The Wizard Who Endured the World of Murim - Chapter 96

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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 96
“Did you really tell him?”
Nacheon Jingun sought out Jeok Yang-jin, lowering his voice as he posed the question.
Jeok Yang-jin, who had been sitting in his office with a somewhat vacant expression, nodded his head.
“So what did he say?”
“Hyeon-ma Jonja said he would accept our Purple Cloud Sect as a Lower Sect.”
“Oh! Is that truly the case!”
“Yes.”
Nacheon Jingun gazed at Jeok Yang-jin with a radiant expression and spoke.
“This is wonderful news indeed. Then, how much tribute should we offer to Hyeon-ma Jonja….”
Tribute.
This was a matter of utmost importance.
It was common knowledge that Lower Sects paid a form of tax and received protection from Upper Sects in return.
For this reason, we had consistently sent tribute to Xuantian Sect until now, and Jeongmyeong Jonja of Xuantian Sect had found the Purple Cloud Sect, which behaved so perceptively, far more commendable than other Lower Sects.
That amount was typically half of the entire sect’s annual revenue.
“He didn’t demand anything….”
“What?”
He wasn’t asking for tribute?
Nacheon Jingun’s pupils trembled.
Not accepting tribute meant—
Wasn’t that the same as refusing to take responsibility?
Reading Nacheon Jingun’s expression, Jeok Yang-jin shook his head.
“Instead, there was a condition.”
“Ah… I see. Do we need to provide direct service then?”
Of course that would be it.
Was he seeking manpower mobilization rather than money? As Nacheon Jingun nodded while thinking this through—
Jeok Yang-jin opened his mouth.
“He said to become stronger yourselves. Definitively stronger than you are now. You must surpass the Minor Realm within at least ten years, he said.”
“…What? That’s what Hyeon-ma Jonja demanded?”
“Yes. That is all. He said to show concrete results. Prove it through becoming stronger.”
“Hmm….”
What is this?
If that’s what he’s demanding, why would he even bother accepting a Lower Sect in the first place?
The reason Upper Sects accepted Lower Sects was remarkably simple and straightforward.
They needed subordinates to handle troublesome matters on their behalf.
And they received regular tributes as well.
But in exchange, they had to protect the Lower Sect reliably.
This was a kind of bilateral contract.
Yet he would provide protection without receiving anything in return?
“Moreover, he gave us this as well.”
“What on earth… Gasp! Isn’t this a Primordial Essence Pill!”
Primordial Essence Pill.
When one reached the Wonyeonggi stage.
It was one of the most essential spiritual medicines.
To properly cultivate and strengthen one’s Primordial Essence, it was a spiritual medicine one absolutely had to consume.
Each pill cost more than five hundred high-grade spirit stones.
And here were ten small vials of them.
“This is Nacheon Jingun’s share. The Jonja said to deliver it directly.”
“Ah….”
Ten small vials containing Primordial Essence Pills.
Since each small vial typically held ten pills, that meant a total of one hundred Primordial Essence Pills.
“He said to strengthen your abilities since he plans to use you for something important in the future.”
“…You’re quite an unusual person.”
Upper sects did sometimes mobilize lower sects for combat.
But even when mobilized for actual warfare or battle, they never prepared spiritual medicines in advance like this.
And they weren’t even of the same Blood Clan.
Since this was his first such experience, Nacheon Jingun felt something beyond mere bewilderment—a strange, almost eerie emotion.
“He’s a good man. Suddenly I feel renewed motivation to cultivate.”
Snapping back to attention at Jeok Yang-jin’s response, Nacheon Jingun quickly nodded in agreement.
Though his new superior had appeared suddenly, the situation was proving quite favorable so far.
* * *
After handling matters in the Upper Realm, Ilhyang descended to the Lower Realm only to be greeted by torrential rain pouring down relentlessly.
And there was Gong Jeol-gang, looking like a drowned rat, desperately weaving magic to reinforce the embankments.
“The river is flooding.”
Roooaaarrr—
The Black Dragon Faction’s outpost was located where Sungwha Island stood, on the Liu Chang River.
Traditionally, massive floods occurred there every few years at the beginning of summer.
In truth, unless one occupied the highlands of Sungwha Island—the elevated areas—it wasn’t a suitable location for an outpost.
When the river flooded, the lowlands were submerged as a matter of course, and the dock area they’d painstakingly constructed was buried under sand and mud.
Now was precisely such a time.
The beginning of monsoon season, when the river flooded once every few years.
“I’ve arrived at just the right moment.”
Whether this was good fortune or bad.
Ilhyang stood atop the Magic Tower, watching Gong Jeol-gang curse and direct operations on the ground, then flicked his finger lightly.
Then a miracle occurred.
The thick gray sky split open, and warm sunlight poured down onto the site where visibility had been nearly impossible.
The Water Bandits and Celestial Watchers, along with the common folk hired to provide labor, all gazed blankly at the rays of light streaming through the split sky.
And through those rays of light, Ilhyang descended leisurely as if climbing down stairs, and spoke.
“The river will not flood anymore. I have decided it so.”
That was all.
With those words, the river that had been surging wildly beyond the embankment moments before suddenly stilled, receding into the distance like a retreating tide.
It was a miracle of the divine.
Even Gong Jeol-gang, who had studied magic, could scarcely breathe as he witnessed the miracle unfolding before his eyes, his gaze fixed upon his Master.
“You’ve worked hard. Everyone, go inside and rest.”
With those words, Ilhyang signaled Gong Jeol-gang with a glance to follow him.
He also instructed Bing Baek Ma-gun Gu Sang-hak and Hyeol Yeommaggun Goecheol to enter the Magic Tower as well.
The three men, thoroughly drenched from battling the natural disaster of the flood, swallowed hard at the magnificent spectacle they had witnessed, then followed Ilhyang into the Magic Tower.
They found him at the very top of the Magic Tower, fiddling with a small stone tower model.
“Of all times, this had to happen while I was away. Unlucky. I forgot about expanding and repairing the Magic Circle.”
Gong Jeol-gang shook his head with a startled expression at his Master’s complaint.
“No, Master. The weather and environmental control magic performed their role sufficiently. Without it, the damage would have been far greater.”
Normally, a flood of this magnitude would have submerged nearly all of Sungwha Island.
But the weather magic and environmental control magic operating near the Magic Tower had mitigated the situation enough to allow some breathing room.
Of course, even that had quickly reached its limits.
I was grateful it had at least allowed some struggle against the tide.
I heard that this flood was particularly severe, submerging all the Riverside Villages.
“Fifth-circle magic would have been the limit at that level.”
It was the best I could do then, but not anymore.
Ilhyang gestured once more, stirring the mana around the Magic Tower to reinforce the Magic Circle.
Rumble—
With a brief tremor, the Magic Circle underwent simultaneous refinement and reinforcement.
With this, natural disasters would never occur in this surrounding area again.
Gong Jeol-gang, who understood precisely what had just transpired, let out a low exclamation.
Bing Baek Ma-gun and Hyeol Yeommaggun didn’t fully comprehend what had happened, but they trembled slightly at the enormous force that had swept through their surroundings.
It was doubtful whether the young man before them was even human.
“Now we have the basic preparations to ascend to the Upper Realm.”
Ilhyang showed them a black stone tower model, no larger than an adult man’s palm, resting on the table.
The three gazed upon it with expressions full of curiosity.
“In this world, they call this a Celestial Ascension Vessel.”
A dimensional barrier.
Or rather, a magical artifact designed to traverse the boundaries between worlds.
Usually they took the form of ships or carriages.
But what Ilhyang had brought was uniquely shaped like a stone tower.
“I prefer this form. Its name is the Black Dragon Tower.”
In truth, the appearance of a Celestial Ascension Vessel wasn’t particularly important.
Performance was what mattered.
Since arriving in this world, I had encountered numerous forbidden techniques for crafting magical artifacts, and by combining them with artifact knowledge I already possessed, I was creating new items.
“This Black Dragon Tower—its performance is extraordinary. Normally, if one lacks the qualifications for Celestial Ascension, the Heavenly Tribulation descends. But this vessel converts even such external attacks into fuel, allowing it to traverse dimensions.”
At some point, Gong Jeol-gang had begun gazing at the Celestial Ascension Vessel with a half-entranced expression.
To others, it would have been merely a dull stone tower model.
Gong Jeol-gang’s eyes perceived it with crystalline clarity.
“An extraordinary number of runes are layered upon one another. How did you manage to inscribe so many intricate lines in such a confined space… without each one interfering with the others? The spacing is absolutely exquisite.”
“Ah! Actually, the method is surprisingly simple. You just enlarge the object you’re inscribing to the size of a building. This is….”
As Ilhyang imparted this simple lesson to Gong Jeol-gang.
A subtle presence approached between Bing Baek Ma-gun Gu Sang-hak and Hyeol Yeommaggun Goecheol.
[So we just need to ascend to the Upper Realm now?]
“Yes. You’ve arrived. How are the preparations coming along?”
Geumok.
The red fox with four tails gazed at Ilhyang, her adorable cheeks quivering as she opened her mouth.
[Cheonho scattered all the seeds he mentioned. Now countless demon beasts will be born in the Lower Realm as well.]
“That’s good to hear.”
I needed far more demon beasts in the Lower Realm than in the Upper Realm.
In the Upper Realm, they were devoured or absorbed by other demon beasts far too often before they could properly mature, but the Lower Realm carried relatively less of that danger.
Of course, there existed the peril of humans hunting demon beasts.
Even accounting for that, the ecosystem itself was far safer in the Lower Realm.
[Cheonho is waiting for you. He asked me to tell you he misses you.]
Geumok relayed Cheonho’s message in a somewhat blunt tone for some reason.
Ilhyang simply nodded lightly before turning his gaze back to those before him.
“Then have the ones who will be moving to the Demon Immortal Realm prepared.”
“I’ve already delivered all the messages.”
“We need only depart, Lord Ilhyang.”
“I see.”
Everyone was conversing with expressions that seemed to throb with anticipation when Gong Jeol-gang suddenly spoke as if remembering something.
“Ah! Master. The Seventh Princess has left the island.”
“Has she? That was faster than I expected.”
Upon hearing that the Seventh Princess had departed Sungwha Island, I felt no particular emotion.
There was nothing left for us to exchange with one another.
Only the sentiment that a dependent had vanished remained.
“Gather the ones according to the criteria I mentioned before. We ascend to the Upper Realm tonight.”
“Hehe, at last….”
As Bing Baek Ma-gun Gu Sang-hak and Hyeol Yeommaggun Goecheol hastily transmitted messages to their subordinates.
Ilhyang casually tossed the Black Dragon Tower out the window of the Magic Tower.
Then the Black Dragon Tower, which had been falling away from the Magic Tower, suddenly began transforming into a colossal stone pagoda.
Kuuuuung—!
“Wow… this is the Giant Spirit Technique you mentioned, Master!”
“It’s merely the most basic fifth-circle magic—Magnification. A spell with surprisingly versatile applications.”
Ilhyang gazed at the Black Dragon Tower, whose peak now towered above even the ten-story Magic Tower, and grinned wickedly.
“Once everyone boards and ascends to the Upper Realm, it should prove quite entertaining.”
My plan was to first pour the humans of the Lower Realm into the Demon Immortal Realm.
And then, likewise, into the Immortal Celestial Realm.
The Lower Realm lacked spiritual essence, so the plan was to mobilize all humans who would normally be incapable of ascension and unleash them.
‘Once the people of the Lower Realm begin flowing into the Upper Realm, how will they react?’
Ilhyang was certain of one thing.
The Administrators would undoubtedly respond to this incident in some way.
Just as they had across the Seven Continents.
They would be observing the world’s changes.
And they would never overlook unintended transformations.
Ilhyang was waiting for the precise moment when the Administrators would actively intervene in the world.

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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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