Chapter 5

[Translator - Clara]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 5: The Most Necessary Thing (1)

“Are you talking about the Tower Master?”

Maxim nodded far more easily than expected.

“That’s not a difficult request. You may not remember, but you used to engage in magical debates with the Tower Master frequently.”

“I see.”

All Oscar Crucian had left behind were materials related to magic and the White Tower.

There were almost no personal stories, so it was no surprise Oscar didn’t know about this.

“I’ll arrange a meeting for you later.”

“Thank you. Could it happen right now, perhaps?”

“Hmm, unfortunately, the earliest you’ll be able to meet the Tower Master is half a year from now.”

“What?”

Not half a day, but half a year?

Shocked, Oscar asked again.

“Why?”

“The Tower Master is currently on a mission. They’re handling the major requests directed at the Tower personally.”

“Why on earth is the Tower Master dealing with that directly...?”

As Oscar spoke, he realized the reason and let his words trail off.

“Because there are no high-level mages left, isn’t it?”

“...It’s shameful, really.”

The fact that the Tower Master had to personally work on-site painted a clearer picture of the White Tower’s downfall than any document could.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what is the Tower Master’s level?”

“They’re a Level 7 High Mage.”

“Level 7...”

Oscar bit his lip.

At that age, he had been on the verge of reaching Level 9, but only Level 7?

It was likely due to the numerous responsibilities pulling them away from magical training. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Then, as Maxim reviewed the report again, he asked casually:

“The report mentions that the cut on the injury was exceptionally clean. Have you been practicing offensive magic again?”

“Well, just on occasion when the mood strikes.”

“...On occasion, is it?”

Maxim smiled faintly.

Practicing a basic spell like Wind Cutter “on occasion” could never yield such precision.

Especially not for someone like Oscar, who was afflicted with mana depletion syndrome.

‘He’s probably downplaying it to avoid raising expectations unnecessarily.’

Despite his young appearance, the boy was wise beyond his years.

He would bring it up when he felt the time was right.

Understanding this, Maxim refocused on his stack of documents and dismissed Oscar.

“I’ve said what I needed to. You may go now.”

* * *

Back in his room, Oscar locked the door, drew the curtains, and even removed the speaker on the ceiling.

The reason for his obsessive precautions was simple:

‘First, I’ll repair my damaged circuits.’

This was a task that required the highest level of concentration.

Any slight misstep could lead to a mana surge, making meticulous preparation essential.

“Phew.”

After ensuring everything was ready, Oscar took a deep breath and sat upright on a single-seater sofa.

Then, he slowly closed his eyes, focusing all his senses inward.

‘......’

Every human possessed twenty mana circuits within their body.

In the eastern nation of Yeon, they were called the Twelve Principal Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

‘What a pitiful universe.’

Unlike his previous life’s body, where all circuits shone like stars, this one flickered dimly like candlelight.

Inspecting each circuit, Oscar nodded to himself.

‘I can’t afford to overdo it.’

The original plan was to unblock all twenty circuits at once.

But after a quick examination, he could tell—

Such a reckless attempt would destroy this fragile body.

‘I’ll focus on the first twelve circuits today.’

Known in the East as the Twelve Principal Meridians, these were the key circuits of the body.

Their tangled state was the root cause of his disrupted mana flow and storage.

Fixing these would allow mana to circulate freely again.

“......”

Oscar began drawing up mana slowly.

The speed at which it moved through the parched circuits was agonizingly slow.

‘This won’t do.’

He needed more mana and greater force to break through the tightly knotted circuits.

Fortunately, he had an abundant supply of mana available.

‘The illicit potions I took.’

This unabsorbed, raw mana floated aimlessly inside his body.

Gathering every last bit, Oscar directed it toward the circuits in a single burst.

“...Guh!”

A wave of excruciating pain crashed over him.

It felt as if every muscle in his body was being twisted like laundry.

But now that he had started, there was no turning back.

‘It’s a race against time now.’

The sheer volume of mana he injected was too much for his circuits to handle.

If he prolonged this state, the circuits would inevitably snap.

He had to unblock the pathways to relieve the pressure swiftly.

‘Faster, faster.’

What started as a gentle trickle of mana soon surged like a raging river.

Blood trickled from his lips, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

‘Here it comes, the first one.’

Clenching his fists tightly, Oscar braced himself.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang in his mind, and his body jolted.

“...!”

Having cleared the first pathway, Oscar steeled himself and moved on to the next.

Bang! Boom! Crash!

Each successive breakthrough sent thunderous echoes through his head.

The pain intensified, but so did the flow of mana through his circuits.

‘Just a little more. Almost there.’

The ninth, tenth, eleventh...

Reaching the final pathway, Oscar bit down hard to keep himself conscious.

‘The last one!’

BOOM!

A thunderous roar accompanied by overwhelming pain swallowed the remnants of his consciousness.

* * *

Chirp, chirp!

The sound of birdsong gently roused him.

Opening his eyes, Oscar quickly assessed his surroundings and realized he was walking through the garden on the 10th floor of the White Tower.

‘......’

The only solace was that he wasn’t a sleepwalker.

The unfortunate part?

Being a sleepwalker would have been preferable.

This was an accursed nightmare.

‘Damn this dream curse.’

The reason he avoided sleep to a near-obsessive degree was precisely this.

[Translator - Clara]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Because of the curse branded on him by the Baron Nightmare, every time he slept, he was forced to relive memories of his past.

For most, forgetting was a blessing.

For him, it was an unattainable dream.

‘Not even when I was Level 9 could I lift this curse. Honestly, I had hoped it would dissipate when I reincarnated into this body...’

But no—this curse was etched into his very soul, not his flesh.

Shaking off the disappointment, Oscar resigned himself to watching his past unfold like a play.

There was nothing else he could do.

“Alright, let’s wrap up today’s lesson here. That sound good?”

“Yes, sir!”

When he turned around to speak, his bunny-like students responded in unison.

“What was today’s lesson about?”

“You were going to teach us about the branches of mana!”

The eldest student, Lloyd, answered with composure and clarity.

“You said mages and knights categorize mana into four main branches, calling it the Four Paths of Mana.”

“That’s right. While mana might appear uniform, it’s actually divided into four categories: Speed, Reinforcement, Harmony, and Specialty.”

“And the White Tower focuses on Harmony, correct?”

“Exactly. Harmony is the path that best complements wind magic.”

Just as the Yellow Tower chased speed, and the Red Tower embodied reinforcement, the Blue and White Towers were champions of Harmony.

At that moment, Gillie, the second disciple, raised her hand energetically and made a request.

"Master, I want to be in the speed attribute! Slow stuff is so frustrating!"

"That’s unfortunate, Gillie. You don’t get to choose your magic attribute. It’s something you’re born with."

"Then how do you figure out what you’re born with?"

When Sasha frowned and asked, Oscar pressed a finger to his furrowed brows, responding with a smile.

"Relax. You’ll get wrinkles. The method to find your magic attribute is simpler than you think."

With a few quick motions, Oscar picked up a branch and drew a magical formula in the dirt.

"Sasha, extend your index finger and try using this magic."

"It’s a formula I’ve never seen before, so I’ll need a bit of time…"

"Take your time. No rush."

"Okay!"

With a spirited response, Sasha crouched before the formula and, after some effort, activated the magic.

A thread of mana flickered to life on her fingertip, like a tiny candle flame.

"Hmm. It’s neither as swift as the speed attribute nor as powerful as the reinforcement attribute. You’re part of the harmony attribute."

"Just like you, Master?"

"That’s right."

"Hehe, then I like it!"

Beaming, Sasha grinned as Gillie took his turn.

As soon as she used the magic, the mana flame shot up instantly.

"…Gillie, you’re in the speed attribute."

"Yes! Long live speed!"

It suited her impatient and boisterous personality well.

Oscar chuckled softly and turned his gaze.

"Now, last up—Lloyd, it’s your turn."

"Do I do it like this?"

Lloyd calmly performed the formula, and to everyone’s astonishment, a flower blossomed at the tip of his finger.

Sasha clapped her hands in delight.

"Wow! A flower! So pretty! It’s like magic!"

"You mean ‘magic.’ Dummy."

"Lloyd, you’re in the rare attribute."

"…Master, is there no way to change one’s attribute once it’s determined?"

When Lloyd’s expression turned noticeably glum, Oscar patted his head.

"According to the Imperial Magic Department’s research, rare attributes account for only 0.2% of all mages. Why would you want to change such a rare gift? Not that you could, even if you wanted to."

"I just… I’d rather have the harmony attribute, like you, Master…"

"Hmm, is that so? Then what should I do?"

Oscar scratched his head, pretending to be troubled. He knew his young disciple all too well.

"I was planning to give you the most personal lessons, but I guess I should look for a way to change your attribute instead."

At those words, Lloyd’s ears perked up like a rabbit's.

"…The most personal lessons, you said?"

"Of course. Rare attributes are incredibly difficult to master without the proper guidance."

Hearing this, Lloyd quickly brightened, as if he’d never been upset.

"Well, now that I think about it, being in the rare attribute isn’t so bad. But you must promise to give me the most personal lessons."

Looking at the tiny pinky Lloyd held out, Oscar hooked his own around it.

‘That’s right. His nickname was the “Promise Fiend,” wasn’t it?’

No matter how grown-up he tried to act, he was still a child.

Watching his disciples one last time, Oscar let the floating sensation envelop him.

It was time to wake from the dream.

* * *

"…."

He was fortunate.

Dreams featuring his disciples rarely reached the "corruption" stage.

Checking the clock, he saw five hours had passed.

Thanks to a deep sleep, his body and mind felt refreshed.

‘No, perhaps it wasn’t just because of that.’

The flow of his mana was now incomparably smooth.

Out of 20 blocked mana circuits in his body, 12 had been unlocked, and his mana pathways had increased from one to two lines.

Moreover, the pure mana he had absorbed left him with a vast amount, far exceeding his level.

Oscar chuckled in disbelief.

"Who would’ve thought I’d ever be thrilled to call myself a Level 2 mage?"

Some concepts remain unchanged regardless of time.

Just as the moon rises after the sun sets, and spring follows winter, the system of mage and knight levels was an immutable standard.

‘The level distinction lies in the number of mana circuits installed in the body.’

- Level 1: One circuit

- Level 2: Two circuits

- Level 3: Three circuits

- Level 4: Four circuits…

Each additional mana circuit marked a new level.

‘I was a Level 9 mage in my previous life.’

An extraordinary existence with nine mana circuits installed.

Reaching that height had been no easy feat.

‘…It wasn’t easy, but it’s not impossible to do it again.’

He had walked that path once before.

While his memory might blur at certain crossroads, he would never stray entirely from the right path.

‘Step by step, let’s climb that path again.’

With renewed resolve, Oscar sat up.

‘Speaking of which, what’s my own attribute?’

Using the attribute-checking magic on himself, he smiled faintly.

Mana rose gently, neither slow nor fast, in a modest size.

‘So, I’m part of the harmony attribute too.’

It was a balanced type with no glaring strengths or weaknesses.

Its sole drawback was the slow accumulation of mana— the slowest of all attributes.

But that hardly mattered.

‘I’ll just do what I did before.’

He invented a mana breathing technique that is capable of maintaining constant mana absorption 24/7.

It was one of his proudest achievements, a method that erased the sole flaw of the harmony attribute.

[Translator - Clara]

[Proofreader - Gun]