Kyle.
The hero who saved the world.
The strongest Word Mage.
He was reincarnated.
With a new name, Kang Hyun.
Not in his original world, but on 21st-century Earth.
At first, he felt as if he could fly.
‘Chronic vocal cord nodules… they’re healed!’
For a Word Mage, vocal cord nodules?
The worst curse imaginable.
Even though he was the strongest, it always bothered him.
If not for those nodules, he could have reached far greater heights.
He wouldn’t have died in that final battle, either.
But then he reincarnated, and of course, he was completely healed.
Those cursed vocal cord nodules!
Reborn as Kang Hyun, Kyle made a vow.
‘This time, I’ll take excellent care of my voice.’
Rule #1 of throat care:
Stay hydrated at all times.
Rule #2 of throat care:
Always follow Rule #1.
“Disciple, fetch me some water.”
“Do you want it lukewarm?”
“Exactly.”
Always wear a mask.
Talk less.
“Here you go.”
He drank the water brought to him by a young elf student.
Clean, purified water from a dispenser—a marvel of modern convenience.
Earth sure had its perks.
“Thanks to science and technology, life is comfortable. Peaceful. Even the water is good. Don’t you agree?”
“How many times have you said that? My ears are going to fall off.”
“You can never say it enough. Be grateful for the world around you.”
“Teacher, you sound like a boomer.”
“You wanna die?”
Everything was perfect.
Except for one thing.
After being reincarnated, a ‘Gate’ to his original world had opened.
The Black World Tree he sealed at the end? It had started to break free.
Invaders were coming through the Gate to Earth.
But hey, his vocal cords were fine now, right?
Time to kill them all again.
What’s the big deal?
He sipped his water.
Actually, it was a big deal.
“…When will I awaken?”
“There you go again. Just drink your water.”
How could this Earthling species have zero mana?
After the Gate connected the two worlds, a tiny fraction of Earthlings began to awaken.
Only the awakened could use mana.
But they were exceedingly rare.
Even Kang Hyun, reincarnated and living this long, hadn’t shown a single sign of awakening.
Ding!
[The Hero’s Arrangement is activating.]
[You have awakened.]
[With the Blessing of Growth, fight against the Black World Tree.]
“Pfft-!”
“Ack! What are you doing?!”
Is this real?
[Analyzing the awakened….]
[Seal on abilities detected.]
In the final battle, the Black World Tree had sealed his Words of Power.
That’s why he died.
Though he successfully sealed the Black World Tree as well…
If his voice had been fine, it wouldn’t have come to that.
‘But why is the seal still there?’
[Initiating seal release process.]
[As conditions are met, random Words of Power will be unsealed.]
Ding!
[The seal on the Word 【Stop】 has been lifted.]
Kang Hyun leapt to his feet.
The water in his nose and the soaked student? None of that mattered.
‘I can feel it!’
Mana!
And the unsealed Word of Power!
“Why are you suddenly spitting water everywhere? Where are you going?”
“I’m going to report my awakening!”
“Wha—?!”
Throwing on his coat, Kang Hyun bolted out the door.
Then he stopped.
‘Oh, right. My mask.’
Moisture and warmth were essential for throat care.
Especially during the changing seasons—gotta stay careful.
He donned a black mask and left [Kang Hyun’s Magic Academy].
After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at the plaza.
Running through it, Kang Hyun suddenly stopped in front of a statue.
At the center of the plaza stood a statue.
It was a monument to the seven heroes, including his past self, Kyle.
A hundred years had passed since Kyle’s death and the connection between Earth and his original world.
Now, even Earthlings learned about and revered the heroes’ history.
Why?
To encourage awakening activities.
To close the Gates.
Because if the Gates weren’t shut, monsters would flood through, devastating cities.
Heroes were admired. They were great.
Awakened ones possessed powers akin to the heroes.
Therefore, awakened ones were also admired and honored.
To foster this mindset, nations across the world actively idolized the heroes of the other world.
“Mom, I want to get some flowers!”
“Alright, alright~”
A child skipped toward a flower shop, clutching a crumpled bill in their tiny hands.
With it, they bought a clover flower and carefully placed it in front of the statue.
The mother’s face lit up with a smile.
Her innocent, kind child, showing respect for a great figure!
They say hero worship is good for kids’ emotional development.
Flowers piled up at the base of the statue.
People still occasionally left offerings there.
No wonder there were four flower shops visible from the plaza.
The funny part?
The hero depicted in the statue was very much alive and watching.
‘Thank you.’
It was a heartwarming sight.
Though wouldn’t it have been better without those Gates?
“Mom, when will that go away?”
“You left your flowers, so let’s go quickly. Gates are dangerous!”
Kang Hyun frowned.
A few days ago, a Gate had appeared at the corner of the plaza.
It was ruining the scenery.
An expedition team had entered it, so it would likely be gone soon.
For now, Kang Hyun set it aside and enjoyed the moment.
He admired the statue of himself.
Perhaps because he’d just awakened, it looked even cooler.
‘It was really well built.’
He felt grateful.
Still, though….
‘Would’ve been nice if they’d preserved the Words of Power too.’
Maybe they could have designated them as cultural heritage or something.
But Words of Power had been deemed too difficult and had fallen into obscurity.
No one could use them anymore, apparently.
They were just dramatic effects in movies about ancient heroes, practically extinct in reality.
‘Well, at least they honor our achievements like this.’
Thanks to this, Kang Hyun sometimes reminisced about his old comrades while looking at the statue.
“Hm?”
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bird-shaped monster appeared.
Flapping its wings wildly—
It slammed into the statue.
Crack.
The statue’s neck broke.
Kyle’s neck.
“You piece of—!”
My statue!
What the hell is a monster doing here?!
“Aaaahhh!”
“The Gate has collapsed! Run!”
“Mom! Mooooom!”
Chaos erupted in the plaza.
The Gate from earlier had started spewing monsters.
Immediately, alarms blared.
WEEEOOO-WEEEOOO-WEEEOOO
[Gate collapse detected. Citizens, please evacuate to the nearest shelter. This is an emergency announcement….]
People scrambled in panic, fleeing in all directions.
But Kang Hyun just stood there.
He stared at the swarming monsters, as if hypnotized.
‘I can’t stand it.’
His throat itched.
It screamed at him to use a Word of Power already.
How long had he waited for this moment after being reincarnated?
‘Just once. Just one of them.’
As a warm-up, he’d try it once.
Excited, he cleared his throat….
“Huh?”
At that moment, a child fell far away.
The same child who had placed the clover flower by the statue.
A monster descended upon them.
“Mommy!”
“No! Suna!”
Kang Hyun pulled his mask down.
“【Stop】”
Kiiing—
His voice echoed across the entire plaza. And everything stopped.
The monsters that had been pouring out.
The fleeing people, the scattering flowers.
The fallen child, the screaming mother, and the monster with its jaws wide open above them—
Everything froze.
“Uh…”
This wasn’t what he meant to do.
He had only intended to stop the one monster attacking the child.
But it had been so long since he last used a Word of Power, he misjudged its range.
He tried to release the effect immediately but realized he had no mana left.
That one use had completely drained him.
‘Damn this Earthling body!’
As a freshly awakened F-rank, his mana reserves were minuscule.
The frozen people rolled their eyes toward him, unable to move their bodies.
Quickly, he pulled his mask back up and tightened his hood.
‘Will this… cause trouble?’
Abusing awakening powers was a serious crime.
And now, even ordinary civilians had been caught in his ability.
‘Well, it worked out fine in the end.’
No casualties.
The Words of Power would wear off on their own in time.
If anything, he’d bought time for the military and awakened forces to arrive.
Yeah. This should be fine.
Time to leave.
“S-sorry about this.”
The plaza was eerily silent.
Ahem.
His throat felt dry.
Better rehydrate soon….
###
The daily Morning Talk Show: <Longevity & Peace>.
It’s being broadcast live again today.
As always, the broadcast opened live from the peaceful “Hero Plaza”.
But viewers tilted their heads in confusion.
“Mom~, the TV froze. I think it’s broken.”
“Call customer service.”
It wasn’t the TV.
Posts flooded the station’s online community.
└ Am I the only one with a frozen screen?
└ Broadcast error?
└ Can’t they do their job properly?
└ It’s a live broadcast. Let’s cut them some slack.
At first, everyone assumed it was a technical glitch. But soon, they noticed something strange.
└ Wait, the screen isn’t frozen. Look at the clouds moving.
└ Oh? That bird in the background is flying.
└ What’s going on?
Awakened individuals often drew media attention—practically celebrities.
But an awakened who could stop time?
If one existed, they would have been a huge sensation.
At least, none had ever been reported until now.
The sight of a frozen world was mesmerizing, almost surreal, like a scene from a movie.
└ Did I switch to the wrong channel?
└ Same here. Thought it was a movie channel.
The only comparison was Kyle, the hero, as portrayed in dramatized movies.
The ultimate technique he used, halting time, was now playing out in real life.
Passersby marveled, snapping photos of the frozen plaza.
Videos spread rapidly across social media.
“Hello, NewTube viewers! I’m live-streaming this right now! Look at this—this isn’t CGI. I’m in a frozen world!”
└ That’s Hero Plaza, isn’t it?
└ Another clickbaiter. Typical NewTuber nonsense.
└ Sick of these stunts. Reporting this channel.
“No, seriously! Look at everyone taking pictures!”
└ Wait, this is real? I live nearby, and it’s frozen outside my window.
└ No way. For real?
Soon, the news spread, confirming the truth.
The Gate at the plaza had collapsed, and awakened forces had been dispatched.
Reports also confirmed there were no casualties—
Thanks to the mysterious time-freezing phenomenon.
Only then did people believe the footage wasn’t fake.
This bizarre event in the heart of Seoul captured immense public attention.
Survivor testimonies, when aired, fueled the fascination even more.
“I thought I was dead for sure! I ran with all my might. At one point, I even considered acting as bait to save my child.”
Gate collapses typically result in massive casualties.
It was the disaster everyone feared most.
Especially this time—right in the densely populated heart of Seoul.
And worse, it was a ‘swarming-type monster flood’.
The type that caused the greatest civilian casualties.
Normally, this would have been a horrific catastrophe.
“When my child fell, it felt like my world was collapsing…!”
But a miracle occurred.
The child suddenly popped up in front of the camera.
“Kyle saved me! I gave him a flower, and he saved me!”
The child’s eyes sparkled with pure innocence.
“I heard Kyle say ‘Stop!’ I really did!”
No one except the child believed in the reincarnation of Kyle.
[A new S-class Awakened!]
A D-rank awakener and renowned Gate Studies professor passionately exclaimed on a live broadcast.
###
Kang Hyun had completed his awakener registration and returned to the academy.
But his diligent student, Aden, came running, out of breath.
“T-Teacher! Look at this!”
He thrust a phone toward Kang Hyun.
“What is it?”
They say a guilty conscience needs no accuser.
Kang Hyun had a feeling he already knew.
It was a famous talk show analyzing awakeners.
Except this was a special emergency broadcast.
[An S-rank awakened? Professor, please elaborate.]
[That’s definitely a Word of Power.]
[A Word of Power? Isn’t that a legendary technique? The one so difficult it disappeared in modern times—Kyle’s specialty?]
Words of Power were so challenging that at one time, only dragons could use them, earning them the nickname ‘Dragon Words’.
[Technically, they weren’t completely lost.]
[What do you mean?]
[Words of Power are the primordial form of magic. Even today, some 1st-class spells resemble them in form.]
[So, was that a 1st-class spell?]
[Are you joking?]
[I am.]
The audience burst into canned laughter.
[Survivors testified they distinctly heard the word ‘Stop’.]
The Word 【Stop】 was on an entirely different level from simple magic.
[That’s the advanced Word of Power only Kyle could use!]
[So even modern S-rank mages couldn’t replicate this phenomenon?]
[Not at all. That’s why it’s undoubtedly S-rank!]
[Who could it be?]
[A reclusive genius who uncovered the legacy of a hero? That’s the only explanation.]
Kang Hyun let out a sigh of relief.
Yeah, no one’s going to jump to the insane conclusion that a hero reincarnated.
That would be ridiculous.
Someday, he’d reveal the truth.
That the hero Kyle had returned.
But not now.
‘Now is not the time.’
The World Tree would hunt him relentlessly.
‘My face wasn’t exposed, right?’
That story just came up on the air.
[Huh? All the CCTVs were dead?]
‘That’s right.’
He had anticipated this.
It was all thanks to the monsters that had appeared.
‘I know those creatures inside out.’
While Earthlings were still building their database, Kyle had already slain every kind of monster imaginable.
[An EMP-emitting electric bird, of all things!]
[It’s a new species, never recorded before.]
[Ah, so that’s why the expedition failed!]
[Gates are always dangerous because of the unknown.]
“Fetch me some water, student.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tension had dried his throat.
Hydration, hydration.
[So, does this mean we can’t find them?]
[Actually! Our lab recovered a single CCTV frame!]
“Pfft—!”
“Argh! Teacher, again?!”
Aden didn’t care about getting wet this time.
She shoved the phone closer to Kang Hyun.
[Take a look!]
The image was grainy and low-quality.
But it was unmistakably Kang Hyun.
[Testimonies match exactly! A black hoodie with a skull design and a black mask!]
It was a good thing he had changed before going to register.
‘… I can’t wear that hoodie anymore.’
Fortunately, the poor image quality made it unlikely anyone could identify him.
The broadcast continued.
[Occasionally, heroic relics from Thea, the world beyond the Gate, have been discovered.]
[And those who found them always rose to the ranks of the strongest S-rank awakeners.]
[Indeed.]
[So this mysterious S-rank must be similar?]
[Without a doubt! After all, it’s the legacy of the greatest hero, Kyle!]
The professor clenched his fist.
[You must admire Kyle a great deal.]
[Who doesn’t?]
[That’s true!]
Ugh.
Stop putting me on a pedestal.
[Look at the photo! The way they casually used an advanced Word of Power, then left the aftermath to the military while walking away with such composure!]
He wasn’t composed.
He had been running away.
[Saving citizens was all that mattered! No need for glory! Don’t look for me! Despite concealing their identity all this time for some unknown reason, they couldn’t ignore the citizens in front of them!]
Of course, Kang Hyun had only awakened at that moment.
[Perhaps the Four Great Awakened of the world will have a new contender! Given such talent in Korea, we must secure their identity and protect them!]
In the modern era, awakened power equates to national power.
And this was no ordinary talent but a presumed S-rank—one of only two in Korea.
The world would scramble to find them, especially as this was a top-tier asset with potential for defection.
The live comment section was already ablaze with excitement.
Meanwhile, Aden, Kang Hyun’s one and only student, was equally fired up.
“Amazing! Truly incredible!”
Aden was squealing with delight.
Normally gloomy and introverted, moments like this brought out an unexpected burst of energy and femininity.
“The resurrection of Hero Kyle’s Words of Power! Am I dreaming!?”
“Calm down.”
“This is NOT something to calm down about!”
For Kang Hyun, it wasn’t a big deal.
Of course not—after all, who was Kyle?
But to Aden, an enthusiastic Kyle stan, it was a world-shaking event.
“How could I calm down?! Kyle, the greatest hero in history, the man who sealed the World Tree in the final battle, extending the world’s lifespan significantly! The savior who mentored the creator of magic and earned the title ‘Father of Magic!’ The unifier who brought together Thea’s kingdoms into a united alliance! And the leader who consolidated countless individuals, including the other six heroes, into a single force—”
Classic stan energy: when discussing their favorite subject, it’s an endless stream of TMI.
Unfortunately, Aden was spewing all this praise directly to Kyle himself.
“Aaaagh! Stop already!”
It was so embarrassing that Kang Hyun wanted to crawl into a hole.
The sheer cringe made him writhe in agony.
“How dare you unleash spatial magic, the one thing I haven’t mastered yet….”
“Anyway! Kyle’s legacy—the Words of Power—this is so dazzling and magnificent!”
Her blue eyes sparkled like gemstones.
“Whoever they are, I’d love to meet them just once to discuss magic….”
Aden was literally jumping with excitement, and her… well, her ample proportions jumped with her.
“That’s me.”
“Huh? What is?”
“The mysterious S-rank from the broadcast.”
“Haha. Sure you are.”
Wow, that laugh couldn’t be more fake.
So rude.
He wiped up the floor that had gotten soaked from his earlier antics.
Aden joined in, still buzzing with excitement.
‘So they’re saying Korea now has a third S-rank awakened.’
But Kang Hyun wasn’t an S-rank.
Sure, he could use Words of Power and fight well, but his stats were that of a freshly awakened novice.
‘Well, once my mana increases….’
He could crush any so-called S-rank.
Modern S-rank standards? Please.
As the reincarnation of Hero Kyle, he was already far beyond that.
Why?
Because his throat was in perfect condition now.
No more vocal nodules holding him back!
He could spam Words of Power all day if he wanted.
‘Anyway, I’m not S-rank yet.’
Drawing attention too soon would be a disaster.
The World Tree faction would be coming for his neck in no time.
But the world was already expecting too much.
Especially Aden, the Kyle fanatic standing before him.
“Words of Power! Kyle’s Words of Power!”
Aden loved magic more than anything.
That’s why she had always genuinely listened to Kang Hyun’s lessons.
Even when others called him a fraud.
Even when the academy was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Granted, she never actually believed in Words of Power before.
“Well, it’s none of my concern now! I’ve awakened, so I’ll revive the glory of Words of Power myself!”
“There you go again. Stop spouting nonsense.”
“Want to try a taste of 【Die】?”
This girl just couldn’t trust people.
“Forget it. Let’s go raid a dungeon!”
“What? When?”
“Now!”
“What?!”
Kang Hyun’s throat was itching for action.
###
In reality, they left the next day because Kang Hyun had run out of mana.
“Let’s take a taxi.”
“A taxi? You’re a bankrupt academy owner, and you want to take a taxi?”
“…Awakeners earn a lot, don’t they?”
In the end, they settled for the bus.
While waiting at the stop, something unexpected happened.
“Aaah!”
Aden suddenly screamed and collapsed to the ground.
She convulsed in pain, drawing gasps from onlookers who stepped back in alarm.
“What the—what’s wrong?!”
“I-it’s… mana stones….”
“Mana stones?”
Oh, right. She’d mentioned having an illness before.
So that’s what it was—mana stones.
‘Wait, this…’
Now that Kang Hyun had awakened, his mana sensitivity was fully operational.
He could sense Aden’s condition clearly.
The mana stones had completely blocked her energy flow.
If left untreated, her insides would be destroyed, and she’d die.
“C-call an ambulance….”
“You won’t last until it gets here.”
“No… Nooo…!”
Her blue eyes filled with terror and tears.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“W-What…?”
Kang Hyun placed his hand on her chest and channeled his mana inward.
This was the mana control of Hero Kyle.
His mana flowed delicately through Aden’s energy channels, carefully navigating to the obstructing stones.
Moments later, Aden’s convulsions subsided.
“Huh?”
“I only performed emergency treatment.”
“But… how…?”
“You’re covered in dust. Let’s just head back for today.”
Aden patted herself down, still stunned from the near-death experience.
Onlookers murmured in astonishment, whispering about what had just happened.
“Thank goodness, must be a healer!”
“Wow, collapsing in the street and meeting a rare healer—what are the odds? Feels like a drama.”
“That girl’s so lucky.”
“Are they traveling together?”
People began pulling out their phones to record.
“Excuse me, are you a healer? I have a heart condition—”
“Sir, please take my business card! I run a clinic just around the corner—”
“Sorry.”
“Wait! Please, just a moment!”
Kang Hyun quickly pulled Aden away from the scene.
###
Back at the academy, the two returned to relative peace.
“How did you do that?!”
“Well…”
“What?!”
Thank goodness everything turned out fine.
He’d nearly lost a promising young magic prodigy.
‘Aden’s talent isn’t ordinary. Losing her would’ve been a waste.’
Aden was a genius in magic—exceptional even by Hero Kyle’s standards.
The only problem was she’d been born under the wrong circumstances.
‘She had blood stones, right?’
It was tragic, really.
Aden wasn’t from Earth but from the other world, Thea.
She was an elf.
An elf who was unusually short, physically frail, and…
Her chest is stupidly big.
‘Still, she’s got those pointy ears.’
By all rights, she should’ve been born with innate mana.
But her condition, mana stone syndrome, had made it unusable.
A body rendered incapable of utilizing mana.
Even as a noble from a prestigious family, she’d been cast out.
‘It’s really unfair, isn’t it?’
Though most people today wouldn’t know, Kang Hyun’s past life experience made the cause clear.
‘Even too much talent can be a curse.’
Aden’s innate mana purity was too high.
The mana density is too high, and it solidifies in the blood vessels.
That’s mana lithiasis.
“You can’t just ‘well’ and expect a solution!”
“Why not? I did it, didn’t I?”
“B-but when I was younger, even Thea’s best healers and mages barely managed during my episodes—”
“Wow, sounds like you were loaded.”
“That’s not the point!”
But it was the point.
Money.
‘The Awakened make a ton of money, right?’
First, he had to pay off his debt, right?
His ultimate goal was to take down the Black World Tree.
But there was no rush for that.
‘Honestly, life’s pretty peaceful right now.’
Besides, he was too weak at the moment.
For now, he’d focus on getting stronger—slowly but surely.
‘This time, I’ll use the system to grow!’
In his past life, Kyle had clawed his way to the top through sheer effort, starting as a lowly mercenary.
Even though he became the strongest, it was an inefficient and grueling path.
‘Overexerting myself back then is what gave me those cursed vocal nodules.’
The other six heroes had all come from prestigious backgrounds.
‘I used to get teased for being from a lowly family.’
Now, those jabs felt almost nostalgic—a memory he couldn’t revisit.
Anyway!
This life will be different.
‘This time, I’m taking the elite route!’
Fast, efficient growth!
And a lot of money!
“Ugh, fine. Are you not going to explain how you did it?”
“Would you believe me if I told you?”
“You’re my lifesaver. Of course I’d believe you!”
“I’m the reincarnation of Kyle!”
“Oh, for crying out loud!”
“You said you’d believe me!”
Aden gave him a look of utter exasperation and seemed to give up entirely.
“Fine. Clearly, you don’t want to tell me. So, are you closing the academy now that you’ve awakened?”
“Yeah, I should. There aren’t any students anyway. What kind of academy is that?”
Don’t worry, though—I’ll keep teaching you.
“You chased them all away yourself!”
“What was I supposed to do? It’s not my fault they had no talent.”
“Your standards for talent are ridiculously high!”
“Hey, come on!”
Aden sighed dramatically.
“You told a B-rank mage they had no talent. That was too much.”
“How is someone with less aptitude than you—who has zero mana—a B-rank? People these days only care about stats.”
“Hehe.”
Aden grinned strangely, clearly flattered.
She dug at the floor with her toe, practically glowing.
“I’m telling you, the world’s standards for talent are broken. How does a genius like you get kicked out of your house for having a little mana problem?”
“Ah, stop it~ You’re embarrassing me!”
“It’s not all about stats, you know. Tsk.”
Poor kid.
She was the real deal in terms of talent.
And she’d gotten stuck with a condition that modern magic and medicine couldn’t cure.
Well, actually, there was a cure.
It just wasn’t widely known.
“If I were my old self, I’d have cured you already.”
“Come on, Teacher. Don’t joke about serious illnesses.”
The cure involved breaking down the crystallized mana stones one by one.
But it required an incredibly high level of mana control.
‘Your magic talent is really good. If only I had even a bit of mana … Huh? Wait a second.’
I have mana now.
“Hey, come here. I’ll fix your blood stones.”
I can actually do it now.
