Episode 4
“That last part was touch and go. If I’d messed up, I might’ve ended up dead or a complete wreck.”
The process of transformation—what Chris called “Hwangol Taltae”—unfolded in several stages.
First, purification through the element of White (백), cleansing all impurities. Then, refinement by Fire (화), forging strength. Next, solidification with Earth (토), building a firm foundation. Finally, flow through Water (수), ensuring nothing remained blocked.
Each step was a challenge in itself.
But the hardest was the final stage—the Dream (몽) phase.
“Because I have to artificially experience enlightenment.”
Hwangol Taltae was a supernatural phenomenon.
The body would completely transform in tune with enlightenment.
So, Chris had to induce an artificial experience of enlightenment.
“The Hwanmong Stone is essential. Luckily, I got it without trouble.”
Using the Hwanmong Stone, he simulated an artificial enlightenment and, through secret techniques, achieved the transformation.
Chris let out a long breath.
His breathing was clearer than ever before.
His appearance had changed noticeably, too.
His gaunt frame remained—after all, the muscle damage from his previous hardships hadn’t healed yet.
But inside, everything was different.
His body was now in the perfect condition to master swordsmanship.
His skeletal structure had improved, so once muscle and flesh filled out, he’d look ideal from the outside.
His face had changed, too.
He still looked a bit sharp-tempered.
But the bad energy that had clogged his skin and veins had drained away, leaving his face clear and dignified.
He now looked like a noble aristocrat.
“And there’s something even more important.”
Chris turned his attention inward.
What he saw was unbelievable.
Below his navel, at his core—his dantian—there were two holes!
“Heh heh, Chris-style Hwangol Taltae success.”
This was why Chris had suffered so much during the transformation.
He had increased his core from one to two—an inner core and an outer core.
A crazy experiment.
No one in the world had two cores.
But Chris had an idea.
“The core is just a concept, and Hwangol Taltae reshapes the body according to enlightenment. So if I imagine having two cores during the transformation, maybe I can actually create two cores.”
Others would have called it nonsense.
But he succeeded.
Though he almost died when things got tangled up, he pulled through.
“Heh heh, good.”
There was a reason he split the core into two layers.
“This way, I can use the power of the Light faction.”
Light burst from Chris’s hand.
A first-level spell: “Light”!
“No need to just stick to magic, right?”
In his past life, Chris had mastered swordsmanship and magic of the Light faction up to level four.
If he’d had more time, he might have gone even further.
He didn’t want to lose that ability.
“This light power will be my secret trump card.”
No worries about being discovered.
Chris hid the Light core inside the Dark core.
Thanks to the outer Dark core, the Light mana core was completely concealed.
He even connected the blood vessels of the Light mana core to the Dark core, creating a double disguise.
Even if someone looked directly at his core, they wouldn’t find out.
“I have to make the most of the remaining time to master the Light faction’s swordsmanship and magic before I go out.”
Once outside, it would be hard to train with the Light faction’s power.
He had about twenty days left.
He had to achieve as much as possible in that time.
Chris threw himself into training.
Since he’d been down this path before, it was easier to retrace his steps.
“Hoooh.”
He inhaled deeply.
It was the breathing technique of the Crusade Alliance’s prestigious swordsmanship family, the Meyer clan—used by the hero.
He’d picked it up by watching closely.
“This gave me a lot of trouble.”
Chris had tried to imitate the hero Evan’s breathing technique and suffered immensely.
“How did you learn it? Have you ever seen my family’s secretary?” they asked.
Even when he said he just glanced and copied, no one believed him.
He showed them slowly how to breathe.
“That expression he made was priceless.”
It was the first time Evan looked so dumbfounded.
“How… how?”
After watching Chris’s breathing more closely, Evan’s shock only deepened.
“Similar, but different. Different, yet… better?”
The hero’s breathing technique was too advanced for a beginner like Chris.
So he adapted it to suit himself.
Call it the Chris-style.
“Simpler and more efficient. How is this possible?!”
Evan couldn’t get over it.
“I just followed the basics of breathing.”
Breathing.
In nature, there is “energy” (정기).
By inhaling that energy and converting it into the power of Light, you get mana.
Converting it into the power of Darkness yields magi.
As the names suggest, mana is stable and pure, while magi is unstable, destructive, and sinister.
Chris discarded everything else from the hero’s breathing technique except the part about absorbing natural energy and converting it into mana.
“How did I do it?”
“I don’t know. If it works, it works.”
Chris recalled the words he’d told the disbelieving hero party.
It just worked.
What else could he do?
Light!
Light gathered around Chris.
Mana accumulated in the Light core.
And soon after.
Chris felt a surge of fulfillment.
A vessel had been formed.
He had stepped into the first level (成), the “Runner” stage—the beginning of learning.
“Faster than before. Well, I’ve done this once already, so it makes sense.”
How long had it taken in his past life?
He thought it was less than a day.
Well, it was just level one.
Now he had just set foot on the path.
Of course, for others, even the fastest took a year, and geniuses needed six months.
But Chris took it in stride.
“There’s still a long way to go.”
He continued training.
Time flew by.
How many days had passed?
Five? Seven?
Mana kept filling the newly formed vessel.
Rapidly.
At an abnormal speed.
The small vessel grew larger and stronger.
And when even that vessel couldn’t hold any more mana—
Flash!
Mana surged through Chris’s body.
He reached the stage where he could strengthen his body with mana.
Level two (成), the “User” stage.
From now on, Chris’s body would be far stronger and faster than an ordinary person’s.
“So I’m stronger than most knights now?”
Outside the Mage Empire, there were plenty of so-called knights who hadn’t even reached level two.
And that wasn’t all.
“Flames, rise.”
Flash!
Fire erupted.
A level two elemental spell: Fireball!
“Well, I already had it in my head.”
Reaching level two wasn’t easy for knights or mages.
Knights had to master strengthening their bodies with mana, and mages had to understand the level two spell formulas.
But Chris had done it all before, so it was naturally easier.
…Actually, it hadn’t taken him long before, either.
“Level two is just the basics.”
If sword schools or magic tower apprentices heard that, they’d be furious.
For ordinary talents, reaching level two usually took five to ten years.
“Anyway, I have to reach level three before I leave.”
Level three.
From then on, you were recognized as an elite force wherever you went.
An important asset in the knight order.
A core member among mages.
“Tight schedule. I have to push myself.”
He was ready to redouble his training.
Suddenly, Chris stopped moving.
As his level rose, some senses returned, and he sensed someone outside.
“Not even a month has passed.”
He tilted his head.
“Are they here to finish the punishment?”
But it didn’t seem like it.
The footsteps were quiet and cautious.
As if they were afraid of being caught.
“Could it be… an assassin?”
A chill ran down his spine.
It was entirely possible.
“I’m not going down without a fight.”
Chris steeled himself.
His opponent probably thought he was just a worthless delinquent.
So if he caught them off guard, he could win.
“Come on. I’ll make you regret it.”
Then.
The opponent reached the door of the punishment chamber.
Chris tensed up—but something unexpected happened.
They didn’t open the door.
Instead.
Through a faint crack in the door,
thud.
Something was dropped.
“What’s this?”
Chris was taken aback.
That was it.
The opponent disappeared again.
As if their purpose was just to deliver something.
“What the hell?”
Chris carefully examined the object and let out a bitter laugh.
“Those bastards.”
It was a Hwanmong Stone.
The intention behind dropping the Hwanmong Stone was obvious.
“They want me to get drunk on it and fall apart.”
Chris recalled that he had brought the Hwanmong Stone for his transformation.
His unknown opponent knew this and had set a trap to make him completely lose control under its influence.
“The Hwanmong Stone is more deadly than drugs if you get too intoxicated.”
He tapped the stone thoughtfully.
“Who the hell are they? Alright, let me sort this out.”
Chris made a few deductions.
First, someone wanted his body to break down.
“Maybe the reason I became a delinquent was someone’s doing.”
Second, the opponent was an important figure in the family.
“He’s someone who knows I brought the Dreamstone with me when I entered the Punishment Wing.”
And yet, he had managed to approach the heavily guarded Punishment Wing in secret.
That meant the other party was intimately familiar with every security gap.
“Or maybe he’s in cahoots with the guards on watch.”
Chris let out a short, bitter laugh.
“What a mess.”
The Dark Mage Baron’s honorable cadet branch—the Kazaar Counts.
For some reason, it all felt rotten inside.
And the head of the family, Count Kazaar himself, was completely unaware.
“Well, this isn’t bad. Actually, it’s better than good. This works out perfectly.”
It was an unexpected thought.
Better? Why?
“There’s a sacrifice here I can use to climb higher.”
His goal was to stand at the very pinnacle of the Mage Empire.
The first step was the Dark Mage.
To do that, he had to seize control of the Kazaar Counts, the cadet branch he currently belonged to.
If there were corrupt elements eating away at the family from within, they’d make excellent scapegoats.
“But first, the three-star rank.”
Chris took a deep breath.
A glow flickered around his body.
And then, the promised month passed.
“Today is the day you promised the young master. Are you not planning to visit him?”
Count Kazaar pressed his lips tightly shut.
He didn’t want to go.
He was afraid that if he did, he might foolishly hope for something.
But he knew he’d only end up disappointed.
Still, the butler spoke cautiously.
“This might be the last time with the young master. Wouldn’t it be better to see him yourself?”
“…”
“Or, who knows? He might be holding up better than expected.”
Count Kazaar let out a hollow laugh.
“Are you serious? He’s probably just lost in some hallucination.”
After hearing that his son had taken the Dreamstone, the count had given up all hope.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Still, I’ll follow your advice. It might be the last time, after all.”
A sharp gleam flashed in Count Kazaar’s eyes.
“I will go.”
“No, I’ll go alone.”
If he opened the Punishment Wing’s door and found Chris truly lost in the Dreamstone’s haze, he feared he wouldn’t be able to hold back his anger.
The count dismissed the butler and headed straight for the Punishment Wing.
He took a deep breath and pushed open the door.