Chapter 86: The Secret of the Red Flame (4)

Elisha took a moment to gather her thoughts. Then, she looked serious as she began to speak, “The system of prominence magic of this age has changed. Unlike before, you have to learn how to use your power step by step to increase fire dominance. However, a contract with the ‘Fire Spirit’ would render that painstaking process unnecessary. A spirit-contract offers a level of fire control that surpasses the uppermost ability of a standard wizard.”

Elisha was unusual in her innate affiliation with fire. She showed considerable control despite her not having signed with the spirit.

“When you create a contract with the Fire Spirit, you have two options. The first is to summon. It summons the spirit of fire and supplies mana so that he can fight himself. And the second is domination. When the dominance of an attribute increases, all of the attributes react to the wizard’s mana. Let me give you a physical example…”

A bonfire manifested right in front of the pair.

As Elisha raised her hand, the flames of the bonfire moved in harmony, forming a shape.

“Fireball.”

The fire turned into magic. The burning orb fluttered; a crimson glow built up of infinite flickers of flame.

“Like this, you can use your dominance to transform the flames around you magically. I couldn’t merge with the spirits, so there are limits to the flames I can tame through dominance, but 1000 years ago, I could have controlled the sun itself. That is the basis of the prominence magic I use.”

The ability to control the flames was where it all began. From then on, the prominence magic consisted of three special skills.

“If flame control is expressed as firepower, the technique of combining the flames to increase its power is called chloride. If the base is a fireball, the magic used as chlorine shows over double the power depending on the energy absorbed. The process is called hwawoo. It creates and pours out a multitude of flames at once. This technique is so powerful because you can use it anywhere there is a flame…if a battle occurs near a fire, or if the opponent uses fire-based attacks, flames from every direction will turn into magic and target the enemy.”

Just by listening, Kang Min-hyuk could see how powerful the magic of prominence was. Even though Elisha could not use the ultimate prominence level, the British Royal Academy chose to represent her.

There was a final step in the magic of prominence.

“The last step is Scare. I try to use this technique as little as possible. It uses the mana possessed by the flame circle and all aspects of fire floating around the world. It’s a technique to explode and cover the planet in a web of hellish fire. It doesn’t protect the caster, either..”

The explanation continued. Elisha showed what she could offer, and Min-hyuk kept records of what she could not. She took the appointment seriously and proved her integrity. Because Kang Min-hyuk proved that the spirit’s contract was possible, she was faithful to her promise.

To conclude, Elisha said, “I have passed on all the magic of prominence to you. In spreading the secret, I will hear my ancestors’ resentment ring through my ears when I go to heaven, but I don’t regret this choice. I know I’ll generate a contract with the spirit and be equipped with real prominence magic. I ask only one more thing of you, Kang Min-hyuk. Never use this magic for evil. If you promise that, I don’t care what you do.”

Her voice was tinged with desperation. The deal was over – Kang Min-hyuk was under no obligation to implement conditions, but…

“Okay.”

Kang Min-hyuk nodded, and Elisha’s expression brightened. Although she didn’t know him well, she felt secure in believing that he valued his promises.

* * *

Kang Min-hyuk returned to his daily life. That is to say, Klinssman’s daily life. He couldn’t immediately put the spirit-contract experiment to action, as Klinss’ body, which was gifted in battle but utterly hopeless in magic, would be meaningless even in the event of success.

Those who can’t use magic can’t use elemental magic. The initial plan was to learn all there was to know about spirit magic, and when Min-hyuk returned to his body, he would focus on obtaining the contract.

Many levels of anxiety filled his thoughts, but he had to try. Elisha’s prominence magic was beautiful… because spirits appeared in the fortified civilization, too, it seemed that the link would hold up. The worrying part was the spirit’s hostility toward humans.

As he thought intensely about the details, a professor appeared.

“As you know, a duel competition organized by White Castle will be held. The reward is the treasure of the White Castle. Those who have applied for participation, please prepare in advance.”

White Castle? It was the first time Kang Min-hyuk had heard the term. He listened to what the students said and inferred information through them.

“It’s the organization the archmages from the Royal Academy of Magic belong to.”

One of the world’s three largest forces was the White Castle. It had strict restrictions – the White Castle gave only those from the Royal Academy of Magic access. White Castle chose the Archmage produced by the Academy based on the internal evaluation. There were more than ten wizards in Circle seven, and the leader of White Castle was a mind-blowing circle eight. They were hailed as heroes by the people who defended world justice.

There were two forces within White Castle: the witch group Black Cat and the mystical power Gray Robe. They operated for their own interests, and they rarely appeared together beyond the line of duty.

The reward offered by White Castle was sure to be great, and applicants were already crowding.

“All wizards under Circle seven can participate. Not only current students but also graduates will attend. This is a great opportunity for those who want to join White Castle.”

The surroundings became very noisy, very quickly.

The students talked about the duel, but Kang Min-hyuk didn’t care about it. It was exciting news, but he couldn’t participate with his first circle skills.

Kang Min-hyuk later discovered from Avid that he had, in fact, applied for the contest…

* * *

“Are you going to participate?”

Avid looked at Klinssman with intrigue.

A month ago, Klinssman announced his intention to participate in the duel competition hosted by White Castle. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Klinssman knew that the competition overlapped with the time Kang Min-hyuk possessed his body. Therefore, it was safe to assume that Klinssman didn’t want to participate, but he wanted Kang Min-hyuk to.

“It is true that I’m interested in duel competitions. However, I cannot participate in magic. As you know, I have a low circle, so I don’t have the confidence to go toe-to-toe with skilled seniors. I have a question. The duel doesn’t specify magic as an essential component…participants come out and try to win, and there’s no official rule of thumb to use magic. Could I participate with a sword? If that is possible, I would like to be involved.”

Avid read through the rules because he wasn’t sure.

In the world where wizards were the dominant force, the rules in favor of magic weren’t specified because all assumed them. Even in a situation where mana fell during a duel, participants never attempted a physical attack. Klinssman half-expected to be rejected – it would be understandable – but the status quo had to be challenged.

Avid laughed, “It would be an original approach, Klinssman. I’m sure there are no cases like what you’re implying in the history of the competition. Still, that doesn’t mean that your participation is impossible. There is indeed no such clause in the duel rules, and above all, the duel contest participants want you to participate.

“Yes?”

Why did they want Klinssman there?

“The moment you defeated the Werewolf with your sword, many wizard’s pride collapsed. To them, magic was everything in this world…your ability raised questions they’d never had to ask before. It shook a lot of people..”

The aftermath of the Green Dragon situation was yet to subside. Consequence continued it.

“I heard that you announced your intention to participate with other students. Klinssman, your disregard for the power of magic makes you reckless. I wanted to emphasize reality to you, so I encouraged the judges to process your application.”

Klinss’s realm was very different from Kang Min-hyuk’s. The hierarchy was flipped – here, magic was the one true power, and a swordsman would always be the underdog. Kang Min-hyuk began to understand…in perceiving Klinssman; he gazed deep into himself and his own experiences. Not everybody was grateful; not everybody admired his skills…the most prevalent emotion aimed at gifted individuals was fear. Jealousy. A stubborn refusal to change. It was about power, and the people with it held tight to it. It was difficult to attain, but even harder to let go of. Klinssman’s intentions to bring swordsmanship to the forefront was inconvenient to wizards.

A bloody laugh burst through his lips, “It’s ridiculous…”

Humans are the same, whichever dimension they’re in. Did warriors reject wizards because they’re bad people? No. They basked in their superiority, while wizards had no other choice but to bow their heads. If those positions were reversed, the wizards would never surrender to the warrior. The reality never shifts: those in power reject those beneath them, clinging to the abstract concept of superiority like a precious jewel. The idea motivated Kang Min-hyuk to participate not only for Klinss but because he genuinely wanted to.

The decision was passed, the choice was made: Avid allowed an assassin to participate in the duel competition for the first time in history. Everybody had agreed on it. They had merely awaited the nod from Kang Min-hyuk. He had been curious about the power of magical civilization’s mages and how much his strength as a warrior would prevail against those skilled in close combat. The competition provided an opportunity to compare the power of both civilizations.

“Yes, I’ll participate.”