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The colors looked as if someone had poured various paints into the river.

The dazzling hues of gas that didn’t mix at all rose into the sky, proudly displaying themselves.

Like steam that disappears at the end, it seemed to dissolve into the air, and at times, it evoked the illusion of being born from the void and shooting up toward the ground—a beautiful sight indeed.

Dirtier than a rainbow, yet cleaner than colors wafting off an oil slick, it was a sign of filthy magical energy reflecting light with a single layer of oil!

Kuwaaaang-!

The rainbow-colored magic didn’t just display colors; it emitted physical force.

Distorting the atmosphere and even warping nearby objects, it shattered the mansion with an intense noise as if it had blades attached to its body.

Then, as if something was drawing it in, it shrank down to a point and formed a sphere.

Kwadudduk!

Firmly solidifying its body and creating spikes in every direction, it took on the shape of a sea urchin, smashing through the mansion.

The spikes seemed to exceed 10 meters in size at first glance, easily piercing through concrete and bending rebar like tofu.

Naturally, anyone struck by those spikes had no chance of staying intact unless their body was as tough as iron; just brushing against the spikes could make one explode as if hit by a shell, and impalement could create gaping holes, sometimes making parts of their bodies vanish like they were erased, leaving them staggering before collapsing onto the ground.

Calamity.

A disaster far surpassing any ordinary bomb terror.

Having blown away an entire luxury home and impaled all its occupants, what else could this be but a calamity?

And at the very center of such devastation.

From the dust billowing in the air, a shadow of one person became visible.

With the sound of footsteps pressing on stones, as if he was wearing shoes, he stamped in the puddles of blood flowing beneath him, leaving his mark like a seal made from ink, and then he revealed himself, showcasing a brilliantly shining rainbow line from his body.

Pshhhh-

Pshhhh-

Harsh breaths flowed from the gas mask he wore.

A luminescent blue liquid coursed rapidly through the mask’s passages, vaporizing from the edges of the man’s mouth like it was an oxygen mask, seeping into his lungs as a bluish smoke. The fragmented magic coalesced into smoke, quickly penetrating his body in an attempt to induce magic poisoning, releasing the tainted traits flowing within and expelling rainbow-colored smoke outside…

Pshhhh-

Pshhhh-

Even in a suit, the light of his magic could not be concealed.

Although certainly a blue magic energy had entered him, as it came in contact with parts of his body, absorbing and spreading it appeared to tint that magic into different colors…

It was pollution.

Too alien to merely be paint, yet not harmonious enough to be called a fusion.

That was pollution.

“I’m getting angry.”

And the man who radiated that polluted magic spoke.

With a bluish glow in his eyes, indicative of running his magic to its limits, he took in the magic offered by the gas mask as if it were ambrosia, the polluter announced.

“What should I do when I receive such a response despite putting on a powerful performance? How should I deal with those who reject the curtain call and insist on causing a scene, yearning for an encore?”

Each word he uttered brimmed with pent-up rage.

And as his speech continued, the lines of magic swirled upward…

The line made of magic quickly formed a cube, exploding outward in a manner similar to division, stretching in every direction. The expanded lines converged to form angles, and the created cube shrank and expanded, morphing into various shapes.

The lengthened figure transformed as if it were trying to create a unfolded diagram, resembling a cross before moving again to form a 4D hypercube.

A 4D magical design.

A magic circle attempting to introduce ‘time’ into magic by surpassing points, planes, and spaces.

Those who utilize shapes like that… are either on the verge of perfection or have transcended it altogether.

“正八胞體 (Regular Octahedron)…?”

Park Jinseong gazed at the vibrating octahedron-shaped magical structure, bringing a hand to his hair.

Then, he forcefully tugged down on his hair as if trying to pull it to the ground.

——–!!!

At that moment, the atmosphere distorted.

* * *

Sorcerer.

An ability user employing energy known as ‘magic.’

However, even though it was defined that ‘we call those who use magic ‘sorcerers,’’ the image of sorcerers had an ambiguous aspect.

Whether it was factory workers mass-producing artifacts, artisans struggling with artifact blueprints, engineers manipulating magically powered machines, researchers sketching magic circles on satellites, professors throwing money at magic research, or combat sorcerers primarily mastering offensive magic to work as bodyguards or mercenaries—

All of them fell under this category of ‘sorcerer.’

At a glance, this classification of ‘sorcerer’ might seem as nebulous as categorizing shamans.

Especially when examining the various methods sorcerers use to wield magic.

There are those who gather magic in their hearts, those who create a ‘dantian’—a fictional organ where a warrior collects vital energy, creating their own method of gathering magic, those who form loops within their bodies to keep it circulating, layering it to form structures akin to towers, those who forcefully inject magic into their guts, transforming them into organs that can accept magic, those who store magic in their blood, or simply those who recklessly pound magic into their bodies, alongside those who accumulate magic in external artifacts or create fictional pathways like circuits…

The commonality is just that they all use magic.

Depending on the school of thought and vision, the methods of handling magic vary vastly.

Moreover, the ways of casting spells are similarly diverse.

Some combine religious, shamanistic symbols passed down through generations—such as runes or hieroglyphs—to unleash power; others employ artifacts to manipulate the form and properties of magic; and some even alter stored magic in their bodies before using it.

Perhaps, such a variety of methods exists because we are in a ‘magical transitional period.’

It may very well be because, as scholars say, special abilities have only recently come to the forefront, leading to a proliferation of unique methods of magic manipulation. And these numerous approaches, blooming chaotically, will likely clash and break apart, ultimately converging into efficient and stable forms.

In fact, if we see that recently, the use of ‘magic circuits’—creating fictional pathways in the form of circuits to specialize in certain spells—has become popular, it only further supports this notion.

Magic circuits align well with modern civilization, which demands specialists who have mastered one field over the versatile ones. Perhaps these magic circuits could be the most suitable form among the countless inefficient and non-standardized magic manipulation methods still rampant today, especially considering the advancements in magical science.

However, one must understand.

No matter the method or the efficiency, magic is ultimately a means of handling magic power.

And as long as there is a shared commonality in managing magic, there exists a fundamental common denominator at that level.

“Point. Line. Plane. Volume. And time.”

Magic is a force intended for influencing the external world.

And to exert force externally, it must take on a form.

Regardless of how one operates or utilizes magic, the way to project power cannot escape the concept of dimensions.

Marking points, drawing lines made of numerous points, creating planes from lines, and gathering planes to form volumes.

The elevation of dimensions according to mastery.

Dimensions serve as vessels for holding magic and define the limits of utilization.

And when transcend beyond that limit… one can utilize the magic power of an enormously different dimension with immense might and efficiency.

“No matter how many dots you paint, you can only draw lines. No matter how many shapes you create and fill with paint, won’t it still be just pouring paint into a vessel?”

This is precisely why a sorcerer utilizing magic in three dimensions could be equally called a tactical weapon.

While sorcerers using magic in two dimensions work with the concept of ‘area,’ he can utilize it in terms of ‘volume.’ And the gap widens as the size increases, becoming a level that cannot be caught up with through mere time and effort once it surpasses a certain threshold.

Yet, even such three-dimensional magic faces a clear limitation; it cannot function beyond growing volume like a tank to a water barrel.

Thus, sorcerers sought to add yet another element to space.

“Adding time to space makes for an efficient combination, like multiple layers stacked within one space.”

Incorporating elements imperceptible to human senses, beyond the limitations of three dimensions.

This is what sorcerers refer to as ‘transcending’ dimensions.

And now, here before us stands one who gazes upon that very dimension.

“…You.”

He was looking at Park Jinseong amidst the ruins.

 

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