Fla-Wielding Mage Kim — Part 2
“Here it is.”
I stepped aside slightly.
Piercing through the thick veil of mist, a new world opened up before them.
“Wow!”
Kim Mabeob’s eyes widened in amazent.
An enchanting, vibrant world painted in all the colors of the spectrum.
Between lush green trees, red, yellow, and blue blossoms blood in abundance, while fiery birds glided lazily among the flowers.
“Peep!”
“Screee!”
The phoenixes danced in flocks, singing their clear songs.
Oddly enough, it wasn’t hot at all.
Only a gentle spring breeze, like the mory of a first love, wafted through the air.
Kim Mabeob’s eyes were filled with trails of red streaking across the sky.
“It’s really Phoenix Valley…”
“Didn’t I tell you?”
“Still, I didn’t expect you to find it this easily. Or for it to be so close.”
“It’s always darkest under the lamp.”
Actually, it was because of the barrier set up by the Divine Beast, Phoenix.
Kim Mabeob hurriedly started recording a video.
Once he stepped out of the barrier that blocked all signals and sent the video, the Master of the Sun Mage Tower arrived via teleportation, surrounded by a flash of light.
He wasn’t alone.
With him were the elders from yesterday’s Sunfire demonstration.
“Warrior Kim! Did you really find Phoenix Valley?”
“As I said, I already knew about it.”
I didn’t bother playing coy or pretending.
When the Tower Master ntioned Phoenix Valley, I revealed that I already knew its location.
So I brought Kim Mabeob along, and we ca straight here.
“Heh, unbelievable.”
The Tower Master looked at
with an expression of amazent.
“From now on, I’ll have to pay attention to back-alley rumors as well. Who would’ve thought a top-secret like the location of Phoenix Valley would be floating around out there?”
“With so much trash information, I wouldn’t have believed it myself if I hadn’t seen it.”
I wasn’t lying.
After all, I’d seen it plenty of tis on my smartphone screen.
I used the Stealth Magic Chip I’d prepared in advance and guided the Tower Master.
The Tower Master and the other mages used similar spells, while Kim Mabeob wore the Cloak of Concealnt that the Tower Master had given him and followed behind .
Inside the barrier.
The Tower Master reacted almost exactly as Kim Mabeob had.
“Hahaha!”
He laughed in delight, careful not to startle the phoenixes.
“Look at that!”
“So many phoenixes!”
“Hah… truly astounding.”
The elders looked on with expressions of wonder.
The Tower Master clapped
on the back with a pleased expression.
“With this many phoenixes, we won’t have to worry about our supply! We’ll be set for a hundred years!”
“If you start capturing them openly, they’ll notice and move their nesting grounds.”
“Hmm. The question is, should we catch them sparingly, or take as many as possible? It would be ideal if we could breed them.”
“Are you planning to hunt the Divine Beast?”
“That’s impossible. I’m not a Level 9.”
The Tower Master looked as if he could be satisfied just by gazing upon them.
“Tower Master. About the reward you promised…”
“Rest assured, I’ll see to it myself. As the Master of the Sun Mage Tower, I don’t go back on my word. You’ve solved one of our Tower’s greatest wishes. There may even be a new school of thought established within our Sun Mage Tower thanks to you. I wouldn’t hesitate over one asly spell.”
The Tower Master was resolute.
Waking up at dawn to hike up a mountain had paid off.
Just as I was about to thank him with a smile, a sharp voice cut in.
“Tower Master? A spell? What do you an by that?”
“Hmm, Elder Jo.”
A stern-looking elderly female mage stepped forward.
She was the ntor of a mage who had once tried to manipulate
and had since been expelled.
The Tower Master frowned slightly.
“I promised a reward for discovering Phoenix Valley.”
“And what reward, exactly?”
“Hmm. The Sunfire spell.”
“What?!”
“I promised that if he revealed the location of Phoenix Valley and we confird it, I would personally teach him the Sunfire spell.”
“That’s outrageous!”
Elder Jo imdiately protested.
“Sunfire is one of our Tower’s signature spells. Even if you’re the Tower Master, you can’t simply give it away as a personal reward!”
“A personal reward?”
The Tower Master’s expression turned openly displeased.
“Calling it a ‘personal reward’ is a bit harsh, don’t you think? What are the Tower’s two major research objectives? Perfecting extre mana and designing a new mana circuit. Phoenix Valley is essential for the new mana circuit, and I offered Sunfire as a reward. Don’t make it sound as if I’m using it for my own gain.”
“Are you saying there’s absolutely no personal interest involved, that you’re doing this solely for the Tower? Is that really the case?”
“Elder Jo. What exactly are you trying to say?”
The Tower Master’s gaze began to heat up.
Even if he was acting in his grandson’s interest, no one would appreciate such a direct accusation.
And it’s not like he was doing it without any justification.
Elder Jo opened her mouth to speak, but the Tower Master was faster.
“If you’re going to bring up my grandson, then keep your mouth shut. Before I tear apart that bastard who leaked Tower secrets and tried to kill our guest—along with his negligent parents and his damn ntor. Got it? You miserable old hag.”
Wow, talk about an explosive outburst.
Typical fire mage, fiery temper and all.
The Head Researcher Mage and the Tower Master really are a matched pair.
The other elders quickly tried to calm the situation.
“Now, now. Let’s all settle down.”
“Tower Master, why are we letting tempers flare on such a wonderful day?”
“Elder Jo, you too. We understand you’re upset, but confronting the Tower Master isn’t going to help.”
“His grandson isn’t the only one who couldn’t learn magic, Elder Jo. Out of my five grandsons, two can’t perform magic either.”
“Do you know how many of our Tower mages struggle with family issues?”
“If it’s true that the phoenixes could save so many, think of the potential benefit for the Tower as a whole.”
“Fine.”
Elder Jo, clearly stung by the Tower Master’s words, turned on her heel, radiating cold disdain as she vanished with a spell.
The Tower Master clicked his tongue openly.
“Tch. Elder Jo wasn’t like this when she was younger, but after tasting wealth, she’s changed.”
“It must be hard for her, having to expel a disciple she treated like her own child. Surely, Tower Master, you can understand.”
“All her fault for failing to raise him right. Who else is there to bla? Tch, tch.”
The Tower Master looked around at the other elders with a cold gaze.
“In any case, I take it there are no objections to
awarding Sunfire to Warrior Kim as a reward?”
“Hold on a mont, Tower Master. We should at least set so limitations.”
“Limitations? Like what?”
“If the spell were to leak to another Tower or to the Geumo Group, it would be a huge issue. They’re already eager to steal any spell they can from us. We even went to great lengths to secure spells against the recently expelled Mage Park.”
“Hmm.”
The Tower Master cleared his throat, clearly seeing so validity in the point.
I stepped forward.
“Please don’t worry about that. I’ll use the mory Chip in front of the Tower Master and the elders here. If necessary, I’m even willing to make a magical pact.”
“A pleasant offer. What terms would you agree to for the pact?”
“No usage, no disclosure, and no duplication.”
“Oh-ho.”
The elders nodded approvingly.
Of course, these terms were aningless to .
Sunfire was already a spell restricted to mages, so it was bound to them by default.
The restriction on duplication was important for my own sake too.
Otherwise, soone could kidnap
and try to extract the Sunfire spell from my mind.
“That should be more than satisfactory.”
“How refreshing to et a warrior who’s so reasonable.”
“I’ll admit, when I heard he was a warrior, I half-expected his brain to be made of muscle.”
“Elder, you thought so too? So did I.”
“Hahaha.”
The atmosphere turned cheerful.
One of the elders asked curiously.
“Wait a mont. I’d like to ask the Superhuman a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“If you don’t plan to use it or sell it, why do you want the Sunfire spell? Wouldn’t it make more sense to take a few magic stones imbued with Sunfire instead?”
A reasonable suspicion.
I quietly conjured a wisp of black fla.
Just a small one, only on the tip of one finger, like a tiny candle fla.
The attention of everyone—elders, the Tower Master, and Kim Mabeob—focused on my fingertip.
“I want to enhance this.”
“Huh?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m a warrior, but I’ve found Black Fla to be very useful. Then, when I ca to the Sun Mage Tower and heard about extre mana manifestation, I beca intrigued. I wanted to create my own version of it.”
“Hahaha!”
“Good heavens.”
“You think it’s that easy? We’ve already invested over a decade into this project!”
“I know it might not work. I’m well aware it’s no simple task. But wouldn’t a warrior’s intuitive approach differ from the analytical approach of mages? Who knows—maybe my manifestation will surpass that of the Sun Mage Tower.”
The elders burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha!”
“Hohoho!”
“What a joker!”
“Do you really think so improvised technique of yours will be better than the one our Tower has spent years perfecting?”
“I didn’t say that for certain, did I? And ‘improvised’? I assure you, I won’t be doing this haphazardly.”
Their faces made it clear they thought it was absurd.
I could see the faint derision and sense of superiority in their gazes.
I even heard soone mutter, “Typical warrior.”
“Interesting, very interesting.”
The Tower Master’s eyes sparkled as he interjected.
“How about a wager, then?”
“A wager?”
“Let’s compare your manifestation with the one we’ve created at the Tower and see which is superior.”
“Now that sounds fun.”
There’s no inherent superiority between extre mana manifestation and ultimate mana manifestation.
Extre manifestation has more raw power, but ultimate manifestation is better in terms of mana consumption and casting ti.
“Right? Excellent. So, what shall we wager?”
“Are you serious about this wager?”
“Of course! What kind of wager doesn’t involve stakes? What’s the matter? Afraid?”
The Tower Master grinned slyly.
I spread my hands slightly.
“But I have nothing to wager.”
“Yes, you do.”
The Tower Master looked straight at , his smile unwavering, though his eyes were deadly serious.
It felt playful, yet he was looking at
with a grave expression.
“Yourself.”
“Pardon?”
“If you lose, you’ll co work for our Sun Mage Tower’s security division. Oh, don’t worry—it won’t be free labor. We’ll offer you top-tier compensation, the highest salary, the best benefits, and an ideal work-life balance.”
A recruitnt offer disguised as a wager.
The elders chuckled.
“Haha. Isn’t the Tower Master being a bit too direct?”
“It seems the Superhuman has really impressed him.”
“With good reason, no doubt.”
“After all, he’s done a lot for the Tower…”
The elders’ reactions were positive.
It seed I’d earned a lot of points from the Sunfire demonstration and finding Phoenix Valley.
But honestly…
Isn’t it a bit presumptuous to celebrate when I haven’t even agreed yet?
“Alright.”
I nodded coolly.
“I accept those terms.”
“Good decision!”
The Tower Master was genuinely delighted.
“Then let’s draft the contract right—”
“If I win, I’d like the Sun Mage Tower to grant
a wish.”
“Hmm?”
The Tower Master stopped mid-motion, one hand reaching into his robe.
He looked at , as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.
“I must have misheard. What did you just say?”
“I said, if I win, I’d like the Sun Mage Tower to grant
one wish.”
“If you win? You’re saying you actually think you can win?”
“We won’t know until I try, right?”
I smiled confidently.
The elders shook their heads, and the Tower Master chuckled.
“Haha. What an amusing notion. Fine, I’ll make it official. If your manifestation outperforms ours—no, if it even cos close—I’ll acknowledge defeat on behalf of the Tower, and we’ll grant you one wish at the Tower level!”
“Master, isn’t that condition a bit harsh?”
“‘Close’ would still count as a win?”
“If he even scores 80 points—or, heck, 70 points—it’d be an impressive feat.”
“Co on, let’s be reasonable and set it at 70 points.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
They’re going to be in for quite the shock when they see the final result.
It’s going to be a perfect tie—100 points.
“What do you say? We’ll judge based on five categories: destructive power, range, mana consumption, casting ti, and difficulty. If you score 70 points or higher, you win. If not, you’ll be joining our Sun Mage Tower security division. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“Hahaha! Smart choice. Our future Head of Security! Or perhaps the President of Sun Security! This might be our chance to enter the private military contractor market!”
“Congratulations, Tower Master.”
“Indeed, the Tower Master’s judgnt is unmatched.”
The deadline was set for two years.
Within that ti, we’d each create our own manifestation to be evaluated.
If we were ready before then, we could start earlier by mutual agreent.
‘Two years should be more than enough.’
I might even achieve ultimate manifestation before the Sun Mage Tower completes their extre manifestation.
After all, I’ve already secured the hardest part—Sunfire.
Alright, I’ll raise the stakes.
The goal is 120 points.
I’ll knock the Tower Master down a peg or two.
“Are you alright, Superhuman? Did my grandfather rope you into sothing you didn’t want?”
Kim Mabeob, who’d been quiet until now, asked .
“Of course not. I accepted because I wanted to.”
“Oh… are you really confident?”
“I told you, yes.”
I’m already looking forward to that day.
I should start thinking about my wish from the Sun Mage Tower.
Whether it’s an 8th-level magic sword, an extravagant airship, or even a building in Gangnam—anything is possible.
“Let’s get to the verification.”
The Tower Master extended his hand.
Using intangible mana, he pulled a young phoenix closer.
This was the true purpose behind our exploration of Phoenix Valley.
It was ti for Kim Mabeob to advance to the rank of fla-wielder.
–TL Notes–
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