translation by mourningmoor
Wow, damn. It’s unstable, but it’s a success.
But my heart feels like it’s burning hot.
This reminds me of the first time I teleported when I was twelve.
Back then, teleportation was strictly illegal before taking the promotion exam, but I sneaked out to watch a play. It was a play forbidden to kids. Looking back, I committed two illegal acts that day.
Later, I got used to it and traveled between cities, countries, and continents, seeing all sorts of things. Those were the good days…
I let out a shallow sigh and turned my gaze.
I followed Roa’s presence, and outside the window, I saw the sign for Donki○○ in Akihabara.
This kid must have failed to catch a taxi and hid inside a building.
I made a call.
After three rings, Roa answered.
―Hyungnim.
The way he whispered made it seem like the situation was still precarious.
“Where are you?”
―I hid in a bathroom in some building.
“What floor?”
―Third floor, I think?
“Stay still. Don’t make a sound.”
After hanging up, I checked the floor I had teleported to.
Third floor. Perfect.
Then I turned the corner of the hallway, looking for the bathroom.
{Ichan?}
Then I ran into the guy I was looking for.
My teleportation skills haven’t rusted yet.
It landed me exactly where I needed to be.
“Yeah. It’s me, Kang Ichan.”
The man, startled by my sudden appearance, raised his camera.
That’s not a good idea.
“Don’t do that. Your friend got into big trouble earlier for doing the same.”
There’s no need to stall anymore. There’s nothing left to find out.
I grabbed the man’s camera and precisely burned only the memory card.
As smoke rose, the man screamed and flailed.
{What the hell? What is this? What did you do?}
But he quickly quieted down at the touch of my finger.
“You won’t last a minute. How about ten? Wander around like a zombie, okay?”
Then I immediately ran to the bathroom.
“Park Roa.”
When I called his name, the door of the last stall cautiously opened.
“Hyungnim?”
“It’s okay, come out.”
Roa, his face pale, came out quietly.
“Are they gone?”
“They’re gone. I shook them all off. What about Jaewon?”
“I saw him getting into a taxi with Hanjoon hyung earlier.”
Good. That’s a relief.
Then the phone rang loudly.
It was Gyuhyung.
As soon as I answered, I asked about Siu’s safety.
“How’s Siu?”
―What happened to you? Siu was crying and saying something, but I couldn’t understand a word. He said someone was following him?
Luckily, it seemed Siu had also made it safely to the hotel.
“Paparazzi. They were following us like crazy.”
―Paparazzi? In Japan?
“Yeah. I’ll explain in detail when we meet. Hanjoon hyung and Jaewon also took a taxi, so they’ll be here soon. Roa’s with me, so don’t worry.”
―Should I come pick you up?
“You weren’t planning to? Hurry up and fly over here.”
* * *
I had a nosebleed.
There was a bit of time before Gyuhyung arrived.
Roa and I went into Donki○○ to buy patches and digestive medicine for Jaewon’s mom, and just as we were about to leave.
I suddenly had a nosebleed.
Even though there was still mana in the mana hole, my heart sent an abnormal signal.
“Hy-hyungnim.”
A startled Roa took out the T-shirt we just bought and pressed it against my face.
“You’re bleeding too much.”
Yeah, I’m bleeding a lot.
“Call Gyuhyung and see where he is.”
“Okay, okay.”
Roa fumbled for his phone. Then a horn honked.
It was Gyuhyung.
Hyerim, who was in the passenger seat, jumped out with a shocked expression.
“Ichan-ah.”
I waved off Hyerim, who was making a fuss, and quickly got into the car.
Roa’s voice, Gyuhyung’s voice, and Hyerim’s voice echoed loudly.
Damn, am I going to lose consciousness again?
Looks like it.
The world blurred into darkness.
* * *
It seems we went straight to the hospital instead of the hotel.
This is a side effect of converting mana into magical power, something that can’t be fixed with the medical knowledge of this world.
But coming to the hospital and getting some nutrients would at least reassure Gyuhyung and the kids, so I obediently offered my arm to the nurse.
A thin needle pierced my arm, and cold IV fluid flowed into my body.
My heart had been burning hot, but with this, it felt like the heat was subsiding.
Holding onto my fading consciousness, I closed my eyes.
I have no idea what’s wrong.
Last time, it was because I recklessly used my body without storing mana.
My body is that of an ordinary human, but I pushed it as if I were still the Grand Mage.
Of course, that would cause problems.
But this time was different.
I spent two months creating a mana hole, recalling the days when I trained my magical power as a child.
I conserved my magical power as much as possible, trained my internal energy, and circulated my magical power between my heart and mana hole every day to condition my body.
It wasn’t a lack of mana either.
The mana tank, called the mana hole, still has plenty of mana flowing through it. So why did this side effect happen again?
“It’s because you released too much magical power at once.”
At the sudden voice, I opened my eyes.
A doctor in a white coat stood beside me, hands deep in his pockets.
He’s Japanese, and we’ve never met before.
But why does this doctor feel familiar?
I soon realized the doctor’s identity.
“Jesquière. Even if you’re in a hurry, you should follow the proper order.”
His light brown eyes glowed with a faint red light.
Seeing that I recognized him, the doctor smirked and continued.
“If you convert so much mana into magical power at once, your body can’t keep up.”
“How did you get here…”
I pointed at him with my index finger, and he flicked it away with the back of his hand.
“How did I get here? I came after being contacted.”
He took a step closer and placed his right hand on my chest.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Look. Your body isn’t fully trained yet, but you converted too much mana into magical power at once. It’s completely tangled.”
“You can… see that?”
“Jesquière. Whose body am I in now? How do I exist here?”
So that’s it.
This guy is clearly the Demon King Daimon, so why is he here, in this man’s body? What about Yoo Noah?
“This is the core of my ability. I can exist anywhere in the world and intervene in any body like this.”
The Demon King, now a doctor, smiled arrogantly.
“If you allow me, I’d like to intervene in that body just a little, very little.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“You’re holding my life as collateral, aren’t you?”
That’s true. Since I hold his lifeline, he can’t do anything reckless to me.
But I still didn’t feel like giving him permission easily.
“Do you think I’d covet that body?”
Well, it’s not like I didn’t have that worry.
I’m not someone who’d let my body be taken easily, but there’s no rule saying this bastard wouldn’t covet my body.
Seeing how he can move between bodies so freely.
“Don’t joke around, Jesquière.”
The Demon King, now a doctor, chuckled.
“That milky-smelling baby is for the Grand Mage. I don’t need it.”
My pride was slightly hurt. But it didn’t last long.
Because the Demon King begged me for his life.
“Please, just trust me this once. I need to live too.”
There’s no reason not to trust him.
It’s true that the Demon King’s lifeline is in my hands, and he’s the only one in this world who understands my condition.
I nodded slightly.
Then the Demon King’s eyes curved softly.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
The Demon King placed his hand on my chest.
At that moment, I felt something cold pierce my chest and slide in.
“Look. It’s completely blocked. If this is blocked, the magical power can’t flow elsewhere.”
The cold energy probed around my chest.
Then it concentrated in one spot.
“Jess? Can you send mana this way?”
“Don’t call me that casually.”
That name is a nickname my friends used when I was young.
For the Demon King to call me that so casually.
I can’t allow that.
“Our Grand Mage is still as prickly as ever.”
Ignoring my scolding, the Demon King sent the cold energy elsewhere.
“Now, let’s try sending mana this way.”
I closed my eyes and focused my energy on my dantian, pulling up mana.
“It’s done.”
The Demon King withdrew his hand.
Instantly, my heart, which had been burning hot, felt at ease.
“You’ve done well. You’ve gone from 2.5 circles to 4.9 circles in just two months.”
“4.9?”
It was unbelievable.
I successfully teleported, which should only be possible at the 5th circle, but he says I’m at 4.9.
“That doesn’t make sense. How can I teleport at 4.9? That’s only possible at the 5th circle.”
“Because your true self is the Grand Mage Jesquière.”
I frowned at the Demon King’s answer.
Theoretically, it’s not impossible. After all, I am Jesquière.
“If you put your mind to it, you could even cast 9th-circle magic. Of course, your body wouldn’t withstand it and you’d die.”
The problem is that my body is Kang Ichan’s.
“So if you want to live long in that body, take it step by step.”
In the end, the body, mana, and magical power levels need to match to some extent. The factory, materials, and technology must align for things to work properly.
I kept thinking about why this happened and what I should do next.
The Demon King, seeing me like this, threw a playful remark.
“Well, if the 1st-anniversary fan meeting goes well, you’ll surpass the 5th circle.”
He even shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “Do your best.”
“You bastard. How dare you read me?”
“I told you. If I touch you, I can see clearly.”
The Demon King grinned and waved his right hand.
I shouldn’t have trusted the Demon King.
If I had known, I would’ve defended myself with my heightened senses when he touched me.
“Well, I’ll be going now. It seems there’s nothing more to do.”
As if his business was done, the Demon King put his hands back in his coat pockets. He gave me a slight nod and was about to open the curtain.
“Hey.”
“…?”
“When you leave the body like this, what happens to Yoo Noah?”
The Demon King smiled broadly.
“That guy is quietly waiting for me. He can’t do anything without me.”
Just then, Gyuhyung came in through the curtain.
“Ichan?”
Noticing the doctor, Gyuhyung bowed his head.
“Are you… in the middle of treatment?”
“No. It’s over.”
The Demon King, now the doctor, calmly replied and turned to me.
“Well, Kang Ichan. Take care of your body. Don’t overdo it.”
Then he left without looking back.
“Wow. Is that doctor Korean? He speaks Korean well.”
Half-listening to Gyuhyung, I got up from the bed and pulled out the IV.
“Hey! What are you doing pulling that out?”
Gyuhyung panicked, but I ignored him and walked out of the treatment room.
Roa, who was waiting in the hallway, quickly ran over.
“Hyungnim. Are you okay?”
“Sorry. You were worried, huh?”
“I wasn’t worried. You’re someone who survived being struck by lightning.”
Roa smiled and shook his head, handing me my clothes and phone.
“And Yoo Noah sunbaenim called.”
“Huh?”
“Your phone kept ringing, but you didn’t answer. So he called me. Jaewon said the sunbaenim called him first, and Jaewon gave him my number…”
Roa cut off his long explanation and got to the point.
“Anyway, he asked if you were bleeding a lot and where you were, so I told him you were at the hospital.”
This guy… He said he came after being contacted… Did he really sense that I was in bad shape? How? Because our lifelines are connected?
“Good job.”
Still.
What’s with this top-tier senior acting so recklessly and contacting me like this?
“I’ll call him later.”
This guy. As soon as I perfect teleportation, I’m going to settle my debt with him.