* * *

The second power of the divine. ‘Media Acquisition.’

Upon activating my acquisition ability, I quickly grasped the surrounding situation.

A man resembling a black bear.

He’s not my family or anything, but he claims to be a ‘manager’ from the ‘company.’

No, no. Before that.

I am no longer myself.

I am not Jeskier, the youngest 9-circle mage and the hope of the continent of ‘Armania,’ with a magical power that appears once in a thousand years.

I am now a 19-year-old boy named Kang Yichan, living in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, in the country called South Korea.

“Gyuhyeong hyung.”

For reference, Gyuhyeong is the name of the man who resembles a black bear. He is 28 years old, nine years older than Kang Yichan.

And here, it seems younger me call older men ‘hyung’ as a sign of closeness… and the use of informal speech indicates intimacy.

“Yes, Yichan.”

“So, you’re saying I have memory amnesia… because of an accident?”

“Yes, they say it’s temporary, so don’t worry too much.”

They took brain scans, but there were no signs of injury. They said it was just a temporary memory amnesia due to a severe accident.

Quacks.

If they had a bit of magical power, they would have known that the soul had changed.

“Then, do I originally not have a family?”

Gyuhyeong’s expression subtly changed at my question.

“It’s not that you don’t have one, but it’s almost as if you don’t. When you left home saying you wanted to become an idol, your mother threatened to remove you from the family registry.”

Idol, family registry. The list of words I need to acquire keeps growing.

“Then, am I an idol now?”

This time, Gyuhyeong gave a dry laugh.

“You’ll become one soon. Anyway, you need to recover quickly so you can perform on stage.”

Gyuhyeong patted my shoulder with his thick hands. From his touch, I could feel a trace of ‘comfort’.

Comfort…

So, Kang Yichan has not yet become an idol. Or if he is, he must be a very unremarkable one.

Idol. Based on my ‘language purification’ ability, it means ‘icon,’ but with Kang Yichan’s situation, becoming an ‘icon’ seems impossible. Absolutely impossible.

A sigh escaped me.

“I just want to rest now.”

As I pulled the blanket up to my chin, Gyuhyeong nodded.

“Okay, rest. I’ll go. I’ll come back in the evening, so sleep well.”

He tells me to sleep well, but I can’t sleep.

Something is terribly wrong, but I can’t figure out what it is.

“Let’s review.”

I was definitely participating in the 3rd Magic War that occurred in the year 4,896 of the Armania calendar.

The Armania Allied Forces, composed of Paladin Legions and Mages, had eradicated the Demon King’s faction and driven the Demon King and his lieutenants to the Grayland Highlands.

Finally, the last battle.

After a fierce battle, the Armania Allied Forces, who had defeated all the Demon King’s lieutenants, were also left with almost no remaining forces.

Only the Demon King Daymond was left.

But eliminating him was no easy task.

In the end, it required the intervention of mages of 7th circle or higher.

Naturally, as a 9th circle mage, I took the lead, with Rayren and Salimadra, both 8th circle mages, by my side.

My mentor, Yondran, was almost exhausted from constructing a barrier over the entire Grayland Highlands, so it was an unavoidable decision.

It was a path I had pondered over all night.

There was a way to annihilate the Demon King, but the annihilation itself would cause immense damage to the continent of ‘Armania.’ The fragments of the Demon King would be harmful in themselves.

So I chose to open the Gate of Another World.

[If the two of you can hold out for about 10 minutes, that should be sufficient, right?]

[But Great Mage, if you approach that close to the Gate of Another World, you will be sucked in as well.]

[I will try to withstand it with the power of mana. The mana of the land that loves me should be able to endure that much.]

At my words, both of them nodded.

Jeskier, the Great Mage beloved by the land of ‘Armania.’ They believed the mana of the land wouldn’t let him go.

However, contrary to their thoughts, I was abandoned by the mana of the land.

It was an extremely selfish thought of wanting to end the tedious life of a Great Mage.

A genius Great Mage who perished with the Demon King.

He would be forever remembered through the songs of minstrels and revered by the people of the continent.

It was a fitting end for someone who had lived a long and splendid life.

But even though I threw myself into the Gate of Another World, why did I not perish?

‘Why did I end up in this lousy body? Why.’

“Hyung, you’re handsome.”

From the end of the hallway, a boy who shared the same hospital room approached me as I stood in front of the bathroom mirror.

Well, I must admit he’s- no, me. I am handsome.

Kang Yichan’s face is quite pale, his expression and eyes dark, but it’s still a fairly good-looking face.

A small, slender face with large eyes without double eyelids, a high, straight nose, bright and distinct lips, thick eyebrows, and white, clear skin.

According to the result of my acquisition ability, it seems that by South Korean standards, this face qualifies as a ‘flower boy.’

“Handsome?”

I asked again just to be sure.

“Yes, you’re quite handsome. That’s how you look without any grooming. And you have a slender body line.”

A slender body line? Right, so that’s the problem. It’s not a compliment; it’s an insult.

How can one survive in this harsh world with a body as thin as a dried anchovy? Huh?

With these weak arms, you can’t even handle a mage’s staff.

“If you add just a bit of muscle to that body, wouldn’t it be perfect? Hyung, you also have long legs.”

Just a bit of muscle? Perfect?

The aesthetics of this world are utterly ridiculous. A world that idolizes a body like a dried anchovy.

I couldn’t help but frown. The boy added more explanation.

“Hyung, you’re an idol, right? So it’s perfect. You’re not aiming to be Mr. Korea, after all.”

Returning to bed, I picked up the phone Gyuhyeong had brought me and resumed my “acquisition.”

I, who should have been extinguished, am still alive.

Of course, I’m not entirely intact.

Only my soul survived and seeped into a foreign body.

Since I don’t know how long I’ll be here or in this form, I need to learn as much as possible about this world.

Idols, Mr. Korea, trainees, Blade Entertainment, Yongsan District, celebrities, puberty…

Based on the knowledge I gained from Gyuhyeong and the unnamed boy, I’m now diving into endless “Media acquisition.”

* * *

A whole week has passed.

In that week, I’ve learned a lot and experienced quite a bit of shock.

The most shocking revelation was that “idols” aren’t deities.

The precise term is “idol singers.” Their role is similar to that of minstrels, but their status is akin to that of Armania’s magicians.

Like magician apprentices, they go through a trainee period, and as their proficiency increases, they debut.

Just as the magician ranks range from apprentices to grandmasters like myself, idols also progress through stages from unknown rookies to world stars.

Of course, many give up or are eliminated midway due to their abilities, and the level they can reach is predetermined.

“It’s annoyingly similar.”

“Huh? What is?”

Gyuhyeong, who was preparing for discharge, approached.

“What have you been looking at so intently? An online encyclopedia?”

Gyuhyeong squinted at my phone.

“Oh, I was just curious about a lot of things.”

“If you’re curious, ask me. The internet isn’t everything.”

Gyuhyeong dropped his bag on the bed and crossed his arms.

“And you’ve changed a lot since the accident.”

For a moment, my heart twinged. But I decided to be a bit brazen, knowing my identity hadn’t been exposed.

“What do you mean?”

When I looked at him as if I didn’t understand, Gyuhyeong slowly started to speak.

“Listen carefully, Kang Yichan.”

I sensed a faint “concern” from Gyuhyeong.

“You never spoke informally to me before.”

Oh no. Did I mess up from the start?

“And you didn’t call me ‘hyung’ either.”

Now, I sensed a slight “excitement.”

“You always spoke politely, addressing me as Manager Lee or hyung in a barely audible voice. Not that you spoke to me often, anyway.”

“Ah—”

“But I like you better now. So let’s keep it this way.”

It was reassuring yet somehow hollow to hear that he liked the change.

“To be honest, you barely had any presence before. No wonder the CEO didn’t know your name until the debut team was formed.”

By the CEO of Blade Entertainment, he must mean PD Pyo Cheonhee, the composer.

“Our company isn’t that big, with only a few dozen artists and nine trainees. Out of those nine, you and another trainee were the only ones whose names the CEO didn’t know.”

An idol so insignificant that even the CEO couldn’t remember. That was Kang Yichan. It felt strangely odd.

Did this kid live a life completely opposite to mine? I was always a shining presence wherever I went.

“If an idol can’t appeal to the public and doesn’t even appeal to their CEO, it’s over.”

In essence, it means he was a magician who couldn’t gain the recognition of the guild master.

No, he was an apprentice so devoid of presence that he wasn’t even considered a magician.

At that level, he would fail the magician qualification exam without a second thought. Yet, this kid passed that stage.

“But, I have a feeling things might change for you now.”

My mind grew slightly more complicated.

“Anyway, since I was the one who picked you up, it’s only good for me if you do well. You get that, right?”

Ha, is that really a good thing?

If I start gaining attention, the exhausting life might start again.

I recalled my life in Parapara, the land of magicians in the heart of the Armania continent.

The promotion exams starting from the outskirts of the land eventually lead to the “Magic Tower” in the center of Parapara. The top floor of the “Magic Tower” is reserved for the grand magicians.

How many trials did I endure to reach that position?

To go through that horrific process again? No thanks.

“Well, I’ll give it a try.”

“Talk informally.”

“Then, okay.”

Nodding seriously, I looked at Gyuhyeong and smiled slightly.

Gyuhyeong, satisfied, picked up his bag.

“Shall we go then?”

* * *