Chapter 100: Tae-Ryeong’s Godly Technique (3)
Ha Tae-Ryeong wasn't exactly renowned for his exceptional writing skills.
His research was vast, extensive, and often presented in a convoluted manner.
He would jot down his findings at length and upon realizing new revelations during the process, hurriedly erase and amend his words, leaving behind numerous obscure passages that were hard to comprehend.
It was almost unimaginable that he intended for his work to be read, but despite its complexities, one couldn't help but think, “There's something quite intriguing about this.”
Within Ha Tae-Ryeong’s research papers was an abundance of historical accounts that had never been documented in official records. They even surpassed the knowledge of renowned historians.
Ha Tae-Ryeong himself was a character that wasn’t mentioned in the original game.
However, his presence was far more influential and commanding than one might expect. He was, after all, among the twelve disciples of the progenitor mage and occupied a position of great significance.
This was an era of impending peril, an era where demons and dark mages threatened the world.
During those times, mages were the champions of humanity.
They wielded powers akin to gods, capable of vanquishing invincible entities with thunderous force and earth-shaking abilities.
Born in an age when the chaos of war had come to an end, Ha Tae-Ryeong entered a world now graced by peace.
Dragons had retreated into the shadows, demons had withdrawn to their secluded domains, and dark mages had fled to abandoned lands.
Humanity had emerged victorious, paving the way for a world brimming with dreams, hope, and laughter.
In reality, even the prologue of Aether World depicted such an idyllic setting.
However, reality often diverged from appearances.
Following the war, the society of humans found stability, but something quite natural occurred—a world dominated by mages.
After all, who could dare challenge those wielding godlike powers?
Bloodlines and social status paled in significance before the prowess of magic.
In this world, intelligence and mastery of magic determined one's standing, and the progenitor mage himself concealed his whereabouts, leaving behind twelve disciples who would ascend to the highest echelons of power.
This was a story Baek Yu-Seol was also familiar with.
The influence of these twelve mages persisted even to the present day, their names frequently echoing through the main episodes.
Adolevit, the Fire Mage; Morph, the Ice Mage; Hollow, the Void Mage; Talc, the Metal Mage; Starflower, the Nature Mage; and many others. They stood as the most eminent twelve families in the world, exuding unparalleled authority.
"Interesting..."
As revealed in Ha Tae-Ryeong’s accounts, they systematically transformed the magical society into a class-based hierarchy, akin to the 21st-century Earth's modern civilization.
This document sought to explain why the world they constructed retained an aristocratic system, seemingly impervious to change.
"So this damn class system is all because of these bastards?"
Fearing the suffering his descendants might endure under this hierarchy, Ha Tae-Ryeong courageously confronted the twelve disciples of the first mage.
But Baek Yu-Seol already knew the conclusion of this tale.
Leafanel disclosed it to him earlier.
"He perished at the hands of the first mage’s twelve disciples.”
Realizing this, He began to grasp how long Leafanel had lived.
She had been involved with almost all of history.
Spending much of her time hidden and slumbering, she was unable to fully recall the events she witnessed.
"Interesting..."
Nevertheless, the research paper encompassed various intriguing historical anecdotes, meticulously penned.
Unlike modern writings, it was a bit convoluted and disorderly, but he found a certain fascination in deciphering its contents.
The longevity of life is directly linked to the duration of mana within one's body.
[Mana is, after all, the essence of life itself. The reason why seasoned mages maintain their youth is due to their proficiency in retaining and preserving mana.
But those with mana leakage delay have no mana in their bodies, hence they die young.
However, they continuously absorb natural mana. It’s just that the amount of mana they absorb is so minuscule that they die young.
This got me thinking: What if I could find a way to hold onto even the tiniest trickle of mana passing through my body for an extended period?
Could this lead to transcending mere longevity and possibly achieving immortality?
With that notion in mind, I developed a technique of breathing in mana throughout my entire being.]
Finally, the method emerged.
[Although mages also employed breathing methods, theirs mainly focused on accumulating mana in their heads, hearts, and lower abdomens—ineffective for those like me dealing with mana leakage.
However I had long realized the importance of breathing techniques and consistently engaged in aerobic exercises to increase lung capacity to inhale as much mana as possible.
Internal Art.
This is the name of the breathing technique I created. As you might guess from the word, it’s not simply about doing aerobic exercises.
It involves controlling your mind to harmonize yourself with nature and naturally accept everything in the world.
That is the foundation of this breathing technique.]
‘Internal Art…’
It felt like reading a martial arts novel or a cult's scripture, but it wasn’t an unbelievable story.
After all, even the concept of magic itself bordered on the surreal.
Amidst such considerations, the mention of Internal Art seemed no more extraordinary.
While the idea of achieving immortality might seem fantastical, it essentially implied that increasing the flow of mana in his bloodstream would bolster his capabilities.
‘Should I give it a try?’
Seating himself in the most comfortable position, just as described in the research paper—the secret manuscript, so to speak—Baek Yu-Seol gently closed his eyes.
Occasionally, on weekends, Hong Bi-Yeon ventured out.
Not for leisurely strolls or picnics, but to visit the Adolevit Royal Tomb.
This revered place served as the final resting ground exclusively for the Adolevit royalty.
Countless tombs lay scattered, but only a few were directly connected to Hong Bi-Yeon.
However, she didn't seem overly concerned about her distant relatives buried here.
She viewed it as a blessing in disguise, sparing her from any burdensome responsibilities.
[Hong Erin Adolevit, like a flower adrift in the wind…]
Her elder sister, Hong Erin, often expressed with a warm smile, "When I'm gone, please ensure these words grace my tombstone."
In the end, that remark became her final epitaph, leaving Hong Bi-Yeon unable to muster a smile.
Laughing at such a joke was beyond anyone's capacity.
Hong Erin had always been a loving and understanding elder sister to Hong Bi-Yeon.
She exuded maturity, warmth, serenity, and compassion like no one else.
Memories of her were filled with all the goodness she embodied.
When Hong Bi-Yeon thought of Hong Erin, the image of a flower-filled meadow with her radiant silver hair dancing in the wind immediately came to mind.
It seemed almost surreal and distant, like a dream.
During that time, Hong Bi-Yeon felt disconnected from everyone in the kingdom.
Her body bore the marks of intense training to heighten her affinity for fire, leaving her covered in burns.
Her once luscious hair had been singed, forcing her to wear a hat always, and her skin resembled something grotesque, almost as if it had decayed.
Hong Bi-Yeon, who was naturally pessimistic about her disgusting and repulsive appearance, gradually developed a passive personality and suffered from low self-esteem.
Her older sister, Erin, always approached her first.
In the early morning, when she escaped to the deserted lakeside in a depressed state, Hong Erin would somehow find her there and say, “Let’s do our best today too!”
Her voice was still vivid.
How could she forget?
Every day, Hong Erin always reached out to her like that.
But Hong Bi-Yeon only pushed her away. She believed that no one could understand her, that no one lived a life as painful as hers.
One day, she found out that her eldest sister, Hong Erin, had an incurable disease.
“It's unlikely she'll survive past this year. You should prepare yourself…”
Although the cause and nature of the illness remained a mystery, it was a dreadful condition that caused her body to gradually erupt in flames.
At that moment, Hong Bi-Yeon’s love for her elder sister grew exponentially.
She realized that her sister bore the same pain, or perhaps even greater suffering, as herself.
Hong Erin knew how horrifying and agonizing it was to have her body and soul consumed by fire.
Living like a ticking time bomb, having to keep everyone at a distance, she understood the loneliness and desolation of that fate.
Hong Erin was the only person in the world who could truly comprehend her.
Sadly, it was already too late.
"Bi-Yeon, you’re here?"
Her sister lay there, pale and weak, unable to venture outside due to the sporadic flames erupting from her body.
So for the first time, Hong Bi-Yeon made an effort for someone else.
Although her own appearance was terrible and repulsive, she mustered the courage to go outside, as she didn't experience spontaneous combustion.
She wholeheartedly sought out experiences to share with Hong Erin, eagerly recounting them whenever they were together.
Her elder sister always listened with a bright expression.
"Did you?"
"That happened, huh?"
"That must have been tough, my little sister."
Their time together was painfully brief.
As a result, Hong Bi-Yeon fiercely endeavored to spend more moments with her, making the most of every second.
Those cherished memories with her elder sister brought her a sense of being truly alive.
However, that blissful time didn't endure for long.
Hong Bi-Yeon placed delicate pink flowers on the gravestone. The events of that time were still vivid in her memory.
In her final moments, even amidst the blazing inferno, she could remember the smile directed towards her.
"I wish for your happiness."
Having experienced the pain of loving and parting with someone, she understood the immense suffering it brought, far more agonizing and scorching than being consumed by flames.
Incurable disease.
Those words struck a deep, unsettling chord.
Despite the incredible advancements in magic, why hadn't humanity completely conquered illnesses yet?
Recently, she had come to know about mana leakage delay, a condition where one couldn't naturally accumulate mana from birth and faced a tragically short life.
Not even a year ago, this term had no relevance to Hong Bi-Yeon.
But now, everything had changed drastically.
So much had changed.
She had hoped that such events wouldn't repeat in the future, but once again, someone had entered her life and taken up a significant place.
And this person, just like her first love, was suffering from an incurable disease.
Perhaps on Stella's graduation day, when he turned 20, he would succumb to it.
"I don't want to endure such pain again."
Throughout history, no one had managed to cure mana leakage delay.
However, the Adolevit Royal Family descended from one of the twelve disciples of the founding mage and possessed a special heirloom known as the fire spirit blossom.
Legend spoke of this treasure's fragrance bringing forth the incarnation of fire within the body.
Although it granted immense mana, failure to control the incarnation of fire could lead to a catastrophic conflagration, prompting its prohibition.
"But it will keep him alive."
The manifestation of the incarnation implied that one's body was imbued with divine presence, naturally possessing an enormous mana reserve.
Thus, the fire spirit blossom held the promise of curing mana leakage disorder.
Although it was secluded deep within the palace, accessible only to the king...
"I will become the king."
She had been relentlessly striving to claim the throne, a dream shared with her elder sister.
However, from this point on, she would pursue this goal with even greater determination.
Her aim was to ascend to the throne before his life ended, before graduation day.
Hong Bi-Yeon clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her palm.
She was resolute in her decision.
"I... must become king.”