Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 5 (Part 1): One Day, Magic Grew in My Head (4)

“…What we talked about before.”
Tae-woo spoke from across the counter.

“Right.”
The owner set a hefty suitcase down on the counter with a loud *thud!* The entire bookstore seemed to quake.

“Here it is.”

“You’re sure about this?”

“Of course. Ah, by the way, your little sister was looking for something similar, wasn’t she?”

At that, Tae-woo’s brow furrowed slightly.

For reference, his younger sister, Tae-yul, is also a mage.
Moreover, the author of the book I’m currently reading, Tae-hyuk, is their grandfather.
Even their father, Tae-hoon, and mother, Lee Yoo-kyung, are mages.
This means their family is a prestigious magical lineage, recognized not just in Korea but worldwide, with three generations of mages.

“…Tae-yul? So what?”
Tae-woo asked, clearly displeased.

“I told her straight up that you had dibs. At first, I just said no, but you know how she is. If I don’t explain, she’ll cling on and pester me to death.”

“And?”

“She cursed you out like crazy and stormed off.”

“…Tch. That girl never changes—”

Tae-woo, who was about to say something harsh, suddenly stopped and glanced at me. Then he looked back at the owner.

It felt like he was asking with his eyes, *Who’s this?*

“A customer. Seems like an aspiring mage. Don’t mind him.”

The owner picked up a mana stone.

“I was just explaining the basics. Hey, customer, you know who this is, right?”

He turned to me.

“Yes, yes. Of course. Mage Tae-woo.”

“……”

Tae-woo remained silent.
He just stared at me, his eyebrows slightly furrowed… Could it be? They say genius recognizes genius. Did he see through my magic stat of 11 at a glance?

“Payment. I’ll send it now.”

Tae-woo picked up his smartphone.

“Alright. Anyway, hey, kid. Self-study won’t cut it. You need to at least attend an academy. No matter how hard you try.”

The owner suddenly opened his palm. On his hand, which was as wide as a pot lid, *whoosh!* Magic flared up like a gas stove.

“You can’t do this just by reading books.”

“Hmm…”

I also opened my palm.

In my right arm, the pathways are incomplete, but they’re there. From the heart to the shoulder, shoulder to the elbow, elbow to the forearm, forearm to the thumb, middle finger, and index finger.

I focused my magic on the three fingers.

*Flicker.*

A tiny wisp of magic rose, far cuter compared to the owner’s. It wasn’t difficult.

“Huh?!”

The owner suddenly exclaimed. Tae-woo also glanced at me quietly.

“You, you?!”

The magic flow quickly dissipated, but the owner’s eyes were already wide.

“Kid. What was that just now?!”

“Payment’s done. I’ll take my leave.”

Tae-woo picked up the suitcase. Unlike the owner, who lifted it effortlessly, Tae-woo’s shoulder slightly sagged under its weight.

“Excuse me!”

I quickly raised my hand toward him.

“……”

Tae-woo turned slightly, showing only his profile.

“I… uh…”

I couldn’t be sure if this mage was a good person.

Sure, I’ve picked up bits and pieces about the magic world and celebrity gossip thanks to my nosy interests, but rumors aren’t the same as reality.

“It’s not a big deal. Just a gut feeling, but…”

That said, Tae-woo’s done a lot of good. He’s donated billions of won to children’s hospital bill programs, for one.

With that kind of good karma, it’d be better to pay it forward somehow.

…Okay, that’s half an excuse.

Tae-woo is a celebrity. Also, in the 「MoMo」 system, recognition is directly tied to connections.

If a character happens to meet a celebrity or leaves an impression on one, it can earn more recognition than impressing a thousand ordinary people.

It’s like how when a celebrity uploads a photo with me on their main account, my followers increase too.

So, because of that—

“Please be careful of traffic accidents.”

Tae-woo was involved in a pretty serious traffic accident around this time. It was all over the news, and he was in a coma for about two to three months.

“……”

Tae-woo looked incredulous.

Back then, people said, ‘A mage in a traffic accident? Seriously?’

“People say I have a bit of a sixth sense. Especially recently, be careful when driving or riding in cars.”

“Hey, kid. What kind of mage gets into a traffic accident? No, more importantly, how did you do that just now? That little magic thing!”

The owner leaned in with a tiger-like expression.

“It just… happened when I tried.”

“What do you mean, it just happened?!”

Meanwhile, Tae-woo left the store.

“What’s this punk babbling about with that kitten-weak voice? Hey, you—cough up 5.99 million won now!”

The owner immediately reached out his hand. It looked like a tiger’s paw. Why is it so big?

“Why? You said I could just look at it.”

“You said you’d just look at the pictures. That’s why I didn’t charge you. It’s 5.99 million because it’s used. A new book would cost over 10 million. I accept cryptocurrency too—”

“Why are you changing your story? You said I could just read it.”

“I told you, I thought you were just looking at the pictures!!!”

The tiger turned into a stingy old miser in an instant.

Dangun

I'm currently Translating the following novel: "Labyrinth Exploration 101" If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

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