My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 44

Just like last time, unless something unusual happened like Arina eating tteokbokki with Maril, Arina and Cain always sat at the same table for dinner.

It was an unchanging routine that had continued for the past two years.

At the same time, this was Arina's favorite time of the day.

"Magic Boost, huh......."

Arina, as always, started talking about what happened at the academy today.

Unlike her usual behavior of staring at her smartphone and ignoring everything, she was excited and spoke more passionately because Cain responded, even to the smallest details.

Arina squeezed out every word she could think of, just to see Cain's reaction a little more.

Before they knew it, their conversation had drifted to the rumors circulating around the academy.

"It would be nice if it really existed. Just turning on an app and increasing your magic power."

It was a statement made under the assumption that such a thing could not possibly exist in reality.

To increase magic power without any cost to the world.

There was no way such a convenient item could exist.

Even if it did exist, it would certainly be traded at a very high price, not given away for free.

Like an elixir.

"Hmm."

On the other hand, Cain was already half-convinced of its existence.

All he had heard from Arina was that there was supposedly such a thing.

There was no way such a rumor could arise out of nowhere, like smoke from a chimney.

'A Black Mage, perhaps?'

Moreover, it wasn't entirely impossible in principle.

Cain, guessing the identity of the culprit, took a bite of his rolled omelette.

Was there cheese inside?

The cheese, mixed perfectly with the ketchup on top of the rolled omelette, elevated its flavor even more.

'They're using the Reverse World in an interesting way.'

And he didn't stop there.

He figured out exactly what method the other person used and what abilities they possessed.

It all started with a single word from Arina.

Just by recognizing the existence of the culprit, Cain easily surpassed all those currently pursuing them.

'The fact that it hasn't been fully revealed means the professors haven't solved it yet. So, the rumor hasn't been around for long?'

Then, the progression of the case was too fast.

There was a wall between the first-year students and those above second-year, as if it had been built.

That wall would start to crumble and show progress in relationships from the second semester of the first year.

More specifically, from the time when first-year students were allowed to join clubs.

There might have been some first-years who were close to upperclassmen, but even considering that, the speed at which the rumor spread was too fast.

'Jealousy, huh? For him, that's a pretty mild approach.'

Cain had figured out everything that had happened up to this point.

During the time it took to eat just one rolled omelette, he predicted all these events, put down his chopsticks, and picked up the soup bowl next to it.

'If he gets involved, the case will soon be over. Though there will be one incident before that.'

Did the mart have a sale on eggs today?

Rolled omelette and egg soup, huh.

It was an unusual spread for Arina, who usually tried not to repeat the same theme with the side dishes, even if they were few.

'Seems like she's having trouble with her homework.'

Thinking about it, all these dishes were easy to make on the spot.

Did she not have time to prepare dinner?

'If that's the case, we might as well order delivery.'

Was there such a thing as pride for a level 9 housewife?

If someone saw this, they might think he was forcing a little kid to do housework.

With that, Cain lost interest in the Magic Boost and began to ponder why the dinner side dishes were like this today.

"Hey, kid."

"What?"

"It's unlikely to happen, but if a suspicious app appears on your smartphone, don't click on it."

Just in case, he warned Arina.

Jealousy would quickly resolve the matter, but if the kid got involved, it would become troublesome.

More precisely, it would be troublesome if the kid got involved and he had to intervene in the situation.

"Don't click on anyone else's smartphone either."

It didn't matter if it was her own smartphone or someone else's.

According to his prediction, the curse would apply to whoever clicked the app, regardless of the owner.

"Okay, got it."

Whether she understood his warning or not, Arina responded with a doubtful tone.

Though her tone wasn't very convincing, Cain didn't bother to say more.

If nothing else, she always kept her word.

That was the kind of kid he had observed over the past two years.

'There's also him.'

Even if the worst-case scenario unfolded, at least Arina's safety would be assured.

If Jealousy didn't want to die by his hand, he would protect Arina with his life.

With that thought, Cain continued to listen to Arina's trivial chatter and took another sip of the steaming egg soup.

* * *

There's an old saying that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body.

After all, studying is only possible when supported by physical strength.

Using your head also requires a lot of energy, and thus, excellent magicians take great care of their bodies.

Though not to the extent of martial artists who are obsessed with training their bodies, they consistently exercise every day.

"......."

The same went for Jeon Reidel.

After losing his father to a terrorist attack by Black Mages in his childhood, he developed a deep hatred for criminals, especially Black Mages.

After that, he dreamed of becoming a special police officer, mainly dealing with cases related to the Dark District, tracking down and arresting wanted criminals.

An elite group within the police that handles the most dangerous tasks.

To apply there, graduating with excellent grades from Benedict Academy was not a choice but a necessity, so Jeon trained himself relentlessly every day.

'I'm already late to start, so I can't fall behind any further.'

At the age of 15.

Though still young, not even having fully bloomed in life, considering the average admission age at Benedict Academy was 12 to 13, he was a few years late.

So, he had to work even harder to catch up.

To become the special police officer of his dreams.

No, to become a special police officer and eradicate criminals who had a negative impact on society as he wished.

He saved time for sleep to train his body and focus on his studies.

His effort was the foundation for him entering the academy as a first-year vice president.

"Phew."

The sports facility built within Benedict Academy.

In this place, made for students to use freely, the only first-year exercising was Jeon Reidel.

Unlike others who were busy with assignments or hanging out with new friends, Jeon never missed a day of self-care.

He got off the treadmill, wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel around his neck, and steadied his rough breathing.

'Shall I stop here for today?'

A workout schedule focused on aerobic exercise for physical improvement.

He didn't completely skip strength training, but since the goal wasn't to bulk up, its importance and frequency were relatively lower.

This was the same for Jeon and other magicians.

Unless they were martial artists or some fitness-obsessed magicians.

After all, the ultimate reason they exercised was to study and research magic more efficiently.

"......."

After standing still for about a minute to rest, Jeon picked up his smartphone, which he had left beside him, before heading to the shower room.

He checked to see if there were any messages while he was working out.

And at the same time, he noticed the black app on his smartphone, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

An app appeared that he had no recollection of installing.

Could it be because of what Professor Carlson had told him recently?

'What's this?'

His eyes flickered with unease.

One corner of Jeon's mouth curled up, forming a twisted smile filled with irritation.

And then, he quickly packed his things and left the sports facility with hurried steps.

Showering was not a priority at the moment.

Jeon, who felt neither the stickiness from sweat nor the chill of the night breeze that might have caused him to catch a cold, headed straight back to his dormitory.

Thud.

Jeon tossed his bag onto the bed carelessly and pulled out his smartphone from his pocket again.

'Is this the Magic Boost?'

Even upon re-examination, the app showed no particular features.

It didn't emit any suspicious magic power, and since he wasn't well-versed in programming, he had no way to dissect it into coding units to check for any black magic rituals embedded within.

Just an app that looked identical to other apps, distinguished only by its black color.

Could it be because of the thought that it might have been created by a Black Mage?

For some reason, everything about its design seemed suspicious.

'To catch a tiger, you have to go into its den.'

Unlike the rankings based on grades for current students, the criteria for distinguishing freshmen's grades were the potential evaluated by professors.

Whether they were talented or not.

Despite reaching the realm of a 2-star like Arina, the reason she was ranked first and Jeon second was simply because he was younger.

Jeon Reidel was considered the strongest among first-year students in terms of actual ability.

In a situation where his judgment was clouded by anger towards Black Mages due to his outstanding skills among his peers.

That, combined with the most energetic period of his life at fifteen, greatly fueled the recklessness typical of puberty.

"So, this is what it feels like."

Without hesitation, he tapped on the Magic Boost App.

A situation that Professor Carlson was most wary of, and one of the actual reasons Professor Magnus tried to avoid seeking help from students as much as possible.

As he launched the app, he felt the star inside his body wriggle.

Magic power was supplied into the star, as if inserting a feeding tube and supplying magic power.

This unknown source blended with Jeon's magic power, flowing naturally through his body, regardless of his will.

This was a sensation he felt for the first time.

It felt as though he was sharing magic power with another person.

'That can't be.'

But soon, Jeon dismissed the possibility, deeming it an absurd hypothesis.

Like when Professor Carlson expelled Negative Dimensional Magic Power, or when Professor Clara dispersed vast amounts of magic power for emergency measures afterward.

Influencing others with one's own magic power was simple, but sharing one's magic power completely identically with another was an entirely different matter.

Whether it was from elixirs, magic crystals, or atmospheric magic power.

No matter how one obtained magic power from nature, the user's genetic information would be infused into the magic power accumulated in the human body.

Replicating the exact same magic power that had been filtered and expelled from different human bodies was extremely difficult, and thus, 'Magic Transfusion' was considered a highly advanced and challenging magic among recovery magicians, only possible for a very few.

It was not a technique that could be easily achieved with just one click on an app.

"......."

Aside from the fact that his magic power had indeed increased, nothing else had changed.

No matter how much he introspected his body, he couldn't find any problems, nor could he discover the cause of the increase in magic power.

The only peculiarity was the continuous flow of magic power.

Originally, the magic power should have been pooled inside the star like a lake, but now it flowed between the stars like an endless river.

Normally, if magic power was used continuously, it should naturally be wasted outside, yet this was not the case.

'Come at any time.'

He was ready.

With a determined look as if to say, 'Come if you dare,' Jeon put away his smartphone.

His eyes, reflected in the mirror beside him, were coldly set with wrath towards Black Mages.