"How on earth did they manage to cook this one up... Was he brainwashed?"
The man who was thrown back briefly thought to himself. It was a reasonable inference.
It was just like someone getting furious like a poisonous blowfish for gossiping behind someone's back.
The Master of the Tower of Knowledge is still the most brilliant wizard in the world. It would probably be possible to brainwash and control someone with a mental-type unique ability.
"...No, that can't be it."
The man quickly dismissed his thoughts. It wasn't really a serious deduction. After all, he himself had received the title of mage from the Tower of Wizards.
He knew there was no problem with Iha-yul right now.
In fact, when the man was tossed, Iha-yul flinched for a moment and seemed to show a late sign of apology. Of course, considering the battle situation, he quickly hardened his expression again.
Anyway, if it had been the man from his past life, he would have been more suspicious. The Tower Masters he knew were all rational, vile bastards who only followed logic.
They would have seriously suspected the possibility that the real one had been brainwashed while strictly adhering to rationality.
Things were a bit different now.
After hearing the circumstances, he realized that the Tower Masters... weren't as guilty as he had thought. It was all unintended, just an unexpected variable.
He was the one born because of that variable.
"Tch."
The man frowned. He suddenly felt like his life was a mess. He had resisted even after realizing he was fake, struggled terribly, and eventually died. That was bad enough, but even after death, he was still overthinking things. It was absurd.
"Necromancy really is a useless skill."
He had always had an uneasy feeling about it, but now that he was in a necromantic state himself, it was far worse than he had imagined.
The man threw out his hands in what felt like a realization. Thud! Sparks of magical energy shot from the circuits that appeared on his arms.
With each movement, hundreds of spells poured out.
Boom! The magic collided in the center, causing successive explosions.
Since that explosion, the two had fallen to the ground. Hong Yeon-hwa and Lee Ji-yeon felt the sound of the explosions above them and shook their eyes in terror.
"Ha, Ha-yul cursed..."
More than the violent explosions, the voice of Iha-yul's necklace echoed in their ears.
What had he been talking about with that helmeted guy? Suddenly, Iha-yul had become fierce and cursed.
Hong Yeon-hwa understood why Iha-yul had warned her not to curse.
Mirror healing? Although it wasn't really a real mouth, hearing Iha-yul speak such casual curses was unexpectedly shocking...
Fearfire Extension Ability
Evolution of Fire
Taesan Extension Ability
Iron Mountain Wall
The two simultaneously activated their extension abilities.
The fearfire that had been rippling outside of Hong Yeon-hwa’s body ignited inside her, amplifying her physical abilities.
Lee Ji-yeon wrapped the rocks she had drawn from the earth around her like armor. Though she had used this technique before, it had now been incorporated into her extension ability, and its strength had exponentially increased.
"First, we close the distance and strike."
Though they weren't mages, they knew how to deal with them.
It wasn't good to give mages any space. Especially mages who hadn’t yet accumulated enough offensive and defensive experience, as they were vulnerable to close combat.
"I know that too."
Mages are the ones who know these weaknesses best. When the distance narrows, they know they’re the ones who are going to be beaten. They’d created many countermeasures to deal with such weaknesses.
The man pulled his fist back. Thud! The circuits on his arm sparked again.
His circuits were unique.
Like blood flowing through veins, magic coursed through his circuits, making spells manifest through simple, natural movements—an abnormal body.
Without his unique ability, “Advanced Magic Control,” his body would have exploded with magic spilling out and breaking down at every moment.
A body that couldn’t naturally exist, created through the reversal of artifact principles.
Manifestation.
The principles of reversal melted into the man’s body after use, becoming a unique ability. He had an aberrant body that could modify its circuits at will.
Expansion.
Principle of Reversal Extension Ability
Reversal
The sparks of fire from the circuits twisted and grew into flames. The circuits corrected themselves in real time.
The backlash. Reversed magic collided and surged powerfully.
Normally, the circuits would have been torn apart immediately, and the backflow of magic would have rushed into the core. If lucky, the man would have ended up an idiot; if a little less lucky, his body would have exploded, resulting in death.
But the man’s circuits were built specifically for this phenomenon.
He could absorb all that magic, claim it as his own, and use it.
The man’s fist, pulled back, vanished for an instant. Hong Yeon-hwa instinctively crossed her arms.
"Ugh!?"
The force surrounding her arms shattered. She was blasted back by the tremendous shock. Hong Yeon-hwa widened her eyes.
"So fast...!"
She could hardly even see the punch. She blocked instinctively, but even with her body enhanced by evolution, she was pushed back significantly.
The man turned his body. Crack! This time, magic flared from his legs. His leg left an afterimage as it kicked toward Lee Ji-yeon.
The sound of a violent explosion rang in her ears. The shockwave split the ground. The man widened his eyes.
The rock shattered. Debris fell to the ground with a thud.
It wasn’t completely destroyed. Lee Ji-yeon, with her feet firmly planted in the ground, blocked the kick with her forearms and was only pushed back, not flung away.
"What's going on? Why is she so tough?"
Lee Ji-yeon. The heir of Taesan.
It was true that Taesan’s defense was unreasonably tough, and he had controlled his strength, but he hadn’t expected her to be this sturdy.
He recognized her potential, but he didn't remember her being this tough since the end of her first year.
Had she already awakened her potential? What happened?
Taesan Extension Ability
Reverse Mountain Power
Crack! The rocks trembled. Vital energy drawn from the earth was consumed by her body. Her rocky grip tightened around the man’s leg, as if trying to crush it.
"Whoa."
The man sprang back. Both his legs left the ground. Immediately, he swung his free leg.
With more force than before. And he manifested magic.
Boom! This time, Lee Ji-yeon was also kicked back. The magic mixed with the kick, and Lee Ji-yeon bounced off the ground.
The man, momentarily shaking off the two, reached out to Iha-yul.
Even in the brief skirmish, the man was pouring magic from his body. One of his limbs had "Reversed," but the rest was still "Pure."
The pure circuits, under his control, continuously released magic without pause.
Iha-yul had been battling the man with magic since earlier. Remarkably, Iha-yul was at an advantage.
"His magic output is insane."
The magic output was extraordinary. The man quickly realized the cause.
The difference in magic. Though he had accumulated deep, pure magic through advanced manipulation, it was no match for the magic here.
Additionally, the formations were as bizarre as his own. Iha-yul was firing hundreds of dangerous magic shots with a risk of completely losing his mage status if he made a single mistake.
"He's really a crazy bastard."
It was something that couldn’t be attempted with a strong will. The man let out a wry laugh and stretched out his hand.
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Grave Wall Extension.
He opened the circuits of “Pure” that he had kept closed. Magic flowed naturally, manifesting spells. A massive black spear condensed above his head.
An advanced attack spell created for siege purposes. Iha-yul, standing before it, grabbed the Purification Crystal and pulled his arm back.
He struck with the unmistakable posture of a throwing spear. Compared to the black spear, the Purification Crystal looked like a toothpick.
The Purification Crystal glowed brightly. Boom! A golden spearhead shot up.
For a moment, it pushed back not just the darkness but also the light from the magical explosion.
The dazzling white light, a fierce storm, formed the spearhead. Iha-yul, gritting his teeth, flung his arm forward.
Boom! The golden line pierced through the black spear. The shattered black spear melted into the night sky. The throwing spear didn’t lose its momentum and charged at the man.
"What the hell is that?"
The man, seeing the white storm for the first time, was stunned.
Its force was comparable to fearfire. In fact, its instantaneous output even surpassed fearfire.
To think there was another uniquely powerful ability as troublesome as fearfire... The man was shocked by the most unexpected scene.
Element-based unique abilities are sometimes linked to the character’s personality. How troublesome must the user of this ability be? He couldn’t even begin to imagine...
He stretched both hands forward. The circuits twisted, and magic flowed. The man formed dozens of layers of shields to block the spear’s path.
Boom! Before the spear, an ice pick shot out from a closer position. The attack launched much closer than the throwing spear.
The man furrowed his brow. As expected, the ice from the formation infiltrated the spear, ruining some of its magic.
Finally, the throwing spear exploded. Crack! The spearhead found the opening and shattered the shields one after another.
At some point, the Purification Crystal was blocked. Yet, the man’s furrowed brow didn’t ease.
The straight golden spearhead shone brightly.
Boom!
The explosion of the white storm caught the man. The shockwave sent several students, who had been stumbling from a distance, rolling on the ground.
"Wow... that was intense..."
When the blinding light faded, the man emerged unscathed. He checked the scorched end of his robe and muttered with a sour look as he turned away.
Iha-yul had already expected the man to be fine. That’s why he had already leapt into the air to close the gap.
Three pairs of wings fluttered, pushing Iha-yul’s body forward.
Iha-yul reached out. The man stared at him intently.
"Still a first-year... but given this situation, it makes sense to hope for more."
In that brief fight, Iha-yul had already displayed numerous techniques, each of which was remarkable.
And this was just the first year. What would he be like in the second, third, or fourth year? The man was genuinely curious.
For now, he had no idea what kind of tricks might emerge. But for now, he had to check...
The circuits twisted again. The screeching circuits began to form a new spell...
"That crazy bastard."
The man cursed out loud. The circuits on Iha-yul's arm glowed as the strange formation unfolded.
A white spear shot out right in front of the man’s face.
The man quickly reacted, swinging his arms.
Boom! The spear hit the ground with a thunderous sound. The ground trembled like waves, and debris shot up into the sky.
"Wow..."
A little further from where the spear had landed, the man rubbed his sore arms and opened his mouth in shock. Iha-yul, grimacing, rubbed his right arm where a faint glow remained.
"That crazy bastard."
He had actually used the formation of the circuits to unleash magic. For the man, it was a natural action, but for others, it was impossible.
If he had tried it without the help of magic, he would have ended up a fool. But this guy was doing it all on his own.
The man, stunned by the madness, could only stare.
"...So that’s why he called me."
He realized the Tower Master's intentions.
Rather than letting the kid perform illegal procedures, it was better to send him to a legitimate and skilled place for the treatment.
The man’s skill wasn’t great, but considering he was doing all this, it made sense that this was at least a somewhat plausible answer.
"Yeah, it’s better to learn it properly if you're going to use it dangerously. Watch carefully... watch? Observe carefully and learn."
Whatever happens, he was already dead. Shouldn't he try to help him overcome it, even if it’s a real one?
The man smiled bitterly, spreading his arms wide. His body’s circuits twisted heavily. Creak! A blue line shot from his shoulder.
The circuits inside his body surged outward.
Unique Magic - Foolish Dual Wheels
The circuits twisted and continued like a cartwheel.
[The unique ability "Affinity with Magic" grows.]
[The unique ability "Universal Charm" grows.]