Chapter 9 : Genius (3)
“That’s absurd.”
Leoden, who had woken up late as usual, muttered blankly, unable to believe his ears.
Eden, who had just been preparing breakfast with him moments ago, felt the same.
However, she remained composed.
“I’ve memorized this book. And I actually tried it out.”
She confidently declared this while opening the book Leoden had given her yesterday, claiming she had already mastered the basics of dark magic.
‘What? Why does that sound plausible?’
While Leoden was still dazed, Eden tilted her head in confusion at her master’s reaction, as if her mere presence brightened the gloomy room and her words were captivating.
‘Is it just too absurd to believe? Or is it because I haven’t seen a woman in so long?’
Lost in pointless thoughts, he blankly waited for his master’s response.
After a brief stunned pause, Leoden lowered his voice with a slightly angry expression, saying, “That’s impossible.”
But his eyes widened in shock when she, unfazed, began reciting the book’s contents fluently, and then, channeling her own magic, she used the most basic dark magic spell, “Touch of Darkness,” enveloping her hand in a black shadow.
“H-How?”
Even Eden couldn’t hide her astonishment.
The basic dark magic spell that had taken him over a year of training to master had been performed by her in just one night of reading the book.
“I didn’t attempt magical composition. I haven’t fully understood the witch’s dark sorcery yet.”
“…Right, of course.”
She responded calmly as if it weren’t such a big deal, as though she herself wasn’t aware of her genius.
Leoden, unable to easily recover from the shock, put down the bread he was about to eat without taking a bite.
His face was stiff, but inside, he was overflowing with both confusion and joy.
‘Phenomenal! A talent of a lifetime!’
It had been over 30 years since he started training dark magic apprentices in the shadows.
During that time, more than a hundred dark magicians had passed through his hands.
Most of them weren’t talented individuals but rather cruel people who sought to overcome their lack of talent with dark magic, leaving behind only a handful of noteworthy disciples.
But in Leodin’s eyes, Shin Jia’s talent was undoubtedly on a historic level.
“When you use Touch of Darkness, it emits a wave that significantly disrupts the enemy’s movement. How can this be utilized?”
“Since the enemy’s movement is restricted, you can immediately chain it with hard-to-hit spells. Or you could use something like Revenant Reanimation to securely immobilize the enemy.”
“Ha-ha-ha-ha!”
It wasn’t simply that she was smart or had exceptional talent for magic.
Her abilities transcended what could be explained by such words.
With just a few rounds of simple Q&A and seamless answers, she responded as if she had been practicing dark magic in real combat for years.
‘Is she really a rookie climber who just arrived in Edelion?’
Her magic composition was still entirely empty, and her weak abilities confirmed she was a newcomer.
However, Leoden couldn’t bring himself to believe it, even as he chuckled in disbelief and shook his head.
She was a natural-born genius, something that could only be explained by a single word passed down from ancient times: prodigy.
“Master…”
“For now, we need more time to assess her. Close the shop today, and postpone sending her there.”
Shocked by her talent, Leoden decided to scrap all his plans.
This included his idea of sending Shin Jia to work as a clerk to earn money.
As Eden left for the labor site in despair to make ends meet, Leoden took Shin Jia to a small underground training area beneath his shop.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been here.’
While Leoden warned her to watch her step in the dark, the place actually felt oddly familiar to her.
After all, it was a space imbued with the memories of a long and intense past.
“I heard that climbers can earn a lot of money by challenging the trials of the Tower and claiming rewards,” she said.
“It’s just as hard and dangerous as it sounds,” Leoden replied with a smirk.
“Most climbers can barely scrape by—enough for a day’s food, a night’s drinks, and, if lucky, a cheap prostitute to share the bed with. For something that risks your life, it’s not much money, is it?”
Leoden scoffed at her seemingly innocent question about why Eden was sent to do labor work instead of being tasked with climbing.
The real intent behind her words was clear—she wanted to become a climber herself.
From the start, she had expressed her ambition to reach higher places, beyond what was ordinary.
‘She’s still just a rookie—someone who doesn’t understand the reality of this place. That’s why… I need to teach her thoroughly.’
Leoden had brought her here for one reason: to test her combat instincts in a real situation and, at the same time, crush her arrogance about underestimating reality.
“Knowing things with your head or speaking about them with your mouth isn’t everything. There are countless geniuses at the desk, but only a few can use even half their abilities in their first real battlefield.”
Even though climbers go through a tutorial before ascending, the ability to stay calm and fight against unfamiliar monsters or enemies was a completely separate talent.
No matter how undefeated one might be in a training hall, it meant nothing if they froze before a real opponent.
And in that one moment of hesitation, death could render any talent meaningless.
“Revenant Reanimation.”
With a heavy thud of his staff against the ground, Leoden’s spell summoned a skeleton wreathed in a sinister aura.
It was the most common type of revenant—a spirit born of human grudges.
“You already know how to use magic, so try it out in actual combat. Even though your magic composition isn’t complete, you should be able to manage one or two spells without issue.”
With that, Leodin set Shin Jia to fight against his summoned revenant.
“Shadow Armor.”
At the same time, he covertly cast another spell: Shadow Armor.
This magic wrapped shadows around the revenant, protecting it from magical attacks.
Even if she struck the revenant with the basic magic she had learned, her efforts would be nullified by the armor.
After all, this test was designed to defeat her and teach her a lesson in humility.
‘This old man’s methods never change.’
Shin Jia unconsciously smirked, already seeing through Leodin’s intentions.
Even this absurd test was part of his teaching style—something she had experienced before, often to her detriment.
“Despite looking like you’d scream at the sight of a bug, I’ll admit you have nerves of steel. You seem confident. Do you think you can handle this?”
“If I pass this test, will you let me work as a climber?”
“If you fail, you’ll accept your training quietly and take on the clerk job as well!”
Misinterpreting her smile, Leoden chuckled, imagining her being defeated, humbled, and dutifully following his plan—training and earning money for him without complaint.
“Go!”
At his command, the revenant charged forward, brandishing its weapon.
Being a low-level revenant, its movements were sluggish, and its attacks unimpressive.
Yet, for an inexperienced climber, facing an enemy that felt neither fear nor pain could be a daunting challenge.
‘Fine, I’ll play along.’
Shin Jia extended her hand, blackened with magic, toward the charging revenant.
A shockwave of darkness burst forth, enveloping its body.
As expected, the shadow armor surrounding the revenant instantly nullified her magic.
“How does it feel? Surprised? In real battles, you’ll encounter far worse situations than this!”
Leodin laughed in satisfaction at what he assumed was her flustered reaction to her magic failing.
The shadow armor still firmly shielded the revenant.
“…Huh?”
However, rather than being startled, Shin Jia had already begun casting a new spell.
‘Honestly, I could finish this in one move.’
Even with her current level of magic, she could easily pierce through the shadow armor and annihilate the low-level revenant.
After all, she had just completed the tutorial and added the Patrol Alpha revenant to her arsenal.
But she chose not to. Instead of shattering the credibility of the test, she opted for the most textbook countermeasure—exactly what Leodin was hoping to see.
The basic dark magic, “Shadow Hand.”
The spell created a giant hand rising from her shadow, moving according to her will.
Using a hand larger than her upper body, she grabbed a rusty metal box nearby and swung it with force, slamming it into the charging revenant.
The shadow armor protected against magical attacks but could not withstand pure physical impact.
‘This insane girl… What are you…?’
Leoden’s eyes sparkled as he watched his revenant shatter to pieces.
Beyond the crumbling remains, Shin Jia stood with that mischievous, confident smirk on her face.
Despite her seemingly innocent and naïve demeanor, she possessed a genius so profound that she not only grasped ten concepts from being taught one but also created the eleventh on her own.
Courage that didn’t waver even in unsettling situations.
As a teacher, it was nearly impossible not to be awestruck.