The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 2

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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The Natural Enemy of Mages Has Been Reincarnated – Episode 2
I have no idea how many days have passed since my birth.
Subjectively, perhaps three months?
In that time, I’ve gathered far more information than I expected.
‘First and foremost, this is not the Earth I once knew.’
I had assumed I’d been reincarnated into the modern era, but I was utterly mistaken.
This world is home to mages and knights, mana and dragons, monsters and countless wonders.
A medieval fantasy realm straight out of novels—this is the Pangaea Continent.
‘And I was born into one of its most renowned magical families.’
One of the three great magical houses that the Decan Kingdom takes pride in.
The McLafflin Ducal Family.
Born as the youngest among four sons and one daughter of this illustrious house.
‘Born as the fourth son of a family renowned for magic. Am I fortunate?’
I thought so until I learned my mother was not the legitimate wife but a concubine—a realization that crushed any such illusions.
Children born to concubines are typically viewed through a lens of prejudice.
‘The status window even bears the label “illegitimate” in plain sight. There’s no escaping it.’
At the very least, I should be grateful I wasn’t born a beggar or commoner.
In a medieval setting like this, discrimination based on status runs deep.
‘Though really, the oppression of the weak isn’t so different from the modern world, is it?’
In this world, mages and aura users are treated as nobility, but the same held true in my previous life.
A world where Gates and monsters exist, where Hunters—awakened individuals with supernatural abilities—are revered.
‘Yet here I am, born not into just any family, but into a ducal house—second only to royalty in power. My starting position is excellent.’
In most novels, ducal families exude an austere, cold atmosphere, but this one does not.
Judging by the way my father has gazed down at me with such tender eyes since the moment of my birth.
“Look at our Zeke. He’s looking directly into my eyes.”
“How could he not look when you’re staring at him so intensely?”
Zeke McLafflin.
That is my name.
The Western man gazing at me with such affection is Gerard McLafflin.
The greatest mage of the Decan Kingdom, having reached the eighth circle, or so they say?
‘If the servants whispering among themselves speak truth, that is.’
There is no better position than being an infant for gathering information.
No one expects a child less than a hundred days old to comprehend their words.
“I wish the hundredth day would come soon.”
“Just a little longer. There are only a few days left.”
“Hehe, the anticipation is unbearable. I wonder just how exceptional our Zeke’s talents will prove to be….”
‘So the hundredth day is approaching soon, it seems.’
There is good reason for my father to be so restless.
After a hundred days, every child on the Pangaea Continent must undergo a talent evaluation—one that none can escape.
‘Being from a mage family, of course he’d want to confirm whether his child has magical aptitude or not.’
Regardless of what the results might be, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.
After all, I knew nothing about how talent assessments were conducted.
‘In any case, they wouldn’t do anything to harm my body.’
Looking at those affectionate eyes, she didn’t seem like someone capable of doing anything cruel.
I had no desire to squander this precious life I’d been given.
‘Though the place I’ve been reincarnated into differs greatly from reality, I still need to live.’
After all, wasn’t this a new life granted to me?
Since things had come to this, I had to survive.
‘And the system said it too. If I grow stronger, I can return to my original dimension.’
The original dimension surely meant Earth.
At the very least, it would be wise to prepare for that possibility.
‘From now on, I’ll discard the name Choi Kang-jun. I am Zeke McLafflin, the youngest son of the illustrious magical house of the Decan Kingdom.’
Choi Kang-jun—no, Zeke—placed the bottle to his lips and renewed his resolve to live.

* * *
Gerard McLafflin.
An 8-Circle Grand Mage bearing the title of Duke, the pride of the Decan Kingdom and founder of the house hailed as the greatest among the three renowned magical families—yet today, he could not help but feel anxious.
“Hmm.”
He couldn’t have been more on edge.
Today was the talent assessment of his youngest son, the precious child he cherished more than life itself.
“Are you nervous?”
“Truthfully, I am.”
“Since he takes after you, he’ll surely show exceptional talent again. What’s there to be nervous about? Are you worried his talent might not manifest?”
“I’m not concerned about that. He’s my son—naturally he’ll have talent for magic.”
His older brothers, born before Zeke, had all undergone the talent assessment as a rite of passage.
Each time, they had been judged to possess innate magical talent.
Given that magical aptitude is heavily influenced by heredity, such results were inevitable.
It was common for a single family to produce a succession of exceptional mages.
Therefore, Gerard harbored no fear of a disappointing outcome.
“My nervousness stems from quite the opposite reason. It’s the hope that my son might be an unparalleled prodigy.”
“You wish for a genius among geniuses? Yet your eldest son has already surpassed ordinary talent.”
“Of course. Though we may be called the foremost magical house of Decan, we cannot rest on such laurels. Surely you understand this?”
“Don’t worry so much. Even if we’re a minor power, there’s no one in Decan who would dare challenge you. And besides, I’m here with you.”
As his second wife grasped his hand and offered a gentle smile, Gerard’s anxiety melted away like snow in spring.
“Thank you, Daina. Marrying you was truly the best decision of my life. I shall cherish you always.”
“Oh, you. I feel the same way…”
‘My parents are quite the lovesick pair, aren’t they?’
Zeke watched the scene—one that would surely provoke jealousy from his first mother—through half-closed eyes, feigning sleep once more.
He had heard footsteps approaching from outside.
“Master! The Court Mage has arrived!”
“Very well. I’ll go at once.”
At the attendant’s guidance, Gerard and Daina hurried out to greet the visitor.
Outside, Christina, the legitimate wife, was already waiting.
“Ah, so you’re here as well.”
“Let’s hurry. The Duke is waiting for you.”
As Christina spoke, she shot a piercing glance at Daina as she passed.
As the first wife, she could hardly view Daina—who had stolen her husband’s affection and love—with any fondness.
“Gerard McLafflin. It has been some time, has it not?”
Outside stood a mage in robes, his beard streaked with silver, wearing a welcoming smile.
“Welcome, Master.”
“Master? Did I not tell you to observe proper decorum in official settings?”
“My apologies, Duke Dalpred Bigsland.”
At Gerard’s words, Dalpred chuckled with satisfaction and stroked his beard.
For the eldest court mage of the Decan Kingdom, his smile was remarkably playful.
“I was only jesting. Feel free to address me informally.”
“Welcome, Duke Dalpred Bigsland.”
“And how have both ladies been? It’s been quite some time, yet you both remain as lovely as ever.”
“Hehe, you flatter us too much.”
“So then, the reason you’ve invited this old man lies within, does it?”
“Yes. Our youngest son has reached his hundredth day. We were hoping you would personally conduct a talent assessment for him.”
“Of course I shall. He is my student’s child—who else would do it?”
Dalpred’s eyes gleamed like those of a hawk as he pointed his staff forward.
“Come now. I am most eager to see what sort of exceptional child he might be. Hehehehe!”
Dalpred’s anticipation was entirely justified.
His student Gerard had already reached the 8th Circle—the same rank as himself—despite being only in his late thirties.
How could he not look forward to the child of such a brilliant student?
“Is it here?”
Upon entering the reception hall, the hundred-day-old Zeke lay sleeping, blissfully unaware of the world around him.
“My student’s baby is sleeping, is he? I do hope injecting mana won’t wake him.”
“If he is of our family’s blood, he will likely welcome it. So please, confirm his talents at once.”
“My, my, the student is quite impatient, isn’t he?”
“Hehe, this boy has been so eager he hasn’t slept properly for days.”
“Born into the McLafflin Family, he should certainly possess talent. The real question is how much talent he has.”
“Master, please stop talking and—”
“Hush now, don’t pester me. I’ll check right away. Though I must say, he sleeps remarkably well despite all this chatter.”
Dalpred believed the child was completely asleep, but such was not the case.
Zeke had cracked his eyes open ever so slightly and was observing the situation.
‘So this grandfather is my father’s master and the court mage.’
Thanks to the attendants’ chatter over the past few days, I already knew much about Dalpred.
An 8th Circle court mage who stood as a pillar whenever the Decan Kingdom faced crisis.
Despite being seventy years old, I heard he still demonstrated remarkable prowess and remained active in his position.
‘Well, he’ll retire soon enough, and Father will inherit the position.’
That’s probably why he wanted to spend time with his mentor and requested a direct talent assessment.
I’d heard that talent assessments were conventionally conducted by someone else to verify the results.
‘He probably wants to show off too—how exceptionally talented his child is in magic.’
Even I didn’t know how the assessment would turn out.
I possessed a skill related to mana, but I understood nothing about mana itself.
‘Well, I must have inherited decent genes, so talent should show up. If it does, should I learn magic as I grow up?’
If I had talent, I was willing to learn magic.
There was nothing wrong with living as a mage.
‘In this world, becoming a mage is essentially the same as becoming a Hunter. There’s no reason to refuse.’
Already born into a wealthy family, I could live my entire life in leisure without starving, but I had no intention of settling for an ordinary existence.
I was curious about this thing called mana, and being born into a prestigious magical family, I didn’t know what disadvantages I might face if I failed to meet expectations.
But if mana absorption was possible, things would be different.
‘According to the skill description, I can raise my stats just by absorbing mana. In that case, I wouldn’t necessarily need to become a mage.’
Of course, I could decide later which direction—magic or the system—would be more advantageous for growth.
If necessary, I could learn both.
The problem was that I didn’t know how to absorb mana.
‘The system said it sent me to an optimal location, so it should be an environment where mana can be absorbed….’
But I still didn’t know how to proceed.
With a child’s body, there was no way to verify anything.
Just then, Dalpred Bigsland gently wrapped his hand around my small wrist as if about to begin something.
‘Is he trying to infuse mana into me?’
With nervous anticipation, I tried to sense what this thing called mana felt like.
Then an unexpected message appeared before my eyes.
[Mana is being injected into your body.]
[You can absorb the incoming mana.]
[The ‘Mana Absorption’ skill has been activated. Would you like to use it now? Y/N]
‘I can use Mana Absorption?’
It had been eight years since I lived as a Hunter in my previous life.
During all that time, I had never once seen a message saying mana absorption was possible.
‘But now it’s possible?’
Since it was an active-type skill, I could choose whether to absorb or not.
‘What should I do? Is it better to absorb?’
The deliberation didn’t last long.
To unlock the next skill, I needed to increase the proficiency of the Mana Absorption skill.
‘Yes!’
[Skill Activated: Mana Absorption]
A golden activation message appeared, and I used the Mana Absorption skill for the very first time.
Shuaaaaaah—
I’m not entirely sure, but my body feels like it’s drawing something in.
[Mana absorbed: 1]
[Skill proficiency increased by 1.]
[Proficiency remaining until 2-Star Achievement: 1/100]
[You can toggle this skill On/Off. Do you wish to keep it active? Y/N]
‘It actually worked?’
Zeke’s eyes widened.
Seeing the mana absorption skill activate as expected, a tsunami of exhilaration washed over me.
‘I’ll activate it. So give me more! More…!’
Zeke fixed his gaze upon the elderly mage with an intensity unlike anything before.

* * *
“Ah, he’s awake.”
“Our little one is up?”
Zeke’s eyes opened not long after Dalpred Bigsland placed his hand upon him.
“The sudden mana infusion startled him, it seems. The boy certainly has talent. To sense mana already. Heheheh.”
Dalpred Bigsland, his broad grin reflecting the early signs of talent, infused mana once more.
To verify a mage’s aptitude, one had no choice but to use their own mana in this manner.
“Fear not, little one. I shall finish this shortly…”
Just as he was infusing mana and beginning to observe the body’s response in earnest.
Gerard McLafflin’s worried voice came from behind.
“Wait, Master. It seems Zeke was startled. His eyes suddenly opened wide.”
But Dalpred Bigsland was equally taken aback.
He had sensed something and hastily withdrawn his hand.
Gerard McLafflin regarded him with a puzzled expression.
“What is the matter, Master?”
“Ah, no. Perhaps I was mistaken. Let us begin the examination anew.”
Dalpred Bigsland placed his hand upon the wrist once more.
And infused mana.
Hoping that what he had just felt was merely his imagination.
But.
“….”
Soon enough, Dalpred Bigsland had no choice but to withdraw his hand, his expression grave.
“Why, why are you acting this way? Suddenly with such a serious expression…”
“Gerard… I scarcely know how to say this…”
“Why do you hesitate so before speaking?”
“This child, you see…”
Dalpred Bigsland spoke with his eyes tightly shut.
“This child has no talent for magic whatsoever.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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