Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 9 (Part 1): I AM (1)

[You have acquired the Low-Grade Magic Memory!]

Near my studio apartment, in the park, I sat on a bench after returning from the magic bookstore and acquired the [Magic Memory].

[Low-Grade Magic Memory]

■ Magic itself remembers the process of mana synchronization.
■ Makes it easier to learn the flow of mana.

In [MoMo], this is a core tech tree for mages.

To put it in terms of the theories I’ve learned from the magic textbook *The Basics of Magic*, a mage goes through four stages: warming up, conceptualization, expansion, and manifestation.

You warm up your mana, conceptualize your own idea, combine the mana and concept to expand it, and finally manifest it into the world.

Here, [Magic Memory] helps speed up the warming up and conceptualization stages. It means the process of spellcasting is naturally optimized.

Additionally, my mana itself gains learning and memory capabilities, allowing me to achieve the same effects with much less mana and concentration each time I repeat a spell.

“Well then…”

I set up the mana-fiber target—gifted to me by David Han, the bookstore owner—right in the middle of the park.

Today’s focus is on sound. For both practical purposes and to avoid causing a nuisance, I decided to reduce the noise first.

I raised my fingertip. I fired a mana bullet at the target.

*Bang—!*

Not a bad sound. Much quieter than a regular handgun.

One more time.

*Bang!*

Good, but still not enough. I want to make it as quiet as the suppressors in movies.

By the way, there’s a huge difference between real suppressors and movie suppressors. Movie suppressors go *pfft pfft*, but in reality, even with a suppressor, the sound is still quite loud.

Anyway.

I reduced the sound as much as possible and fired one shot, two shots, three shots, four shots.

By the time I fired about five shots, I stopped.

My entire body was drenched in sweat.

“Am I improving?”

They say that if you keep using spells, your mana naturally remembers the process.

It’s only the first day, so I can’t really feel it yet.

Well, it’d be weirder if I changed in just one day.

I trudged back home. I placed the skincare set on the table in my studio apartment.

[Mysterious Skincare Set]

■ A mysterious skincare set with 200 uses.
■ When used twice daily—after waking and before sleeping—alongside washing your face, your Appearance stat increases by 0.004 per use.
■ Blemishes fade, skin gains elasticity, and pores shrink.

It’s a reward I received as a level-up bonus.

“…Tsk.”

Appearance. It’s an important stat. The level-up difficulty of [MoMo] becomes extreme in the later stages, so a certain level of appearance is essential.

It’s nice, but it makes me greedy.

The 1 point I received before was just too overpowered.

For now… let’s apply it and sleep.

I limped into the bathroom.

—

* * *

During the week I waited for the final acceptance message, I continued my training. I established a solid routine, just like during my military days.

First, wake up at 5 a.m. Right after, I sit on the mattress and implant the concept of mana circuits into my body.

I’ve completed the right arm, so now it’s time for the left arm.

After about an hour of opening the circuits, I eat, shower, and do skincare in order, then take a nap.

Naps are essential. This might look easy, but it demands an insane amount of mental energy.

I sleep for about 90 minutes, then head to the park to refine my mana spells.

“Refine” is a fancy word for it—I’m just firing mana bullets.

This is where the effects of [Magic Memory] become crystal clear. I don’t even need special training methods; the more I shoot, the more it feels ingrained in me.

In just a week, my ammo capacity increased to twenty shots, and I’ve also gained various other skills. Like using wires or setting up booby traps. All of it was from my military experience.

Living diligently like this, the day finally came.

[Labyrinth Exploration NaN: Congratulations to Seol Ha-woon on passing the final preliminaries!]

“It’s done~”

The final acceptance message arrived. I was pretty sure when my Recognition increased, but still.

“Hoo…”

I lay down on the bed. I raised both arms.

When I warm up my mana in this state, the veins in my arms glow blue. The right arm shines like the Milky Way, while the left arm is still dim.

The circuits are definitely opening up.

“…Ha.”

Rather than a sense of accomplishment, a sigh slipped out.

Maybe it’s because I just finished mana training. In this strange feeling of exhaustion, a fleeting thought brushed through me like the wind.

What do I even want?

To live a little longer? To live a little fuller? Or maybe—

Revenge on the bastards who did this to me?

I don’t know.

Even those emotions aren’t as vivid as they used to be.

Right after my body broke, I was almost driven mad with anger and hatred, but as time passed, it gradually faded.

I just focused on rehabilitation.

Probably because there was no way to get revenge, and because—except for my left leg—I somehow managed to recover.

Back then, I felt a tiny bit of gratitude for life.

So if someone asked me when I was happiest, I’d say it was the day I overcame full-body paralysis.

What a messed-up thing.

The day I overcame the greatest misfortune of my life was when I felt the greatest happiness.

“…Ugh.”

I got up, my body completely exhausted. I stood in front of the bathroom, swaying.

After using the skincare set for a week, my skin has definitely improved.

By the time the main broadcast rolls around, glass-skin perfection might not be out of reach.

But my hair is definitely a mess.

I need to cut it.

Dangun

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