Chapter 7: Rotating Magic, Spinning Fate
Supersonic Speed.
At this rate, it’s almost as fast as a bullet.
There’s hardly anyone in this world who could counter something like this.
“Magic Missile.”
As the creature screamed, I prepared my next attack.
No need to wait any longer, right?
“Attack.”
Magic Missile. No, a magical bullet shattered the creature’s skull completely.
“Grrgh!”
When the Shaman died, the others started to flee.
“Chase them!”
The soldiers pursued the fleeing goblins, killing about half, and letting the rest escape.
We didn’t have enough troops to chase them deep into the forest.
After killing the goblins, we gathered the bodies.
Monsters’ corpses are all bundles of money after all.
‘Wow. I made money. Thanks to that foolish Goblin Shaman, just look at all these goblin corpses.’
There were at least dozens at a glance.
‘Over seventy?’
Even if I get just 1 gold per goblin, that’s 70 gold. Quite a sum.
‘No wonder some risk their lives hunting.’
While I was admiring this, one of the knights left as a messenger to the manor, and the rest hurried to prepare camp.
We had to set up camp to protect these bundles of money—the goblin corpses.
Next, they praised me.
“Master! When did you learn such magic? I’m amazed!”
Benson’s eyes sparkled.
‘No, you don’t get impressed by that. If you remembered your past life, you could do the same. Then again, maybe it’s pointless to say that to someone who hasn’t.’
I muttered internally, but my mouth spoke separately.
“When did I learn? I was taught by my master. Ah, of course, this is Original Magic.”
“Original Magic!?”
Original Magic refers to the secret magic passed down in each school when a mage refines their spells.
No wonder Benson was surprised.
“Yes. Original Magic.”
“Could it be you refined the magic yourself!?”
“It’s nothing special. Every mage has their own secret magic, after all.”
“Even so… refining it, huh!”
“It’s just a 1st class spell refinement…”
“I’ve never seen an attack that fast. It was like the strike of an Aura Expert…”
‘If it’s at the Expert level, can they move at supersonic speed? Their strikes could be even faster?’
‘I’ve heard Practitioners are considered superhuman. Impressive. What level would that be in the martial world?’
Since they use Aura and can even materialize it, they could at least be considered at the pinnacle level.
‘Though the actual control over Aura differs.’
I was curious, but there was no way to know for sure.
According to Jegal Hyeon’s memory, at least with Hwagyeong, moving faster than human perception is possible.
In other words, breaking the sound barrier.
If Experts can break the sound barrier, they must be similar to Hwagyeong.
“The Earl would be very proud if he knew this!”
“Ah… I suppose so?”
Of course, my father would be pleased.
But I’m not okay with this. I hope he’s not going to expect me to be a magic prodigy or something.
That would make life exhausting.
“Of course! I, Benson, will report this properly!”
‘No, please don’t… but I can’t say that now. Ugh, what a hassle. Why is my fate like this?’
I thought I’d live a low-profile life this time around… Ah, I hate it. I hate bothersome things.
“First, focus on setting up camp properly. Also, have the soldiers prepare meals.”
“Yes, Master.”
I ordered him around and crawled into the carriage.
No more bothersome work, please.
***
Inside the carriage, I practiced breathing and gathered my thoughts.
‘So Cheon Seonggong’s stability is great—it’s perfect for clearing your mind.’
By the way, the combination of martial arts and magic really works well. If my magic level rises, I could do even more… Combining Fly magic with Gyeongsinbo Technique might even surpass the Ghost Demon Lord.
Ghost Demon Lord.
One of the Ten Masters of the World during Jegal Hyeon’s era, known as a master of the Gyeongsinbo Technique.
He was famed as the fastest martial artist alive—if he tried to flee, no one could catch him.
He was also formidable in battle. His speed made it hard to block or react to his attacks properly.
I’d heard only one of the Ten Masters, a Vajra Arhat of the Shaolin Temple, and Tang Celestial, who had mastered the solitary kung fu, could stand against him.
A matter of compatibility.
Too fast to hit or even approach. If you weren’t such a rare opponent, fighting would be tough.
That’s all.
‘I have too many random thoughts now.’
Maybe it’s because I know more. Thinking back on today’s battle, I deeply felt the importance of magic.
‘I need to learn more spells.’
Even just 1st class spells are powerful.
I decided to memorize the other 1st class spells on the carriage ride tomorrow.
‘With my intellect, understanding magic spells should be as easy as lying down and eating soup.’
With that resolution, I began replenishing the internal energy I had used earlier.
‘Still, my internal energy is insufficient. Using a bit of internal energy mixed with Magic Missile twice completely drained me.’
This can’t continue. I need to advance to the next stage of So Cheon Seonggong as soon as possible.
In truth, if I accumulate five years’ worth of internal energy in So Cheon Seonggong, I can move on to Great Celestial Divine Art.
Then, by converting the So Cheon Seonggong energy into Great Celestial Divine Art and training it for ten years’ worth of energy, I can transition to Hyeonwon Dan Shingong.
That’s when it truly begins.
In the Jegal Clan, normally practitioners start training Hyeonwon Dan Shingong within five years of beginning their martial arts training, using Jinbeop and even elixirs.
‘Right now, I have three years’ worth of internal energy. But if I apply the Mana Seokeul to Jinbeop, I’ll soon advance to Great Celestial Divine Art. From there to Hyeonwon Dan Shingong… it should be possible in a few months?’
Also, once the experiment of absorbing potion energy into internal energy is complete, progress will accelerate.
‘From Hyeonwon Dan Shingong onward, I should change Jinbeop to Five Elements Alchemical Formation to speed up cultivation.’
While making these plans, I refilled my internal energy.
Evening was almost over, and the sun had risen.
“The Earl is coming in person!”
I heard Knight Benson’s shout from outside. I opened my eyes wide and stopped my breathing exercise.
“My father?”
‘What if such a busy man comes himself?’
***
My father was an experienced knight.
Just by glancing around upon arrival, he could grasp the situation.
“Earl!”
His scolding was the first thing heard.
“What’s going on? A Goblin Shaman? Inside the Earl’s Territory? What’s the situation?”
“Well… the battle just ended.”
“So?”
“We sent two knights and soldiers as reinforcements. It’s nighttime, so we can’t gather much intel yet, but we’ll get a general idea.”
“Hmm…”
His reprimand stopped.
“I’ll assign more knights. You stay here and ensure a thorough assessment.”
“Yes!”
“This patrol ends here. I’ll handle this.”
“Understood. I’ll move at once.”
“Be careful. The appearance of a Shaman means anything could happen at any time. Prioritize safety.”
“Yes.”
He seemed to think more had to be done and took further measures.
‘A Shaman, huh? It means it’s no low-ranking monster.’
I already knew about monsters from my master.
Such incidents don’t happen in a poor baron’s territory or a serf village.
Even stupid monsters rarely invade a large estate easily.
The Earl’s Territory is entirely human domain; intrusion is even less likely.
‘They only show up during Monster Waves.’
Monster Waves are sudden attacks by monsters in a frenzy, regardless of territory size.
‘Could it be a Monster Wave? I should report that, too.’
Many possibilities exist.
‘Better be cautious. With my master moving and my older brother also gone, there must be situations I don’t know about.’
While I gathered my thoughts, I felt my father’s presence.
“Yes!”
I saw him enter the carriage, returning my salute.
‘He came running as soon as he heard.’
It was clear he moved immediately after hearing about the monster incursion during my patrol.
He came without full armor, carrying only his trusty sword—unusual for him.
“Father!”
“Fortunately…”
He scanned my body up and down.
Woooosh—
His aura brushed over me as if to check my condition.
‘My internal energy…’
His passing aura couldn’t detect the tight coil of internal energy in my dantian.
“You’re fine. Actually, I might say you’re tough.”
“Thanks to you, Father.”
“Still, you shouldn’t have taken the lead. The knights could’ve handled a Shaman. What if you’d been hurt?”
“…I’m sorry. But I thought I had to step up.”
“Hmm…”
His voice was stern but filled with kindness.
“Next time, secure safety first before acting.”
There were knights present, right?
‘Is there any safer situation to cast magic than that?’
But it was his worry.
I quickly bowed.
“Understood. I’ll pay more attention.”
“That’s better.”
With that, he patted my shoulder approvingly.
Even for his own child, merit is merit and faults are faults.
“By the way, I heard you refined the magic?”
“I just added more rotation.”
“Rotation?”
“Yes. Magic Missile is just a simple projectile spell.”
“Right.”
“But instead of shooting it straight, I added rotation. Naturally, its power increased.”
I didn’t talk about aerodynamics or principles.
That would only sound grandiose. There’s no way to explain everything.
But just that much…
“Haha. Rotation, huh? Yes, rotation… Sometimes a curve is faster than a straight line. Is that it?”
Whoooooosh—
Aura started spreading around my father.
‘Huh? Could it be?’
His aura swirled around his body, like rotation!
“…”
‘So, that’s it.’
It wasn’t a long time, but short doesn’t mean unimportant.
“Earl!”
“Nothing serious. Stay inside.”
The brief moment of aura manifestation was enough to stop the knights from entering.
But in the end…
‘It’s an epiphany.’