Chapter 3

The clues about this body are threefold.

1. Unfathomable senses.

2. A physique that even the term 'overwhelming' fails to describe.

And finally,

3. Mana void.

A rare condition where all mana is blocked.

What secret do these three seemingly unrelated clues point to?

"First, the unfathomable senses."

When I opened my eyes and regained consciousness, my mind was already a battlefield of various sensations.

Hearing: The doctor's shouts, the hurried breaths of the nurses.

Smell: The smell of alcohol that someone might have drunk, the scent of the nurse's shampoo, the antiseptic smell of the operating room.

Touch: I could even feel the breath of others, and the bright operating room lights momentarily paralyzed my advanced vision.

Taste: Even in the bland hospital porridge, I could detect the sweetness of carbohydrates, a testament to my exceptional taste.

To be honest, if I were an ordinary person instead of the demon king reincarnated in this body, I would have gone insane long ago.

Submerged in the raging torrent of sensations, I lost consciousness several times.

From sight to taste, my senses were unfathomable.

Look at it now. The lovers whispering their affection, the salarymen who have overindulged for some reason, and even without mana, I can sense everything within fifty meters in front of me.

This was impossible even for me in my previous life without mana. Even if the Sword Saint were to come back, he would find it impossible without his equipment.

As a former demon king, I can confidently say that this is absolutely not a sensation that a human can possess.

Next,

"Second. A physique that even the term 'overwhelming' fails to describe."

I have also proven this with my own body. According to what I have learned, this body was in a coma for half a year.

The muscles were withered, the skin as thin and transparent as paper. The organs were gradually degenerating, and the body was slowly dying, adapting to life support.

For half a year, I was a living corpse.

Yet, within less than two months of regaining consciousness, I am running. How can I describe this miraculous recovery?

The same goes for my bones and muscles. The muscle synthesis and abnormal growth rate of the skeletal muscles are activating day by day.

This level of physique is more akin to a troll or an ogre than a human.

In other words, just like my senses, my physique has far surpassed the limits of a human.

And the final clue, the most decisive one.

"Mana void."

Mana is the energy of the world.

In other words, everything that constitutes the world is imbued with mana.

This includes the dog barking over there, the sparrow enjoying the wind on the utility pole, the weeds growing wildly, and even the bench I am sitting on.

Because they are all part of this world, and the world is imbued with energy.

However, I do not have mana.

Despite the fact that mana is the energy of the world, and I live in this world, I do not have mana.

Everything that constitutes the world should be imbued with mana, yet I, who walk, run, and breathe in this world, do not have mana.

It's as if I have been separated from the order of the world.

I alone do not have mana.

And I,

'I know of such an existence.'

Apart from the gods, there are only two beings that are outside the order of the world.

"One is the Dragon."

The ruler of magic. The Dragon (Dragon).

As befits the title of the ruler of magic, they are living magic itself.

They breathe mana from nature and vibrate mana with their will alone. They do not need to eat, chant, or even use common arrays. For them, magic is merely a language.

Dragon speech.

The power that transcends the order of the world.

The magic we know originated from this dragon speech.

'That's why the definition of magic is 'the power allowed by the world.' It is power within the order.'

Of course, I am talking about the dragons of the primordial era. The dragons of the present... or rather, my previous life, the dragon that my expedition team, including myself, defeated, was not such a mythological being.

A dragon that could use breath attacks but had lost its dragon speech.

A dragon that was a mortal like us.

If even such a dragon could wipe out our expedition team, one can only imagine how powerful the dragons of the primordial era were.

However, the possibility of me being a dragon is zero. Dragons cannot lack mana. They are born with it, even their eggshells are massive chunks of mana.

I, who do not have a single drop of mana, do not fit this description.

So, the only one left is...

Perhaps this is where the main topic begins.

There are only two beings outside the order of the world. Since the dragon has been ruled out, only one remains.

This being fits the conditions of unfathomable senses and an overwhelming physique.

However, I am being so cautious because I have only heard of this being, not seen it.

No, not just me. If you are not a god, you would not have seen this being in reality.

Because this being, along with the dragons, was one of the absolute rulers of the primordial world.

The first human and the strongest human.

A mortal who was also immortal, a creation of the gods who dreamed of becoming a god, and thus suffered the gods' punishment, a supreme being in mythology.

While the dragon is the ruler of magic, this being is the embodiment of violence.

A being that killed everything and brought about the end of the world, and thus opened a new world.

The balancer of the creation.

"The Giant (Giant)."

This was the identity of this body.

...

...

"Now that I know the identity, I just need to test it."

There's no proper opportunity. Well, who would pick a fight with this body? I had almost given up on it.

...But it actually happened.

"Hey, you useless guy!"

What is this cutie?

* * *

Ten minutes ago, I was sweating at the gym as usual.

Today's focus was on the lower body. A true man's charm comes from the lower body!

I was praying to the heavens in front of the 120-kilogram barbell, performing 12 reps in 5 sets with a devout heart.

Just as I was about to start the fourth set,

"Hey, you useless guy!"

...Useless guy? It seems they are calling me.

As expected, three men were standing there, leaning on each other.

"Finally noticed. You useless guy, you're still slow. Right?"

"You should be more perceptive if you can't use mana. Hehe."

"Maybe you don't have either of them?"

They were chuckling among themselves.

I thought,

What is this cutie?

"What is this cutie?"

"What?! Cutie? Are you crazy?"

"Ah, I was so surprised, I blurted it out. Sorry, cutie."

One was a lanky, skinny guy, another a chubby, fat guy. The last one, who seemed to be the leader, was the cutie.

Isn't this a cliché thug scenario?

The cutie seemed taken aback by my "cutie" comment but regained his composure with the encouragement of his friends.

"Hey, if you're back in the neighborhood, you should report to the seniors, right?"

"Um, I don't really remember, but were we acquaintances?"

"Wh-what? Acquaintances? You don't know me?? You don't know Yoon Jae-hoon??"

"This useless guy must be really out of it. This is Yoon Jae-hoon! Yoon Jae-hoon!! The best special talent of Yonhwa Middle School! The prince of the Chilseong Group, one of Korea's top three conglomerates!!"

"He's so cool. Early admission to the Academy..."

"Stop! Shut up!!"

What is with these guys? Have they lost their sense of shame?

"Let's summarize."

So, from what I can gather, the cutie was a special talent in middle school because he had a bit more mana, and I envied him. But I was discouraged by the mana void, and they had some fun at my expense.

I didn't want to say this, but...

"Park Gi-hyuk, you pathetic guy. Did you get beaten up by those guys?"

"What are you whispering, you useless guy? I came to greet you nicely, and you mock me?"

"Relax, Jae-hoon. He doesn't know anything. Let's go."

"Yeah, it doesn't make sense for you, who got early admission to the Academy, to hang out with a washed-up guy. Let's go to the game room."

"Hey, let go. Let go, I said."

"Hey, let him go. This is interesting. Let's see what he does."

"......!!"

"Interesting? This useless guy. Hey, if I showed you kindness, you should be grateful. The more I think about it, the angrier I get! Hey, hey, let go for a moment. Hey, let go, I said."

As the skinny and fat guys pretended to let go, the cutie, with a smug look, said,

"You're dead."

Sparks began to fly.

Zap!

At a glance, it was magic.

A lightning spell, known for its destructive power alongside fire spells!

"Why? Are you scared? It's too late, kid. Even if you beg now, I won't forgive you."

The fat and skinny guys intimidated me, saying, "Get on your knees quickly."

But,

I was actually glad at this moment.

"Ooh...!!"

Magic! My lips curled up to my ears.

I needed a test anyway, and this was a stroke of luck!

"Laughing? This kid is laughing?"

"Jae-hoon, let's go. You can't use your powers here."

"Get out of the way! You're dead, damn it!"

"Jae-hoon!!"

"Hey, both of you, get out of the way."

Smirk, my lips curled up to my ears.

Lightning struck.

* * *

Optimum Agent Headquarters.

At the top of the skyscraper, befitting one of the world's top five agents, this was where Kim Yeon-hee, the representative of the Empire Optimum, was seated.

On a large screen set up in one corner of the office, a video was being broadcast, and Kim Yeon-hee was watching it intently, her fingers tapping.

Zap! Zap!

"Die! Die!!"

Zap!!

High-voltage lightning struck, bright enough to make the camera flash.

Aim: Her son.

Despite the gruesome scene, Kim Yeon-hee did not look away.

She focused on the video, determined not to miss a single detail.

At that moment,

Knock, the door opened, and the secretary entered.

Kim Yeon-hee, without taking her eyes off the screen, asked,

"What is it?"

"The legal team of the Chilseong Group has finished the discussion. They do not want the incident to escalate any further."

"Is that all?"

"No. They also promised to control the media completely and take full responsibility if any abnormalities occur in Park Gi-hyuk's body."

"Hmm..."

Knock, knock.

Kim Yeon-hee's fingers tapped the table.

It was a habit she had when something was bothering her, and as expected, cold anger seeped through her words.

"How dare the Chilseong Group mess with us. If it weren't for what Gi-hyuk said, by now..."

Drip.

The secretary's back was drenched in cold sweat.

'You crazy guy, even if you're immature, how could you touch that child...!'

The world does not know the true nature of this family.

No one knows what might happen when they truly get angry.

Sigh.

Taking a deep breath to control her anger, Kim Yeon-hee spoke.

"The numbers don't add up. Think carefully and contact them again."

"Yes, I understand. I will talk to them again."

The secretary bowed and left.

Alone again, Kim Yeon-hee still could not take her eyes off the lightning striking her son's head.

Or rather, she was only looking at Park Gi-hyuk, who was laughing while being struck by lightning.

"What is this? It's amazing..."

Optimum Agent is one of the world's top five agents. Naturally, Kim Yeon-hee, as the representative, has a unique insight into superhumans.

But this, she did not understand. It wasn't because it was her son; she genuinely did not understand.

"Magic resistance? No, that's impossible."

Magic resistance requires training.

But Kim Yeon-hee, who knew her son's condition a month ago better than anyone, knew that training was out of the question for a child who couldn't even walk properly.

So, it must be 'magic immunity.'

"Could my son be on par with a 'Titan'?"

Titan, the representative hero of the United States.

With complete magic immunity, he is considered the strongest 'Safety' in history.

Is Park Gi-hyuk on par with this Titan? It's too early to be certain.

"By the way."

The video was now at its final scene.

"Come on, don't come."

"Clamp down hard."

Crack!

"Aaaaaah!!"

"Come back stronger."

"Tch. Come back stronger, huh."

He has my sense of humor.

Kim Yeon-hee, who had smiled at her son's actions, soon stiffened.

The single blow that shattered Yoon Jae-hoon's leg was flawless.

But what Kim Yeon-hee was curious about was not her son's striking skills.

Yoon Jae-hoon.

The second son of the Chilseong Group.

Given the group's interest in the agent business, they poured resources into their second son, giving him mana far beyond his age and even making him a special talent in middle school.

Considering his early education, Kim Yeon-hee did not think Yoon Jae-hoon was unaware of how to protect himself with mana.

It was a basic skill.

"Yet, my son, who has no mana, cleanly shattered his leg."

She sought advice from the experts within the agency, but no one could provide a clear answer.

The most plausible explanation was:

"If pure strength surpasses mana, it might be possible..."

Tap, tap, tap...

Kim Yeon-hee's fingers tapped.

"Gi-hyuk, is this your answer?"

In her worried eyes, Park Gi-hyuk, who was laughing, was reflected.

The next day, an application for the Korean Academy was submitted.

Three characters were written in the name field.

Park Gi-hyuk