The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 212

The Rebirth of the Mythical Archmage-213

It was 1:20 PM on Sunday.

Adela and Ji Soon-chan were waiting for Shin Ha-yul at the training grounds.

“He’s not answering his phone. Is something really wrong?” Ji Soon-chan muttered, holding his phone to his ear.

The call continued to ring without an answer.

Even after calling for the 12th time, Shin Ha-yul showed no response.

“Yeah, it’s not like him to be 20 minutes late without saying anything.”

The scheduled meeting time for today’s training was 1 PM.

And the current time was 1:20 PM.

He was already 20 minutes late.

Yet, Shin Ha-yul was nowhere to be seen.

Something must have happened.

Otherwise, there was no way Shin Ha-yul would go silent without any contact.

“Adela, shouldn’t we contact the Mado Shin family through their communication network?”

“Yes, I’ll contact them now.”

Adela quickly took out her phone and called her father, Wi Sang-cheol.

“Hello? Dad. Um, it’s about Ha-yul, he’s not answering his phone. It’s not like him to go silent without saying anything. I’m worried something might have happened. Yes. Please check it out. I’m begging you.”

If an ordinary person was late and didn’t answer their phone, they would have just assumed it was a late start or that they lost their phone.

But since the person who was late was Shin Ha-yul, it was a different story.

The trust and behavior he had built up made his lateness an incident in itself.

—The customer is not answering the phone……

“He’s still not answering.”

The 13th call ended in failure. Ji Soon-chan bit his nails with an even more serious expression.

“I don’t think anything could have happened in Korea… Ugh. Is it because of what Ha-yul said yesterday? I’m getting worried for no reason.”

Yesterday morning.

When Ji Soon-chan asked where he was going, Shin Ha-yul replied with a cryptic ‘secret’.

At the time, he didn’t think much of it. But now that he was silent, many thoughts came to mind.

Could he have gone to a dangerous place that he couldn’t even tell his friend about? Is that why he kept his mouth shut, saying it was a secret?

Could something have happened to him at that place?

Such delusional worries filled Ji Soon-chan’s head.

“I’m just worrying for no reason, right?” Ji Soon-chan asked Adela, trying to shake off his anxious thoughts.

If he thought about it calmly, this was just overreacting. He was only 20 minutes late and not answering his phone. There was no need to be this serious.

Adela would probably reassure him by saying that nothing serious had happened.

Ji Soon-chan had such expectations.

“I don’t know.”

However, Adela’s reaction was 180 degrees different from Ji Soon-chan’s expectations.

“If you think about it calmly, it’s true that there’s nothing wrong…”

Adela was currently more anxious than Ji Soon-chan.

Her usual calm and composed demeanor was nowhere to be found.

It was understandable.

Adela knew that Shin Ha-yul was currently involved in a sensitive issue.

The deal with Commander Charles.

The conflict with the Black Magic Tower.

She didn’t know the details, but with the Black Magic Tower involved, it was definitely not a minor issue.

Shin Ha-yul, who was facing such a problem, had suddenly disappeared.

It was natural to feel anxious about that fact.

‘Could something have happened to him while he was dealing with the aftermath of the parade subjugation with Commander Charles yesterday?’

Adela’s mind became even more complicated. All sorts of anxious thoughts filled her mind.

Bzzzz-!

At that moment, Adela’s phone rang.

[Father]

It was a call from her father, Wi Sang-cheol.

Adela quickly answered the phone.

“Hello? About Ha-yul… Yes?”

Her urgent voice quickly began to calm down.

Her expression also relaxed quickly.

“Yes. Yes. I understand. Thank you, Dad.”

By the time the call ended, Adela’s expression had returned to normal.

Peaceful, safe, calm.

She wore a gentle smile with a peaceful expression.

“Did they find Ha-yul?” Ji Soon-chan’s expression also became more peaceful. He realized that there was nothing wrong with Shin Ha-yul from Adela’s reaction.

“Yes. He’s training at the training grounds in Gyeonggi-do. They confirmed him entering the room through the hallway CCTV. And since he hasn’t come out since, they said he’s probably still there.”

“He’s training?”

“Yes. He went in after lunch yesterday. And he hasn’t come out yet…”

“Oh, come on.”

Ji Soon-chan frowned.

“How focused is he on training that he’s not answering a single call? Tsk. I was worried for nothing.”

“…Yeah.”

Adela smiled wryly.

It seemed like she had let her imagination run wild too much.

She felt embarrassed thinking about her delusions.

“Sigh. I guess we should just assume it’s that important of a training.”

“It seems like it’s actually important training. They said he told the training grounds not to enter his room unless he comes out first…”

“Is he working on his sixth ring or something?”

Shin Ha-yul was known to the public as a 6-circle user [a mage who has mastered six circles of magic].

But Ji Soon-chan and Adela knew that Shin Ha-yul’s real achievement was not 6-circle but 5-circle.

They heard it directly from Shin Ha-yul.

“That’s not possible. It hasn’t been that long since he linked his 5th circle…”

“Hmm. I guess so.”

Ji Soon-chan shrugged and chuckled.

“Anyway, we know he’s safe and sound. Let’s just train in peace. He’ll come when he comes.”

“Yes.”

Without Shin Ha-yul, the training efficiency was somewhat reduced.

But it was better than just sitting around.

So the two of them slowly started training at their own pace.

And after a total of 7 hours passed.

Even after the two finished their training, there was no contact from Shin Ha-yul.

The next day too.

And the day after that too.

Even after a full 4 days had passed, Shin Ha-yul did not come out of the training grounds.

* * *

Thursday.

Five days had passed since Shin Ha-yul entered the training grounds and began to shut himself in.

—Is that kid still not out?

“Yeah, still the same.” Charles was leaning against a pile of clothes he had casually stacked in his hotel room, talking on the phone with Sophia.

—Five days like that… Could there be something wrong with his body?

“Hmm. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like it. Shin In-hyuk himself checked inside this morning. He’s safe.”

This morning, Shin In-hyuk confirmed Shin Ha-yul’s safety.

After confirming his safety, he strictly ordered them not to enter the room until Shin Ha-yul came out on his own.

No, he even ordered the training grounds to be closed until Shin Ha-yul came out.

No one should disturb Shin Ha-yul right now.

It was a sight that showed such a strong will.

“And this is just a guess. But seeing Shin In-hyuk making such a fuss, I think he might have gained some great enlightenment.”

—Enlightenment…

Sophia’s voice became somewhat stiff.

—What kind of enlightenment could he have gained? It shouldn’t take 5 days to link a new ring.

“Who knows?” Charles shook his head with a look of resignation.

“He’s following in the footsteps of Ray Bell Bytener [a legendary mage known for his unique training methods]. It must be that great of an enlightenment.”

There was no point in thinking about it. It was not a problem that could be solved unless Shin Ha-yul told them himself.

“Anyway, it’s definitely a good thing. So don’t worry.”

—Yes. It seems so.

Sophia replied with a more relaxed voice.

“How did the talks with the Red Magic Tower and the Green Magic Tower go?”

—It’s not decided yet… but it looks like it will go well.

“Oh. Really? Was the persuasion faster than expected?”

Sophia had revealed the information about the Black Magic Tower’s spies to the Red Magic Tower and the Green Magic Tower.

She shared all the information and proposed that they lend their strength to hunt down the spies.

—Before persuasion, it seems that the two tower masters were also suspicious of the other towers’ movements.

“Ah.”

Normally, persuasion wouldn’t have been so easy.

Each tower, as well as each noble family, had nearly a dozen spies hiding within them.

Such absurd information was not easy to believe.

It was only because it was Sophia that it had some credibility. If someone else had said that, they would have been kicked out on the spot.

So, they expected to have some difficulty in persuading them.

They were planning to slowly persuade them, but.

As luck would have it, the two towers were already suspicious of the other towers’ movements.

Thanks to that, things went quite well.

“Hah. It’s a relief, but… Ugh, it’s annoying. How is it that out of the twelve magic towers, only the Red and Green towers have no connection with the Black Magic Tower?”

—…It’s a deplorable situation.

The reason Sophia shared the information with the Red Magic Tower and the Green Magic Tower was because the two towers were completely white [untainted by corruption].

They were the only two towers that had not formed a relationship with the Black Magic Tower.

“Then we need to speed up our actions a bit?”

—Yes. Inform the Shin In-hyuk family head about the whole situation as soon as possible. That’s the only way they can respond.

“Okay. It won’t be easy, but I’ll try.”

Charles got up from his spot. The pile of clothes behind him looked a little pitiful.

—The best thing would be if that kid could mediate…

“Well, what can we do? We don’t know when he’ll come out.”

Charles pouted.

If Shin Ha-yul was there, things would have been easier.

“Anyway, I’ll take care of things on my end.”

—If it doesn’t work out, you can use my name.

“Roger that. I’ll do that if it really doesn’t work out.”

Charles put on his rider jacket and his work boots.

“Oh, right. We’re just leaving the Shinbiwi family alone, right?”

—Yes. Leave them alone. If you approach them carelessly, they’re more likely to notice.

The Shinbiwi family’s spy was none other than Wi Sang-hyun. The second-in-command of the Shinbiwi family.

Since such an existence was the enemy, if they approached carelessly, everything could be ruined.

“But, it seems like the Shinbiwi family is the most dangerous right now.”

—That’s why we need the help of the Shin In-hyuk family head. He can keep Wi Sang-hyun in check without being suspected by him.

The project that Wi Sang-hyun was currently pursuing to increase his position was related to the patent rights that the Mado Shin family had monopolized.

It was natural for Shin In-hyuk to stop Wi Sang-hyun.

If Sophia lent a little help to keep Wi Sang-hyun in check, they could stop the project.

Then they could put out the immediate fire.

“Hmm. I don’t know what Shin In-hyuk can do, but okay, I understand.”

Charles put on his work boots and tapped the front of his shoes on the ground.

“I’ll call you again after I’m done talking.”

—Yes. I’m counting on you.

“Yeah. Love you, Madam.”

—Yes. I love you too.

Charles gave his usual farewell and left the hotel.

* * *

It felt like I was dreaming.

A dream that went on endlessly.

It was quiet, refreshing, and warm.

I felt like I wanted to stay like this forever.

‘It’s time to wake up.’

Then, someone spoke to me.

A voice that felt like I was hearing it for the first time, yet also like I had always heard it.

‘If you continue like this, you might experience aftereffects.’

Where did I hear that voice?

I didn’t know. It felt familiar, yet unfamiliar.

It was hard to be sure.

‘Wake up now. You’ll fall into mana poisoning if you stay like this.’

It was like meeting a childhood friend again after 10 years.

A feeling that the childish voice had matured to some extent.

‘If you don’t wake up…’

Ah. Okay. I understand.

This was the voice of mana.

The voice of mana that had matured.

I didn’t notice because it wasn’t the usual high tone.

‘Wake uuuuuup—!!’

Then my heart thumped.

And at the same time, my mind awakened.

My eyes opened along with my mind, and my closed ears opened.

My dazed mind instantly awakened.

“Training grounds…”

When I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar scenery inside the training grounds.

‘I definitely drank the Tears of Heaven [a powerful magical potion], and then…’

My head was hazy.

How long had I been like this that my head was throbbing like this?

‘…I’m thirsty.’

My throat was parched.

This was beyond the level of not drinking water for a day or two.

I drank the bottled water that was placed next to me.

I felt a little better now.

‘How long have I been like this?’

I remembered drinking the Tears of Heaven and trying to link the ring of awakening.

But I had no memory of what happened after that.

I slowly got up from my spot.

“Ugh.”

But my legs wouldn’t listen to me. It was like my body had completely stiffened.

How long had I been like this for my legs to be like this?

I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t speak.

Then, the phone that was placed nearby caught my eye.

I picked up the phone and checked the date.

“…The 11th?”

I was completely dumbfounded by the unimaginable passage of time.

I had been like this for 11 days?

‘No, more than that, the fact that this much time has passed means…’

I hurriedly closed my eyes again and began to observe my inner self.

‘It’s there…!’

And I soon succeeded in sensing the new existence that had formed in my body.

‘The ring of awakening!’

The sixth Infinity Circle with a special structure that was wrapping around in all directions like a snake.

The ring of awakening was clearly asserting itself.