Chapter 19: Korean Mage Association Branch

“Big news! Guess who just arrived at the branch?”

At the sight of an excited Kim Hyunah bursting through the office door.

The office staff reacted as if thinking, ‘There she goes again.’

“Did a guest who booked for the exact time arrive early or something?”
“Just let her be. Probably some middle-aged man of her type showed up again.”
“Wanna bet? I bet tomorrow’s coffee money that a famous celebrity came this time.”
“Ooh. Sounds good. I vote for the dog-hybrid mage who visited last time.”

As if her fuss was nothing new.

The office workers chatted amongst themselves, paying her no mind.

Kim Seojun, a senior manager at the branch, sighed quietly.

He restored order to the chaotic office atmosphere.

“Didn’t I mention this before? The office is a workspace, so please be mindful.”
“Ah. I’m sorry! But this time it’s really big news!”

People’s personalities don’t change easily.

Seeing her cheerful demeanor, still showing no signs of remorse.

The office staff all chuckled softly.

“Alright. Let’s hear what kind of big news made you fuss like this.”

Although his words were stern.

No one disliked her, as she was practically the mood-maker of the office.

Besides, Kim Seojun himself wasn’t a rigid, strict superior.

“Well… how should I put it…?”
“…?”
“…?”

Why was she hesitating after calling it big news?

Question marks appeared above everyone’s heads.

Kim Hyunah, seemingly overloading her brain, hesitated for a moment.

“A doll? No, that’s not it…. Ah! A really pretty kid came!”
“….”
“What? Puhahaha.”
“I don’t know how to explain it… but a really pretty kid came, I tell you! Looks just like a doll!”

Her outlandish words sent the office into fits of laughter.

Some even clutched their stomachs laughing.

“So, shouldn’t you start by saying why that pretty kid came?”

If left unchecked, it was obvious she would devolve into rambling nonsense.

Seojun preemptively reminded her of what she had forgotten.

“Ah! They came for a magic aptitude test.”

Did it really take this long a process just to hear this one sentence?

Seojun sighed out of frustration and checked the time.

‘It overlaps with another scheduled appointment.’

Due to the nature of mages who valued time.

Many handled their business through reservations.

“Go and get things ready first. We’ll handle it together with the scheduled client.”
“Yep! Understood.”

Not just at the Korean Mage Association branch.

At any branch, magic-related tasks were handled by senior managers.

Not only because magic-related work was dangerous.

But imagine a mage of a lower circle offering to handle your business.
As someone in the same profession, it didn’t inspire much confidence either.

‘Let’s see if she’s someone worth making such a fuss about.’

Hearing from Kim Hyunah that preparations were complete, he moved to the magic testing area.

There were three people there.

Among those sitting quietly in chairs.

One was a familiar face.

A man notorious even within the branch as a troublesome rich kid mage who only relied on connections.

‘Tsk. Did I make a mistake saying we’d handle them together?’

Turning his head to observe the others.

There was a woman wearing a black and white flare dress that gave off an innocent vibe.

She was pretty enough to be called a goddess among ordinary people.

But maybe not quite enough to warrant such a fuss.
‘Gasp!’

At that moment, a girl looking around the room caught his eye.

‘She is indeed worth the fuss.’

Her appearance was such that if he hadn’t known beforehand, an involuntary gasp might have escaped him.

It was enough to make one wonder if she truly was a doll, just as Kim Hyunah had described.

“Hey. How long are you going to keep me waiting?”

A cold voice, devoid of even a speck of courtesy, jolted Seojun back to reality.

As if nothing had happened, Seojun resumed his duties.

“I am Manager Kim Seojun, and I will be overseeing this test.”
“I don’t need to know your name. I’m a busy person. Hurry up and proceed.”

Having a kid much younger than him speak down to him so casually.

It felt deeply unpleasant.

‘I have to endure it. Already five employees have been chewed out because of this immature brat. I need to cater to his whims as much as possible.’

With rumors circulating that the Association President was backing him.

Getting on his bad side would only cause headaches for himself.
Do you avoid dung because you fear it? No, you avoid it because it’s dirty.

He forced a smile and spoke.

“Understood. For the guests who arrived later. Would you mind waiting for a moment? The reserved guest takes precedence.”
“I understand.”

Edelin readily accepted Seojun’s words.

From her perspective, there was nothing to lose.

In fact, it was better this way.
What were modern mages like, different from the mages of the continent?

‘How do they construct spell formulas, circulate mana circuits. And the methods of implementation. I look forward to it.’

Her eyes practically sparkled at this rare opportunity.

Edelin, who had been exploring the room, moved with quick steps.

She claimed the spot with the best view.

“…?”

Her eyes intently observed the two.

“We will now begin the test for magic renewal.”

The two men moved busily.

The man who came for the test seemed to have been here more than once.

Even without explanation, he moved on his own, knowing what to do.

“First, let’s check if you have the target amount of mana….”
“I know without you telling me.”

The man snatched the small wand with a bead on it from Seojun.

He pushed mana into the wand.

‘Oho….’

To Edelin’s eyes, watching the process intently.

She could clearly see even where the flowing mana was headed.

On the outside, it looked like an ordinary wand.

But upon closer inspection, it was a modern staff mixed with modern technology.

It extracted a small amount of mana from the user’s body.

The latest modern magic analyzed the user’s mana and attributes through analysis magic engraved on the bead.

Isn’t this more sophisticated than the era of measuring with mana measurement orbs?

“Oooh….”

The latest magic technology was truly admirable.

The man who heard the sound frowned.

“Can’t you be quiet? Are you here to play? I can’t concentrate because of you.”
“S-Sorry.”

Right after the irritable man spoke.

A hologram floated up from the staff.

[ Magic Renewal Test ]
Minimum 3rd Circle mana requirement is lacking by 2%.
Fail.

A message even accompanied by a kind voice guidance.

“Unfortunately, it’s a fail, so on your next visit….”
“Didn’t you see I was disturbed? Huh? If I hadn’t been disturbed, I could have easily reached that 2%.”
“Haa…. Understood. Then please come this way.”

An elongated space with targets set up like a shooting range.

“You must use the 3rd Circle magic placed before you to hit the target.”

Someone aiming for the 3rd Circle should naturally be able to use 3rd Circle magic with ease.

“Di · Orphena · Ra · Alute!”

Edelin covered her mouth, letting out a stream of impressed sounds.

There was no way to know what meaning the chanted spell held.

But one thing was clearly understood.

The magical power contained within the words.

The concisely shortened magical spell formula.

Despite the short incantation, the speed at which mana moved was extraordinary.

‘A technique to summarize long modifiers into compressed words to shape the image….’

If one could easily shape the image with compressed words.

Not only would the magic casting speed increase, but complex calculation formulas would become unnecessary as a matter of course.

‘Magic has also undergone much development coming into the modern era! However….’

Edelin’s eyes suddenly turned ice-cold.

“How clumsy. The magic is excellent, but the user can’t keep up.”

She didn’t know what specific magic was being used.

But she could roughly tell by looking at how the mana circulated within his body.

The consumption of unnecessary mana wandering aimlessly was far too great.

And the formula gathering at the tip of the staff was too unstable.

“You. What did you just say?”

Naturally, the magic failed to activate.

Perhaps he heard her mumbling. The man took his anger out on the innocent Edelin.

“I said the magic is excellent, but the user can’t keep up.”
“This is absurd. Hey. Who do you think you are? Are you even a mage?”
“Why are you taking your anger out on an ordinary person? Please calm down….”
“Do I look calm? Some btch who doesn’t know the first thing about magic is lecturing me right now.”
“What?”

Among the things Edelin hated most in the world.

Having heard the very first thing she despised, Edelin was instantly provoked and snapped back.

“Saying I don’t know the first thing about magic to this Archmage? That doesn’t sound like something I should hear from a nobody who can’t even cast a 3rd Circle spell.”
“What did you say?”

The man, thoroughly enraged, threw the staff at Edelin.

Edelin caught the staff reflexively and looked at him as if asking, ‘What do you want me to do?’

“Just 3rd Circle, you said? Then why don’t you come and try it yourself. Let’s see how great a mage you are to say such things.”
“One should know who they’re provoking.”
“Know my opponent? Fine. Let’s make a bet then. If I win, you bow your head on the floor and beg? “
“Oho. Good. Then if I win…. I’d like you to grant me one favor.”

Yeeun, watching the situation anxiously, stomped her feet.

The bet was made before she even had a chance to intervene.

The office workers, who had been secretly watching the commotion with bated breath, swarmed over.

“We will serve as witnesses.”

As they say, there’s nothing quite as fun as watching a fight.