How to Live as a Mage in the Murim World

Chapter 6 – Episode 1: Magic (5)

The Zhuge Family’s obsession with books was extraordinary. There’s even a half-joking saying that even the most refined scholars become greedy book collectors once they enter the Zhuge Family’s library.

Naturally, the family went to great lengths to prevent their books from being leaked. If someone dared steal one, they would hunt the thief down relentlessly.

This wasn’t just an empty talk. years prior, a branch family member was caught sneaking a book out of the Zhuge Family’s library and was severely punished.

“N-no, I swear I didn’t steal it! I paid the proper price for it,” Seo Chung stammered.

“You see, even the Zhuge Family’s library isn’t infinite. Every few years, they sort through the collection and discard lesser texts deemed unworthy.”

“But you just said you bought it at full price…”

“Well, they are indeed slated for disposal, but it’s a waste, isn’t it?”

Zhuge Hyeonmong understood why Seo Chung was flustered. He had secretly taken a book meant for disposal and sold them at a high price to Old Man Im.

Without a word, Seo Chung handed him a pouch.

“Here, I’ve put in twice the promised amount. I hope this matter doesn’t reach anyone else’s ears.”

“…….”

Zhuge Hyeonmong silently accepted the pouch. Truthfully, it wasn’t his concern whether Seo Chung smuggled books meant for disposal, as he deemed himself wasn’t part of the Zhuge Family.

But that wasn’t the important part.

‘A book from the Zhuge Family.’

Could it be a mere coincidence that a book from the Zhuge Family turned out to be a grimoire?

Zhuge Hyeonmong couldn’t believe it was just a mere coincidence.

The grimoire dealt with none other than the art of Formations (陣式).

Mana is a type of natural energy, and natural energy, depending on its use, can be utilized in various ways. The author of the grimoire aimed to infuse mana into objects and and thereby manipulate the surrounding environment.

‘Bewildering Maze Formation (迷理陣).’

It was a Formation that, when properly deployed, would induce an illusion in those within, making them feel as if they were lost in a misty labyrinth.

He’d tested an abbreviated version of that very Formation in the inn’s backyard using twigs around an anthill.

Though different from the magic learned in his dream, the foundational principles were the same, so setting it up wasn’t too difficult. As the Formation around the ant hill took shape, ants returning to their nest became disoriented and struggled within the Formation he had set up,

‘Ants perceive direction through their antennae, not their eyes.’

He recalled observing how ants with severed antennae wandered aimlessly. It was the same now. The ant colony caught in the Bewildering Maze Formation scattered in chaos, breaking from their usual order.

‘Does it interfere with cognitive abilities themselves?’

It seemed to be closer to interfering with cognitive abilities themselves.

For ants, it targeted their antennae. For humans, it would likely distort vision and qi perception (氣感).

Zhuge Hyeonmong inwardly marveled as he dispersed the Formation. The ants that had been lost began twitching their antennae and returned to their mound.

This alone proved the effectiveness of the Bewildering Maze Formation.

As he admired this, Zhuge Hyeonmong suddenly had a realization.

‘Something like this is considered as trivial?’

Zhuge Hyeonmong couldn’t understand why something so simple, easy, and useful that anyone could grasp at a glance would be classified as trivial literature.

‘Was it discarded because it was deemed to be too basic to be worth learning?’

A Formation so generic and commonplace that learning it was considered a given.

It was possible that because no one sought it out, it was classified as the most trivial of trivial literature and slated for disposal.

It was for the same reason that the Shaolin Temple’s library wouldn’t bother to store the Three Talents Sword Technique.

Though Zhuge Hyeonmong hadn’t trained in martial arts, he knew that the Three Talents Sword Technique wasn’t even a third-rate sword technique, but merely a manual for exercise.

If they were to collect everything down to that level, no matter how large the library, it couldn’t possibly accommodate it all.

‘The Zhuge Family. It would be nice to have a chance to visit someday.’

For the first time, he felt a flicker of curiosity about the family he’d never cared for.

***

After spending a full day in Yulang County, the Great Dragon Escort Agency resumed its journey toward Chengdu.

“What’s he up to now?”

“Beats me.”

Im Jun-gyu muttered while looking at Zhuge Hyeonmong.

The man had always been odd, but lately, his behavior had grown stranger.

He seemed detached, lost in thought—staring blankly at the sky from the carriage, fiddling with twigs, or scribbling patterns on the ground during breaks.

It looked like he was trying to make something with bushes or stones, but upon closer inspection, it was just a haphazard mess.

Im Jun-gyu loved the Great Dragon Escort Agency.

But seeing someone laze about like this grated on him.

If you’ve joined the agency, you should work diligently. How is what he’s doing any different from collecting wages for nothing?

Thud!

“The wheel’s stuck in the mud!”

“The road’s in bad shape.”

It had rained heavily while they were in Yulang County, turning the road to sludge.

As luck would have it, the wagon Zhuge Hyeonmong was riding in got stuck in a hole.

Im Jun-gyu felt a flicker of satisfaction seeing Zhuge Hyeonmong jostled, but he still clicked his tongue.

‘The return journey is rough.’

The rain had really damaged the road.

Im Jun-gyu inwardly tutted. Getting a wagon out of such muddy ground wasn’t an easy task.

Sure enough, even with all the porters pushing together, the wagon wouldn’t budge easily.

“I should help.”

Im Jun-gyu rolled up his sleeves. At times like these, a martial artist with internal energy would be most helpful.

ust as he prepared to flex his skills, envisioning the praise he would receive, Zhuge Hyeonmong got down from the wagon, scratching his head.

He casually fiddled with something around the wheels, then spoke to the porters.

“Try pushing it now.”

“But you barely did anything—”

They couldn’t discern what he had done, but if the cart could move easily it would save them considerable…

Creaaak…

“Whoa!?”

With a collective heave and to everyone surprise, the carriage lurched free effortlessly from the mud.

The crowd gaped.

Gasps of admiration and applause erupted.

‘How did he do that?!’

Im Chung, who had been observing the situation, rode his horse over as the wagon dislodged effortlessly as if it had been carried by magic.

“Hah! Our strategist Zhuge never disappoints! How did you do it?”

“Well, there’s a secret technique passed down in my family for situations like this.”

“A secret technique of the Zhuge Family!”

“No, it’s not really that kind of thing.”

Zhuge Hyeonmong, too lazy to explain, gave a vague answer, but Im Chung readily accepted it as such.

“That’s our strategist Zhuge for you. So reliable!”

“Thank you.”

Zhuge Hyeonmong, unfazed by the praises, offered a perfunctory bow and returned to his cart..

Im Jun-gyu’s expression soured.

‘That praise should have been mine!’

Regardless, Zhuge Hyeonmong paid little attention to it.

His focus had already snapped back to his research.

The more he delved into magic, the more he felt compelled to explore its depths. He spent his break times experimenting with the Formation, subtly altering them and observing the effects.

His current focus was researching the effective range and duration of Formation.

Until—

Zzzzt…

“…?”

Something unusual happened to a Formation he had set up at an hour’s distance back.

According to the magic tome, this signal indicated that something had intruded into the Formation.

‘The effective range is sufficient.’

Even considering the slow pace of their journey, the signal’s transmission from such a distance was impressive.

The duration was also satisfactory.

And an hour later.

Zzzzt…

“…”

Another alert was transmitted.

Another signal arrived, originating from the Formation placed precisely one hour prior. A strange premonition washed over Zhuge Hyeonmong

He decided to modify the Formation, enhancing it to provide more detailed information than a simple intrusion alert.

In addition to simply knowing that something had intruded, he adjusted it to transmit more detailed information.

Another hour passed.

He wished it were mere coincidence, but unfortunately, it wasn’t a coincidence. The modified Formation reacted once more.

Zzzzzt…

Decoding the information contained in the signal, Zhuge Hyeonmong furrowed his brow.

Two men on horseback were following the Great Dragon Escort Agency.

‘An accidental encounter?’

Zhuge Hyeonmong didn’t think so.

There were several routes from Yulang County to Chengdu. For them to be following the Great Dragon Escort Agency while consistently maintaining a fixed distance was hardly a good omen.

Moreover, if it were truly just a coincidence and they had no ulterior motive, the better option would be to spur their horses and join up with the escort agency.

‘But who could it be?’

A shout erupted from the front of the convoy.

“Stop! Stop. The road is blocked! A tree is blocking the way!”

“Ugh, again? Did a landslide happen or something?”

The grumbling voices of the porters could be heard.

Zhuge Hyeonmong’s mind sharpened. The journey had been riddled with obstacles. From muddy road to collapsed trees, the frequencies of such occurrence were far more than usual. Even if it rained heavily, it was unusual for the road to be in such a mess.

Just as he began to question this, something clicked in his mind.

Their return journey had been rough, with frequent stops for various reasons.

Two riders trailing them while maintaining distance.

This was a deliberate, calculated pursuit.

‘Bandits.’

The head of the Yang Family Merchant Guild had warned them earlier.

Two bandit groups had co-operated with each other to plot the downfall of two wealthy families and had parted away after sucking off those two families’ wealth. Those two groups were reportedly wreaking havoc within the vicinity of Yulang County after parting away.

Naturally, they would be aware of everyone traveling in this area.

Under normal circumstances, bandits won’t go for a convoy of an escort agency as it was the same as attacking an armed group. Launching attack on them won’t yield much result and also causing some casualties.

The Great Dragon Escort Agency was aware of this, that’s why they are confident about their security even before embarking the journey.

‘But what if the two groups joined forces?’

Despite skipping some deductive steps, Zhuge Hyeonmong instinctively knew his assumption was correct.

The bandits’ target this time was none other than this Great Dragon Convoy.

Zhuge Hyeonmong stood up.

“Chief Im.”

“Hm? If it isn’t our strategist Zhuge. What’s the matter?”

As Zhuge Hyeonmong approached, Im Chung, who had been discussing how to deal with the tree blocking the road, looked puzzled.

Not just him, but the surrounding people also seemed perplexed.

‘What’s gotten into this lazy fellow?’

Even Im Jun-gyu glared, irritated by the sudden shift in attention.

Ignoring the curious gazes, Zhuge Hyeonmong clasped his hands and spoke, voice calm and composed.

“Bandits are targeting us. We must prepare.”

He spoke with certainty.