GDDHM 5

5
In the uppermost VIP Lounge of Shinnam High School’s annex, objects worth hundreds of millions of won sat in their designated spots with effortless grace, as though they had never belonged anywhere else.
Employees stood perpetually at attention, providing beverages, snacks, and meals, along with services that ranged from laundry to phone charging. The lounge was off-limits to ordinary students. Which meant the man sprawled across the sofa with his legs crossed in casual arrogance possessed some exceptional qualification.
Above his designer-laden uniform, a gold nameplate gleamed. He was Jang Ki-han, second son of the Magical Aristocracy’s Cheolhyeol Jangga.
Whoosh—
A Flame Orb suspended in the air danced at the mere flick of his hand. His control had reached its absolute limit.
It was something others might envy, but for him it was merely routine.
From childhood, Jang Ki-han had consumed countless elixirs and been instructed by renowned mages summoned to teach him. As a result, at merely seventeen, he had achieved a third Circle in his heart. When his peers averaged 1.5 Circles, this was a staggering gap.
To Jang Ki-han, who possessed wealth, prestige, and power in equal measure, life felt like a tedious journey undertaken without a smartphone.
Everything came easily, but he lacked stimulation. So when his comfortable existence shattered, he welcomed it.
Like the incident he was hearing about now through his phone.
“Kim Byeong-hak got crushed? And by that trash?”
He twisted his lips while listening to the report through the receiver.
—Yes, young master. He was apparently beaten senseless at the Incinerator. Couldn’t cast magic, got completely overwhelmed.
“Ha.”
Flames erupted between Jang Ki-han’s fingers.
Kim Byeong-hak was his plaything, his hunting dog for handling dirty work.
He’d selected him from among his peers because the boy had some spine and decent ability.
And that boy had been taken down by a mere No-Ma?
“Amusing. All right, hang up.”
After ending the call, Jang Ki-han suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ahaha. How strange. I feel good, but it’s disgusting.”
Laughing hard enough that tears pricked his eyes, he withdrew a handkerchief from his inner pocket.
Tap-tap.
Then with elegant precision he wiped the tears away.
“I’m curious who it is.”
His eyes glittered with intrigue as he gazed down toward the Sports Field.
In the distance, a boy and girl were crossing the grounds.
Cheon Do-hyeon, and the class president Kim Seung-yeon trailing after him.
To get a better look at them, Jang Ki-han rose from his seat and stepped close to the window.
“I’m dying to know. What kind of people are they? Well, they did destroy my toy. I should check them out personally.”
He thrilled at the discovery of a being that could stimulate him. Breath fogged from his lips in rapid bursts, clouding the glass. Through the haze, Jang Ki-han’s eyes gleamed with madness.
###
Meanwhile, in First Year Class 2 Classroom.
The atmosphere was silent as a tomb.
‘Kim Byeong-hak’s gang got taken down?’
‘Three mages swarmed him and couldn’t beat a single No-Ma?’
The students stole glances at Cheon Do-hyeon. Unlike Kim Byeong-hak’s gang, who’d been carried off to the infirmary, Cheon Do-hyeon bore not a single scratch.
This was major news.
Kim Byeong-hak, the true power broker of First Year Class 2, had been defeated by Cheon Do-hyeon, whom everyone had considered the weakest.
As of today, the food chain in First Year Class 2 had been inverted.
Everyone burned with curiosity about the details, but not a soul dared approach him.
Except for one person.
“Hey, Do-hyeon. Can we talk for a minute?”
Class president Kim Seung-yeon pulled up a chair beside his desk.
“Don’t talk to me. I’m exhausted.”
Cheon Do-hyeon laid his head down on the desk.
It wasn’t an exaggeration. He truly was worn out.
‘I’m so hungry my stomach feels like it’s tearing apart.’
It felt as though a black hole had opened inside his Dantian.
The hunger activated by the Absorption Great Method.
On top of that, the Mana he’d consumed remained undigested, tormenting him.
“What was that thing you did earlier?”
Despite his cold dismissal, Kim Seung-yeon pressed on with her question.
“It wasn’t magic. No incantation, no Circle. But Kim Byeong-hak’s Flame Orb just vanished. What exactly did you do?”
At her words, the ears of every student in the room perked up.
As he felt the attention converge on him, irritation flared in Cheon Do-hyeon.
‘Does this girl have no sense of the room, or is she just shameless?’
Cheon Do-hyeon lifted his head and shot a look at Seung-yeon.
His bloodshot eyes gleamed with an unsettling light.
“Class president. Don’t do things you wouldn’t normally do. Just live like you usually do, yeah? You’re not the type to take interest in what other students are up to.”
“What can I do? I can’t sleep if something doesn’t make sense to me.”
Kim Seung-yeon shrugged brazenly.
Cheon Do-hyeon clicked his tongue. She was relentless. It didn’t seem like she’d back off easily.
If he didn’t tell her, she’d probably keep pestering him about it.
But right now, Cheon Do-hyeon’s body wasn’t in any condition to endure Kim Seung-yeon’s harassment.
“If you’re curious, figure it out yourself. Stop being a nuisance.”
Cheon Do-hyeon grabbed his bag and stood up from his desk.
“What? Leaving without permission?”
“I feel sick. That’s why I’m leaving early.”
“Liar.”
“I’m serious. You’re making it worse.”
Staying at school any longer would only tire him out. He needed to get home quickly and resolve this “overeating” state.
###
That night, in the Old Dojo.
Cheon Do-hyeon sat in the lotus position, sweat pouring down his face.
Hum—
His dantian spun like a millstone, grinding down the clumps of mana packed tight in his belly.
[Void Origin Heart Method – Digestion]
The foreign matter was pulped, transformed into pure black inner power, and flowed through his veins.
The excruciating stomach pain subsided, and a weighty force filled his entire body.
“Hah…”
After a deep exhalation, Cheon Do-hyeon slowly opened his eyes.
The energy raging inside his body had settled stably in his dantian.
‘So this is the power of the Void Origin Heart Method…’
If the Supsong Daebeop was a brutish force that swallowed everything, the Void Origin Heart Method was a digestive agent that forcibly made it his own.
Cheon Do-hyeon reached out and summoned his energy.
‘Now I understand why you have to learn the Void Origin Heart Method before mastering the Heavenly Demon Divine Method.’
Black energy shimmered like heat haze above his palm.
[Achievement Rating: Supsong Daebeop – 3 Stars]
The Sacred Tome’s voice whispered in his mind.
Cheon Do-hyeon smiled with satisfaction.
He’d properly absorbed only one first-circle mage. Yet the achievement rating had still increased.
‘What if I’d absorbed both of them?’
Regret lingered, but there was one more accomplishment to compensate for it.
Cheon Do-hyeon flicked his finger.
Whoosh—
Black energy expelled from his fingertip coiled like a chain through the air, binding the sandbag in front of him.
Magic? No. There was no incantation, no structure.
It was merely leftover magical residue compressed and expelled.
“This actually works.”
Reflection.
A technique to redirect the power drawn in by the Supsong Daebeop back to the opponent without converting it into inner power.
Though it could only be used once, if magic came flying at an enemy convinced he couldn’t cast—
It was more than enough to be a trump card.
“Grandfather… why did he hide such power?”
Power that could erase magic, steal it, and even send it back.
This was a catastrophe for mages.
With this kind of power, there would’ve been no need to live hidden in a slum like this.
Formidable strength always found use somewhere.
If only his power was acknowledged, he could rake in money from the police, mercenary work, or even just applying to Contaminated Area purification missions.
Questions piled upon questions, but there was no one left in this world to answer them.
Cheon Do-hyeon shook his head to clear away the stray thoughts.
‘Focus only on what I can do now.’
There was only one thing he could do now: turn the page of the next Sacred Tome and grow stronger.
Trusting that this mysterious Sacred Tome would someday give him answers, he closed his eyes again.
###
The next morning, in the classroom.
The moment Cheon Do-hyeon opened the door, a familiar voice called out.
“Cheon Do-hyeon!”
Cheon Do-hyeon’s face crumpled.
An expression of utter exasperation.
“That look suits you.”
It was Kim Seung-yeon again.
She’d already dragged a chair over to Cheon Do-hyeon’s desk and settled herself beside him.
He exhaled slowly and spoke.
“I’ll give you this—you’ve got persistence.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. But you know what? You need to be careful.”
Kim Seung-yeon’s expression turned serious. She glanced around, then lowered her voice.
She leaned in close to Cheon Do-hyeon, as if afraid someone might overhear.
“Do you know who’s backing Kim Byeong-hak?”
“Not interested.”
“Hwanggeum-nyun. Ever heard of it?”
Cheon Do-hyeon’s hand stilled.
Hwanggeum-nyun. A massive criminal organization in the underworld—drug trafficking, loan-sharking, the works.
So Kim Byeong-hak wasn’t just some street thug. He had connections there.
“And that’s not even the worst part. There’s talk that Hwanggeum-nyun was founded on a whim by some noble brat from a Magical Aristocracy family. Which means you might’ve just tangled with not just a criminal organization, but something far more dangerous above it.”
“So?”
“So?! You’re in serious trouble! Do you have any idea what kind of people these are?”
Kim Seung-yeon looked ready to tear her hair out.
But Cheon Do-hyeon’s reaction remained calm.
“Then shouldn’t I have just taken his magic and exploded to death?”
“No, that’s not what I meant—”
Cheon Do-hyeon let out a soft laugh, watching her reaction.
“It’s done. Water under the bridge. Besides, I’m pleased. Doesn’t that mean better magicians will come knocking on my door in droves now?”
Cheon Do-hyeon’s eyes gleamed. He’d devoured a single First Circle nobody, and his Supsong Daebeop Achievement Rating had climbed by one star.
Stronger, more substantial prey walking right toward him—it was something to look forward to.
“Are you insane? These people commit murder!”
“Class rep. You’re supposed to be well-informed, aren’t you?”
Cheon Do-hyeon cut her off, fixing her with a steady gaze.
“That lunatic who founded Hwanggeum-nyun as a hobby—can you find out who they are?”
“Ugh, seriously? Am I your secretary? How am I supposed to—”
“If you do.”
Cheon Do-hyeon leaned closer, his voice dropping to a murmur.
“I might show you a little of what I did at the Incinerator that day.”
“…!”
Kim Seung-yeon’s eyes widened.
Is he seriously proposing a deal with me right now?
But refusing would be impossible—her curiosity was far too great. Besides, for a magician, curiosity was inseparable from magical advancement.
For Kim Seung-yeon, trapped at the threshold of Third Circle, this was a crucial crossroads.
Seung-yeon swallowed hard before asking.
“You’re serious, right? If you’re lying, I’ll hit you with a penalty barrage using my class rep authority.”
“I’m not lying.”
Cheon Do-hyeon smiled faintly and leaned back in his chair.
His gaze drifted toward the window.
A storm was gathering on the horizon. Yet somehow, he felt no fear.
If anything, he found himself trembling with anticipation for what lay ahead.
Though… did class rep authority even come with the power to assign penalty points?