The Wizard Who Endured the World of Murim - Chapter 83

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

Surviving in the Martial Realm as a Mage: Episode 83
“Is that really the same Kid from back then?”
A familiar one-eyed face.
Ilhyang smiled as he observed Hak In-bo, whose single remaining eye had widened in astonishment.
“It’s been a long time, Hak Dae-hyeop.”
“How is it possible for someone to grow so much in less than a year?”
“I suppose good food and proper rest work wonders.”
I never expected to meet Hak In-bo again—the one-eyed man I’d worked with on that cooperative request back in Giyang County, handling the kidnapping case involving the County Magistrate’s hidden son.
And Yu Jeong-ui, who approached warmly from behind in scholar’s attire, was equally unexpected to see.
“We truly didn’t recognize you. Even after hearing your name, we weren’t entirely sure it was you.”
“Seriously, I had no idea it was you.”
“But is it true that you’ve become the Black Dragon Master?”
One-Eared Go An-jeok and Gyeong Hap-gi, missing two fingers.
Hak In-bo’s group still moved about as a unit of four.
Fortunately, they all appeared healthy and uninjured.
“I became the Black Dragon Master somewhat unexpectedly.”
“Excellent! So the Black Dragon Gang truly dominates the Yangtze River!”
“Say, could you let me ride on one of your ships sometime? I’ve never been on a Water Bandit vessel before.”
“Stop spouting nonsense, you one-eared fool. What kind of ridiculous request is that to make of a faction leader!”
“What? I mean, is that… not appropriate?”
As Hak In-bo rebuked Go An-jeok, I felt the gazes of other Ronin Guild members nearby darting furtively in our direction.
Now that I thought about it, the Ronin Guild members had been keeping their distance from Mak Chung, unable to even approach him.
Realizing I should vacate the area promptly, Ilhyang turned his head to look at Mak Chung.
“I’ll be staying at the Manseok Inn for today. If you decide what you want, just let me know by tomorrow. If you haven’t decided by then, you’ll need to contact the Black Dragon Gang separately.”
“Understood, Black Dragon Master.”
As Mak Chung reluctantly nodded, Ilhyang offered a faint smile and exchanged a silent greeting with Hak In-bo’s group before stepping outside.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been here.’
Bathed in the warm spring sunlight, Ilhyang slowly departed from the Wanderer’s Guild Branch and made his way toward the Manseok Inn.
The path to the Manseok Inn remained crowded with people, brimming with vitality.
Simply observing the crowds as I walked filled me with a sense of liveliness.
‘He asked if I would turn people into elixirs, didn’t he?’
Namgung Jincheon, the Sword King of the Namgung Clan.
He said the reason he stood in Ilhyang’s way was because of the Celestial Watchers’ brutal and merciless actions.
Gathering people and turning them into elixirs.
Those madmen who even sought to transform souls into pills.
He claimed that people like himself existed precisely to prevent such beings from emerging into the world and committing atrocities.
‘The justification sounds reasonable enough.’
To be honest, Ilhyang himself—
—was not particularly fond of the Celestial Watchers.
Their view of humans as living sacrifices was something that genuinely irritated me.
So I told Namgung Jincheon I would help him in a different way.
‘If he sends me to the Upper Realm, I’ll figure something out.’
In the Lower Realm, no matter how talented a martial artist might be, they could never surpass the Hwagyeong stage.
‘The absolute amount of mana one could absorb was fundamentally limited.’
But what if those talented martial artists ascended to the Upper Realm?
In the Upper Realm, 3rd Realm Spirit Veins were scattered about like pebbles underfoot, and 4th Realm Spirit Veins appeared with reasonable frequency as well.
‘If martial artists trained there, they might be able to reach even higher stages.’
The Profound Realm.
In the terminology of the Seven Continents, it would be called Grand Sword Master.
Might someone actually reach that level?
If I had to guess, a master of the Profound Realm would probably be at the level of Original Force Technique, beyond Decisive Force.
*Swish*
As I continued these thoughts and pushed aside the curtain of the Manseok Inn to step inside.
The familiar small-framed Inn Server was diligently wiping down a dining table with a cloth, and upon noticing me, he bowed at the waist before speaking.
“Welcome! Will you be dining with us, or would you prefer lodging?”
“Both. And bring me hot water for washing.”
“Ah, so for everything the price would be… wait? What? Could it be Young Master Ilhyang?”
When I reached the 6th Circle, my body suddenly grew, which is why Hak In-bo and his companions didn’t recognize me immediately.
But the Inn Server’s eye for detail was apparently sharp enough to identify me at once.
I was slightly surprised, but hiding my astonishment, I nodded my head.
The Inn Server.
Poil’s face suddenly crumpled with emotion as he rushed over, reaching out his hand before stopping short and speaking.
“Why have you only just arrived, Young Master! You don’t know how desperately your most beloved younger brother has been waiting for you!”
“…Me? Why?”
Had I left something with him to look after?
“Why, because you’ve achieved great success, Young Master! Hehe, this younger brother always believed you would surely return in glory! At last I have a wealthy older brother! An older brother I can boast about to others!”
“…Just bring me roasted duck.”
“Yes! Right away!”
After he disappeared into the kitchen, I found myself relaxing somehow, my gaze sweeping across the interior of the inn.
Nothing here had changed.
Just as it had been on that first day when I arrived filthy and ate my meal in haste.
The stains on the tables remained the same.
The scratches on the walls were likewise unchanged.
For a moment, I stood dazed in this place with the same air and same backdrop as before, my gaze fixed on my surroundings, when I tilted my head in confusion.
‘What is this? Have I experienced something similar somewhere?’
For some reason, a powerful sense of déjà vu washed over me.
The scene was different, but.
Some familiar emotion suddenly surged up, making my chest flutter with an inexplicable feeling.
‘Again.’
I couldn’t recall exactly when, where, or with whom I had experienced this memory.
A strange sensation—only one emotion remained vivid while everything else faded away.
Tap—tap—!
I tapped the Dining Table lightly with my finger, concentrating deeper on the lingering emotion.
Then everything else dissolved, leaving only the granules that had settled to the Ground.
From the emotion embedded within them came a heaviness whose depth I could not fathom.
My mind grew turbulent.
‘A portion of my memory has been lost? Without my knowledge? When? How is that even possible?’
The higher a mage’s level rises, the more terrifyingly thick their mental barriers become.
Ordinary methods could never breach such a barrier.
Compared to penetrating a mental barrier,
it would be far easier to simply sever the neck physically.
At minimum, a difference of 3 Circles or more was required to even attempt memory manipulation.
A mage’s mental barrier boasted overwhelming defensive power.
That terrifying scourge of humanity.
Even Demon King Shabranick, who had just reached the 7th Circle at the time, ultimately failed to breach Trevallion’s mental barrier.
‘Yet there is clearly a gap in my memory.’
When did this void first appear?
Could it have been after reaching the 8th Circle?
Did there exist a mage in this world capable of subduing myself at that time and manipulating or erasing my memories?
If such a being existed, it could be nothing short of a ‘god’….
“Ah….”
“Your roasted duck has arrived, Master! The head chef personally selected the finest ingredients and prepared this special roasted duck with great care!”
“….”
Staring blankly at the roasted duck with steam rising from it,
Ilhyang’s expression suddenly turned bewildered.
“Master?”
“Ah… yes, I’m here.”
After paying the Inn Server with silver coins and the meal price as a tip, he began dancing with delight. But such a ridiculous sight never entered Ilhyang’s vision at all.
‘This is not merely a memory loss.’
Even if memory manipulation or erasure had occurred,
everything should have returned upon reaching the 8th Circle.
But it did not,
which meant one thing.
‘I willingly surrendered my memories through a deal!’
Not through another’s interference,
but if I myself had directly carved out and surrendered a portion of my memories?
And there was one god-like entity capable of making such a transaction.
“Manmulsang again….”
The likelihood of having made a deal with that being was highest.
That being preferred transactions beyond mere material goods visible to the eye.
He had demanded memories, emotions, or a portion of their lifespan—and taken them.
Or perhaps he had taken a part of their body instead.
‘That bastard definitely took my memories.’
But what value did those memories hold?
What had I received in exchange?
Given how heavy even these fragmented shards of memory—stripped of everything but emotion—felt, these were no ordinary recollections.
Curiosity surged through me.
In this moment, Ilhyang had already decided what he needed to settle first with Manmulsang.
‘First, I’ll finish what needs to be done here.’
When I meet Manmulsang again, I’ll have to ask what the conditions are for recovering my memories.
Will he try to deny it?
That doesn’t seem likely.
I needed to understand this gap more clearly and comprehensively.
‘Fortunately, tiny fragments remain scattered around the edges of the lost memories.’
Ilhyang furrowed his brow.
Even these fragmented memories were hazy in their identity.
As if under some form of cognitive suppression magic, I had to concentrate intensely just to glimpse fragments of the memories.
‘How in the world could memories be excised so perfectly?’
The result was far too omnipotent to be called mere magic.
Moreover, from what I could discern, the erased memories seemed to span a considerable stretch of time.
It didn’t appear to be merely a few months or years that had vanished.
‘And besides.’
Trevallion recalled scenes of himself living among people of unknown origin, rubbing shoulders with them.
Not as the great archmage who had defeated the Demon King, but as if he were a poor painter in some city alleyway.
Fragmented images surfaced of him painting and living somewhere in a major city.
And that was all.
No further fragments of memory remained.
‘My head is spinning.’
Ilhyang barely touched the roasted duck before rising from his seat.
Poil then rushed over and spoke.
“Shall I bring hot water, Young Master?”
“No. Never mind.”
I just wanted to lie down and rest.
My head throbbed.
Though it had been a long time since he’d been here, Ilhyang climbed the staircase with familiar ease.
‘I want to rest.’
That was all Ilhyang could think before he stumbled and slipped on the staircase.

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