◈ Episode 38. Performance Testing (1)

A long wait.

It surprised even her teacher, who spent almost all of his time with her.

The tin foil hat twitched.

Could this really be his student?

He spat out a sigh.

-…… Disciple, do you know the feeling of disappointment?

“…….”

Master’s question.

But no answer came out of his mouth, no answer came out of his head.

Jesse’s gaze was fixed on his smartphone’s screen.

More precisely, it was fixed on the man in the video.

“Master,” he lamented again.

-My heart is broken. It breaks……!

The Archmage’s wisdom is imbued in the tinfoil hat.

It is, in effect, the Archmage’s alter ego.

-This is the language of the otherworld, the language of the string……….

Such a tin foil hat was imposing.

It all started with the man in the video, Ho Yeol.

It was all because of the man who had changed his one and only student.

It was certainly a remarkable thing.

Just looking at the video now.

An adventurer with a clear sense of purpose, manifesting magic freely.

There were no stereotypical manifestations of an adventurer.

This was enough to attract the attention of the apprentice, who was skeptical of magic.

“……How did you understand that?”

That was enough for him.

A sudden appearance at a regular meeting.

The head mage, pointing out Marcelo’s presentation.

He even mimicked his magic and manifested it.

It was probing, interfering, manifesting.

It was as if he had mastered a concept of magic that even his own apprentice could not easily grasp.

-……No, beyond that.

A talent beyond genius.

Of course, the tin foil hat didn’t say what he thought.

For whatever reason.

Jesse had finally erased his doubts about magic.

It was a shame, as a teacher.

He didn’t believe me when I told him a hundred times.

How can you look at a man and change your mind so quickly?

-My dear pupil, all men are wolves!

Of course, I was joking.

Not because he’s a man, but because he’s an adventurer.

Because an adventurer like him understood the concept of magic perfectly.

Jesse would be able to break through the barriers of prejudice.

-I know it when I see it. That piercing glare, that arrogant tone. I’m sure of it. That’s a man without blood or tears. He’s sure to give a woman a hard time…….

And again─

An unexpected sound.

The tin foil hat, which had been talking back, flinched.

And now it was.

“Wow, I envy you, Ho-yeol!”

The exclamation marks returned to Jessie’s eyes.

Jessie on a mage class quest.

As she walked in and out of the magic tower, she would casually look at the mages’ labs.

“This is much better than the Adept Mages’ labs!”

But even Jessie could only see the lower levels of the tower.

That is, she was only allowed to enter the laboratories of apprentice and journeyman mages.

It was no wonder he was surprised by Ho Yeol’s laboratory.

“Let’s sit and wait for a while.”

“Ah, yes, I’ll wait!”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have a tea for you.”

“…… a tea?”

“We don’t have delivery rockets to Magic Tower.”

What kind of tea is …… referring to?

An Americano? A black tea?

A rocket delivery?

Was rocket delivery some new magic?

Despite his curiosity, Jesse swallowed hard.

“Thoughtful question……!

He wasn’t about to let such a trivial question slip through his fingers.

She sat down at the hospitality table and waited for her turn.

It might be rude to stare, right?

A glance.

Jesse rolled his eyes beneath his brimmed hat.

Shrug.

As soon as Ho Yue sat down at his desk, he grabbed a feather pen.

He began to scribble furiously on the parchment.

Jesse was fascinated.

“Is he doing research as soon as he gets back?

I wondered if I’d interrupted.

“But you asked me to wait, so……!

Jesse sat down and waited patiently.

Not to be disturbed.

He didn’t even glance toward the next row.

But.

“?”

……It’s been so quiet.

Since when.

I didn’t even hear the sound of a feather quill.

Still, it seems like a long time.

I glance over.

I looked at Ho-yeol and saw the same thing.

Waist straight against the chair back.

Perfectly balanced chin and neck and arm angles.

Yes, his posture hadn’t changed in the slightest.

“!”

His eyelids were closed.

An uncomfortable position to look at.

At first, I couldn’t even imagine that he was asleep.

I thought he was just meditating, thinking over things.

But as I focused my attention, I heard his breathing.

……Yep, Ho-Yeol was sleeping.

In an upright position, not the slightest bit disturbed.

“I guess I can’t do it today.

Jesse carefully rose from his chair.

He crept out of the lab and paused in front of Ho-Yeol’s desk.

In front of the desk where Ho-Yeol was sleeping.

Glancing up, Jesse looked at Ho’s face.

The sight of him asleep was certainly refreshing.

Dori-dori–

For a moment, Jessie shook her head.

‘It was rude to ……!

I’m glad I didn’t get caught!

Spraying─

Jessie took a deep breath as she closed the door to her lab.

Jesse whispered to the tin foil hat, his mentor.

“No blood, no tears. He’s so human.”

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……I dozed off.

When I opened my eyes, I was still in that position.

I realize I’ve overdone it.

In fact, all I did was put a spoon on the table.

I’m so frail that I don’t even have the strength to hold a spoon.

“…… Wait.

By the way, I feel like I’m missing something.

Like I’ve forgotten something…….

Yeah, Jesse Heinness.

“Oh no.”

Jesse was nowhere to be seen in the lab.

I didn’t even notice her leaving.

How deeply asleep, I wondered.

I checked the time and realized that five hours had passed.

Five hours of sleep with …… in an uncomfortable position?

And there’s no exhaust anywhere.

This is the level at which formality rules the body.

Anyway, I feel bad for Jesse.

He’d fallen asleep after answering a question.

“That’s not good.

Jessie Heinness.

Your relationship with her is more important than with any other player.

What’s the harm in losing to a top-ranked player?

Even at that level, she was an inspiration to me.

‘Well, more accurately, her skill is inspiring.

Anyway, next time you see him, be as nice as you can.

I don’t like to be in debt, even for pride’s sake.

“It’s a shame you don’t have tea.”

…… and some green tea bags for hospitality.

I must have fallen asleep at some point.

I could tell by the parchment.

At least you made it to the appraisal request.

The parchment had a response to the request.

-Okay, I can see what tools can be made from your items. I’ll analyze it in detail and report back. I will analyze them in detail and report back.

My requirements were simple.

First and foremost, a level limit.

I needed a tool, an item, that I could use right away, even if it meant compromising on its effectiveness.

On the plus side, I got a quick level 50 boost from defeating the Seven Deadly Sins of Greed.

I added to that answer.

-I don’t care how much it costs.

……Isn’t that the worst line in bargaining?

But to the wizards of the Tower, as much as to Grandfell, the riches movie was meaningless.

They might rip off adventurers, but they wouldn’t rip off their own mages.

I tore my gaze from the parchment.

To the stack of books on one side of the desk.

They were the magical texts I’d demanded from Marcelo for my research.

I opened the top one, and sure enough, I saw words that were still unfamiliar.

“I see.”

Of course, what’s even stranger is my understanding of them.

It didn’t take much effort to understand them.

The magic and concepts were presented at regular conferences.

Compared to that, this was childish.

Still, the reason I needed such a low-level magic book is simple.

Because my level was terrible.

In other words, the poison in the water.

Because that’s what I was.

Snap.

A sphere of magic that appeared out of thin air.

Light, the basic magic of pure magic.

An entry-level skill that illuminates your surroundings.

The moment you switch to a Mage class.

It was one of the first skills you’d learn.

Such a basic skill,

and not a skill, but a spell?

Simple.

I’m a demon hunter, not a mage.

Of course, even the greatest mages in the world would never recognize me as a demon hunter.

That’s my class identity in a nutshell.

But let’s look on the bright side.

“Building a foundation.

Plugging a hole, I think.

Someone might say, “You’re just plugging a hole.

“Well, starting at the bottom of the ladder.

Isn’t that inefficient?

It’s natural to have that question.

But that’s only true for skills.

Magic and skills are different.

Unlike skills, magic is a creative expression.

Like now.

Dudongsil─

I manifested the light again and again.

Soon, dozens of magic spheres appeared in thin air.

Even if it’s only beginner magic, its essence is a mass of magic.

Once again, searching, interfering, manifesting.

If I could go through that series of steps…….

Hmph─

The magic spheres could become fireballs.

Crackle.

A sphere of light might become a sphere of electricity.

Whirling.

Or even a small storm.

‘As long as the magic can handle it, of course.

Magic with different properties.

Dozens of them simultaneously.

……The amount of magic consumed was no joke!

This was why it was unlikely that I could use it easily even when the natural enemy relationship was activated.

I realize once again.

You’re still pretty weak.

Even if you’ve risen quickly, you’re only level 226.

It’s so low that it wouldn’t be surprising if he sank at any time due to his heavy pride.

Similarly, he was also lacking the basics.

‘I’ll never be able to rest.

To stop the poison from sinking in on both sides.

What if I catch a rat in my struggle?

I was engaged in unhealthy thinking.

Clever.

“?”

Someone knocked on the door.

I didn’t know who it was.

I didn’t need to ask.

At the same time, the quest window flashed.

[Quest: Marcelo’s Research]

Wizard’s Tower, Chief Wizard Marcelo.

To reach the next level of magic.

He wants you to join him.

Accept Marcelo’s proposal (Success)

Prove your abilities. (Ongoing)

Convince a majority of the senior wizards. (0/20)

Yeah, I thought, I’ve been quiet.

Senior Wizard.

Even if he’s the head of the tower, not all of them will agree with Marcelo’s decision.

Besides, I’m not a parachutist, after all.

Just a parachute performance test.

I was expecting it.

I said.

“Come in. Chief Wizard Marcelo.”

The door opened and Marcelo walked in.

He looked even more gaunt than before.

He looked startled as soon as he opened the door.

…… The smell?

Not long ago, there was a fireball in the air.

If it’s the burnt smell, it’s understandable.

Try burning down a borrowed lab.

It could be me or Marcelo.

I shudder to think of the amount of money I’d have to pay.

I quickly changed the subject.

“I know what brought you to me.”

“……Ah, did you hear, it’s disgraceful.”

Marcelo looked genuinely sorry.

He paused for a moment, then spoke.

“It’s all because of my position as chief wizard. In order to be chief, junior wizards constantly want to prove their worth to the chief. This is no different in this case. Because of my lack of…….”

I shook my head.

I even apologized to the guy who gave me the parachute ride.

“No, it’s their faith that’s lacking, not yours.”

……Well, he may be a little cranky.

I’m not an ungrateful asshole, I assure you.

Besides, did I mention it’s a job where you have to constantly prove yourself?

“Underestimation requires proof, and overestimation means you have to make it happen.”

It was a position he was used to.

I rose from my seat, feeling more at peace than ever.

I turned to Marcelo.

“Familiarize yourself with the position. Marcelo, Chief Mage.”

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Marcelo paused, frozen in place.

Magic marks.

Traces of manifested magic.

They still littered the lab.

They were a testament to the complexity of the search and the high level of interference that had taken place here.

Entering the lab.

That was why Marcelo was dumbfounded.

“…… manifested this level of magic simultaneously?

A ‘bizarre’ level of magical comprehension, regardless of how high or low the magic was.

But Marcelo didn’t ponder over it.

-No, it is their faith that is lacking, not yours.

He couldn’t be the one who lacked faith.

Marcelo hurried to follow Ho-Yeol’s lead.

“I’ll lead the way.”

He never did this when presenting his findings.

For the first time, he expected a reaction from the senior mages.