How to Live as a Mage in the Murim World

Chapter 5 – Episode 1: Magic (4)

“You, I finally found you!”

The one who came looking for Zhuge Hyeonmong was none other than Seo Chung.

“What brings you here?”

“There’s a task I’d like to entrust to you.”

Zhuge Hyeonmong easily guessed what Seo Chung wanted to entrust him with and said, “Is it perhaps about managing old books?”

“Goodness! How did you know?”

Of course, it wouldn’t take much thought to realize that Seo Chung would seek him out for managing books.

But wasn’t it strange to specifically mention old books?

“Managing books is tedious, but with a little effort, anyone can do it. For you to seek me out urgently, it must involve texts that are too fragile for regular handling. Am I wrong?”

“As expected of a Zhuge!”

Though Seo Chung sounded genuinely impressed, Zhuge Hyeonmong shook his head slightly.

‘I don’t know what he’s going to ask, but this praise feels excessive.’

It wasn’t that he was smart enough to figure it out; he just had good intuition.

Occasionally, he had chances to meet the elders of his family.

During those times, the elders would often skip the middle part of conversations and only state the premise and conclusion. These experiences had honed his ability to anticipate the conclusion from the premise alone.

‘Either way, I can’t do it for free.’

As Zhuge Hyeonmong stared pointedly at him, Seo Chung scratched his head in understanding.

“Ah, of course, I’m not asking you to do it for nothing. I’m not expecting perfection either, but if you can do as well as what I received earlier, I’ll give you five silver taels.”

“…!”

The sum was larger than expected.

‘I do need money right now.’

“Let’s go.”

The place Seo Chung led him to was an old bookstore. Several people were already gathered there.

“Quite a crowd.”

“Many are eager to see the books I’ve brought.”

“Seo Chung, is this young man the one you mentioned earlier?”

An elderly man with a raspy voice eyed Zhuge Hyeonmong skeptically as they entered.

“He looks too young. Can someone so young truly restore books to their former glory?”

“Yes, of course, Elder. Don’t worry. He’s from the Zhuge Family, after all.”

“Zhuge?” The old man’s small eyes widened for a moment.

Zhuge Hyeonmong, too lazy to explain, gave a casual bow.

“I am Zhuge Hyeonmong.”

“Zhuge! By any chance, how are you related to the Zhuge Family…?”

“While I have no particular connection, I do share blood ties.”

The elder’s stiff demeanor softened slightly. It was a recurring theme; the surname “Zhuge” held a certain weight among scholars.

“Well then, perhaps, I can trust you. Seo Chung, it’s good that you spent a lot of money to bring in these old books, but when we opened them, they were full of bookworms. Disassembling them risks further damage, yet leaving them as-is could ruin the entire collection.”

“My apologies, Elder. I had no idea. I dried them well and even wrapped them in oiled paper. Who could have known they would hatch eggs and multiply in that time?”

“Hmph, such unforeseen circumstances are part of the responsibility entrusted to you. Your thinking is too inflexible.”

Seo Chung’s face paled as the old man launched into a lecture and Zhuge Hyeonmong shared his discomfort.

This was the problem with scholars. Instead of simply saying ‘do’ or ‘don’t do’, they always had to make their point with examples from ancient stories or sage’s words, turning a simple statement into a lengthy lecture.

“May I see the books first?”

“I still had more to say… but very well.”

The old man reluctantly cut short his lecture and led Zhuge Hyeonmong inside. The room was sparsely furnished, clearly unused, with a single book placed in the center.

“Normally, we wouldn’t store them like this, but as I mentioned earlier, their condition was too poor. We moved all the books Seo Chung brought here because they might spread the damage if we’re not careful.”

Zhuge Hyeonmong nodded.

He slowly unwrapped the book from its oiled paper. The yellowed cover bore the elegantly brushed title: Study of Nature (自然之物學).

‘Hmm. This is worse than I thought.’

He could understand why Seo Chung had called for him.

The book was already in poor condition, and now bookworms had eaten through various parts and laid eggs. A single careless touch would reduce them to dust.

“Well? Can you do it?”

The old man and Seo Chung asked with anxious looks.

Zhuge Hyeonmong studied them briefly before nodding.

“It won’t be easy, but it’s possible. However, I can’t improve its condition beyond its current state.”

“Really?”

It would probably be impossible by hand.

But with magic, even delicate work impossible for human hands could be done easily.

“Th-then could you start right away?”

“I’m sorry, but my family’s techniques are… secretive, I can’t perform it in front of others…”

“Ah, I see. My apologies.”

Though the old man and Seo Chung looked disappointed at Zhuge Hyeonmong’s words, the two relented.

In reality, there was no such technique—he would just use magic.

‘There’s nothing good about drawing attention.’

While he could use it subtly enough that ordinary people wouldn’t notice, that didn’t mean he could use it openly.

Wouldn’t it be strange if he just waved his hands around and said he was done?

After securely locking the door, Zhuge Hyeonmong picked up a dry brush and waved it in the air.

In truth, it wasn’t a time-consuming task.

It wasn’t a process that put a strain on the book to begin with.

He just carefully opened the book to find the bookworms.

Shoot small mana projectiles to dislodge the bookworms, then use a puff of heat to dry out any eggs and stray dust.

Rustle~rustle~

Then gently blew wind to dust it off.

The whole process flowed naturally and quickly, like running water.

‘Getting five yang for this. Feels like stealing’

If he had done this work manually, it would have required much more time and attention.

But moving mana and using magic to perform the process felt even more comfortable than moving his hands and feet, making it feel almost like getting money for nothing.

‘Well then.’

Though the book management was complete, it would be foolish to get up right away.

Nobody would believe he had finished in such a short time.

Besides—

‘They did say it was an old book.’

There was nothing wrong with taking the opportunity to read it.

Thinking this, Zhuge Hyeonmong turned the pages one by one.

With each turn, his expression grew more serious.

‘This is…’

At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary book explaining what nature is and how the world works according to Confucian principles.

But to Zhuge Hyeonmong’s eyes, it looked completely different.

‘It’s a grimoire.’

* * *

“He’s taking a long time. Can we really trust him? He’s not ruining it, is he?”

“Rest assured, Elder. His skill surpasses mine,”

“Hmm.”

Though Seo Chung said this, he was just as anxious inside.

But they had no choice but to trust Zhuge Hyeonmong.

The door creaked open.

“It’s done.”

“Oh! Really?”

Zhuge Hyeonmong nodded.

The old man rushed in with Seo Chung peering over his shoulder, checking the book’s condition over the old man’s shoulder.

Relief washed over them first, then awe.

‘It’s perfect.’

Of course, given its condition, it hadn’t become as pristine as a new book.

But there were no bookworms in sight, and somehow the paper’s condition seemed better too.

It had been restored to a readable state.

“As expected of a Zhuge! You’ve done us a great service!”

Most importantly, it was fortunate that the old man was pleased.

Old Man Im was known for being particular about book management, and though he ran a seemingly modest old bookstore, he was quite wealthy, making him a valuable client that Seo Chung couldn’t afford to lose.

“Young man, could you perhaps do this with other books as well?”

“Apologies, I’m currently employed at an escort agency, so time-wise, I’m afraid I can’t take on any more.”

“What a shame. How about working at our bookstore?”

Zhuge Hyeonmong gave a wry smile.

Though Old Man Im clucked his tongue, he maintained a generous expression, probably because he was satisfied with the results.

“Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, I can read a new old book after a long time. I should purify myself before reading. This is your payment.”

The elder said this and handed a pouch to Zhuge Hyeonmong.

Zhuge Hyeonmong, pleased to receive this separate reward from what Seo Chung had promised, bowed politely and exited the bookstore with Seo Chung.

“You saved my skin there. That old man is the type who would’ve skinned me if it’d gone poorly. Your skill is really remarkable. I wish I could have seen how you did it…”

“Actually, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“Hmm?”

Seo Chung, who had been trying to subtly probe about the technique, was caught off guard when Zhuge Hyeonmong changed the subject.

“That book, where did you get it from?”

“…”

Seo Chung’s throat bobbed.

“Well, that…”

“Where did you get it from?”

Could he possibly know?

Seo Chung swallowed nervously at Zhuge Hyeonmong’s pressing questions.

But he quickly shook his head.

“Look here, I can guess what kind of misunderstanding you might have! But it’s a misunderstanding! I absolutely did not obtain it through illegal means.”

“Huh?”

Zhuge Hyeonmong was rather taken aback by Seo Chung’s flustered reaction to such a simple question about the book’s origin.

“So where did you get it from? If it’s not illegal, you should be able to tell me.”

Under Zhuge Hyeonmong’s questioning, Seo Chung hesitated before answering.

“…It’s an item obtained from the Zhuge Family’s library.”

Zhuge Hyeonmong stared at Seo Chung as if he were looking at a madman.