Out of the Shadow

Han Se-hoon was a 3rd Circle mage residing in the Tower of Covenant. He was now thirty-three years old.

3rd Circle, thirty-three.

Whenever the number 3 came to mind, Han Se-hoon couldn’t help but sigh. Born in the wilderness, when he first secured a residence in the Tower of Covenant, he thought his struggles were finally over.

No longer did he need to fear calamities. He could go anywhere through the Tower of Covenant. He was special no matter which city he visited. At the mere mention of ‘Tower of Covenant,’ haughty women would sparkle with curiosity, and boastful men would become intimidated into silence. Mayors would personally come out to greet him both coming and going, offering gifts. Yes, this was the life he’d dreamed of. But such times were fleeting.

In the Tower of Covenant, 3rd Circle mages were a dime a dozen. “How can those types even call themselves mages…” He heard such remarks all too often. That’s all he was. In front of 4th Circle mages, he was nothing but a servant, and if he happened to encounter a 5th Circle mage, he was treated like a passing ant.

The 3rd Circle mages who had spent their whole lives dreaming of entering the Tower of Covenant now only waited for the day they’d be dispatched outside. They might be servants here, but out there, they were kings. Looking back, he thought those mages who remained in cities to compete for mayoral positions might have been the wiser ones.

‘If I could just reach 4th Circle… life in the Tower of Covenant would become smoother.’

The Tower of Covenant crawled with monstrous mages from every star, but at 4th Circle, one could establish their own domain, ordering 2nd and 3rd Circle mages around, conducting research, presenting at conferences.

But 4th Circle wasn’t something just anyone could achieve. Unless you were a born genius or from a good family receiving massive support, reaching 4th Circle remained a distant dream despite a lifetime of effort. Han Se-hoon’s talent was merely adequate, and being from the wilderness, he had no backing. All he could do was follow promising 4th Circle mages from the Ignil School, handling all their dirty work while begging to be elevated. This wasn’t why he became a mage, but without doing this, he couldn’t become the kind of mage he dreamed of being.

That’s why… Han Se-hoon couldn’t refuse this offer.

“7th Continent, near Trimacos City… calamity movements detected followed by a massive explosion, currently in a lull… presumed B-class or higher relic site… I understand.”

“Good. It has to be you, Hoon. Relic exploration is tough work, but the rewards are proportional. This will be a big opportunity for you. Who knows? Maybe you’ll collect a Primordial Incantation. And once this job is successfully completed, I’ll talk to the higher-ups and fast-track you. I’ll go with you!”

4th Circle mage Kasha nodded and patted Han Se-hoon’s shoulder. Kasha was a mature woman of fifty-five, but thanks to her powerful magical energy, she appeared to be just an attractive woman in her early thirties. Efficient, friendly, and pretty, like an older sister figure…

But Han Se-hoon knew better than most just how many snakes writhed in her belly.

‘She says she’ll fast-track me…’

It probably wasn’t a lie. Kasha, whom he had served like a slave for five years, wasn’t the type to play such petty tricks.

However… the important emphasis was on ‘once this job is successfully completed.’

Exploring a relic presumed to be B-class or higher… sending a lone 3rd Circle mage on such an important mission? That was just blatantly making him a sacrificial lamb. Not only calamities but the relic’s defense systems were nothing to scoff at.

A 50 percent chance of death. A 40 percent chance of injury with no gains, totaling a 90 percent chance of getting screwed. Even if there were gains, the surveillance magitech would prevent him from keeping them to himself. Shouldering all the risk alone while having to hand over the fruits to those above. And since it was an urgent mission, there wouldn’t even be time to enjoy the city’s pleasures.

That’s what being a relic’s advance scout meant. Thrusting your head into death with no time to prepare. And on top of that, the rewards were uncertain.

But Kasha never mentioned those risks. Till the end, she maintained her friendly superior act, only encouraging Han Se-hoon. And though Han Se-hoon knew this, he didn’t show it.

“I’m truly grateful for this opportunity.”

“Kid. Work hard.”

A deeply bowed head. A hand casually patting that head.

‘For someone like me with no backing to reach 4th Circle…’

He had to accept even this unfairness with gratitude.

“Oh, and before you go, make sure to hand over the data for the ‘Special Applications of Fire Magic’ paper you’ve been working on.”

“Understood.”

Because even if Han Se-hoon died, the work must continue.

Han Se-hoon gritted his teeth.

‘Just watch. I’ll succeed spectacularly and return.’

He harbored just one hope.

‘A Primordial Incantation.’

A powerful spell occasionally collected from relics. A mystery whose acquisition mechanism remains unknown. A power that cannot be shared with others. If he could obtain a Primordial Incantation, that would be his own asset that could not be taken away. Just having a Primordial Incantation could elevate him from a common 3rd Circle nobody to a noteworthy 3rd Circle mage.

‘I’ll obtain one even if I have to sell my soul.’

Life could change in an instant. Han Se-hoon resolved to do whatever it took.

+ – + – +

I fainted, then woke up. The moment I opened my eyes, I bolted upright.

“You’re awake? I was worried when I found you collapsed. What happened?”

Yuria spoke to me, but her words didn’t quite register. My head was already filled with other thoughts.

This was already the second one. I’d obtained two Primordial Incantations in just two weeks, when even getting one was supposed to be difficult. And what I’d realized in the process was astonishing.

‘The existing theories about magical power are all wrong. Magical power isn’t just a force that enables magic. There’s a deeper secret.’

I was only fourteen years old, but I possessed memories of an entire lifetime from Earth. That’s why I could fully grasp how significant my discoveries were.

‘I, and only I, can redefine the magic of this world.’

Breaking this world’s paradigm and opening a new history of magic. That was what I needed to do.

Teacher Sena must have thought the same, right?

‘That’s why she sacrificed herself to save me.’

My path was clear.

‘I’ll make magic stronger and wipe out every last calamity.’

Opening an era for humanity.

While lost in thought, Yuria suddenly thrust something at me.

“I found some food, but… the taste is a bit… strange. Still, I think it’s edible.”

“Huh? Oh.”

It was unbelievably fine powder. She said she’d found it well-packaged in some storage area.

Yuria took a tiny taste and grimaced.

“Ugh… it’s weird… you try some too.”

She scooped up a handful of powder and brought it to my mouth. I reflexively licked it.

“Urgh…”

I nearly spat it out. During my childhood survival training, I’d eaten all sorts of plants and soils, but I’d never tasted anything like this. Not just the taste, but the smell was too bizarre. Like the face powder city women supposedly wore…

“Ugh… but it does seem to be food.”

Yet even then, my trained tongue honestly determined its edibility. There was a slight sweetness at the tip of my tongue suggesting carbohydrates, and the savory taste seemed like fat and protein. It was just that the combination of flavors was nauseating.

Anyway…

“When did you find this?”

“While you were spaced out, since we’re short on time, Monggu and I went searching. It was about 40,000 steps round trip, so… about six hours must have passed.”

Six hours?

If I’d wasted that much time doing nothing, it would have been quite wasteful. Yuria was impressive as always. Excellent judgment.

I nodded and asked again.

“I see. Thanks. But is this the only food type you found?”

I desperately hoped she’d say no. But Yuria sadly nodded.

“Yes. We didn’t explore everywhere, but… this is all we found.”

Haah…

We both sighed simultaneously.

I reflexively looked up. The black hole we’d fallen through was as distant as the night sky. Far, far above, the blue barrier surrounding the relic twinkled like a star.

‘Pale blue dot.’

That phrase suddenly came to mind. It was burned clearly into the memory of that Earth science enthusiast.

The photograph taken by the unmanned probe Voyager 2 as it left the solar system, turning its camera back one last time to capture Earth. A pale blue dot floating in pitch-black darkness.

I felt like I’d become Voyager 2.

Deep in the underground of a relic with no idea when we might escape.

Like being in the middle of empty space, feeling hopeless and alone… with only some foul powder that tasted like cosmetics to eat…

‘Damn it…’

While cursing inwardly, I turned to Monggu.

“Did you find anything?”

Monggu sighed.

“You mentioned something called an elevator from above, right? I found a place that looks like one. There’s a huge disc installed on the floor, with corpses and unknown supplies scattered around it. I didn’t touch the bodies, just examined the supplies… no food, just unknown cylinders. They felt solid and heavy when I picked them up.”

“You found an elevator?”

I brightened up. We’d come down to the lowest level just to survive for now, but eventually we’d need to go back up. I wasn’t confident I could climb that deep hole myself, so discovering an elevator was good news.

But Monggu’s expression wasn’t optimistic.

“The thing is… I couldn’t figure out how to operate it. No… it doesn’t seem like it can be operated at all.”

That made sense. Nothing in this relic site was functioning properly. Even basic lighting was barely working, requiring light magic devices to explore deeper. There was no reason the elevator would work.

“Hmm… earlier the Arsenal Ego mentioned that power was depleted, right? Did you see any facilities that might recharge power?”

Monggu answered with a somewhat uncertain voice.

“I did find a place that looked really important… but there were just strange devices that didn’t respond to pushing or pulling. They didn’t react to mana coins or protective talismans either.”

“Hmm… maybe because there’s no power? Alright, let’s go there first.”

I stood up energetically and stretched, but a hot sensation rose to my head.

‘Ah… right. I need to create a new Circle.’

Without creating a Circle, the magical fever would continue tormenting me, so it seemed right to sort this out before proceeding.

“Just a moment…”

Is there any reason to delay? I recited the mage’s covenant right there.

[Heaven. Earth. Wind. Stars. All things in the world and their records. Behold me. Thousand eyes and ten thousand ears. I am here. Listen. Observe. I am one who speaks to the world. One who manifests through words. Behold. I have a mouth, the mouth to which you shall listen.]

This part was identical to when I created my 1st Circle. Following the covenant, the overflowing magical power gathered smoothly around my first Circle. Then came the covenant for the 2nd Circle.

[Behold these lips, the lips to which you shall obey.]

The gathered magical power twisted in a spiral pattern above the first Circle.

‘The first is just a ring. The second is a spiral ring… clearly, as Circles become more complex, they can produce more diverse sounds.’

Just as lips are needed to pronounce sounds like ‘M’ or ‘B’, Circles also seemed to require various structures.

Wham-

With a sound like a leather drum, the second ring was completed. All the swirling magical power was absorbed into the ring.

[So when I command the wind to blow, the wind shall blow.]

[When I command water to exist, water shall exist.]

Whoosh.

The wind blew, and

Splash.

A head-sized water sphere rose and rippled in the wind.

[I am the rightful successor. The mage of wind and water, Baek Jun-woo.]

Woong-

The two Circles resonated together, producing an odd sound.

I succeeded on the first try.

Of course, I had spent about thirty minutes in my simulation studying water magic… but to others, it would appear I’d mastered a new magic instantaneously.

“…Did you just create a 1st Circle and then immediately a 2nd Circle?”

Monggu’s eyes widened in surprise, and

“Water sphere? Doesn’t it usually take at least a week to a month to learn a new magic? I know you have simulation, but… you’re gobbling them up like reed candy. How long did you spend in simulation?”

Yuria seemed dumbfounded.

I told her the truth about what seemed like jealousy.

“Thirty minutes?”

“…You really are a monster.”

I just responded with a smile and returned to the main topic.

“Alright, let’s go to the place Monggu discovered. If we can find a way to restore the relic’s power there, we might get the elevator working again.”

“Will it… work? It looked like a really important place. There were even Guardians there.”

Monggu sounded anxious.

He was a coward, but not a fool. He was afraid. Afraid that trying to restore power might reawaken the relic’s defense systems.

Well… it was a valid concern. Who could say? We didn’t understand how we got in here, why we were designated as 3rd level administrators and supplies, or anything else.

But…

“We have to try. We opened the blue barrier… it should be possible.”

I thought to myself.

‘If not me, then no one else can do it.’

The magical power that only I can see and hear.

Puzzles that only I can solve.

Why am I not worried about meddling with a relic I know nothing about? But ‘if I can’t do it, no one can.’ This was a powerful motivation. If I gave up or failed, that would truly be the end. As long as I didn’t give up, it wasn’t over.

“Let’s go wake up this relic.”

A place holding ancient mysteries. What other secrets might it contain…

My heart pounded, whether from worry or excitement, I couldn’t tell.