Chapter 33: Change (1)
He awoke in a shabby interior with grayish wallpaper. Kang Min-hyuk had been in this room before; he tried to get up, but immense pain flashed through his whole body…this phenomenon hadn’t been an issue before. Previously, he experienced blurred vision during his possession of Klinssman’s body, but there had never been any physical pain. Could it have been a side-effect of the journey between worlds? He didn’t think so; it was a very familiar form of pain.
“I think it’s a bruise,” “he thought, his mind hidden within Klinssman’s body.
Kang Min-hyuk’s physical awareness informed him that there was no significant damage to the internal organs – a bruise suggested an injury to the external body. This same body screamed in pain as he rose to view a mirror in the bathroom. As his reflection gazed back at him, he realized that this was the first time he’d seen the face of the man he was inhabiting.
It was a humble face. Beneath brown hair was a dark, thoughtful expression. “Hello, Klinssman,” he muttered. He rolled up his shirt to find bruises, as he expected – pain swelled through him with each breath he took. There were bruises all over his body – only a serious beating could have caused such damage. Kang Min-hyuk inspected Klinssman’s hand. Smooth knuckles, no sign of a fight. The level of injury inflicted suggested that Klinssman hadn’t retaliated. “What the hell happened here?”
He didn’t understand…Klinssman wasn’t an ordinary person; even within a world where a magical civilization of 2000+ blossomed, Klinssman’s knowledge was of great value. He could enjoy great riches if he chose; there should be no need for him to dwell in such a shabby room. But Klinssman didn’t choose that path…he kept his knowledge secret, preferring not to disclose it to the world, and his peers at the academy ignored him. Kang Min-hyuk didn’t know who had beaten Klinssman like this, but he guessed there was a deeper meaning behind the bruising. Klinssman seemed to disregard his own wellbeing completely…
“Klinssman…what are you thinking?” He left the bathroom, seeking a message from Klinssman. He checked all over the room but found nothing. In the minimalist interior, the search didn’t last long. Everything was already visible – a futon, a desk, and a book on top of the desk. He was able to read the title of the book without getting closer.
[3rd Circle Spell-book]
Instead of explaining his situation, Klinssman provided Kang Min-hyuk with only the essential knowledge.
* * *
The soft light of sunrise filtered into the dim room. Kang Min-hyuk wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he knew it wasn’t enough to complete his studies. The higher the circle, the more advanced knowledge was required to master it. It wasn’t easy to memorize the entire system in one sitting as it presented several branches of magic. Kang Mn-hyuk had patience, though. Traveling through Instinct changed the structure of time – he wasn’t limited to a single day here. Through his travels back and forth, Kang Min-hyuk was able to figure out some of the Instinct’s fundamental rules.
1) Once a month, he was able to possess Klinssman’s body.
2) He can’t return to his origin world until his task is complete – notably, the acquisition of knowledge.
3) The two worlds run parallel to each other, but the time-zones are formed differently. The passage of time changed, and a day in Klinssman’s world could be any time in Kang Min-hyuk’s. The specifics were unclear, but it was as though time slowed down in the origin world to accommodate his need to be in Klinsnman’s.
While Kang Min-hyuk possessed Klinssman’s body, he had no idea what was happening in his own world, and this was the most concerning part of Instinct. However, he always seemed to open his eyes at the perfect time: in the bright morning light, in time for school, or when asked a question by a professor in class. He seemed to return naturally to reality before any significant problems developed. Because of this, knowing that his studies would take longer than a day didn’t cause him much worry. If one day wasn’t enough, take two; if two wasn’t sufficient, try three. There was no need to rush; this process had to be done thoroughly.
“I should go to the academy first…” It was morning, and he had a duty to maintain Klinssman’s life as normal, so he packed his bag and left the inn.
The academy wasn’t difficult to find. It was a huge and luxurious building, visible even from a distance. Just looking at the royal academy told you how important it was in Klinssman’s world; it was renowned for being the best educational institute of its world. Min-hyuk searched through his memory to recall the location of Klinss’ classroom, and he soon located the familiar room. It was empty when he entered it; it was still too early for other students to arrive. Kang Min-hyuk found his seat and sat down, opened his spell-book, and began to study again.
He began to read about Shockwave’s spell – a type of magic that didn’t exist in his world. It was powerful – the most notable thing about it was that it didn’t attack the opponent’s outer body; it focused on internal damage. Regardless of a warrior’s strength, they would struggle to withstand an assault on their organs. It would be difficult to accomplish a direct hit in a melee battle, but a successful strike would shock even a reinforced warrior. Their tough flesh was a magician’s greatest enemy. Kang Min-hyuk was falling in love with both the idea and practice of the third circle.
As time passed, the classroom became noisy. Students began to crowd in – Kang Min-hyuk understood that they came to school to learn, but what was important to him was to develop his third circle magic. He was halfway through the spell-book when an unfamiliar hand flew into sight, and the book was swept away.
The man who had taken the book smirked in response to Min-hyuk’s confusion. “You’re focusing a lot on a lower third-circle spell!” Min-hyuk tried to seize the spell-book back but was surprised by the words of the thief. The lower third circle? He was reading the highest level of the third…judging by the man’s reaction, though, he saw something entirely different.
It sparked a thought in Kang Min-hyuk’s mind, “Is it only me who can see the book’s true contents?!”
Klinssman was thorough. He had implanted certain devices into the book at the risk of it being lost or stolen and arranged for the contents to disappear completely upon its completion.
“Give it back to me,” commanded Kang Min-hyuk icily. As the eyes of the two men met, the thief’s expression hardened.
“Give it back? Are you crazy?!”It was then that Min-hyuk knew for certain: this was the man who had beaten Klinssman. He gazed at him with the unmistakable eyes of an enemy.
* * *
A murmur swept around the classroom,
“Ah, it’s happening again.”
“James has been triggered; this is going to get noisy…again.”
The noise building up around Min-hyuk taught him his enemy’s name – James Chester.
“It’s you,” uttered Min-hyuk, his voice growing colder. He didn’t know what had happened between Klinssman and James, but he knew he couldn’t stand by and let it get even worse. He had to do something.
James laughed outrageously, staring down at Min-hyuk, full of antagonism. “Yesterday, I just hit you a few times, but today I think I’ve changed my mind.” James Chester confirmed himself as the perpetrator but showed no sign of penance. “How did you get in here, hey? The Royal Academy of Magic should never have let you in. You don’t belong here. You have no great family to back you up; you had no talent…at first, I thought you must have a hidden background, but I did my research…no matter how hard I looked, there was nothing special about you.”
Of course. James was jealous of Klinssman’s natural ability. He continued, “Most guys in your position are well qualified…not born with great backgrounds, just talented wizards. What the hell are you? Your kind eats where rolling beoreoji falls. I can’t afford to learn alongside such scum.”
Min-hyuk responded by calmly raising an eyebrow. James Chester approached him threateningly, “You dumpster, you’re trash! From now on, I’ll make your school-life a living hell.” That concluded the conversation. The second James finished speaking, and he swung his fist.
Swish! Min-hyuk narrowly avoided the blow, causing James to lose his guard, eyes wide with surprise. Min-hyuk took the opportunity to land a blow straight to James’ abdomen.
Thwack! Pow!
The hit struck his spirit as well as his body, causing his face to blush in shock and shame; he barely even felt the pain. He yelled, “This bastard is fighting back!”
Mana scattered, and Kang Min-hyuk’s expression grew fierce as he began to cast. “Their insides are twisted,” He thought, “I find these idiots wherever I go. They’re trapped in their own, ugly world and want to cause harm for no reason; they’re garbage babies, all of them.”
Kang Min-hyuk had gone easy on Sang-hoon. If he truly aimed at victory, he could have flattened his opponent within seconds. He wanted to learn about Sang-hoon’s skills, to see him fight, but James Chester was in a different situation. He deserved defeat. Kang Min-hyuk grabbed the pencil from the desk and threw it at the starting point of his opponent’s cast. The physical shock of such an attack could really disorient a wizard – James, knowing this, used his mana to block the pencil mid-flight.
Pak! The pencil bounced off. Just as he was about to complete casting, Kang Min-hyuk, who had disappeared, suddenly manifested right in front of him and dealt an explosive kick to James’ face. James flew backward, blood splattering. It all happened so quickly. Behind the fallen foe, the astonished students flocked towards Kang Min-hyuk.
