The Wizard in the Game Is Rewarded in Reality

Chapter 23

When I decided to purchase this house, it wasn’t the well-maintained spacious garden or the large rooms that I liked the most.

“Ah-! This is great!”

Sweat pours down in the intense heat.

Ssssss-

Every time water is sprinkled, thick steam fills the space.

Hinoki wet sauna.

I always enjoyed sweating in the sauna at the jjimjilbang. Sometimes, I even imagined living in a house with a sauna when I made a lot of money.

I raise my hand to wipe the sweat off my face.

I lean my back against the hinoki wood wall. The intense heat makes my back tingle, but it’s not unbearable.

“There is mana here too.”

I can see the flow of mana around me.

As time passes, I can feel the flow of mana more clearly. It’s probably because I’m conscious of the mana. I slowly move my hand. Mana swirls around my hand.

When I draw the rune of water, droplets of water appear. The droplets spin around my hand.

I can’t help but smile at the mysterious sight.

“Are you inviting me?”

I recall the conversation with Park Dong-hyuk.

As he said, there shouldn’t be any bad intentions. Unless he’s a fool, he has no reason to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Unless his purpose is to capture me and torture or experiment on me.

Even though I heard it through a mechanical device called a phone, I could feel that he respected me greatly. No, the correct expression would be that he revered me.

“I’m curious.”

The dark auction of the Dark Merchant is very famous.

They say that the items auctioned at the dark auction are all things whose value is hard to measure. The elixir that appeared only once in the world also went to a Middle Eastern tycoon through the dark auction.

What would an auction attended by the world’s most powerful and wealthy people look like?

Many people would want to attend, but they wouldn’t have the qualifications.

The hourglass has emptied.

I was in the sauna for an hour and a half.

I come out and wash with cold water in the shower booth inside the sauna room, then put on a robe and sit on the sofa.

On the display shelf behind the bar table, there are quite a few whiskeys and cognacs that the previous owner didn’t take. According to Baek Sung-hoon, there are also quite a few wines stored in a separate wine cellar.

It seems they only took the really expensive liquor.

I pick a whiskey that catches my eye, pour it into a glass filled with ice, and return to the sofa.

“Ah, that’s good.”

I consider having another drink but resist the urge as I need to log into Doomsday.

I head to the room where Baek Seong-hoon’s family used to stay in the multi-space.

It’s a fairly spacious room.

The Doomsday capsule is installed here. Originally, I planned to make a laboratory in this place. However, due to the potential danger, the laboratory will be set up outside the house.

I lie down in the Doomsday capsule.

“Alright, let’s go learn some magic.”

*

“You will be learning magic here from now on.”

Elder Lee stands before me.

“A grand defensive magic circle that can withstand magic below the 7th circle is installed here. Also, a mana accumulation magic circle is installed.”

“What is a mana accumulation magic circle?”

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. A magic circle that gathers mana.”

“Doesn’t it affect the surroundings?”

When the flow of mana is artificially twisted, side effects are bound to occur.

“Do you think we would install a magic circle without considering that? It’s adjusted so it doesn’t go against the flow of mana, so there’s no need to worry. For your information, several mana accumulation magic circles are installed and connected here.”

“I see.”

“The magic you will learn with me is fire magic.”

Elder Lee shrugs as he speaks.

“You must think I look like a master of fire magic.”

The words “In what way?” almost escape my lips, but I bite them back.

“War mages, or combat mages, most commonly learn fire attack magic. Do you know why?”

“Isn’t it because among the same circle of magic, it’s specialized for large-scale battles?”

“Correct. Fire can cause damage even if it doesn’t hit directly. Its effect is maximized in battles where many people are involved.”

Elder Lee pauses for a moment and extends his hand. Flames rise from his palm. The flames slowly change shape into a wedge.

“Fire Bolt.”

The flames become an arrow, then a spear.

“Fire Arrow, Fire Spear.”

The flames Elder Lee created continue to change shape. The flames double, then quadruple. They become eight, and the increasing number of flames float in the air and rain down in an instant.

“Fire Rain.”

“Wow-!”

As if to prove that he did not earn the title of Elder by playing Go-Stop, he completes the 6th Circle Fire Rain without casting.

“Didn’t you say that the most commonly learned magic by battle mages is fire magic?”

“Yes, I did.”

“That means it has many advantages. But the brighter the light, the darker the shadow.”

“Do you mean the opponent will be prepared?”

“Of course, that’s one reason. Artifacts with resistance to fire magic are essential on the battlefield. But that’s not the only reason. Do you know why the Tower Master and our elders planned the Talent Cultivation Project?”

“You said it was to create a flawless mage.”

“That’s right. A flawless mage. If you interpret that in reverse, it means that existing mages have flaws. I, and your master, the Tower Master, also have flaws.”

Elder Lee withdraws his magic.

“When you mainly handle one attribute of magic, you naturally become distant from the other attributes. Especially those that are opposites. I am specialized in fire magic, so it is not easy for me to learn water magic. I can learn it somehow, but even if I do, I cannot exert proper power. Defense is as important as offense. Defensive magic belongs to the wind attribute.”

Shields are also wind attribute magic.

“In short, you become a half-baked mage who is strong in offense but weak in defense. To overcome these flaws, the Tower Master and our elders planned the Talent Cultivation Project.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“You will learn fire magic from me, and water magic from the Grand Elder. The Tower Master does not specialize in any attribute, but he is not as specialized as we are. That’s all for the explanation. Now, let’s start learning magic in earnest.”

He straightens his posture.

“Even though you haven’t learned magic, you will easily master up to 3rd Circle magic because of your experience in artifact creation.”

“I think so too.”

By creating artifacts, he realized the fundamental principles of magic.

“Show me Fire Arrow.”

3rd Circle fire magic, Fire Arrow.

He draws the rune of fire with his hand.

Swoosh-

Flames rise.

“Stop!”

Elder Lee shouts briefly.

“From today, draw the runes not with your hand, but in the world of your mind.”

“The world of my mind?”

“Casting can also be a mage’s weakness. The attributes of the runes used in magic naturally get embedded in the casting. The enemy can hear the casting and prepare for the magic.”

“Ah-!”

“The same goes for beast magic. Think about the essence of the talent nurturing project. Exclude anything that could be a flaw.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The elder smiles contentedly as he watches me answer energetically.

“Just remember this one thing. A magician is someone who makes imagination become reality.”

*

Activating runes and manifesting magic in the world of imagery was not as easy as it sounded.

“Hmm-.”

– Draw the rune in your consciousness.

This itself is not difficult.

There is no reason why recalling a rune should be hard.

But manifesting the rune you recalled in your consciousness into reality is an entirely different matter.

Let’s take a simple example.

People live their lives with countless imaginations.

They might imagine finding money while walking down the street, waking up as an awakened being, or a beautiful woman they pass by approaching them first.

These imaginations do not come true in reality.

-Just remember this one thing. A magician is someone who makes imagination become reality.

I understood why the elder said this.

“Imagination becomes reality.”

I close my eyes.

Numerous runes float in my consciousness.

I select the rune I need from among them.

The rune of flame is drawn out.

‘To manifest a rune, you must imbue it with will.’

This was the first thing I learned from my master.

– The act of imbuing a rune with will. That itself is magic.

I imbue the rune of flame with will.

The mana flowing through my body responds to my will.

The rune of flame in my consciousness creates a red flame.

I open my eyes and gaze at a single point.

‘There is no boundary between my consciousness and the real world.’

Endless self-suggestion.

I transfer the world of my consciousness directly into the real world.

I feel a red aura gathering at a point.

The moment I feel joy at the thought that something is finally happening-.

“Ah······.”

The red aura, the mana of flames, vanished as if mocking me.

Still, I smile at the thought that I have grasped a clue.

“Breaking the boundary. That was the key.”

I have already experienced breaking the boundary.

My body itself is proof of that experience.

Did I not break the boundary of the circle and make my body itself a vessel?

Even now, mana is endlessly penetrating my body, drawing an infinite loop.

I gaze at a point in the void.

That place is both the world of my consciousness and the real world. I perfectly project the world of my consciousness into reality.

Sss-

Flames rise.

As the rune of amplification manifests, the flames grow larger. Adding the rune of compression, and using the rune of flames, I grow the flames again. I transform the blazing flames and accelerate the mana.

The runes that make up the Fire Arrow manifest one by one.

The last one-.

Bang-!

The place where my gaze reaches changes to a distant place, and an explosion occurs there.

The flame arrow that was in front of me seemed to teleport and caused an explosion where my sight lingered.

“Phew-.”

I succeeded.

But it is not a perfect success.

It takes more than 30 seconds to manifest the magic of the 3rd circle.

The magic that Elder Lee showed me.

The time it took to create a Fire Arrow with just his will was less than a second.

In a fleeting moment, complete the magic and attack when the opponent does not perceive it.

“Again.”

Sss- Bang-!

The time has decreased compared to the first attempt, but not significantly.

“Again!”

Sss- Bang!

It feels like I’m on the verge of grasping something.

But it’s still far from enough.

“Again!”

If it doesn’t work, keep trying until it does.

*

Three people are staring blankly with their mouths agape at the crystal ball in the center of the table.

They are the Tower Lord, the Grand Elder, and the Second Elder.

“Is, is this even possible?”

The Grand Elder speaks in a trembling voice.

“What on earth did you teach Woon?”

“What did I teach? I just told him the same thing I tell all my disciples.”

“So, what did you say?”

“A magician is someone who turns imagination into reality. That’s what I said.”

The Tower Lord scratches his cheek.

He often says the same thing to the magicians of the Magic Tower.

“And he did that after hearing those words?”

Inside the crystal ball, they see No-Woon continuously firing Fire Arrows in the magic training ground.

The crystal ball is an artifact that the Magic Tower of the Magic Kingdom of Kraksha prides itself on.

No-Woon inside the crystal ball was firing Fire Arrows without casting or using any hand signs.

For a magician who has reached a certain level, it’s as natural as breathing.

But No-Woon officially started learning magic today.

“Monster.”

“What are you saying? Monster?”

The Tower Lord mutters with a hollow laugh.

“We are now raising a monster that defies common sense.”