A moment later, the living room was a total mess.
The spectral golems, sensing that the mansion’s interior had become too chaotic, all rose at once and...
Kriririrrik— badadadadak—
began cleaning.
Warurururuk— udadadadak! dreururuk—
“Ugh, it was hectic enough already, and now it’s double hectic.”
“We have to clean. Ah, this headache. Damn.”
A curse slipped out of my mouth unbidden.
“Ugh, I’ve been trying to hold back on swearing for a while now...”
Maybe I muttered it loudly, because Jang Hyundeok grumbled:
“When did the Mage ever hold back on swearing...”
“Didn’t I?”
“Not really...”
“Ah, dammit... don’t piss me off. Hey, give me your hand.”
“Eeh? Again?”
“What do you mean ‘eeh, again’? Give it here, kid. Am I doing this for your sake or mine?”
Grumbling, Jang Hyundeok extended his hand.
“No, not like that—palm up. Yes, like that.”
I cupped the back of his hand with mine and poured in mana.
“How’s it this time?”
“Huh? It feels a bit different than before.”
This wasn’t the usual method of probing or analyzing by seeping mana in. I transferred part of my mana into his body as if gifting it.
“Uh— what is this?”
“It’s my mana. But it doesn’t feel alien like before, right?”
“Yes...? How did you do it?”
“I improved your constitution.”
I modulated the shape of his mana core to enhance his mana generation efficiency.
The parts the Yellow-Clad King tampered with wouldn’t budge at all, so it was real hell to work on.
I created a bypass, built a secondary core, tricked the [Living Altar], made that secondary core register as the possessed target, synced it to avoid side effects, linked it with the main core for dual enhancement... blah blah. It would blow my head off to explain every ridiculous step.
“Let’s start with the basics. Gather mana in your right hand.”
“Um— like this?”
Mana concentrated in Jang Hyundeok’s right hand. But the mana he was wielding wasn’t his own—it was mine.
‘I did desaturate it to no attribute before gifting it, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) but to have him already make it his own and use it...’
A success.
Yes. This is the power I granted his body. Now he can use another’s mana as if it were his own.
Once he hones his mana control (a tedious process), he’ll be able to absorb spectral-level entities the moment they possess him, rather than them controlling his body.
I spoke as I gave a specific tendency to the mana he’d gathered.
“Good. Exactly like that. Now cast a spell.”
“Huh? Cast a spell? Now?”
“Yes.”
I forced the mana gathered in his right hand to move, structuring a spell: concentrate—control—convert—attribute infusion—augmentation, culminating—
[Ignition]
Farurururuk—
Flames of mana bloomed from Jang Hyundeok’s right hand.
“Woaaaah!?”
He stared at his own hand in utter shock.
“Oh— I get how to do it now! I think I know!”
This was like holding his posture from behind and guiding him step by step.
“Good.”
I released the Ignition and let his mana flow free again.
“Now gather mana in your left hand. No need for attribute infusion this time.”
“Ummm—”
Viiiiiiing—
Mana focused into a circular form at his fingertips.
“Yes. Normally it forms a ring. Now try changing that shape.”
“To what shape?”
“You still feel that impression from earlier, when Heo Jihyun—your aunt—transformed mana into threads through your body? Can you reproduce that?”
Heo Jihyun had converted raw mana into thread form without changing its attribute. As a puppeteer, that was her specialty—to exert physical force or create dominance via thread.
Tsutsutsutsu—
His mana gradually shifted into filaments.
“Woooah! Mage! It’s working!”
“See? I told you. You’re not talentless.”
Despite Hyundeok’s excitement, I felt my own sense of achievement.
You did it, Kim Sinhwa.
Teaching magic to someone like Jang Hyundeok—it’s truly a human victory.
The next day.
“Yes, yes. It’s progressing well. I have to head out soon... Yes. Then I’ll see you there.”
After ending the call, I waved my hand and unfolded the schematics.
I have a lot to do today.
I need to craft the ‘additional order’ for the Enchanter and deliver it, meet a few people since I’m out anyway—and maybe knock out a quest or two.
Crack— snap—
I cracked my wrist joints as I examined the schematics.
“I originally pulled these schematics to translate an ancient language.”
But I’m using them for something else entirely.
Thinking of their intended use in the game, is this correct?
I stretched both hands and levitated the jumble of parts on the floor into midair.
Kkigigik— charururuk—
Click! Chararak— bagagagak!
In an instant, toy guns assembled themselves. The erratic specs are gradually stabilizing through repeated iterations.
‘Stability is...’
[Failure Rate 21%]
“Ugh, no matter what I do, I can’t get it down into the teens.”
Even with crafting-related traits, huh?
‘Probably so.’
After all, these toy guns aren’t what the schematics intended to produce. They’re failed prototypes born from my clumsy interpretation and lack of manufacturing skill.
In short, the design itself is flawed. To solve misfires, malfunctions, or explosions, I need to deepen my understanding of the schematics.
‘But then maybe—’
If I fully interpreted the schematics, something completely different would emerge? A device unlike anything I imagine.
Say these were an ancient [automobile blueprint]. I might be turning part of an internal combustion engine into a weapon I call a “railgun.”
‘Well, in this insane world, I doubt there’d be any cute reveals like that.’
“Hmm, but for such large-scale work...”
The basement is too cramped now. And since it’s underground, I can’t expand...
Now that everything’s neatly organized and stable, other desires surface.
“At this point, I’d rather build a separate annex just for my workshop. Where should I put it...?”
I could erect another building on Jangmyeongsan, but that’s not what I’m thinking.
‘Fortunately, thanks to Park Gwangrim, I don’t need to worry right now.’
There’s a hunter guild bounty on my head.
An abyssal entity already attacked once, and the infamy around Jangmyeongsan draws wandering fixers.
‘Indeed, having a second hideaway prepared for contingencies would be ideal.’
A place impenetrable to outsiders, unknown to others, and spiritually fortified.
Is there such a place?
“Mage, look at this!”
“Hmm, you’re doing well.”
Jang Hyundeok sat on the sofa, flanked by Doldoli and Achilles, honing his mana control.
He formed a few geometric shapes and mana lines with the energy in both hands.
Magic aside, Hyundeok seems genuinely excited by the act of learning something.
“I only finished elementary school. I never had many chances to learn.”
He clarified that he’d actually dropped out of middle school.
Not an exceptionally odd background, but seeing him work harder than I expected doesn’t annoy me.
‘Am I teaching him correctly, though?’
I honestly don’t know. I didn’t learn this way... [Cthulhu World] has no formal disciple system.
Magic mastery is basically automatic.
You learn unique spells from grimoire, artifacts, or supernatural beings, but it’s just pressing [Research] or [Learn].
So what I teach Hyundeok is, frankly, forced adaptations of the knowledge granted by the [Spell Mastery] trait.
‘Oh well, who cares? As long as he doesn’t fall into some possession curse, right?’
Besides, who else in the world teaches magic for free? If it goes wrong, it’s Hyundeok’s misfortune for picking a bad teacher.
I shook off the intrusive thoughts and said to Hyundeok:
“Hyundeok, let’s go out.”
“Oh, are we going out? Where to today?”
“First, we have to meet Bong Ilcheonpa. Then I have someone else to see. Doldolia, here—eat this.”
Ururururur—
A torrent of weapons and artifacts poured out from the basement door.
“Wow!? You’ve already made that many!?”
“I’m exhausted because of you already, and Bong Ilcheonpa’s hassling me. Hey, we’re running late. Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir!”
Doldoli swallowed the mountain of gear, and Jang Hyundeok rose from the sofa to prepare to leave.
But from the kitchen...
“Sinwha nim.”
Heo Sanghyun approached with a grim expression, as if troubled. What’s wrong—
“Kiiiii!”
Red suddenly jumped out and sprinted over.
Since I grounded her flight, Red now waddles like a giant penguin. It’s cute, but her size is overwhelming. Wait—is she spreading her wings to hug me?
“Ugh, Red! Don’t do that! You’ll kill me!”
Red nearly broke my back with her sudden hug.
I released a controlled burst of mana to push her away and said to Heo Sanghyun:
“Sanghyun, do you have a problem?”
“I have something to tell you...”
“Is it urgent?”
He seemed to think, hesitated, then sighed and replied:
“No. It’s not.”
“Hmm, then after we get back—hey! Red, cut it out!”
“Kiiiii!”
After much wriggling in Red’s embrace, I was finally released.
