Chapter 37: Meeting of Old and New Disciples

“Anyway, I planned to die after my revenge.”

Watching the girl speak with empty eyes, I asked her a question.

“Who are you planning to take revenge on?”

“I can’t say. That person doesn’t know I exist. If they did, they’d have already come to kill me.”

“Are they strong?”

“Very.”

“Hmm… Well, it’s good that you have a clear determination, but as I mentioned earlier, I want your help five times. If you finish your revenge and die before that, it’d be a problem for me, don’t you think?”

“Then I promise. Even if I complete my revenge, I’ll fulfill all five of your requests before I die.”

Looking at the girl staring at me with lifeless eyes, I shook my head.

‘It’s like I’m seeing my past self.’

I had successfully bounced back through NATUBE, and I even had an unwavering ally like Seol Yoon-a by my side. I also possessed enough power to seek my own revenge. But this girl had nothing.

She had no strength, no allies, and no means to prove her own worth.

I felt a strange sense of empathy. I extended my hand toward the girl.

—Whoooosh.

In an instant, mana surged and was absorbed into the girl.

[SSS] Path of the Sovereign

◎ You can designate your successor and link them.

◎ Individuals linked as successors receive a boost in stats and experience explosive growth rates.

◎ The increase in stats and growth speed corresponds to the skill owner’s capabilities.

◎ Number of linked successors: 1.

“It’s done.”

“That’s it?”

She asked me, slightly surprised.

“Yes, that’s it. The true power of this buff is unleashed when it’s combined with circle breaking and external mana. Once you learn those, you’ll grow stronger at an incredible pace. And don’t worry—you’ve already got great talent.”

“Talent? I don’t have any talent.”

“No, you do have talent. Your desire for revenge. That’s your greatest talent. Never forget the feelings you have now, and work hard with a single-minded determination to tear apart the person who made you suffer. Then, you’ll be able to accomplish your revenge with your own hands.”

Leaving her behind, I turned to the other disciples.

“If no one else wants the buff, then we’ll wrap things up here.”

As I spoke, the remaining three stepped forward.

I addressed Seo Chanu, who had taken the first step.

“You said you’re an A-rank magician, right? You’ve heard my explanation earlier—this buff comes with a debuff when it’s removed. Are you still okay with that?”

“Yes. I don’t mind as long as I can get stronger.”

I applied the buff to Seo Chanu and then to the remaining disciples as well.

“Everyone, gather here.”

The effect of [SSS] Path of the Sovereign greatly amplifies when combined with circle breaking and external mana.

In the past, I hadn’t taught my previous disciples these methods since my purpose was to educate them, but with these disciples, the goal was solely strength, so I intended to teach them everything.

—Whoooosh.

I alternated between my disciples, breaking and restoring their circles repeatedly.

Around nine hours passed like that.

“Phew…”

Im Se-a, who was standing beside me, spoke up.

“Master, how about taking a break? You’ve been using mana nonstop for nine hours now.”

I shook my head.

“No. When a circle is first broken, it possesses the greatest recovery power on the first day. We still have more than ten hours left. This is a necessary process for your rapid growth.”

—Thud, thud.

After using mana for an extended period, my whole body started to creak. But it didn’t matter.

If they grew stronger quickly, I could crush the Tower Lord and, eventually, Choi Seunghyun, the leader of the Baal Guild.

No matter how strong I was, it would be impossible to face hundreds of elite members alone, but with them, it was a doable task.

Over twenty-four hours passed.

I had pushed the growth of the circles of my four disciples to my limit.

“My body feels strange.”

Hye-yeon Park looked around her body and spoke.

“Think of it as a step up as a magician. Even a high-rank B-grade magician will have a hard time facing you now.”

“But I’m only a low-rank B-grade magician.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a low or high rank. The rank of a magician is simply determined by the total amount of mana they possess and various tests conducted by the Tower. In actual combat, those things are meaningless. Thanks to me expanding your circle, you can now use magic more efficiently and with greater lethality. Plus, the SSS-grade buff will synergize with it, allowing you to grow stronger at a rapid pace.”

“It’s the same for the other disciples besides Hye-yeon Park. Now, cast the most powerful magic you can.”

Then, all four disciples cast their respective spells.

-Boom-!

-Rumble!

-Ka-boom-!

-Crackling!-

The loud sounds echoed around me. I noticed the disciples’ faces, all looking stunned.

“Is… is this my power?”

An unbelievable transformation in just 24 hours—if their magic was like a sword, I had finely sharpened its blade.

The once dull blade that couldn’t even slice a cucumber could now cut paper with just a touch.

“I’ve drawn out the maximum power you’re capable of. But it’s too early to be satisfied. None of you have fully mastered the technique for using external mana, correct?”

The disciples nodded.

I handed them each an artifact.

[SS] Mana Resonance Crystal Orb.

This is an artifact I made myself. With this, the time it takes to absorb, rotate, and release mana will be drastically reduced.

Of course, this is only a temporary measure, so you all need to get accustomed to using external mana quickly. The detailed instructions are…

I applied the SSS-grade buff to Hye-yeon Park and the other disciples, expanded their circles through Circle Breaking, and used the artifact to accelerate their mastery of external mana usage.

Thanks to this, they rapidly became stronger in a short period.

For reference, Kang Eun-byeol, the daughter of the Hunter Association’s chairman, joined the training from the second day.

While she didn’t receive the benefits of the buff or Circle Breaking, she was still trained thoroughly in the use of artifacts and external mana.

“Let’s wrap up for today.”

The disciples who were training all collapsed to the ground.

Kang Eun-byeol groaned.

“Teacher, this is too exhausting… Training every day feels like my whole body is aching…”

As she complained, the disciples around her all glared at her coldly.

Hye-yeon Park spoke to her.

“If you’re tired, then quit. Everyone here is desperate. We don’t have the luxury to relax like you.”

Kang Eun-byeol responded, startled.

“I-I wasn’t saying I wanted to quit. I just wondered if we really needed to go this far… After all, it’s just a lesson…”

I didn’t mention revenge or contracts to Kang Eun-byeol. She wasn’t seeking revenge against anyone, nor was she under any binding agreement—she was simply the daughter of the Hunter Association’s chairman

So, I could somewhat understand her soft attitude. However, her fellow disciples looked at her with disdain.

“Stop fighting, everyone. From now on, we’re allies who have to work together. Teamwork is one of the most important aspects.”

Only after I intervened did the disciples look away from her.

I spoke to the disciples.

“You’ve all worked hard until now. Though it was a short time, I believe you can feel the growth within yourselves. Starting today, we’ll move on from training and proceed with actual combat.”

Kang Eun-byeol asked,

“Uh… by actual combat, do you mean…?”

“Of course, a dungeon. You will be entering a dungeon on your own.”

The other disciples accepted it calmly. But Kang Eun-byeol seemed a bit flustered and asked again.

“Uh… do we really have to go into the dungeon by ourselves?”

“You’re asking the obvious.”

I approached Kang Eun-byeol, handing her a small artifact, and whispered quietly.

“Channel mana into this in an emergency. I’ll teleport to your location.”

Only then did Kang Eun-byeol seem reassured and stepped back.

“Unfortunately, all the dungeons are booked for tomorrow, so the only one available is a C-rank. Though we managed to secure the space early, we’ll have to share it, splitting the area in half. Think of it as a warm-up; I’ll give you the location tomorrow.”

At Helmunt Academy, Yang Han-gil shouted,

“Beginner class students in Practical Magic Studies, you will be entering a dungeon again tomorrow. Like last time, it’s a C-rank dungeon. You’ll be going in alone again. If you come out like cowards this time, I won’t let it slide, so fight to the end.”

Yang Han-gil added as if he remembered something.

“Oh, and it seems other instructors’ disciples will also be using the dungeon you’re entering. Their names are confidential, so I couldn’t check, but you know better than anyone what will happen if you say something foolish to them, right?”

The next morning, Yang Han-gil’s disciples and Choi Ju-won’s disciples headed towards the gate together.

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