Chapter 3
There are three main clues about this body.
1. The mysterious senses.
2. A physique that even the word “overwhelming” fails to adequately describe.
And finally,
3. Mana Deficiency.
A rare disease where all mana is blocked.
What secret could these seemingly unrelated three clues be pointing to?
“First, the mysterious senses.”
When I opened my eyes and regained consciousness, my mind was already a battlefield of countless sensations.
My hearing could pick up the shouts of the doctor, the hurried breaths of the nurse; my sense of smell detected the scent of alcohol from the operating room, the fragrance of the nurse’s shampoo, and even the remnants of alcohol that someone might have consumed. My sense of touch was so heightened that I could feel the breaths of others, and the bright lights of the operating table temporarily overwhelmed my enhanced vision.
As for taste? My taste buds were so sharp that I could detect the sweet taste of carbohydrates even in the bland porridge served in the hospital room.
To be honest, if it wasn’t the Demon King who had taken over this body but a normal person, they would have gone insane long ago. Even I, who have been through many harrowing experiences, lost consciousness multiple times due to the overwhelming rush of sensations.
From sight to taste, every one of my senses was beyond comprehension.
Even now, look—I can sense the couple whispering sweet nothings to each other over there, and the salarymen who, for some reason, drank too much. I can detect every presence within a 50-meter radius, even without mana.
Even in my previous life, this would have been impossible without mana. Not even the Sword Saint could achieve this with just his body.
As a former Demon King, I can confidently say that these are senses that no human should possess.
Next.
“Second, a physique that even the word ‘overwhelming’ cannot describe.”
This too, has been proven by experience. According to what I’ve learned, this body had been in a coma for half a year.
The muscles had withered, the skin had become as thin as paper, and the organs had begun to atrophy, with the body slowly dying as it adjusted to the life-support machines.
For a full six months, I was a living corpse.
But in less than two months after regaining consciousness, I was running. What words could possibly describe this miraculous recovery?
The muscles and bones are the same. The activation of muscle synthesis, the abnormal speed at which skeletal muscles are growing day by day—all of it.
This body is so extraordinary that it should be compared not to humans, but to monsters like trolls or ogres.
In other words, just like the senses, this physique is far beyond the limits of what a human body should be capable of.
And the final clue, the most crucial one.
“Mana Deficiency.”
Mana is the energy of the world.
In other words, everything that makes up the world contains mana.
Whether it’s the barking dog over there, the sparrow enjoying the breeze on the utility pole, the weeds growing wildly, or even the bench I’m sitting on right now—they all have mana.
Because they are all part of this world, and mana is the energy of the world.
Yet, I have none.
Even though mana is the energy of the world, and I live in this world, I have none.
Everything that makes up this world should contain mana, but I, who walk, run, and breathe in this world, have none.
It’s as if I alone am detached from the order of the world.
I am the only one without mana.
And I know.
‘I know of only two kinds of beings like this.’
Aside from gods, there are only two types of beings detached from the world’s order.
“One is a dragon.”
The rulers of magic, dragons.
True to their title as the rulers of magic, they are living embodiments of magic itself.
They breathe mana from nature, and with mere will, they cause mana to vibrate. They need no food, no incantations, no formations. To them, magic is merely a language.
The Dragon’s Speech (龍言).
A power beyond the order of the world.
The magic we know today stems from this Dragon’s Speech.
‘That’s why magic is defined as “power permitted by the world,” because it operates within the order of the world.’
Of course, the dragons I refer to here are those from the primordial age. The dragons that I, along with the expeditionary force in my previous life, hunted were not such mythic beings.
Despite using breath attacks, they had lost their Dragon’s Speech.
They were only half-dragons, mortal like us.
And even those half-dragons wiped out the entire expedition, so can you imagine how powerful the primordial dragons must have been?
But the possibility of me being a dragon is zero. Dragons are beings born with mana, and even their eggshells are composed of enormous amounts of mana.
Since I have no mana at all, that doesn’t apply to me.
That leaves only one possibility.
And perhaps this is the real point.
There are only two types of beings that are detached from the world’s order. With dragons excluded, only one remains.
If it’s this being, it would perfectly explain the mysterious senses and overwhelming physique I’ve mentioned.
Yet, the reason I’m so cautious is that I’ve only heard of this being and never seen one myself.
It’s not just me—if you’re not a god, you’ve never seen this being either.
Because it, along with dragons, was an absolute ruler of the primordial world.
The first human, the strongest human.
A mortal, yet immortal. A creation of the gods, yet one who aspired to be a god, and thus was annihilated by divine punishment—the supreme being of mythology.
If dragons are the rulers of magic, then this being is the embodiment of violence.
It killed everything, ended one world, and brought forth a new one.
The balancer of the Genesis.
“A giant.”
That’s what this body is.
……
…
“Now that I know what I am, all that’s left is to test it out.”
But there hasn’t been an appropriate opportunity. I mean, who in their right mind would pick a fight with a body like this? I had almost given up hope.
……But then, it actually happened.
“Hey, you useless bastard!”
What is this little pest?
Ten minutes earlier, I was sweating it out at the gym as usual.
Today’s focus was on the lower body. After all, a real man’s charm comes from his lower body!
I had just finished praying to the heavens in front of a 120-kilogram barbell and was pumping out 12 reps for the fifth set with all due reverence.
But just as I started my fourth set.
“Hey, you useless bastard!”
……Useless bastard? Is he talking to me?
As expected, when I looked over, I saw three men standing with one leg propped up.
“Finally noticed us, huh? Useless bastard, you’re still slow as ever, aren’t you?”
“If you can’t use mana, you should at least be quick on the uptake. Heh.”
“Maybe he’s missing both.”
The trio laughed among themselves, seemingly amused by their own jokes.
I thought to myself.
What is this little pest?
“What is this little pest?”
“What?! Pest? Is this guy crazy?”
“Oh, I’m so shocked I just said what I was thinking. Sorry, little pest.”
A skinny guy with a skeletal frame, a chubby one, and finally, the little pest who seemed to be the leader.
Isn’t this too much of a cliché for a gang of thugs?
The little pest seemed taken aback by my comment, but his two friends quickly bolstered his courage.
“Hey, you’ve returned to the neighborhood, so you should have reported to your senior, shouldn’t you?”
“Hmm, my memory’s a bit fuzzy, but do we know each other?”
“Huh?! Know each other? You don’t know me?? You don’t know Yeon Jae-hoon??”
“This useless bastard has really lost it. He doesn’t even know Yeon Jae-hoon! Yeon Jae-hoon!! The one you used to be so jealous of!!”
“The top special student from Yeonhwa Middle School! The prince of Chilseong Group, Yeon Jae-hoon!!”
“That’s not all. He got early admission to the Academy……”
“Enough! Shut up!!”
What’s with these guys? Have they lost all sense of shame?
“Huff. Let me get this straight.”
Let’s see…… So, from what I can gather, this shameless pest was chosen as a special student in middle school because he had a bit more mana, and I was supposedly jealous of him. But then I was struck down by Mana Deficiency, and these guys had some fun at my expense?
There’s something I never wanted to say, but.
“……Park Ki-hyuk, you pathetic fool. You let scum like this walk all over you?”
“What are you mumbling about, useless bastard? We came here as friends to say hello, and you mock me?”
“Let it go, Jae-hoon. What does he know? Let’s just leave.”
“Yeah, why bother with a loser like him? Let’s hit up the gaming cafe.”
“Oh, let me go. Let me go, I said.”
“Hey, let him go. I want to see what this loser does next.”
“……!!”
“Amused? This useless bastard. I was doing you a favor, and you dare mock me? Ah, the more I think about it, the angrier I get! Hey, hey, let me go for a second. Let me go, I said.”
As the skinny guy and the chubby one reluctantly released him, the little pest took on a smug expression and spoke.
“You’re dead.”
Sparks began to fly.
Zzzt!
One look and it was clear—it was magic.
And not just any magic, but lightning magic, one of the most destructive types alongside fire magic!
“What’s wrong? Scared? It’s too late, bastard. Even if you beg now, I won’t forgive you.”
The chubby guy and the skinny one urged me to kneel, looking terrified.
But what can I say?
I’m actually excited about this.
“Oh……!!”
Magic! The corners of my mouth stretched up to my ears.
I needed to test this body anyway, and now a golden opportunity has fallen into my lap!
“Are you smiling? Is this bastard smiling?”
“Jae-hoon, let’s go. You can’t use your powers here.”
“Step aside! You’re dead meat!”
“Jae-hoon!!”
“Both of you, step back.”
With a wide grin stretching to my ears, I waited.
The lightning struck.
Optimum Agent Headquarters.
At the top of a skyscraper befitting its reputation as one of the world’s top five agencies, this was where Kim Yeon-hee, CEO of Optimum, was seated.
A large screen in one corner of the CEO’s office was streaming a video, and Kim Yeon-hee was silently tapping her fingers as she watched intently.
Zzzt! Zzt!
“Die! Just die!!”
Zzzt!!
A high-voltage lightning bolt struck, bright enough to cause the camera to flicker.
It was aimed directly at her son.
Despite the gruesome scene, Kim Yeon-hee did not avert her eyes.
In fact, she focused even more intently, as if she didn’t want to miss a single detail.
At that moment.
There was a knock, and the door opened as the chief secretary entered.
Kim Yeon-hee, without taking her eyes off the screen, asked.
“What’s the status?”
“We’ve finished discussions with Chilseong Group’s legal team. They, like us, do not want this incident to escalate.”
“Is that all?”
“No. They also assured us that the media will be fully controlled. Furthermore, they’ve pledged that if anything happens to Park Ki-hyuk’s body as a result, they will take full responsibility.”
“Hm……”
Tap, tap.
Kim Yeon-hee’s fingers drummed on the table.
It was a habit she had whenever something displeased her, and as expected, her voice soon grew cold with anger.
“How dare the likes of Chilseong Group provoke us. If it weren’t for what Ki-hyuk said, by now……”
A cold sweat ran down the chief secretary’s back.
‘That fool, no matter how reckless he is, how could he mess with that child……!’
The world is surprisingly ignorant of the true nature of this family.
They have no idea what would happen if they were truly provoked.
Phew.
After taking a deep breath to calm her anger, Kim Yeon-hee spoke again.
“The numbers don’t add up. Think it over carefully, and reach out to them again.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll speak with them again.”
The chief secretary bowed and left.
Now alone again, Kim Yeon-hee continued to watch the video of the lightning striking her son’s head.
No, more precisely, she was focused on the image of Park Ki-hyuk smiling as he took the hit.
“What could this be? It’s fascinating…….”
Optimum Agent is one of the top five agencies in the world. Naturally, Kim Yeon-hee, as its CEO, has a deep understanding of superhumans.
But this, this she couldn’t figure out. And it wasn’t just because it involved her son—she genuinely had no clue.
“Magic resistance? No, that doesn’t make sense.”
Magic resistance requires training.
But Kim Yeon-hee knew her son’s condition better than anyone a month ago. There was no room for training in a child who could barely walk.
If not magic resistance, then it must be “magic immunity.”
“Could it be that my son is comparable to a Titan?”
Titan, the hero who represents the United States.
Known as the ultimate “Safety,” with complete immunity to magic, he is considered the strongest of all time.
For Park Ki-hyuk to rival Titan? It’s too early to make such a claim.
“But still.”
The video had reached its final moments.
“D-don’t come any closer.”
“Clench your teeth.”
Crunch!
“Aaaahhh!!”
“Get stronger and come back.”
“Heh. Get stronger and come back.”
My son has my sense of humor.
For a brief moment, Kim Yeon-hee smiled at her son’s actions, but her expression soon hardened.
The strike that shattered Yeon Jae-hoon’s leg. A flawless hit.
But right now, Kim Yeon-hee wasn’t interested in her son’s combat skills.
Yeon Jae-hoon.
The second son of the Chilseong Group.
True to Chilseong’s dabbling in the agent business, they had poured almost all their resources into the second son. As a result, he possessed mana that was far above his age group and was even selected as a special student during middle school.
Kim Yeon-hee didn’t believe for a second that Yeon Jae-hoon, who had received such elite training from a young age, didn’t know how to protect his body with mana.
That’s a basic skill.
“But he cleanly shattered Yeon Jae-hoon’s leg.”
With not a single drop of mana.
Kim Yeon-hee had consulted with the best experts within the agency, but none could provide a clear answer.
The most plausible explanation she received was.
“If pure strength surpasses the mana threshold, it might be possible……”
Tap, tap…….
Kim Yeon-hee’s fingers drummed on the table.
“Ki-hyuk, is this your answer?”
Her worried eyes were fixed on the image of Park Ki-hyuk smiling on the screen.
The next day, an application for admission to the Korea Academy was submitted.
The name written in the designated space:
Park Ki-hyuk.
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