Chapter 6: Deculein (5)

Chapter 6: Deculein (5)

When I returned home, the servants were already waiting in the mansion's garden.

“Shall we prepare your meal, master?” a butler asked.

I stepped out of the car and stood quietly for a moment, gazing up at the sky. The setting sun cast a glow over the moon and its satellites, while the clouds spread like paint on a palette. It was a scene straight out of fantasy.

“Sir...?” the butler asked, extending his arm to take my coat.

“Yes?” I responded.

“Shall we prepare a—”

“I'll skip it,” I replied.

I entered the mansion and went upstairs to my room. I didn't feel tired or exhausted at all.

───────

[Iron Man]

◆ Grade:

Unique

◆ Description:

Innate physical abilities and attributes.

The potential of the body is of the highest caliber.

───────

Among the various attributes I had added for fun, Iron Man was one of them. Because of this, my physical fatigue was minimal and my mana recovery speed was high. However, I did feel some mental fatigue, so I decided to take a shower. With my Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, taking a bath was both a joy and a form of recovery.

After a thorough shower, I sat in the reading chair in the study and took out one of the magic books that Allen had borrowed, the Basic Manipulation Magic.

Today, I decided to learn Telekinesis, a type of manipulation magic closely related to Qi-Controlled Levitating Blades.

Since I wasn't originally Deculein, I had none of his accumulated magical achievements.

As a mage, my foundation was nearly barren. Nonetheless, my overflowing confidence came from my Comprehension attribute. Without a word, I opened the book with a steady, unwavering posture.

Introduction: The Value and Significance of Manipulation Magic

The hefty book contained only four chapters—Basic Wind Manipulation, Basic Rainfall Manipulation, Basic Disguise, and Basic Telekinesis. Of course, I skipped straight to the chapter on basic telekinesis.

“What if I inscribe the magic circle on my entire body?”

In this universe, several fundamental principles of magic existed. One of the most prominent was that the larger the magic circle, the more powerful it became.

“If that’s the case...”

With my Comprehension attribute, if I could understand my entire body and inscribe the magic circle not only on my brain or heart but across my entire body it would become extremely powerful.

“... It might be worth a try.”

Of course, this would strain my body, and I couldn’t predict what kind of side effects it would have, though I was sure there would be some. With that in mind, however, I had the Iron Man attribute. Physically forcing my body to remember the spell was definitely a crazy endeavor, but thanks to this attribute, it was actually possible.

Excited by the possibility, I took some deep breaths to calm down. With 800 mana remaining, I decided it was enough for a test. I activated Comprehension and let my mana flow through my entire body.

Excruciating pain surged through my body. It felt as if my bones and muscles were being smashed by a hammer, then twisted and torn apart. The pain was intense beyond comparison.

Crack...! Crunch...!

The sounds came from my body. My joints twisted, my heart was breaking, and my ribs cracked, stabbing into my lungs. At least, that's the best way to describe how it felt. Despite the intense pain, this body didn't moan or bite its lips. I couldn't stop the sweat, but my back remained straight.

A posture of utmost composure, an unyielding mind, and inherent dignity. This almost insane level of nobility and aristocratic ego allowed for the most fundamental understanding of oneself.

I meticulously controlled the mana in my body, directing it through my veins. I imbued my entire being with my will, inscribing the telekinesis spell not just in my heart but in my muscles, bones, and organs.

Snap!

Finally, it sounded as if something had broken and a wave of weakness washed over me. I had failed. My mana was exhausted, and my Comprehension ceased. I slowly opened my eyes. My entire body was burning with rashes, redness, and itching. Of course, I didn't scratch because it would be beneath my dignity.

“... I’ll continue later.”

[Mana: 1 / 3,375]

I had failed due to a lack of mana, managing to inscribe only a small part of the spell on my shoulder. Fortunately, this process didn't require starting over from scratch. It was a sequential process. In gaming terms, having cleared stage 1, even if I failed at stage 2, I would restart from stage 2, not stage 1.

I estimated it would take about two weeks to inscribe the spell on my neck, shoulders, arms, hands, abdomen, thighs, calves, and feet. And that was for Basic Telekinesis. For higher levels, like Beginner or Intermediate Telekinesis, it would take much longer.

After organizing my thoughts, I stood up from the chair. I was drenched in sweat, so I took another shower. I washed with natural body wash and then lay down on the bed in my robe.

“Pajamas...”

I felt like I might pass out, but my body demanded pajamas. I couldn't stand the thought of sleeping in a robe.

“Fuck you...”

I decided not to wear it. I was Kim Woo-Jin, not Deculein. I refused to be controlled by a personality created from code.