (A): Reverse Transformation (Lv.1)

Strength: 78
Magic Power: 122
Essense: 250/1220]

My Magic Power had increased by 1, making it 122. Accordingly, my maximum Essense had also become 1220. I’d been so focused on the 250 Essense gain that I’d missed it.

Seeing my Magic Power increase, it seemed ‘Magic Absorption’ literally absorbed magic power. Since it was a passive skill listed alongside ‘Essense Absorption’, it probably worked in the same way…

Haaa…

No, don’t get sidetracked. The important thing is right now.

‘Reverse Transformation! Please!’

I felt a sensation of something rushing out of me, and then…

My body began to glow white.

Ah, thank god.

After once again experiencing that feeling of being jolted awake after dozing off without even realizing it, I looked in the mirror. My own face—the one I had missed more than anything—greeted me.

Ding! Ding!

And these greeted me as well.

[Trait ‘Transformation’ has evolved: Transformation – Succubus]
[Acquired ‘Transformation – Succubus’ Skill: Essense Conversion]

Essense Conversion? Does it change Essense into Mana? But in this state, only Mana shows up on the status window. How can I tell how much Essense I have?

I opened my status window again.

[Lee Han-gyeol

Trait: Elemental Mage
Sub-trait: Element – Flame
-Skill (A): Element Generation (Lv.1)
-Skill (A): Element Control (Lv.1)
-Skill (P): Flame Immunity (Lv.1)

Trait: Transformation – Succubus
-Skill (A): Transformation (Lv.1)
-Skill (A): Essense Conversion (Lv.1)

Strength: 78
Magic Power: 122
Mana: 999/1220
Essense: 150/1220]

An Essense section had been added. Seeing that I had 150 remaining, it seemed reversing the transformation cost 100 Essense.

I get 250 from doing it once, but it costs 100 just to change back?

It’s so stingy when giving but takes so much when taking away. You think I’m going to turn this precious Essense into mana?

Also, seeing that I had 999 Mana left, it looked like the transformation itself cost 100 Mana. My Magic Power had increased to 122, just like in my succubus form, so it seemed the Magic Power stat was shared.

Still, I might as well check how much it gives.

As a test, I converted 1 Essense into Mana.

[Mana: 1004/1220]
[Essense: 149/1220]

It gives five mana for one essense? Uh… hmm…

I guess I can use it as an emergency supply when I’m desperate for mana. As for mana itself, I can just drink a mana potion. There’s no need to use my Essense just because the conversion rate is good. I worked hard for that Essense. I probably won’t use it unless I’m on the verge of death from mana depletion.

I think I’ve figured out everything I need to for now. With the transformation reversed, my self-loathing also seems to be slowly fading…

Time to finish cleaning my studio apartment and go register as an Awakener.

*

The Awakened Center.

It was a government-run institution that handled Awakener registration, education and training for new Awakeners, counseling, and support programs. Usually, there was also a Magic Stone Conversion Center attached, where you could convert magic stones.

As a result, Awakeners were always present, but most of them weren’t government employees. They were from Awakener guilds. Since this was where new Awakeners emerged, they were here for publicity and recruitment.

Because there are relatively few Awakeners working for the government, the guilds are granted the right to promote themselves and recruit within the Awakened Center and Magic Stone Conversion Center, in exchange for helping to guard the facilities.

“You’re a C-rank Magic-type. With a bit of activity, you could probably make B-rank. Please head up to the third floor for your mandatory Awakener education. You’ll receive a low-grade mana potion after you complete it, so be sure to pick it up. And you said your trait is ‘Elemental Mage,’ correct? And the element you handle is Flame.”

“Yes.”

“In the case of the Flame element, there’s additional mandatory education and some simple basic training you’ll need to complete. You can do that in the next building over. For now, please complete the mandatory education and come back, and your Awakener Registration Card will be ready.”

“Yes, thank you.”

For now, I registered while hiding one of my traits. What good would revealing it do?

“Hi, I can transform into a succubus, and if I receive semen through sex, I can use it to wield magic.”

…And I’m a guy. I would rather die than say that.

It’s not like they have a way of finding out what I’ve hidden. Usually, people are dying to show off their abilities.

Anyway, C-rank. Not bad. And they said I could even make B-rank later. That’s pretty decent, right?

The letter grades are the official government-certified ranks. They are broadly divided into (Physical) Enhancement-types, Magic-types, and Transformation-types, and range from A to F based on magic sensitivity. The gates you can enter depend on this rank.

A high Magic Power stat doesn’t necessarily mean high magic sensitivity. It’s just that the higher your magic sensitivity, the more easily your Magic Power stat increases. However, in the early stages of Awakening, your Magic Power stat generally reflects your magic sensitivity, so it gives a rough idea.

Of course, it’s not absolute. An Awakener’s magic sensitivity can increase as they continue their activities, and the government-certified rank doesn’t take various other factors into account.

There are all sorts of abilities out there, making it difficult to determine a rank based on magic sensitivity alone, and it’s hard for the government to consider every single variable.

So, government-certified guilds make more detailed adjustments and issue related certificates. This is where you see ranks like B+, S, and all sorts of other grades. In daily life, people use the ranks adjusted by the guilds. I know Choi Shin-woo is a B-rank.

In the mandatory education, I learned the basic knowledge for an Awakener: the meaning of common terms, things you shouldn’t do as an Awakener, a simple explanation of the different types, and so on…

It was all very simple and common sense, but they said it was a government requirement or something. Anyway, thanks for the mana potion.

After the brief session, I went to pick up my registration card.

「Awakener Registration Card (Grade 9)
Name: Lee Han-gyeol
Awakener Registration Number: 21009-88024
Magic-type C-rank」

Kyah. It’s shining.

Who am I? A nationally certified C-rank Awakener.

The ‘Grade 9’ refers to the contribution system. In a way, you could see it as a ‘credit score.’ Since the inside of a gate is another world, it’s effectively a lawless zone where the nation’s authority can’t reach. Also, if Awakeners were to go on a rampage, the nation couldn’t control them, so this system was created as a form of penalty.

Regardless of magic sensitivity, everyone starts at Grade 9, and it goes up to Grade 1. If this grade is low, you face penalties like being excluded from Awakener support programs or being denied entry to state-owned gates.

There are several ways to raise your grade. You can join a government-certified guild and be active, or you can work for a state institution like the Awakened Center. The latter raises your grade faster. Since the latter option offers lower income, the system compensates by making it easier to raise your grade.

Of course, your grade can also drop, and non-government-certified guilds don’t count.

Currently, I’m at the lowest grade, but for one year, I’ll be treated as a ‘New Awakener’ and will be exempt from some penalties.

“Now that you’ve completed the mandatory Awakener education, here’s your mana potion. As you were instructed earlier, you can head to the next building for your additional mandatory education and basic training.”

The moment I stepped into the lobby to head to the next building, people approached me, handing me pamphlets one by one. I glanced through them.

-If you’re an Elemental Mage, then you belong with the Elemental Magic specialty guild, ‘Elemental’!
-Specialized Healing Magic educational institution, ‘Merci Academy’
-All types welcome! Beyond the unknown gate lies @in@fi@nite@ exploration! $un$lim$it$ed$ opportunity! Recruiting for the ‘Expedition’ guild! (Healing Mages preferred)
-Transformation-type guild, ‘Transformation’
-Awakener Recruitment Notice under the Department of Awakener Management
-For those with boiling blood, ‘Yua Dokjon’!
-…

One of them struck up a conversation.

“Excuse me, what type are you?”

“Magic-type, and my trait is Elemental Mage. I got a C-rank.”

“Ah, I see.”

At that, several people came closer and handed me their business cards. The person who had given me the ‘Elemental’ pamphlet said with a smile,

“Haha, if you’re an Elemental Mage, you know you belong with us at ‘Elemental,’ right? We provide ample support with mana potions, specialized education on elements, and you can learn from others who handle the same element. Please think about it positively.”

Then other people started talking to me. Most were from Magic-type guilds, but since I had specifically said I was an Elemental Mage and the guy from Elemental was right there, they didn’t seem very confident.

Except for one person.

“Elemental is good, but what about our ‘Expedition’? Sure, we can’t give you what Elemental can, but we give you freedom. You can form your own expeditionary force and venture freely into unknown worlds. Of course, what you’ll find and what you’ll gain is also unknown, haha!”

A tanned, blonde man with huge biceps bulging from his tank top laughed heartily. He wasn’t quite a delinquent… just tanned and blonde. His name was… huh, Geun-tae. Wait, his family name is ‘Yang’?

Then in English, that would be…

Yang Geun-tae’s arms, exposed by the tank top, were covered in tattoos. Thankfully, they weren’t something like irezumi; they looked like magic circles.

He almost became a full-blown punk, didn’t he?

Aside from that, I knew the guild. The ‘Expedition’ guild. It was famous. A classic high-risk, high-return guild. The problem was that the ‘Elemental’ guild was low-risk, high-return.

Well, I wasn’t going to decide on a guild right here and now, so I needed to make a graceful exit.

“Ah, haha… I haven’t finished all my mandatory education yet. I’ll think it over slowly at home.”

The people who had given me their cards looked startled.

“Oh, you haven’t finished? Uh… we’re not supposed to promote before the mandatory education is complete.”

“Ah, that’s not it. I finished the general Awakener education, but—”

“Are you perhaps a Flame Elementalist? Flame Elementalists have to take additional mandatory education and basic training.”

The person from the Elemental guild cut in.

“Ah, yes, that’s right. Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

The additional mandatory education was similar. Warnings about elements created with magic, especially the Flame element. Don’t set fire to the city, don’t carelessly set people on fire, etcetera, etcetera.

The basic training took place in a large building next door.

I trained in igniting and extinguishing flames on my own body, launching fireballs in a desired direction, and controlling the path of a flame.

It was surprisingly difficult and took quite a while. In any case, I managed to reach a passing score.

Also, during the training, my proficiency must have increased, because ‘Element Generation,’ ‘Element Control,’ and ‘Flame Immunity’ all leveled up from 1 to 2.

“Congratulations on passing. You’re a full-fledged Awakener now. I wish you the best in your future activities. You must be low on mana, so please drink the mana potion we gave you before the training. Of course, it regenerates naturally over time, but keeping your mana full is an important habit.”

I checked my current mana situation.

[Mana: 228/1220]

It seemed I had to drink it. I wanted to save it since the price was still a bit of a burden, but I also needed to find out how much it restored. I drank about half of it.

[Mana: 233/1220]

Huh? Is it supposed to restore this little?