The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 60

It was 9 PM when training concluded.

“That’s all for today’s training. Good work, everyone,” Shin Hayul announced.

Seven figures simultaneously collapsed onto the floor. Everyone except Kang Shinwoo and Adela was sprawled out, looking utterly spent.

“Huff, huff.”

Only ragged breaths filled the air.

“Well, I have somewhere to be, so I’ll head out first,” Shin Hayul said, departing. Only nine individuals remained in the training area.

“…That devilish guy. Did his viciousness evolve along with his circle [a mage’s level of power]?” Ji Soonchan muttered, grinding his teeth as he recalled the day’s grueling training.

He had never endured such an intense session before.

“I know, right? I thought I was going to die. It felt like I experienced hell in fast-forward for ten hours. I thought my stamina and endurance were pretty good, but I guess not,” Ma Jinseok said, letting out a hollow laugh. His massive muscles, swollen from the training, rippled intensely.

“Sis, are you okay?”

“……”

“She’s not answering. She seems to be already dead,” Ji Soonchan said, looking at Jin Heeyoon, who was completely unresponsive.

“I’m… not… dead…” she managed to utter, her voice barely audible. She was so exhausted that she could barely form the words.

The brief spark of life that had returned to Jin Heeyoon’s eyes vanished again. She looked like a mackerel on its last breath, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“She’s in a terrible state,” Kang Shinwoo said, shaking his head as he looked down at Jin Heeyoon. It was hard to tell if she was alive or a corpse.

It was the first time he had ever seen Jin Heeyoon so utterly drained.

“It’s understandable. She was so determined not to lose to Hayul that she kept pushing herself,” Kang Shinwoo added.

Jin Heeyoon had undoubtedly been the most passionate participant in today’s training. Even when a long-term approach was needed, she had gone all out. She hadn’t paced herself at all, giving her all for ten straight hours.

The result was her current half-dead state. She had burned herself out completely, reduced to a pile of ashes.

“Since she was leading the way and working the hardest, there’s nothing we can say,” one of the third-year students said.

“Exactly. I’m saying,” another agreed.

The third-year students, who were also exhausted but not as badly as Jin Heeyoon, clicked their tongues in sympathy.

“Isn’t it like that feeling? When you feel like giving up, but then the gold medal is right in front of your eyes, so you can’t quit,” one of them said.

“Ah, yeah, that’s it,” another replied.

It seemed their breathing had returned somewhat, and some liveliness returned to the third-year students.

“Honestly, until the day before yesterday, I thought we’d be lucky to get a bronze medal.”

With the United States and the United Kingdom, both boasting 5-circle mages, expected to take first and second place, Korea could only hope for a bronze medal if they were extremely fortunate. That was the extent of their expectations. It was a natural assumption. No matter how hard a 4-circle mage tried, they couldn’t defeat a 5-circle mage.

“Ahem. You still lack faith,” one of the third-year students said.

“The omnipotent Hayul has blessed us, and Korea also has a 5-circle mage,” another added.

“Ooh. I believe. Amen,” a third chimed in.

However, from the moment Shin Hayul announced his circle upgrade yesterday, their outlook had shifted 180 degrees. They also had a 5-circle mage, so why couldn’t they win the gold medal?

“Hayul is really amazing,” one of them said.

“I keep forgetting that he’s a misfit,” another added.

“Honestly, how is he a misfit?” a third asked.

The third-year students’ spirits rose as their stamina and mental strength recovered.

“Shinwoo, Jinseok, Heeyoon, how was it for you? How do you think it would go if you fought Hayul right now?” one of them asked.

“…How do you think it would go?” Ma Jinseok scoffed.

“Is that even a question? We’d lose. We’d definitely lose. Even if the three of us attacked him at the same time, it would be difficult,” he replied.

It was an answer that could have hurt their pride, but Kang Shinwoo and Jin Heeyoon didn’t seem upset at all. Instead, they nodded as if agreeing with Ma Jinseok’s assessment.

“He’s just a monster now. A monster,” Kang Shinwoo said.

Shin Hayul’s performance was that impressive. Output, versatility, utilization, strategy—there was nothing lacking in his magical abilities. On top of that, his physical abilities were unmatched. There were no weaknesses. Rather than weaknesses, everything was a strength. He was simply a monster.

There was no hope of winning against Shin Hayul.

“I never thought I’d say this, but I almost feel sorry for the other teams,” one of the third-year students said.

“Why?” another asked.

Ma Jinseok shook his head, clicking his tongue. “How pitiful they are to have to face that crazy… no, that psycho… no, that monster.”

“Ah…”

“That’s true.”

“I’m suddenly starting to feel sorry for them, too,” another added.

The third-year students nodded as if they deeply sympathized. The training ground quickly became noisy.

Ji Soonchan smiled inwardly, watching the boisterous seniors. ‘Hayul does have leadership skills.’ Who would think that they didn’t get along at first, seeing this scene? As a friend, he felt somewhat proud.

“Soonchan.”

“Yes?”

Ma Jinseok approached Ji Soonchan. “What business does Hayul have that he’s rushing off like that at this hour?”

“Hayul? I think he said he was going to the Baengnyeong Island Central Research Institute?”

“Research Institute?”

“Yes. I think he said he had some questions about the mana concentration.”

* * *

Baengnyeong Island Central Research Institute. It was an observation facility that monitored the current situation on Baengnyeong Island, as well as a research institute that studied the overflowing mana on the island. There was no better place to seek advice on the abnormal climate on Baengnyeong Island.

“Welcome,” a researcher greeted me as I entered the institute.

“I’m sorry for coming so late.”

“No, it’s us who asked you to come at this time.”

The reason I came to the institute at this hour wasn’t because I was particularly worried about wasting training time. I wanted to come as soon as possible, but the institute told me that they wouldn’t have time until 9:30 PM. So, I finished all the training and came at this time.

“Still, aren’t you unable to go home because of me?”

“Haha. That’s not the case. It’s still a long way until we go home.”

“But it’s so late?”

“There’s no going home and no going to work. Isn’t that common for researchers?” The researcher laughed playfully. It was a self-deprecating joke that was hard to respond to.

“I’m just kidding. We usually leave work on time. It’s just that things have been so busy lately. I haven’t had time to go home.”

“Lately… You’re talking about the situation where the mana concentration on Baengnyeong Island is getting thicker, right?”

“Yes. That’s right. We’ve been investigating that, so we haven’t had time to rest.”

As expected, the institute was also analyzing the current situation.

“Has the cause been identified?”

“No. Unfortunately, nothing has been identified yet,” the researcher said with a bitter smile.

“Then, what are the leading hypotheses?”

“Well, there are many hypotheses. The most credible one is the ley line [a path of energy] runaway theory…”

After asking the researcher a few questions, I arrived at my destination.

“Ah, we’re here. This way.” I entered the room that the researcher guided me to. There was a luxurious desk, and a nameplate of the institute director was placed on it. It seemed to be the director’s room.

“Please have a seat here. The director will be here soon.”

“Thank you.”

“Then, I’ll be on my way.” With those words, the researcher left the room. And not long after, the director entered the room.

“I’m sorry for being late. Haha.” It was a young man wearing a neat lab coat. He smiled and greeted me. He was very young for an institute director.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?” I stared intently at the director’s face. It wasn’t because I was surprised that he was young. I already knew from my prior research that the director of this institute was young. There was no reason to be surprised.

“No, it’s just that you’re so young, I was a bit surprised. I’m sorry if I offended you.”

“Haha. Why would I be offended by being called young? Please, have a seat. I’ll get you some tea.”

What surprised me wasn’t that the man was young, but the ‘mana’ he possessed within him.

“We only have coffee. Is that okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

My ‘Divine Eye,’ which had grown stronger after becoming a 4-circle mage, could now roughly grasp the amount of mana a person possessed, not just when it was activated, but even in normal times. Through this, I could estimate the person’s approximate level. The man in front of me now, the man who introduced himself as the director, had an unusual amount of mana.

‘This amount of mana. It’s at least 7-circle.’ 7-circle. It was a level that was classified as a great mage, and there were less than ten such high-level personnel in Korea. And such a person was working as a director of a research institute on this island? It was impossible.

‘Is he a hidden master concealing his skills? Or is he a fake?’ I looked at the man operating the coffee machine with sharp eyes. Let’s take a closer look.

‘Divine Eye.’ As I activated my Divine Eye, the man’s mana became clearly visible. My Divine Eye, which had been strengthened after becoming a 4-circle mage, could see through the ‘essence of mana’ of a target, even if the target wasn’t using magic. My Divine Eye pierced through the man’s depths.

“… !” And at that moment, my eyes widened like saucers. The mirage covering the man’s entire body. This was…

‘6-circle non-attribute illusion magic. Fake Illusion.’ As expected, the man was changing his appearance through illusion magic. Because it was a 7-circle level of mana, I couldn’t see the man’s original face, but the fog surrounding the man’s skin was clearly visible. This man was a fake.

‘And this mana…’ The problem wasn’t just that this man was a fake. The real problem was the man’s identity. The mana emanating from this man’s body. ‘Black mana.’ The black I had seen once before. A sticky, dirty pitch-black that resembled sewage.

‘This man. He’s a black mage from the Black Magic Tower.’ My mind became complicated in an instant. But there was no time to organize my thoughts. It seemed like he had finished making the coffee, and the man turned around. Before the man could check my expression, I quickly composed myself.

“Here. It’s coffee.”

“Yes. Thank you.” The man smiled and placed the coffee cup in front of me and sat across from me.

“Now then, shall we talk? You said you wanted to ask for advice about the mana concentration on Baengnyeong Island?” I couldn’t panic here. I had to answer calmly.

“Yes. It’s just that the mana concentration has been changing frequently lately, so I’m having some trouble adapting. It seems like my training efficiency is also dropping a bit. I’d like to ask for some advice about this.” I pretended to be calm and continued to speak so as not to arouse suspicion.

‘If I get caught that I noticed, it’s over.’ I erased my suspicion and emptied my head, so that it wouldn’t show in my expression or words. I continued to ask questions as calmly as a student would ask a director of a research institute.

* * *

“Then, I’ll be going. I’m sorry for disturbing you so late.”

“Haha. No, it was fun for me too. Please come again anytime if you have any more questions.”

“Yes. I’ll ask for your help then.” With those words, Shin Hayul left the institute. As soon as Shin Hayul left the institute, the man’s expression changed.

“Hmm.” He was still smiling, but the weight of the smile was different.

“Tückisch, you’ve done well,” the researcher who had guided Shin Hayul earlier said, handing a black robe to the man.

The man received the robe and put it on. “Did the target return as is?”

“Yes. He returned immediately. Shall we put surveillance on him?”

“No. That’s not possible. There’s a shadow attached to the target right now. Putting surveillance on him would be like stirring up trouble. Just leave him alone.”

“Yes. I understand.” A cadre of the Black Magic Tower, Tückisch, pulled the robe down over his head. At that moment, Tückisch’s face changed. The Fake Illusion was released, and his original face returned.

“Then, let’s go back down to the underground research lab,” Tückisch said, walking into the basement. The researcher followed behind him.

“Tückisch, I think it’s an unnecessary worry, but could Shin Hayul have noticed our plan?” He kept asking about the mana concentration on Baengnyeong Island, and he visited the institute at this timing. Could he have noticed the plan?

“That’s not the case.” He was worried that Shin Hayul might have noticed the plan when he suddenly visited the institute, but after talking to him, that wasn’t the case. Shin Hayul had only visited the institute to ask for advice to solve the problem of his training efficiency due to the frequent changes in mana concentration.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Yes. I understand.” The researcher dismissed all doubts. If Tückisch said it wasn’t, then it wasn’t.

“How is the core?”

“Ah, there’s no problem with that. Everything is going according to plan. If we twist the axis of the core now, it will explode safely by tomorrow afternoon,” the researcher said with a smile.

“Tomorrow afternoon. That’s good,” Tückisch said, also smiling as if he was satisfied.