Episode 81: The Guardian Gate and the British Magic Association (5)
The situation reached its conclusion with an expression of regret from Wayne Burns, and Kang Min-hyuk no longer raised the issue. Everybody but Kang Min-hyuk left the British Magic Association. They, too, had to return to their original positions and spoke sadly to Wayne Burns before leaving.
“You must try to make amends with Kang Min-hyuk. If he decides against sharing his future discoveries, those of us gathered today will get the blame. As for Magnus Larson…we’ll deal with him later.”.
Since Kang Min-hyuk revealed his discomfort with the way things had transpired, the people who created the atmosphere were inevitably troubled. The greatest sin came from Magnus Larson. However, those who criticized him and expected a demonstration or let the situation go by silence shared responsibility. Had Magnus Larson been reined in from the start, the problem wouldn’t have occurred at all.
Wayne Burns experienced some complex emotions following the day’s events. He felt encouraged by Kang Min-hyuk’s words – not only because of the revolution he symbolized or the magical prowess but also due to his integrity. He didn’t just harbor power but knew how to use it. Suddenly, he remembered what Kang Min-hyuk had said about the Korean article concerning Suhomun. He later found an English translation.
[A few days have passed since Kang Min-hyuk’s magical revolution was announced. Suhomun, who had been silent for a while, said in an interview today, “Kang Min-hyuk has no affiliation with Suhomun, and he will never return here.” Also, Suhomun officially signed an agreement with the Korean Magic Association. Unlike the existing exchange relations, in the future, Suhomun and the Korean Magic Association plan to work within a clear system of symbiosis. This seems to be the aftermath of the magical revolution, and it is presumed that Suhomun will actively accept the changing trends of the magical academic world.]
The Guardian Gate changed quickly. While most groups still denied the reality so as not to lose power to the wizards, the attitude of Suhomun shifted at once. Their position at the top of the hierarchy hadn’t changed; however, they offered a specific power to the wizards and chose a practical method to strengthen their alliance further. It was Kang Deok-cheol who proposed the course of action. He knew that Kang Min-hyuk was the best, but his refusal didn’t cause him to cling to his hurt and change his approach – he was ready to accept alternatives and proceeded with the next best option.
Magnus Larson’s conspiracy theory got him into some serious trouble. At the background of his ideas was the Guardian Gate, but the article inferred that Kang Min-hyuk had been expelled from Suhomun. Was that bad news for Kang Min-hyuk? No. He willingly abandoned the path of the reinforced warrior and responded to his calling as a wizard. Rather than expelling him, a more in-depth insight suggested that Suhomun had entrusted him to make the right decision – they would prefer to work with him than any other wizard, but their proposal was rejected. In short: Kang Min-hyuk had abandoned his family to become the best version of himself. It was a grave mistake for Magnus Larson to share his conspiracy theory. He was too fixed in his ways to board the vehicle of change – one that even Suhomun, the most tremendous power in Korea, had accepted readily, and he would pay dearly for his misconduct.
* * *
John Welsey took Kang Min-hyuk on a tour of the British Magic Association.
“This is where our members train. As you know, wizard’s training is very sensitive to mana waves, so we created a separate space made of particularly conductive materials. In addition to this, there are about 150 training rooms in the British Magic Association, so there is no shortage of practice space.”
“I see.”
John Wesley’s explanation was a boast in disguise. He frequently talked about how well equipped the Magic Society of England was.
“It’s certainly impressive.”
Its grand scale could accommodate hundreds of wizards. While looking at the infrastructure of the British Magic Association, Kang Min-hyuk was struck by its grandeur. The World Magic Alliance’s central force was reasonably well equipped, and many wizards utilized it. A typical pagoda could accommodate about 50 to 100 people; it seemed that even the wizards who saw it in passing would be enough to gain attention. Unlike Towers operated by individuals, one supported by a magical association, which in turn had the support of the state meant that its facilities would inevitably be of a higher caliber.
The tour lasted a long time until eventually, they reached the laboratory.
“The British Magic Association is very proud of this lab. A lot of magic was born here – magic that took the world by storm. I want to introduce you to the researchers.”
The researcher’s faces blushed as though star-struck as they bashfully entered the room, but their excitement to meet a wizard they’d come to idolize took over almost immediately.
“Kang Min-hyuk?!”
“Kang Min-hyuk is here!”
“It’s an honor! I really wanted to meet you.”
Kang Min-hyuk was not only recognized by battle wizards but was also known as a great researcher. He was a great inspiration for the researchers – they had almost deified him.
“After seeing the medical magic system that you announce, I can’t even begin to tell you how much I admire you. How did you come up with that? Healing wounds with mana! The way you used nature’s mana to reduce the risk of damage. You are a beacon of hope for magical academia.”
“I’m a fan!”
“Please, can I have your autograph?”
They were all older men with dark stubble. Kang Min-hyuk felt burdened by their praise, but he kept a smile on his face. John Wesley watched it from the sidelines, intrigued by the scholar’s reaction.
“So that’s how the intellectuals see him? Wow.”
As a fourth circle wizard, he still had many steps to climb to become the best on the battlefield, but he was the most incredible scholar – undoubtedly the best in the world. His discovery of double casting, mana fairy tale, and medical magic, amongst his many other exciting finds, paved the way for the revolution. Nobody alive or dead had made such startling progress in the world of magical studies – he had unveiled several life-altering masterpieces in the space of several months! Preceding wizards would have been lucky to strike gold once in their lifetime, never mind Kang Min-hyuk’s successive chain of accomplishments.
Following the visit to the lab, Wayne Burns pulled John Welsey to one side, “We made a mistake. To recover our relationship with Kang Min-hyuk, we need to relieve his mood as much as possible. So, while guiding the British Magic Association, if there is any field he is interested in, let him enter it. I will allow it with the authority of the President of the Association.”
Those words offered allowance into a world only insiders could know about – an invitation into complete knowledge.
“Kang Min-hyuk,” John Wesley said, on his return.
“Yes?”
“Would you like to see the research we are working on?”
Kang Min-hyuk had been intrigued to see, but he couldn’t request it outright. He was glad when John Wesley made the offer.
“I’d like that, thank you.”
* * *
The lead researcher, Wayne Lapierre, had an appearance reminiscent of Professor Lee Hak-beom. He seemed excited by the meeting with Kang Min-hyuk and began to explain his current research.
“The study started by chance. Ten years ago, Undine, an A-class monster, appeared at Red Gate. As you know, spirit monsters express immense power that exceeds grading, and Undine was one of these. In the process of defeating Undine, we discovered an extraordinary phenomenon.”
He handed over the research data, entitled the Undine Project. As he turned the pages, Wayne Lapierre’s narration explained.
“Rain from the sky, puddles on the floor, etc. When all the water in the world came with ‘water-based mana,’ it turned into magic. We focused on that. A method of extracting mana from gross matter. If that was successful, don’t you think wizards could use the powerful water magic?”
At first, many said the idea was ridiculous. However, Wayne Lapierre was a genius and stuck to his hypothesis, and after ten years of work on the Undine project, he obtained significant results.
“As a result of our experiments, we have succeeded in implementing Undine’s method of extraction. But that was it. Water-based mana could amplify the magic of water, but we could not control it. The wizards who participated in the experiment experienced a collapse of the circle, and from successive failures, we determined that there was a problem with the circle itself. What they required was a specialized circle, designed with the element of water in mind. Like Undine, if there is a source that deals solely with water, would we be able to manifest that power? So, I am currently dedicated to developing the water circle.”
Kang Min-hyuk was surprised.
Wayne Lapierre was a real genius. The water attribute of Mana was similar to the magic of prominence that Elisha used. In the same way, Elisha formed the circle of flames, Wayne Lapierre figured out the fundamental way to form the circle of water. His research was a credit to the British Magic Association – he was definitely worthy of his lead researcher role.
Wayne Lapierre’s Power of Water was also present in the world of Klinssman. It was said that that the magician Poseidon used magic in the same way as Undine, just as Elisha, who is called the prominence wizard, handles flames freely. Kang Min-hyuk read up on him, and Wayne Lapierre had now discovered the foundation of the power.
The study period had only been ten years, in a civilization that had been running for just a hundred years. In comparison, the Magical civilization had a 2000 year history, and Water Power was considered advanced even there. It could take centuries to bring the puzzle to completion, but the first steps were giant.
“I have no idea how to complete the circle…”
Wayne Lapierre continued, “I thought that you might be able to help?”
Kang Min-hyuk stood for a moment, his face thoughtful, “I know how. Not precisely, but I have an idea.”
From his experience of forming a circle of flames, he figured the other elements would manifest similarly. It would be a process of trial and error, but he was confident. Wayne Lapierre’s research had solved most of the problems that made the process dangerous, so it was really just a case of taking the final steps to completion.
Kang Min-hyuk had visited the British Magic Association for two reasons: the first was to materialize his own power…he had succeeded in that with Magnus Larson’s help. His second reason was to sow the seeds of potential around the BMA. John Wesley thought he’d led Kang Min-hyuk to the lab of his own accord, but Min-hyuk had been steering it in that direction since his arrival.
“Perhaps I can help you with your experiment?”
Wayne Lapierre’s research presented an opportunity for some excellent work.
