How to Live as a Mage in the Murim World

Chapter 15 – Episode 4: Lovesickness (4)

For a moment, this seemingly frail and pale-faced scholar feels as imposing as Mount Tai.

Zhuge Hyeonmong observed the two entangled figures sprawled on the ground and sighed in relief.

‘That was close.’

To be honest, he hadn’t expected the mustachioed man to lunge at him in that situation. If it weren’t for his intuition, things could have turned ugly.

Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Zhuge Hyeonmong approached the men.

“Now, shall we talk?”

“You, you bastard! What sorcery did you use?! What is this sticky stuff?”

“Stay put.”

The spell Zhuge Hyeonmong cast wasn’t simply maintaining itself—it was actively consuming mana. Each time they struggled against it, chunks of mana were naturally drained from his reserve.

“Hmph, who’s gonna stay still just ‘cause you tell them to!”

“Didn’t I stop when you told me to earlier?”

“…Huh?”

The bald guy recalled the earlier incident and paused.

The mustachioed man furrowed his brow.

“Don’t get played, you idiot…”

“Right, as if I’d be convinced!”

“Figured as much. Now, what does this look like to you?”

Zhuge Hyeonmong lightly waved the makeshift wand in his hand, causing the bald man to wear a dumbfounded expression.

“Isn’t that just a twig?”

Zhuge Hyeonmong shook his head.

“Wrong. It may look ordinary, but this is a heirloom passed down in the Zhuge Family.”

He’s really milking the Zhuge Family’s name these days. Zhuge Hyeonmong shook his head and flicked the twig.

Then, a cool breeze brushed past the bald man’s skin, drawing a single drop of blood.

It was just a weak magic spell, but it was enough to silence the two men.

‘No need to cause unnecessary bloodshed.’

“Will you behave now?”

“W-wait! It’s a misunderstanding! We meant no harm! We were gonna kidnap you, yeah, but we had no intention of harming you!”

“Shut up!”

“But we gotta clear up the misunderstanding!”

The mustachioed man glared at the bald man with spite. If looks could kill, the bald man would have crossed the Yellow Spring right now.

If this idiot hadn’t suddenly stopped in front of him, none of this would have happened!

Zhuge Hyeonmong was clearly dumbfounded, watching them without responding. The mustachioed man, accepting the situation as spilled milk, sighed and spoke.

“This might sound crazy, but it’s the truth. We truly had no intention of harming Master Zhuge. It’s just that… our leader’s reputation isn’t exactly stellar, so…”

They were worried he’d freak out if they just told him their intentions upfront, so they’d planned to just politely kidnap him.

‘Even I think it sounds ridiculous.’

“Ah, I see. So, Master Ma wants something from me… Is it about the disciple issue?”

“…?!”

Zhuge Hyeonmong’s calm acceptance startled the mustachioed man.

“Y-You believe us?!”

“Was that a lie?”

“No, it wasn’t… but how did you know about the disciple matter?”

Zhuge Hyeonmong was about to answer but stopped.

Obviously, Ma Jin-gwang would only be looking for Zhuge Hyeonmong himself or Im Jun-gyu as a potential disciple but he refused to entertain the idea that Ma Jin-gwang’s obsession might be directed at him.

With nothing more to say, Zhuge Hyeonmong simply smiled faintly.

‘I suppose that doesn’t need explanation.’

The mustachioed man shuddered at the sight of that calm face paired with a mind sharp enough to pierce through any scheme.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Hyeonmong quietly lifted the spell.

Given their conversation, there seemed no need to keep them restrained any longer.

“Then please lead the way.”

“Y-you’re really coming?”

“Master Ma summoned me. How can I refuse such an invitation?”

“Th-then, the binding spell you cast on us…”

“It’s already gone.”

As soon as Zhuge Hyeonmong finished speaking, they checked and found that whatever had been persistently binding them was indeed gone, allowing them to move freely.

It was awe-inspiring.

‘Truly worthy as the descendant of Divine Strategist.’

The surname Zhuge wasn’t that rare, even outside the Zhuge Family, there are plenty of people bearing the surname Zhuge. Most wouldn’t think much of it, even if someone claimed ties to the family.

But facing Zhuge Hyeonmong, the weight of that name became undeniable.

The mustachioed man stood up, dusted off his clothes, and gave Zhuge Hyeonmong a martial salute.

“I’m Jo Gwol. I swear on my name, no harm shall come to you. This bald idiot is Hang Gon. He swears the same.”

“Yeah, I swear.”

‘Why are they acting like this?’

Zhuge Hyeonmong was puzzled by their sudden respect, but he didn’t dwell on it.

“Let’s go back to my place first. It’ll be dawn before we can see Master Ma anyway.”

Zhuge Hyeonmong was genuinely exhausted.

He had used quite a lot of mana during the midnight escapade, and the Body Enhancement spell had taken its toll. He had no desire to move anymore.

But when Zhuge Hyeonmong returned home, he had to face something he’d forgotten.

“…”

The door was smashed from when he’d fled from the two men.

The room inside was clearly a mess as well.

As Zhuge Hyeonmong stared blankly at the scene, the two men couldn’t help but feel apologetic.

“W-we’re sorry…”

“We’re truly ashamed.”

Zhuge Hyeonmong shook his head. He didn’t feel like arguing at all.

“We’ll fix it right away!”

“Pardon?”

That’s not something you’d expect to hear from martial arts masters.

Zhuge Hyeonmong turned back, doubting his ears, and saw Jo Gwol giving an awkward smile.

“Actually, I’m a carpenter, and he’s a stonemason. We learned martial arts because it’s convenient for our work, but we haven’t forgotten our true nature. Anyway, since we’re responsible for the damage, we’ll repair it right away.”

“I heard the Iron Flame Gang was a blacksmith sect.”

“It was at first. But later, various craftsmen gathered there too.”

Saying this, Jo Gwol and Hang Gon examined the damage and immediately began fixing the broken door.

Despite lacking proper tools, they skillfully carved a new doorframe and fitted a new door with just their small knives.

Watching them work, an idea sparked in Zhuge Hyeonmong’s mind.

‘This might work out better than I thought…’

That was as far as he got.

Zhuge Hyeonmong’s head bobbed like a chicken’s neck before drooping deeply.

Meanwhile, Jo Gwol, having finished the repairs, looked at Zhuge Hyeonmong.

Watching Zhuge Hyeonmong fall asleep with his hand propped under his chin, Jo Gwol inwardly marveled.

‘He’s bolder than he looks.’

Falling asleep in front of the people who had just attacked him… That took guts, a lot of it.

At least for Jo Gwol, it would have been impossible.

‘Is it trust, or confidence that we can’t harm him?’

Jo Gwol thought this and chuckled, then carried Zhuge Hyeonmong to his room to lay him down.

Before dawn, Jo Gwol and Hang Gon carried the still-sleeping Zhuge Hyeonmong out of the house.

Two people witnessed this scene.

‘Dammit—he’s being kidnapped!?’

‘Isn’t he the friend my boss praised so highly?’

It was Im Jun-gyu, who had come to ask Zhuge Hyeonmong for another favor, and Mansu’s subordinate.

* * *

Zhuge Hyeonmong woke up.

Unfortunately, he didn’t dream of Allen again.

He had woken up because it was so absurd, but he really regretted that.

‘I should have stayed a bit longer.’

If only Allen hadn’t done something ridiculous like punching him in the face after calling for a magic duel, he could have dreamed a little longer.

Then again, Allen was always a strange one.

In the dream, Allen prefers physical training like running up stairs or building stamina instead of practicing his spells.

“Ah, you’re awake, Master Zhuge. Here, have some tea.”

“Ah, thank you?”

He took the tea and froze.

‘Where am I?’

When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in his house.

The first thing that caught his eye was the worn-out interior. As he looked around, he saw a man fiddling with a Guan Yu statue.

It was Ma Jin-gwang.

“You’re up. Just in time. I’m almost done.”

“Master Ma? Why am I here?”

“You were sleeping so soundly we couldn’t wake you. Are you uncomfortable?”

Zhuge Hyeonmong shook his head at Jo Gwol’s words.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

He had been tired anyway, and it would have been quite troublesome to come all the way to this temple.

Looking down, his makeshift wand was still safely tucked at his waist. Though he didn’t need the wand to use magic, having it was reassuring.

After about two hours, Ma Jin-gwang pulled away from the Guan Yu statue.

Zhuge Hyeonmong was inwardly impressed to see the originally worn-out statue restored quite close to its original form.

‘Indeed, he has good craftsmanship.’

Ma Jin-gwang plopped down in front of Zhuge Hyeonmong. He gulped down some rice wine and smiled.

“Last time, I underestimated your tricks. I never imagined you could pull off such petty tricks.”

“Is that why you came looking for me?”

“…Partly. But that’s not all.”

Ma Jin-gwang took another swig.

“What nonsense about having connections to the Zhuge family? Looking into it, you had no connection at all. Thanks to that, it took time to find you.”

Ma Jin-gwang was naturally emanating an intimidating atmosphere.

Jo Gwol slightly furrowed his brow watching this.

‘Leader doesn’t realize how threatening he looks.’

Surely even Zhuge Hyeonmong couldn’t help but feel intimidated in front of such a person.

Thinking this while looking at Zhuge Hyeonmong, Jo Gwol was inwardly amazed.

Zhuge Hyeonmong was smiling brightly. He didn’t look intimidated at all.

“I’m impressed. And grateful.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You went through all this trouble to grant my wish, didn’t you?”

Of course, Zhuge Hyeonmong had no intention of saying something provocative like ‘Since I’m a Zhuge, doesn’t that mean I do have a small connection to the Zhuge family?’

“Ah.”

At Zhuge Hyeonmong’s words, Ma Jin-gwang finally remembered something.

Last time, during their game of hide and seek.

There was a wish to be granted if he couldn’t catch him by sunrise.

‘Never thought I’d lose.’

Despite his eccentric reputation, Ma Jin-gwang valued his word. At least, he had no intention of going back on his word.

Ma Jin-gwang closed his eyes tightly and spoke.

“Fine. Tell me. What’s your wish?”

“Then I’ll tell you my wish.”

Zhuge Hyeonmong lightly clapped his hands and looked at Ma Jin-gwang.

Ma Jin-gwang unconsciously swallowed at those calm eyes. When someone of Ma Jin-gwang’s caliber offers to grant a wish, what’s being asked for certainly won’t be trivial.

“Would you tell me a story?”

“A story?”

Zhuge Hyeonmong nodded lightly.

“Yes. I want to hear your story.”