NOVEL WEB Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Memorize (1)
In the end, Suhyeon wasn’t able to master Memorize by the time the promised day with his uncle arrived.
“We’re here.”
That evening, Suhyeon arrived at the F-rank dungeon in his uncle’s car.
As he stepped out, he saw about ten soldiers blocking the road, controlling the area.
When a dungeon formed, the Union would assign missions to hunters based on their rank, while the military would be stationed around the dungeon’s perimeter to guide people and prepare for any potential emergencies.
As Hyunho approached, a heavily armed soldier stepped forward to block his path.
“Sorry, sir, but this area is restricted due to a dungeon appearance.”
With a familiar gesture, Hyunho showed his employee ID and some paperwork.
“I’m not the one going in; this young man is.”
The soldier alternated his gaze between the paperwork, Hyunho’s ID, and Suhyeon’s face before stepping aside, allowing them through.
Hyunho gave Suhyeon’s back a reassuring pat.
“Do well.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Suhyeon began walking towards the dungeon entrance where other hunter students had gathered.
While regular civilians were strictly prohibited from entering dungeons, those who had awakened their magical abilities could enter after following the necessary procedures, thanks to the existence of hunter training schools.
The purpose of these schools was to allow students to experience real combat. Without practical training, students who only studied theory might panic in actual combat situations.
Therefore, hunter schools were allowed to bring students for training under the pretext of hands-on experience.
Since Suhyeon had awakened and had someone with a dungeon connection, like his uncle, he was able to tag along like this.
Around ten boys and girls were standing near the dungeon entrance, equipped with weapons like bows or swords.
Although the scouting team had already entered the dungeon, that wasn’t what concerned Suhyeon right now.
Let’s see… I wonder if the Demon King will be surprised by this?
[What?]
The Demon King’s voice wavered slightly as he saw the entrance to the dungeon.
[Is that… a magic formula?]
‘Yeah.’
Suhyeon continued, staring at the entrance.
To be precise, at the glowing circular magic circle that marked the entrance to the dungeon.
‘This is the reason I returned to my original world.’
The dungeon entrance was a large circular opening, wide enough to let ten people pass through comfortably.
At its center was a geometric pattern, surrounded by inscriptions of magic formulas.
By passing through this magic circle, one could enter the dungeon.
‘I can’t decipher this magic circle, but I bet you can.’
The Demon King’s response aligned with Suhyeon’s suspicions.
[7th-class magic… a gate spell?]
Suhyeon recalled the magic circle the Demon King used when summoning monsters.
The gate spell that the Demon King used to summon creatures from other realms.
The magic circle at the dungeon entrance was quite similar to that.
‘So, I was right.’
In Altera, the Demon King had used a 7th-class gate spell to summon various monsters from the demon realm into the world of Altera.
The Demon King thought back to when Totnoll fell from the sky.
[No wonder. Back then, things were so urgent that I didn’t get a good look at the magic circle, but… that must have been a gate spell too.]
‘Seems like the Hero didn’t return to this world without a reason.’
The Demon King had summoned monsters through the gate spell to destroy Altera.
[But how curious. Using the gate spell to create a dungeon?]
The Demon King’s gate spell had a similar function to these sudden monster appearances, summoning creatures to a world. However, he hadn’t used the gate spell to create something like a dungeon.
[Did someone modify the basic formula of the gate spell to create these dungeons?]
‘That’s what I’ve been thinking.’
The events happening here were strikingly similar to what the Demon King had done in Altera.
[Then…]
‘Yes.’
Suhyeon glared at the magic circle.
‘It means someone like you exists in this world too.’
Sudden monster summoning, dungeons that produced monsters, and the accompanying magic circle.
The similarities were undeniable.
It was just like the magic the Demon King used to summon monsters in Altera.
‘If I can just eliminate that person, this world might return to normal.’
Once the caster of the magic is eliminated, all the spells they cast are dispelled.
That’s why Suhyeon had become a Hero and defeated the Demon King.
Suhyeon had returned to this world to find and eliminate the caster responsible for creating these dungeons and the sudden monster summons.
[Hey, Hero. You said these dungeons have been appearing in this world for the past 40 years, right?]
‘Yeah.’
[Then whoever it is, they possess magic power and skill comparable to mine.]
Creating dungeons all over the world for 40 years?
That wasn’t something just anyone could do.
Moreover, creating a dungeon would likely require even more magic power than a regular gate spell.
The gate spell wasn’t classified as 7th-class magic for no reason. It was one step below 8th-class magic, which was said to be wielded only by gods.
The spell artificially altered the world’s memory by forcibly embedding the magic formula into the Akashic Record. In short, it was a spell that changed the very fabric of the world.
It required countless magical formulas, and without a sufficient amount of magic power, casting it was impossible.
Even the Demon King had to resort to forbidden magic to forcibly increase his magic power to cast the gate spell.
[Your deduction isn’t wrong.]
The Demon King examined the runes and shapes in the magic circle at the dungeon entrance.
He was certain.
It was indeed a gate spell.
‘The question remains—how is the one who created this dungeon capable of using magic?’
Magic was a form of scholarly study.
It was based on the accumulated knowledge of magical traditions passed down through generations, allowing mages to explore and produce better results than before.
‘But this world has no knowledge of magic…’
The Demon King racked his brains, but thinking about it wouldn’t provide an answer.
In any case, that wasn’t the most pressing issue right now.
[If there really is someone like me in this world, can you kill them?]
Right now, this so-called Hero is weak. Even if there was a caster responsible for creating thousands of dungeons around the world, Suhyeon would likely be defeated if he faced them in his current state.
‘That’s why I need to become stronger.’
To fight them.
To protect people.
He would become a hunter and hone his skills.
That was the resolve of the former Hero, Kim Suhyeon.
[Hah… Gives me chills. Take your childish heroics elsewhere.]
‘What did you say, you bastard?’
The Demon King ignored the heroic speech and glanced at the hunters around them.
“Man… this is boring.”
“It’s just a scouting mission. We probably won’t run into any monsters.”
The students didn’t even bother hiding their boredom, yawning and stretching as if this wasn’t their first time here.
It wasn’t hard to understand why.
This was an F-rank dungeon.
In some cases, even a 1-star hunter could clear it solo, so those waiting at the entrance didn’t feel much tension.
The Demon King clicked his tongue as he observed them.
‘Pathetic. Look at them, so relaxed.’
Despite being in front of a dungeon, there was no sense of tension in the air.
The fact that only these low-level students were stationed here likely meant that the leader of the scouting team inside was quite skilled. However…
The Demon King looked at the dungeon entrance.
More specifically, beyond the magic circle.
…There was something deep inside this dungeon.
Based on the amount of magic power emanating from the dungeon, there was no way it was just an F-rank. Something far stronger lay dormant within.
The Demon King’s keen senses for magic detected a faint but powerful force hidden deep within—a force imperceptible to anyone less experienced in magic.
But then…
[Still… Didn’t I tell you to practice fighting monsters?]
Watching Suhyeon just stand among the students, the Demon King voiced his irritation.
[How is this even practice?]
‘I’ve told you several times already, I’m not a hunter yet.’
[You’re not getting antsy? I saw you fighting a dragon, one of the strongest demons in Altera.]
‘I’m not a bloodthirsty maniac like you.’
[Well, well, the noble saint has arrived.]
The Demon King grumbled.
While it was true that the dungeon had likely been created by someone with powers similar to his own, that wasn’t what mattered right now. His primary focus was on Kim Suhyeon’s ability to cast magic.
The Demon King had hoped that by observing Suhyeon in battle, he could better understand why Memorize kept failing. But at this rate, it felt like coming here was pointless.
[…Oh?]
‘…What?’
Suddenly, the Demon King’s voice became calm, and Suhyeon, sensing something, looked toward the dungeon entrance.
The dark, cave-like entrance was still and quiet.
But Suhyeon could feel it—multiple presences with significant magic power were approaching.
None of the students nearby noticed it.
However, both the Demon King and Suhyeon, using their magic senses, could detect it.
Suhyeon gathered his magic into his core and spread it to his nerves.
He activated Body Enhancement Magic.
Though it was a 2nd-class spell, the strength of the magic could be amplified depending on how much magic power was infused into it, much like filling a water balloon.
With Suhyeon’s current 1-star magic level, his physical abilities were now on par with a 1-star hunter.
Four hunters ahead, slightly further back… one monster… five monsters… twenty?
“Aaaaahhhh!”
The Demon King smiled.
[Looks like the gods are smiling on us today.]
‘The gods, my foot! This is bad news!’
Four hunters burst out from the dungeon, panting heavily as they ran.
And right behind them…
Rooooaaaar!
Four monsters came barreling out in a group.
They were F-rank monsters, Half-Wolves—bipedal wolf-like creatures similar in size to humans but with powerful claws and jaws.
“Wha—!”
“What’s going on?!”
The students, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of monsters, panicked for a moment.
Raaaargh!
A hunter who was fleeing narrowly avoided being torn apart by one of the monster’s claws.
Staying calm, Suhyeon bent his knees and twisted his wrist at a 90-degree angle, casting Blink.
“Huh?”
Krk?
In an instant, Suhyeon appeared between the hunter and the Half-Wolf.
‘Tsk… my magic power is too low.’
He clicked his tongue in frustration.
Just using Blink once had drained a significant portion of his magic—about one-thirtieth of his total reserves.
But there was no time to complain.
Suhyeon assessed the situation with a cold mind.
Don’t underestimate 105 years of being a Hero.
He didn’t have a weapon right now.
But his body was enhanced, and he had learned a combat technique suited for situations like this.
Drawing from the hand-to-hand combat skills he had learned from the Beastfolk, he acted quickly.
His eyes flashed.
Kkaeng!
He sprang forward, delivering an uppercut with his wrist bone to the Half-Wolf’s chin.
As the monster staggered, its head ringing, Suhyeon didn’t miss a beat.
With his left hand, he targeted the chest where the monster’s magic stone was located.
Recalling the hand-to-hand techniques he had learned from the Beastfolk, Suhyeon channeled his magic into his left fist.
To further increase the force of the punch, he cast Thunderbolt on his fist.
Thunderbolt was a 2nd-class spell that conjured a bolt of lightning. When mastered, it could be used to wrap lightning around the caster’s body, making it highly versatile.
Suhyeon’s fist, crackling with electricity, struck the Half-Wolf’s chest.
Thud!
The lightning pierced through the monster’s chest and out its back. It collapsed without even a scream.
Only ten more to go?
The area near the dungeon entrance had turned into chaos. Monsters and students were locked in a frantic battle.
The good news was that Half-Wolves weren’t particularly strong monsters, so the students were managing to take them down, albeit with difficulty.
The Demon King chuckled.
[Hunter students are still just students, huh?]
Even though their physical abilities had been enhanced with magic and they were doing decently well, they weren’t exactly impressive.
[For you, this probably doesn’t even count as a warm-up.]
While the other students struggled against the Half-Wolves, Suhyeon had already taken down his second monster, smashing its magic stone into dust with a precise strike.
The other students stared at him, eyes wide in disbelief.
“Huff…”
As Suhyeon caught his breath after defeating the two monsters, he suddenly heard voices again.
{Wow, you met the Beastfolk too?}
{See? I told you he’s interesting, right?}
The voices giggled and whispered.
Now that his magic power was fully open, he could hear them more clearly.
[Huh?]
This time, even the Demon King seemed to hear the voices.
Suhyeon glanced around. The other hunters were still busy fighting the Half-Wolves, far too preoccupied to say such things or read his memories.
There was nothing around him except for the mana floating in the air.
Could it be…?
Was the mana… talking?
[What… what is this?]
The voice echoing in Suhyeon’s head wasn’t the Demon King’s.
[Could it be…]
Not even the mages in Altera had experienced something like this.
The Demon King began analyzing the situation using all his magical knowledge.
He recalled Suhyeon mentioning that he had heard voices when he first attempted Memorize.
When Suhyeon had first opened his magic, he had seen glimpses of his past self.
Memorize had failed to connect.
‘Hmm…’
When all the clues were pieced together, there was only one answer.
At first, the Demon King had thought the problem lay with Suhyeon, but that assumption might have been wrong.
If Suhyeon wasn’t the issue, then…
‘The mana itself is being influenced by his memories?’
When the mana tried to connect with Suhyeon’s memories, instead of retrieving the memories it was supposed to, the mana was reading his memories in reverse. That would explain everything.
However, the fact that the mana, the Akashic Record itself, was ignoring the caster’s commands and focusing on memories it found interesting…
The Demon King had also peeked into Suhyeon’s memories.
The painful memories of his past, which had fueled his journey to become a Hero, unite all the races of Altera, and drive the holy sword into the Demon King.
‘…Does your life hold that much significance?’
It was as if he had been struck on the back of the head.
The Demon King broke into a grin.
‘Hahaha! You really do continue to surprise me.’
If this was truly the case…
Then there might be a way for Suhyeon to use Memorize after all, though it would be a little different from the original method.
‘My tongue’s itching… I can’t wait to tell this Hero what I’ve figured out!’