The Sword Genius of the Magic Empire - Chapter 6



Only Krnovel

A boy was approaching from across the training ground.

Is he about the same age as Enoch?

‘I think I’ve seen your face somewhere.’

Enoch looked at him closely and then suddenly realized something.

‘Ah… Dionil Elseid?’

Come to think of it, there were extras like that too.

Thud, thud.

He was accompanied by three other wizards.

Enoch narrowed his eyes at them.

Although their faces were all unfamiliar, I could quickly guess what they did.

‘They seem to be the followers of Dionil.’

One of the main settings of the original game.

The “Follower Family” system.

The magical empire of Atlas, where magical abilities become power and social stratification.

However, only a very small number of the Empire’s magicians reach high levels.

In reality, the majority of the Empire’s citizens were wizards of ranks 20 to 15.

So lower-ranking wizards needed teachers to help them achieve their magical abilities, and powerful wizards to back them up.

The concept that emerged against such a backdrop was the “following family” system.

A custom that follows the imperial trend of forming a hierarchical relationship with those who wish to receive magical teachings and serve the master’s family, thus establishing an identity as a group of magicians.

‘It was a similar system in terms of the game as well.’

The term ‘follower family’ appears in the game as a word referring to a type of ‘party’.

And the main content is that the protagonist can recruit followers according to his needs and create a combination that fits the battles that occur in each story and mission.

Which progression route to take, which places to go, which characters to raise their favor with in order to bring them into the protagonist’s family, and how much to develop them are all up to the player.

Of course, the main character’s specs are important, but also places a huge emphasis on the ‘collectible RPG’ and ‘training’ elements.

“Meet Lord Enoch.”

Just next to Dionil.

A few of the followers came forward and exchanged formal greetings. However, some of them had a subtle sneer on their faces.

Enoch tilted his head slightly.

‘Enoch’s expulsion is said to have been planned, but it is still a direct lineage.’

But their extremely rude attitude must be showing what kind of position Enoch has within the family.

Enoch looked around at them.

Perhaps, they just haven’t come here, but there must be more clans led by Dionil. That’s natural, since they are direct descendants of the Elseid family.

‘… Except me, of course.’

A bitter smile formed within Enoch.

In the original, Enoch did not have a single follower in the route through which the entire story progressed.

In fact, it’s a natural thing.

Is there any fool who would stand in line for a non-magician who is officially incompetent in Imperial society?

‘It may not be possible right now, but I guess I’ll have to create a following later.’

Five years later, Enoch alone wasn’t enough to prepare for what would happen in the original story.

It was necessary to bring in talented people from each field of magic into the following families.

‘Of course, I also know who to recruit.’

For Enoch, who knew almost all the characters in the game, making a list of his followers wasn’t that difficult.

Of course, bringing them under my wing is a separate issue, but if we gradually solve the problems that are right in front of us, it is entirely possible… … .

“Enoch. What gives you the confidence to go out and walk around?”

… … Oh, you haven’t gone yet.

While he was lost in thought, perhaps feeling unintentionally ignored, Dionil slowly walked over and stopped in front of Enoch.

Looking at it again, the image of him I had seen in the game faintly flashed through my mind.

Dionil Elseid.

Although he is a character that appears from the beginning of the story in the game, he is rarely used due to his ambiguous skill set and performance.

First of all, the reason he is not preferred at parties is….

“There’s no way you’ve unleashed any magic in the meantime. Since you’re about to be expelled, did you come here to capture a scene that you’ll never see again?”

Because the speaking bird is very unlucky.

No kidding, this was also related to the system of .

This is because there is a mutual affinity system between characters that can be assigned to battle.

Due to this effect, when forming a party, if the affinity between characters is low and close to “hostility”, a penalty is applied to forming the same party.

That is why, in the original work, Dionil, who acts without any shame, was a difficult character to include in a party and roll with, regardless of his abilities.

Because whenever he got the chance, he would incur the hatred of his party members and lower the power of the entire party.

“This is a public training ground. It is an important facility that not only Elseid and his followers’ children but also students from the Imperial Academy come to observe.”

He came closer and spat out.

“This is not a place where an incompetent non-magician like you can come and go as you please, Enoch.”

Already, a few gazes and a commotion could be felt from the audience area of ​​the performance hall.

-Look over there. Black hair… Is that the person who is the disgrace of that family… .

-This is my first time seeing you too. I heard you were just locked in your room. What on earth are you doing here…?

-Oh, be quiet. I’ll listen.

Enoch glanced at the attention focused in his direction and then faced Dionil.

‘All the stars are causing trouble.’

How can we respond effectively to get out of the situation?

But after hearing Dionil’s subsequent words, Enoch decided not to just endure this situation and back down.

“The eliminated non-magicians should live like non-magicians. In a corner, quietly, as before.”

Those bastards are like flies, once they start to act, there is no end to it.

It would have been better to just cut it off at this point.

Enoch replied calmly.

“That guy who was even beaten by that retired non-magician is still alive in the mouth.”

“what…?”

A look of mixed anger and confusion crossed Dionil’s face for a moment, as if he had not expected Enoch to talk back.

An expression as if to say, how dare you bring that up.

In fact, this was related to some incident that Dionil had with Enoch in the past.

“Dionil’s childhood when he first awakened to magic. At that time, there was a public duel between Enoch and the two direct descendants.”

“Dionil, who was still an inexperienced wizard, was easily subdued by Enoch in front of the entire audience.”

“Enoch, who was unable to use magic at the time, only used one-sided physical force, but it still remains a painful dark history for Dionil.”

If you’re a newbie, you might not even be aware of the existence of Enoch as an extra, but in any case, this is just stagnant, rotten water.

I had all these episodes memorized.

‘While I’m at it, I might as well use this guy.’

Even if I gained the ability to see mana in the inner world, it was unknown to what extent I could properly utilize it in actual combat.

Anyway, I needed some practical experience.

The timing of his appearance was perfect.

‘Because you need to figure yourself out at least once.’

Above all, it is impossible to tolerate such sloppy behavior forever.

If you start looking down on me like this once or twice, you never know, you might start picking on me over all sorts of things in the future.

I should take this opportunity to correct my bad habits.

“Why? You were a jerk to me before.”

“You bastard. Are you crazy…?”

“If you feel wronged, come back. Are you scared because you’re reminded of the old days?”

At his provocation, Dionil began to protest, as if he had many grievances about past events.

“It was a magic duel from the beginning. You broke the rules back then….”

“Yeah, sloppy.”

“this guy!”

Immediately, a sound of Dionil’s pride being scratched escaped his mouth.

Of course, from this perspective, I don’t remember and I don’t know. Anyway, all I have to do is scratch the guy’s insides.

He remembered clearly one of the traits listed on Dionil Elseid’s character sheet.

“I have a strong sense of pride, so I can’t stand insults.”

“That guy doesn’t even know what he’s doing…! Alright. I’ll make sure he never leaves the room again.”

The guy finally couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted loudly.

It was obvious why Dionil was so angry.

I guess he wants to get revenge on the ‘non-magician’ he lost to back then, who kept adding the word ‘non-magician’ to the end of every sentence.

Unlike then, the current Dionil has achieved some magical achievements.

But at that time.

“Please wait a moment, Lord Dionil.”

Behind Dionil, who was holding the staff while holding the branch tank, a man stepped forward to stop him.

A young man who appears to be five or six years older than Enoch.

Dionil looked back at him and said with a look of surprise.

“Ackelon?”

Akkelon…!

What if it’s Akkelon?

‘I’ve never seen it before.’

A wizard’s name that had never been heard before in the original work. It was a name that even the veteran Enoch had never heard of.

In other words, it is a name that is literally unknown and you don’t even need to worry about it.

But he continued speaking with a confident expression, not knowing whether he knew what I was thinking or not.

“Why would you use a slaughter knife to kill a chicken? I will take care of this matter myself, without your involvement.”

Dionil glared at me for a moment, then nodded as if he understood what I was saying.

“… Well, I guess I don’t need to deal with him. It would be a waste to deal with him myself when I’m dealing with just a non-wizard. So, Akkelon, will you teach him a lesson for me?”

“As you wish.”

Dionil said, tapping his shoulder a few times.

“I’m sorry to have to entrust you with such a chore. I’m sure you didn’t train so hard for this kind of work.”

The person in question didn’t say anything, but Enoch just smiled slightly as he watched the two of them taking turns giving and receiving.

Well, whatever it was, it didn’t matter.

I don’t know what Ackelon does, but I have a rough idea of ​​what level he is at.

“… Then, Enoch, I will guide you to Dionil’s personal training grounds. Training is already in progress here. Is that okay?”

Enoch nodded absentmindedly.

As for the talent of the sword I use, I didn’t want to show it to others as much as possible.

But, you’re going to a personal training facility that you can’t even see?

Now I couldn’t ask for anything more.

***

The personal training facility we arrived at following Akkelon was more luxurious than we had expected.

A variety of training stalls are neatly displayed on display cases decorated with twinkling lights, along with stylish furniture.

On one wall of the room, expensive artifacts and various training equipment were hung neatly, catching the eye.

“This is Master Dionil’s personal training ground.”

Akkelon spread his arms as if introducing the facility.

“Where did Dionil go?”

“Haha, Lord Dionil has a schedule at the public training grounds. It’s not like he can easily leave.”

Akkelon looked at Enoch for a moment, then waved the short staff he was holding in the air. The engraved magic stone at the end briefly glowed.

“Please let me know when you are ready.”

Enoch listened half-heartedly and picked up a staff of appropriate length from the display case.

Enoch waved it lightly in the air a few times.

Looking at him like that, Akkelon laughed inwardly.

‘You followed me obediently to a place where there were no truly seeing eyes. Are all non-magicians that stupid?’

Wheein─

Akkelon slowly drew up his mana. The magic circle he was constructing rose into the air, rotating.

The fact that training is already underway in the public training ground is just an excuse.

I, a member of the following clan, came to this personal training ground because it would be no good for everyone to see me beating up Enoch, who was my direct descendant.

‘If I make this defective product into a half-dead person, Lord Dionil will be pleased.’

Enoch, an incompetent man who can’t even use magic, is no match for him.

Akkelon knew his own level well.

His magic has just reached level 15.

However, in this place, rank 15 was not a high enough level to boast about. In the Juga clan, where only the elite of the empire gathered, most magicians were above the basic rank 13.

Of course, there aren’t that many wizards in the empire who grow past level 15.

But compared to the outstanding talents here, and considering his age, it was a growth that came too late.

Akkelon knew better than anyone that his talents were mere mere superficialities.

‘So, people like me have to find a slightly different way to survive.’

The role of a follower is not just about clean work.

He decided to live behind Dionil’s back as a secret agent.

I will gather the dirty deeds and secrets that should not be revealed one by one and enter his heart, acting like a tongue in his mouth. In this way, I will become indispensable to him.

I will live only for him as a member of the following clan that moves in the shadows.

Akkelon smiled twistedly.

‘So… I’m sorry, but you’re just a scapegoat.’

Hwaaaaak!

In an instant, a powerful arrow of mana formed from his completed magic circle.

As Akkelon extended his hand, an arrow constructed of translucent mana responded to his will and quickly sliced ​​through the air towards Enoch.

Wheeeeeek─!

Enoch twisted his body once to avoid it.

However, Enoch was unable to completely avoid it, as a small amount of blood leaked out from his waist.

A sadistic smile appeared on Akkelon’s lips when he saw that.

‘The movements are unexpected?’

He’s quite agile for a non-magician.

But even so, he is still a non-magician.

Akkelon reached out and rebuilt the magic circle.

‘Let’s see how far a non-magician can dodge.’

Dozens of mana arrows that had just grazed Enoch’s waist were fired at him. Little by little, his body turned red with life.

Akkelon smiled as if it was natural.

Even if just one of those arrows landed, it would be a fatal blow to Enoch, who had no basic defensive magic.

‘I guess I’ll have to go to the trouble of destroying at least one limb. So that it becomes impossible to treat later… .’

Akkelon gathered mana again.

If he could succeed in this endeavor, he would be particularly noted among Dionil’s many followers. It was a golden opportunity.

What if I could just gain the trust of Dionil, a direct descendant of the Zhou family?

If Dionil were to inherit the throne in the future, he could aim for the position of butler to assist the great Elseid family.

Just like the current Granthal steward.

A non-magician like Enoch is just the cornerstone for that… .

‘… … ?’

It must have been so.

‘what?’

At some point, Dionil’s expression gradually became distorted.

10 minutes.

15 minutes.

30 minutes… … .

Time was passing much longer than Akkelon had expected.

The amount of magic shot at Enoch so far is approaching three digits.

‘… … What the heck?’

Something is seriously wrong.

As Mana gradually fell, he glared at Enoch with a pale complexion.

‘How… do you avoid them all without getting hit by a single one?’

On the other hand, Enoch’s breathing was still undisturbed as he dodged the arrow that flew at him again.

Well, it was a natural thing for Enoch.

Because he was observing the flow of mana moving around with his own eyes.

***

Enoch moved his body calmly.

‘It’s easier than you think?’

The sense of mana.

Through the visible flow of mana, it was easy to see where he was aiming with his magic.

Let alone such an honest, straight-line projectile type of magic.

At first, it was awkward to dodge and some of the shots would graze my body, which was dangerous, but now I was able to dodge all the attacks without difficulty.

I felt like I was gradually adapting to his body.

“Ugh!”

As mana depletion approached, Akkelon became more and more desperate and began to fire spells he had never touched before.

Of course, evasion wasn’t difficult at all. In addition, it evaded magic moderately and I also learned something new.

‘Enoch’s physical abilities were to this extent.’

Body vision.

Agility and endurance.

Even his mental strength was unbelievably outstanding.

Even if you can roughly read the trajectory of an attack, you still need to exert considerable concentration to read your opponent’s mana through your mana sense.

Yet, unlike Akkelon, who was already panting, Enoch was still mentally and physically sound.

‘At this point, I guess I have a rough idea of ​​my current condition.’

The magic it shoots is a projectile attack magic that boasts the fastest speed among the 15-grade magic in the game.

In that case, it would be possible to evade other 15th level magic attacks from the front without difficulty.

The 15th rank is not that strong in the original work, where wizards with monstrous skills rule, but they are definitely excellent wizards compared to the general category.

Enoch smiled faintly.

I was starting to feel more and more confident that I could survive in this absurd world filled with wizards.

‘Should we finish this soon?’

At the same time as the judgment, Enoch immediately kicked the training ground hard. The wind from the sudden acceleration brushed against his cheek.

Akkelon was getting closer by the second. He was seen raising his staff in shock.

The mana he had squeezed out activated a magic circle that glowed in the air. However, Enoch had already noticed his next move.

Pfft!

15th Grade [Image: Warhammer]

A magic that creates a giant war hammer out of mana and slams it down in front.

It is a common magic that can be used at level 15, but it is highly useful in close combat, so it is a very useful skill from the early game to the mid game.

‘As expected.’

A faint smile spread across Enoch’s lips as he saw the magic circle.

It’s not like Atlas has tried it once or twice. It was obvious that a magician of that level would use it in a one-on-one battle.

An attack that you can’t help but know about.

In reality, all he could do was pour out his magic from beginning to end, revealing his true colors.

Wow!

Akkelon’s staff glowed brightly and the magic circle rotated. In an instant, a giant war hammer made of mana appeared out of thin air.

An overwhelming size that can crush a person in one blow.

As he swung his staff roughly, a large hammer came crashing down before Enoch’s eyes.

however…….

‘Slow.’

Akkelon’s hammer was so slow that it could not even be compared to the sword that the Black Swordsman swung in Enoch’s inner world.

Enough to be able to turn your body and dodge without difficulty even while running forward.

Whirik

Enoch then turned his body to the left.

Then a huge hammer came crashing down on the spot where he had just been, shattering the floor into pieces.

However, Enoch, who had avoided this with a simple movement, had already approached Akkelon’s nose.

“Huh, huh… … !”

The moment Akkelon’s eyes filled with confusion as he was unable to cast the next spell.

Enoch struck him squarely on the shoulder with the staff he was holding.

Woodduduk!

Along with the light impact, a dull sensation was transmitted to my fingertips, as if my shoulder blade had been broken.

Akkelon screamed in agony and stumbled, falling to the floor curled up like a bug.

“Kwaaah!”

Akkelon clutched his slumped shoulders and let out a groan of pain.

“That movement just now… … Have you been toying with me all this time?”

“why?”

Enoch looked down at him coldly and spat out.

“Then it won’t work?”

Akkelon muttered indignantly, drooling profusely on the floor.

“What trick did you use? There’s no way you could avoid my magic so easily without using magic….”

Akkelon, who was lying face down and watching Enoch striding towards him, suddenly realized something and shouted to himself with a face full of astonishment.

“No way… a 9th-grade [Acceleration]?”

Ugh.

Akkelon clenched his teeth.

It’s unbelievable, but there’s no other explanation.

Because it’s absolutely impossible to dodge all those magic spells with just your bare body.

So, is this saying that Enoch was hiding the fact that he was a wizard for some reason?

And that’s at least a 9th level skill?

Akkelon looked up at Enoch with an expression of extreme confusion and muttered absentmindedly.

“… So, what level of magic can you use?”

Enoch lifted his staff and answered vaguely.

“Well? I can even use amnesia magic.”

Upon hearing that, Akkelon looked seriously astonished and asked back.

“W-If it’s amnesia, is it really above level 10? How on earth can you use that level of high-level magic…!”

“like this.”

Enoch grabbed the staff he was holding and struck Akkelon in the back of the head with it.

Paaaaak!

Magic of Amnesia (Physics).

Enoch threw the magical tool he was holding at Akkelon, who was lying unconscious on the floor with his head down.

“Magic is easy.”

The moment I was about to leave the training grounds, leaving behind Akkelon, who had collapsed and was foaming at the mouth.

A single strand of mana, very familiar to him, caught his eye.

‘What is this?’

Enoch paused and stopped walking.

─Mana, dark blue in color.

You wouldn’t have discovered it if you hadn’t come to the quiet private training grounds, unlike the public training grounds or castle corridors where countless people come and go.

It was a line of mana that thin.

And the moment I saw it.

Enoch felt it instinctively.

‘I have to follow.’

Enoch’s body screamed that it had to follow. If it was a scream, it was deafening.

‘Come to think of it, did Enoch in the original work also have mana of the same color?’

As if possessed by something.

Enoch slowly walked towards the dark blue light of mana extending across the hallway.