Chapter 6

Chapter 2: Days at Storm Castle (5)

The next morning, Jin found the tunnel dug by the Tona brothers.

Indeed, the Tona brothers had not played any tricks and had worked hard with their shovels. On one side of the deep tunnel, a yellow stone wall was exposed.

Currently, there are seven guardian knights in the castle, two wet nurses, and about a dozen servants, as well as the Tona brothers.

No one would come to find Jin, who had come here alone, or suspect anything.

'Telling them I would mourn the dead bird was a good excuse.'

Recently, the vassals of Runkandel in Storm Castle have been worried about Jin. It's too hard to find any childish behavior in him.

No, many are even afraid of him. Among the servants, there are stories that Jin is just like Siron, and the guardian knights already treat Jin like a senior.

However, when Jin said he would mourn the dead bird, everyone seemed to relax. They thought, "He's still a child, after all."

'I hope the next life is better.'

The sadness over the dead bird was real, so Jin wasn't completely lying.

Jin moved the bird's grave inside the tunnel and pressed himself against the stone wall. The surface bore the marks of the Tona brothers' shovels.

It's not a very sturdy wall. Since they didn't use particularly hard stone, it seems he could break it with a punch if he condensed his shadow.

But doing so might cause noise to leak out.

Ordinary people wouldn't hear it due to the rain, but the guardian knights, who are at least 7th level, would not miss the sound of something breaking in the tunnel.

"Hahaha."

Suddenly, Jin couldn't hold back and laughed. At the same time, he spread his hands and placed them on the wall, which began to vibrate slightly.

Rumble!

This was the result of casting 1st level Earth Magic, 'Earth Resonance.'

Earth Resonance is a spell often used by mages during camping or sleeping outdoors, with almost no offensive power.

"I almost went crazy wanting to use it!"

The convenience and pleasure of using magic!

He had forgotten this pleasure for the past seven years. Since he had full consciousness and memory from the age of one, not being able to use magic was a punishment for Jin.

The power of mages, magic power.

When he first reincarnated, Jin was worried about when and how to start using magic, but...

It wasn't necessary. Just as the spirit energy granted by Soladeret was effective, the magic power accumulated in his previous life was also effective.

'However, since I'm still a child, there seems to be a limit to the amount of magic power I can handle, but so what!'

In his previous life, Jin reached the level just before 6th level after three years of learning magic.

Currently, Jin's magic power is only at the 1st level, but it has been increasing year by year.

He can feel it growing naturally with each passing year, even without making any special effort to accumulate magic power.

The magic power from his previous life is gradually returning as he grows.

Jin understands this mysterious phenomenon in this way.

'1st level magic power at the age of seven! The speed of a genius found only in history books. At this rate, I should reach 6th level before I turn twenty, no matter how late it is.'

This life, no matter how many times I think about it, is much sweeter than my previous life.

It's so sweet it's maddening. At the age of seven, he can handle spiritual and magic power, and his mind is filled with 3rd level swordsmanship theory and 5th level magic theory. Soon,

he will be able to study the secret books of the martial arts families from various countries plundered by Runkandel! There are plenty of things to keep his enthusiasm burning every day.

'Wow, I was a mage. I didn't expect using just Earth Resonance would be so welcoming and enjoyable.'

In Runkandel, the moments when he can use magic are extremely limited.

Until now, it was almost non-existent. Jin has never had the freedom to be alone.

He was always with Gilly, and when Gilly was absent, the guardian knights or servants were with him, and if not, the Tona brothers were a nuisance.

Therefore, he had no chance to use magic. There was also no need to use it.

Now, he almost uses the Tona brothers as subordinates, but it's not a good idea for them to find out he can use magic.

If the other brothers, Siron, or Rosa hear that Jin can use magic... this sweet life will be over.

'After today, I'll have to seal my magic for a while. I'll use it freely when there's no need to be cautious, my magic power.'

Jin licked his lips and focused his mind on his palms pressed against the wall. The sensation of magic power flowing through his fingers and seeping into the stone wall was thrilling.

Sssss...

After about ten minutes, the Earth Resonance vibrations caused dozens of small cracks in the stone wall. Soon, dust began to pour out of the wall as if it were about to collapse.

Crack!

Finally, the center of the stone wall crumbled like a sandcastle. It was a small hole that Jin had to crouch to enter, and he stared blankly at the inside for a while.

A long corridor that looked like an abandoned ruin, and a huge iron door at the end. This was the scene that caught his eye as soon as he broke through the wall.

It would be a mistake to think that Runkandel's secret space could be breached so easily.

After all, 'Storm Castle' is a place where even the elite troops of Jip's army would find it difficult to infiltrate.

'The basement of Storm Castle, which the pure-blooded Runkandels are said to visit as soon as they are recognized as leaders... It looks like this.'

Leader.

Someone who can lead the family's flag at the forefront in any situation.

All Runkandel children become leaders when the time comes. Unless they are particularly incompetent, like the Jin of the past.

So this basement is a scene that he has only glimpsed through the stories of other brothers and his own imagination. Seeing it in person, something welled up in his chest.

'I didn't expect to feel such a profound emotion, but now that I see it, it's quite a strange feeling.'

Jin took a deep breath and pushed his body into the hole.

While in the tunnel, the sound of heavy rain was always heard, but as soon as he entered the basement, it became eerily quiet. Jin took off his shoes with a slightly solemn heart.

To avoid leaving mud marks on the corridor.

The inside was somewhat dark, and torches, flint, and oil were placed in various spots.

Jin was about to use magic to create a small flame to brighten his view but grabbed a torch instead. Holding it, he walked the old corridor barefoot, feeling like a monk.

'Mother said that before reaching the door, Runkandel's children must prove they are pure-blooded.'

This is a memory from when he was about sixteen.

At that time, Rosa still believed that her youngest son would eventually become a proud member of the family.

A mother's twisted expectation, unable to acknowledge her child's inadequacy.

Rosa would cleverly violate the family's rules to give Jin various information. Even if Jin couldn't be evaluated as a genius of the century like the other children,

she wanted to believe that he would at least become a 6th level knight and earn the qualification to be a leader.

Rosa Runkandel, one of the strongest in the family and the world, couldn't objectively evaluate Jin simply because she was his mother.

'Even such a mother eventually faced reality.'

Jin stopped walking, halting his reminiscence.

He was in the middle of the corridor, about fifty steps away from the main door.

'Runkandel and magic...'

Pfft.

Seeing the faint magic circle on the floor, he couldn't help but laugh.

It was a large-scale magic circle, but simple enough for even beginner mages to understand.

The Blood and Boundary Magic Circle.

A magic circle that can be found in the warehouses of wealthy patrons who want to show off, the various gates of each kingdom, or the headquarters of well-known mercenary groups.

Despite its grand name, that's all it is.

Ultimately, this magic circle is just a simple security device that confirms the danger of the target through blood.

'People who hate magic so much, drawing a magic circle in the family's secret space? And such a shoddy magic circle!'

Jin bit the inside of his cheek hard. As a stream of hot blood trickled from his lips, he caught it in his palm.

Drip, drip...

A few drops were enough to activate the Blood and Boundary Magic Circle. When he sprinkled the blood on the magic circle, a blue aura began to swirl around after a moment.

'Pure-blooded? What a joke.'

Prove that you are pure-blooded.

Suddenly, Jin wondered who the stupid ancestor was who first installed this magic circle.

The Blood and Boundary Magic Circle is not a great magic that can confirm a person's lineage, and it's questionable whether such a magic even exists.

This magic circle can only determine this much through blood.

Is it the blood of a monster, a human, or a person infected with a plague?

In other words, as long as you can enter the basement, you can activate the magic circle with any human blood, not just the blood of a pure-blooded Runkandel.

It's just a shoddy magic circle that creates a mysterious atmosphere fitting the old basement.

'Believing in superstitions like a selection ritual, and thinking this magic circle is a device for pure-blooded Runkandels. Our family is truly... unique, unique.'

Clank! Clank! Creak...

As the magic circle activated, the sound of gears turning and various mechanical noises came from below the floor.

These were the sounds of the traps that would have been activated if the magic circle hadn't worked, now stopping. Jin waited until the sounds subsided.

'There were quite a few traps. I'm not sure, but they were probably more dangerous than the secret traps in most royal families.'

The light from the magic circle dimmed. This meant the traps were all deactivated, and Jin moved to stand in front of the main door.

Of the two devices needed to open the secret space of Storm Castle, one was successfully resolved. Now, the remaining task was to open this door.

But this is even easier than activating the magic circle.

"I, a child of Runkandel, have come to console Murakan."

Creak!

As Jin spoke the activation phrase, the door began to open.

This is also a type of 'Boundary Magic' like the one he just passed, but on a different level. It's a magic placed by a great dragon who has been in a long sleep.

It can be unlocked by speaking the activation phrase, but the greatness of this boundary magic lies in the fact that it won't open no matter what you do if you don't know it.

Breaking it by force would require at least a 9th level knight.

'I heard this activation phrase from my second brother before my reincarnation. He said it was useless to know, but he mentioned it sarcastically.'

Right here, at the top of Murakan Mountain, where Storm Castle stands.

The name 'Murakan' originally referred not to the mountain but to the black dragon that ruled this place for a long time.

After being defeated by the first head of the Runkandel family a thousand years ago, Murakan gave up Storm Castle and fell into a long sleep.

One of the most famous stories among the many anecdotes of the Runkandel family.

As the door opened, the first thing Jin saw was not a bookshelf full of secret books but a glass tube.

Inside the tube, he saw the form of Murakan, transformed into a human and sleeping.

'I've never heard of this before?'

Thump, thump.

Seeing the unexpected scene, he felt a chill.

Jin, who had been frozen, cautiously approached the glass tube.