Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 424

Magic is Learned in Vain – Episode 425

Sign of Disaster (1)

The Archbishop extended his hand. The black magician, trembling, placed a cigarette between his fingers.

“Fire.”

“Yes, yes, Your Greatness.”

The black magician fumbled for a disposable lighter in his pants.

Click, click!

Perhaps due to his nervousness, the flame sputtered and failed to catch. With each failed attempt, the black magician’s anxiety deepened.

Click, click!

“Enough. Give it here.”

“Yes, Archbishop.”

The Archbishop snatched the lighter and lit the cigarette with a practiced flick.

He acted far too casually for someone who was supposed to be a high-ranking cleric.

He inhaled the entire cigarette in just three puffs.

“Indeed, foreign cigarettes are the best.”

“Foreign?”

“Yes.”

“But it says right here…”

‘This.’

It was a domestic brand.

The Archbishop seemed to have mistaken it for a foreign brand because the label was written in English.

However, he couldn’t exactly say, ‘Archbishop, you’re incredibly ignorant.’ That would be suicidal.

The black magician’s still-racing heart refused to calm down. He barely managed to step back using Fly magic. He couldn’t bring himself to put both feet on the ground, his fear was so intense.

And that was because…

The Archbishop was sitting on the forehead of the Ancient-class Gold Dragon Shooting Star.

What that meant was…

The Ancient-class Gold Dragon Shooting Star, who had lived for over 4,000 years, was kneeling in submission.

Its maximum estimated size was a staggering 150 meters (492 feet).

The fully grown dragon was among the top three largest of its kind.

Its magical power was virtually limitless.

It could simultaneously manifest 180 spells and accurately target 220 targets.

In short, it was a being that defied the very rules of the human realm.

That invincible being…

Was being casually used as a seat, having been miserably defeated by a mere human.

The Archbishop stubbed out the finished cigarette on Shooting Star’s forehead.

-Khmm.

The dragon’s hide, which possessed near-perfect resistance to magic and physical force, could hardly feel the heat of a cigarette.

However, Shooting Star felt an unbearable humiliation.

But it couldn’t get up and fight again. The monster had taken half of its Dragon Heart.

Incredibly, this madman had opened his own chest and absorbed half of the Dragon Heart.

In other words, if the Archbishop died, so would it.

“Ah, Dragon Heart is too much to handle. Maybe three at most would be my limit.”

What was he talking about?

A human couldn’t withstand even one Dragon Heart. It was like putting a super-large aircraft engine, only used in the Empire, on a rickety cart.

Using it was impossible.

The human body was far too insignificant.

Yet, this human was saying he could absorb up to three Dragon Hearts.

Three Ancient-class Dragon Hearts…

It was absurd.

But…

Looking at his boundless power, it seemed like it might actually happen.

“Shooting Star.”

-Speak.

“Now, you are my slave.”

-…I acknowledge it. Master.

“Your entire race is also my slaves.”

-Th, that’s…

“If you can’t accept it… I’ll devour even the youngest hatchlings. Not kill them. I’ll absorb them.”

-Th, that alone…

“Will you live as glorious slaves, or will you live with humiliating freedom? You decide.”

-…I will persuade my race.

“Good choice. That’s what makes the great Dragon race. Unlike humans, you can make rational decisions.”

The Archbishop rose from his seat. Then, his entire body floated into the air on its own.

It wasn’t Fly magic.

Nor was he using any special technique.

He was simply defying gravity.

In other words-

He had become a being capable of overcoming the gravity of this planet with his own power.

-Kkeueung.

Shooting Star raised its massive body. And then, it immediately used Polymorph to transform into a human form.

Like other dragons, it transformed into a very handsome blond man.

However, its complexion was not good.

An Ancient-class dragon defeated by a human?

It was an unprecedented event in history. Occasionally, Dragon Slayers would appear.

But the dragons they caught were mostly young dragons between 1,000 and 1,500 years old.

They were about 10 times weaker than Worm-class dragons who had lived for over 2,000 years.

And more than 100 times weaker than Ancient-class dragons.

It was considered impossible for humans to capture Worm-class or Ancient-class dragons.

By human standards, they would be 9-circle Archmages, Grand Masters [the highest level of magic users].

Only that level of skill was effective against young dragons.

The magic system was created by dragons.

They taught the 1st to 9th circles to all races because they were in charge of the human realm and found it bothersome. It was a way to manage the world with minimal effort.

Just as God taught humans how to make fire.

Just as God taught humans how to make wheels.

In other words…

Dragons could use magic beyond that.

So, magic up to the 9th circle was called Upper Magic.

Magic up to the 12th circle, used by Worm-class dragons, was called Super-Upper Magic.

And magic beyond that, used by Ancient Dragons, was called Ultra-Extreme Magic.

The Ancient Gold Dragon Shooting Star, who could use Ultra-Extreme Magic capable of blowing away an entire continent in one strike, was utterly shattered. In short, it was beaten so badly that it couldn’t use its hands or feet.

If the Archbishop had intended to kill it, it would have already been over.

He had spared its life by absorbing half of its Dragon Heart.

Probably…

It was to bring the Gold Dragon race under his control.

Soon, other races would kneel at his feet as well.

Except for one.

She didn’t seem like she would.

A mutant dragon who was a Worm-class but possessed the power of an Ancient-class.

If time passed and she became an Ancient-class dragon, all races cautiously predicted that the strongest dragon in history might be born.

Shooting Star sighed briefly and shook its head.

Even she couldn’t stop that human.

Frankly speaking, there was no dragon that surpassed that monstrous human’s combat power.

“Try to persuade them well.”

“Understood.”

Shooting Star nodded and disappeared, enveloped in a portal.

It was the highest-level portal of the 10th circle. It was an incredible technology that instantly disassembled the entire body into atomic units and reassembled it in the desired location.

It was a magic that humans couldn’t even imagine.

As Shooting Star disappeared, the Archbishop lit another ‘This’ cigarette. He added, ‘Indeed, I prefer foreign cigarettes,’

Of course, his subordinates didn’t say a word.

He would definitely be publicly humiliated at some point later. He might vent his anger on them.

At that time, they planned to answer like this:

‘We also thought it was a foreign cigarette.’

He wouldn’t punish them if they said that much.

“By the way, what is he doing right now?”

“Who are you referring to?”

“You know, the guy I made a deal with.”

“Ah, you mean Trebia.”

“Yes, Trebia. What’s he up to these days?”

“As far as I know, he’s in the midst of conquering the Baroque Kingdom. He’s capable, so he should be fine.”

“Of course, he’s the guy I’m directly supporting. He has to do well. The Baroque Kingdom, huh? It’s a really troublesome country. I don’t know why I keep getting involved with it.”

“Trebia will handle it well.”

“He better. That’s why I invested so much money and items.”

“What if he fails?”

“Fails?”

“Yes, Duke Trebia is definitely a genius and an extraordinary human. But he’s still just a human. He can’t escape the limitations of being human.”

“He might not succeed.”

“Then failure?”

“No, he won’t fail either. He has a hidden trump card.”

“…….”

“Hehe, you don’t understand, do you?”

“I cannot fathom the Archbishop’s profound intentions.”

“There’s something like that. Keep a close watch on him.”

“Understood. I will report on the situation.”

“Do so. Now, shall we go find the next lizard?”

“As you wish.”

“Ah, while we’re at it, let’s eat some famous food in this neighborhood.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Hey, isn’t it obvious? I fought an Ancient-class dragon. It’s a miracle I’m not dead.”

“You didn’t seem that desperate.”

“I was scared shitless in my mind. Hurry up and find a nearby restaurant.”

“Understood.”

The black magicians took out their terminals and searched social media. They looked for restaurants with a lot of ‘likes’.

“Ah, the famous dish here is pine nut cold noodles.”

“Pine nut cold noodles? What country is that from? I’ve never heard of it.”

“I’ve never heard of it either. Anyway, it’s a dish that you have to try at least once here.”

“Good. Let’s go there.”

The Archbishop, the black magicians guarding him, and the knights set off to find the restaurant marked on social media.

“They say you get a free drink if you post it on Instagram?”

“Oh, great. Let’s go quickly.”

Legion reformed the man’s consciousness.

You are Pelle. You are Pelle.

I am Pelle. I am Pelle.

Now the man thinks he is Pelle.

Fortunately, the man’s physique was similar to Pelle’s.

The face was completely different. The only similarities were the physique and the half-bald head.

Pelle wore a wig to hide it. He was still in his 20s and died without even getting married.

But his weakness was revealed when he became a hostage. The other hostages who were captured with him said with disgust.

“Oh my, he was bald? How disgusting. And he hit on me?”

“He said he was in his late 20s, but he’s already losing hair? Tsk tsk tsk, he became an alopecia areata [a condition that causes hair to fall out in small patches] too early. I heard there’s hair-growing magic among plastic surgery magic, but I guess not. Well, I guess there’s no such magic. If there was, the royal family would have treated all the bald people first.”

“I don’t like bald people, no matter how handsome they are. Enjoy.”

Pelle was overwhelmed.

“Ssibal! Is it my fault for being bald? My dad is bald too! But he has thirty wives. His stamina is so strong!”

It was a meaningless cry.

Because he was already dead.

“So, shall we put makeup on him to make him look like a prince?”

Pretia asked.

“That’s right. There are a lot of important people on that side too. It would be a big problem if we used some kind of illusion magic to make him look like a prince and got caught. But if we put on makeup to make him look similar to the prince, we can buy at least some time, right?”

“Hmm, not a bad idea.”

“Okay. Then I’ll pass it on to Duke Trebia.”

“400 million gold.”

“Yes, 400 million gold. Now the game is moving from the middle to the end. If we get through this well… all of you here… will have enough money to live on for three generations. Now, let’s give it a fighting! Fighting!”

“F, fighting!”

Pretia, Don Deckman, Jack Nitzer, and the mercenaries unknowingly raised their arms halfway.

They were embarrassed to raise their arms, so they quietly lowered them again.

“What are you doing! Fighting!”

“F, fighting!”

“Your voice is too small. What are you doing, Sister? Is 400 million gold not enough? Fighting!”

“Fighting!”

“Everyone, fighting!”

“Fighting!”

Only then did everyone raise their voices and shout fighting. After shouting fighting, their morale seemed to increase.

“Waaaaaaaaa!”

Everyone’s shouts grew louder.