Chapter 60: Hio the Mixed Stew Magician

The brilliant white light wrapping around his body faded away.

As he slowly opened his eyes, what appeared before him was—

“Welcome back!”

A ghost flying around frantically, eyes darting in every direction. It was Furnel.

How long had it been since they faced each other like this?

Furnel fluttered about excitedly like a pesky fly, so Hio waved his hand dismissively.

“Yeah. It’s been a while.”

Though he’d heard that voice countless times before, seeing the face made him feel genuinely glad.

“Welcome to my Mage’s Tower! Now, let’s go break through the 3rd Circle boundary!”

“…Since when did this become your personal Mage’s Tower?”

“Heh heh heh. Since I live here alone, it’s mine. Hurry up and raise your Circle. You’ll need to loosen the lock on the portal when you move through it. Besides, I want to show you the new rooms.”

“So that was the reason.”

No matter the reason, as long as the purpose is the same, it’s fine.

Hio turned back and looked at the portal again.

“Have you made your decision? The Path of the Magician.”

At the formal Magician stage, one must choose their path.

It’s a necessary choice for smooth growth.

“You’re blessed, though. Usually, there’s no choice—you just follow what’s given. It depends on who you learned magic from and which magic you started with. That’s why it’s important to have a good teacher.”

He placed his hand on the portal, infusing it with mana.

“I have something in mind… but let’s make one more Circle first. We’ll talk after I reach the 3rd Circle.”

「Confirmed mana level: 2nd Circle.」

「There are a total of four accessible regions.」

「Selected: Mage’s Tower Floor 102 – Apprentice Magic Training Room (Temporary).」

「Portal activating.」

First, he had to reach the 3rd Circle, then discuss with Furnel whether his plan was feasible.

“We usually classify skills by rank: low, middle, high, and finally top-tier.”

Sirbert’s lecture hall buzzed with students as always.

“But those are broad categories. It’s hard to express exactly where your skill stands within them. So, we need a more detailed ranking.”

This was why Sirbert’s lectures were so popular.

Unlike other practical professors who barked orders, his explanations were clear and thorough.

“You can think of skill ranks as having sub-levels.”

High-1, High-2, High-3—this explained why skills at the same ‘high’ rank could vary greatly in strength.

“These differences widen as skills progress from low to middle, and middle to high. That’s why it’s crucial to know exactly where you stand—how strong you are, and what you can accomplish.”

Which meant—

“Next week is practical training.”

There’s no better way to gauge your position than actual practice.

The classroom buzzed—some excited, some nervous, some worried, others confident.

Leaving behind the noisy room, Sirbert stepped out into the hallway.

Though the ‘practical training’ was just a mock battle within the Academy grounds…

Even that was enough for talented students to improve rapidly.

‘For example, Claire or Roland aren’t bad cases.’

There were many gifted students—actually, all enrolled were talented.

But just as there are sub-levels within the top skill rank, differences existed even among these talented individuals.

Sirbert regarded Claire as the very best.

While walking the hall, “Professor.”

Assistant Professor Hoppen called out.

Sirbert was just looking for him, so he greeted him warmly.

“Ah, Hoppen. Glad you came.”

Standing in the hallway, they began their conversation.

“About next week’s mock battle—I told Professor Alkmion from my knight department, so you should talk with his assistant professor.”

“Ah… I see.”

Hoppen’s dazed reply made Sirbert frown.

He’d always been sharp, but lately seemed a bit sluggish.

Probably time for a talk.

“Well, let’s do that then… take care.”

As Sirbert turned to leave,

“Professor Sirbert?”

Hoppen’s voice called again.

“What? You have more to say?”

Sirbert turned and saw Hoppen smiling.

“Well… um.”

Hoppen hesitated, then shook his head.

“Nothing, Professor.”

Sirbert frowned openly, irritated.

“Ha… get your head straight. You’ve been out of it lately.”

“Yes, sorry.”

“I’m really heading off now—come find me if you remember anything.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

Receiving Hoppen’s farewell, Sirbert headed back to his room.

Lately, his mind seemed elsewhere, and even his work was affected.

Maybe he’d gotten a girlfriend or something…

As he walked, a thought struck him.

‘Did Hoppen say “please go ahead” before?’

He paused, unsure.

“Maybe yes, maybe no.”

‘Does it even matter? I have enough to do.’

He shrugged off the thought and kept walking, burdened with many worries and tasks.

Watching him leave, Hoppen turned his back.

“Kek…”

A wide grin twisted his mouth and eyes.

“Almost asked if the supreme demon lord had disappeared.”

His eyes were faintly tinted pink.

“No, was it Hio Pavlenko?”

Muttering to himself, Hoppen’s smile faded instantly.

His eyes returned to their usual brown from pink.

He glanced around, bewildered, then went back to work.

***

The scattered mana within his body gathered tightly together.

The third Circle’s mana—greater than the combined total of the previous two Circles.

The power of the Circle Inscription that gripped and rotated that vast amount firmly.

“The third ring is complete.”

He had reached the 3rd Circle.

“The clumsy magician who once just slammed inscriptions into his chest was now a proper formal Magician. How did it feel?”

Exhaling, he slowly opened his eyes.

“What feeling? I’m just eager to learn more magic.”

“Heh heh heh. A textbook answer for a magician.”

The slowly rotating third Circle was undeniably weighty.

Just having the third ring gave a much more stable feeling.

“The stability is different, right? They don’t call it a formal magician for nothing.”

“Definitely.”

Furnel chuckled as if he was pleased.

His smile stretched from the corners of his mouth to the top of his head.

“Don’t smile so strangely.”

“Heh heh heh. It’s a good day—what’s wrong with that? Anyway, now tell me your future direction as a magician.”

No need to explain the importance of this choice.

Your future depends on which path you take.

There was no choice but to be cautious.

So he was even more confident in this decision.

First—

Ignoring Furnel’s curious gaze, he headed toward the portal.

“Necromancy.”

His first choice was Necromancer.

“Ooooh!”

Furnel’s voice, more excited than ever, echoed in his mind.

“You really have good taste! There’s no better magic than Necromancy! Heh heh heh heh!”

“Well, that’s part of it…”

There were multiple reasons.

The biggest one was—

“Nkingki.”

The darkness filled the room at his call.

A reaper faintly appearing like death itself.

Known as Nkingki.

“Nkingki, you’re scary.”

At those words, the figure shrank.

Hio smiled watching the tiny reaper.

“Aww, how cute.”

Nkingki!

The synergy between Nkingki and Necromancy was almost broken.

Nkingki continuously replenished death energy and mana. The more enemies there were, the stronger it became.

Necromancy had the same characteristic—getting stronger with more death energy, mana, and enemies.

Being able to use both together meant that being overwhelmed by numbers was no longer a problem.

Recalling the endless waves of Abyss Monsters in the game, this was an essential power.

“Come here, Nkingki.”

He lifted Nkingki onto his hand and stroked its head. The little reaper chirped happily.

After a moment of petting, Hio turned to look at Furnel.

Furnel’s eyes sparkled with eager anticipation as he looked at the place ahead.

…The real second reason was the ghost he couldn’t admit.

“Heh heh heh heh! I knew it!”

“Sigh…”

Despite the shabby state, at least one remaining teacher was a Necromancer.

There were things he couldn’t learn from books but could from a teacher, and the speed of learning would be noticeably different.

Furnel could advise on other high Circle magics, but couldn’t teach them.

“Well, that’s why I chose Necromancy.”

“I see. What about the rest? I’m an open teacher, so I won’t stop you from learning magic from other schools.”

“Ghost or not, you don’t refuse?”

Furnel, suddenly lost for words, continued after a pause.

“…Anyway, including Necromancy, you’ll pick three, maybe four if you push it. Some legendary archmages focused obsessively on one, but most geniuses mastered two or more. You have enough qualifications for that.”

“Other magic, huh…”

This was where the problem started.

What else should he add?

There were too many attractive magics.

Illusion Magic, for example.

Without Nkingki, maybe he and Furnel would’ve chosen Illusion Magic instead.

Illusion Magic confuses and bewilders enemies.

In other words, flashy magic.

Plus, it matched Hio’s traits perfectly when thinking about “can’t live without style” and “everything’s doubled.”

Still, focusing only on Illusion Magic felt lacking.

‘What about the four elemental magics?’

Metal Magic, Summoning Magic.

The difficult Chronomancy that controls time.

Shadow Magic, Psychromancy, Transmutation Magic, Protective Magic, Nature Magic.

Among all these tempting magics, why pick only two?

So, Hio’s plan was—

“I’ll learn them all.”

Of course, learning every type of magic was astronomically inefficient.

Each new magic required learning and engraving new Circle Inscriptions, which rarely overlapped with others.

But considering his hidden trait, mastering all types was the most efficient approach.

Focusing deeply on one or two magics would lead to similar evolved skills.

So learning a wide variety and acquiring many top-tier skills across the board was his idea.

“…I understand what you mean, but—”

Furnel furrowed his brow.

Even though he was just a ghost.

Learning all is impossible. Circle Inscriptions aren’t infinitely engravable. There’s a limit.

If you go around carving inscriptions recklessly, what happens?

It’s obvious.

“You won’t be able to engrave any more once you reach the high Circle.”

“Meaning you can’t learn high-level magic.”

“Of course I thought of that. That’s why…”

His compromise plan.

“Just pick and learn one really necessary magic at a time. Skip the ambiguous ones.”

Control the number of inscriptions and select only the really useful magics.

That was Hio’s compromise plan, and only he could attempt it.

He could come and go freely from the Mage’s Tower without worrying about other magicians’ eyes.

In an era where magic was lost, he alone could learn it.

Blessed with a genius trait for mana sensitivity.

Only Hio Pavlenko could do it.

“Such…”

Furnel was at a loss for words at Hio’s bold ambition.

After a moment’s thought, Somehow, I don’t like it, but it doesn’t seem impossible.

He reluctantly admitted.

“Heh heh heh heh…”

Then he let out a hollow laugh.

A way of magic never considered before. A true mixed stew magician.

Picking only the tastiest bits here and there to put together a stew.

Hio grinned and approached the portal.

“Well, whatever.”

Mixed stew, jjamppong, or pig’s porridge—what did it matter?

“If it tastes good, that’s all that matters.”

He was confident he could enjoy it more than anyone else.

Placing his hand on the portal, he breathed mana into it.

「Confirmed mana level: 3rd Circle.」

「There are a total of twenty-one accessible regions.」

「Mage’s Tower Floor 101 – Novice Magic Training Room (Temporary).」

「Mage’s Tower Floor 102 – Apprentice Magic Training Room (Temporary).」

「Mage’s Tower Floor 103 – Formal Magic Training Room (Temporary).」

「Berden Southern Region Independent Base (3) – Mage’s House.」

「Berden Southern Region Necromancer Branch (2) – Mage’s House.」

「Imenia Magic University (1) – Mage’s House.」

「Mage’s Tower Floor 110 – Necromancy Training and Practice Room.」

「Mage’s Tower Floor 111 – Elemental Mage (Fire) Training and Practice Room.」

「Mage’s Tower Floor 112 – Elemental Mage (Earth) Training and Practice Room.」

「Mage’s Tower Floor 113 – Elemental Mage (Wind) Training and Practice Room.」

「Mage’s Tower Floor 126 – Chronomancy Training and Practice Room.」

The number of accessible locations was already different from when he was at the 2nd Circle.

“Let’s visit each one and see if there’s anything tasty.”

It meant he had grown and become stronger as a magician.

He felt quite accomplished.

「Selected: Mage’s Tower Floor 110 – ‘Necromancy Training and Practice Room.’」

「Portal activating.」