The VIP lounge on the top floor of the annex at Sinnam High School.
Objects worth hundreds of millions of won were placed throughout the room as naturally as though they'd always belonged there.
With servants constantly standing by, everything from drinks, refreshments, and meals to laundry, phone charging, and other miscellaneous errands was provided as part of the service.
Ordinary students weren't permitted to enter this place.
Which meant that the young man sitting arrogantly on the lounge sofa with his legs crossed possessed special qualifications.
A golden name tag gleamed on his school uniform, which was adorned with luxury brands from head to toe.
He was Jang Gi-han, the second son of the prestigious mage family known as the 'Iron-Blooded Jang Family.'
FWOOSH—
A fireball floating in midair danced with a mere flick of his fingers.
It was a display of control honed to its absolute limits.
Some might have envied such an ability, but to him, it was only natural.
From childhood, Jang Gi-han had consumed countless medicinal elixirs and received private instruction from some of the most renowned mages.
As a result, at the tender age of seventeen, he'd already formed a third Mana Circle around his heart.
Considering that the average among his peers was 1.5 Circles, the difference was enormous.
For Jang Gi-han, who possessed wealth, prestige, and ability, life felt like a boring journey he'd embarked upon without a smartphone.
Everything came easily to him, but nothing provided enough stimulation.
That was why Jang Gi-han welcomed anything that disrupted his peaceful daily life.
Something like the incident he was hearing about over the phone right now.
"Kim Byeong-hak got beaten? And by... that Tin Can bastard?"
The corners of his mouth twisted as he listened to the report.
—Yes, Young Master. Apparently, he got completely destroyed at the incinerator. He couldn't even use his magic before getting thrashed.
"Hah."
A spark burst between Jang Gi-han's fingers.
Kim Byeong-hak was his toy, a hunting dog he used to handle his dirty work.
He'd chosen the bastard because he had some backbone and was fairly skilled compared to others his age.
Yet someone like that had been defeated by a mere 'No-Ma'?
"Interesting. All right, I'm hanging up."
After ending the call, Jang Gi-han suddenly burst into laughter.
"Ahahahaha! What a strange feeling. I'm pleased, but I feel filthy at the same time."
He laughed so hard that tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.
Then he pulled a handkerchief from his inner pocket.
Pat, pat.
With an elegant gesture, he dabbed away his tears.
"Now I'm curious about who he is."
His eyes sparkling with curiosity, he looked down through the window.
In the distance, he spotted a boy and a girl crossing the school grounds.
Cheon Do-hyeon.
And the class president, Kim Seung-yeon, following closely behind him.
Wanting a better look at them, Jang Gi-han rose from his seat and approached the window.
"I'm curious. Just what kind of people are they? After all, they're the ones who broke my toy. I ought to see for myself."
He was thrilled to have discovered someone capable of stimulating him.
His breath came out in excited bursts, fogging up the window.
And through that misted glass, Jang Gi-han's eyes gleamed with madness.
Meanwhile, in the classroom of Class 1-2.
The atmosphere was as silent as a grave.
'Kim Byeong-hak's gang got beaten?'
'Three mages went after him, and they couldn't even defeat one Tin Can?'
The students stole sideways glances at Cheon Do-hyeon.
Unlike Kim Byeong-hak and his gang, who'd been carried off to the infirmary, Cheon Do-hyeon was perfectly fine, without a single injury.
This was a major incident.
Kim Byeong-hak, who'd held the most influence in Class 1-2, had been defeated by Cheon Do-hyeon, the student everyone considered the weakest.
As of today, the pecking order in Class 1-2 had been completely overturned.
Everyone wanted to know exactly what had happened, but nobody was brave enough to approach him.
Except for one person.
"Hey, Do-hyeon. Let's talk for a minute."
The class president, Kim Seung-yeon, dragged a chair over and sat beside him.
"Don't talk to me. I'm tired."
Cheon Do-hyeon slumped over his desk.
He wasn't lying.
He really was exhausted.
'I'm so hungry, it feels like my stomach's about to split open.'
It felt as though a black hole had formed inside his dantian.
The hunger awakened by the Great Art of Star Absorption.
And to make matters worse, the Mana he'd devoured remained undigested, tormenting him from within.
"What was that thing you did earlier?"
Despite his cold dismissal, Kim Seung-yeon refused to give up.
"It wasn't magic. There was no incantation or Mana Circle. But Kim Byeong-hak's fireball just disappeared. What on earth did you do?"
At her words, the other students immediately pricked up their ears.
Sensing that everyone's attention had focused on him, Cheon Do-hyeon grew irritated.
'Does this girl have no sense, or is she just shameless?'
Cheon Do-hyeon raised his head and glared at Seung-yeon.
His bloodshot eyes gleamed ominously.
"Class President. Why don't you stop acting out of character and go back to how you usually behave? You're not exactly the type to take an interest in your classmates."
"What can I do? I'm curious. I'm the type who can't sleep unless something makes sense to me."
Kim Seung-yeon shamelessly shrugged.
Cheon Do-hyeon clicked his tongue.
She was persistent.
And she didn't look like she'd leave him alone anytime soon.
If he didn't tell her, she'd probably keep pestering him.
But in his current condition, Cheon Do-hyeon wasn't in any state to endure Kim Seung-yeon's harassment.
"If you're curious, figure it out yourself. Stop bothering me."
Cheon Do-hyeon grabbed his bag and rose from his seat.
"Huh? You're leaving school without permission?"
"I'm sick. So I'm leaving early."
"Liar."
"I'm serious. You're making me feel even worse."
Staying at school any longer would only exhaust him further.
He needed to get home quickly and deal with this state of 'overeating.'
That night, inside the old martial arts hall.
Cheon Do-hyeon sat cross-legged, cold sweat streaming down his body.
HUMMMMM—
His dantian rotated like a millstone, grinding down the masses of Mana packed inside his abdomen.
[Great Void Primordial Unity Heart Art - Digestion]
The foreign energies were crushed and refined into pure black internal energy, which flowed through his blood vessels.
The excruciating abdominal pain subsided, and a heavy, substantial power filled his entire body.
"Huu..."
After a long, deep breath, Cheon Do-hyeon slowly opened his eyes.
The energies that had been rampaging inside him had settled securely within his dantian.
'So this is the power of the Great Void Primordial Unity Heart Art...'
If the Great Art of Star Absorption was a brute-force technique that indiscriminately sucked in energy, then the Great Void Primordial Unity Heart Art was a digestive aid that forcibly converted everything he'd absorbed into his own power.
Cheon Do-hyeon extended his hand and summoned his energy.
'I think I understand why I had to learn the Great Void Primordial Unity Heart Art before practicing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.'
Black energy rose from his palm like a shimmering heat haze.
[Achievement: Great Art of Star Absorption - Third Star]
The book's voice whispered inside his mind.
Cheon Do-hyeon smiled with satisfaction.
He'd only properly absorbed one First-Circle mage.
Yet his achievement had still increased.
'What if I'd absorbed both of them?'
He couldn't help feeling a little regretful.
But there was another accomplishment that made up for it.
Cheon Do-hyeon snapped his fingers.
RATTLE—!
Black energy shot from his fingertips, intertwining in midair like chains before wrapping around the punching bag in front of him.
Magic?
No.
There was neither a spell formula nor a magical structure.
He'd merely gathered the leftover remnants of the magic he'd devoured and expelled them in a concentrated mass.
"So it actually works."
Reflection.
A technique that returned the power absorbed through the Great Art of Star Absorption directly to an opponent without converting it into internal energy.
Although it could only be used once per absorbed spell, what would happen if an enemy, absolutely convinced that he couldn't use magic, suddenly found magic flying toward them?
It would be more than enough to serve as a hidden trump card.
"Grandpa... Why did you hide this kind of power?"
A power capable of erasing magic, stealing it, and even throwing it back at its users.
This was a calamity for mages.
With this kind of power, there would've been no need to hide away in the slums like they had.
After all, overwhelming strength had its uses wherever one went.
If his abilities were recognized, he could become a police officer or mercenary.
Hell, even signing up for cleanup operations in contaminated zones would've allowed him to rake in money.
One question led to another, but there was no longer anyone in the world who could give him the answers.
Cheon Do-hyeon shook his head, clearing away his distracting thoughts.
'Let's focus on what I can do right now.'
There was only one thing he could do.
Turn to the next page of the book and become stronger.
Believing that this mysterious book would eventually provide him with the answers, he closed his eyes once more.
The following morning, in the classroom.
The moment Cheon Do-hyeon opened the door, a familiar voice rang out.
"Cheon Do-hyeon!"
His face immediately crumpled.
He looked utterly fed up.
"That expression hurts my feelings."
It was Kim Seung-yeon again.
She'd even dragged a chair over to the seat beside Cheon Do-hyeon's desk and made herself comfortable.
He sighed.
"I'll give you this much. You're certainly persistent."
"I'll take that as a compliment. Anyway, you'd better be careful."
Kim Seung-yeon's expression turned serious.
She glanced around before lowering her voice.
Then she leaned so close to Cheon Do-hyeon that nobody else would overhear them.
"Do you know who's backing Kim Byeong-hak?"
"Not interested."
"The Golden Wheel. Ever heard of it?"
Cheon Do-hyeon's hand paused.
The Golden Wheel.
A massive criminal organization operating in the underworld, involved in drug distribution and loan-sharking.
So Kim Byeong-hak wasn't merely some ordinary delinquent.
He actually had connections to people like that.
"And that's not all. There's a rumor that the Golden Wheel was created by one of the heirs of a prestigious mage family, just for amusement. In other words, you might've picked a fight not only with a criminal organization, but also with the people above them. People you really shouldn't mess with."
"So?"
"What do you mean, 'so'?! You're in serious trouble! Do you have any idea what kind of people they are?!"
Kim Seung-yeon looked as though she were about to die from frustration.
But Cheon Do-hyeon's reaction remained indifferent.
"So what? I should've let Kim Byeong-hak's magic hit me and died in a spectacular explosion?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying!"
Cheon Do-hyeon chuckled at her reaction.
"Forget it. What's done is done. Besides, this is actually good news for me. Doesn't it mean that truckloads of evil mages might start coming after me?"
Cheon Do-hyeon's eyes gleamed.
He'd devoured one insignificant First-Circle mage, and the achievement of his Great Art of Star Absorption had increased by an entire Star.
And now stronger, more nourishing bastards might come looking for him of their own accord?
That was something worth celebrating.
"Hey, have you seriously lost your mind?! Those people commit murder!"
"Class President. You're pretty well-informed, aren't you?"
Cheon Do-hyeon interrupted her and stared directly at Seung-yeon.
"That lunatic who supposedly created the Golden Wheel for fun. Can you find out who he is?"
"Hah, seriously! What am I, your secretary? How am I supposed to—"
"If you find out."
Cheon Do-hyeon leaned closer and whispered into Seung-yeon's ear.
"I might show you... just a little of what I did at the incinerator that day."
"...!"
Kim Seung-yeon's eyes widened.
'Is this guy seriously trying to make a deal with me?'
But her curiosity was far too great for her to refuse.
Besides, for a mage, the desire to explore and understand the unknown was directly connected to their magical advancement.
And for Kim Seung-yeon, who'd been unable to cross the threshold into the Third Circle, this was an important turning point.
Seung-yeon swallowed hard before asking.
"Y-you promise? If you're lying, I'll use my authority as class president to slap you with a mountain of demerit points."
"I won't lie."
Cheon Do-hyeon chuckled and leaned back in his chair.
His gaze drifted toward the window.
He had a feeling a storm was approaching.
But strangely enough, he wasn't afraid.
If anything, he was practically bursting with anticipation for what was about to happen.
'But wait... Does a class president even have the authority to give out demerit points?'