The Wizard Who Endured the World of Murim - Chapter 16

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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 16
The hidden son of the Magistrate of Giyang.
An Won-myeong.
The harsh reality of his abduction threatened to shatter his mind entirely.
‘No, Father will definitely come to rescue me.’
As the youngest of the family, An Won-myeong had been raised from childhood surrounded by every luxury—the finest foods, the finest garments, wanting for nothing.
His status as the sole son of the Magistrate of Giyang, and
the backing of being the eldest grandson of the An Clan, a family renowned throughout this region—at least within Giyang County—as wealthy landowners.
The environment afforded to An Won-myeong had been more than sufficient since childhood to look down upon others.
‘Father, I’m so scared.’
An Won-myeong jiggled his soft belly as he tried to make sense of his predicament.
On the first day, terror had made him obey his captors’ every command without resistance.
But today, the second day, he was beginning to feel indignant.
Among the other children who could only whimper, his presence stood out far too conspicuously.
‘How dare they?’
Did they not know who I am?
Should I truly be confined in this place alongside such lowborn wretches?
Surely kidnappers ought to treat their hostage well until they receive their ransom?
It was unjust.
So he had ventured to speak up boldly.
Yet what happened?
The kidnappers showed no reaction.
The fear that he might be beaten gradually faded,
and confidence began to take root.
Then one of the lowborn wretches beside him suddenly stirred and began crawling toward him.
Squirm, squirm—
And then.
“Young Master.”
“…Hm? Who are you…?”
The lowborn wretch, his arms still bound, twisted his body with surprising dexterity,
and whispered softly into An Won-myeong’s ear.
“I’ve actually come to rescue you, Young Master.”
“What? Really?”
An Won-myeong was genuinely startled.
Looking at the man’s shabby appearance, there was no way he could have seemed like a rescuer.
And yet.
“Yes. The Magistrate sent me in secret.”
Remarkably, this man knew who his father was.
In that instant, light blazed forth from An Won-myeong’s eyes.
“Father came through after all!”
“Shh! Keep your voice down, please.”
“Ah, understood. No, I understand.”
Ilhyang whispered softly as he observed An Won-myeong, whose dignified bearing was particularly striking, gazing at him with eyes brimming with trust.
“Young Master.”
“Yes.”
“You must listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you.”
“Mm-hmm. Go ahead.”
An Won-myeong had grown quite serious.
He curled his portly frame like a shrimp, concentrating intently on Ilhyang’s words.
The Prison Chamber was quite dark, so their faces were barely visible to each other.
Yet Ilhyang was certain that An Won-myeong was regarding him with the utmost gravity at this very moment.
He would have wagered his life on it.
Indeed, An Won-myeong had shown boundless trust in Ilhyang from the moment they met.
“The iron bracelet on your wrist—might I borrow it for a moment?”
“This? Huh? No, I can’t. Father gave this to me. He said it was made with rare black iron mixed in?”
Resistance colored An Won-myeong’s voice as he subtly drew his arm downward.
Ilhyang spoke swiftly.
“Don’t we need to escape from here first? Your father would applaud you and say well done if you could use it to get away.”
“Oh… is that so? But he said this was a family heirloom?”
“That cannot be. There is no treasure in the An Family more precious than you, Young Master.”
“R-really? I suppose you’re right! You seem to know something!”
To Ilhyang, this delicately raised young master was nothing short of a delectable morsel.
As An Won-myeong eagerly surrendered to Ilhyang’s words and fumbled to remove the bracelet, Ilhyang drew close and removed the iron bracelet himself.
“Now then, shall we prepare to leave, Young Master?”
Escaping was another matter entirely.
But leaving this Prison Chamber was hardly difficult.
“Right. Understood. But what’s your name?”
“My name is Ilhyang.”
“Hmm… I’ve never heard that name before. Still, if you get me out of here, I’ll definitely tell Father and make sure you’re rewarded.”
“Of course.”
As he conversed, Ilhyang pressed one end of the iron bracelet against the floor.
Then, using the full weight of his body, he pressed down hard on the opposite end.
And then—
*Crack.*
The seam of the bracelet bent outward with a sharp protrusion.
Ilhyang used the jagged edge of the protruding metal to begin fraying the rope binding his hands.
*Scritch, scritch.*
From the moment he began cutting the rope with the iron bracelet
to the moment it snapped, barely more time elapsed than a single deep breath.
Ilhyang was something of an expert in such matters.
“Phew.”
If I used mana, there was a chance those creatures would react to it.
So I had no choice but to resort to classical methods.
‘There are other reasons too.’
The mana flow throughout this Prison Chamber was abnormally distorted.
It was clear that something had been tampered with across the entire chamber.
‘It seems like they’ve divided the boundaries with magic circles.’
I’d need to step outside the Door to get a clearer picture of the formation.
Regardless, having quickly regained the freedom of both my hands, Ilhyang immediately picked up the iron bracelet and freed my feet from their restraints as well.
*Snip, snip, snip—*
As I severed the rope binding me.
The oppressive feeling vanished entirely.
All the Young Boys in the chamber watched the entire process through the dim light seeping through the crack in the Door.
“You… you’re really amazing!”
Yang Won-myeong gazed at the suspicious lowborn’s technique before him and found himself genuinely impressed.
So he blurted out something unnecessary.
“Would you like to become my subordinate?”
“…?”
Ilhyang looked at Yang Won-myeong as though he were mad.
But then, realizing the boy’s eyes were filled with pure goodwill, I let out a quiet laugh.
‘He’s going to be a source of funds, so I can’t exactly refuse him.’
Money is a crucial resource in any World.
So I had to overlook this chubby Kid’s nonsensical offer.
“Let’s leave this place first and think about it, Young Master.”
“Okay!”
After I freed Yang Won-myeong’s rope.
The other Kids who had been captured alongside him looked at me with faces brimming with hope.
‘I should free them too.’
When I was first brought here.
I had no choice but to abandon the children who were destined to become sacrifices alongside me.
Back then, I was too busy keeping myself alive.
‘But that’s not the case now.’
Now it seemed like there might be ways to escape if I played this right.
In fact, having more people might actually work in my favor.
With that thought, I approached a grimy Kid nearby to free his rope when.
Suddenly Yang Won-myeong rushed over and blocked my path.
“Hold on!”
“…?”
As Ilhyang tilted my head in confusion.
Yang Won-myeong signaled with his eyes for me to stop.
From the start, he had no intention of staying with these lowborn wretches.
As Ilhyang stared at him with an incredulous expression, Yang Won-myeong opened his mouth.
“Ah, well. If we all escape together, won’t we avoid detection? Just leave these lowborn fools behind.”
That fellow really was something.
His true nature was utterly transparent.
Once the ropes were cut, he’d gained a sense of composure.
Watching Yang Won-myeong suddenly speak with such maturity, Ilhyang nodded readily and replied.
“If that’s what you mean, then having more people escape would actually be better.”
“Why would that be?”
“If we scatter in all directions, those outside won’t be able to pursue us, will they?”
“Oh…?”
This argument carried considerable weight, and Yang Won-myeong nodded immediately.
“Your reasoning is quite sound.”
“Then I’ll free the children.”
“Hmm, you should consider yourselves fortunate.”
“Th-thank you, Young Master.”
Yang Won-myeong stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
He watched from the side as Ilhyang cut the ropes binding the children.
With so many children, it took considerable time to sever all their bonds.
‘Including myself, that makes eighty-two…’
The number of kidnapped children was far greater than expected.
What was fortunate, though, was that whether the children were precocious or simply terrified,
they sniffled quietly without making loud noise or commotion.
“What do we do now?”
Yang Won-myeong asked, keeping his distance from the children.
Ilhyang glanced at the door and spoke.
“Now you must do what you do best, Young Master.”
“What I do best?”
His expression screamed confusion.
Watching Yang Won-myeong’s bewildered face, Ilhyang’s lips curled into a subtle smile.
* * *
“You worthless bastards! Do you know who I am?! You feed me scraps like rat droppings and can’t even provide proper meals at each sitting—does that make sense?! Bring me food, now!”
Boom—
Crash—!
“No food?! Should I just bash my head into the wall and die? Huh? If I die, won’t that be a loss for you?! Huh?!”
Ilhyang stood beside the door,
silently applauding Yang Won-myeong’s magnificent performance.
‘Indeed, those who’ve tasted meat eat it best.’
Certainly, those who’ve thrown tantrums before throw them best.
Yang Won-myeong continued unrelentingly for nearly a quarter hour, hurling curses and insults while wreaking havoc in the chamber.
The other children were simply paralyzed with fear, but only Ilhyang continued to exhale silent admiration.
Then Ilhyang’s eyes brightened.
He could sense the frustration mounting in the conversations of the guards stationed outside.
And then.
‘They’re coming.’
The guards keeping watch outside finally lost patience and began approaching.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Seething with anger, they stormed down the Corridor, snorting heavily.
Seeing this, Ilhyang signaled the children to lie down by pressing his hand flat against the floor.
‘One chance. That’s all I have.’
The mana flow in this Prison Chamber was oddly erratic, it was true.
But if I couldn’t overcome even this, I had no right to call myself an Archmage.
Creak—Slam—!
“You bastard! Do you think this is an Inn? Are you treating this place like your own bedroom?”
A man, his face flushed with rage,
stormed into the Prison Chamber wielding a club, snorting furiously.
A middle-aged man with a face equally crimson followed at his side,
but neither of them noticed Ilhyang lurking in the blind spot beside the Door.
“Why are you only coming now, you wretches? How do you expect to survive on food when you’re so pathetically slow?”
“This crazy bastard—don’t you understand the situation right now?”
The massive figure in front commanded their full attention.
Thanks to that, Ilhyang could easily close in on the guards from behind.
Whoosh—
Ilhyang leaped lightly, and with the sharp protruding edge of his iron bracelet,
he precisely pierced the nape of the middle-aged man’s neck from behind.
“Gack! Grrrrgh!”
Blood fountained from the middle-aged man’s neck as he made a gurgling sound.
“Huh?”
Ilhyang moved swiftly.
He gagged the man with the club, who hadn’t yet grasped the situation,
and dragged his iron bracelet across the man’s throat.
Splash—
Hot blood sprayed forth, and it was over.
Both men lay on the floor without even a scream, their eyes bloodshot as they convulsed.
After granting those wretches a merciful death,
Ilhyang rose to his feet.
“Ugh… gulp.”
Yang Won-myeong, who had been playing the arrogant troublemaker just moments before, swallowed hard, his expression now pale with terror.
“It’s all over, Young Master.”
“Huh? Uh, uh… yes. Right.”
Ilhyang, drenched in blood, looked like a minor demon.
Yet Yang Won-myeong forced himself to maintain an air of composure.
Hiccup—
But his body betrayed his will, convulsing with hiccups, and when he tried to spring to his feet, his legs gave way beneath him and he collapsed back down.
Yang Won-myeong thrashed about ungracefully, desperately attempting to rise.
He looked pitiable, like a newborn fawn struggling to find its footing.
“Are you quite all right, Young Master?”
“Eh? Of course! Naturally I’m fine! No, no need to help me up! Ahahaha!”
His forced laughter caused his lips to twitch involuntarily.
Yet Yang Won-myeong persisted in his attempt to laugh.
Ilhyang, observing him with an unreadable gaze, turned his head toward the children huddled in the corner like refugees and smiled.
“All of you, prepare to leave now. Quickly.”
“…Y-yes!”
The chamber was saturated with the metallic stench of blood so thick it made one’s head spin.
Several children had lost consciousness, their eyes rolled back.
The rest all stared at Ilhyang with terrified expressions, nodding their heads repeatedly.
Regardless of their compliance.
Ilhyang, who had stepped into the corridor to assess the situation.
Suddenly caught the sharp, acrid scent of iron brushing past his nostrils, and he turned his head.
He noticed a distinct wet stain on the spot where Yang Won-myeong had been lying moments before.
“Perhaps… he simply drank far too much wine?”
“…”
It was an absurd excuse.
Yet Ilhyang said nothing further.
He merely gazed toward the end of the corridor, lost in thought.

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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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