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Rumble.

Boom!

The volcano erupted, spewing rolling, red magma. The fire spirit king, Phoenix, ruled the land. In response to his whims, the land was filled with flame.

Outside of the dungeon, the spirit world’s power remained strong, so much so that Kang Min-hyuk held optimistic imaginings of the realm, despite Elisha’s bleak account. However, the reality was even worse than she’d described. The monster invasion wasn’t a disaster reserved for humans. The spirit world, which had been a heavenly land of abundance, had been ravaged and ruined by monsters.

Rumble.

[Human!…It must…die.]

Sparks flew from flames right in front of Kang Min-hyuk, and a fire salamander formed from the fire-spit. The Salamander was a Class-A monster and expressed open hostility to his presence. The beast’s size was so colossal that it bore no likeness to anything dwelling in the ‘real’ world.

Salamander vomited flames from its open mouth with violent intentions.

Rumble!

The flames swept around. Kang Min-hyuk’s astral body quickly avoided Salamander’s attack. His form manifested as a sort-of dream version of himself. Though his physical body remained in the dungeon, any injury suffered there would have a ripple effect on the body, resulting in a state of profound shock. However, Elisha had prepared Kang Min-hyuk for the meeting, and he was able to pre-empt and avoid the attack.

“The spirits are hostile toward humans and will attack on sight; you should never fight back – doing so only affirms your position as the enemy. There are two ways to soothe the spirits and generate a contract between them. The first is to possess dominance over fire, so the spirit submits and follows. That would be impossible for you, though.”

Elisha was a natural genius. Even without the magic of prominence, her affinity to fire would be impressive. It was that skill that, over repeated meetings, she could subdue the Salamander, who eventually formed a deep bond with Elisha. It learned that she posed no threat. It took some time, but thanks to Elisha, they secured the contract.

Kang Min-hyuk had to decide upon a strategy. Since he didn’t have authority over fire in the same way Elisha did, her way wasn’t an option. The alternative was a little risky. It revolved around empathy and showing the spirit you’re a friend, not a foe, through the direct injection of memories and feelings, akin to telepathy. If the transmission moves the spirit, they will work with you…if not, there is a risk of destruction.

It was dangerous, but that was no reason to hesitate.

Kang Min-hyuk had been risking his life in pursuit of brilliance since he was a child. Monsters had torn his flesh, and after a fierce battle, he plunged a blood-stained sword into the monster’s heart. For him, the element of risk brought a smile to his face, as long as the reward was worth it.

“I’m not here to hurt you! Let me show you….”

Hwaak!

His consciousness flew away, moving quickly to Salamander. He placed the palm of his hand gently against the beast’s head, just before flames spewed out of its mouth.

The transmission of memories began.

[Puck!]

[Crush!]

Visions of himself as Klinssman emerged, tales from beyond the barrier, where Kang Min-hyuk had slaughtered many monsters over six months. An image arose of a monster biting blood bubbles, gnashing around the blade Min-hyuk had stabbed it with came into clarity. Its neck was slashed clean through. So many moments like that had occurred – stab, slice, and slash again – he did this to grow stronger. The more he was wounded, the stronger he became. His relentless massacre of monsters taught Salamander that they were on the same side, fighting a mutual enemy.

“You see? We are the same. My world has been invaded, too, and I fight those bastards to survive. We have a shared purpose, you and I. If you help me, our power will multiply, and I will kill more monsters than either of us could imagine! I won’t be satisfied by killing hundreds of them…I will not rest until their entire, hideous species is wiped out.”

The telepathy drew to a close, and minds returned to the nest of bones in which they belonged. The tongues of flame tickling the Salamander’s nostrils faded slowly, and his hostility melted away.

[You shed… Monster blood…I believe…]

Hwaak-!

The ceremony was confirmed.

* * *

The circle of flames opened wide; the spirit-flame was absorbed into the circle, causing a huge, fiery vortex.

Hwareuk.

If the contract were successful, the spirit would offer its power into the elemental circle, granting an unparalleled level of fire-control and allowing the ability to summon Salamander across realms. Also, the spirit would absorb mana in the flame circle and experience its own gradual growth. The power exerted was dependent upon the strength of the wizard. It was a mutually beneficial bond.

What felt like a long time in the spirit-world was but a moment in reality. Kang Min-hyuk opened his eyes and felt the fire-power fill the circle.

“I did it…”

He had access to the same source that catalyzed Elisha’s excellence. He found the Myeongdang, his Simbeop was perfect, and he also succeeded in playing with the spirit. All that was left to do was to train hard. Kang Min-hyuk planned to proceed with the closing training in the dungeon until he reached his goal.

Before he did so, though, there was one more thing to do. He had to contact Choi Byeong-ho, the head of the department. He picked up his phone and composed a text message.

[Hi, Choi Byeong-ho. This is Kang Min-hyuk. I think I will have to leave school for a while for personal work. I can’t tell you for sure how long that period will be, but I’ll get back to you later.]

The reply was immediate.

[I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m sure you’re right. Min Hyuk, do you know how much I value you? If you’re thinking of moving to another group, I hope you’ll always talk to me. You’ll always have a home here; please come back in good health.]

It seemed that he’d been waiting for Kang Min-hyuk’s contact, and Choi Byeong-ho’s reply was full of love and warmth, but Kang Min-hyuk ignored it and contacted the next person.

Subsequently, he sent text messages to people like Go Young-cheol and Sang-Hoon. To Go Young-cheol, he explained what to do in the future and talked to Sang-Hoon about future training methods. Even while he was away, the plan had to proceed steadily. It took such a long time to send all the texts, and then Kang Min-hyuk had time to focus on himself.

‘Let’s achieve our goal and return.’

Half a year was the time-frame promised to Klinssman. The first step was to reach the fifth circle to achieve meaningful results – the rest would follow. Kang Min-hyuk focused on the sim method again, and time passed quickly.

* * *

Five months had passed since Sang-hoon received communication from Kang Min-hyuk. In that period, Sang-Hoon had a crazy time. Due to the training method that Kang Min-hyuk taught him, he was stuck in Kang Min-hyuk’s house every day after school.

[The name of this technique is called Sowol Simbeop.]

It was a downgraded version of the Moon Hae-beop. Thanks to that, Sang-Hoon was able to accumulate mana efficiently, and five months later, he finally achieved results.

“I did it!!” he exclaimed, elated, as his eyes lit up with sheer joy. He had formed the third circle.

They called others genius if they formed the third circle upon graduation, but he reached it at the age of only seventeen – a remarkable achievement. Kang Min-hyuk expressed abnormally rapid growth, and Sang-hoon’s development showed how great his talent was. Kang Min-hyuk had always believed in Sang-hoon and looked forward to his growth, and his achievement proved Min-hyuk right.

After working so hard to reach his goal, the emotions were overwhelming. Sang-Hoon knew better than anyone that his growth was the virtue of Kang Min-hyuk. He was the catalyst that drove Sang-hoon’s development. He hurriedly picked up his phone, excited to share his news with his tutor. He found a text waiting for him.

[Are you the son of Jeong Moon-seong? Your father made a very big mistake. If you don’t want to lose him, come home quickly.]

The message poured cold water over Sang-Hoon.

* * *

The Jeong family were masters of fallen magic. Jeong Moon-sung, the father of Sang-hoon, felt responsible for their fall from grace and worked on various things to revive the family name, but everything he tried failed. He blew all the money he invested in the magic business away, and those who joined him in his endeavor were left destitute. All that was left was a pile of debt.

Moon-sung’s moneylender turned violent when Moon-sung couldn’t afford to pay him back. When Jeong Sang-hoon arrived at home, he found it in turmoil; belongings were strewn everywhere. Jeong Moon-seong bowed his head, pale-faced, as Sang-Hoon looked at the loan-shark with fierce eyes. His name was Park Moo-cheol, a middle-aged man who ran a business called ‘Hunter Cash.’ A slow, cold smile spread across his face as he arrogantly returned Sang-Hoon’s gaze.

“What have you done?” Sang-hoon demanded.

Park Moo-cheol’s smile widened; he took his time to reply, “A little home improvement…do you like it? Your father,” he paused to spit, as though reference to him left an unpleasant taste on his tongue, “failed to repay me. He owes me a lot of money – hundreds of thousands – more than your young, naive brain can compute; because of this, I’ve been left with no choice but to get it back by force. I’ve searched every corner and can’t find a dime…what do you think we should do about that?”

Park Moo-cheol’s attitude was tough. He was a reinforced warrior, so he had the brawn to back up his bark. Those who worked beneath him were also warriors, and their presence generated a very harsh atmosphere.

Jeong Sang-hoon’s expression hardened. It was true that his father had generated considerable debt, and the loan-shark was there with a defined purpose: to retrieve what was owed to him. Hundreds of thousands of dollars was a huge sum…suddenly, he remembered the red mana stone’s existence in Min-hyuk’s house. He was confident he could make enough money to pay back his father’s debt if he sold it.

Recently, the true value of the red mana stone had come to light, and people realized that their power was superior to the blue ones they’d been using, and its secrets were uncovered, causing their price to skyrocket. Certain forces had already monopolized the red mana stone market by more than 90 percent…Sang-Hoon didn’t know about individual transactions, but the forces made all collective transactions.

Kang Min-hyuk had used red mana stones before their secrets were revealed. Probably, knowing the secret in advance, he monopolized the market. The mana stone that Sang-hoon used for daily training was a gold-mine.

He began to consider his options…if he skipped training for a few days and sold the red mana stone, there was no need for Kang Min-hyuk to find out.

“But…I can’t betray my master…”

Kang Min-hyuk had given a lot to Jeong Sang-hoon. It didn’t come without a price. He would have to do a lot of work for Kang Min-hyuk later, but…Kang Min-hyuk gave the stone to Sang-hoon and told him of secrets unknown to the rest of the world. He allowed him to use red mana stones to his heart’s content…however, its purpose was training.

Although his relationship with Kang Min-hyuk had been developing for less than a year, their bond was significant. It was built on absolute trust. He didn’t want to break that bond. It wasn’t a mistake he wanted to make.

“I’ll offer you a deal,” Sang-hoon said.

“You want to do business together?” Park Moo-cheol raised an eyebrow, encouraging Sang-hoon’s continuation.

“I do. I’m a third circle wizard. I won’t pay you right away, but transfer my father’s debt to me, and you won’t be disappointed. You’ll get what’s owed to you. There’s always a way for a third-circle wizard to make some money – I’ll work for you until the debt has been repaid.”

“Hoh.” Park Moo-cheol showed interest.

They were in the midst of a Magic revolution, after all…it could be useful to have a mage on-hand. The value of a wizard versed in medical magic had soared since Kang Min-hyuk’s revelation. For talented wizards, they could earn thousands every day. Park Moo-cheol recognized Sang-hoon’s talent through his achievement at such an early age.

Park Moo-cheol smiled wide, “I will accept your offer.”