Globally, all children aged 10 and above are obligated to undergo a magic aptitude test.
This test measures innate magical power, and those who exceed a certain threshold gain the option to enroll in the Mage Tower's academy.
Naturally, few decline this opportunity, as becoming a mage offers the potential for life-altering corporate sponsorship, making it a more tangible hope for ordinary families than an improbable lottery win.
The situation isn't drastically different for wealthy families either.
Even if their child doesn't become a mage, building connections with potential future mages at the academy could lead to valuable business opportunities. Therefore, striving to send one's child to the academy is a given.
Of course, among the children who enroll with high hopes, only about 30% ultimately enter the Mage Tower.
Furthermore, even those fortunate 30% can be expelled from the Tower at any time if deemed unsuitable by their supervising professor.
Typically, it takes a child within the Mage Tower around 8 to 9 years to establish a mana circuit, with approximately 40% achieving this within that timeframe.
About 30% establish their mana circuit later, while 29% are deemed unfit and expelled from the Mage Tower.
Among these exceptional talents, rigorously filtered and selected, there exists a rare 1% who shine exceptionally brightly.
They establish mana circuits at a remarkably faster rate than others, destined to become mages representing the nation – the individuals commonly referred to as geniuses.
And in the Gray Mage Tower, there was a peerless genius who reached the 3rd Circle at the young age of 21.
"Hello?"
It was Choi Hyena, from the Seongbuk Choi family, one of Korea's three most prestigious magical lineages.
-Hello? My granddaughter?
"…What is it?"
Choi Hyena's mood soured upon hearing from her paternal grandmother.
-Oh, my. This grandma just wanted to hear her granddaughter's voice, but you're demanding a reason first. Isn't that a bit much?
"Well, you've heard my voice, haven't you? I'm hanging up."
-A, A!! Wait, just wait a moment!!
Of course.
She wasn't one to call without a reason.
The problem was that the reasons she brought were always troublesome and irritating.
Last time, she brought up a marriage proposal from another magical family.
'I'm busy enough with magic research; what's with marriage?'
Having reached the 3rd Circle at the remarkably young age of 21, Choi Hyena had grand ambitions.
To one day surpass the Gray Mage Tower Master, hailed as the next generation Archmage, and reach the ultimate realm of the 8th Circle herself.
To achieve that, she couldn't afford to pause her magical research for even a moment, and marriage was merely a waste of time.
-How about going on a blind date?
"Haa…"
Just as she expected.
Why does nothing ever deviate from her expectations?
"Grandma, I've told you before, I have no intention of getting married…"
-Don't be surprised when I tell you this? He's the same age as you, but already in the 2nd Circle.
*Thud*. Choi Hyena dropped her phone.
"…I'll just look at his face."
With a complex expression blending suspicion and interest, Choi Hyena picked up her phone.
***
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Loud and annoying alarm sounds echoed within the narrow studio apartment.
"Ugh… so damn loud…"
It was a moment when he resented himself for setting the alarm before going to bed.
Why did he set an alarm and go to sleep when he didn't even have plans?
Kang Hyunwoo rubbed his swollen eyes and struggled to get up.
A familiar screen floated before his eyes.
[Matching has ended]
[Affection Change]
[Cheon Yeohwa 0♡ → 87♡]
[Relationship Level Change]
[Cheon Yeohwa Lv.0 → Lv.2]
[Calculating…]
[500 Love Coins have been awarded]
[Remaining Coins: 1,700 Coins]
[Name: Cheon Yeohwa
Age: 20 years
Race: Human
Affiliation: AXZ-174
Occupation: Second Princess of the Demonic Cult
Personality: Cold-blooded, Cruel, Pragmatic, Devoted Lover (New!)
[Time until rematching: 122:49:45]
"…Was it up all day since yesterday?"
Yesterday afternoon, after spending a frenzied morning with Cheon Yeohwa, he returned home as soon as the matching time ended.
As soon as he got home, he collapsed into a deep sleep due to the backlash from the two-day mountain trek and the five consecutive ejaculations he had early in the morning.
"Roughly… did I sleep for 20 hours?"
He really slept a lot.
But he felt refreshed as a result.
"This time, they gave me 500 coins."
He got more than he expected.
However, because the shop hadn't reset, there was nowhere to use them.
"Should I save them for now? I might need them later."
He roughly cleared the screen and headed to the bathroom.
He had no plans, but he had somewhere to go.
After showering, he hailed a taxi.
"Please take me to the Gray Mage Tower."
Meeting Iris and Cheon Yeohwa made him realize something.
He was too weak.
He had become a mage, as he had always dreamed, and had even reached the 2nd Circle, but he couldn't even defeat the gatekeeper of the first floor of the underground dungeon.
Furthermore, Cheon Yeohwa, who hadn't even completely detoxified herself, was several times stronger than him.
'I need to become much stronger to help Iris escape from that place.'
He needed to become stronger to protect her from the assassins who were after Cheon Yeohwa.
His immediate goal was the 3rd Circle.
To achieve that, he needed to meet Choi Youngok, whom he had met last time, again.
He didn't even get a proper lesson during his reunion with Iris last time. Besides, there were still five days left until the rematch.
It was still a month before he could enter the Mage Tower.
To reach the 3rd Circle, he needed to gain more knowledge. To do that, he needed the help of a mage stronger than himself.
'I thought she was a bit suspicious, but to think she's Choi Youngok from the Seongbuk Choi family.'
The Seongbuk Choi family.
One of the three major magical lineages in Korea, known for producing many outstanding elementalists with red hair.
The reason why people in Korea try to avoid red hair as much as possible was also because of that.
As far as he knew, there was only one grandmother with a granddaughter from that Seongbuk Choi family.
'The Pyromancer.'
He had seen an article on the community site about a genius who had reached the 6th Circle at the relatively young age of sixty.
Huh? You might say that sixty is old, but Choi Youngok's appearance was in her mid-40s at most.
Moreover, the greater the magical power, the longer the lifespan, so her lifespan as a 6th Circle mage would be twice that of an ordinary person.
'Considering that there are mages who can't even reach the 3rd Circle until they die, that's amazing.'
It was a bit strange that such a person was trying to connect him with her granddaughter, but as he aimed for the 3rd Circle right now, there was no one better than her.
"We've arrived."
The Gray Mage Tower, which he had arrived at after a long time, was still crowded with people.
As he waited in the lobby on the first floor, he saw a familiar face in the distance.
"Son-in-law!"
"…"
The gazes of the people in the lobby all focused on the suddenly appearing 6th Circle mage.
'…Is that old woman crazy?'
There are many business people who come to the Mage Tower for business, but there are also reporters and people from the Hunter industry.
In front of those people, the Pyromancer of the Seongbuk Choi family is looking for her granddaughter's husband?
It was only natural that people's gazes would turn from Choi Youngok to him.
As dozens of pairs of eyes turned to him in an instant, a faint smile appeared on Choi Youngok's lips.
'…I should have worn a mask and a hat.'
That damn old woman, she clearly wants to spread the rumor that I'm her granddaughter's husband in front of people.
Considering the circumstances, it was right to think that way, but no matter how much he thought about it, was there a reason for the Seongbuk Choi family to go that far against someone like him?
There were so many men with better qualifications than him, so why bother?
He felt a bit uneasy, but he smiled and approached Choi Youngok.
"I'm sorry I couldn't contact you."
"It's alright. It's common for mages to not be able to contact you for a month when they're concentrating. Not to mention when they're improving their skills."
That's what she said, but Choi Youngok looked at Kang Hyunwoo with surprise.
He wondered if it was really the 2nd Circle, and his magical power was quite stable than the last time he met.
'Unless he's been in a real battle, it would be hard to do that.'
Choi Youngok smiled.
She thought she had a good eye for her granddaughter's husband.
"By the way, I didn't expect my son-in-law to contact me first, but why don't you go up to my workshop first?"
***
The place he arrived at following Choi Youngok was her workshop on the 54th floor.
The enormous scale of using an entire floor made him realize the extent of Choi Youngok's position in the Mage Tower.
'…It's cleaner than I thought.'
He thought that a mage's workshop would be a mess of magical ingredients and papers, but it looked like an ordinary office except for the machines of unknown use that were scattered throughout the place.
"This is also used as a reception room. My main workshop is on the upper floor."
"…Yes?"
"I'm using the entire 54th and 55th floors."
He couldn't help but be surprised by Choi Youngok's nonchalant statement that she was using two floors as a private workshop in the Mage Tower, which was located in prime real estate in Seoul.
'I'm so jealous… I'm looking into loans because I don't have enough money for a deposit.'
If he were a mage, he'd be able to get a lot of loans, but he couldn't compare to the building prices of the Gray Mage Tower and the wealth of the Seongbuk Choi family.
"Ah, of course, our son-in-law doesn't have to worry about anything? We'll support you with a private workshop."
"Oh."
Son-in-law of a prestigious family… maybe it's better than I thought?
As long as the granddaughter's photo he saw last time wasn't so heavily Photoshopped that even her parents wouldn't recognize her, he was welcome to it.
It was just a bit heavy on the subject of marriage.
"Anyway, what brings our son-in-law here today?"
He bowed his head to Choi Youngok, who was sipping her tea.
"First of all, I'd like to thank you for last time."
"Hm? Oh."
The news article he saw in the taxi showed Jin Mook, a congressman, being hit with rotten eggs by citizens, and the backs of people from Jeon Hye-seong's maternal family appearing at the prosecutor's office.
"It was nothing, so you don't have to worry about it."
Choi Youngok waved her hand as if it was nothing, but honestly, it was impossible for it to be nothing to blow away a congressman and a family that had wielded tremendous power in a region at the same time.
"And families don't bow their heads to each other for such trivial matters."
"…But does that granddaughter of yours know that I'm going on a blind date with her?"
Honestly, that's the most suspicious thing.
The eldest daughter of a family with wealth comparable to a conglomerate and an excellent lineage from a magical family, being willing to go on a blind date with me, a war orphan?
Is there even a possibility…?
"…She knows."
She only knows, but she doesn't seem to have said that she would go on a blind date.
Why do I imagine a future where I'll get slapped with water at the blind date?
He just hoped it was just his own delusion.
"Ahem, ahem. So, did you come here today to thank me for what happened last time?"
"Ah, that's part of it, but I have one more favor to ask."
"A favor?"
The only magic he could currently use was elemental magic that dealt with fire and lightning, except for basic common magic.
Lightning was powerful, but it had the disadvantage of being difficult to handle.
On the other hand, fire wasn't as powerful as lightning, but it had the advantage of boasting superior firepower compared to other elements, and it could be used in various situations.
"Can you teach me magic?"
If he could handle the element of fire more skillfully and use more magic, he felt like he could see the path to the 3rd Circle.