How to Live as a Mage in the Murim World

Chapter 2 – Episode 1: Magic (1)

“Allen, it’s been nearly a year since you entered the Magic Tower. And as you know, those who fail to step onto the path of magic within a year of entering the tower are no longer allowed to learn.”

“I understand, Master.”

“Your talent is undeniable. You can sense and handle mana as if it were second nature. However, you still can’t control and utilize that mana.”

Allen’s face flushed with shame

In truth, Allen’s aptitude was neither poor nor exceptional; it was average. The problem lay in the fact that learning magic required more than just ordinary intelligence.

“Allen, it’s not a difficult thing. Magic is about connecting with the world. The world is filled with countless pieces of information. Creating a Ring means receiving that information, reconstructing it, and preparing to reproduce it. Which part of this process do you not understand?”

“I don’t understand how to obtain information through mana. And the part about structuring it to create a mechanism…”

Hearing his answer, Laurent couldn’t hide his disappointment.

What Allen struggled with were the fundamentals, so basic they were difficult to articulate.

Even if one intellectually understood that mana was both the source of power and the medium containing information, without a sensory understanding, entering the world of magic was impossible.

Those lacking this understanding couldn’t become mages in the first place, making Allen’s case quite unique.

“Allen.”

“Don’t worry too much, Master. I’ll somehow try to succeed in the remaining week.”

Allen spoke calmly.

Despite a hint of embarrassment, his eyes and tone were unwavering.

Seeing this, a thought crossed Laurent’s mind, one he’d been pondering for the past six months.

‘This child should have learned the sword, not magic.’

While his constitution might be suitable for learning magic, his temperament and inclination lay with the sword. However, swordsmen are far less respected compared to wizards. Even with the talent to handle mana, they would at best possess slightly stronger physical abilities than ordinary people.

But perhaps that would have been better.

Considering Allen’s qualities, he might have even pioneered a new field.

However, once entered into the Magic Tower, it was already too late.

If he failed to grasp magic within a week, he would be bound to the tower for life, living a life no better than a slave.

‘Should I look for a solution?’

Laurent steeled his resolve.

A resolve to risk everything for his disciple.

* * *

Zhuge Hyeonmong floated quietly in mid-air, observing Allen who was now sitting cross-legged in his room, concentrating deeply.

Despite not yet having entered the path of magic, the flow of Allen’s mana was astoundingly pure and potent.

Like a martial artist.

‘But it’s wrong.’

Despite Laurent’s thorough explanations, Allen remained clueless, like someone trying to open a thick, sturdy iron gate by hitting it with a key.

Feeling a mixture of frustration and boredom, Zhuge Hyeonmong imitated Allen’s actions. Though this was a dream, he felt he could roughly understand how to do it just by watching.

‘Gather mana, imbue it with will, then transmit it. What’s so difficult about that?’

Of course, it wasn’t something that could be done by simply thinking about it—certain steps were needed, but these weren’t things that required much contemplation. One just needed to follow the instructions given.

To Zhuge Hyeonmong, it didn’t seem that challenging.

‘He can’t even do something that basic.’

As Allen failed yet again, Zhuge Hyeonmong, though aware he was dreaming, blurted out in frustration,

[That’s not how you do it!]

Come to think of it, this was the first time he had spoken in a dream. He hadn’t even thought about speaking before. No, he didn’t even know it was possible.

Dreams are truly fascinating.

In dreams, no one speaks coherently or makes logical sense.

Only intentions were conveyed, and the dream’s characters understand it as if it’s natural.

Come to think of it, that’s how it had been for Zhuge Hyeonmong all along. He didn’t understand the language spoken by Allen and Laurent, nor had he heard much of it, yet their intentions were conveyed to him perfectly.

It was the same now.

Zhuge Hyeonmong had merely spoken out of frustration, but his single sentence conveyed the solution to all the problems he’d observed in Allen.

Suddenly, Allen’s body, which had been sitting with his eyes closed, shook violently as if struck by lightning.

“Ah…!”

Zhuge Hyeonmong, who was watching, was greatly surprised.

Allen had broken through the barrier, unlocking the first gate to creating a 1st Ring and beginning his journey toward the next.

The sensation of Allen breaking through the wall was conveyed directly to Zhuge Hyeonmong.

It was as if the two had merged.

Whether Zhuge Hyeonmong had become Allen or Allen had become Zhuge Hyeonmong it was a moment of shared consciousness, much like the Zhuangzi’s Butterfly Dream. For a moment it was impossible to tell who was who, and only their will was shared.

How much time had passed?

Zhuge Hyeonmong found himself back behind Allen as he always had been and in Zhuge Hyeonmong’s eyes was reflected the image of Laurent, tears welling in his wrinkled eyes as he doned Allen in an apprentice wizard’s robe.

“Well done! Truly, well done! To think you’d succeed at the last moment and to create such a solid and perfect Ring! You must have had a tremendous enlightenment!”

‘He succeeded.’

Even though it was a dream, Zhuge Hyeonmong felt a sense of satisfaction, as if he had truly helped.

And so the dream ended.

When he woke up, Zhuge Hyeonmong found that a Ring had been created in his body as well.

* * *

“Morning! Everyone, wake up!”

The escort agency’s march resembled that of an army. They woke up and prepared at fixed times before setting off.

As Zhuge Hyeonmong rubbed the sleep from his eyes and tidied up his bedding, a sharp voice barked, “Hurry up and move! Are you going to take responsibility if the journey is delayed because of you?”

It was Im Jun-gyu, the chief’s son.

He disliked Zhuge Hyeonmong. He resented his father’s favoritism towards someone who seemed no better than himself and he was even more displeased that someone who hadn’t even learned martial arts was taller and had a cleaner face than him.

Im Jun-gyu was short for a martial artist and his face was covered in pockmarks.

“…Yes, I’ll prepare quickly.”

“We’re running low on water, so hurry and fetch some before breakfast is over. You’ve had it easy until now, so this much should be doable, right?”

“Very well.”

It was already a busy and hectic morning.

Asking him to fetch water on top of everything else was practically telling Zhuge Hyeonmong to skip breakfast.

Still, Zhuge Hyeonmong nodded without complaint.

While he enjoyed the chief’s favor, he wasn’t in a position to express dissatisfaction to the chief’s son. Besides, even without Im Jung-yu, there were plenty who resented his comfortable position in the group. Performing these errands actually helped him avoid unnecessary conflicts.

Zhuge Hyeonmong packed his belongings, shouldered the water yoke, and set off.

He knew that the water source was about a lǐ away, so the round trip would give him some time alone.

During that time, he could concentrate without interference from others.

Once he was out of sight, Zhuge Hyeonmong focused his mind. He concentrated on the invisible Ring floating above his head, imperceptible to others. Through this Ring, he gently manipulated his mana.

Placing a part of the world under his control, he picked up a recently broken branch and use it to adjust the mana, causing soft earth to rise and form a comfortable path to walk on.

‘It’s amazing no matter how many times I see it.’

What he had just done was manipulating the surrounding environment through mana. By infusing it with earth-attributed mana and synchronizing it, he could make the earth rise or fall according to his will.

It was like a giant earthworm wriggling beneath the earth’s surface.

‘Should I call it Earth Dragon Technique?’

Three days had passed since the dream.

He hadn’t had a similar dream since then.

If that were the end of it, he might have dismissed it as just an interesting dream. However, the Ring remained on his body, and he could interfere with the laws of the world using the Ring like he had learned from Laurent.

He didn’t know why he had such a dream or why he could use what he learned in the dream in reality.

Zhuge Hyeonmong simply focused on the strange fortune that had come his way.

Wielding magic felt as natural as wearing clothes tailored to his body.

And he had a feeling that he seemed to have talent for this thing called magic.

‘Well, compared to that Allen kid, anyone would feel talented.’

Anyway.

In any case, despite his short time learning, he could accomplish incredible things with magic. Just like before, he could manipulate the ground to make walking easier, and the same went for carrying the water yoke.

Normally, a water yoke was so heavy it felt like it would break not just his shoulders but also his back. But by gathering mana into the branch and lightly tapped the yoke, he could make it feel as if it were only half full.

Of course, it wasn’t without a cost. Using magic put a strain on the Ring.

It had a regenerative ability, so using it moderately was fine, but using it recklessly could cause it to break, and he would never be able to form the Ring again.

No one had taught him this, but he instinctively knew.

While lost in thought, Zhuge Hyeonmong arrived back at the group.

“What? You’re back already? You didn’t just scoop up any dirty water because you were lazy, did you?” Im Jun-gyu, finished with his meal, appeared as if summoned the moment Zhuge Hyeonmong returned.

As Zhuge Hyeonmong looked at Im Jun-gyu without much thought, he noticed dirt on Im Jun-gyu’s hand. He realized what Im Jun-gyu was about to do.

“Let me check. If the water we’re going to drink is even slightly dirty, you better be prepared for the consequences.”

Im Jun-gyu approached Zhuge Hyeonmong with a sinister smile.