The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 26

“You won’t be able to return to the dorm with that injury. Leave the aftermath to Seok-hyun, and Ha-yul, you should return home for now. I’ve sent a limousine.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you when I get back.”

With those words, the call ended.

“Young Master.”

The moment the call ended, someone appeared behind me.

A silent appearance, like a ghost or a shadow.

No presence felt, even though they were right behind me.

“Uncle Seok-hyun.”

“It’s been a while.”

Kim Seok-hyun.

He bowed his head towards me.

“Your injury isn’t light. I’ll do some light first aid before it festers.”

“Please do.”

My uncle placed his hand on my burn and moved his mana.

A white light, like warm sunlight.

The healing magic, the pride of light attribute magic, healed my burn.

“This much first aid should be enough. The family’s experts will take care of the complete healing.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Then, please come this way. The car has arrived.”

“Yes.”

I followed Uncle Seok-hyun to the nearby limousine.

After getting into the limousine, I spoke my last words to Uncle Seok-hyun.

“Then, please take care of the rest.”

“Yes. The team is already moving, so you don’t have to worry. The situation here won’t spread to the outside.”

“Yes. I trust you.”

“Then, please rest well.”

With those words, Uncle Seok-hyun disappeared again.

He’ll be working from now until dawn to erase the traces of the battle between me and Baek Sa-hyuk.

“We’ll depart now.”

“Yes. Please.”

And so, the limousine departed.

Looking at the night scenery of Seoul through the window, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

* * *

Shin Ji-han’s mansion.

Shin Ji-han was talking to an unidentified person.

“Wow, I never thought the Blue Magic Tower would get involved there. You were just incredibly unlucky.”

A man of moderate build, wearing a black robe that covered his face up to his nose, spoke with a chuckle.

“To think you’d get arrested before even starting the mission. This is a first for me, so I don’t know what to say!”

The man spoke with a bright tone, laughing.

“…Is this a time to laugh?”

As if the man’s tone made him even angrier, Shin Ji-han gritted his teeth and spoke.

“You were so confident that you wouldn’t fail… What are you trying to do to me right now?”

“Haha. I’m really sorry.”

The man laughed slyly.

“Since the mission failed, I’ll return the commission as promised. Of course, I’ll also clean up the mess.”

The man smiled.

“There’s absolutely no chance that our VVIP customer’s information will be leaked, so you don’t have to worry.”

The chilling feeling was palpable, even though only his mouth was visible under the robe.

Shin Ji-han’s spine tingled.

“Leng Smith won’t survive past dawn today.”

Dead men tell no tales.

Leng Smith would soon die to eliminate the evidence.

“Leng Smith. What are you planning to do with the IL chip [Implanted Link chip] and Berserker that that idiot implanted in Baek Sa-hyuk, and the IL chip that Ha-yul has?”

“First of all, you don’t have to worry about Baek Sa-hyuk. All of his memories have been completely erased by mind manipulation.”

“Do you think I’m a fool? Mind manipulation isn’t omnipotent.”

If Baek Sa-hyuk’s mind manipulation were to be undone, information could leak.

It’s not that Baek Sa-hyuk knows any important information, but any information leak must be ruled out.

Not even a sliver of a clue that could connect Shin Ji-han and Leng Smith should be left behind.

“You don’t have to worry about that either. It’s hard to say whether this is good luck or bad luck….”

The man shrugged.

“Baek Sa-hyuk is already brain dead.”

“Brain dead?”

“Yes. As soon as he heard the news of Leng Smith’s arrest, he apparently attacked Shin Ha-yul on his own. He’s now completely ruined due to the side effects.”

“He attacked on his own? What happened to Ha-yul?”

“Hmm. I heard his injuries weren’t light, but I also heard they weren’t too severe.”

“…What?”

Shin Ji-han’s eyes widened.

“Does that mean… Ha-yul defeated Baek Sa-hyuk? Baek Sa-hyuk, who was armed with the IL chip and Berserker?”

If that were the case, it would mean that Shin Ha-yul’s skills were at the 4th Circle level [a level of magical power].

In short, it would mean that Shin Ha-yul had been hiding his achievements….

“Ah, that’s not it.”

Shin Ji-han snapped out of his thoughts at the man’s words.

“At the time of Baek Sa-hyuk’s attack, Shin Ha-yul was under the protection of Kim Seok-hyun. He probably defeated Baek Sa-hyuk.”

“Kim Seok-hyun?”

“Yes. I couldn’t see the battlefield because of his eyes, but I’m pretty sure it’s him.”

Shin Ji-han’s eyes narrowed.

“Do you know when Kim Seok-hyun started following Ha-yul?”

“Well, I only saw Kim Seok-hyun after Shin Ha-yul parted ways with you, Shin Ji-han. I don’t know about before that.”

“…I see.”

Shin Ji-han’s expression became serious.

‘Father put Kim Seok-hyun with Ha-yul. Kim Seok-hyun of all people….’

Kim Seok-hyun.

The leader of Shin In-hyuk’s direct unit, ‘Shadows.’

A special mage specialized in covert operations.

A mage specialized in scouting, infiltration, and protection, and also Shin In-hyuk’s most cherished subordinate.

‘It seems like it would be best to refrain from touching Ha-yul for at least two months.’

As long as he’s with Shin Ha-yul, trying to interfere any further could backfire.

It would be best to hold back for a while.

“Whatever the case, it’s a relief that Baek Sa-hyuk is already brain dead.”

“Yes.”

“Then, all that’s left is to recover the IL chip that Ha-yul is carrying.”

Shin Ji-han’s expression sharpened again.

“What are you planning to do about that? It’ll be difficult to approach Ha-yul with Kim Seok-hyun guarding him.”

“You don’t have to worry about that either. The IL chip given to Shin Ha-yul has a separate self-destruct code engraved on it. The IL chip has already completely self-destructed and is scattering in the air.”

“…You’re thorough in that regard.”

Shin Ji-han seemed a little surprised.

“I told you, our Black Magic Tower prioritizes our customers’ information. This much preparation is only natural.”

The man smiled again.

“Is there anything else you’re concerned about?”

“…No.”

“Then, I’ll take my leave. I need to deal with Leng Smith before it gets any later.”

“Please do.”

“Yes, of course.”

The man’s figure began to disappear slowly.

His form gradually vanished, like fog disappearing as the sun rises.

“I eagerly await Shin Ji-han’s next request.”

And with that, the man disappeared like a mirage.

“…Tch.”

Left alone, Shin Ji-han clicked his tongue with a displeased expression.

The Black Magic Tower executive who was so gleeful was annoying, but the most annoying one was Shin Ha-yul.

“Lucky bastard.”

He frowned, thinking of Shin Ha-yul, who had luckily avoided harm.

* * *

Friday.

From the morning, Korea was in an uproar.

[Breaking News! Leng Smith Dies!]

[Failed to protect him again! The Black Magic Tower’s perfect evidence destruction!]

[How did the Black Magic Tower manage to break through the tight security and deal with Leng Smith?]

Leng Smith was said to have died during transport, his heart crushed without any warning.

Even though the mages guarding him were watching, no one knew how Leng Smith had died.

It was that secretive of an assassination.

“I expected it, but I didn’t think they’d break through so helplessly.”

The Black Magic Tower are the kind of guys who hate their information being leaked.

They never leave any members who pose a risk of information leaks alive.

All the villains affiliated with the Black Magic Tower who have been arrested in the past have died in the interrogation room.

That’s why it was obvious that Leng Smith would die soon.

‘Just how do they crush only the heart so cleanly?’

It must have been black magic, but still.

‘For now, judging from the fact that there are no precedents of sudden deaths like this except for members of the Black Magic Tower, there must be some preconditions.’

For example, they could have placed some kind of explosive magic on the heart beforehand and detonated it with a certain signal.

‘It would be good for purging traitors too.’

Considering the inhumane things the Black Magic Tower does, putting bombs in their members’ hearts wouldn’t be a big deal for them.

‘There’s nothing about Baek Sa-hyuk… as expected.’

The attack on Baek Sa-hyuk, which should have been plastered all over the news alongside Leng Smith’s article, wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the portals.

‘It seems like they had a good talk with the Baek family.’

They would bury Baek Sa-hyuk’s attack, and in return, they would ask for a suitable price.

My father would have made such an offer.

Baek Man-sik, the head of the Baek family, would have had no choice but to agree.

That’s why the attack on Baek Sa-hyuk wasn’t reported in the news.

Buzz-!

Just then, I received a text from my father.

[Negotiations with the Baek family are complete.]

[We’ve agreed to receive 43% of the mining rights for the mana stones in exchange for burying this incident.]

“Wow.”

Mana stone mining, the main source of funds for the Baek family. Receiving 43% of those mining rights is practically the same as taking away about half of the Baek family’s funding.

“I thought it would be around 30% at most.”

As expected, my father is my father.

I didn’t think he’d take 43%.

[Well done. Thanks to you, it seems like we won’t have any shortage of funds for the overseas project this time.]

[I’ll reward you for this when I return.]

[Think about what you want.]

My father sent three texts in a row, which was unusual.

That must mean he’s in a good mood.

[Yes. I’ll think about it.]

With that reply, the texts ended.

‘Everything worked out well.’

Everything really worked out well.

I escaped the Black Magic Tower’s schemes.

Through that incident, I gained a debt from the Blue Magic Tower.

I was also able to get the Element Mana Light artifacted for free.

On top of that, I gained benefits from the Baek Sa-hyuk incident, and even reached the state of Resonance [a state of heightened magical power].

The benefits I gained from this incident are immeasurable.

‘And with this incident, Ji-han hyung won’t be able to interfere with me for the next two months.’

That’s the biggest thing.

Since he’s already failed once, he’ll be reluctant to move again.

And since he knows that Uncle Seok-hyun is around me because of this Baek Sa-hyuk incident, he won’t interfere with me unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Shin Ji-han isn’t stupid enough to risk interfering with me in this situation.

He’ll be lying low as much as possible to avoid any potential backlash.

‘In other words, no one will be able to interfere with me until the Academy Olympiad.’

There’s nothing to interfere with.

This is also a huge benefit.

‘Now, all that’s left is to maximize my skills until the Olympiad and win the gold medal.’

The symbol of being the most outstanding student among all the academy students in the world.

The gold medal that even Kim Kang-in couldn’t win.

If I win that, my position within the family will rise significantly.

Then, the forces that support me will gradually appear.

From then on, I can officially jump into the competition to become the next head of the family.

‘Perfect.’

Just as I was praising myself, it happened.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Just in time, mana vibrated around my body.

“Good timing.”

The 12-hour penalty of Resonance was over, and the circle had started moving again.

I immediately got up from my seat and went out of the room.

‘My injuries have healed overnight. And my circle has recovered….’

I need to return to the dorm quickly.

I need to go back and activate the magic circle on page 210 of the Book of Idread, the page for the second test.

‘3rd Circle!’

I’m right in front of the 3rd Circle.