Episode 2
───────────
Era of Darkness
The Great Mage King, or the Mage of the Tenth Circle, depending on how people saw him ten thousand years ago, long before the current era.
The Mage of the Tenth Circle, who was the most powerful mage in the history of this world: Encrid.
"The Tenth Circle is the pinnacle of magic; it is the highest level to which magic and mana can be used. Not even a god could surpass the Tenth Circle."
Park Chan-woo was astonished.
He had reincarnated into a truly strange world, one unlike anything he had ever read or seen in the modern world. He was not one of those people who read fantasy or played video games in his spare time. Park Chan-woo had a single goal: to become the strongest, claim the title of Monarch, and serve as the patriarch of the Triad of the Night.
In this world, where strength is the ultimate value, the weak are cast aside.
"I died ten thousand years ago in the past, during the Era of Darkness, after winning the war."
"What war?"
"Forget about it. I erased all records of the Era of Darkness, so no one knows what happened. Even if you're my heir, you must reach the Ninth Circle for me to tell you everything about those events ten thousand years ago."
Not that Park Chan-woo cared much. What truly amazed and intrigued him was the magic of this world and how it worked. Encrid explained it in detail.
The current world is heavily ruled by aristocrats, nobles, royalty, and the like.
However, being the strongest mage in this world meant that absolutely no one would dare to speak to you casually, as a friend would. Park Chan-woo was engrossed in this. The history and all the information Encrid shared helped him better understand this strange and unfamiliar world.
'I understand better how this world works.'
In simple terms, it's a world with a somewhat medieval structure. However, the technology isn't entirely backward. The cities and cultures have a medieval style, but other aspects resemble the modern world a blend of medieval and modern.
Mages
Humans blessed by mana are called mages. Once mana enters their bodies, a semi-circle appears near their wrist.
A semi-circle, as its name suggests, is a half-transparent circle that forms on a mage's wrist. Once the "Magic Circuit" is fully established, the circle becomes complete on the wrist. This is called being a "Mage of the First Circle," which officially designates someone as a mage.
Encrid explained in detail that there are nine levels in this era, from the First Circle to the Ninth Circle. However, no one can surpass the Ninth Circle, and Encrid was the only one in history to reach the Tenth Circle.
"I've already told you some things about who I am. Now, who are you, heir?"
"....."
Park Chan-woo remained silent.
He didn't know this body's name or anything else about it. He only knew a few things: it belonged to a teenager who had been abandoned by their family as a newborn, lived on the streets after leaving the orphanage at age ten, and survived for seven years. One day, near the royal castle, the body had witnessed slave traffickers leaving the castle with a silver-haired adolescent.
Knights and mages from the castle pursued the traffickers, but those knights and mages had been exiled and sided with the traffickers. That's when this body got involved. The traffickers noticed him, thinking he had seen everything in detail, and started chasing him.
"It must have been after he jumped into the abyss, died, and I took over his body at the same time I appeared in this strange library."
Park Chan-woo pieced together everything he needed. Even with these memories, he didn't know the name of this body, so he had no other option.
Park Chan-woo slowly opened his mouth and spoke.
"My name is Park Chan-woo."
"A strange name, huh... I've never heard a name like yours before. Well, it doesn't matter. What's important here is that you are my heir for one reason only."
Park Chan-woo raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He had arrived in this world just minutes ago, and everything Encrid had mentioned was still being processed in his mind.
"The reason you are my heir is because of your mana. If it weren't for that, it would be impossible for you to enter this library, which I created and which only my heir can enter."
"Earlier, you said I only have a particle of mana. So how is that possible?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure the mana you possess is... the Mana of Darkness."
Mana of Darkness. Park Chan-woo wasn't sure if that was something surprising or unique, but judging by Encrid's tone, it seemed to be something significant or at least that's how Park Chan-woo interpreted it.
"And why is that important?"
"....."
Although he couldn't see Encrid, Park Chan-woo shrugged. Seeing Encrid required being at the First Circle, or so Encrid had said. Still, Park Chan-woo was certain Encrid's expression must have been one of surprise at his silence.
This world, being composed of mana and beings who use mana as a source of power to grow stronger, was completely foreign to Park Chan-woo, who came from a world where none of that existed and where technology was what made people powerful. Of course, he wouldn't know anything about mana.
Children in the modern world might know a little, but Park Chan-woo, who had been an assassin his entire life, didn't really know what it was like to be a true child enjoying life.
"The Mana of Darkness… Do you know why the universe expands infinitely?"
"Because of dark energy."
"Exactly. So what happens if dark energy is converted into mana and called Mana of Darkness? How powerful could magic become when fueled by that mana?"
"....."
It made sense. Park Chan-woo opened his mouth to say something but ended up saying nothing. Encrid was right. He hadn't considered it because mana was a completely unknown concept to him let alone the idea of Mana of Darkness derived from the universe's dark energy.
It made sense from a scientific perspective.
Park Chan-woo spoke.
"Does that mean that if I use that mana, I could be stronger than a normal mage using regular mana?"
"Exactly. You're intelligent, even if you don't look like it."
"....."
Park Chan-woo was astonished.
Coming to this world was truly something like destiny or perhaps there was a reason behind it. He hated his previous life. Being an assassin from the moment he was born and starting assassin training at the age of five who would truly want to live like that, solely for the legacy and inheritance of the previous Monarch?
Park Chan-woo wanted a life of his own.
Killing the entire Triad of the Night was his final wish. He hadn't asked to live again to be responsible for all the deaths caused by the Triad of the Night. He bore that weight on his shoulders and carried it even into death.
Even if this life was something dictated by destiny.
Becoming an assassin once again was not what he wanted. He had lost his emotions and his humanity to become the Monarch. However, in this new body and new world filled with dreamlike possibilities, his emotions were returning.
Park Chan-woo clenched his fists and looked upward, pure determination and hope gleaming in his eyes.
'This time will be different, not like in my previous life. I won't be someone evil or an assassin. More than that, I'll do what I truly wanted to do.'
He would do as he pleased, experiencing what it felt like to enjoy life, to not be the inhuman figure he was in his past life. Not in this one. This time, things would be different.
"So, what do I need to do to become a First Circle?"
"Hmm, I was a Tenth Circle mage, but that depends entirely on you on whether you have talent or not, and whether you can create a magic circuit."
"So, it all comes down to talent, doesn't it?"
"Exactly. Everything depends on talent when it comes to mastering magic."
Park Chan-woo smiled at this.
It wasn't by chance that he became the Monarch of the Triad of the Night. It wasn't by chance that he became the strongest. It wasn't by chance that he single handedly killed countless members and the seven seats in command.
All of it was because he had the greatest talent in the world because he became the strongest through his talent.
"Then it won't be difficult at all."
Park Chan-woo closed his eyes and sat on the ground, adopting a meditative posture. One of the Chinese techniques he knew was meditation, used by monks and martial artists. It was the best method for obtaining mana.
Encrid observed Park Chan-woo. He didn't truly know who this person was, nor did he understand how it was possible for someone else to possess Mana of Darkness besides himself. He had never thought his heir would actually appear, but here he was.
"Hmm..."
Park Chan-woo could see the mana. Not only that, but the mana embraced him. On his wrist, the "Semi-Circle" Encrid had mentioned appeared. This marked the beginning of his path as a mage.
"Ha... This is absurd. No one has ever reached the Semi-Circle instantly not even me."