The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 22

Kim Kang-in was utterly astonished by the Element Mana Light before his eyes.

‘The craftsmanship is on a completely different level than I had imagined. What on earth is this…?’

Element Mana Light.

A chaotic magic stone that the Red Magic Tower Lord, James Pillar, had given up on, and which was passed on to the Blue Magic Tower Lord.

It was an impregnable magic stone that had stumped not only Kim Kang-in, the owner of the Blue Magic Tower, who was among the top three in the world in terms of magic stone refinement and craftsmanship, but also the elite craftsmen of the Blue Magic Tower.

And now, that very magic stone was perfectly refined and appeared before him.

Kim Kang-in’s astonishment was only natural.

‘Could it be…’

As if something had occurred to him, Kim Kang-in’s eyes widened further.

‘The person who crafted this Element Mana Light is…’

Kim Kang-in’s gaze, fixed on Shin Ha-yul, trembled with a mixture of anticipation and unease.

‘Yes. It was me.’

‘……Oh my god.’

Kim Kang-in rubbed his forehead and let out a heartfelt exclamation.

He had suspected it, but that suspicion had turned out to be true.

‘How did you manage to do what James and I couldn’t even find a clue to for four years?’

A mere 18-year-old academy student had solved the impregnable puzzle.

If the Red Magic Tower Lord were to hear this, he would probably fall backward in shock.

Kim Kang-in chuckled in disbelief.

‘No, more importantly, how did Ha-yul come to possess this magic stone? Was it just a coincidence?’

‘Yes. It was a coincidence.’

Shin Ha-yul replied with an awkward expression.

‘I just brought it along because I thought the Blue Magic Tower was the only place that could handle a magic stone of this grade.’

This was the truth.

Shin Ha-yul had only brought it to entrust the Element Mana Light to them.

He had never imagined that the Blue Magic Tower Lord would be researching the Element Mana Light.

‘……May I ask how you obtained the Mana Light?’

‘I’ll have to decline to comment on that. Let’s just say I got lucky, and I also got lucky with the crafting. That’s all I’ll say.’

Kim Kang-in chuckled in disbelief.

‘Putting aside the fact that you got your hands on this precious magic stone by luck, you’re saying you also crafted it by luck… If James hears that, he’ll probably clutch his neck and collapse.’

Kim Kang-in, who had devoted over ten years to researching magic stones, could say with certainty that luck had no part in the crafting of magic stones.

The crafting of magic stones was purely based on skill.

While 1% of inspiration could influence the crafting method, it was entirely up to one’s skill to bring that inspiration to life.

‘Alright. A mage has the right to keep their secrets. I won’t ask any further.’

Kim Kang-in stared intently at the refined Element Mana Light on the table.

‘May I hold it and examine it?’

‘Yes, of course.’

‘Thank you.’

Kim Kang-in took the magic stone in his hand.

‘……It’s even more beautiful up close.’

It was already breathtaking when it was on the table.

But up close, it was even more beautiful.

‘This is the completed form of the one and only magic stone that contains four attributes simultaneously.’

Just looking at it was mesmerizing. If possible, he wanted to analyze this magic stone right away.

‘The more I look at it, the more I’m amazed by its perfection. Did you really craft this, Ha-yul?’

‘Yes. If you want, I can show you proof.’

‘No. There’s no need for that. There’s no reason for you to lie about something like this. So, I guess that’s how it is.’

‘Thank you for believing me.’

Any unpleasant feelings had long since vanished from Kim Kang-in’s mind.

His mind was now filled with awe, joy, and a thirst for knowledge and the desire to explore this unknown technology.

‘Alright. What kind of artifact do you want?’

‘As long as it has the property of increasing the efficiency of elemental magic, I don’t care about the shape or type.’

‘Hmm. Do you not have a specific artifact you use?’

‘No, I don’t.’

‘Then a bracelet or necklace would be good.’

If this were an ordinary magic stone, it could have been made into a ring using compression technology.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to compress the Element Mana Light.

Since it couldn’t be compressed, a bracelet or necklace was the best option considering the size of the magic stone.

‘Well, actually, with a magic stone of this caliber, it would be most efficient to make it into a staff…’

‘I’m not a fan of staffs. They’re not really in vogue these days either.’

‘That’s true.’

As magic became more modernized, mages began to stand at the forefront.

As a result, staffs naturally became obsolete.

Having one hand occupied by a staff was a significant burden when fighting on the front lines.

‘Then, since the magic stone isn’t that strong, a necklace would be the most suitable option.’

‘Yes. I think so too.’

Kim Kang-in placed the Element Mana Light back into the box.

‘Now, let’s talk about the crafting fee.’

Seeing something good was one thing, but since he was officially commissioned to create an artifact, he had to charge a crafting fee.

‘High-grade magic stones require suitable auxiliary materials. The cost of crafting the artifact will be considerable.’

Kim Kang-in smiled.

‘But well, there’s no need to talk about money with a direct descendant of the Mado family.’

There was no need to talk about money with Shin Ha-yul, the youngest son of the Mado family.

‘Should we request the crafting fee from the Mado family?’

‘No. That won’t do.’

‘It won’t?’

‘Yes. I don’t want anyone to know about this artifact creation, not even my family.’

‘Ah, I see.’

It was a hidden card for the succession battle.

Kim Kang-in understood.

‘Then how will you pay? The estimated amount is roughly this much…’

Kim Kang-in wrote the estimated crafting fee on a notepad.

It was an amount that would make anyone gasp.

‘Can you handle this amount with your own personal funds, without the help of your family?’

‘No. It’s difficult.’

It was impossible to prepare that much money with his own funds, no matter what.

‘So, I’m going to pay with something else instead of money.’

‘Something else… What is it?’

A payment that could replace that much money.

What could it be?

Kim Kang-in’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

‘It’s simple.’

Shin Ha-yul raised his hand and pointed to one side of the room.

The place he had pointed to earlier.

The crafting table where Kim Kang-in had been focusing on his research.

Shin Ha-yul smiled as he pointed to the magic stone placed there.

‘Right here, right now, I will craft that Element Mana Light for you.’

‘What?’

The value of a magic stone largely depends on whether it has been refined or not.

Of course. No matter how high the purity of a magic stone, it’s just a decoration if it can’t be used.

This was even more true for impregnable magic stones like the Element Mana Light.

The difference in value between a refined and unrefined one would be at least tenfold.

‘If you want, I can even craft it in front of the Blue Magic Tower Lord.’

‘You’re saying you’ll even give me the secret to crafting it? Is that what you’re saying?’

‘Yes. If you want.’

And even provide the answer key to the Blue Magic Tower Lord’s two years of research.

‘I think this is more than enough as payment. What do you think?’

‘……It’s not just more than enough, it’s to the point where I should be adding something more.’

With those conditions, it wasn’t something that could be settled with just the artifact crafting fee.

‘If you think so, then please grant me one request.’

‘A request?’

‘Yes.’

Shin Ha-yul smiled.

‘Hmm. Come to think of it, you said you had an important matter to discuss besides the artifact creation request. Is this request related to that?’

‘Yes. That’s right.’

Kim Kang-in made a ‘hmm’ sound.

‘Let’s hear it first. As long as it’s not too unreasonable, I’m willing to grant almost anything.’

‘Don’t worry. It’s not a difficult task for the Blue Magic Tower Lord, and it’s not a harmful proposal either.’

Shin Ha-yul rummaged through his pocket and took something out.

‘Rather, it will be beneficial to you.’

Something wrapped in a black cloth. Shin Ha-yul slowly unwrapped the cloth.

And the moment the object wrapped in the cloth was revealed, Kim Kang-in’s eyes widened in shock.

‘An IL chip!’

Innovation Leveling Chip.

Among the countless illegal modified artificial intelligences, it was the worst of the worst.

The excrement of the Black Magic Tower.

Why was it in Shin Ha-yul’s hands?

‘To cut to the chase, I’ll get straight to the point.’

He placed it on the table and said.

‘There is a puppet of the Black Magic Tower hiding within the Obelisk Academy. Please lend me your strength to eliminate him.’

* * *

In front of the Obelisk Academy dormitory.

I returned to the dormitory in Secretary Jung Soo-ah’s car.

‘Then, please go in safely.’

‘Yes. I’ll see you again.’

I was planning to take a taxi, but she insisted on driving me back, saying it wasn’t right to do that to a guest.

Well, it was nice to get back comfortably, though.

‘Hoo.’

I went straight back to my room, took a quick shower, and sat down at my desk.

‘I got lucky.’

I never imagined that Kim Kang-in would be researching the Element Mana Light.

‘Thanks to that, I can get the artifact made without my father knowing.’

My original plan was to secretly contact my father and get financial support for the creation.

Since I had managed to get a 3% stake in the magic stone mining rights from the Baek family this time, I thought I could easily get that level of support.

But what do you know?

Thanks to Kim Kang-in researching the Element Mana Light, I was able to save the reward for acquiring the magic stone mining rights.

I should use this wisely later.

‘The matter with the Black Magic Tower was also easily resolved.’

If it hadn’t been for the Element Mana Light, it would have been difficult to get Kim Kang-in’s support.

‘It’s hard to believe. A mage affiliated with the Black Magic Tower is hiding in the academy. Do you have any proof?’

‘If you don’t have proof, then it’s even more so. We can’t move the Blue Magic Tower based on a student’s hunch and uncertain information.’

‘But if this is the reward for this matter, then it’s a different story.’

‘Alright. I’ll move as if I’m being fooled.’

Even in such a good atmosphere, those words came out.

What would have happened if Kim Kang-in had been in a bad mood without the Element Mana Light?

The negotiation would have been absolutely difficult.

‘Even if I had succeeded in persuading him, it would have been troublesome in many ways.’

To persuade Kim Kang-in, I would have had to reveal either that I could see the color of mana or that I was immune to mental manipulation magic.

That was the only way to make my words credible.

‘I really got away with it without lifting a finger.’

Even thinking about it again, it was a perfect deal.

I didn’t reveal my information.

I also prevented the possibility of this matter leaking to the outside.

The artifact creation started without any problems.

And I also gained an ally to deal with the Black Magic Tower.

The only price for all of this was the refinement of the Element Mana Light and the information about the refinement.

I didn’t lose anything, but I gained a lot.

Things were going so well that I wondered if it was okay for things to go this well.

At this point, things were going so well that it was almost scary.

‘Anyway, with this, all the preparations are complete.’

Now, all that’s left is to give a blow to the Black Magic Tower guys and one of the brothers who commissioned them.