The Wizard Who Endured the World of Murim - Chapter 12

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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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Surviving in the Martial Realm as a Mage: Episode 12
“That was genuinely perilous.”
Ilhyang pressed his right palm against his chest, beads of sweat rolling down his face as he smiled.
He wasn’t entirely certain why the circle rotated vertically rather than horizontally.
But it no longer mattered.
Now that a stable circle had been completed.
The circle would expand on its own without conscious effort, growing to accommodate his body’s needs.
It would naturally expand to the limits that my comprehension allowed.
Of course, deliberately gathering energy would accelerate the process.
But the fact that inner strength accumulated even while sleeping was undoubtedly a tremendous advantage.
“Though this world doesn’t follow the rules I once knew, so growth might stall at some point.”
Well, that was a concern for later.
Ilhyang rose from his seat with elation, opened the window, and gazed outside.
Today, though only a fragment, I had glimpsed one of this world’s rules.
‘Horizontal circles and vertical circles.’
What principle could cause such a phenomenon?
Like the spontaneous generation theory of the Hero and Demon King from the past.
This world seemed to possess some incomprehensible rule as well.
“Regardless, creating a circle without assistance is no small feat.”
As Ilhyang felt the brilliant sunlight and gentle breeze, he checked the passage of time.
Since he had prepared to create the circle,
approximately a full day had passed.
The problem was.
“Ugh, blegh…! This stench is unbearable. I need to bathe immediately.”
The moment the circle completed,
all the waste accumulated in his body had expelled at once, and the odor now emanating from him was quite severe.
An acrid, inescapable stench that assaulted the nostrils.
It rivaled the foul reek from his early days as a beggar.
Enough to make one’s head spin.
Tap-tap-tap—
Ilhyang opened his door and hurried down the stairs.
Inn Server, who had been humming while wiping down the empty Dining Table on the first floor, approached with delighted eyes, nearly wagging his tail.
“Young Master Ilhyang, you’ve finally emerged!”
“Yes, I’m going to the Well to wash up quickly.”
“Oh! No, no! I’ll bring hot water at once!”
“No, really, it’s fine. I’m just uncomfortable right now. Um… I’d prefer you didn’t come too close at the moment.”
“What do you mean by that…? Blegh! What is this! Where is this rotten dog food stench coming from…?”
Inn Server’s face suddenly contorted, and he staggered back two steps.
Ilhyang scratched the back of his head with an awkward expression.
“Sorry, I’ve been sweating profusely. The smell is quite strong, isn’t it?”
Seeing Ilhyang’s embarrassed expression, Inn Server suddenly snapped back to his senses and promptly slapped his own cheek hard.
Crack—
“What a fool I am! My sincerest apologies, Young Master! How dare I presume to— Huff! Huff! Haa~ Young Master’s scent is truly exquisite!”
“….”
Inn Server pressed his face close to Ilhyang’s and suddenly puffed out his chest, drawing in the deepest breath he could manage.
His eyes gleamed as he brilliantly demonstrated his loyalty.
In Inn Server’s own mind, he was performing the most supreme flattery he could muster at that very moment.
But watching this display, Ilhyang’s face began to decay with disgust.
‘This bastard is crazier than I thought….’
I understood well enough that he was going to such lengths because I’d given him a generous tip last time.
For the first time in decades—spanning even my previous life—I felt that shameful emotion: genuine embarrassment and humiliation.
“Huff! Huff! I shall fetch hot water at once, Young Master! Please wait in your chamber! Huff!”
“…No, forget it. Actually, I feel worse now. And stop breathing like that, would you?”
“But why? Your scent is so fragrant….”
“I said stop, you bastard.”
Ilhyang simply wore a twisted expression on his face.
He forcibly pushed the repugnantly clinging Inn Server backward.
“Ah! Young Master! I shall bring hot water right away!”
“Right now! I feel disgusting right now!”
Leaving the fawning Inn Server behind as he clung and pestered,
Ilhyang rushed toward the massive Well behind the Alley.
However.
“This is….”
The Well was far larger than I’d anticipated.
Upon arriving, there were far too many people washing clothes along the water channels flowing from the Well.
Should I have just listened to Inn Server after all?
Regret flickered through my mind for a moment.
But honestly, if I didn’t wash immediately, I felt like I’d collapse from the discomfort.
“This is truly unavoidable.”
It was an emergency.
Ilhyang observed the surroundings carefully,
keeping his distance from the crowd and watching for an opportunity before dashing toward the most deserted section of the Well’s water channels. Then, using a wooden scoop, he drew one scoop of well water and
Splash— Splash—!
yanked off his upper garment and tossed it aside.
He poured the cool well water over himself refreshingly.
He couldn’t bring himself to remove his lower garments, so they became completely soaked. But there was no helping it.
“Tsk, what is he doing?”
“Right? He looks like some young master from a noble household, yet here he is, shamelessly rinsing himself off.”
“But which household’s young master would do such a thing?”
“Who knows. His face is unfamiliar, though?”
Whether the Elderly Women and Maidservants gathered at a distance whispered among themselves or not, it mattered little to me.
Desperate to escape the maddening discomfort, I shut my eyes and ears firmly, then hastened to the next task.
Scrub—scrub—scrub—
I had brought soap from the Prison Chamber, and now I rubbed my upper body vigorously with it.
“Good heavens!”
“Hey! Go wash yourself over there in the corner!”
“My word. I’ve never seen a young master so shameless before.”
“Though I must say, he does have a rather lovely figure. Don’t you think?”
Despite the women’s reproaches and nagging, I maintained an expressionless face and steadfastly completed my objective.
Then I drew another bucket of water and poured it over myself.
Splash—
‘Ah… now I feel somewhat alive again.’
Certainly, my body had felt itchy until moments before. Even this crude washing left me feeling refreshed.
Only then did I notice the unkind gazes from those around me, and I paused briefly.
“I… I apologize. I was simply so uncomfortable…”
“Tsk~ So you do know to feel sorry, it seems?”
“It’s been ages since we’ve seen something so rare. Your skin is as white as tofu, young master—truly a lovely sight.”
“…”
Even before I aged,
my nature had always been rather shameless.
But perhaps because my body had grown younger,
even this light teasing brought embarrassment flooding through me.
Of course, I had caused them no real harm.
Yet stripping my upper body and splashing water about so brazenly in public—I was hardly a savage. Reflecting on it now, I had indeed been inconsiderate.
“I sincerely apologize.”
I bowed respectfully and offered my apology.
The women giggled among themselves and waved their hands dismissively.
“Never mind, just go change your trousers.”
“That’s right. If you were going to undress, you should have gone all the way, young master.”
“Oh my! Then we wouldn’t have been upset at all.”
“What a shame—we could have enjoyed quite the spectacle.”
Leaving their mischievous remarks behind,
I quickly gathered my discarded shirt and hurried back to the Inn.
Then,
“Oh! Young master! If you’ll give me the soiled clothes, I shall wash them at once and return them!”
“Never mind. Attend to your duties.”
Though Inn Server attempted to flatter me once more, I refused and entered my chamber, where I immediately
used fire-attribute magic to dry my entire body cleanly, then sat seriously upon the bed, lost in thought.
‘Sigh… I shouldn’t celebrate merely completing the First Circle. I must reach the Third Circle as quickly as possible.’
Once I reached the Third Circle, I would be able to use Cleanse magic and Laundry magic.
Practical magic was far more advanced than I had initially thought.
Still, I never imagined I would come to desperately need something as simple as a third-circle spell.
Ilhyang recalled what had just transpired and exhaled a light sigh.
Rising from his seat, he opened the door and descended the stairs.
“Young Master! What do you require!”
Seeing Inn Server approach with that characteristic obsequious posture, Ilhyang requested that some simple food be brought to his room.
Of course, he paid in advance the moment he placed the order.
Tip included.
“Leave it to me, Young Master!”
Money truly was effective.
Inn Server dashed toward the Kitchen, immediately shouting the order at Cook while emphasizing that special care was needed.
Using that commotion as background noise,
Ilhyang closed the door once more and sat quietly on the bed.
Should I wash up first, at least?
My mind was working brilliantly.
Thanks to this clarity, I could begin to crystallize the thoughts that kept surfacing.
“The Spirit Realm certainly exists in this world, yet it does not respond. Circles can be formed, but their structure differs.”
These were the rules of this world that I had discerned thus far.
At least I had confirmed two things with certainty.
‘What else could there be?’
Now that I thought about it, the kind Pyeong So-byeok, who no longer existed in this world,
came to mind—specifically, the Heavenly Wolf Qi Cultivation Method he had taught me, the inner power technique of the Pyeong Family.
The Heavenly Wolf Qi Cultivation Method was regarded in Kangho as roughly a mid-to-upper tier inner power technique.
When perfected completely, it was said to elevate one to the pinnacle of mastery.
“The flow of inner power follows the Conception and Governing Vessels….”
A stream of inner power flowing from the dantian
travels from the Baihui point at the crown of the head down to the Huiyin point at the base, passing through the back of the body,
then from the Huiyin point at the base back up to the Baihui point at the head,
completing one grand circulation through the upper and lower body.
Remarkably, when I traced a line following that flow, it formed one great circle.
“Ah… now that I think about it, inner power cultivation is essentially just a circle on a larger scale.”
This was quite an interesting revelation.
It seemed this world’s fundamental mana flow took a vertical form.
And now that I considered it, the human body was structurally capable of drawing a larger circle in the vertical dimension.
The heart was no exception.
‘The heart is larger in the vertical direction.’
Naturally, the circle formed in the heart now would be far larger than the circles I had created in the Lower Dimension.
“Fascinating. Is this what the Higher Dimension is?”
The corners of Ilhyang’s mouth rose ever so slightly.
The satisfaction of having deciphered even a fragment of this world’s fundamental truth filled me with joy.
Just then.
Knock, knock—
“I’ve brought your meal, young master!”
I opened the door.
The Inn Server, who had grown quite familiar to me by now, stood there bowing obsequiously, holding a wooden tray and a small wooden rice container.
I casually tossed a few coins as a tip and turned to leave with the tray, when—
The Inn Server hesitated and opened his mouth.
“Ah, young master.”
“Yes. Speak.”
“There have been kidnappings occurring recently outside the Village, I’m told. I’m sure you’ll be fine, but I thought I should warn you to be careful nonetheless.”
“Kidnappings?”
Suddenly?
Seeing my expression of bewilderment—
The Inn Server lowered his voice and explained in detail.
“Yes. Not long ago, the third son of Butcher Jang disappeared, and there was quite an uproar. The authorities mobilized, but they never caught the culprit. It seems children around ten years old are being targeted specifically. I worry that perhaps you, young master, might fall victim to such misfortune.”
“Hmm….”
It was probably for the money.
Still, I found the Inn Server’s warm-hearted concern, even if feigned, rather commendable.
Days ago, I had casually asked him to inform me if he heard any strange rumors from outside, and this fellow had faithfully remembered and was diligently carrying out the task.
Naturally, I had to reward him for it.
Clink—
I gladly rewarded the commendable Inn Server.
Beyond the initial tip—
I pulled out my coin purse again and tossed him several more coins.
A beaming smile bloomed across the Inn Server’s loyal face.
“Young master! Thank you so much!”
“You be careful too. It’s dangerous, after all.”
“How could I not, young master! Thank you! You finally understand my devotion!”
“Yes, yes. Well done. Now get back to work.”
“Understood!”
The Inn Server disappeared backward with an expression of unbridled delight.
I quietly brought the wooden tray over and carefully arranged the rice container and soup bowl upon the Dining Table, organizing my thoughts.
‘But kidnappings, suddenly?’
Moreover, the fact that the missing children were around ten years old felt oddly suspicious.
It reeked of Man Si-jong or the Heavenly Blood Sect.
That sort of stench was unmistakably present.
After all, I myself had been kidnapped by Man Si-jong not long ago.
‘I should be cautious, certainly.’
But aside from the kidnappings, it felt as though I was overlooking something.
What was it?
A deeply unsettling sensation gnawed at me.
“…What am I missing?”
I pondered for a moment, but nothing came to mind, so I set the thought aside for now.
Instead, I eagerly began consuming the warm meal laid out before me.
I sipped the steaming broth of the dumpling soup.
Through the threads of consciousness connecting me to the Blood Corpse, I began making minute adjustments to the distance between us.

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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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