Chapter 120 – The End of the Second Gate (１)

‘I knew it, though.’

Of course, Gijun had known too.

About humanity’s efforts to create a Battle Mage.

But he hadn’t known exactly what research was done or how it was conducted.

Now, listening to White Wood, it seemed far more research had been done in ways he’d never imagined.

“We mobilized every method at our disposal. We even tried it directly on my own body—and failed. In the end, our conclusion was one: there is no human who can become a Battle Mage. Or rather, one could exist, but that being would have to be chosen by the heavens.”

He looked back at Gijun.

“And yet, you’ve appeared like this. I truly wish to thank the heavens.”

By now, Gijun had already taken off his shirt.

“As expected, you have an excellent physique. This is by no means a body you could call a mage’s.”

White Wood admired Gijun’s body as he spoke.

And it wasn’t just White Wood.

Every Superhuman present let out a gasp of admiration at Gijun’s trained physique.

“…That looks even better than most Tankers.”

“I agree.”

Ha Taehyeong and the Tankers couldn’t help but be impressed as well.

“Well, I suppose you’d need a body like that to move the way he does.”

“I can’t imagine how hard he must have trained.”

“Yeah.”

“….”

Gijun didn’t know what to do with himself amid all that praise.

Unlike what they thought, his body hadn’t been built through training or discipline.

It was simply the result of playing a game and stacking stats, wasn’t it?

“Extraordinary. I can only conclude that a god must have chosen you. Now then… turn around and have a seat. I need to rework your circuits.”

“Understood.”

Gijun did as White Wood instructed and sat down.

Then, around Gijun, White Wood’s Mana began to gather.

*

‘…I never thought I’d use this technique again.’

As he’d said several times before, White Wood was feeling a profound sense of emotion.

As he had stated, he had once attempted the procedure to construct new circuits within his own body.

But in the end, he had failed.

His body simply couldn’t withstand it.

Greedy for more power, he had tried to convert his body’s circuits into the Mana circuits of a Battle Mage, but every single researcher had vehemently opposed him.

The reason: he could die.

In the end, he had put aside his regret and abandoned the circuit construction.

‘And I thought to myself then. I swore I would never forget this technique.’

He had made that vow.

That one day, if he ever encountered talent other than his own, he would definitely pass this technique on.

A technique he himself had never mastered.

But he never met anyone.

He had seen countless geniuses, but no one possessed a body capable of having their circuit construction changed.

Then, after so much time had passed, he had finally met someone.

How could he not be overjoyed?

And now, White Wood unfolded his Mana Field.

This was the first step: guiding Gijun’s Mana to alter the circuit’s construction.

Szzzz—

A cloud of blue Mana materialized around Gijun’s body.

The Mana cloud White Wood had created moved swiftly, beginning to guide Gijun’s Mana.

But at that moment—

“…!”—

White Wood’s eyes went wide.

‘What is this?’

He had sensed something within Gijun’s body.

‘A Mana Heart?’

It was unmistakable.

What resided in Gijun’s heart was not a Circle, but a Mana Heart.

‘How can this be?’

It was unbelievable.

A Mana Heart was, by its very nature, the exclusive property of knights.

A mage never created a Mana Heart.

So how in the world did Gijun have one?

No, even if he somehow did forge a Mana Heart, how could he possibly unleash such explosive magical firepower?

It defied all understanding.

Wasn’t a Mana Heart a tool designed to increase the explosive force of Aura — optimized for infusion into cold weapons like swords or shields, not for magic itself?

‘…Wait a moment…’

But then, White Wood had to be astonished once more.

‘This… is no ordinary Mana Heart.’

White Wood now realized that what he had thought was a Mana Heart was, in truth, not an ordinary one at all.

‘Unbelievable.’

What Gijun possessed was, in its composition, identical to a Mana Heart, but in terms of completion, it was on a level that defied comparison with any other Mana Heart in the world.

The elasticity and expansion capacity of a Mana Heart, along with the purity of the Mana residing within it—dared he compare, this thing surpassed every Mana Heart he had ever witnessed by multiple dimensions, stacked one atop another.

“…Can something like this truly exist in the world?”

He simply couldn’t bring himself to believe it.

Only now did a sliver of understanding begin to dawn on him.

The reason why the strength in Gijun’s body and the magic power he wielded could coexist at the same time.

“He’s a being that shouldn’t exist in this world.”

That was the only way to describe Gijun.

An existence utterly beyond the standard.

Neither his own common sense nor any knowledge in the world could begin to define the figure standing before him.

“That disease—the one that left him with only a single Circle… maybe it was a great blessing for this man.”

If Gijun had formed two or more Circles, creating a Mana Heart atop them would have been impossible.

But because he had only one Circle, this absurd feat might have been achievable.

“Who in the world is this young man’s master?”

The question gnawed at him, unavoidable.

Who had blazed this path for Gijun? Who had helped him forge a Mana Heart of such impossible perfection?

“Could such a person truly exist in this world?”

Even with all the knowledge he possessed, he could neither explain nor comprehend the phenomenon before him—and the idea that another being in the world could create it left him struggling to accept it.

If someone like that had existed, he would surely have known of them.

“…No.”

His thoughts circled back to a single conclusion.

“He did it himself.”

If no one had helped him, there was only one answer left.

This genius had forged this Mana Heart on his own—and not content with that, he had perfected it to a level no one in the world could even touch.

“So he broke through that barely-known disease in this way.”

Eventually, a hollow laugh escaped his lips.

He had no choice but to admit it.

Baek Gijun.

This young man from the Republic of Korea possessed talent and aptitude that even White Wood himself could not dare challenge.

“What an honor.”

For him, it was a supreme honor, beyond compare.

“To help such a man leap onto a new path—what greater blessing could a mage walking toward the end of his life ask for?”

At the twilight of his own existence, granted the chance to leave behind a trace of greatness unmatched by any achievement he had made before, he felt an overwhelming joy.

*

“White Wood must have noticed by now.”

Gijun had naturally anticipated this.

That White Wood would detect the change in his body.

But it didn’t matter.

He had no intention of hiding it.

After all, he hadn’t done anything wrong.

More than anything, he could feel it.

The fact that White Wood was excited.

From the man’s Mana, he could sense that White Wood was rejoicing.

“He’s moving.”

And now Gijun’s Mana had begun to stir.

Following White Wood’s Mana, thread by thread.

This wasn’t mere motion.

As Gijun’s Mana shifted, his Mana circuits shifted along with it.

Even Gijun couldn’t understand how such a thing was possible.

Common sense told him that Mana only ever flowed through established circuits.

“Maybe that Mana cloud is a magnet pulling the circuits into place.”

It was his best guess.

The Mana cloud White Wood had conjured—

It was guiding Gijun’s Mana while simultaneously dragging the circuits where he wanted them.

Whatever the mechanism, one thing was clear: an incredible change was taking place in Gijun’s body.

It had only just begun, but he could feel the transformation unfolding inside him with startling clarity.

Every single cell seemed to be suffused with a greater Strength.

His Mana circuits were repositioning themselves to allow his body to move faster, hit harder.

And the Mana flowing through those newly arranged circuits was pouring even greater power into his frame.

“Incredible.”

That this was even possible…

Of course, White Wood was just as astonished as Gijun.

Genuine, heartfelt wonder poured from him at Gijun’s body—a body that could make what had been pure theory into a living reality.

An hour passed.

“…Haaah…”

White Wood exhaled deeply, steadying his breath.

He looked utterly drained.

But his face was bright.

He looked at Gijun with an expression that said a long-cherished wish had finally been fulfilled.

“How do you feel?”

White Wood asked.

“…”

Gijun was silent for a long moment, examining his own body.

Then—

[Physical ability increased by 200%.]

[Magical Attack Power increased by 200%.]

[Movement Speed and Attack Speed each increased by 30%.]

[A new Trait has been unlocked.]

[Trait ‘Perception’ acquired.]

[Perception]

– The ability to see through an enemy’s weakness.

– 200% bonus Damage when exploiting weaknesses.

“…!”

Gijun’s eyes went wide.

The physical changes were astonishing, of course.

But something even greater had occurred.

“A Trait unlocked.”

A brand-new Trait had appeared.

Its name was Perception.

And its effect was nothing less than the ability to see through an opponent’s weaknesses.

“Perfect.”

With an ability like this, taking down the second-floor’s Boss Monster—the one he’d soon face—would be far easier.

And defeating that bastard would mean getting one step closer to mastering White Wood’s magic.

“Let’s push a little harder.”

Gijun clenched his fist.

Ever since entering this Dungeon, he’d been gaining rewards he’d never expected, growing stronger by the minute.

But he hadn’t forgotten.

The real reason he’d chosen to enter this Dungeon in the first place.

“The crimson light.”

The ancient evil.

He’d come to uncover the truth behind that red glow it had been emitting.

The problem was that he still hadn’t found any clue about that red light.

‘Which is exactly why I have to push harder.’

If he could just reach the end of this dungeon, he was certain he’d get one step closer to that secret.

Time passed.

White Wood finished his work on Gijun, and roughly another hour slipped by.

During that time, the Superhumans recovered their Stamina as much as possible and ate lightly, careful not to strain their bodies.

The deep Magi had been steadily weighing down their bodies, but now, at last, the Superhumans’ faces looked a little brighter.

Ha Taehyeong rose to his feet.

Every eye turned to him.

After a quick check on everyone’s condition, he spoke.

“Alright. Now we have to move beyond.”

The moment had come — the fight against the Second Gate’s Boss Monster.