For a moment, my mind went blank.
What… what did I just hear?
Ray Bell Bytenor.
I could've sworn that's what the voice said.
That Ray Bell Bytenor had left this book behind—for a descendant who shared the same condition as himself.
"..."
They say when people are too shocked, they become strangely calm.
That's exactly me right now.
Utterly calm.
"…Another prank."
I'd seen the news lately—voice phishing scams using magic were on the rise.
This book must be one of those.
Honestly, if I think about it rationally, that's the most plausible explanation.
Come on. Think about it logically.
Why would the Great Hero Ray Bell Bytenor—that legendary figure—leave behind a book like this?
The fact that his handwritten manuscript even exists is absurd enough, but for it to somehow end up in my room?
And what's this about "a successor with the same condition"?
That's just… way over the line.
Too much.
"Yeah, sure."
Something similar happened half a year ago.
Someone left a fake magic theory book at my door just to mess with me.
The theories inside were so sloppy that I realized it was a prank after the first page,but that fleeting moment when my hope was crushed into the dirt…
That pain—there are no words for it.
'At least this one's a more elaborate prank than last time.'
I looked again at the book in my hands—its cover, "Ray Bell Bytenor."
Even on second glance, the design was impressive.
How could anyone write ancient script so beautifully, so naturally?
If someone went to this much effort just to prank me, honestly, that deserves applause.
'Let's see what nonsense they wrote inside.'
I opened the book casually.
Maybe the telepathic message was a one-time trick, because no voice came this time.
"Oh?"
The inside was written in the same elegant cursive script as the cover.
Wow. They really went all in.
If it's a prank of this caliber, I almost respect the effort.
How much must they hate me to do something like this?
The text combined three layers of torture: terrible handwriting, cursive, and ancient language.
Still, I slowly deciphered it.
[This book can only be opened by one who possesses the same constitution as I.]
Right from the first line—it was ridiculous.
A structure perfectly designed to bait the gullible.
[Thus, if you are reading this, it means you too possess a rare and special brain, identical to mine.]
The brain, huh?
The moment they mentioned the brain, I was sure.
"They really did their homework."
My brain can't synchronize with AI. No one knows why.
It's just… built differently, they say.
That's why I'm labeled AI-incompatible.
And this book? It's talking about that very thing.
How vile.
Do they really need to dig into someone's trauma for a joke?
Pathetic.
[As I said, my magic can only be learned by those whose brains are structured the same as mine.]
I kept reading, just to see how far this farce would go.
[Sadly, in my time, I never found another such individual. If this continues, my magic will vanish into history.]
[Only the common magic I created and distributed for my retainers and citizens may remain in the future.]
"Common magic?"
Did he mean the old eight-stage spell system?
[That is why I leave behind this book.]
[To find, even in the future, the successor who will inherit my magic.]
I turned the page.
"Hm?"
Before I could even read the third page, the fourth caught my eye.
"Blank?"
From midway through page three all the way across four—it was completely empty.
"So, they got tired of writing halfway, huh?"
Well, of course.
No one would fill two hundred pages of this nonsense just to prank me.
Let's see how they decided to end it.
[Successor, if my assumptions are correct, you are using a mana ring formed around your heart.]
…What an obvious statement.
Where else would a Mage form a mana circle if not near the heart?
[In the world of common magic, that may be standard practice, but for you and me, it is incorrect.]
[Successor, if you wish to inherit my magic and become my disciple, first destroy the mana rings surrounding your heart, then redirect your mana to the brain to activate it. Only then reopen this book.]
[When you do so…]
"Bullshit."
I slammed the book shut mid-sentence.
I didn't need to read a word more.
This wasn't funny anymore.
How much do they have to hate me to write this kind of garbage?
Destroy your mana rings? Channel mana into your brain?
Mana is toxic to the brain.
Its structure is still a mystery, but one thing's clear—direct contact between mana and neural tissue is fatal.
And this book is telling me to do that?
Why not just write, "Please die immediately"?
I tossed the book carelessly onto the floor.
"Great. Now I'm just pissed off."
I'd rather go train.
The next morning.
The first class of the new semester—second year, first term—was Combat Practice.
"Next, Ji Soonchan. Step forward."
"Yes, sir."
Instructor Go Changsu, our homeroom teacher for Class 2-A, had decided to personally assess each student's abilities in combat.
Other classes were probably doing self-introductions right now.
Lucky us.
Well, I didn't mind.
Someone like me, who can't afford extra training sessions, can't waste a free opportunity like this.
"Whoa!"
"Soonchan's insane!"
Gasps and cheers echoed from the class.
Everyone was watching the projected screen showing the arena.
I stopped my image training and focused on the display too.
"Man, that's Ji Soonchan for you~!"
"The pride of us regular admissions!"
Ji Soonchan—always ranked in the top ten of all second-years.
At just eighteen, he'd already formed three mana rings. A prodigy among prodigies.
"He's good."
The words slipped out of my mouth before I realized it.
Soonchan's movements were flawless.
He reinforced his lower body with enhancement magic to boost mobility, constantly shifting positions to avoid being surrounded by incoming enemies.
Maintaining the buffs while consecutively firing off flame spells—targeting the Giant Rats' weakness—then blocking their counter-charges with barriers.
"His mana output's ridiculous."
A normal three-circle Mage doing both double casting and moving casting simultaneously—and no one even found it surprising.
"Ridiculous, my ass."
"I heard he illegally modified his AI."
"Huh? Seriously?"
"Come on, how else could a regular admission student pull that off?"
A hundred years ago, people would've been stunned.
They'd probably have screamed, "Double casting and moving casting?!"
But not anymore.
With AI—a flawless support system—modern Mages have no trouble with such things.
The AI handles all the intermediary computations.
So what's difficult about double or moving casting?
On the screen, Soonchan darted across the battlefield, unleashing spells in every direction.
The hundred Giant Rats that filled the arena burned away one by one, leaving only faint mana residue behind.
"Nice movement. His stamina's definitely improved too."
"Yeah, but his endurance still sucks. Look—his breathing's already uneven."
If Mages from a century ago were stationary cannons,
then modern Mages are agile fighter jets.
Unpredictable, dazzling combat.
Frontliners no longer needed—just pure self-sufficient power.
That's what a modern Mage is.
"Well done."
When Soonchan exited the arena, Instructor Go greeted him with approval.
"Comprehensive grade: A. Excellent movement, good variation, and strong mana output—but your stamina's still a weakness. Work on that."
Movement.
Magic variations.
Mana output.
Number of times one can cast magic, determined by mental strength.
These are the main standards by which modern mages are evaluated.
Since all the control-based aspects are handled by artificial intelligence, there's no reason to assess that separately.
"Yes, I'll do my best."
Soonchan bowed slightly and returned to his seat.
I let out a small sigh.
As expected, Soonchan's amazing.
I felt proud of my friend's growth—yet somewhere inside, there was a faint bitterness I couldn't shake.
"Next. Shin Hayul."
As soon as my name was called, the murmuring grew louder.
"It's Shin Hayul."
"Isn't Monster Rush training too harsh for him?"
"The moment he gets surrounded, it's over."
Sympathetic gazes pierced me.
The instructor's was the same.
"Will you be all right? If you think it's too much…"
I've long grown used to stares like this.
I don't have the luxury to be bothered by them anymore.
"I'll do it."
All I need to think about is my own gain.
Opportunities like this—to train magic properly inside an actual dome—don't come often for me.
If I had money, I could do this anytime, but that's impossible for someone like me, completely cut off from family support.
"All right. Then go ahead."
"Yes."
I lightly focused my mind and stepped into the training dome.
And, as expected, I ended up near the bottom.
I didn't feel bad about it.
In fact, I was pleased.
Three months ago, I could only defeat six monsters.
Today, I managed seventeen.
I was undeniably improving.
That was enough for now.
That night.
After dinner, I went straight back to my room.
Originally, I'd planned to change clothes and head to the training hall, but an unexpected visitor forced me to postpone it.
"I can't even tell anymore if this is a dorm room or a library."
Ji Soonchan.
A classmate in the same year—and the only person in this school I could truly call a friend.
He'd dropped by my room for the first time in a while.
"I know, right? I've been worrying about that too. There's nowhere left to store my books."
"You could probably just throw out half the stuff on this shelf. Pretty sure it was all here half a year ago."
He brushed the dust off a few of the books displayed on one side.
"You haven't read these in ages. Should just toss—"
"No. I'll need to review them later."
Each book was there for a reason. It'd be a waste to throw them out.
"Geez, you really are a relic addict."
Soonchan laughed heartily and plopped down on my bed.
"What can I do? This is the only way I can learn magic."
I answered half-jokingly.
It was a black joke without any real meaning.
But—
"…Sorry."
Soonchan didn't take it as a joke.
"Why are you so serious about it? It's a joke, man. Black humor. That's supposed to be your specialty."
He's always been like that.
People love to gossip—about how he was born gifted, how he illegally modified his AI to boost performance.
But he's just a genuinely kind person.
"You came because you were worried I'd feel down again, right?"
"No, I didn't."
"Yeah, sure."
The teasing during practice earlier had been rough.
If I were in his shoes, I'd have worried too.
"I told you, I don't get hurt by that stuff anymore."
Spending time caring about their words is pointless—better to memorize one more magic formula instead.
"You shouldn't care too much about your rumors either, Soonchan. It only hurts us if we do. Just keep your head down, ignore it all, and then…"
A grin tugged at my lips.
"…let's crush them with success. Isn't that the most satisfying revenge?"
Standing above the ones who once mocked me—that's what I call true revenge.
"Yeah. You're right."
Soonchan smiled back.
"Came here to cheer you up, and now I'm the one leaving encouraged."
"What? You said you weren't here because you were worried."
"Oh, shut up already!"
He smacked me lightly on the back and stood up.
"All right, I'll head—huh? What's this book?"
He must've nudged it with his foot while getting up.
"This looks fancy. Ancient script? What does it say?"
"Oh, that…"
The book I'd tossed aside last night.
Ray Bell Bytainer.
A book I'd assumed someone made to mock me.
"It's nothing. Just leave it."
"Really?"
He'd come all this way out of concern; no point dragging this ridiculous book into it.
"Still, it looks valuable. Might fetch a good price—or at least make nice décor."
"I said leave it."
"Hang on. Let me just peek inside."
Before I could stop him, Soonchan tried to open it.
"Huh?! What the—? It won't open?"
He strained until his face turned red, but the book didn't budge.
"What'd they do, glue every page shut? How can it be that tightly sealed, not even a tremor?"
It wouldn't move an inch.
As if time itself had frozen within it.
"…No way."
A sudden thought struck me.
"Hayul?"
I snatched the book from him—almost defensively.
Then, I gently tried to open it myself.
A moment ago, it had been hard as stone.
But in my hands, it moved as softly as the cheek of a newborn child.
"What the—? It opened? You got some kind of security enchantment on this thing? I don't sense any magical device."
I barely heard Soonchan's mumbling.
Because my eyes were locked on a single line of text.
[This book can only be opened by one who shares my constitution.]
"…No way."
Could this really be…?
As if in a trance, I flipped the page.
[And if you do so…]
And I began to read the words I'd stopped at last night—one by one.
[Then you shall become the greatest Archmage in the world.]
That sentence filled my entire vision.