NOVEL WEB Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Memorize (3)
“Everyone, faster!”
In the elven forest, Suhyeon led the knights, organizing them into groups of three to lure the wyverns into a designated area.
Behind them, a wyvern opened its maw, releasing a stream of fiery breath.
Though they managed to dodge the attack, the nearby grass and trees were consumed by the flames.
Despite the wyvern having been in the elven forest for less than a week, already a third of the forest had been reduced to ash.
Just a little more… almost there!
‘Lure the wyverns to the designated location. After that, we’ll handle the rest.’
The resolute words of the elven village chief echoed in his mind. But Suhyeon couldn’t help but wonder—was it really possible to take down fifty of these creatures in one go?
The other squads were also working to draw the wyverns to the same place.
As they neared their destination, the number of trees began to thin out. Soon, they arrived at the designated spot—a large, open area filled with vines and green grass, with one towering tree standing at the center.
The village chief had instructed them to gather at the World Tree.
Roooaaar!
The wyverns that had been chasing them charged forward.
“Arghhh!”
Other knights who had been separated from Suhyeon also emerged from the forest, bringing more wyverns with them.
About a dozen wyverns now surrounded them, their numbers growing by the second.
Damn it, I knew I shouldn’t have trusted them!
Gathering so many wyverns in one place made it feel like they were summoning demons.
How in the world were they supposed to defeat them all at once…?
Suddenly, from Suhyeon’s left, a gust of wind whistled through the air.
Kyahhhh!
A wind-imbued arrow pierced through the left wing of one of the wyverns chasing them.
“…Huh?”
But it didn’t stop there.
Kyiaaaak!
Kreeeek!
Kraaak!
The wind, as if it wasn’t satisfied with a single target, changed trajectory like a guided missile, boring holes into the wyverns’ bodies.
Hundreds of wind arrows swirled through the air, tearing into the wyverns, each arrow moving as if it had a will of its own.
Looking up at the World Tree, Suhyeon saw dozens of elves standing with their bows drawn, infusing wind into their arrows.
“Amazing…”
It was Suhyeon’s first time witnessing magic, and he couldn’t help but be awestruck.
As he stood there, marveling at the sight of the magic, voices echoed in his mind.
{I can do that too!}
{I want to try it!}
For a moment, Suhyeon was confused, but then the realization hit him, so obvious that he couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. He looked around, smirking.
…That’s right. This is my memory, isn’t it?
Taking a deep breath, Suhyeon calmed his nerves.
“All right, then… let’s give it a shot.”
{{{Leave it to us!}}}
His vision shifted back to the present, to the dungeon filled with wyverns.
In the center of the glowing arrow that Suhyeon had conjured using substitution magic, a magic circle identical to the one in his memory formed, and powerful winds began to swirl and anchor themselves to the arrow.
‘This is… a magic formula?’
The Demon King’s grin widened.
For 4th-class or higher spells, one needed to create a magic formula to cast them.
The fact that a magic circle had formed meant this Hero was about to cast advanced magic!
Mana from the surrounding environment eagerly gathered around Suhyeon’s arrow in the shape of wind, chattering with excitement.
The Demon King, reading Suhyeon’s mana, was stunned.
‘The mana is watching his memories and recreating the magic!’
Typically, a mage would draw upon the mana around them to compensate for any lack of personal magic power.
But this was different…
Suhyeon wasn’t using the mana.
The mana was choosing to use Suhyeon.
The normal dynamics between a mage and mana had completely reversed.
Suhyeon’s internal magic reserves were almost depleted.
But the surrounding mana was supplying power to the magic formula, eager to help Suhyeon cast high-level magic.
‘This is unbelievable!’
The wind gathered around the arrow became even more concentrated and massive, producing a screeching sound as it cut through the air.
The flames that had been ignited by the wyvern’s breath were pushed away by the force of Suhyeon’s wind, burning further away from him.
Kiyaaaaak!
Kreeeeek!
“Ugh…”
As Suhyeon prepared to cast his spell, several Half-Wolves charged at him.
“Not so fast!”
Suddenly, a hunter with a dagger appeared, fending off the Half-Wolves before they could reach Suhyeon.
“Thanks!”
“Is that… a skill?”
“Yeah. Just hold off the monsters until I’m done with this.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard, but…”
Yura, the leader of the scouting team, glanced over at Suhyeon.
Who the hell is this guy?
As a 2-star hunter, Yura had never seen anything like it. She watched, mouth slightly agape, as the wind coiled around Suhyeon’s arrow.
He had been standing there, murmuring to himself while an eerie circle of symbols and shapes appeared, glowing and spinning around him.
Is that… a skill?
Aside from the strange magic circle, everything about it looked like a skill.
But… having more than one skill?
Typically, a hunter unlocks their first skill at 2-star rank, and most hunters are only granted a single skill. As their rank increases, the power of that skill grows, but they can’t learn entirely new skills.
So, what in the world was happening here?
In just the last few moments, Suhyeon had demonstrated two skills—first the teleportation and now this wind-based magic.
‘What is he?’
Yura stared at Suhyeon in disbelief.
[Good! Keep that focus steady! I’ll begin the incantation—]
“…It’s not enough yet.”
[What?]
“The Storm of Arrows I remember isn’t just a single arrow.”
In Suhyeon’s memory, the elves had drawn their bows to protect their homeland.
The will to protect wasn’t held by just one person.
The desire to defend, to save, to survive, to succeed—these were collective aspirations.
It was only through the combined determination of many that such magic had been made possible.
The mana was whispering.
This isn’t the end, it told him. You can do more.
“Could you be satisfied with just this?”
Screeeeeech!
Another identical magic circle appeared behind Suhyeon, creating another arrow of light wrapped in swirling wind. The sight made the Demon King hold his breath.
‘Double casting?’
As the complexity and power of a spell increase, simultaneous casting becomes exponentially more difficult.
Trying to handle multiple complex formulas at once usually results in mistakes somewhere along the way.
But this Hero, who was using Memorize, wasn’t like other casters. His memories were unchanging, unless someone tampered with them. And so, no matter how complex the casting, it wouldn’t falter.
The Demon King’s grin widened.
He had thought this was Suhyeon’s limit.
But the memories of this Hero, Kim Suhyeon, went far beyond his expectations.
How far can this guy go with these memories?
‘I’ll make sure to watch carefully!’
You’ve brought the wood, now I’ll light the fire.
[…Curup Iphult Wulf Diniu.]
The Demon King’s voice echoed in Suhyeon’s mind, and the magic within him began to stir in response.
“…The butterfly flutters in the gentle breeze.”
The incantation spoken by the Demon King was translated by Suhyeon’s lips into magic words.
Magic incantation.
For spells of 4th-class or higher, a specific incantation could be used to increase their power.
[Gult Plidin Elmo Teshidik.]
“The butterfly’s wings create a ripple in the wind.”
With each word spoken, the magic within Suhyeon roared, resonating like ripples spreading across a pond. Soon, the surrounding mana began to vibrate with joy, responding to Suhyeon’s words.
[Diun Teshibek Dina Simus.]
“The wind gathers and mingles.”
The vibrations grew stronger, to the point where Suhyeon could barely contain the swelling power within him.
[An Rog Nus Noipit.]
“A purposeless wind becomes a storm.”
The wind swirling around Suhyeon grew restless, as if eager to be unleashed.
The mana, now his obedient servant, bared its fangs at the wyvern.
[Yuoi Orellos Kips.]
“And to you, the noble ones, I say.”
[Maol…]
“I am…”
Suhyeon’s and the Demon King’s voices overlapped.
[Gurt Pingis!]
“Your guide!”
With the final release of the mana’s restraints, the condensed wind surged forth alongside Suhyeon’s arrows, forming a massive tornado.
Kyaaaaak!
The wyvern responded with a massive fire breath, unleashing all its might.
Boom!
In the sky above, the wyvern’s breath collided with Suhyeon’s advanced magic, and a deafening explosion shook the air.
But Suhyeon didn’t flinch.
He already possessed the memory of slaying this wyvern.
Look, even just standing here, that breath attack is dissolving before it even reaches me.
The wind swirling around the arrows had reached its critical mass.
What was there to fear now? Why should he even think about dodging?
To Suhyeon, standing in the eye of the storm, the wyvern’s breath was nothing more than a flickering match.
The fierce winds tore through the wyvern’s fiery breath, scattering the flames like sparks in the wind.
The breath attack couldn’t withstand the storm and disintegrated in midair.
Kyaaaaaaak!
With a shriek that almost sounded like a woman’s scream, the wyvern was torn to shreds, its body, its magic stone—nothing remained but dust.
The massive tornado ripped apart the chamber’s sky-blue ceiling, sending dozens of gusts of wind spiraling down like flowers in bloom.
The winds pierced through the remaining Half-Wolves, targeting them with pinpoint accuracy.
Kyiing!
Kyak!
Kraeng!
The Half-Wolves couldn’t even resist as their bodies were skewered by the descending winds.
The Demon King watched the scene unfold.
This… this was an exact recreation of the moment when the elves’ arrows took down the wyverns.
Was this really the 4th-class spell Storm of Arrows?
A chuckle escaped his lips.
Normally, Storm of Arrows was a spell that greatly increased the power of projectiles by summoning wind and then firing them at high speed.
Suhyeon had not only used Memorize to recall this memory, but had also cast two advanced 4th-class spells simultaneously.
[…How does it feel?]
“Huff… It’s like I’ve just tamed a giant.”
Suhyeon’s brain was buzzing, his head practically humming from the aftershock of casting such high-level magic using the mana around him.
He opened and closed his hands, still feeling the lingering sensation of the powerful mana he had just commanded.
‘This… is magic.’
[Remember that feeling deep in your bones. That is how you will fight against stronger monsters and magical beasts from now on.]
‘Is that so?’
Suhyeon let out a soft, relieved chuckle.
Ding…
‘…Huh?’
Suddenly, his vision darkened, and dizziness overtook him, as though he was about to faint.
This…
This is… the Mind State.
The aftermath of casting two 4th-class spells in rapid succession had taken a serious toll on him.
Drawing upon the high-level magic from his memories had placed an enormous strain on his mind.
…Maybe I pushed myself too hard.
As his vision blacked out, and he began to collapse to the ground…
[Still… your magic wasn’t half bad.]
The Demon King—King of Demons, and King of Magic—spoke to Suhyeon in a drifting tone.
[Welcome to being a mage, Hero.]