The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 185

“Does a relic from the mythical era mean a medium for mythical magic?”

“No. It’s different.”

Mimir shook his head.

“It’s the origin of the medium. Simply put, it’s the natural form before it was refined by Ray with mythical magic.”

“A natural form before being refined with mythical magic…”

The order of the birth of mythical magic is as follows:

1. Find a ‘relic’ from the distant past, something considered mythical even in the teacher’s [referring to Mimir’s teacher] time.

2. The teacher analyzes the relic and finds a way to fuse it with the Vaitener style [a specific magic style].

3. Refine the relic into a medium for mythical magic.

Only after completely creating the medium can mythical magic be used.

“So, a relic from the mythical era is like a ‘raw stone,’ and a medium is like a ‘jewel.’ And what Shadow has is the raw stone.”

“Oh. That’s right. Exactly.”

Mimir snapped his fingers in agreement.

“I understand.”

I definitely understood that what Shadow possessed was not a medium.

But that was all I understood.

“But why does Shadow have something so significant like a relic from the mythical era? Isn’t it supposed to be incredibly hard to find?”

Relics from the mythical era were so rare that even in the past, the teacher could only find 17 of them.

That was then, so how would it be now, after so much time has passed?

It would have become an even rarer, super rare item.

How could he possess such a remarkable thing?

“Well, I guess he could have gotten the relic by some stroke of luck.”

It’s possible that he obtained the relic from the mythical era purely by chance.

It’s not impossible to find, just extremely difficult.

It wouldn’t be strange if he found it while excavating some ancient ruins by chance.

“Why would Shadow ask to have such a great thing destroyed… why would he propose to have his shadow annihilated?”

What I really couldn’t understand was Shadow’s proposal.

A relic from the mythical era is a treasure.

It’s a treasure beyond comparison to anything else in this world.

You can tell how powerful the relic is just by observing the shadow that Shadow uses.

He can jump through space using the shadow.

He can absorb the opponent’s magic without any problem.

He also possesses an attack power that renders the opponent’s defense useless.

Why would he want to erase such incredible magic?

“Is it a trap after all?”

I couldn’t comprehend Shadow’s desire to get rid of such powerful magic.

There was no logical reason for it at all.

Therefore, Shadow’s proposal was likely a bluff.

It was highly likely to be false.

That’s what I concluded.

“…No. It’s not a trap or anything like that.”

However, Mimir’s thoughts seemed completely different from mine.

“That guy genuinely wants his shadow erased.”

“…Why?”

Mimir was saying that Shadow’s words were true.

There was not a trace of doubt in Mimir’s eyes as he looked at me.

“I mentioned that there are almost no records of the mythical era left in modern times, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, of course, you wouldn’t have heard about Umbra, the god of shadows, either?”

“Umbra… I’ve never heard of it before.”

“…I see.”

Mimir paused for a moment.

He frowned and bit his lip as if recalling something unpleasant.

“I won’t bother explaining all the legends about Umbra. Hearing it will just… make you feel bad.”

I could tell just from that reaction.

The god of shadows, Umbra, seemed to be an evil god, or a god of chaos close to evil.

“The reason why that guy Shadow asked to have the relic he possesses removed… why he proposed to have his shadow annihilated is simple.”

Mimir looked me straight in the eye.

“To live.”

To live…?

“Is the price for using Umbra’s relic his own life?”

“…It’s a little different.”

Mimir shook his head.

“Umbra’s shadow has the power to absorb everything in this world.”

“I know that.”

I had seen it with my own eyes.

“Not only light, mana, and physical force, but also time, space, and even concepts. It’s a terrifying power that can even absorb the common sense that exists in this world.”

“Time and space… and concepts and common sense…?”

I could roughly understand time and space.

But I couldn’t understand what it meant to absorb concepts and common sense.

I just got the sense that it was something extraordinary.

“And Umbra’s shadow… also absorbs the target’s senses.”

“Absorbs senses… does that mean it erases the five senses?”

“Yes. That guy Shadow is probably in a state where he can’t feel any senses.”

“Considering he can’t feel his five senses… he listens to me well and looks at me straight, though?”

“That’s because he’s experiencing it indirectly through the shadow. He uses the shadow as a retina to replace his vision with the absorbed light. And he uses it as an eardrum to replace his hearing with the absorbed sound.”

“…Then isn’t it hard to say that he can’t feel his five senses?”

If he can feel it indirectly, it’s hard to say that he can’t feel his five senses.

“…No. It’s different. The world seen through the shadow… and what you see directly are as different as heaven and earth.”

Mimir’s expression darkened.

“Above all, the world seen through the shadow… is hell.”

“…Mimir?”

Mimir’s face turned pale.

His lips were also trembling.

“That’s… just a curse.”

Mimir was trembling with fear.

‘What happened with Umbra?’

It seemed certain that something had happened between Mimir and Umbra.

“So, Shadow made that proposal to me in order to regain his senses?”

Back then, on the day of the battle with Shadow in the lowest level of the Hwaelian prison [a specific prison].

Shadow laughed wildly as he looked at Miho, who had erased his shadow.

At the time, it just seemed like a creepy smile, but thinking about it now, it was a smile full of ‘hope’.

A smile of joy stemming from the hope that he had finally found it.

“That’s probably one of the reasons.”

Mimir took a deep breath with a slightly more stable expression.

“Umbra’s shadow also absorbs the target’s life force, their lifespan.”

“Even lifespan…?”

“Yeah. I told you, it’s a power that absorbs even concepts and common sense. Absorbing lifespan is a piece of cake.”

“…”

Concepts, common sense, and lifespan.

I didn’t know which of the three was superior, but I understood it.

“So, Shadow asked the successor for that favor. Because he wants to live. To live, he has to escape from Umbra’s shadow.”

* * *

The next day at lunch.

I was heading to the Blue Magic Tower with Adela and Soonchan.

Secretary Jung Soo-ah was driving, and the three of us were sitting side by side behind her.

“…Ah, I’m already feeling the pressure.”

Soonchan, who was sitting in the middle, said casually, taking a deep breath.

He looked like he was already nervous to death.

It was still more than 10 minutes until we arrived, but he was already being so dramatic.

“That’s why you should have stayed quietly at the tea party in the US, why did you run away?”

Previously, on the day of the tea party with the Blue Magic Tower Master who had been discharged from the hospital in the US.

Soonchan made an excuse that he had another appointment and ran away.

That’s why Soonchan was also called today.

Otherwise, only Adela and I would have been called.

“I didn’t run away, okay?”

“Oh, right. You went to enjoy a secret rendezvous with Senior Hee-yoon at midnight, right?”

“…Hey, your way of speaking is a bit suggestive? It’s not like that. I just had a consultation.”

Soonchan’s expression became gloomy.

“Why? Is it not going well with your senior?”

“…Yeah. It seems like she only sees me as a cute younger brother.”

“You’re cute? Your self-praise is a bit disgusting.”

“…You little…”

There was a very slight glint of murderous intent in Soonchan’s eyes.

But it was only for a moment, and it quickly turned into a smile.

“Anyway, it’s kind of like that. I’m still keeping an eye on it. Well, there’s still about half a year left, so I’ll have to do my best.”

“Just go for it aggressively. I asked Senior Jin-seok, and he said that Senior Hee-yoon is surprisingly weak to bulldozer-like men.”

“…Huh? Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

“Ah, that’s right. Hee-yoon unnie [a term of endearment for an older sister or female friend] is good at being assertive herself. But she’s a pushover when it comes to being on the receiving end.”

Adela, who had been quietly listening, added a word.

“If she only sees you as a younger brother, wouldn’t it be a good idea to just go for it and force her to recognize you as a man?”

“Now that I hear it…”

Soonchan was lost in thought with a very serious expression.

“I’ll think about it. Thanks for the advice.”

He said that and then went back to thinking. He was probably thinking about the risks and rewards of making a move.

“Okay. Think about it slowly.”

I had only given advice.

The choice was up to Soonchan. No one would take responsibility for the consequences of his choice. It was entirely Soonchan’s fault. Therefore, all choices were up to Soonchan.

‘I’m sorry to Soonchan, but I don’t have the energy to care about him any more than this.’

I don’t have the time to care about Soonchan’s love life right now.

I’m busy just thinking about the Ring of Awakening.

Even if it wasn’t that, I have to go to Mount Baekdu this Thursday.

‘No, the Ring of Awakening and Mount Baekdu. The biggest problem is Shadow, who will come back the day after tomorrow…’

Why did he make such a proposal and make my head hurt? Sigh.

‘If what Mimir said is true, then there’s no need to worry at all…’

If what Mimir said is true, then there’s almost no chance that Shadow will betray me.

Shadow’s own life is at stake, so he wouldn’t stab his only hope in the back.

‘But then again, it might not be true.’

Mimir’s guess is correct.

It’s probably the right answer with a 99.9% probability.

But it’s not 100%.

There’s a 0.1% chance that Shadow is lying.

‘If I think about that, it would be right to call Captain Charles or my father as a safety measure the day after tomorrow…’

But I can’t do that either.

Shadow is a cadre specialized in infiltration.

If he confirms that Captain Charles or my father are waiting around me, he will never approach me.

Then I could lose the opportunity I had gained.

And that’s a golden opportunity to get information about the Black Magic Tower.

‘…This is a headache.’

That’s why I’m racking my brain like this right now.

Should I trust the 99.9% and wait for Shadow?

Or should I prepare a safety net in case of the 0.1% risk?

Honestly, about 70% of my mind is leaning towards making a deal with Shadow.

But for some reason, I feel uneasy.

“Hmm…”

I couldn’t help but sigh in frustration.

“Do you have any worries?”

Adela asked me casually.

Seeing that Adela was the one who brought it up first, my expression must have looked quite serious.

“No. It’s just… my achievements aren’t what they used to be.”

It was awkward to just brush it off, so I just made up something appropriate.

“…Is that so? But considering that…”

Adela tilted her head.

She seemed genuinely puzzled by the words that my achievements weren’t what they used to be.

“Aha.”

Then, as if something suddenly came to mind, her eyes lit up.

Then, she glanced at Soonchan’s face and carefully took out her phone and started typing.

Bzzzz-!

About 20 seconds passed, and my phone rang.

[Adela Sterett]

It was a text from Adela.

I wondered if it was possible, but she was really texting me.

[It seems the magic you used yesterday is a secret.]

The text contained a strange sentence.

The magic I used yesterday?

[What are you talking about?]

[No. I was just thinking that for someone whose achievements are slow, you were using magic comparable to the permafrost.]

My head tilted even further.

Adela’s head tilted even further at my reaction.

It felt like we were talking about different things.

“…”

Adela, who tilted her head the other way again, started typing again.

[Around lunchtime yesterday. Dark attribute magic… or should I say. That. Very strange magic… you used it, right? I was surprised…]

At that moment, my eyes widened as much as they could.

‘Could it be that she sensed Shadow’s shadow…?’

It seemed that Adela had sensed Shadow’s shadow, which even Captain Charles, who was wandering around, as well as all the instructors and the chairman, had not noticed.