The current time was 6:47 p.m.
The last match of the day had ended just minutes ago, at 6:30.With that, all of the scheduled duels for April 30th were officially over.
"Three matches, three wins."
I'd fought three times today.And I'd won all three.
It was only natural.
After defeating Baek Sa-hyuk, a Third-Circle mage, there was no way I'd lose to a Second-Circle opponent.
"Ha-yul!"
Suddenly, Soon-chan burst into my room, panting.
He looked like someone who'd just come out of a fight — his uniform was a mess.
"You win?"
He'd just finished his own final match moments ago.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Of course I won."
I handed him a sports drink without much thought.
"Ah, thanks."
He downed the whole bottle in one go and let out a satisfied "Phew!"
"Rough match?"
"Yeah. My last opponent was a fellow Third-Circle user… but forget that!"
He grabbed my shoulders, eyes shining.
"You—what was that magic!?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. The spells you used today—what were they?"
He shook me like a man desperate for answers.
"How does Wind Spear fire twice like a Reverse Cutter!?"
For reference, Reverse Cutter was a Third-Circle wind-element spell.As its name suggested, it could change direction mid-flight and fire again.
"The trajectory bends however you want, and the spells even merge together! What the hell was that?"
I tilted my head. "Who knows?"
"Come on, man!"
Soon-chan stomped his feet like an impatient puppy.
"Heh."
His reaction was understandable.
My magic defied every principle of modern spellcraft.
Wind Spear, which should have had a fixed trajectory, bent in midair.Fireball traveled beyond its normal effective range.Water remained under my control long after it was cast.
By the standards of modern magic—standardized and shaped entirely by artificial intelligence—what I'd done simply shouldn't exist.
"Wait, forget the trajectories—how about your casting speed?"
"What, this?"
I casually summoned a droplet of water above my palm.
Naturally, the casting time was zero seconds.No delay, no lag.
"Yeah, that! Even I need at least half a second to form Water! How the hell are you that fast?"
"Good question."
I canceled the Water with a shrug.
"You didn't… buy some illegal AI upgrade or something, right? Lemme see."
Soon-chan leaned forward and checked my neck —specifically, the barcode where an AI serial number would normally be printed.
"…Nothing?"
"Of course not, idiot."
There was no number, because there was no AI.How could there be a code for something that didn't exist?
"Then you're telling me you really did all that without an AI?"
"Yeah."
"Meaning you cast those spells purely by yourself? No enhancements, no doping, nothing illegal?"
"Doping? What am I, a sports cheater?"
"You swear?"
I sighed. "Do you ever just… trust people?"
I clicked my tongue.
"I told you before, didn't I? I had a little… enlightenment."
"Oh, right. That ancient tome you said you found?"
"Yeah. That one. I gained a small breakthrough from it. My current spells come from that."
"What kind of breakthrough?"
"You curious?"
"Obviously. Dying of curiosity here."
"Then lean in."
I gestured seriously toward his ear.
He mirrored my expression, leaning close with a grave face.
"It's…"
He swallowed hard. His eyes sparkled with anticipation.
I paused just long enough for effect and whispered solemnly:
"…a secret."
"Hey, you—!"
Soon-chan's voice cracked with outrage, his face twisting in disbelief.
"Hahaha."
I couldn't help laughing as I watched him fume.
"Kidding. I'll tell you."
I crossed my legs and spoke with deliberate nonchalance.
"It's not even that big of a deal, really."
Of course, I had no intention of revealing Bytenor-style magic.
I wasn't stupid enough to expose an arcane secret so casually.
The time might come when I'd have to, but not now.
So, as planned, I said:
"I connected my Fourth Circle."
"…What?"
Soon-chan blinked, thinking he'd misheard.
"Say that again?"
"I became a Fourth-Circle mage."
"…For real?"
"You've been saying 'for real' all day, you know that?"
Is he some kind of "for real" bot?
"I mean, come on! How can I not say that!?"
He looked utterly dazed, repeating himself like his brain had frozen.
"At this stage… Fourth Circle? That's on par with the legendary Tower Masters!"
"So I've heard."
"So you've heard!? Do you even realize how insane that is—?! I'm literally speechless right now."
He let out a few incredulous laughs.
"But wait—what does being Fourth Circle have to do with the way you cast spells? That doesn't make them faster."
"They do."
"…They do?"
"Yeah."
I answered simply.
"There's an auxiliary spell within Fourth-Circle magic.It's called Memorize."
I said everything exactly as I'd rehearsed.
Meanwhile, at that same time — in the faculty office, several instructors were gathered to review the day's duels.
"The spell Shin Ha-yul used was an auxiliary spell called Memorize," said Kim Kang-in, the Blue Tower Master, who was somehow sitting among the instructors.
"Memorize?"
"Does such a spell even exist?"
Kim Kang-in, who had come out of personal curiosity after hearing the commotion about Shin Ha-yul, spoke calmly.
"Yes. You can think of it as a form of memory magic — a spell that stores another spell in advance."
"I've heard of it. It used to be a mainstream technique about a hundred years ago… but it's supposed to be long extinct."
Ko Chang-su, Shin Ha-yul's homeroom instructor, recalled the term from somewhere in the back of his mind.
"Exactly. Ever since the rise of AI-based magic, no one has used it."
Unless you were someone like Ko Chang-su or Kim Kang-in, who studied ancient texts, you wouldn't even know it existed.
"When used properly, Memorize allows instant casting.Faster even than AI-assisted activation. Practically instantaneous."
"Such a spell really exists…?"
"Then shouldn't every mage be learning it?" one of the instructors asked.
"No." Kim Kang-in shook his head. "Memorize has very clear limitations."
"Limitations, you say?"
"Yes. You can only memorize spells that are three Circles below your current level."
"Ah, so that's the drawback…"
Even a Seventh-Circle mage using Memorize would only be able to pre-cast Fourth-Circle spells.A fatal limitation, by any measure.
"With conditions like that, it's no wonder the spell fell out of use."
"Right. Even if I could instantly cast a Second-Circle spell right now, it'd mean nothing."
In the modern age of magic, Memorize was nothing more than a primitive, outdated version of what AI-assisted casting could already do.That was why it had been discarded.
"W-wait a second."
Instructor Ko Chang-su raised his hand, looking startled.
"You said you can only Memorize spells that are three Circles lower than your level, correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
"And you also said Shin Ha-yul used Memorize, correct?"
"Yes."
Throughout all three of his matches today, Shin Ha-yul had used nothing but First-Circle magic.
"Then that means… Shin Ha-yul must be… a Fourth-Circle mage?"
"Gasp!"
"No way…"
A wave of astonished murmurs spread through the room.
Kim Kang-in smiled faintly.
"Yes. It appears Shin Ha-yul has successfully connected his Fourth Circle."
"Unbelievable…"
"Incredible."
The instructors whispered in disbelief.
"Memorize itself is a Fourth-Circle spell, after all," said Kim Kang-in, grinning with amusement.
"During his duel, I personally sensed Fourth-Circle resonance from his mana flow."
"Ah…"
"If the Blue Tower Master himself confirmed it, then it must be true."
The Blue Tower Master was famous for many reasons—foremost among them, his secret art: The Eye of Ruby.
It was said those eyes could pierce the very essence of mana.
"Remarkable. Fourth Circle at eighteen years old."
"Truly astounding."
The instructors could only click their tongues in awe.
"I understand now why his casting speed was so absurd.But what about those impossible spell patterns? What on earth was that?"
Those spells that broke every convention of modern magic—what were they, really?
"It's simple," said Kim Kang-in, eyes suddenly sharp."He modified the spell formulas."
"M-modified?"
"Yes. You know how AI magi-engineers sometimes tweak magical algorithms—making spells fly farther, or curve mid-flight?"
"Yes, of course."
They would adjust the AI's algorithmic sequence to refine how a spell behaved in combat.
"It's the same idea. Shin Ha-yul altered the magic formulas themselves to suit his will."
"T-that's even possible?"
"Of course not. It's insane."
What Shin Ha-yul had done was like taking a car and deciding it should fly—and then actually adding a flight function to it.
"The fact that he pulled off something that absurd… even I'm dumbfounded."
Kim Kang-in let out a soft laugh. He had always known Shin Ha-yul was brilliant—but not to this extent.
"If my friend who specializes in AI magic theory hears about this, he'll probably fly straight to Korea."
"Your friend would be…?"
"James Filler."
"The Red Tower Master…!"
The instructors all gasped.
"And his combat instincts were just as sharp. Did you see how he blocked Explosion at the last second using Water?Shin Ha-yul is a true prodigy."
Kim Kang-in's eyes gleamed with admiration.
"He's truly someone worth coveting.If not for that cursed restriction under the Magus Church, I'd take him as my disciple right now."
"...That much?"
"Yes. That much."
The Blue Tower Master spoke firmly.
"That's why it's all the more regrettable."
"Regrettable?"
He smiled bitterly.
"If Shin Ha-yul weren't an Incompatible, just imagine how far he could have gone…"
A shiver ran down the instructors' arms.For a brief moment, they imagined Shin Ha-yul without his defect—and it sent goosebumps across their skin.
"…Korea's standing in the magical world would be completely different."
No one understood the importance of a superstar mage better than Kim Kang-in.Which was why Shin Ha-yul's limitation pained him so deeply.
"Well, in any case, that's my conclusion."
His gentle smile returned.
"The magic Shin Ha-yul used today had nothing to do with illegal AI modifications or banned enhancers.It was purely the fruit of his own effort."
Kim Kang-in swept his gaze around the room, eyes as strong as his name.
"I, Kim Kang-in, Blue Tower Master—guarantee it."
That night.
News broke again.
This time, it wasn't from planted leaks or forced publicity.It spread naturally—like wildfire.
[The Genius Returns — and It's Real!][Blue Tower Master Confirms: Shin Ha-yul is Now a Fourth-Circle Mage.][What Is Memorize, the Spell Behind Shin Ha-yul's Power?]["I'll Win Using Only First-Circle Magic!" — The Hidden Truth Behind His Declaration!][A New Secret Revealed in Wind Spear!][Shin Ha-yul vs. Baek Sa-hyuk — Full Match Highlights!]
I couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
"Exactly as planned."
I knew the Blue Tower Master well enough.His Eye of Ruby, his meddlesome nature, his lingering interest in me—all of it.
That was why I'd used Baek Sa-hyuk as bait—to manipulate the narrative and draw attention to myself.
I'd expected the Blue Tower Master to take the bait.
'If he hadn't, I'd have had to resort to messier methods.'
Thankfully, that wasn't necessary.
Thanks to him, I now stood in the clear—recognized as a Fourth-Circle mage without a shred of suspicion.
From now on, I could use Bytenor-style magic freely.
'If anyone had started digging into my magic,they'd have forced a detailed inspection—and the Infinity Circle might've been exposed.'
But not anymore.
No one would question it.Not with the Blue Tower Master's official guarantee.
That endorsement alone was enough.
Feeling lighter than I had in a long time, I stretched and muttered to myself:
"Now, all that's left is breaking into the top ten."
If I won one more match tomorrow, I'd advance to the main tournament.
The main event started at the round of sixteen.Reaching the quarterfinals would secure my spot in the top ten—the first milestone toward reclaiming everything I'd lost.
"In other words…"
I smiled.
"Two more wins."
Just two more victories until I took back everything that had been stolen from me.