v1c7 (1/2)

Translated by Lei

Proofread by Masadeer

Eat f.u.c.k!

“Kyaa~!”

The clear, pure, and clean cobalt waters of the Mediterranean flowed below the resort.

Having changed into cool flower print shorts, I was now drinking fresh tropical fruit juice while sitting on a beach chair, in the shade. It’d been briefly noisy because of Ms.w.a.n.g losing her senses upon seeing the ocean, but we’d soon all taken up rooms in the resort with people we liked. After a Mediterranean lunch, which was comprised of all sorts of seafood, we were enjoying a relaxing afternoon.

‘A place like this is a scenic paradise, there’s nothing more I could want.’

This was the ideal relaxation that I had dreamed of. A youthful adolescence enjoyed with the ever-so-blue sea and the world’s most beautiful women at my side in hot, but not sticky weather.

Even though he was rotting in money, I wasn’t jealous at all of my master, who locked himself up in the underground magic tower and guffawed while watching TV.

So what if he was an 8th Circle Mage.

I wasn’t jealous at all. After all, he had been so crazy about magic that he never got to ride the stormy period of adolescence, a truly important time in life.

“Hohoho!”

“Hahahaha! S-stop that!”

‘Huhu, everyone went to the swimming pool, I see.’

As was seemly for a 6-star hotel, in terms of facilities, it didn’t fall behind any first-cla.s.s hotel. With a spa, sauna, swimming pool, buffet, restaurant, bar, yoga studio, fitness gym, library, and etc., there was nothing it didn’t have. Moreover, we could use all the facilities as much as we wanted. Matching their lively youth, the kids had eaten lunch, changed into their swimsuits without a hitch, and had gathered in the swimming pool.

‘Shall I go, too?’

For some reason, Marisol had prepared a suite room for my private use.

‘Ye-rin is probably there, too. And… Ms. Lee as well. Huhuhu.’

The artful bodies of the two women made my chest burn at the mere thought of them. With bated breath, I headed to the outdoors swimming pool.

“Hyuk~!”

‘Guhh!’

The slightly nasally voice of a woman called me as I walked towards the swimming pool.

‘Hot d.a.m.n! Is that really the body of a human being?’

A sensuous body with a Venus-level, slender S-line, which didn’t even know the meaning of flat! Her large b.o.o.bs of absolute fertility would make even milk cows cry and hail them as ‘your highnesses’. The important parts were just barely hidden by two white strings, and painted in white jade skin was her slim, pencil-thin waist, so small that it was regrettable. Under that were her s.e.xy legs, as stretched out as the highway. Tied together with string was her swimsuit, which could certainly be called panties.

‘Big sis Marisol, why do you want to make this young one fall into cardiac arrest?’

Having appeared like the the reincarnation of a perfect beauty, Marisol would make even an ascetic who had undergone meditation training for 30 years, and was about to reach nirvana, ask to drink a gla.s.s of rice liquor with her. The peculiar smile on her lips was pouring oil all over my blazing heart.

“Ha, haha, Marisol.”

My eyes moved wildly as I smiled awkwardly.

“Hyuk, do you have time in the evening today?”

“Huh? T-the evening?”

‘Big sis, why do you ask. Keuu, of course I’ve got plenty of time.’

“Maybe. I have to make a campfire with the kids, and also…”

Contrary to my thoughts, the sounds that came out of me were half rejection. I had no confidence that I’d be able to take it if Marisol were to come out like this at night, too. I was still just a rugged panther that had only grown enough to move out of his parent’s house.

“Hoho, I will wait for you. Even if I have to stay up all night…”

After saying some strangely suggestive words, Marisol threw a wink at me.

‘My heart’s gonna burst. Seriously…’

Even without this, her looks that resembled Sophie Marceau made my heart go thumping every time I saw her. But Marisol had explicitly invited me.

‘Aaagh! How can a b.u.t.t be so attractive!’

I watched Marisol’s back as she walked towards the ocean after leaving me a wink. Every time her explosively s.e.xy tush twitched, the flesh on my cheeks also twitched.

‘Until the East Sea’s waters run dry and Mt. Baekdu is worn away…’

And I began singing the national anthem.

Just about every man knew that singing the national anthem was the best thing for cooling a blazing heart.

* * *

“Hoho, refres.h.i.+ng!”

“I’m so happy! I’m so happy I could die!”

The gently blowing Mediterranean wind tickled the long palm leaves as it whispered past, and the fairies under the trees were immersed in playing in the water, unaware that a woodcutter was visiting.

[T/N: Refers to a famous Korean folktale. A woodcutter manages to take a fairy as his wife by hiding her winged clothing while she is bathing. For the full story, look it up.]

‘For Hye-jin to have a body like that! Oohh, Joo-hee’s body gives off such l.u.s.ter—!’

Honestly, besides Ye-rin and Ms. Lee Ji-hae, I hadn’t expected much from the other girls in our cla.s.s. But a few of the ladies splas.h.i.+ng like freshly caught mermaids were more than enough to make me happy.

‘As expected!’

And upon discovering two women who didn’t disappoint my expectations, I nodded. I didn’t know when the two of them had become friends, but they were chummily lying on beach chairs and enjoying a sun tan.

They were just 10 meters away from me.

Even without Magic Eye, which would let me see far distances, I was perfectly able to record everything about the two girls in my mind.

‘D-dayummm.’

That was what the young man Morco spluttered every time he saw his fake wife, Song Dam-bi in the show, ‘We Got Married Yesterday.’

[T/N: The actual show is called ‘We Got Married.’ It pairs up celebrities in make-believe marriages. One of the pairs was a model named Marco and a singer/actress named Son Dam-bi.]

The exclamation was really, vibrantly satisfying to say. It was the ultimate exclamation for a woman who brought infinite delight to your eyes, and even set your spirit ablaze. Though they fell short of Marisol, there was only one word that was sufficient to express the silhouettes of the incredibly smooth bodies of the two ladies who were lying down with their knees slightly bent.

‘Dayummm’ was the only word that cut it.

If Marisol’s figure was the Angelina Jolie style westerner’s figure, then even though the two girls fell slightly short, they were still well-proportioned beauties who would definitely show anyone looking that this was the beauty of the East.

‘I made an outstanding choice!’

My goal had been to have a vacation that completely blew away the fatigue in my body and mind. It was an unexpected, spontaneous vacation that was meant to crush Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek, but as far as choices went, it was totally awesome.

The saying, ‘Catch the pheasant, pick the egg, and kill two birds with one stone’ existed for a situation like this.

“Hyuk, what’s up?”

‘Eh?’

I heard a friendly voice from behind my back. With a feeling of foreboding, I turned my head slightly.

“ARGH!”

‘Holy s.h.i.+t! Oh Lord!’

Maybe this is how it would feel to be on an incredibly refres.h.i.+ng walk on the beach with the woman you loved, and then have a small bird p.o.o.p right into your eyes. It was so disconcerting that I didn’t know where to put my eyes.

“What? What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

Ms. w.a.n.g was startled by my scream, which was unusual coming from me. She must have played for a long time on the beach, because her caked-on makeup had been completely washed away, revealing her naked face.

‘Gaaah, dear Lord! Why did you send me this kind of trial!’

It was as if I was experiencing a terrible Freeze magic, which not only cooled my feelings a hundred-fold more effectively than singing the national anthem, but also froze them. The beautiful memories I had made while looking at Marisol, Ye-rin, and Ms. Lee Ji-hae were attacked and reformatted by a virus.

Her poorly proportioned body wasn’t even a 6 head-to-body ratio but a 5 head-to-body ratio.

[T/N: Head-to-body ratio is how long your body is compared to your head. The Korean ideal is a body that is 10 times longer than the head, which equals a small head and very long legs. So basically, Ms. w.a.n.g has a big head and a squat body.]

I hadn’t expected her to have long hair. However, she must have harvested some kelp from the beach, because a string of seaweed was stuck in her muddy, curly hair.

The horror of the naked face below was…

At least in school, it wasn’t this bad. She had some mercy, because she went around with her face caked in makeup, which made it bearable to see. But, even if it was a slight exaggeration, the face that was revealed under the scorching Mediterranean sun made me want to take out my eyes and wash them in clean water.

‘Where did her eyebrows go? And what is that field of blackheads supposed to be?’

I thought the story about the man who saw his wife after she came out of the shower during their honeymoon and yelled, ‘WHERE IS MY WIFE” was just a legend, but…

That was how much of a shock Ms. w.a.n.g Sun-nyeo’s face was to me— it was truly a face I hadn’t ever imagined until now. It was enough to make my illusions about women immigrate all the way to Africa.

‘Dear Lord, why do you grant me both joy and misery at the same time?!’

She hadn’t even had a baby, but an ET level potbelly could be freely seen above her swimsuit— at the sight of such a teacher putting on the air of an alluring(?) woman in front of me, I clenched my eyes shut. If I looked at her any longer, I would receive such mental damage that I wouldn’t be able to go to school anymore.

“Hyuk, what’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”

‘Graagh!’

After closing my eyes without responding, I felt a black evil stretching towards my forehead.

‘I can’t let that happen! The purity I’ve guarded up till now will be—!’

The warmth that was quickly approaching my face shocked me back to my senses.

“Ah! I-it sure is hot!”

RUUUN!

In the moment of crisis when my teacher’s hand was about to meet my flesh, I whirled around right then and there, and flung myself into the swimming pool. All throughout, I was doing my best to erase the magic formula that made you s.h.i.+t blood, a spell that frequently popped into my head…

* * *

“Eh, ehh? What’s going on?”

After returning his disciple to his native country and losing someone to nag at everyday as a result, Archmage Aidal watched the idiot box broadcasts of various nations to kill time. For the first time in a while, he went down to the bas.e.m.e.nt to check the magic circle and stammered his surprise.

“The mana is exploding, it’s exploding!”

Though he’d thought it would stay stable for a year at the very least, providing time for his outstanding disciple to get used to magic, the mana of the Dimensional Travel circle was rampaging. Because it was an enormous amount of mana that he had done his best to concentrate, produce, and gather for the sake of dimensional travel, if it exploded, not only the magic tower, but hundreds of kilometers of the surrounding area would certainly become a sea of flames.

“Hyuk, I’m sorry. Though you were supposed to have fun for a while… sobsob! Never forget the feelings of love this master of yours has for you.”

All of Hyuk’s card activity, as well as his everyday life, was thoroughly reported to the Mage Aidal. Aidal had been awed by his disciple’s remarkable adaptability— Hyuk happily took the gifts and used them as if they were his. In any case, the money Aidal had earned on the Earth was so deeply invested that even if Hyuk were to use hundreds of thousands a day, it still wouldn’t run dry.

Even so, Aidal was amazed by the sight of such a young guy spending hundreds, thousands, and now millions, for the sake of bragging to his cla.s.smates.

If he had been curious about how his so-called master was faring, he could have asked the female staff member Aidal had dispatched from the group, but his disciple seemed to have completely erased his master from his mind.

And without knowing what kind of price tag was on the pleasures he was enjoying, his disciple was now savoring bliss.

“Lala~ lalala~ why am I so happy~ huhuhu.”

Every time he saw his disciple, who was living a life without regrets, a life Aidal had been unable to enjoy in his youth, Aidal’s stomach had burned. And every time the mana in the magic circle writhed, Aidal experienced the refres.h.i.+ng joy of a 100-year-old indigestion going away.

“Young life~ young life~ the young life of youth~ when you’re old you can’t have it~”

While humming a song he’d heard on a trip in Korea, many years ago, a song that had strangely reminded him of his regretful youth, Aidal hurriedly moved his hands. All while rejoicing at the future of his one and only disciple, one who didn’t understand his master’s kindness.

* * *

“You cannot go to Dhonakuhli Island. There is already a guest who reserved that place… Ah!”

Raivan stopped breathing as a muzzle was pressed into his chest. He was the hydroplane pilot who escorted guests to the Maldives resort, Nikanilu Resort, on Dhonakulhi Island.

“If you don’t want to hear the sound of a hole getting ripped into your heart, depart. Don’t make me say it twice.”

“U-understood.”

Three people from the East had suddenly sought him out and abruptly demanded that he take them to Nikanilu Resort. The smell of blood that radiated from their bodies told Raivan that these weren’t ordinary people. In particular, he could feel an unspeakably cold aura from one with the big, burn-like scars on his forehead.

* * *

“Hyuk, it’s so beautiful!”

Wasn’t there a saying that you should speak of the Mediterranean’s sunset if you haven’t seen it before? As if even the blue coral was sleeping, the emerald sea soaked up the magic dust of Time and was turned into red rubies under the sun’s rays.

Surrounded by such a red sunset and the ocean view, I walked down the beach with an angel, enjoying Ye-rin’s warm hand, which had casually grabbed mine tightly.

‘Ye-rin, you’re so beautiful, you steal my breath away.’

Having dashed into the swimming pool thanks to Ms. w.a.n.g Sun-nyeo, I dragged Ye-rin and Ms. Lee from their relaxation to have fun together. Using the water play as an excuse, my hands were able to freely appreciate the feel of Ye-rin’s and Ms. Lee’s silky skin.

And now, it was evening.

The kids who’d played in the water for several hours went to rest in their rooms, and Ye-rin agreed to my request to walk together on the beach with a smile, following me out.

“This is like a dream. It makes me think that the honeymoon I’ve wanted since I was a teenager must feel like this.”

‘H-honeymoon!’

As soon as I heard the word ‘honeymoon,’ my heart raced wildly, like a crazy runaway horse.

What did you think of when it came to honeymoons?

The first night, short yet long, together with the one you loved.

An evening spent at a beautiful resort.

Drinking wine as red as pa.s.sionate blood, as you looked at each other with sweet gazes.

And then came the fated time.

Apparently people these days skipped all that and started the money talks instead, but how could you ruin the one and only honeymoon in your life with something so stupid?

“Hyuk… I’m more happy because… you’re by my side.”

‘Ahh! Ye-rin!’

This is what it was like to be blurred by tears. Right now and right here, I was getting confessed to by a kind angel, who had beautiful looks that had nothing to fear in the world.

Now there was no one to be jealous of.

Gulp.

Our feet had stopped moving at some point.

Our feet half submerged in the water, with the s.h.i.+mmering sunset backdrop around us, Ye-rin and I stared into each other’s eyes.

“Ye…rin.”

“Y…yeah.”

Even if I’d never been taught it, how could I not know.

I gathered her two hands, which had been holding mine, and slowly pulled them to my chest.

“I wanted to see you.”

“…?”

With me suddenly saying I’d wanted to see her, Ye-rin’s large, black pearl-like eyes blinked.

“Did you know? That you’re a person I’d want to see even when I’m looking at her.”

“…”

It was a slick combination of words that mixed cooking oil, b.u.t.ter, and even sesame oil, which even I could only be surprised by.

In that moment, the sun’s light splashed onto Ye-rin’s lips, slowly painting them apple red.

“Ye…rin.”

I quietly called my angel’s name, my breath gradually growing rough.

Our faces slowly drew closer, like magnetism. Or rather, It was as if I were the blood-craving Count Dracula, Ye-rin’s red lips somehow attracted mine to hers.

‘Mommy!’

The first kiss I’d only imagined for 17 years… True to the saying that the first kiss would cut deeply into your memory, this fateful time was something I’d remember with delight, even when lying in the grave.

Somehow, unbelievably, Ye-rin’s eyes had closed, her eyelashes were trembling.

Her wordless consent.

My heart, which had gotten faster not long ago, was now beating wildly against my ribcage, as if it were pummeling it with a laundry bat.

‘Just a little closer… a little closer!’

The rough breathing of a soldier who had to capture an enemy’s mountain fortress came puffing out of my mouth. And then Ye-rin’s full cherry lips were only a few centimeters away. Now it would be game over if I just clenched my eyes shut and pushed my lips onto hers.

‘Th-this is…’

In that moment, while I was flus.h.i.+ng with joy, I felt a shudder run through my entire body.

‘Why in a moment like this!’

Suddenly plunged into a difficult situation, like having to choose between saving either your mom or your girlfriend, my body quivered violently.

The meal was all set, it would be over if I pressed forward by just a finger’s width, but an enlightenment had happened to strike me now.

I hadn’t even cast all the 3rd Circle magic yet, but the sudden surge of joy and expectation brought with it an enlightenment. From what I’d heard from Master, for Mages, overcoming the limit of the circle was exactly half as difficult as conquering Mt. Everest with your bare body, but it didn’t seem like such a wall existed for me.

Something squirmed in my heart— it was the circle trying to elevate itself to a new limit.

But I had to make a decision.

There was no knowing when an enlightenment would come. I could plunge myself into the world of mana by following the enlightenment, or unsparingly light this time on fire with Ye-rin.

‘Such mercilessness!!’

Because it wasn’t a short moment, Ye-rin was also feeling that something was wrong. The temperature I could feel from Ye-rin’s hand was running cold, and then—.

‘Argh, whatever!’

I made my decision and pressed my lips onto Ye-rin’s.

Chu!

Our lips met with a clear and bright sound.

“Y-Yerin, sorry.”

With a word of apology, I left Ye-rin, who was startled by the feeling on her lips, and without even looking back, I ran to a place with no one else around.

Thu-thu-thu-thu-thump! I ran without looking behind me.

‘Aaggh, the fate of a cursed Mage!’

I made my choice. Rather than the royal road that would have stretched forth with Ye-rin, I chose the enlightenment as a Mage.

‘Waaah…’

Tears blurred my path.

But I did not stop.

Because no matter how untimely, a young mischievous imp had gifted me with the opportunity for enlightenment.

* * *

Ziiiiiiiinngg.

‘Geh!’

In order to not miss the enlightenment that had come, I entered a forest shrouded in darkness.

This was the moment I would rise to not the 3rd Circle, but the 4th Circle. By the Law of Mana Drainage, the moment the 4th Circle was formed, there would be a powerful outward surge.

I sat crosslegged in the quiet forest, and when I drew in mana by breathing through the channeling method Master had told me, the circle thrashed within my heart. It was such an intense feeling that it couldn’t even be compared to when the 3rd Circle had formed. Moreover, the mana positioned in the upper and lower danjeons moved in conjunction, so the feeling of a new circle being formed drew closer with a heart-crus.h.i.+ng shock.

‘Gaaah! I, I have to overcome it!’

I’d heard of people whose mana had scattered from the unfamiliar pain during circle formation, turning them into cripples. I clenched my teeth and circulated my mana according to the channeling method.

‘Ah!’

Then, all of a sudden, as if s.p.a.ce itself was expanding, the circle in my heart rapidly enlarged. Like a snake shedding its skin and emerging into a bigger body, the 3rd Circle that I hadn’t even gotten totally used to yet extended into my entire body.

Ziing, ziiiinnnng.

But then, suddenly, instead of condensing back into my heart, it started forming a band in my waist area!

‘What the h.e.l.l!’

If Master were here, I’d at least be able to ask him as much as I wanted, but I was shocked by this unseen, unheard of phenomenon.

‘That’s right. Master said I was the first to train using this mana channeling method, right?’

He had combined the internal chi channeling that he’d received from the ascetic monk with his own mana channeling method, creating a new mana channeling method. Even Master wouldn’t know what was going on.

‘I-is this gonna be okay?’

Ease and doubt settled after the pain. I was astonished by the feeling of four distinct circles encircling my waist area like the rings of Saturn instead of being near my heart.

‘Have I really become a 4th Circle Mage?’

I was seriously doubtful. What if I died tragically in the middle of casting magic because of this circle, which just had to position itself weirdly?

‘Then I’ll lightly try 1st Circle magic first…’

This was a world in which even bridges could fall while you were driving over them. Feeling as if I were pounding a cement bridge, I thought of the 1st Circle magic that could be cast without an activation incantation.

“Light!”

Shwaa!

“OHH! Nice! This is exactly it!”

With my dainty incantation, Light magic as bright as a searchlight lit up the forest. I could feel less mana was being drained than when I cast it with the 3rd Circle, and the mana itself was stable.

“Then…”

While I was at it, I wanted to see for myself. My power as a 4th Circle Mage who’d been able to get a generous bonus on top of the norm.

“Fire Ball!”

I experienced the spectacle of the magic formula and will getting drawn out in my head, and the mana inside my circle combining with the mana of the earth.

Fwoooooosshhhh.

“OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!”

A red magic ball of flame the size of a bicycle wheel floated up in the s.p.a.ce about five meters away from me. Even though I hadn’t even invested all the mana I had, it was the biggest Fire Ball I had created so far.

‘Huhu, now I’ll have nothing to fear from not just boars, but even boar patriarchs! Uhahahahaha!’

As a Mage, this was exactly the kind of enjoyment you earned from an enlightenment. Although it was joy only I knew about right now, I was still happy. Going from a mere loser who’d known nothing just a few months ago, to a 4th Circle Mage, gave me a sense of accomplishment. It was such an immense pleasure that I wouldn’t change a thing.

‘… Has Ye-rin left yet?’

I suddenly thought of Ye-rin’s red lips. After rising to the 4th Circle, my regret only grew.

‘That’s right, this isn’t my only chance. Ye-rin might stay by my side forever, but a missed enlightenment won’t come again!’

It was said that a man who didn’t persevere didn’t have the right to pee standing up. Even in my surging regret, I somehow found consolation.

‘Then, next is… huhuhu!’

From 4th Circle magic onwards, you could use an a.s.sortment of attack and defense spells, as well as various kinds of magic for everyday use. Though I hadn’t attempted them yet, Master must have done something funny to me. The 4th Circle magic formulas were fighting amongst each other in my mind, clamoring to be the first to be brought out into the world.

‘Sleeping magic, huhuhu, and even Binding magic on top of that. Huhuhu.’

Suddenly, magic-aided imaginations about unhealthy relations.h.i.+ps flooded my mind.

‘No. Only bad guys think about such shameful methods.’ I shook my head as I dispelled those unmanly uses for magic. ‘But it’s weird. Why is it that when I think about a woman, an actual magic combo of Sleeping, Binding, and Silence comes to mind? Despite never having used those spells before?’

This unfamiliar magic combo, no, even these magic formulas I had never even imagined before, came one right after another whenever I thought about women. It was as if someone had seeded it into my memories.

‘I’m not that pervert Master b.u.mdalf!’

The face of my master, who’d lived two hundred years without being able to cast away his dream of rejuvenation, floated into my mind along with the work(?) spells.

‘Argh, I should sprinkle a fistful of salt, at least.’

I had forgiven master because of money, but even so, the mere thought of him sent a chill up my spine. It even gave me the delusion that even now, he was watching me somewhere.

‘When I get back, I’ll call a skilled shaman and have them perform an exorcism. I get gooseb.u.mps every time I think about him.’

Within that Gandalf-like good-natured face, Master b.u.mdalf was hiding his mega pervy, crazy, gangster nature. Just thinking about it gave me chills.

‘Huhu, it’s already night, huh?’

Dispelling my thoughts of Master, the landscape around me came into my view. At some point, the sun had disappeared and a full moon the size of a plump rice cake had drifted into the sky.

‘Marisol… is she really waiting for me?’

I suddenly thought of one scene I’d seen during the day. With a body blessed by G.o.d, where the curves went in at all the right places and out ever so generously, Marisol’s pa.s.sionate gaze came to my mind.

‘Why am I so happy~! Young life~ young life~ the young life of youth~ when you’re old you’ll just be like Master~’

I involuntarily began humming.

‘Flight magic! That’s right, I’ll try flying once!’

The rule of studying was that reviewing was just as important as preparation. Deciding to try casting the 4th Circle magic, Flight, I activated my circle.

Mana and will were the foundation of circle magic. The magic formula, which included math and the laws of physics, was also a necessary existence for a magic circle, and various kinds of experiments.

‘Lalalalala~’

The rules of magic manifestation had come to mind with a single thought. It was weird that the circle had formed around my waist area, but because I had confirmed there was nothing wrong, I was able to concentrate with a feeling of contentment.

‘Huh? W-what’s this?’

I activated my mana, and when I was just about to connect the activation incantation to fuse the earth’s mana with my mana…

I suddenly felt a strange energy from beyond the forest.

‘B-bloodthirst?’

I sensed an aura that was similar to what the boar had radiated when it was running to catch me. It was an aura that made a strange tension scintillate through me— it was as if needles were p.r.i.c.king my skin.

‘Two people, no, three? Why me?’

In the past, I would have just absently dismissed it, but the somehow ominous and viscous feeling made my body tense up.

I suddenly recalled Master’s words that there would be many changes when I came to harbor mana.