Chapter 11
Magic Circuit (3)
“No matter how severe the internal injuries are… can someone truly lose all of their innate magical power?”
The Demon King placed a hand on Jinhyeok’s body, disbelief evident in his voice.
Hissss!
The moment the Demon King’s demonic energy touched the curtain of light surrounding Jinhyeok, a violent reaction erupted.
The two powers recoiled from one another with a piercing hiss.
The Demon King ignored it completely.
His attention was fixed solely on Jinhyeok’s condition.
“Hmph. I see.”
“All of your blood vessels are blocked.”
“There isn’t even a trace of innate magical power left inside you. Only demonic energy.”
“It is as though you have never used magic a single day in your life.”
His brows furrowed.
“To endure internal injuries of this magnitude…”
“Your internal pathways are remarkably clean.”
“That is only natural for a born sorcerer.”
“However, your circuits must be engraved anew.”
The Demon King’s gaze sharpened.
“Do you truly wish to reconstruct your circuits using demonic energy?”
The reason Jinhyeok’s internal pathways were so clean wasn’t because he was some extraordinary mage.
Nor had he undergone a perfect transformation.
The truth was much simpler.
His body had been regenerated six times.
Each resurrection had burned away impurities through the demonic energy accumulating inside him.
Yet that small misunderstanding only deepened the Demon King’s delusion that Jinhyeok was some legendary archmage.
Completely unaware of this, Jinhyeok nodded.
“To adopt demonic energy as your innate power is to abandon a lifetime of achievements.”
“As a former high-ranking mage, surely you understand that better than anyone.”
“I need not explain further.”
I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.
I never had innate magical power in the first place.
But Jinhyeok answered with a solemn expression.
“It is the only hope I have left.”
“Hmph.”
The Demon King looked genuinely impressed.
“That is remarkable courage.”
Humans could not naturally generate magical power.
They borrowed mana from nature and refined it into their own.
That was why purity was important.
Over time, accumulated mana left traces within the body.
Those traces became one’s magical circuits.
For a mage, those circuits were everything.
To replace them with demonic energy meant abandoning all previous accomplishments.
The future would become uncertain.
Especially with the Blessing of Light opposing the process.
And yet—
Jinhyeok was asking for help from his greatest enemy.
How much pain and loss must he be prepared to endure?
The Demon King’s misunderstanding deepened further.
Jinhyeok, meanwhile, remained completely oblivious.
“I have spent my entire life learning only one thing.”
“How to kill opponents using demonic energy.”
“All I can do is engrave the circuits.”
“Nothing more.”
“That is enough.”
I don’t even know what a circuit is.
But this is definitely a lucky break.
Jinhyeok smiled inwardly.
To gain strength from the very enemy he needed to defeat—
It was absurd.
But he trusted one thing.
The Demon King would never do something dishonorable in a matter like this.
“Then let us begin.”
The Demon King pressed a palm against Jinhyeok’s lower abdomen.
“I will forcibly open your pressure points.”
“You are experienced enough to survive.”
“But it will hurt.”
“Wait—Ghhk!”
Before Jinhyeok could prepare himself, power surged into his body.
The Demon King focused.
Around here…
He had interacted with human magical circuits before.
But engraving an entirely new circuit was another matter.
Even so, he felt no hesitation.
Countless memories flashed through his mind.
The magical structures of powerful enemies he had fought throughout his life.
Among them, one stood out.
Kel-Elgor’s circuit?
No… perhaps that’s excessive.
The Demon King paused.
Then shook his head.
No.
This man possesses the talent of an Archmage.
It would not be unreasonable to engrave circuits worthy of one.
A tiny misunderstanding.
A colossal butterfly effect.
“I will begin in earnest.”
Silently, the Demon King injected fresh demonic energy into Jinhyeok’s pathways.
The accumulated demonic energy inside Jinhyeok immediately resonated in response.
Just as expected.
The Demon King nodded.
No rejection whatsoever.
Perfect acceptance.
To him, it looked like flawless control.
An ordinary human would reject demonic energy violently.
Yet Jinhyeok’s body welcomed it.
Of course, the real reason was far simpler.
The demonic energy inside Jinhyeok originated from the Demon King himself.
Naturally, there was no resistance.
The procedure continued smoothly.
A new circuit began forming.
One superimposed over pathways that had never been opened before.
The circuit belonged to Kel-Elgor, an absolute powerhouse.
An Archdemon whom the Demon King had once battled during the era when he was known as the Void Demon.
Its structure was impossibly complex.
Countless spiraling patterns intertwined together.
And now…
That supreme demonic circuit was being engraved into the body of a mere Level 2 human.
[Magic Circuit Acquired.]
[Warning: This is an extremely high-grade magic circuit.]
[Exercise caution when controlling it.]
“Ughhh…!”
Even though everything was proceeding perfectly, Jinhyeok felt as though he were dying.
This pain differed from the Dragon Slayer Fist.
His entire body felt swollen.
Like a balloon about to burst.
At the same time, a burning sensation spread through him.
As if every cell were being roasted alive.
Eventually, his eyes rolled back.
Consciousness faded.
[Magic Perception Proficiency Has Increased Significantly.]
Darkness swallowed him whole.
Three Hours Later
The Demon King finally withdrew his hand.
“It is done.”
He gazed at the completed circuit with satisfaction.
“I engraved the circuits of a dead master of black magic.”
“If fate ever brings you to the Demon Realm, seek my true body.”
“You will then understand whose handiwork resides within you.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“Now then.”
“Let us see if it functions properly.”
Under the Demon King’s guidance, the unconscious Jinhyeok’s demonic energy began circulating.
The Demon King’s expression brightened.
“Ho.”
“More efficient than expected.”
Then he froze.
“…Wait.”
A strange sensation struck him.
The circuit functioned perfectly.
There was no flaw in the engraving.
The problem lay elsewhere.
“This energy…”
His face darkened.
“This is Void.”
A terrifying realization dawned upon him.
“This is not my demonic energy.”
The Demon King’s eyes widened.
“You bastard.”
He grabbed Jinhyeok by the throat.
“Who are you really?”
“How do you possess the power of the Supreme One?”
For the first time, genuine alarm entered his voice.
I had intended not to use my own authority…
The Demon King was prepared to employ methods beyond imagination.
Cruel methods.
Methods that would force the truth from Jinhyeok no matter what.
Then—
Cough!
Black blood spilled from Jinhyeok’s lips.
[You Have Died.]
[Infinite Regression Ticket Activated.]
[A Certain Energy Interferes With Regeneration.]
[Climber Trait: Blessing of Light (SSS+) Activated.]
[Regeneration Process Resuming…]
[Error Detected…]
[Forcing Regeneration Process.]
The Demon King’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“No matter how severe the injuries, someone who has undergone circuit engraving should not die.”
His work had been flawless.
The problem was simply that Jinhyeok’s body was far too weak to handle the Archdemon’s circuits.
“Damn it!”
The Demon King grabbed him.
“I said get up!”
That was the end of the seventh round.
The Demon King’s urgent voice was the last thing Jinhyeok heard before everything faded away.
Eighth Round
[Regeneration Complete.]
[Challenge: 99th Floor.]
[Defeat the Demon King.]
Jinhyeok slowly opened his eyes.
“…Phew.”
“I barely survived.”
Surprisingly, there was no pain this time.
The aftereffects of the absurdly powerful magic circuit should have been devastating.
But regeneration had repaired everything perfectly.
More importantly—
The circuit itself had been completed before his death.
It remained.
Time had rewound.
His body had been restored.
Yet the growth remained.
That was one of the special properties of the Infinite Regression Ticket.
A system designed to let climbers grow stronger with every failure.
Jinhyeok reviewed what he had gained.
“I got a lot out of that round.”
[Magic Circuit Acquired.]
[Circuit Specialized for Your Possessed Magical Power.]
[Some Magical Power Restrictions Removed.]
The results exceeded every expectation.
Originally, he had only hoped to move the demonic energy slightly.
Now…
He could feel it flowing through his body.
Not stagnant.
Not trapped.
Flowing.
Like blood.
Like breathing.
Controlling it was only a matter of time.
It was an unbelievable achievement.
“Though it’s still too early to actually use it.”
Of course, major problems remained.
The biggest was still the Blessing of Light.
It severely restricted his ability to release demonic energy.
“Fighting the Demon King in close combat…”
Jinhyeok sighed.
“I don’t even know if that’s possible.”
At first, he’d imagined a ridiculous scenario.
Die repeatedly.
Accumulate limitless power.
Reach 999 Magic Power.
Then defeat the Demon King in one blow.
“Like some overpowered game character.”
Needless to say, reality was far less kind.
The Blessing of Light made using magic itself difficult.
At this rate, close combat would be unavoidable.
The second problem was even worse.
Just before dying, he had heard the Demon King’s furious voice.
“Who are you really?”
“How do you possess the power of the Supreme One?”
Jinhyeok shivered.
Never again.
Never let him touch me again.
I’d rather die.
The Demon King had been terrified after discovering the true nature of his demonic energy.
If Jinhyeok failed to explain it—
Torture worse than death awaited him.
And if I tell him the truth?
That I’m a regressor?
The image alone made him pale.
The Demon King might sever his limbs.
Keep him alive forever.
Prevent him from ever resetting again.
“No.”
That could never happen.
Winning the Demon King’s trust was no longer an option.
“Come to think of it…”
He remembered something the Demon King had said.
“I engraved a circuit known only to myself.”
“An Archdemon’s circuit…”
The moment the Demon King discovered either the circuit or the energy inside him—
It was over.
“No matter what I do, he’ll use the Dragon Slayer Fist eventually.”
“Even if I avoid fighting, he’ll interrogate me the second he notices my energy.”
There was only one path left.
Jinhyeok took a deep breath.
The demonic energy circulated smoothly through his body.
“Then I’ll do it.”
His eyes hardened.
“Hundreds of deaths.”
“Thousands of deaths.”
“Ten thousand deaths if I have to.”
He clenched his fists.
“I’ll keep charging forward.”
That had been the original plan all along.
Die.
Grow stronger.
Repeat.
Again and again.
Until an opportunity finally appeared.
The Demon King’s castle loomed ahead.
Jinhyeok took a step forward.
“It doesn’t matter how long it takes.”
His regression was infinite.
Now he possessed usable magic power.
A high-grade magic circuit.
And endless opportunities to grow.
Someday…
Surely someday…
He would reach that level.
“I’ll keep going until I win!”
Then he paused.
Thought about it.
And immediately corrected himself.
“Actually… winning sounds impossible.”
He scratched his cheek.
“Then maybe until I see his face?”
A brief silence.
“…No, that’s probably impossible too.”
After another moment of thought, he nodded firmly.
“Fine.”
A determined expression appeared on his face.
“For now…”
“I’ll keep going until I can dodge one punch from the Demon King!”
With that rather unheroic goal in mind, Yoo Jinhyeok stepped into the Demon King’s castle once again.
